On days that you have nothing to wear, inspiration is just around the corner. Or rather, a click away on the small screen.
We’re pretty sure you’ve had moments thinking, Hey I can pull that off too! when binging on a TV series. It’s easier to relate to these fictional characters, especially as we’re watching them progress throughout the season. They’re also easier to get inspired by compared to runway models. From Carrie Bradshaw’s Manolo Blahnik craze to the recent Succession’s stealth wealth media discourse, TV series and their fashion is intrinsic to moulding our wardrobe.
A24 recently published style book “Euphoria Fashion”, which compiles some of the show’s most influential and signature looks. If your style is inclined towards the 90s with a tinge of Y2K, that will be a handy textbook. However, if you prefer referring to the real 90s and 00s fashion instead of retro creations, below we compile some timeless on-screen fashion icons (in no particular order) from the 90s and 00s small screen to sort out your fashion rut. These will include items you’d probably find while rummaging through your teenhood trunk.
Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf
Queen B, where do we start? If you’re looking to build a classic and preppy Upper East Side-inspired wardrobe, start with A-line skirts, shift dresses, and tailored blazers adorned with ruffles. Don’t forget to accessorise with statement necklaces and her signature headbands—a bad hair day saviour!
The Nanny’s Fran Fine
Fran Fine’s looks are always about balance. Think pairing bold prints on either the top or the skirt with something black—a foolproof formula if you need to throw something on ASAP. Fashion is indeed a cycle, because not only are Fran’s 90s styles coming back in vogue, but the prints she wore were also seen on Portia in White Lotus 20 years later!
Friends’ Rachel Green
Before you say anything, we know this is a controversial one. While we know Monica and Phoebe are equally as fashionable, Rachel is officially the group’s resident fashion guru. Everything she wore in the series—the crop tops, turtlenecks, plaid skirts, denim dungarees, and even the slip dresses are the epitome of 90s fashion. What’s more, she even has a hairstyle that is still very much relevant today.
The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air’s Banks siblings
Who else grew up wishing they could swap wardrobes with the Banks siblings? We sure did. We’d look to Ashley for a comfy sweater weather moment, Hilary’s well-tailored dresses with matching hats, or Will’s sporty street style with a hint of neon. In fact, most of these looks are pertinent in today’s fashion stratosphere.
The Cosby Show’s Denise Huxtables
denise huxtable (the cosby show) pic.twitter.com/pMcOmfYLvW
— Black Girl Blueprint (@bgirlblueprint) September 4, 2020
Huxtables was, albeit underrated, one of the characters in a TV series that explored a wide repertoire of fashion styles while making them all miraculously work. What’s impressive is that the character breaks every primal fashion rule, unleashing her inner rebel without losing her personal style.
Sex and the City’s Carrie Bradshaw
No fashion icon list would be complete without Carrie Bradshaw and her iconic looks. Like it or not, Carrie is the fashion girl. With her controversial white tutus, designer dresses, infamous “it’s not a bag, it’s a [Fendi] baguette”, as well as putting Manolo Blahnik on the map, the character is synonymous with high fashion.
Lizzie McGuire
Enter 2000s Disney Fashion Textbook, Lizzie McGuire. Lizzie is hard to miss, not only because of her all-pink look, but also because her style is the pinnacle of early-noughties fashion. From bright and bold colour-blocking to bedazzling hair accessories, we wouldn’t be surprised to see someone decked out in a full Lizzie McGuire look on the streets today.