Pastel Hues and Big Jewelry: Decoding The Gilded Age Season 4’s Fashion

Everyone’s favorite HBO period drama about New York high society at the turn of the 20th century is back for a fourth season. In The Gilded Age, all the main characters (played by Carrie Coon, Christine Baranski, Audra McDonald, Cynthia Nixon, and Morgan Spector) are back. But this time, their outfits are just a little bit different. As old and new money continue to clash, the gowns, jewelry, and glamour speak louder than ever before. The outfits also show where the characters are mentally, more than ever. Within the first episode, we’ve already seen marriage, birth, and daring tensions, all dramatically dressed and detailed.

For the series, costume designer Kasia Walicka-Maimone takes inspiration from the real changing fashion of New York City from the 1870s to the 1890s: a time when trends and silhouettes were rapidly evolving. Walicka-Maimone and her team look to paintings, photography, and fashion plates from the period to inform the grand gowns and refined suiting. “We are seeing more artistic license in the dress designs this season, with traditional elements mixed with modern ones like the sleeveless top Marian wore to the after-wedding party downtown at Webster Hall,” Elizabeth L. Block, author of the Gilded Age Fashion book and newsletter, tells ELLE. “The juxtapositions are fun, maybe even more so than the one-to-one matchups with actual Gilded Age dresses we saw in the earlier seasons.”

Even if we’re early in the season, it’s fascinating to see color tell such a story through clothing. Socialite sisters Agnes van Rhijn (Christine Baranski) and Ada (Cynthia Nixon) are at the center of the show, and in the new season, their looks reflect a slightly more joyful representation of their characters. Think: embroidered details and luscious hues. “Aunt Ada is loosening up,” adds Block. “She is fully out of mourning for her husband, and we are seeing her in lighter color combinations like pink and green. For a while last season she was all buttoned up in black and deep blues.” Gleaming buttons and lace trims allude to the fact that these sisters have access to the best of the best textiles.

On the same wavelength, Peggy (Denée Benton) and her mother, Mrs. Scott (Audra McDonald), demonstrate through their clothing that they have money, but most importantly, taste. There’s a short conversation about Brussels bobbin lace that is quite revealing, however. (Consuelo Vanderbilt famously wore a Brussels lace veil for her glorious 1895 wedding to the Duke of Marlborough.) Their highly ornate outfits with richly detailed trims and embellishments are unrivaled.

Still, sisters Agnes and Ada are more toned down than someone like Bertha Russell (Carrie Coon) and her railroad tycoon husband George Russell (Morgan Spector) or Peggy and her family, who have all always used clothing as armor and a communication tool. Despite seeing Bertha dressed down early in the episode during Gladys’s (Taissa Farmiga) giving birth, she later comes to fruition with diamond tiaras, puffed and beaded sleeves, and embellished full-skirted ball gowns.

A major fashion moment comes when Enid Winterton (Kelley Curran) and Oscar van Rhijn (Blake Ritson) get married. Enid wears an opulent gown embroidered with flowers in a soft shade of pinkish lavender, with matching gloves and an ornate pink floral headpiece to match. As Block says, it’s a “pinky-lavender dress for a lavender marriage,” and “The ensemble immediately reads as incongruous but elegant and playful, like the two characters, who are now fan favorites.” With a flash of pale green and a long train, the look is a nod to the stereotype of the idea of new money being flashier than old money. Enid’s wedding look is the equivalent of a fashion debut for her in a way, and later on, we see her in a pink silk trimmed with sumptuous fur, accented with a pearl necklace and earrings.

We also see Marian Brook (Louisa Jacobson) emerge even more as an example of a young woman who’s interested in dressing differently. Her vivid mint green and black striped gown with draped details was incredibly visually striking and felt new and bold, while her matching hat felt like a nod to the kind of more mature, old-money style of her aunts. She also wears a blue lace gown with velvet shoulder details and matching opera gloves, revealing more skin than the old-money characters in the show.

If you’re a jewelry (or accessories) lover, it’s the season to watch. Enid’s spectacular diamond necklace and whimsical approach to hats covered in bows and feathers are gasp-worthy and definitely among the most entertaining parts of the show. In The Gilded Age season 4, the fashion is vital to the drama.