See Every Single Outfit Olivia Pope Has Worn on Scandal Season Two
There’s much to love about Scandal, from its fiery romances to its nasty political maneuverings. And at the center of this wonderful craziness is Kerry Washington’s Olivia Pope — gutsy, brilliant, and incredibly powerful. Also, she wears suits! Lots of suits, lots of separates, and all within a very limited color palette of white, gray, beige, greige, black, and the very rare glimpses of ultra-pale pastels. We see Olivia in white suits pretty often, but she’s more likely to be found in a gray suit or jacket this season, perhaps reflecting that she’s in a position of moral ambiguity. (Or maybe it just looks great.) Journey with us through every single thing we’ve seen Olivia Pope wear in the second season of Scandal, won’t you?
Update: Now with the rest of the outfits from the end of season two!
Olivia doesn't wear a lot of prints, but even when she does, she still sticks to her light neutrals.
Her signature coat hits the Olivia fashion trifecta: unusual collar, in the white/cream/ecru family, with a defined waist.
Wine clothes! Everyone needs wine-friendly loungewear.
The woman likes a grey suit.
Unusual collar, part 1,000.
This suit looks white here, but it's actually more of a super-pale gray.
That's a white suit, though. And note the exaggerated lapels.
More silky loungewear.
The rare black blazer! (She's wearing grey pants.)
Bouclé, the sexiest of all textures.
White suit.
Another signature style: high neckline, delicate long necklace.
Olivia's pajama wardrobe is better than Quinn's everything wardrobe.
Unusual collar, part 1,001.
Also note the recurring long strand of pearls.
Olivia's wardrobe combines a lot of sharp lines with a lot of soft draping, like the really strong shoulder in this coat plus the fluttery detail arou...
Olivia's wardrobe combines a lot of sharp lines with a lot of soft draping, like the really strong shoulder in this coat plus the fluttery detail around the collar. Where hard meets soft! Scandal in a nutshell.
More collar details ...
Everyone looks good in a trench coat. Even outside a Porta Potty.
The rare pop of color! Hello, cornflower blue! You are so fresh.
This is a different slouchy sweater, but those appear to be the same silky pants.
See how hard and architectural the top of this blazer is before softening into a slight flare at the bottom?
People think Olivia mostly wears white suits. But she actually mostly wears gray suits.
Draping ...
This is by far the frilliest thing in Olivia's wardrobe. She wears it out with Edison, so read into that what you will. (How about that she's not her ...
This is by far the frilliest thing in Olivia's wardrobe. She wears it out with Edison, so read into that what you will. (How about that she's not her real self with him. Just a guess.)
For something with such a high neck, this blouse is surprisingly dainty.
It's our old friend, the white trench coat.
And another entry in the sculptural-gray-suit category.
Olivia's version of Mr. Rogers is to get home, put on the most luxurious-looking sweater imaginable, and then just wait for harrowing phone calls.
Hi, it's me, Kerry Washington, the world's most beautiful human, somehow making high-waisted wide-legged trousers look amazing.
Big collar, belted waist, per usual. Giant bell sleeves, not per usual.
Thunk. We are dead. We died from perfection overload, on account of this being the most perfect dress ever.
She only looks jaunty. She's actually very upset.
Gray suit, ruffly bottom.
Architectural details, Olivia's fave.
Even in flashbacks, Olivia loves grey officewear.
This is how you do white formalwear without entering into bridal territory.
Plaid! But only in a flashback.
Comfers-cozers white knits.
Every time Olivia's jacket has buttons or ruffles or some such on the left shoulder, drink.
Wine clothes, take twelve.
Gray? Detailing? Buttons on the shoulder? Ding ding ding.
Olivia can break her wardrobe down into workwear, formalwear, loungewear, and things she can wear to a hospital.
What she lacks in adventurous colors and prints she makes up for in interesting textures.
Another terrific overcoat.
Drink.
Another slouchy sweater, this time with a silky shirt.
Drink.
More harrowing phone calls.
Incredibly long gloves are not part of most people's hospital wardrobes, but that's Olivia Pope for you.
High neck, long necklace.
Even in a campaign T-shirt, she's still sporting a gray blazer.
Oooh, fancy jacket.
You can tell Olivia means business here because the belt is left untied. Watch out, flashback Fitz.
What is that scarf? The Olivia of today would never wear that.
Even her pashminas seem elegant.
