Let’s face it, sometimes our favorite TV show characters wear clothes that are pretty much unrealistic. Sure, it would be great to be able to dress like Serena van der Woodsen or Hanna Marrin every day, but most high schoolers can’t afford those labels (or the time it takes in the morning to coordinate such outfits).
However, sometimes we can’t help but idolize the wardrobes of our favorite TV characters. So, if this were an alternate universe, here are 17 examples of TV characters’ style we’d love to steal.
1. Jessica Day from New Girl
Everyone knows that Zooey Deschanel has impeccable style, but so does her character Jess on New Girl. Much like her personality, Jess’s outfits are bright, whimsical and a little bit strange from time to time. She wears the kind of stuff that your really cool high school english teacher would have worn. Her TV character style is usually hyper-feminine — we’re talking polka dots, flowers, bright colors, and dresses in every shape and style. Plus, she’s almost always wearing her signature glasses that just make the whole look complete.
2. Serena van der Woodsen from Gossip Girl
Of course, how could we talk about TV characters providing amazing outfit inspo without talking about at least one Gossip Girl character? While Serena’s style is undeniably crazy expensive and a little bit impractical, it’s way more wearable than Blair’s. While Blair tends to go for an ultra-preppy/posh look, Serena is typical wearing things that are a little more bohemian and laid back.
Of course, if we had van der Woodsen money, we would probably be able to achieve this level of style, but we don’t. She can go from casual dress and messy bun to a stunning ball gown in a matter of seconds. Who wouldn’t want that kind of variety in their wardrobe?
3. Rachel Green from Friends
For a more ’90s/vintage look, we had to mention Rachel Green. Rachel’s character is fashion obsessed, which means she always had the best outfits out of all the Friends girls, in our humble opinion. Plus, since she worked for Bloomingdales and Marc Jacobs, you know she’s guaranteed to have a totally stocked closet. Rachel always had the cutest little dresses, crop tops and jackets that would translate really well into modern fashion without looking way too ’90s. Even when she wasn’t all dressed up, Rachel always had the coolest big sweaters and flannels that we just want to get our hands on.
4. Ilana Glazer from Broad City
Now, Ilana Glazer from Broad City definitely has a unique sense of style. If you’re more daring with your fashion sense, then you would be right at home with her style. Sometimes her looks can be wildly over-the-top, but when she nails it — she nails it. Ilana is definitely into streetwear and crazy-bright colors. Her oversized tees, crop tops and awesome pieces including fanny packs, baseball hats and overalls are always memorable. Basically, Ilana’s wardrobe is what we would wear if we were a little bit more bold and daring.
5. Carrie Bradshaw from Sex & the City
Sex & The City was undeniably iconic in terms of TV character style. Each of the girls had their own unique look, but we personally think that if we had to raid a closet — it would be Carrie’s. She looks like a caricature of a typical NYC professional, but with a way more creative fashion. Her outfits can be a bit much (hello, tutu, giant bows and fur coats!), but we would die for that kind of variety in our wardrobe. Her formal wear may not be quite your taste, but her day-to-day wear was crazy cute.
6. Jessa Johansson from Girls
While all of the characters on Girls have a pretty great sense of fashion, Jessa’s outfits are probably the most memorable. It could be because Jessa herself is a total free spirit and party girl, but something about her style is cool to the point where we need to get access to her closet. She’s got everything & including the best mom jeans, vintage tees, awesome hats, flowy boho skirts and incredible shoes. She kind of dresses like a modern Stevie Nicks, which we’re totally into.
7. Lindsay Weir from Freaks & Geeks
In terms of TV character style, Lindsay Weir definitely goes for an understated look. Lindsay was just so cool and laid-back that watching her in our youth, we totally wanted to be her. Even when she was wearing those kind-of dorky cardigans, she just looked effortlessly great. There’s no doubt that her best look was her dad’s army jacket over a flannel and some distressed jeans. Even though deep down she was a total good girl, she always looked like such a badass hanging around her new, burnout friends.
8. Ashley Banks from the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air
Speaking of vintage and totally ’90s style, let’s talk about Ashley Banks. Yes, her outfits were sometimes totally ridiculous because, hey — it was the ’90s. But most of the times her looks were certainly more wearable than her older sister Hillary’s. As she got older, she had the most amazing pairs of mom jeans, cropped tees, and athletic wear. Basically, she was totally on top of the athletic wear/leisure look way before her time. She was always rocking lil’ shirts, baggy bottoms and a choker — and we would be totally okay with wearing that every day, too.
