The Clothing in “Elementary”— My Dear Watson, I Love Your Outfit

I watched the new Sherlock Holmes tv show “Elementary” last night. The bright spot of the show is the Dr. Watson character, played by Lucy Liu. Sadly, the rest of the show is not as good as I was hoping for, but Watson makes up for it. She’s a compelling character AND she’s a role model for the stylish urban woman of a certain type. If you like simple, graphic, architectural style and have a linear, H-shaped body (straight up and down) you will probably like her clothes. 

Watson is a genuinely complicated female character, which is a nice change from the usual bland women we see on tv, and the complexity comes through in her clothes. Every look Watson wears has the same bold simplicity, and you see at first glance that there’s nothing boring about the clothes (and you infer that the woman is equally compelling—which is why we are trying to learn from how she dresses). The red plaid, the drapey cardigan, and the necklace in the first image are pieces you won’t see on every woman you pass. They’re unusual. They are close to things we see in every store, but each one has it’s own twist. That’s the lesson: if you want to look interesting, find unique pieces and wear a few in each outfit.

The look in the second and third images is more at the avant garde end of the bold urban simplicity scale but is still in keeping with her character. I love this outfit, because unlike many avant garde styles, these pieces would fit into my life without attracting stares of the “what is she wearing” variety. Look at the lines created by the unusual asymmetrical skirt and the draping of the coat, and the short sleeves over the longer sleeves. Look at the texture of the sweater. Actually it looks like the one Neo wore in “The Matrix“; the thousand dollar sweatshirt look. She blends in perfectly in a New York setting but also would stand out in any crowd of urbanites. Isn’t that what we all want, to blend in enough to be able to fit into our niche but also to stand out so that we show our unique beauty?

I love the necklace so much I want to buy it.

The last image is great because it’s such a standard NYC outfit but has cool touches that make it stand out. It looks a lot like how I would look standing on a street corner, with the black trench and the cross-body gray bag with the silver chain. But look at her shoes. They’re actually platform sneakers. And you can’t see it in this photo but the collar of her shirt is yellow and ruffled, which adds a piece of whimsy to an otherwise plain color scheme.

So for those of us who like this style of clothing, “Elementary” is clearly going to offer some  inspiration…

53 responses to “The Clothing in “Elementary”— My Dear Watson, I Love Your Outfit

  1. This is a poem my dad wrote about Lucy Liu. Yes, I am serious. That’s my dad for you.

    Finding I bit off more than I can chew
    There remains to me the hope
    That on the street I’ll meet Lucy Liu

  2. I caught the second ep. Lucy’s knitted t’s where awesome.The contrast with texture from the back to the front with the rounded bottom made this an awesome look for her. I am a male and would love to find a version of this look.BTW I love the show.Yeah its’ “MONK NYC”.But come on you got Aiden Quinn as the reluctant chief.

    • I haven’t seen the second ep yet. That’s the thing, he totally IS Monk, so how can that be good? Why didn’t they just make it that instead of saying it was SH? Not that we need another Monk. Not that I have anything against him, but what happened to originality?

  3. I found this blog post because I am obsessed with her style on this show! Glad to see other people are noticing too ❤

  4. Hi Jenny, do you happen to know where to get a pair of gold necklaces with small medallion like pendants she has in the later episodes (say 4th)?

  5. I believe the necklace in the fourth show can be purchased through Sundance. The reviews are not that great regarding durability. It is gold overlay which doesn’t wear well. Runs around $200.00

    • I looked it up, thanks for the suggestion!! They are the first similar ones I’ve seen. Although I don’t think they were the same ones, it’s a start!! If I find some I like I just might start wearing gold again!

      • I don’t wear gold but I’d love to have something similar in silver. I don’t often see anything like that in stores, but I do see them on tv often. I wish the stylists would make lists of where they got the clothes!

        • Haha my thoughts exactly – they make music lists after all! I was very close to asking people magazine – they seem to do this sort of thing but I couldn’t find a picture… They will surfice somewhere!

