‘Gilmore Girls’: Edward Herrmann’s Wardrobe Had a Hidden Nod to Richard Gilmore
Whether he was in the fictional town of Stars Hollow, Conn., or at Friday night dinner, Gilmore Girls’ Richard Gilmore could be found, more often than not, wearing a suit. Played by Edward Herrmann, the actor who died in 2014 at the age of 71, Richard’s suits went beyond the character’s unofficial uniform. According to the TV series’ costume designer, each one of the suits Herrmann wore had a hidden nod to the patriarch of the Gilmore family.
Richard Gilmore almost always wore a suit and a bow tie on ‘Gilmore Girls’
Think back to any Gilmore Girls episode featuring an appearance by Rory Gilmore’s (Alexis Bledel) grandfather and, chances are, an image of Richard in an impeccably cut suit comes to mind. The successful businessman wore suits almost exclusively. Whether he was sitting in the living room having a cocktail with his wife, Emily Gilmore (Kelly Bishop), or advising Rory on a school project at Chilton, Richard probably had a suit on.
Fans of Gilmore Girls can’t forget about Richard’s signature accessory. In most of Herrmann’s scenes as Richard, he also had on a perfectly tied bow tie. On one occasion, Lorelai Gilmore (Lauren Graham) used a bow tie to wrap Richard’s birthday present.
Edward Herrmann’s Richard Gilmore wardrobe featured his character’s initials
Gilmore Girls fans saw Richard in a suit and bow tie although they never saw a hidden detail added by costume designer Brenda Maben. Maben, who joined Gilmore Girls when the series had just two episodes under its belt, told Vanity Fair in November 2016 she added her own “touch” to Richard’s suits.
“All of his suits were custom made with his initials embroidered on them, which was my little touch,” she said. “No one ever saw it, but I just felt it was good for the character.”
The costume designer sewed a small “RG” into all of Herrmann’s suits he wore as Richard. Many of which were worn again and again because, as Maben explained, “people in his capacity, his stature, they don’t keep buying new clothes. Everything they buy is expensive and classic.”
Emily Gilmore would’ve been responsible for the embroidery on Richard Gilmore’s suits
Who would’ve been the driving force behind Richard’s clothes in the world of Gilmore Girls? According to Maben, that would’ve been none other than Lorelai’s mom and Richard’s wife, Emily. She would’ve been instrumental in selecting Richard’s suits. And, yes, she would’ve insisted they have the embroidery detail.
“Emily probably helped in that process,” Maben said. “His character [could] probably care less about the embroidery, but Emily probably said, ‘No, Richard, you should have this done.’”
So whenever Emily and Richard had Miss Celine — their longtime fashion consultant played by The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Alex Borstein — over, Emily would’ve probably tasked her with embroidering “RG” into any new suits of Richard’s.