9. Phoebe Buffay from Friends
Every Friends character had a totally different style. While Rachel was the obvious fashionista of the bunch, Phoebe also had totally unique fashion choices that we fell in love with. Her outfits were hit or miss at times, but when they were good they were really good. She usually had a kind of bohemian, art school teacher, witchy look going on. If you’re into big sweaters, baggy skirts, dresses and cute jumpers then you should definitely get your hands on Phoebe Buffay’s wardrobe. On top of her great clothes, Phoebe also had the greatest hairstyles to go with them.
10. Candice from Chewing Gum
Maybe it’s because Candice most definitely the coolest character on Chewing Gum, but we would not pass up the chance to raid her wardrobe. She always looks super put-together, and yet plays it off so casual. You can almost always find her in an effortless high pony, a pair of hoop earrings and an awesome jacket of some sort. Her outfits are very ’80s/’90s-inspired with their baggy fit and crazy-bright colors. She looks like what we wish we looked like on days when we dress down.
11. Gabrielle Solis from Desperate Housewives
The women of Desperate Housewives definitely had the kind of TV character style you would expect from a bunch of snobby, ultra-rich suburban women. However, Gabrielle was definitely the hippest of them and we would love to have her crazy-expensive clothes if we could. True, many of her looks were so early 2000s that they’re basically unwearable (we’re talking giant belts, tube tops, matching velour tracksuits and dresses with giant brooches on the front). But her more formal clothes were totally stunning and glamorous. She probably had about one million cocktail dresses, each more flashy than the next.
12. Veronica Lodge from Riverdale
As Rivedale’s resident bad girl, there’s no doubt that Veronica Lodge’s wardrobe would be totally badass and sexy. Unlike Betty, who prefers pastels and high collars, Veronica is way more into tight-fitting black clothes. You can almost always catch Veronica in some sort of tiny black crop top, skirt or skinny pants. While she can definitely go preppy from time to time, her wardrobe would be perfect for some kind of overnight-vixen transformation à la Sandy from Grease’s leather look.
13. Buffy Summers from Buffy the Vampire Slayer
When she wasn’t busy fighting vampires and protecting Sunnydale from evil, Buffy was a total style icon. Somehow she managed to kick a whole ton of demon ass in the world’s tightest pants, without getting a single hair out of place. Buffy’s style was so great because it was so versatile. She could go from a pastel-colored babydoll dress to a red tank top and some leather pants in the blink of an eye. Maybe it’s because she’s a vampire slayer, but we think her wardrobe definitely helped Buffy seem like the ultimate badass.
14. Hanna Marin from Pretty Little Liars
Every girl on Pretty Little Liars has their own unique style perfect in its own way. While Aria is technically supposed to be “the fashionable one,” we think that Hanna’s TV character style is the most enviable. Like all the girls, she can sometimes get a little carried away with her fashion choices, but usually she looks ultra-glam in a leather jacket, some over-the-knee boots and dark wash jeans. Hanna also has the best accessories, especially her bags. Plus, after getting her hair cropped shoulder-length, her whole ~vibe~ became way more edgy and tough. We were obsessed.
15. Miranda Sanchez from Lizzie McGuire
Okay, we mostly had to incorporate Miranda for nostalgia’s sake. Maybe now you wouldn’t be caught dead wearing 90% of the things that Miranda decided to wear, but when you were younger — it was the height of fashion. Miranda’s looks were always a little bit less goody-goody than Lizzie’s. She rocked the wildest hairdos, the most insanely-patterned shirts and pants, and almost always had some kind of neon/fuzzy/glittery accessory to go with it. Basically, eight year-old you would have died for a look in Miranda’s wardrobe.
16. Claire Underwood from House of Cards
Granted, Claire Underwood’s TV character style isn’t exactly fun or exciting, but she always looks so put-together, professional and elegant. Claire is basically what we hope we can look like when we’re middle-aged and involved in all sorts of politics and wild scandals. Whether she’s rocking an immaculate pantsuit or a form-fitting evening gown, Claire never has a hair out of place, and only wears the highest-quality clothes. Plus, there’s almost nothing more stylish than a smart, crazy-powerful and sophisticated lady.
17. Shoshanna Shapiro from Girls
Finally, we had to pay homage to another one of the girls from Girls. Shoshanna’s style is pretty much exactly what you would expect her character to wear. She’s bubbly, a little bizarre, naive, but totally in-the-know and definitely cool. Sure, she sometimes wears her hair in bizarrely-high buns, or pairs her outfits with tiny, feathered hats — but somehow she always pulls it off. As the seasons go on and Shosh really finds herself and her style evolves as well. Her wardrobe is full of adorable dresses, cute sets, and the coolest blouses.