What Would Claire Underwood Wear?: House of Cards-Inspired Lingerie

By Cora Harrington March 12, 2015 in bras, fashion, featured, french, loungewear, luxury, shapewear 6 comments

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I know...this is from Season 2, but I really like this image.

Like many people, I spent the first few days of March binge-watching House of Cards on Netflix, and while I won't share my thoughts on this new season (just in case someone reading this hasn't watched yet), I feel like I agree with almost everyone when I say that I love Claire Underwood's style.

The character's clothing is absolutely a window into her personality; there's this minimalist, understated elegance to the way she dresses that is cool, intimidating, and practical all at once. Think clean, sculptural lines, restrained refinement, and luxury without ostentatiousness. I wish I owned her entire wardrobe (and most especially the dresses), but as you've no doubt guessed, I'm using this blog post to focus on the lingerie.

Very often, when I'm watching TV or a movie or even reading a book, I put together a lingerie wardrobe for the main female characters in my mind. Though a lot of attention is paid to what's shown on the outside (and rightfully so), I like to think of how a character's intimate apparel choices might also reflect or accentuate their personality. If Claire Underwood were a real person, what in the world would she be wearing under her gorgeous clothes?

After watching (and rewatching) this season, I've come to believe that Claire Underwood would wear a lot of luxurious fabrics, namely silk and cashmere, but also high-end tulles, cottons, and microfibers.

The color palette would almost always tend towards neutral tones, like gray, camel, cream, and black. There'd be very little lace, bows, or embellishments in her lingerie wardrobe, and bright colors, pastel shades, jewel tones, and prints would all be out of the question. In fact, I think of Claire Underwood as the sort of person who'd have her assistant cut the bows off her bras before she wears them.

While Ms. Underwood's lingerie drawer would primarily consist of luxury items that were also invisible, I don't see Claire's character as the sort of woman who'd wear a designer label just for the sake of wearing a designer label. She has no interest in trends, and a flashy PR strategy (or worse yet, a celebrity endorsement) would be an immediate turnoff.

Hidden sophistication, a kind of grace in invisibility, and understated luxury is the name of the game. With that in mind, here are the undergarments I imagine making an appearance in Claire Underwood's lingerie wardrobe.