Fargo – 70s style

So, the much overdue post about Fargo that people have been asking for. The second series of Fargo, which is currently running on Channel 4 in the UK, is set in 1979 and the costume designers deserve all the awards.

The people of Fargo sure have style – apart from the ones who don’t. Each character’s outfits fit perfectly with who they are and, especially – what their ambitions are, as this season is all about ambition, or lack of it.

The story is all about two major crime syndicates in Minnesota, who get mixed up a little with a small town couple. There are about a thousand characters, which is very confusing (for me, at any rate) until episode by episode, more of them get killed off until there are a manageable amount.

Now, I’m not very keen on the killing, but I stayed for the fashion.

So first of all, the one who doesn’t go for fashion, married to the one who really really does:

Ed Blumquist

Ed’s only ambition is to buy the butcher’s shop he works at, and have babies with his wife, and live in Fargo forever and ever. He’s a jeans and t shirt and denim jacket kind of guy.

The Wannabe Fashionista of Fargo

Peggy Blumquist

Peggy is appalled at the thought of babies or of living in Fargo forever and ever. She takes refuge in stacks and teetering stacks of fashion magazines, as well as travel magazines, indicating her desire to live a stylish life far away. Kirsten Dunst, who played her, said “I wanted people to giggle at Peggy a little bit when they saw her.

She wants to live in a different place, so I wanted her to wear a beret. And when she does bad things, I wanted her to wear little white bunny ear-muffs, so there was an innocence there. Her fashion is pretty funny – you’ll chuckle at her when you see certain outfits she puts together.”

I actually totally disagree, I think that Peggy’s sense of style is spot on.

Betsy Solverson

Peggy’s outfits are contrasted with those of Betsy’s, who is a contented mother and housewife. She wears comfy, warm cardigans, and coats that are more cute and practical than stylish. But she has excellent hair.

The Coolest Teenager?

Simone Gerhardt

Simone, as the rebellious teenage girl of the Gerhardt crime family, is absolutely on point with the coolest of 70s fashion  In Fargo she wears crop tops, blue eye shadow, an afghan coat, a fringed coat, a floaty white dress and high heeled knee boots that she can’t really walk in.

Fargo – The Men

Mike Milligan

Mike is, we sense, a bit of an outsider in the Fargo Kansas City team, because of both his race and his sometimes gnomic philosophising. He does a sort of 70s Western styling.

The Kitchen Brothers

The Kitchen Brothers might well be the most stylish men in the Fargo series, partly because thier outfits echo each others. Wide lapelled leather jackets over polo necks and flares and an ever present hat mark thier style.

Karl Weather

Karl the lawyer deserves an honourable mention in Fargo for being one of the older, more staid characters who is also very up-to-the-minute with his clothes. His wide lapelled caramel leather jacket is much like:

Rye Gerhardt

Who also wears a brown leather jacket, polo neck and layers them with even more huge lapels.Most of the other main characters in Fargo wear either cop’s uniforms, or knitted jumpers and denim. It’s the perfect mix.

• 1970s