That's a long-sleeve campaign T-shirt under that blazer.
When rigging elections, consider soft knits.
If you buy ten gray blouses, the eleventh one is free.
Don't be fooled — this isn't the same coat from before. This is a new coat with a similar silhouette, but it is short-sleeved, which is sort of an odd...
Don't be fooled — this isn't the same coat from before. This is a new coat with a similar silhouette, but it is short-sleeved, which is sort of an odd choice for outerwear. (Explains the crazy-long gloves, though.)
Slouchy and silky, together again. (The sweater is duster-length.)
More gifts from the gray-blazer fairy.
After careful examination, we have concluded this is actually not the same coat as in "White Hat's Off." That one was cream, and this is mor...
After careful examination, we have concluded this is actually not the same coat as in "White Hat's Off." That one was cream, and this is more of a very pale pink. That's the shirt from "All Roads Lead to Fitz," though.
Return of the white blazer!
Nobody likes babies, but Olivia likes baby blue. Boom!
You know the drill.
Camel is a neutral in any other wardrobe, but in Olivia's sea of whites and grays, it actually stands out.
Bleh, Edison.
EVEN HER BATHING SUITS FIT HER COLOR PALETTE.
Part II.
This is the least Olivia-y outfit ever. Seafoam? Print? No and no.
It's tough to see in the photo, but she's wearing a long, drapey necklace, because of course she is.
What's the opposite of a Mary Poppins purse?
More wine clothes.
Given all we've seen of Olivia's at-home clothes, this robe seems somehow beneath her.
Blue suit! Stop the presses!
Hello, statement collar!
Strategery garb.
You can never have too many white coats. Unless you're a spill-prone person, in which case you definitely can.
Repeat! This is the same jacket from "All Roads Lead to Fitz."
It seems like her heart's not really in this one.
Olivia owns at least two sets of elbow-length leather gloves.
Classic Pope.
Thunk. We died again.
It's our good friend Gorgeous Gray Coat! Hi, friend.
Olivia seems like she should be better than this social-studies-teacher ensemble.
(We've seen this one before. It's fine. Even Kate Middleton repeats outfits.)
For some people, white sweaters and red wine would be dangerous.
Textured neutrals, though this jacket seems a little on the prim side, even for the very proper Olivia. (Proper fashion-wise. Less proper boyfriend-wi...
Textured neutrals, though this jacket seems a little on the prim side, even for the very proper Olivia. (Proper fashion-wise. Less proper boyfriend-wise.)
It's the same elegant top from "Nobody Likes Babies." Maybe powder blue can be Olivia's new power color next season.
For someone who wears so much white, and so much formal white, Olivia somehow manages never to look bridal.
Best pajama wardrobe in the world.
She's wearing black pants, too. A little on the boring side, OP!
This is why people fear peplum. If even a slightly flared waist sometimes looks unflattering on Kerry Washington, what chance do mere mortals have?
See those lapels? That's the white blazer for "White Hat's Off." The amazing white blazer.
Pewter wine clothes. Someone is expanding her loungewear inventory.
Bold print alert! Ch-ch-ch-changes.
Same coat, though. Maybe she's changing on the inside but not on the outside! #Symbolism.
In Jake's dress shirt, everyone's favorite post-coital garb.
Less popular post-coital garb includes hospital gowns, especially when one is hospitalized at the hands of one's recent intimate partner. Gah.
Only in a flashback would Olivia wear something this pleated and bouncy.
Would that we all looked this chic on our way out of the hospital.
A white bathing suit with a belly cut-out doesn't sound pretty, and yet it is.
And back to a quintessential Olivia suit with a slight texture and interesting focal detail. Captain Ballard is also an interesting focal detail.
Does the darkening of Olivia's wine clothes indicate the darkening of her spirits?
Same shirt and necklace from "Top of the Hour."
No! Olivia! This is too schmatta-y!
No! Olivia! He has hurt you too many times!
See, this is more like it.
Another strike against peplum.
The clutch white blazer. Olivia's white jackets never look like lab coats, which is borderline impossible to accomplish in actual life.
It looks lavendar here, but that's the dove-gray zipper coat.
In addition to wine clothes, Olivia also has whiskey clothes.
Look at that pleating detail! So gorgeous.
That hat, however, is more of a stretch.
So many great gray coats! Sadly, this is not one of them.
She even wears white clothes to work out! How are you so pristine, Olivia Pope?