‘Feud: Capote vs. the Swans’ Fashion: Fake Eyelashes as Armor

This article contains spoilers for Episode 4 of “Feud: Capote vs. the Swans.”

As the latest episode of “Feud” begins, Babe Paley (Naomi Watts) is facing radiation treatment for cancer and the terrifying possibility of her death. But she does so in a full dress and heels. At the same time, Truman Capote (Tom Hollander), who is unraveling from heavy substance abuse, tours his friends around a rehab facility, with a long scarf over his shoulder and a newsboy cap.

Throughout the series, whether it is a pair of carefully applied eyelashes or strands of pearls, the outfits of the protagonists are a piece of a puzzle they can control in a world where, despite wealth, their actual power is limited.

In advance of the release of the fourth episode, members of the Styles desk discussed one of the enduring trends Paley started; the department store as a lost sanctuary; and how modern, unnaturally youthful faces can affect a period piece.

VANESSA FRIEDMAN There were a few key moments for me in this episode. First, when Babe ties her Hermès scarf around her bag, which set off a trend that is still going on today.

And then watching her put herself together so deliberately for her radiation treatment, only to arrive at the hospital and take everything off again. That to me was so poignant, and evocative of how these women used clothing as armor.

GUY TREBAY The hospital prep scene may be one of the best observed in the series.

It would be interesting to know why Paley indulged in that scarf gimmick, since otherwise what was notable about her style was her resistance to ostentation.