{"id":231304,"date":"2026-05-14T12:56:11","date_gmt":"2026-05-14T12:56:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/231304\/"},"modified":"2026-05-14T12:56:11","modified_gmt":"2026-05-14T12:56:11","slug":"how-costume-designer-daniel-lawson-gave-carrie-prestons-elsbeth-a-new-york-glow-up","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/231304\/","title":{"rendered":"How Costume Designer Daniel Lawson Gave Carrie Preston\u2019s \u201cElsbeth\u201d a New York Glow-Up"},"content":{"rendered":"

Daniel Lawson<\/a> and Elsbeth Tascioni go way back. <\/p>\n

Lawson, an Emmy-nominated costume designer, first met the idiosyncratic lawyer in 2010 when the character debuted on The Good Wife<\/a>. Since then, he\u2019s created her wardrobe for both that show and its spin-off, The Good Fight. But it wasn\u2019t until Elsbeth, played by Carrie Preston, landed her own CBS series and shifted locale from Chicago to New York that Lawson was really able to make her shine. <\/p>\n

\u201cOn Good Wife and Good Fight, Elsbeth was more contained. She wasn\u2019t in her own arena. She was always a guest at our law firms,\u201d says Lawson via Zoom. \u201cWhen she moved to New York, Robert and Michelle King, who created all these series, wanted to keep her quirky look, but push it. In that first episode, her wardrobe was a little calmer, still colorful, but not too much. As the three seasons have gone on, we\u2019ve definitely ramped up her freak flag.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Pictured L to R: Lindsay Mendez as Officer Grace Hackett, Daniel K. Isaac as LT. Connor and Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni. Photo: Michael Parmelee\/CBS \u00a92026 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

A unique twist on the police procedural, Elsbeth finds Tascioni leaving her legal practice to join the NYC Police Department as a special consultant. Turns out, her analytic skills are perfect for solving murders. A throwback to Columbo, the hit 1970s series, viewers witness the murder. So it isn\u2019t a question of \u201cwhodunit.\u201d The fun is watching Elsbeth pursue the murderer (often played by a well-known guest star) until she uncovers clues that put them in cuffs.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Perpetually buoyant with a childlike enthusiasm, Elsbeth can be easily dismissed. But as all soon discover, underestimate her at your own risk. Lawson believes Elsbeth\u2019s outfits are key to creating this persona. Likening her wardrobe to Columbo\u2019s trenchcoat, Lawson sees it as a secret weapon to get suspects to lower their guard.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe stands out wherever she is,\u201d Lawson continues. \u201cShe uses her dress to disarm people. They see her and think, \u2018Oh my gosh! Who is this person?\u2019 It\u2019s her Trojan horse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Pictured (L-R): Billy Magnussen as Rod Bedford and Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni
Photo: Michael Parmelee\/CBS \u00a92025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

This allows Lawson, who received two Primetime Emmy nominations for The Good Wife and two Daytime Emmy nods for One Life to Live, the opportunity to stretch his creativity every episode. Reds, pinks, oranges, and purples are Elsbeth\u2019s colors of choice. The brighter, the better. Suit patterns have included intricate florals, multicolored checks and stripes, and regal blue-and-gold scrollwork. She\u2019s sported a fringed, full-length, yellow coat that makes her look like a giant canary. To celebrate Halloween, Elsbeth embraced a My Fair Lady theme, appearing in four costumes inspired by Audrey Hepburn\u2019s looks\u00a0in the 1964 classic.<\/p>\n

\"\"Pictured (L-R): Molly Price as Det. Jackie Donnelly and Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni
Photo: Michael Parmelee\/CBS \u00a92025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve been using lots of color, texture, prints, interesting shapes, really pushing it,\u201d explains Lawson. \u201cAnd it\u2019s funny\u2026 I\u2019ll pick something, put an outfit together, and send it to the Kings to see. I always think this is the one they\u2019re gonna say, \u2018No. You\u2019ve gone too far.\u2019 That hasn\u2019t happened, so I\u2019m thrilled about that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawson believes New York City is perfect for highlighting the character\u2019s eccentricities. The production intentionally casts people taller than Preston so that Elsbeth is always looking up. It accentuates her \u201cNYC\u201d wonderment. \u201cIn our story, New York is a character,\u201d he explains. \u201cOur locations department takes us all over\u2026Queens, Brooklyn, Staten Island. It\u2019s not a gritty New York. We lean more into the Sex and the City beauty of it all.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Calling them New York tones, Lawson leans toward navy, teal, silver, black, and gray for the rest of the cast and guest stars. This creates a cool contrast to Elsbeth\u2019s bright intensity. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe kind of have two planets orbiting each other, right? We always have our killer, and then we always have Elsbeth,\u201d Lawson continues, adding he works closely with each guest star to devise just the right look. \u201cSo we have to create that killer\u2019s world in every episode.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Steve Buscemi as Simon Craigie
Photo: Michael Parmelee\/CBS \u00a92025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

