Fashion Influential #74: Alexis Carrington

ALEXIS CARRINGTON
Portrayed by:
Joan Collins (1981-1989)
Created by:
Richard and Esther Shapiro
Husbands:
Blake Carrington, Cecil Colby, Dex Dexter, Sean Rowan
Costumes designed by:
Nolan Miller
Beginnings.
Alexis Carrington, aka Alexis Colby, Alexis Dexter, and Alexis Rowan, entered the Dynasty cast in the first episode of the 1980s primetime drama's second season. Played by British actress Joan Collins, Alexis was evil main character Blake Carrington's estranged first wife, a conniving, vengeful woman who vowed to destroy her ex-husband with each drag of her Nat Sherman cigarillos. Her extravagant hats and pantsuits, coupled with her proclivity for catfights, skyrocketed the show's ratings.

Career Highs.
The first woman to be called a "bitch" on network television - yes really - came awfully close to becoming the Queen of Moldavia, but things didn't work out. She, echoing the social climate of the '80s, joined the workforce a few seasons into the show, eventually becoming the CEO of ColbyCo. While Alexis used the business as a means of tearing her ex, Blake, apart, it gave her the opportunity to promote one of the most important parts of '80s lady fashion: shoulder pads.
Oh, I never buy anything on sale, Mr. Dexter.
                                                                               - Alexis Carrington
Joan Collins was the highest-paid actor on the show.
Career Lows.
It's awfully hard work being a Ball-Busting Woman Of Business. Alexis encountered many brushes with death that would have wrecked her fashion plate status, from her nasty fall into a river to her unfortunate tumble from a hotel balcony. Moreover, Alexis saw her character's prominence in the show diminished when the actress who played her, Joan Collins, was limited to only a couple of episodes per season (producers hoped to save money, as Collins earned $150K an episode later in the series).

Legacy.
It's Carrington/Colby/Rowan we should credit for introducing "bitch" to American television. It's also she who popularized Nat Shermans, passion, and sequins and shoulder pads used in tandem - a winning combination. Her costumes were created by Nolan Miller, a designer who dictated many of the most popular looks of the decade.

Shoulder pads returned to the runway at the Isaac Mizrahi show this year.
Get the Look
If you don't own a jacket with prominent, ample shoulder pads, you should head to a vintage store (or even a Goodwill) and find one. You can also sew homemade shoulder pads into a bulky jacket, but then you run the risk of looking like a linebacker. Either way, make sure to pair whatever you're wearing with a sweeping, dramatic hat, red, glossy lips, and copious amounts of eyeliner. It helps, also, to carry a champagne flute with you wherever you go.                  - Alicia