"Good Wife" designer in Greenville

• Career wear for women can be feminine yet strong.
• Save 20 percent of your clothing budget for tailoring.

When a big-time news anchor approached Dan Lawson about channeling Diane Lockhart’s Madison Avenue flair on “The Good Wife,” the costume designer brought over racks of options.

The anchor, whom Lawson declined to name, tried on the clothes, took one look in the mirror and said: “Can I tell the world that 100 people just died in a bomb explosion?”

In the end, she bought only five pieces, Lawson remembered. Old habits die hard.

A three-time Emmy-nominated designer, Lawson recently spoke for the first time in Delaware about how to dress powerful yet remain feminine at the office, why women should devote at least 20 percent of their clothing budgets to tailoring, and why Good Wife star Alicia Florrick’s hair is always so meticulously coiffed.

“You know she wears a wig, right?” Lawson told an audience of mostly women at the Greenville Country Club Tuesday night.

The “eternal 29-year-old”-- he won’t give his real age -- was in town as part of a fundraiser for Wilmington’s entreDonovan boutique. The custom clothing shop is trying to raise at least $25,000 to update its body-scanning technology, which offers clients apparel suggestions after analyzing, measuring and taking 3D images of their bodies.

Boutique owner Linda Farquhar said she has tried for several years to bring Lawson to town. More recently, she met his Newark branding manager Linda Kearns, who also represents costume designer Janie Bryant of “Mad Men.”

An aspiring actor in college, Lawson found that he preferred “playing every part” behind the scenes as fashion maestro. His big break came when he was recruited for the ABC soap opera “One Life to Live.” He recalls setting strict deadlines for actresses who wanted to raid the show’s closet before the Emmys.

Even today, actress Christine Baranski, who plays Diane on the CBS hit drama, will borrow pieces designed or handpicked by Lawson, he said.

She’s not the only one.

Earlier this year, First Lady Michelle Obama wore a tweed Michael Kors suit to the State of the Union address, the same wide-collared ensemble Alicia sported on the show in late 2013.

“My phone never rang so much in my entire life,” Lawson remembers. He’s not sure if the first lady actually watches the show.

Another possible fan is Duchess of Cambridge Kate Middleton, who appeared at a public event in 2012 wearing a blue L.K. Bennett suit, less than two months after Lawson ordered the same one for actress Julianna Margulies on the show.

Lawson is fond of describing Alicia’s style as “one foot in classic, one foot in modern.” Diane, by contrast, exudes “Madison Avenue meets Park Avenue,” while former cast member Kalinda Sharma, played by Archie Panjabi, is mysterious and smoldering in leather jackets and skirts that are a tad short for the office.

Meanwhile, new character Courtney Boalt, played by Vanessa Williams, dresses so that her beauty doesn’t upstage her intellect, Lawson said.

Wearing a plaid Topman jacket and understated slacks, Lawson said he felt sorry for women who feel hemmed in by corporate dress expectations emphasizing gray and black, gray and black. Others feel that they must dress masculine to be taken seriously.

“I think it’s important for women to look feminine, to show off their silhouette,” said Lawson, who also works on the CBS drama “Limitless.”

That’s why Alicia never wears pointed collars, he continued.

Women who think their thighs are too big can still wear pencil skirts, Lawson insisted. Just modify an A-line skirt.

“I really want to believe him,” said Marcia Wright-Soika, development director for YWCA Delaware, who attended Tuesday’s event.

Dressed in a stylish striped dress and short black sweater, Wright-Soika chooses career separates from Neiman Marcus’ private label brand. Others in attendance were decked out in fur stoles and shimmery sheath dresses.

(This reporter didn’t get the memo and showed up in jeans and a puffer vest).

The Good Wife’s pilot, which Lawson didn’t work on, portrayed Alicia as frumpy and matronly, he said. Returning to work after her husband's corruption scandal and incarceration, Alicia wore an oversized houndstooth jacket.

“There’s nothing flattering about this look at all and it was on purpose,” Lawson said, grimacing at the screen.

Over subsequent seasons, Alicia became a style icon for professional women.

In season six, she wore a blazing red Roland Mouret suit that resembled a chic dress. She also wore elegant head-to-toe neutrals. For accessories, pearls and brooches are Lawson’s obsession.

His 12-member staff shops online, at designer showrooms, department stores and discount stores. Outfits that appear on the show cost from $99.99 to $8,000, Lawson said. Some go-to brands are Max Mara, Narcisco Rodriguez and Hugo Boss.

Lawson, who has also worked on short-lived TV shows like “Lipstick Jungle” and “Kings,” launched his own clothing line, 35-DL, with British brand number 35. The collection includes cowl-neck shirts, versatile pants, pencil skirts and a red zig zag dress that promises to instantly slim any shape, which Diane wore on the show. The price: $880.

A fur-trimmed blue suit was designed in collaboration with his daughter, Lily, now 12, who watches “Project Runway” with her sketch pad.

For less expensive alternatives, Lawson recommends H&M, Banana Republic, J. Crew, Zara and Tahari by Arthur S. Levine.

Like real-life ladies, Alicia’s show closet consists of three sections, he said: Items she’s worn, items she’d never wear and items that are “percolating.”

Contact Margie Fishman at 302-324-2882, on Twitter @MargieTrende or mfishman@delawareonline.com.

How to get The Good Wife look with the body and budget you have:

Want to look like Alicia? “It comes down to time and finances,” says Lawson.

Even if you have a clothing budget of $100, set aside $20 for tailoring, he suggests.

You can create a defined waist by adding volume to the shoulders and tailoring everything “within an inch of its life.”

Big board meeting coming up? Don’t pull out all the showstoppers at once, cautions Lawson. Instead, pick one star and let the rest of the outfit play a supporting role.

Most important is to pull on a garment that makes you feel confident and not have to worry about it until you take it off, he says.

 “You have to stand in front of the mirror and be honest with yourself.”