          • I posted one on our Facebook page that I took from the screen. It’s a little blurry but I’m sure it’s good enough for People 🙂 I can’t seem to post it here.

          • hmm.. I can’t seem to find how to submit a question to people… that website sure has a lot of things on it but contact is not necessarily one of them. Can you see if you can?

          • Who the bloody hell do they think they are?? :))
            Well, I shall now make it my life’s mission to seek for this necklace. I will watch all tv shows, keep my eyes open and look for jewelery. I would have thought this shop (www.mirabellejewellery.co.uk) would have it but no, they have everything else under the sun 🙂
            Next stop: the show’s discussion boards unless they’re not monitored by the show people… Will keep you posted!

  6. I can’t believe the show doesn’t have a discussion board. That seems like a good opportunity they’re wasting there. I’m sure we’re not the only ones who are obsessed with Watson’s clothes and want to discuss them. I posted that image to the FB page – maybe someone will recognize it.

  7. Hi Jenny! So glad people are starting to notice Lucy’s awesome Elementary style! Do you have any idea where her gold half moon earrings are from? She’s wearing them in the beginning of episode 2. I’ve been looking everywhere. 🙂

    • I know, I love her clothes in Elementary. I want them all. I’ll have to go back and look at those earrings, I don’t remember. I’ll post a pic on our FB page, since it won’t let me post one here.

      • Thank you! I just checked out the fb page, and those are the ones. Hopefully as the show picks up more loyal fans, some wardrobe info will leak out!

    • I posted a pic of them on the FB page. Maybe someone will know. I like the top half of the outfit better. I want that striped shirt.

  8. Pingback: Lucie Lu’s Clothes in Elementary: The Perfect Stripe « Brainy Beauty Talk·

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  10. Does anyone know who makes her handbag that she wears in the first elementary episode??? I absolutely love it and can not find it anywhere??

  11. Do you know who made the sweater Lucy was wearing on the recent episode in January. It’s a blocking grey cream and red or orange?

  12. I would love to find the gray wool peacoat with the funnel collar and black buttons. Any ideas who designed it? It was on the Feb 21 episode

  13. I love the coat from your photo in this article with the assymetrical skirt. Any idea about where I can find this?

  14. I like the short skirts with leggings and boots with the heels that are a little thicker than most! Love Aidan Quinn too!

  15. Hello! I manage the site On Screen Style and one of my readers pointed me to this site– I am putting in a big ask for the costume department to ID a bunch of Elementary pieces people keep asking me about so please let me know if there are others you’d like to find out, too!

  16. I’m glad I found this website! I love Elementary, it’s a really great show (despite what others might think). I’ve been trying to search for Watson’s clothing and jewelry. If the costume department can help its followers identify Joan’s wardrobe pieces, it would be absolutely fantastic for Elementary fans!!

  17. I was an early fan of the show, largely because of the fabulous, edgy style of Watson. After the first few how, the stylist seems to have changed–funky, but no longer as artistically edgy. Do you know what happened? I miss it!

    • I was wondering the same! I was wowed by the earlier season’s looks. The images on this site are a great representation, it’s very NYC/Greenwich Village vibe. It suits the neighborhoods the characters are in.

  18. Love all the clothes that Lucy Liu wears in all the episodes, and her accessories! Would love to know where they could be purchased! Great style, and love the neutral colors. Perfect!

  19. Gorgeous wardrobe, this is perfect for the woman who likes German inspired clothing, or LagenLook. She wears it perfectly, especially for a petite woman because this type of clothing usually overwhelms. I’m not keen on the skirts they have her wear to show off her legs, but the booties and asymmetric dusters and tunics are really up my alley.

  20. I think Joan’s clothes are bland and boring. Always gray, drab and colorless. I’m alwaays astounded when I see a slight pop of color. She always looks as if she’s going to attend a funeral.

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  22. Pingback: Lucy Liu’s wardrobe in Elementary’s early seasons·

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