As Hollywood turns to the Emmys on Aug. 25, the first lady is once again a sought-after fashion commodity. But it's Robin Wright, the nation's first lady on the political drama "House of Cards," who is on fashion labels' radar, along with her co-star Kevin Spacey.
Brands are usually most interested in dressing younger stars. But this year the 48-year-old Ms. Wright and the 55-year-old Mr. Spacey present a perfect storm of temptations for any fashion label. To begin, they're both nominated for best-actor Emmys for their roles as the machiavellian Frank and Claire Underwood. That means that one or both could appear on the Emmys stage, giving some designers' duds global exposure. (Netflix expects to release the third season of "House" early in 2015.)
Ms. Wright's power wardrobe—anchored in sleek black and gray tailored suits and dresses—has made her a valuable fashion influencer, particularly for young professional women. Her character's clothing and haircut are closely followed on blogs and social media, where some women post photos of themselves at their desks in Claire-like outfits. It's a public reaction the actress welcomes, though she says it took her by surprise. "When my publicist told me that people were blogging about it—the hair and the clothes," Ms. Wright says, "I was like, really? Wow!"
The actress's potent strong-woman air has made her particularly influential, leaving some designers faintly gaga.
"I just love her," Jason Wu said over lunch recently. He expressed a desire to dress Ms. Wright in either of the labels he designs, his eponymous line or Hugo Boss. "We're talking."
Among the many designers also in the running to dress Ms. Wright is Ralph Lauren—whom she names as one of her favorites. She has worn the label on past red carpets, including last year's Emmys. It's also possible that she could move further upscale. Now that her character has become the first lady, Ms. Wright has been requesting more Christian Dior for the show, says the show's costume designer, Johanna Argan.
Burberry is a likely candidate for Mr. Spacey, who wears the label on the show as well as on red carpets including the Academy Awards and Golden Globes.
Burberry lauds its good relationship with Mr. Spacey and Ms. Argan, but most other brands were cagey when asked if they're sending clothes for the Emmys. Fashion labels are loath to admit that they're trying to dress a star for the red carpet, for fear of being embarrassed if they're not chosen. Stars are notorious for changing their minds at the last moment—often deciding on a stylists' rack of potential looks a few hours before an event.
House of Cards isn't nominated for an Emmy for best costumes. Contemporary costuming is often overlooked in awards, and this year's costume nominees are for historical period pieces ("Mad Men," "Downton Abbey") or fantasies ("Game of Thrones"). But the Emmy snub hasn't affected the impact of "House of Cards" on current fashions.
Designer Narciso Rodriguez—another Robin Wright fan—says clients have contacted him about looks such as a gray flannel dress that she wore on the show. The designer, known for his minimalist designs, says dressing Ms. Wright as Claire Underwood has "brought a renewed interest into this part of my work, which is the foundation of my business."
Mr. Spacey, too, is a new fashion icon. Esquire Magazine has encouraged politicians to "dress like Frank Underwood, don't behave like him."
Ms. Wright, who works closely with Ms. Argan in selecting her character's clothes, says she understands why her character's body-skimming outfits have proven so intriguing.
"It's powerful and it's sexy. What man doesn't like that in a woman?" asks Ms. Wright.
Mr. Rodriguez, who spent hours in his archives working with Ms. Wright and Ms. Argan, says the costumes resonate because of their discipline. "The consistency in dress and style makes it even more intoxicating," he says. "There's greater strength in being subtle."
Ms. Argan says people chase her down on Twitter to find out about the fashions. Many of these fans are men. "They say, 'I want to buy that for my wife,'" she says.
"Everything Frank and Claire do is very calculated—what they wear, it's like a chess game," says Ms. Argan. "The structure in Claire's clothes is her armor. Think Lady Macbeth."
Because Ms. Argan buys most of the clothes off the rack from department stores, the brands aren't always aware of their involvement until episodes are released. That's another reason that fashion brands often prefer red-carpet dressing to working with film or television studios: Red-carpet photos get wide distribution and usually credit the designer.
Ms. Argan says that the fashion label Theory once called to find out which Theory dress Claire had worn in an episode. "I was like, I don't have the tags anymore," she says.
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