Costuming Peaks – Leland Palmer in Season 2

Leland Palmer with arms outstretched and singing

With the start of Season 2, Ray Wise’s character of Leland Palmer experiences a dramatic visual change – his hair turns white overnight. As a follow up article to his Season 1 looks, this article will examine Mr. Palmer’s costumes from Episodes 2.001-2.009, a photo cameo in Episode 2.010 and his otherworldly return in Episode 2.022. If you love striped dress shirts, then this article is for you.

TWIN PEAKS COSTUME DESIGNER

Sarah Markowitz at USC Retrospective
USC Retrospective

Costume Designer Sarah Markowitz and Costume Supervisor Laurie Hudson assumed costuming duties for Seasons 1 and 2. Sarah described her approach to costumes in Brad Dukes’ “Reflections: An Oral History of ‘Twin Peaks‘ (page 59)

“My thoughts going forward after the pilot were of a small town in the Pacific Northwest where the people would hold on to their clothing for years and years. They were practical, hard-working folks whose money was not spent on expensive clothing. I felt they shopped at local Goodwill stores or at most, Horne’s Department Store.”

With Leland being an attorney, his typical attire for the late 1980s is a suit with striped shirt and patterned tie. We’ll see variations of that outfit throughout his appearances in the second season.

LELAND PALMER’S COSTUME IN SEASON TWO

EPISODE 2.001

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2001
Episode 2.001

His first appearance in Season 2 starts with a bang, appearing from behind a screen singing “Mairzy Doats” and sporting white hair.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2001
Episode 2001

His new look surprises his wife Sarah and Maddy Ferguson who were having a heart-to-heart conversation.

The Mauve Zone - Leland Palmer in Episode 2001
The Mauve Zone

The Mauve Zone has a nice black-and-white publicity shot of Leland from this episode where we can see his double-breasted suit. Did we ever figure out why the Palmer’s still had a barren Christmas tree in their living room at the end of February?

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2001
Episode 2001

Then, Leland proudly announces that “he is back” while the Brothers Horne dance to his happy tune.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2001
Episode 2001

Trading his suit and tie for a tuxedo and bow tie, Leland sings more happy tunes at the Hayward Supper Club.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2001
The Mauve Zone

The Mauve Zone offered an image of Leland in his tuxedo taking from the Gold Box DVD set.

EPISODE 2.002

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2002
Episode 2002

The first appearance of Leland Palmer in a three-piece suit takes place in Episode 2.002. For Season 1, he usually wore sweater vests under a sport jacket.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2002
Episode 2002

I imagine that since Leland proclaimed that he was “back” this outfit must have been his usual professional attire for his law practice.

EPISODE 2.003

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2003
Episode 2003

Another striped shirt and tie is seen when Leland visits the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department in Episode 2.003.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2003
Episode 2003

By the end of the episode, Leland loses the jacket when he comforts an upset Maddy. We’ll see a similar look, albeit slightly more wet, in a few episodes.

EPISODE 2.004

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2004
Episode 2.004

He grabs his pinstripe jacket before escorted to the Sheriff’s Department to be interrogated by Truman and team.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2004
Episode 2.004

He sports a slightly more put together version of that outfit when speaking with Judge Sternwood. But it’s basically the same attire he wore in the previous episode.

EPISODE 2.005

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2005
Episode 2.005

For Leland’s court appearance at The Roadhouse, he changes suits and adds a new shirt and tie.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2005
Episode 2.005

Channeling Deputy Brennan…

EPISODE 2.006

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2006
Episode 2.006
Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2006
Episode 2.006

In Episode 2.006, Leland appears to recycle the same striped shirt and paisley tie from Episode 2.001. He’s wearing a different suit though.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2006
Episode 2.006

He’s wearing the same outfit from Ben’s office in this episode while crooning in the Great Northern Hotel lobby.

