With the Golden Globe winners being announced just a few weeks ago, the best TV shows of 2020 have been thrown back into the spotlight. Taking home multiple awards was The Queen’s Gambit, a Netflix limited series that has been viewed over 60 million times.
The show follows the life of young genius Beth Harmon as she purses a chess career, all the while struggling with addiction, love, feminism and a sense of self. Despite having less than 10 episodes, the show has received acclaim for a wide variety of its content, including its wardrobe.
One of the most notable things about the show was the fashion worn by Anya Taylor-Joy, which captured the quintessential elements of mod subculture during 1960’s America. Her look has attracted much attention for the elements of color, makeup and style of a trendy 1960’s woman.
Today we will be looking at some of The Queens Gambit‘s most iconic fashion moments in a simple style breakdown of the one and only Beth Harmon
Beth was facing a male-dominated industry when entering the world of chess. Despite the masculinity of her peers, Beth maintained a chic feminine look while still holding her own and excelling beyond that of her opponents. The 1960’s fashion world was characterized by its shorter hemlines, brighter colors and dramatic makeup. The introduction of casual trousers and a t-shirt was becoming popular among working women desiring to transition away from the feminine long poodle skirts of the 1950s.
The clothes were just a part of the equation, and the makeup was just as big of a part in defining 1960s culture. Dramatic eyes, pale lipsticks and solid eyeshadow were the best ways to show off your flair for fashion, and elements of this can still be seen circulating the fashion world today.
All of these trends are seen in Beth and her fashion evolution throughout the show. For example, Beth has her first fashion awakening while shopping with her mother. She stares at the long flowy skirt and saddle shoes worn on the mannequin and later spends some of her chess winnings to buy this outfit. This is the first time we see Beth take an interest in her appearance, and her style only continues to develop.
We see Beth in a lot of neutral and jewel-toned (emerald, dark purple, dark blue and more) pieces throughout the series, and her color palette is very consistent. She is also constantly sporting a checkerboard print in some aspect of every (almost) outfit. This is a direct reference to her chess career and is also just a very chic pattern Taylor-Joy looks fabulous in.
Beth undergoes her first major style change after the death of her mother. The girlish and flowy outfits changed into more dark colors with straight silhouettes, trousers and t-shirts. She moved on from the childish version of her style and was now being pushed into an adult role in her personal life, inspiring her to take on a more “adult look” to her fashion.
A second fashion transformation happens when she has a breakdown after losing a chess tournament. During this, she watches the music video for “Venus” by the Shocking Blues and becomes heavily inspired by the makeup and style of their lead singer. After this scene, Beth begins wearing a dramatic eye makeup look that is quite striking and is a very evident nod to the mod subculture era.
The most iconic outfit in the show is also the last outfit we see from Beth, and it is after her win at the World Championship in Moscow Russia. She is seen sporting white head to toe, with a matching hat, coat and pants. As she strolls through the park, Beth resembles the white queen chess piece, a clear nod to her win and her becoming a “queen” of chess.
Wearing Beth’s look in the modern day is very doable, and many elements of her style can be incorporated into everyday wear. To copy this look, adopting a neutral but bold color palette, thin winged liner and a checkered statement piece. Beth is a wonderful example of a woman excelling in a male-dominated industry without sacrificing her femineity, something young women everywhere can look up to and admire.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Youtube and Pinterest!