The series: “Murder, She Wrote,” CBS, Sundays...

The series: “Murder, She Wrote,” CBS, Sundays at 8 p.m.

The look: For 63-year-old Angela Lansbury in the leading role of Jessica Fletcher, a successful mystery writer with a penchant for solving crimes, the dress code is crisp, classic, shapely. Abbreviated and very tailored suit jackets are a must because they accentuate Lansbury’s svelte figure, the result of weight loss a year ago and her personal exercise regime (“Angela Lansbury’s Positive Moves,” available on video). To show off Lansbury’s “beautiful neck,” which is frequently in danger, costume supervisor Robert Bodford likes blouses with either “nice, healthy ties” or deep “but not plunging” necklines.

The labels: From couture to catalogue, the range covers high-ticket Armani, Valentino, Anne Klein, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, J.H. Collectibles, Jones of New York, Alan Austin, Oscar de La Renta, and thriftier Tweeds and J. Crew mail-order merchandise.

The stores: Bullock’s in Sherman Oaks, Bullocks Wilshire, Nordstrom (especially the women’s tailored clothing department), Alan Austin Co. in Beverly Hills, Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus.

The program: Jessica Fletcher’s home base is fictitious Cabot Cove, Me., where she tends to dress down in gardening clothes, sweaters and tweedy skirts. To get garments with a lived-in, comfy look, Bodford orders from catalogues. But Jessica’s travel wardrobe soars with costly designs and super-luxurious fabrics that reinforce the notion her nimble fingers type a lot more than the title of the series.

The payoff: Creative mixing ‘n’ matching makes sense at any age. Lansbury doesn’t have as many changes as viewers might think. Blouses and innovative use of suits (including pants styles) are Bodford’s ways to stretch a wardrobe. Along with advising against polyester whenever possible (“It’s not for snobbish reasons; I think a woman feels differently about herself when she is wearing a nice rayon or silk blouse next to her skin”), he suggests experimenting with every two-piece purchase: “Just because you bought it together doesn’t mean you always have to wear it together.”