To marry Fitz or not to marry Fitz? That is the question on last night's Scandal! If only it were that simple. Olivia Pope (Kerry Washington) is faced with a tough decision: to hastily marry the President so that she doesn't have to testify against him, or not marry him and tell the truth in front of the Senate committee. Of course, because she is Olivia Pope, she finds a way around both scenarios.
But when President Grant (Tony Goldwyn) first tells Olivia that they must wed to avoid testifying, Pope is caught off guard, apparent in her wardrobe choices (pictured above). "We didn't want her in gladiator mode in this scene so there's no white," costume designer, Lyn Paolo, says about Olivia's navy Armani Collection jacket and black Ralph Lauren pants. "She wasn't planning on this happening. This wasn't a happy proposal, so there was no reason for her to be dressed up. She thinks it's just business as usual."
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When Fitz tries to romantically propose later in the episode, Olivia once again has mixed emotions about marrying him. She even wears a color that she's never worn before: brown. "She's so conflicted in this scene," Paolo says. "She loves this man and of course would love to marry him, but right now feels like it's for all the wrong reasons. This is why we don't have her in white here again." On the White House balcony, she wears a brown Ferragamo blazer and brown Armani pants.
Meanwhile, Quinn Perkins (Katie Lowes) is still holding down the fort at Pope & Associates and in last night's episode, she wore an Emporio Armani trench-style leather jacket instead of her usual bomber. "She's more and more in charge at OPA because Olivia hasn't been there and Huck is still pretty absent," Paolo explains. "She's fancy in that outfit, I have to say."
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For more of the show's fashion, follow @LynPaolo and @ScandalABC on Twitter. Then, tune in to Scandal Thursdays at 9 p.m. ET on ABC.