All the Style Intel from Last Night's Episode of Scandal

With Scandal close to wrapping up the season (one more episode left!), tensions are at an all time high. Olivia (Kerry Washington) is faced with another tough case—this time, a female member of the Navy has been raped by a high-ranking admiral. The White House is unable to intervene since it's under military jurisdiction, so Olivia takes over with her white hat on. Of course, in this instance, the white hat is in the form of a pearly white Max Mara coat that she wears during this episode.

Although according to costume designer, Lyn Paolo, it's not the only reason she wore the white coat. When she pops into the apartment across the hall to check on Russell, who's being tortured by Huck and Quinn for information on "Foxtail," the memories of her own kidnapping in that very room come flooding back. She even gets a little blood on her coat. "Shonda [Rhimes] came up with that symbolism," Paolo explained to InStyle. "The white coat now has blood thrown on it. It's been such a tough season for Olivia and her struggle with PTSD. She's still not back to her normal self yet and this shows it."

She's trying so hard to fall back into her normal routine, but instances like this throw her for a loop. So while she tries to look strong on the outside (white coat, albeit blood-stained!), the outfit she wears underneath the jacket tells a different story. "It's a little less elegant, that feeling that she's not the white knight right now," Paolo says of Olivia's Scandal Collection for The Limited cardigan, Max Mara blouse, and skinny Armani pants. "This is much more casual than what you normally see Olivia wearing."

For more details on the wardrobe from this episode, click through the gallery. Then, tune in to ABC next Thursday for the season finale of Scandal!

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