Claire Underwood’s ‘House of Cards’ Season 6 Wardrobe is Peak Villainess Chic

When House of Cards Season 6 opens, Claire Underwood (Robin Wright) is a widowed Commander-in-Chief. If that’s not enough, she is overwhelmed with death threats and surrounded by would-be traitors waiting for her to slip up. At a military event, a new recruit sasses her: “Do you even have a plan?” The situation is clear: even though Claire is at the top of the political ladder, everyone around her wants to tear her down. But Claire Underwood is ready to fend them off, and we know this not because of her strange to-camera monologues, but because of her imposing new wardrobe.

Claire Underwood has always rocked her own specific style. Not content with the classic, demure looks of most political wives, she has always opted for clean silhouettes that hugged her toned body. Her hair has always been on the short side. Her femininity has been suggestive. There’s a sensuality to Claire, but it’s not flouncy or obvious.

In Season 6, though, all traces of femininity have been shed like a snakeskin. The newer, more beastly Claire dresses in snug monochromatic suits and dresses. The lines of her clothes are still sharp, but they no longer fit like a glove. Instead, her outfits are like avant garde military wear. Her hair, as I observed in my House of Cards Season 6 review, has been cut into an “abrupt helmet-like bob that makes her look exactly like Rosamund Pike in Gone Girl. (You know, in that scene where Amazing Amy slits Neil Patrick Harris’s throat mid-coitus.)” This Claire Underwood doesn’t have to be an accessory to another man’s story. Instead, she is the warrior queen charging forward, even as she is on the offensive.

Claire’s strange new look isn’t that of a hero, though. Instead, she evokes the villainess. There’s a starkness to her wardrobe that doesn’t let you get close to her. Rather, you want to get out of her way.

This mid-show makeover isn’t just a sea change; it’s a revolutionary stroke of style genius. One thing that keeps coming up about female politicians, whether they are in office or on the campaign trail, is their personal style. Women are supposed to straddle some sort of line between masculine and feminine, serious and likable. And so there’s a kind of bland uniform that most women in power adhere to, and those that stray get a fair amount of press, good and bad.

President Claire Underwood is fiercely aware of her image. In one episode she explains to the audience that she purposely contorted her face into a wail so as to look unhinged. It’s all part of a greater strategy, but it’s all part of strategy. Claire isn’t wearing these stark duds just to be flashy. She wants people to think of her as otherworldly, untouchable, and sharp to the touch. The militaristic flares in her new costumes are on purpose. Watch out, everyone. Claire Underwood is coming and she’s coming for blood.

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