FASHION

Kerry Washington Would Like to Remind You She’s Very Much Not Olivia Pope

At least, sartorially speaking.


It was a big weekend for awards season. Sunday’s Screen Actors’ Guild Awards occupied most of our attention — what with Mahershala Ali’s poignant acceptance speech, Denzel Washington’s stunning victory, and Julia Louis-Dreyfus’s hilarious Trump impersonation — but on Saturday, the largely overlooked Producers’ Guild Awards also attracted its own A-list crowd. Sarah Paulson in a shimmering velvet Margiela design, Thandie Newton in Marc Jacobs, and Kerry Washington in Rodarte all descended on the red carpet for the first of the weekend’s two major awards ceremonies.

Though Washington’s series Scandal wasn’t up for any awards over the weekend, it returned to ABC for a sixth season just last week. Her character, Olivia Pope, is known for her penchant for red wine, white hats, and clean, modernist lines — but, with Washington’s sparkly, frilly Rodarte ensemble, she seems to be taking the opposite approach to her red carpet style.

Kerry Washington in Rodarte at the 28th annual Producers’ Guild Awards in Beverly Hills, California, January 2017.

Todd Williamson/Getty Images

Who: Kerry Washington.

When: Saturday, January 28.

Where: The 28th annual Producers’ Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California.

What: A slim jacket of lace and sequins with a matching high-low ruffled skirt, both by Rodarte from the brand’s Spring 2017 collection, with flat-pressed hair and shoes and clutch both by Jimmy Choo.

Why: Rodarte designs are notoriously challenging to translate from the runway to the red carpet, which makes Washington’s victory here stand out all the more. On the runway, the look was paired with knee-high boots; Washington instead opts for a pair of lace-patterned stilettos, toning down the ’70s rock vibe of the collection. The next night, for the Screen Actors’ Guild Awards, the actress would select a white sequined Roberto Cavalli design, the diametric opposite of her Producers’ Guild look. Her look might not resemble that of her on-screen character, but just like Olivia Pope, Kerry Washington has it all figured out.