All the Hidden Metaphors Behind Succession’s High-Stakes Fashion Choices

When perpetually bewildered Cousin Greg Hirsch (played by Nicholas Braun) makes it to his first day on the job in Succession’s season 1, Tom Wambsgans (played by Matthew Macfadyen) confronts him with some brutal questions: “Forgive me, but are we talking to each other on the poop deck of a majestic schooner? Is the salty brine stinging my weather-beaten face? No? Then why the fuck are you wearing a pair of deck shoes, man?” That dialogue tells us a lot about Wambsgans but it also throws a gauntlet down for Easter-egg-hunting viewers: Succession’s fashion and outfit details are important.

Inside the world of Succession, it’s all about quiet luxury. One wrong sartorial choice will get you labeled as an outsider in their high-stakes sphere. Consider Hirsch’s date whose ludicrously capacious bag inspired a scathing critique from Wambsgans in season one, episode 4 (hopefully, it will become the “it” Halloween costume of 2023). There’s also Kerry Castellabate’s (played by Zoe Winters) wardrobe, which is full of bright colors that signal that she doesn’t belong anywhere near the ATN leads, who prefer understated, neutral tones that mean business.

Succession fashion plays a significant role in moving the plot along as well. Their personalities, their intentions, and their current (mostly fraying) state of mind bleed into the characters’s wardrobe, which becomes a visible metaphor that carries the story farther. Succession outfits are even used a tool to mark a character’s evolution, both personally and professionally.

As costume designer Michelle Matland told The Ringer, “Gerri started out very straight, very suited, simple Armani suits, and just very tailored, and she became modernized as her character developed. And Shiv started out in politics and didn’t want to be associated with her family, and ended up coming all the way back to fighting for the succession of her character. Kendall started in suits and ended up where he is now, which is entirely a different painting, a different palette.”

Read on for some of Succession’s biggest fashion moments and the secret meanings behind them. Then get inspiration for recreating Succession’s stealth-wealth aesthetic with your own wardrobe.