That Argyle Shirt
And the Subject for Volume Three!
Originally published on Letterdrop 12/16/2021
Inevitably, clothes end up on the metaphorical closet floor: all the outfits that just didn’t work, that just wouldn’t fit into one newsletter post or another. For my last Veronica Mars issue, I’m diving into that pile:
Celeste in a cream blazer, camisole, and pearl necklace and earrings (1.3)
First, Celeste Kane—though let’s be honest, Celeste would never throw her clothes on the floor. As the wife of billionaire Jake Kane, Celeste demonstrates her wealth and taste through her wardrobe: crisp white suits and trench coats, double or triple strands of pearls. She’s almost always in white or another light color—the privilege of not doing your own laundry. Laundry almost becomes a metaphor for Celeste’s relationship with her children, Duncan and Lilly. When Lilly is murdered, Celeste and Jake wash the blood from Duncan’s soccer uniform—and the evidence, they think, of his guilt. When Duncan lives alone in the Neptune Grand hotel, Celeste brings him a basket of fresh clothes—washed and folded, naturally, by an assistant. Celeste is a lot like the Rhodes women on Gossip Girl: she wants her family to maintain a tidy outward appearance, and she’s prepared to clean up any hint of dirtiness.
Vinnie in a black Members Only jacket, gray Henley, and jeans (1.17)
Vinnie Van Lowe is all about the filth. He’s the other PI in town, the eighties sleaze to Keith Mars’s forties noir. Vinnie’s office is all clear glass, black leather, aggressive modern art, nothing like the dark wood and stained glass in Keith’s suite. While Keith wears jackets and ties to work, Vinnie throws on Members Only jackets, white sneakers, light-wash jeans, pinkie rings. Their substance matches their style—Keith directs his clients to Vinnie if they don’t care about integrity.
Hannah in a pink argyle hat and scarf set, denim jacket, pink top, and pink purse (2.14)
Like Vinnie, Hannah Griffith almost ended up in my doppelgängers and foils post—with her long blond hair and penchant for pink, Hannah is a ringer for pre–season one Veronica. Hannah starts dating Logan Echolls in season two; Logan is trying to rattle Hannah’s father, a prosecution witness in Logan’s case—but of course, then he really falls for Hannah, and she gets shipped off to boarding school. In her parade of pink outfits, poor Hannah looks like a piece of bubblegum—so painfully sweet and young.
And speaking of doppelgängers, I can’t believe I never talked about this shirt. . . .
Duncan in the shirt (2.2)
And this shirt . . .
Logan in the shirt (2.6)
And this shirt . . .
Piz in the shirt (3.1)
Of course, they’re all the same shirt. According to costume designer Salvador Perez, the show’s creator, Rob Thomas, “thought it would be funny” (MTV News) to move this argyle polo from Duncan to Logan (post–house fire) to Stosh “Piz” Piznarski (post–dorm theft). The passing of the shirt feels like the anointing of a love interest, not unlike the passing of the gray argyle cardigan on Gossip Girl: Before Veronica’s relationship with Duncan ends for good, Logan dons the shirt; before her relationship with Logan hits the rocks, Piz puts it on. The shirt looks odd on Logan—the preppy navy argyle doesn’t fit with his usual browns and oranges, his beachy style—but it’s not so strange on Piz, who often wears blue. Piz’s color palette creates a parallel between him and Duncan; yes, Piz is more indie than Duncan was, but he serves the same tired function—the “good boy” alternative to Logan’s “bad boy.”
I’ll be honest, I’ve been avoiding talking about ships on Veronica Mars—though I was not shy about discussing them on Gossip Girl. None of Veronica’s main pairings (Duncan, Logan, and Piz) really rev my engine. When I originally watched the series, I thought Leo D’Amato was adorable, but “twenty-year-old cop” didn’t go down smoothly on the rewatch. The conclusion I came to? My favorite love interest for Veronica was one the show never explored: Weevil Navarro.
Weevil in one of my favorite scenes (1.11), in which he goes full Karen to create a distraction for Veronica
Why? Well, Weevil is the only teenage boy who is clever enough to outsmart Veronica (2.13), who has the same detective brain that she does (3.3); he respects her and looks out for her, even when they’re at odds. And let’s face it, Veronica torn between the head of the 09ers (Logan) and the head of the PCHers (Weevil) would’ve been a hell of a lot more compelling than her torn between Logan and snoozefest Duncan. (I suppose the real heart of this ship is my longing for Weevil to receive the same depth of attention and care as any one of Veronica’s white love interests.)
And with that opinion dropped, it’s time to move to volume three and the poll results! The most popular teen soap was Gilmore Girls, checked off by 70 percent of respondents. (The O.C. and Riverdale tied for second with 40 percent interest.) Everyone polled wanted volumes on teen movies and shows that aren’t teen soaps, the most common suggestions being Golden Girls (thanks to my not-so-subtle prompting) and Ugly Betty. I’d love to get to all four runner-up shows in future volumes, but the clear winner for volume three is Gilmore Girls.
Gilmore Girls is seven seasons long, so I’ll be taking a little more time to rewatch and sort out my thoughts, likely launching volume three in late June. Until then, I’ll be publishing a mini volume on costume design in teen movies, with a new film every third Thursday of the month. Look out for the first post on Thursday, January 20!
I launched this newsletter last December, and in a year in which the only constants were uncertainty and change, it’s become a wonderful distraction and outlet. I do hope it’s been the same for you. Thank you for your readership and support, and I’ll be back in your inboxes next year! In the meantime, have you heard of this show, Gilmore Girls? I think it’s streaming somewhere. . . .
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