Imitating the wardrobes of our favourite TV characters is nothing new, but since when did people start losing their minds over plain white T-shirts and silver neck chains?
Such fuss over the most simple of fashion statements would suggest that TV has become the catwalk of our times.
In light of this, we took a look back at ten series which either sparked a trend or played a part in its proliferation. For good or bad.
1. Succession – Stealth Wealth
You might expect a show about the top 1% of the top 1% to be a feast for the eyes, its characters basking in a world of rich colour and shiny things. But Succession greets you with a greige hyperrealism that bleeds into every aspect of the production design, including the costumes. Picture Logan’s navy cable knit cardigan, or Shiv’s grey plaid power pants; immaculate tailoring and luxurious fabrics, but all in neutral tones.
It’s what set Tom off on his roast of Bridget (Cousin Greg’s date for Logan’s birthday party) and her “ludicrously capacious bag.” In his elitist eyes, it was merely an embarrassing display of social climbing, because the truly wealthy don’t need to shout about their wealth by brandishing big Burberry bags. They can whisper their billions with a £440 Loro Piana cashmere baseball cap, conspicuously unbranded.
2. Normal People – Connell’s chain
and his chain (credit: BBC)
The BBC’s steamy adaptation of Normal People led to a national outpouring of lust for Paul Mescal’s Connell. The rugged Gaelic football lad and star-crossed lover may have been plainly dressed, but he was bedecked, some might say tantalisingly, with a silver chain.
Given that status anxiety runs right through the book and Connell’s on-and-off relationship with Marianne, the silver chain is a working class signifier when set against her silver spoon background. But we can safely assume that all the wannabe Paul Mescals copping them were doing so with high expectations for their love lives – with relatively disappointing results.
3. The Bear – Carmy’s white T-shirts
Carmy’s white tee is basically the successor to Connell’s chain. The Bear’s Head Chef is another complicated heart throb whose allure has been deconstructed and reduced to the sum of some fairly basic fashion choices.
This didn’t stop menswear enthusiasts from launching a full-scale internet hunt for the exact same “loopwheeled cotton crewneck” with “triangular underarm inserts” and, crucially, “no sideseams.” I’m happy with my Uniqlo, but in case you do fancy spending €89.90, it’s Merz B. Schwanen’s 214 model.
4. Euphoria – Extravagant make-up
One of the reasons why high-school drama Euphoria struck such a chord was that it tapped into the defining sensation of teenagehood: the feeling that you’re the main character in a soap opera. The storylines of drug addiction and toxic relationships were one thing. But, drawing from expressionism, the saturated primary colours, cinematic lighting and dynamic camerawork infused the heightened emotional lives of its hormonal characters into its visual language.
Showrunner Sam Levinson termed it “emotional realism,” and Doniella Davy clearly understood the assignment with her neon-soaked, gemstone-sparkling make-up art. It’s no wonder fans flocked to TikTok to help each other recreate their favourite looks, and perhaps illustrate their own inner turmoil with the likes of Rue’s glittering tears.
5. Friends – The Rachel
The 90s hairdo became as much of a global phenomenon as the sitcom that debuted it. But Jennifer Aniston’s shaggy, shoulder-length bob, named after her character Rachel Green, had surprisingly modest origins. Originally designed by her hairstylist Chris McMillan, it was actually an attempt to repair the actress’ damaged hair.
Imagine McMillan’s amusement when, in 1995, it got its first outing in series one episode 20, ‘The One With the Evil Orthodontist’, and fans were soon flying all the way to his LA studio so that he could style their hair personally. Meanwhile Aniston became so sick of the subject that she disowned the style, telling Allure that “I think it was the ugliest haircut I've ever seen.”
6. Peaky Blinders – The Peaky Blinder undercut
You wouldn’t think a post-War Birmingham period drama would count some of the coolest rappers alive among its biggest fans (A$AP Rocky and Snoop Dogg, who both requested to meet showrunner Steven Knight in person). But, then again, Peaky Blinders essentially tore up the period drama rulebook and all its waistcoats, corsets and agreeable courtships.
