‘Grey’s Anatomy’ Fans Debate Addison’s ‘Jarring’ New Look

This week, Grey’s Anatomy welcomes back a series OG as Addison Montgomery (Kate Walsh) returns for a big case for the first time since Season 19.

In the episode preview, it’s clear that her case will draw former sister-in-law Amelia Shepherd (Caterina Scorsone) out of her self-imposed hiatus from Grey Sloan Memorial Hospital, after the character has been absent for several weeks.

All we know about the case right now is that it’s neurological in nature, so we’ll have to wait to see what Addison’s visit entails when Thursday’s (January 29) episode, “Strip That Down,” airs, but the look-ahead photos have some fans talking… and debating Addison’s new look.

In one first-look image, Addison is shown wearing a silky purple blouse with a plunging bow neckline, a calf-length floral skirt, and a black blazer draped over her shoulders, and on the show’s Reddit fan page, some weren’t sold on the ensemble.

“Am I the only one who thinks this outfit looks nothing like Addison?” one viewer wrote to begin a thread. “Addison to me would traditionally wear a pencil skirt or even black dress pants and she would never wear an oversized suit jacket or florals. I swear Kate had a huge saying [sic] what Addison wore this time and it ended up making her look terrible because that skirt comes up way too high and makes that blouse look like it’s cropped because it’s tucked so far in.”

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In the answers, it turned out, the original poster wasn’t the only one who didn’t like the style choice: “Kate Walsh suits anything I think but you’re right it doesn’t feel like Addison!” one fan agreed. Said another, “I think the thing that is most jarring is the lack in color-coordination. Like, that blouse is gorgeous and its fabric is doing ALL the heavy lifting in that blouse, but that is a gorgeous silk blouse. The shoes are the wrong color, though, and what really jumps out at me is that you can neither find the color of the shoes nor the color of the blouse in the floral print. I don’t know about the blazer. It doesn’t really suit the outfit in my opinion. Like, she looks gorgeous in anything, but the styling is weird.” Other commenters thought the look was too “matronly” for the otherwise “glamorous” character. “It’s giving church lady,” one fan argued.

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However, other fans rushed to the defense of the costume choice and thought it reflected well upon the character’s arc throughout Grey’s Anatomy and the Addison-led spinoff Private Practice.

“How funny, before I read your caption I thought ‘my goodness, she looks absolutely stunning as usual.’ It is different from her style in earlier seasons but Addison has changed a lot! She has softened over the years. She’s a mother now. She has so much more confidence and purpose (not that she was ever lacking).” Another fan echoed that sentiment, saying, “That’s what I was thinking as well. Addison is in a far much better place than when she was when she first started. I think its safe to say that she’s more content and sure of herself with Jake than she ever was with Derek, Mark or Sam so it makes sense her fashion would change over the years as she goes through a different part of her life, while of course, still looking fabulous.”

Where do you land on Addison’s new look? Hit the comments and let us know!

Grey’s Anatomy, Thursdays, 10/9c, ABC

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