EPISODE 2.007

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2007
Episode 2.007
Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2003
Episode 1.004

The last time we saw Leland in pajamas was in Episode 1.004 where he was wearing a maroon robe over his dress attire. He’s still wearing maroon in Episode 2.007 but looks way more put together compared to his previous disheveled look.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2007
Episode 2.007

Fixing his tie before the madness begins in Episode 2.007, we see Leland looking in a mirror above the television set.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2007
Episode 2.007

A smile before the great reveal.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2007
Episode 2.007

You’ll notice he’s wearing another three-piece suit, which appears darker than the one from Episode 2.002. Both episodes were directed by David Lynch, so I wonder if it was a conscious choice to have Leland in a three-piece suit. Knowing Lynch’s style, I’m betting it was.

EPISODE 2.008

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2008
Episode 2.008

By the next morning, Leland has traded his three-piece for another solid charcoal gray, double-breasted suit.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2008
Episode 2.008

A gray and black plaid overcoat is added when Leland drives away from his house. We’ll get a better look in just a few moments.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2008
Episode 2.008

A rare back shot is seen in Episode 2.008 when Cooper returns to speak with Leland at The Great Northern Hotel.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2008
Episode 2.008

Oh gosh, I love this scene. Ray Wise’s range of emotions and expressions are nothing short of spectacular. We get a better look at his dress shirt and tie from this close-up shot.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2008
Episode 2.008

Plaid overcoat details are seen as Leland goes for a drive through town after leaving the hotel.

EPISODE 2.009

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2009
Episode 2.009
Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2009
Episode 2.009

A two-piece dark gray suit is paired with a striped dress shirt and another new tie in Episode 2009.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2009
Episode 2.009

We get a full look at the outfit when he takes a phone call.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2009
Episode 2.009
Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2009
Episode 2.009

The plaid overcoat from Episode 2008 returns for this episode when he accompanies Sheriff Truman to The Roadhouse.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2009
Episode 2.009

I love this shot of Leland with the red drapes in the background. We get a fantastic look at the details on his tie and shirt.

The Mauve Zone - Richard Beymer Collection
The Mauve Zone – Richard Beymer Collection

This photo from Richard Beymer on The Mauve Zone appears to have been taken around the same time as Episode 2009.

Twin Peaks Gazette - April 1991
Twin Peaks Gazette – April 1991

The image on the left was later used in the April 1991 issue of the Twin Peaks Gazette.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2009
Episode 2.009
Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2009
Episode 2.009

After being locked up, “Leland” loses the jacket and loosens his tie.

EPISODE 2.010

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2010
Episode 2.010

A photo of Leland appears on the mantle above the fireplace at the Palmer house in Episode 2.010. It seems that the image may be been taken during Season 1.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2022
Episode 2.022

In the final episode of Season 2, Leland reappears in the Red Room / Black Lodge. He’s wearing the same attire he wore during his appearance in Episode 2.009. No more white hair tough.

The Mauve Zone - Richard Beymer Collection
The Mauve Zone – Richard Beymer Collection

Richard Beymer was on set for that final episode and captured some outstanding behind-the-scenes images of various actors. This one of Ray Wise wearing the white contact lenses will haunt my dreams.

Costuming Peaks - Leland Palmer in Season 2 - Episode 2022
Episode 2.022

We get one last full look at this outfit as Special Agent Cooper passes by in Episode 2.022.

Stay tuned for a look at Leland’s outfits in both Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me and a way-too-brief appearance in Season 3.

Author

  • Steven Miller at Twede's Cafe enjoying cherry pie and coffee

    A "Twin Peaks" fan since October 1993, Steven Miller launched Twin Peaks Blog in February 2018 to document his decades-long fascination with David Lynch and Mark Frost's wonderful and strange show. With his Canon camera in hand, he's visited numerous film locations, attended Twin Peaks events and conducted extensive historical research about this groundbreaking series. Along with fellow Bookhouse Boys, he dreams of creating a complete Twin Peaks Archive of the series and feature film. Steven currently resides in Central Florida.

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