Famous faces that Elsbeth has caught include Dianne Wiest, Nathan Lane, Beanie Feldstein, Laurie Metcalf, Matthew Broderick, Steve Buscemi, Mary-Louise Parker, Blair Underwood, and Keegan-Michael Key. Tracey Ullman enjoyed portraying a homicidal psychic in season two so much that she returned as a completely different killer in season three.<\/p>\n

\"\"Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni, and Tracey Ullman as Marilyn. Photo: Michael Parmelee\/CBS \u00a92026 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

Filming in New York has behind-the-scenes advantages as well. Whether it\u2019s dressing a debutant\u2019s ball, outfitting a production of The Nutcracker, or fashioning frocks for former supermodels, Lawson is sure that whatever he needs is only a few blocks away. <\/p>\n

\u201cFirst of all, the department stores are amazing to us \u2014 particularly, Bloomingdale\u2019s, Saks, Bergdorf Goodman. They\u2019re very welcoming, very helpful,\u201d says Lawson. \u201cThey have studio services that cater to the TV, film, and theatre worlds.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Dianne Wiest
Photo: Michael Parmelee\/CBS \u00a92025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

Wholesale outlets come in handy. \u201cThey\u2019re really not for the regular shopper,\u201d continues Lawson. \u201cThey\u2019re for other businesses to come in and shop. But we\u2019re able to go in. We get to see things before they hit the stores, which is great.\u201d<\/p>\n

Lawson is always on the lookout for custom boutiques and vintage clothing stores. He\u2019ll get into an Elsbeth frame of mind and scour windows for eye-catching colors. One favorite find was ZCrave on Canal Street. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019d never even heard of it. We were walking along, and I literally stopped because of what they had in the window,\u201d says Lawson. \u201cWe went in, and there was a patent vinyl trench coat, edged with hot pink fur on the cuffs and neck. And it\u2019s, \u2018How did I not know this existed?\u2019 There was a suit that had faces all over it, another blue and white suit with a Harlequin-kind of look \u2014 so many pieces like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

ZCrave is not an anomaly. \u201cIn New York, you never know what you\u2019re going to find,\u201d Lawson adds. \u201cAlmost every time, I find something that I wasn\u2019t shopping for. \u2018That\u2019ll be terrific. Let\u2019s put this in our back pocket. I know we\u2019re gonna use it.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

That back pocket has grown into two cavernous costume facilities that address the show\u2019s wardrobe needs. One contains nuts-and-bolts needs \u2014 police uniforms, formal wear, doctor and nurse garb. Elsbeth\u2019s outfits fill between 150 and 175 linear feet of the other facility, which also features a tailor shop, fitting rooms, and offices for the costume department. <\/p>\n

12 staffers help keep track of everything. \u201cA terrific team,\u201d adds Lawson \u201cI can be like, \u2018Hey, there was that pink blouse that had\u2026\u2019 and somebody will go, \u2018I know where that is.\u2019 We\u2019re very good at that.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"Pictured (L-R): Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni and Danny Mastrogiorgio as Detective Smullen
Photo: Michael Parmelee\/CBS \u00a92025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

Lawson sometimes puts his own spin on a piece, tweaking it to give it an Elsbeth feel. That\u2019s when the outlets specializing in notions come in handy. \u201cRibbon, trim, buttons\u2026 all that stuff,\u201d says Lawson. \u201cIt\u2019s great to be able to have all that in our backyard.\u201d<\/p>\n

For costuming needs that can\u2019t be shopped, Lawson taps John Kristiansen Custom Costume Shop on 38th Street. It built all the My Fair Lady costumes, ranging from a black, guttersnipe ensemble to an elegant, black-trimmed, white gown complete with a voluminous chapeau.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

Perhaps Lawson\u2019s favorite reason for working on Elsbeth is Preston. He appreciates the trust she puts in him and her enthusiasm about the ideas he presents. And she always seems to put a fun spin on whatever he creates.<\/p>\n

\u201cCarrie adds a lot. I know what\u2019s on the page. I can anticipate how she\u2019s going to do something, and then Carrie totally magnifies it, making it so much better than I could imagine,\u201d explains Lawson. \u201cWe talk about every costume. What\u2019s going to go through. She may say, \u2018Oh, I think in this scene, I might dance.\u2019 Or, \u2018I\u2019m gonna act out this murder scene, be on the floor rolling around.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

No stranger to the grind of network series production, Lawson says his Elsbeth experience has been just the opposite. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou get towards the end, and you start to feel tired after doing 18, 19 episodes. There\u2019s a little \u2018How much longer?\u2019 But I wasn\u2019t tired,\u201d remembers Lawson. \u201cIt was such an amazing season for us, and we\u2019re so excited to be coming back for a fourth season. People look at the show and think, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s a cop procedural.\u2019 But it\u2019s so much more than that. I feel like we have a little jewel, and we\u2019re all protecting it and keeping it shiny.\u201d<\/p>\n

Elsbeth airs on CBS on Thursday nights.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Featured image: Pictured (L-R): Molly Price as Det. Jackie Donnelly and Carrie Preston as Elsbeth Tascioni. Photo: Michael Parmelee\/CBS \u00a92025 CBS Broadcasting, Inc. All Rights Reserved.<\/p>\n

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