Taking TV trends off air

Trendsetting TV shows like "Emily In Paris" are doing more than influencing style. photo: Handout

WHAT’S better than a TV show with an engaging plot, talented cast and clever dialogue? A show with all of the above, plus clothes!

Sometimes, people will tune in to a series solely for the fashion, a trend which not only influences the way we dress, it’s also driving designers, brands, TV channels and streaming platforms to create new methods of presenting style to the masses.

It’s a formula that works, as there’s no denying the impact iconic shows such as Sex & The City have had on fashion trends.

In an interview with the New York Times, teen drama Pretty Little Liars costume designer Mandi Line revealed that she told her production team, “If you let me make fashion the fifth character on this show, people will watch it just for the clothes”.

As the show’s popularity grew, fans began posting pictures of themselves in outfits inspired by those worn by the characters, and blogs dedicated to discussing each character’s style sprung up.

Pretty Little Liars is just one in a long list of shows that have impacted consumer fashion trends, from the 1980s soap opera Dynasty to the 1960s shift dresses and suits in Mad Men to 2021’s And Just Like That, a reboot of Sex & The City, which ran from 1998 to 2004.

During Sex & The City’s six-year run, it was obvious that the way designers were named on the show was intentional, and it was one of the first TV series to explicitly identify brands and designers.

From Manolo Blahnik stilettos to a collection of Fendi baguettes, protagonist Carrie Bradshaw’s extensive wardrobe contained an abundance of designer wear, many of which stayed in trend long after the show ended.

Following these iconic fashion-forward shows were many more, including teen drama Gossip Girl, thriller series Killing Eve and period drama Bridgerton, to name a few. Apart from influencing the way we dress and accessorise, there are many more ways that TV trends are seeping into our daily lives and redefining our idea of style.

Rise of microtrends

Many were swept up in romantic liaisons of period romance drama of Bridgerton, but the show, along with The Crown, also spawned the regencycore and royalcore microtrends.

Throughout season one (eight episodes) of Bridgerton, protagonist Daphne had 104 costume changes, consisting of dramatic silhouettes in pastels decorated with intricate embroidery.

This style, inspired by 19th century fashion, became known to fashion enthusiasts as regencycore.

‘Regencycore’ is a fashion trend inspired by period dramas such asBridgerton. — Handout

Designers quickly got in on the action, creating empire waist dresses, silky and lacy gloves, pearl-embellished headbands, crystal ballerina shoes and corset belts, to name a few.

It took three seasons to get to the 1980s and the Princess Diana era, of which many of us are familiar, but The Crown has been influencing trends since its debut in 2016.

Inspired by one of Queen Elizabeth II’s love for horseback riding, equestrian trends like two-toned riding boots and tailored jackets appeared on Chanel and Michael Kors runways.

As a nod to Princess Diana’s impeccable style, Alberta Ferretti’s Fall/Winter 2020 runway featured a blue gown with cascading ruffles, while Kenzo and Isabel Marant created pieces in watercolour florals as a tribute to outfits worn by the character.

On the athleisure front, tracksuits and plain white sneakers rose in popularity when dystopian thriller Squid Game debuted.

A far cry from the glamorous ensembles in Bridgerton and The Crown, searches for the plain pink and green tracksuits worn by the characters in Squid Game doubled when the show aired.

Meanwhile, sales for white sneakers from the shoe brand Vans went up 7,800% since the show’s debut, while sales for white slip-ons generally have increased 97%, according to Forbes.com.

Microtrends tend to disappear almost as quickly as they emerge, so anyone’s guess whether regencycore, royalcore and tracksuits will remain popular after the initial excitement.

Shoppable content

Back when Sex & The City first aired, it was up to fashion news bits on TV, as well as style columns in print media to give us information on what was worn by whom in which show.

Plenty of fashion columns provided useful “how-tos”, doling out ideas on which pieces from accessible mainstream brands resembled the designer looks on the hit TV shows.

Today, there are hundreds of social media accounts dedicated to documenting every single piece of clothing, accessories, bags and shoes worn by the iconic characters.

Popular Instagram account @EveryOutfitonSATC not only documents everything worn on the show, it also provides tongue-in-cheek commentary on every episode.

Similarly, Instagram accounts dedicated to Gossip Girl – a teen drama which ran from 2007 to 2012 which was rebooted in 2021 – showcase every ensemble worn by New York’s crème de la crème in the show.

Fashion “inspo” from shows isn’t just limited to women.

Men were so taken by the styling on the British period crime drama Peaky Blinders, Esquire.com came up with “The Definitive ‘Peaky Blinders’ Style Guide” for fans of the series.

Men can draw inspiration from the site’s guide to buying long lapelled heavy coats, baker boy hats, three-piece suits and leather boots similar to what is worn by the characters on the series.

TV shows and fashion platforms are now taking it a step further – did you know that you can buy the chic outfits and accessories worn by the title character of Emily In Paris?

Netflix, where the show is streamed, has partnered with ViacomCBS Consumer Products to make it possible for fans to own the clothes, accessories, bags and shoes worn by the character played by Lily Collins in Season 2 of the series.

Emily’s style is a blend of designer pieces and vintage couture, while stylish supporting characters boast unique looks of their own, from her boss Silvie’s power suits, stilettos and slitted skirts to her friend Camille’s effortless chic French style.

A first in fashion and TV, the designs will be offered on the streaming platform’s website and other fashion platforms.

This will, no doubt lead to more labels jumping on the bandwagon for visibility.

A new website that curates the clothes and products featured on TV shows and movies, Seek, went live last October and will launch fully in a few months.

Created by former Vogue editor Sara Klausing, the idea was to create a platform for fans to find the exact items worn on their favourite shows.

For example, Gossip Girl fans can pick up real deal items featured on the show including a Fendi Baguette bag, Christian Louboutin heels, Stuart Weitzman thigh-high boots.

The site also features pieces inspired by the looks seen on TV shows, aside from the actual pieces.

Wornontv.com is another site where one can access looks worn not just on sitcoms and dramas, but also reality shows like The Real Housewives series as well as talk shows like E!News and talent shows such as The Voice.

Designer debuts

The mega machine that is the entertainment industry is also providing different ways for designers to showcase their creations.

During the height of the pandemic when large scale events including Fashion Week were cancelled, labels had to find creative ways to showcase their new collections.

For example, Gucci debuted an entire collection through a miniseries co-directed by Gus Van Sant.

The 2020 series, Overture of Something that Never Ended, composed of seven episodes filmed in Rome, gradually revealed the Alessandro Michele collection on numerous platforms during the seven-day virtual fashion and film festival.

Broadcasted on YouTube Fashion, Weibo and via the dedicated site Guccifest.com, it was an innovative and refreshing way to debut a collection, featuring a cast of famous faces including Harry Styles, Florence Welch and Billie Eilish.

Balmain launched its own miniseries in partnership with British television Channel 4 starring Riverdale’s Charles Melton and 13 Reasons Why’s Tommy Dorfman.

The short-form drama series, Fracture, sees the cast wearing Balmain’s Fall 2021 designs throughout each of the eight-minute episodes.

Levelling up the fashion game but with a philanthropic element is Stella McCartney, who collaborated with hit series Sex Education for a Breast Cancer Awareness campaign in October 2021.

The campaign aimed to encourage regular breast self-examination, and featured a comedic yet informative sketch starring cast members from the show.

Through the campaign, the Stella McCartney Cares Foundation donated one Louise Listening post-mastectomy bra for every T-shirt sold.