The Many Styles of Sookie Stackhouse: Girlfriend, Telepath, Waitress, and Super-Sleuth Extraordinaire

Thanks to Audrey Fisher, True Blood‘s costume designer, Sookie Stackhouse may look cute-as-a-button, but she’s no fashion pushover. Whether she’s slinging beers at Merlotte’s, taking an evening stroll with Bill, demurely sipping a gin and tonic at Fangtasia, or sleuthing a maenad-wrecked, post-orgy disaster zone, Sookie looks her best in pastels, breezy dresses, floral prints, short-shorts, practical cardigans, and denim.

"Bill, do you think my t-shirt is sexy?"

It helps, of course, to look like Anna Paquin, who’s a beautiful young woman with curves in all the right places. She even looks good wearing only an over-sized Fangtasia shirt, not a look I’d recommend to the vast majority of the population. Likewise, I can’t advocate for prancing about town in a bikini-and-cover-up combination, like Sookie does in the early episodes of Season 1. I suppose, if you’ve got it like Sookie does, flaunt it, but if bikinis aren’t your thing, any woman of any shape, size, or age can still take lessons from Sookie, Bon Temps’ resident fashionista.

The first consideration for any belle, regardless of age or body type, is the weather. In the humid south, the summer heat is oppressive and seems to last forever. This cannot be stressed enough. Seriously. Hot. Very, very hot. There’s a reason people talk slow – they do everything slow ’cause it’s HOT. Make-up will melt, eye glasses will fog, hair styles will frizz or wilt, and clothes will quickly become sticky and wrinkled. Sookie is wise to don cotton prints and those translucent Merlotte’s t-shirts. A light-weight cardigan is a necessity for a/c environments, when the extreme temperature differences make for sweaty shivers. I assume, given Sookie’s proclivity for disaster, that she either invests in a highly efficient pre-treater, or she chooses fabrics that are relatively stain resistant.

That Scarf IS Double-Cute!

Deborah Ann Woll, Anna Paquin, and Audrey Fisher have all mentioned, in countless interviews, that the key to Sookie’s character wardrobe is affordability. Sookie is a woman on a budget, and fortunately for those of us who’d like to mimic her look, she shops at readily accessible places like Walmart, Target, Old Navy, and Kohl’s. While maintaining a style that’s youthful and flirty and fun, Sookie wears pieces that are simple, timelessly classy, and interchangeable.

Taking a tip from Lafayette’s fashion book, Sookie never underestimates the power of accessories. A jaunty scarf, a great pair of heels, or a handbag that pops can make-over the dullest of wardrobes.

Sookie's Less Ladylike Look

There are notable exceptions to Sookie’s good taste. I was quite grateful when the maenad attack ruined Sookie’s tiny plaid shorts and lace-trimmed tank top. While trendy and popular, the “I cook meth in a skeezy motel room” look is not flattering on anyone. The promos with Alcide from Season 3, with the white lace top, have me equally cringing. I’ve not seen anyone wear a shirt like that since the late 80s (and I live where people seem to think Confederate flag tube tops are the height of fashion). To each his own, but Sookie seems to shine when she dresses like the lady she is. And while Bill wasn’t available for comment, I assume, given his old-fashioned tastes, that he prefers Sookie’s more genteel wardrobe as well.

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