The Style of Grace and Frankie

Until this weekend when I watched Grace and Frankie, all of the first season at once, I did not understand.  After all, I am too busy to participate in something so frivolous as watching an entire season of a show in one go…or so I thought.

But, my son, warned, “Mom, are you sure you want to do this? It is addicting. You will not get anything else done.”

He knew it is not my nature to sit for hours and truly relax and enjoy.  However, I looked at a bedroom where I want to place an office and just wasn’t ready to tackle all of the “stuff.”

The alternative was to become a Netflix fan and join the throngs of people who will sit and watch a series one show after another after another for hours at a time. Yep, now I’m a binge-watcher.

Because of blogger reviews, I selected “Grace and Frankie,” starring and produced by Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin.  The writing is very well done, though not on Gilmore Girl-level, but still engaging dialogue, sometimes so real it is uncomfortable.

When Grace dreams about the MRI, she almost had me climbing walls, since that is a personal fear of mine.   Best line ever from the first season… “I think I just peed a little on Ryan Gosling’s face!”

You may not be able to get a Ryan Gosling chair, but you can get a Ryan Gosling pillow!

Grace and Frankie are beautifully cast and styled.  The messages communicated through their clothing perfectly nails the characters’ personalities.  The show is a great lesson in how clothing will tell a story about the individual who wears the look.  Let’s examine a little closer:

Grace’s Style: Classic, Chic

Clothing:  Garments fit her figure perfectly; neutral-based wardrobe, white collared blouses, a few solid color blouses and limited prints, pencil skirts, dresses.  Even when relaxing, she looks well dressed.  The impression is these are expensive, classic pieces she would use over and over again….cashmere wraps and cardigans, stand up collars.

Beauty:  Grace goes all out for hair color, hair pieces, false eyelashes, and full makeup (I noticed there is usually dark eye shadow).  One episode Frankie makes reference to Grace’s plastic surgery.

Accessories:  She wears a lot of dress heels and boots with heels.  Smaller handbags that always complement the complete outfit.  Grace’s jewelry consists of simple earrings and understated necklaces.

Frankie’s Style: Bohemian

Clothing:  Loose, flowy, over- sized, with lots of color and prints to reflect the artist in this woman. While she is very stylish, the style reflects who she is: creative, ethnic, and environmentally conscious.

She is not the business woman Grace has been, and so there is no clothing which indicates a difference between a career and home life.  Her most professional style was worn to a funeral.

Beauty:  Frankie is very natural, down to earth.  Long, gray natural hair and limited makeup.  She prefers homemade, organic beauty remedies.

Accessories:  She loves a statement necklace, dangly earrings, and scarves.  There are many scenes where she wears a scarf in her hair.  Shoes are organic, Tom-like, flat selections.

Half the inventory at Soft Surroundings could be in Frankie’s closet.

From the moment we meet Grace and Frankie in the restaurant, we can see from their overall fashion, these women are very different.  But, we will join them as they also learn, despite differences, they are women sharing an experience and at the core have similar hearts.

It is so evident in the episode where they switch clothing that deep inside they are women who care, love, laugh, cry and bond.

I have this quote on my blog from business woman, Alison Vaugh,

“Appearance can be a powerful and useful tool in controlling the kind of message you send to others about who you are, your age, and how you view your age.  If you get the response you want, your style fits; if you do not get the response you want, consider making some changes.”

Except when the storyline called for it, I was not aware in my marathon watching of the characters’ ages, though both would be over 70.

Both Frankie and Grace were vibrant, engaged, intelligent women learning how to handle what life threw at them.  Their styling reflects their personalities and does not scream “old” at all.

Who would you be…Grace or Frankie…classic or bohemian?  Have you watched the show?  Does your style say who you are?