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 2001-2009, a photo cameo in Episode 2010 and his otherworldly return in Episode 2022. If you love striped dress shirts, then this article is for you.
TWIN PEAKS COSTUME DESIGNER
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 2001
His first appearance in Season 2 starts with a bang, appearing from behind a screen singing “Mairzy Doats” and sporting white hair.
His new look surprises his wife Sarah and Maddy Ferguson who were having a heart-to-heart conversation.
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?
Then, Leland proudly announces that “he is back” while the Brothers Horne dance to his happy tune.
Trading his suit and tie for a tuxedo and bow tie, Leland sings more happy tunes at the Hayward Supper Club.
The Mauve Zone offered an image of Leland in his tuxedo taking from the Gold Box DVD set.
EPISODE 2002
The first appearance of Leland Palmer in a three-piece suit takes place in Episode 2002. For Season 1, he usually wore sweater vests under a sport jacket.
I imagine that since Leland proclaimed that he was “back” this outfit must have been his usual professional attire for his law practice.
EPISODE 2003
Another striped shirt and tie is seen when Leland visits the Twin Peaks Sheriff’s Department in 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 2004
He grabs his pinstripe jacket before escorted to the Sheriff’s Department to be interrogated by Truman and team.
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 2005
For Leland’s court appearance at The Roadhouse, he changes suits and adds a new shirt and tie.
Channeling Deputy Brennan…
EPISODE 2006
In Episode 2006, Leland appears to recycle the same striped shirt and paisley tie from Episode 2001. He’s wearing a different suit though.
He’s wearing the same outfit from Ben’s office in this episode while crooning in the Great Northern Hotel lobby.
EPISODE 2007
The last time we saw Leland in pajamas was in Episode 1004 where he was wearing a maroon robe over his dress attire. He’s still wearing maroon in Episode 2007 but looks way more put together compared to his previous disheveled look.
Fixing his tie before the madness begins in Episode 2007, we see Leland looking in a mirror above the television set.
A smile before the great reveal.
You’ll notice he’s wearing another three-piece suit, which appears darker than the one from Episode 2002. 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 2008
By the next morning, Leland has traded his three-piece for another solid charcoal gray, double-breasted suit.
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.
A rare back shot is seen in Episode 2008 when Cooper returns to speak with Leland at The Great Northern Hotel.
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.
Plaid overcoat details are seen as Leland goes for a drive through town after leaving the hotel.
EPISODE 2009
A two-piece dark gray suit is paired with a striped dress shirt and another new tie in Episode 2009.
We get a full look at the outfit when he takes a phone call.
The plaid overcoat from Episode 2008 returns for this episode when he accompanies Sheriff Truman to The Roadhouse.
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.
This photo from Richard Beymer on The Mauve Zone appears to have been taken around the same time as Episode 2009.
The image on the left was later used in the April 1991 issue of the Twin Peaks Gazette.
After being locked up, “Leland” loses the jacket and loosens his tie.
EPISODE 2010
A photo of Leland appears on the mantle above the fireplace at the Palmer house in Episode 2010. It seems that the image may be been taken during Season 1.
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 2009. No more white hair tough.
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.
We get one last full look at this outfit as Special Agent Cooper passes by in Episode 2022.
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.
