Why Bree Van de Kamp’s style still reigns supreme

With her witty one-liners, meticulous style and comically stoic demeanor, it’s easy to see why Desperate Housewives by Bree Van de Kamp became a fan favorite among audiences when it debuted 20 years ago.

The dark comedy, which focuses on the scandalous secrets of the seemingly ordinary residents of Wisteria Lane, was an instant commercial and critical success. Much of the series, which features a large cast, focuses on the life of the fickle Susan Mayer (played by Teri Hatcher), a former influential businesswoman turned mother of five children Lynette Scavo (Felicity Huffman), former model Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria) and perfectionist housewife Bree Van de Kamp (played by Marcia Cross).

The program appealed to both viewers and critics from the very beginning – the first episode was watched by over 20 million viewers, before the series won seven Emmy Awards and three Golden Globes over the course of eight years of broadcast.

Viewers first meet Bree, with her sleek red bob and perfectly brushed eyebrows, as a stay-at-home wife and mother – a character heavily inspired by series creator Marc Cherry’s mother. Wardrobe-wise, Bree’s sporty sweater sets and knee-length skirts (often paired with a pearl necklace) clearly drew inspiration from both former First Lady Nancy Reagan and Sex and the City’s Charlotte York. However, Bree’s Stepford Wives façade does not last long. Over the course of the series, she faces a crushing conflict with her children, a struggle with alcoholism, three marriages and a scandalous false pregnancy.

“I think perhaps Bree’s evolution was better noticed because she was so wounded when we first met her,” costume designer Catherine Adair told CNN in an email. Not only is Cross playing a character, but Bree is probably playing one too.

Traditional and bold

While Bree’s style can be described as traditional or conservative for the first two seasons of Desperate Housewives, things take a bit of a turn after the sudden death of her first husband, Rex (who once told her marriage counselor that it was “hard to tell if she had any ‘feelings'” ) at the end of the first season. In the immediate aftermath, Bree limits herself to inoffensive black dresses, sweaters and cardigans, before the muted colors of sadness finally give way – over the course of a few episodes – to a new, vibrant wardrobe, signaling an unveiling of sorts.

According to Adair, Cross was committed to Bree’s style; a collaboration she described as “rich and helpful.” When death knocks on the door of Bree’s love life again, this time for her ex-fiancé George in season two, she wears a flowing white chiffon gown designed by Dina Bar-El, which Cross described in promotional interviews as an aura-building “angel of death “.

As the series continues, Bree’s uptight personality loosens up. Her neat, shoulder-length bob, almost synonymous with her character at first, gradually loosens. She tries on casual blouses with jeans and the occasional revealing dress – one of which in season seven stands out as one of Adair’s favorite sartorial moments for the character.

“I designed it and had it made over a weekend,” Adair said of the bold low-cut dress, which Bree transforms into a plunging neckline by rocking it while going out with new housewife Renee (played by Vanessa Williams). “We realized we actually needed two dresses to fit,” Adair continued. “But I hope you believed it was just one.”

Pretty (and sophisticated) in pink

There was also one color that Adair loved to decorate all the housewives, sometimes to Cross’s playful anger.

“I loved her in pink,” Adair said. “She (Marcia) would tease me about it.”

But each character had their own shades of pink, Adair explained. The pastel shade that Bree often wore was “quite different” from the bold or dusty pinks that Adair chose for Gabrielle and Susan, the costume designer added.

Fusing high-end streetwear with high-end fashion, Adair sourced clothes from all over Los Angeles, where “Desperate Housewives” was filmed – cutting up existing clothes to create new ones. Adair explained that no appearance was ever “retired” because the show’s flashbacks would require clothes.

At the end of the series, Bree leaves the mysterious state where Wisteria Lane is located and settles in Kentucky. She is now a politician elected to the state legislature, and both her career and her attire prove that she is no longer desperate or a housewife. The sweater sets are gone, but the knee-length skirts remain, and her outfits are an elevated version of her early style.

“We all change and evolve our style in real life based on circumstances, just like the women of Wisteria Lane,” Adair said. “That’s something I really liked about designing the costumes for the show. No one “stood still” or got stuck in time.

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