Why the Fashion on Teen Television Shows Is So Goddamn Good

Confession: I’m a full-fledged adult who’s obsessed with teen television—and I know I’m not the only one.

These shows, with their soapy storylines (from falling in love for the first time to being held captive in an underground lair), quippy dialogue infused with up-to-the-minute references that may or may or not feel dated in the span of months, and unconditional friendships (through final exams or multiple blackmail attempts by a hooded villain) are incredibly addictive. But when I think about them, it’s the fashion—the outfits, the styling evoking trends of the era, and the iconic designer moments—that first comes mind.

Even [redacted] years later, I can picture it clearly: Kelly Taylor and Brenda Walsh wearing the same off-the-shoulder black and white spring dance dress on Beverly Hills, 90210; a Chanel-clad Marissa Cooper at prom on The O.C.; all the over-the-top fantasy-themed dresses as the Pretty Little Liars spent approximately 5,000 years in high school. On all these shows, the fashion heightened the drama, suspense, and emotions the characters were going through. Style is and always will be self-expression—and that’s particularly true when you’re portraying teenage-dom.

“Teens don’t have rules of dressing a certain way at the office and can get away with anything,” says Linda Wilks, founder of Worn on TV, which identifies fashion showcased on shows like Grown-ish, Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars (and “grownup” shows, too, like Scandal and Empire). “If an adult character wore such ‘out there’ clothing as say, Aria on Pretty Little Liars, it would only be because they are portraying a ‘kooky’ character trait.”

In many cases, the fashion on these shows is embedded with meaning, directly relating back to the inner turmoils of the characters. Think of Riverdale—how Manhattan transplant Veronica Lodge communicates her savvy for both street smarts and business through her crisp collars, body-con shifts, luxurious pearls from daddy, and femme fatale capes (probably purchased on her “American Excess” Black Card); how HBIC Cheryl Blossom’s macabre past is reflected with primary color hot pants and foreboding vintage spider pins; and how manipulative Alice Cooper’s grand entrance at the Lodge’s real estate party included a not-so-subtle snakeskin dress (a directive from showrunner Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa).

I’ve spent many a work meeting and happy hour with fellow non-teens obsessing over the outfits seen on Riverdale and other shows currently on air, like Grown-ish. (The latter is necessary viewing if you have an appreciation for high-end fashion and that moment in life where “you get to express yourself a little bit differently,” as costume designer Michelle Cole characterizes the college years.) And judging from my Twitter feed and the healthy followings of Instagram fashion fan pages, it’s not just me. (If you need further proof: Wilks tells me that teen shows acquire more click-throughs on Worn on TV, compared to series’ chronicling adult lives.)

Now, the teenagers I see regularly on the street are dressed more for streetwear and athleisure than the glamping on Pretty Little Liars (who else remembers Mona Vanderwaal’s dress code of cropped cargo pants, wide printed belt and admittedly chic beret situation?) or zhuzh-ed up uniforms on Gossip Girl (with $300-plus Jennifer Behr headbands, designer blazers, and expert-tailoring, of course).

Anyone who’s followed these series can attest to this stark contrast—even sites catering to this demographic, like Gurl.com, have pointed it out. There’s a reason why that is, according to the people responsible for the costumes: “The characters are written larger than life which gives me, the designer, the opportunity to dress them larger than life, too,” says Riverdale designer Rebekka Sorensen-Kjelstrup. “Either that’s how I used to dress or how I wanted to dress, but I couldn’t afford it or was scared to.”

Mandi Line, who worked on the first six and a half seasons of Pretty Little Liars agrees: “People ask, ‘Where did you get your inspiration from? I truly found my inspiration from what I couldn’t do in high school—so Aria was my dream of who I wanted to be… If people wore exactly what we wore in high school back in the day, we’d be bored.”

Gossip Girl’s straight-off-the-runway designer pieces made sense for the posh private school hallways—as do the college-set Grown-ish’s straight-off-the-pages-of-Teen-Vogue looks, considering they’re being worn by actors who happen to be legit fashion darlings IRL (Luka Sabbat, Chloe x Halle, and series star Yara Shahidi).

“Most of the reactions I get to Grown-ish is how unrealistic it is, both price-wise and looks-wise,” says Wilks, about the response to the show’s very excellent high-end designer fashion on Worn on TV. “I see comments on how everyone is so overtly stylish and nobody gets around in sweatpants and T-shirts, like in their own college experiences. I guess that is the fun of TV fashion, it doesn’t have to be like real life.”

The aspirational and, at times, fantastical fashion can also inspire us with inventive styling ideas that we then can translate into our daily lives. When I called the Pretty Little Liars costume designer and told her about this story, she started laughing. “It was so funny, on Saturday night, I was at a friend’s house and one of the girls is like, ‘Oh my god, there’s this show—it’s not on anymore—but I would watch it to help me get ready,’” Line recalls. “I’m like, ‘What show?’ and she’s like, ‘I’d watch Emily on Pretty Little Liars and I would know what to wear out.'”

“[It] doesn’t matter what age you are—[the style on] teen shows is so inspiring,” adds Line.

The skilled high-low mixing on teen shows offers viewers both aspirational high-end designer looks for styling (and storytelling) with real world accessibility to click and buy. (Think: Zoey’s perfect Zara brocade jacket, layered over an Acne silk shirt and Chloé patchwork jeans.) “TV shows are able to create exciting fashion precisely because they’re mixing clothes from a lot of different places,” says indie jewelry designer (and teen show aficionado) Peggy Li, who aims for placements on shows, like Riverdale and Pretty Little Liars, because their audiences are more open to discovering smaller, under-the-radar designers. (Remember when then-up-and-coming labels like Alexander Wang, 3.1 Phillip Lim and Proenza Schouler were on early seasons of Gossip Girl? How far we’ve come.)

Taking a step back, though, the fashion we see on teen TV can be obsessed over in a way that’s different than the admittedly-also-excellent style showcased elsewhere on the small screen, in a post-college setting. Olivia Pope’s Max Mara coats and Prada bags on Scandal are covetable but they come with “adult” baggage: paying a mortgage, dealing with vicious coworkers, and facing whatever political or romantic twist Shonda Rhimes throws at you this week. With shows like Riverdale and Grown-ish, we can appreciate the clothes through a more experienced lens—that of adulthood.

“I think the younger shows just remind us of this time of instant gratification that we sometimes forget the older we get,” says Line. “It just fulfills the kid in us. As an adult, you just get into the day-to-day monotony and you forget to make that kid happy.”

Through these shows—and the fashion featured therein—I’m able to not only revisit that excitement of my youth, but also tap into it with the newfound confidence of a grown-ass woman. Plus, let’s be honest, adult life is always a bit like high school, anyway.

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