Sophia Bush Talks ‘One Tree Hill’ Character’s Fashion Evolution for Possible Reboot

Over a decade later One Tree Hill ended, Sophia Bush and Robert Buckley have some thoughts on how their characters’ personal styles would have evolved since 2012.

On the latest episode of their rewatch podcast Drama Queensthe co-hosts took a break from recapping episodes of the series to answer listener questions. With One Tree Hill reboot in the works that reportedly focused on the original characters 20 years later, a fan wanted to know how Bush thought her character, high school cheerleader-turned-fashion entrepreneur Brooke, would dress today compared to her personal style during the show’s original run from 2003 to 2012.

“There was a lot of bad fashion in the early years, friends,” Bush admitted. “So much. I think in some ways it got better as time went on, and then I don’t know. There are still things that I see when we’re watching at the moment, like mid-Season 7, where I’m like, ‘ Oh, that was a tough outfit.’ ”

Oddly, given that Brooke owned a fashion business on the show, Bush said she hasn’t given much thought to her character’s style so far. “I’ve been thinking so much about, you know, for her and for all of us, like what we do in our adulthood, what we’re motivated by, how our families feel,” she explained. “I think because we’re not over the finish line, I haven’t thought about any of the exciting details yet,” she added of the restart.

“I want the power suit,” she continued. “Maybe make some suits so I could just wear more suits.”

As for Buckley’s character, sports agent Clay Evans, who joined the series during its seventh season, Bush said he was “obviously smartly dressed” in the original series.

“I still don’t know why they made you make so many scenes walking on the beach in a jumpsuit and beautiful suede loafers,” she joked. “But you know, 10 years in the future, where do you think (Clay’s) style would be? Like, are you still in nice pants? Have you gone all casual?”

“I think two opposing things have happened,” Buckley said. “The one he got married — Well, spoiler alert fans, sorry, he gets married — and I can say from personal experience, once I had (wife Jenny Wade) in my life, my fashion got a lot better because she was like, ‘You wear the same two shirts and two pairs of jeans every day. We’re actually going to add colors and different things.’ “

Buckley suggested that his character will likely get a similar wardrobe upgrade thanks to wife Quinn (Shantel VanSanten). “I think he’ll dress better,” he continued. “But he’s married and he’s locked it away, which means he’s all about comfort. So he probably has a pair of Crocs, some sweatpants that he almost had a hole in, you know? Because he’s not trying to impress anyone.”

Still, Buckley said, “I wanted to see him dress well, though, because he was just being selfish, like, come on, guys. Put me in some sharp suits.”