A lot of things inspire what we wear: the weather, our own personalities, our friends, etc. But television stars have a huge impact on what we wear whether we are aware of it or not. We subconsciously want to dress like our favorite characters and clothing companies know to play off of and produce what is seen on TV. Here are some TV fashion icons who are currently influencing the runway:
1. Blair Waldorf from Gossip Girl
Blair wears Audrey Hepburn-inspired clothing, bringing back a mid-20th century style, including pussybow blouses, peacoats, and A-line skirts to name a few. Blair’s style is overall sophisticated while still being appropriate for casual-wear.
2. Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City
As a fashion enthusiast and city girl, Carrie has a fun style where she mixes kitschy cheap clothing with high-end labels, like Versace. Carrie is known for her curls where she often places large flowers. Carrie inspired us to wear fun and bright clothing and often go thrifting to counterbalance expensive “splurge” pieces.
3. Jess from New Girl
Jess from New Girl popularized the nerdy, hipster glasses. Today they’re seen on guys and girls, with and without actual glass in the frames. Some people hate them, some people swear by them, but this indie girl is one of the first television stars to sport them regularly.
4. Rachel Green from Friends
Rachel Green is one of the only characters I can really think of to have a hairstyle literally named after her. That’s right, the hairstyle pictured above is called “The Rachel,” if you aren’t familiar with it. But whether or not you knew the name, you have doubtless seen people with Rachel-inspired haircuts, even 20 years after the show first aired.
5. Betty Draper from Mad Men
The character Betty Draper has clothing inspired by 20th century icon Grace Kelly. Betty Draper has been named TV Guide’s most fashionable TV character and one of Glamour magazine’s Most Stylish TV characters since the air of Mad Men in 2007. Betty generally dresses as a stereotypical 50s housewife with feminine, wholesome clothing (dresses and skirts that reach the knee), and classy touches, such as kerchiefs and pearls. Betty’s style makes us want to include some elegance in our day-to-day wear.
6. Lauren Conrad from The Hills
Lauren Conrad is a little different because the character she played on TV was herself. Lauren is a California girl who attended the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising. Her style is the classic “easy California” style we associate with the west coast. Her hair always has beachy waves and often a single braid, as pictured. Her clothing is mostly basics which look clean put together. She often wears the leggings-and-oversized-shirt/sweater combo that girls now flock to for easy winter wear.
7. The girls from Pretty Little Liars
Each of the four girls on Pretty Little Liars has a specific style that the show sticks to fervently which helps color each of the characters.
Hanna (far left) is the girly girl who is rarely ever seen without heels and often wears feminine colors and prints such as pink or cheetah.
Aria (next to Hanna) is the “edgy” one who wears a combination of leather clothing, vintage graphic tees, and a lot of black. She usually wears heavy eyeliner and large statement necklaces.
Spencer (next to Aria) is the preppy one whose wardrobe consists mainly of blazers, skirts, and knee-high socks.
Emily (far right) has a simple style which consists mostly of jeans and loose-fitting T-shirts or a solid sweater as pictured above.
All four of these girls have excellent and extensive wardrobes which allow teenage girls to follow one of their styles, or combine two or more of the girls’ styles to create their own unique take on the PLL fashion trends.
8. Kelly Kapowski from Saved by the Bell
The last icon is a bit of a throwback. Saved by the Bell first aired in 1989, before some of us were even born! However, Kelly’s style contains classic 90s elements that we still try to emulate today. Mainly, Kelly is known for big hair, big earrings, floral tops, and high-waisted, loose-fitting jeans. Today we have a reemergence of the high-waisted jean and a cut of jeans, called the boyfriend jean, which are loose-fitting as if we are wearing boy’s jeans. And although pixie cuts have been trending recently, volume is still very desirable for female hair (we just tend to leave out the scrunchie!).
Although we don’t specifically pick a TV character and decide to purchase their entire wardrobe, we do subconsciously follow the trends and fashions we see on TV, especially if we think a character is relatable, a good role model, or just plain pretty. These are the TV characters I recognize most in the clothing I see people wearing. You’ve probably got elements from each of them in your own closet if you think about it.
Image credit: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8