Denise Sherwood from 'Army Wives'

We form snap judgments based on how people dress. As such, we don't expect Army majors' wives to be overtly sexy.

Catherine Bell, playing Denise, the wife of Major Frank Sherwood (Terry Serpico) on Lifetime's Sunday series Army Wives, should be refined, even if that wasn't evident when she was having an affair last season.

"I think she is figuring out her own style," Bell says. "She's artsy, classy. She definitely likes colors. I like colors on my skin, bright and bold. They make a statement in a classy, elegant way."

Costumer Bobbie Read says Denise's look "is tastefully correct for being married to a major."

The show, launching its third season June 7, shoots in Charleston, S.C. Read shops for Denise in Saks, and she says, "Sometimes I get really lucky at Target."

Read frequents local shops accessible via the Web. "There is a lovely shop called Utopia on Broad Street," Read says. "On King Street, there's Hampden's and Luna and The Finicky Filly."

She loves buying at a local department store, Gwynn's.

"It's like a large, high-end boutique," Read says. "I can only shop there on occasion. We have to keep within the budget of what a major's wife would be able to afford. We balance it out with Target, Marshalls and T.J. Maxx.

There were enough bedroom scenes last season to warrant pretty lingerie, which Read bought from Natori and a local store, Chantilly. Denise's T-shirts are from James Perse, Three Dots and Splendid. Her blouses are from Old Navy and Banana Republic.

Like most young women -- majors' wives or not -- she has a few great pair of jeans, and those include Frankie B., 7 for All Mankind, Rock & Republic, and Citizens of Humanity.

Read also dresses Denise in the comfy standard most women fall back on -- a jean skirt, in this case from Paige.

Denise, though, wears a lot of dresses. Read finds appropriately classy, but not insanely expensive dresses with Diane von Furstenberg, Isaac Mizrahi, Ann Taylor, Eva Franco and Jones of New York.

Denise isn't one for over-the-top shoes, so she wears the practical but fashionable Aldo and Nine West, accessorizing with purses from Liz Claiborne, Coach and Charles David.

Read keeps Denise's jewelry very low-key and simple with pieces from Oscar de la Renta and Cruz Studio Jewelry.

Over the years, Denise's look has evolved, and Read plans adjustments for this season.

"The silhouettes are more shapely," she says. "Last season, she was in a lot more prints, which I still do, and a lot of sundresses, which I still plan to do. This season will be a little bit more tapered, a little more figure-conscious."

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