Perhaps the defining image of the rock-and-roll western is that of Cillian Murphy slo-mo swaggering to some Arctic Monkeys tune down a cobbled street, dressed to the nines in a herringbone three piece that’s topped off with his gang’s signature flat cap. It’s hard not to want to be Tommy Shelby (minus the long list of enemies).
Indeed many fans have tried, and their first stop is normally the barber shop for a Peaky Blinder under-cut, as razor sharp as the blades concealed in the peaks of those caps. The trim was so in demand that GQ published a How To article.
7. The Killing – Sarah Lund’s jumper
If you somehow missed the series that sparked the Scandi noir phenomenon, don’t let its lead detective’s warm and fuzzy jumper fool you; The Killing is the furthest thing from cosy crime.
But perhaps that’s why the woolly number stood out, and had the Faroese company who knits them racing to fulfil fans’ orders. As well as a boldly informal fashion statement in the traditionally male, suited-and-booted police force, it provides a rare homely comfort to the stoic detective Sarah Lund (played by Sofie Gråbøl), who finds herself engulfed in the Danish murk and moral decline. “To me,” Gråbøl told The Guardian, “[the jumper] gives a great opposite to her line of work and behaviour. It says that she's wanting to sit around a fire with a guitar.”
8. The White Lotus – Portia’s chaotically Gen Z outfits
as Portia (credit: HBO)
While series two of The White Lotus was airing, there were always two questions on every fan’s lips. One was obviously ‘whodunnit’. The other: ‘what the hell is Portia wearing now?’
Haley Lu Richardson played the young assistant who, despite finding herself on the luxury Sicilian holiday of anyone’s dreams – for free – spent most of her time complaining. To be fair, her boss was pretty high maintenance, but Portia’s chaotic outfits betrayed a deeper uncertainty about herself, as well as revealing all the online algorithms that clearly influenced her ‘taste’. There was a lot of noise about whether her colour clashes, mismatched prints and incoherent accessorising was good, bad or somewhere in between. But such a mishmash of fleeting trends raises the more profound question about its wearers’ authenticity.
9. The Traitors – Claudia Winkleman’s countrycore
It says a lot that in a murder mystery gameshow as gripping and star-making as The Traitors, it was actually the presenter who stole the limelight.
Granted, the presenter in question was the iconic Claudia Winkleman, whose gothic looks and campy deadpan made her the perfect match for a series so darkly psychological and completely ridiculous, often all at once.
The “haute country” outfits she styled with Sinead McKeefry were vital to building such a delicious villain: a Lady of the Manor tailored to her Scottish castle. It may have looked like she was drowning in the odd turtleneck, but Winkleman breathed new life into tweed blazers and tartan kilts, which is why the likes of Mr Mittens were selling out of their knitwear in every size.
10. Skins – Indie Sleaze
The timeless teen drama should serve as a reminder to all Gen Zers that Y2K wasn’t as fashionable as Depop would have you believe. But somehow it’s played a leading role in the recent resurgence of ‘Indie Sleaze’.
Skins did embody the trend. Its characters essentially lived out a teenage fantasy inspired by the decadent party scene of the early noughties, a time when indie rock, skinny jeans and smudged eyeliner were all the rage. Their outfits were all in line: ill-fitting and ripped, showy but lazy, and so chaotic that I wouldn’t be surprised if Portia from The White Lotus was a fan.
Then there all those enjoying a brat summer who should pay their respects to Effy Stonem. When Nick Grimshaw asked Charli XCX for the essentials, she listed “a pack of cigs, a BIC lighter and a strappy white top with no bra.” Sound familiar? Throw in all those leather jackets and fishnet stockings and you can understand why the brat queen was happy to be compared to Skins’ femme fatale by Amelia Dimoldenberg on their Chicken Shop Date.
