STYLE ICONS OF THE SMALL SCREEN

The hit TV show Gossip Girl will be drawing to an end shortly, with the culmination of its sixth and final season. The US series is adored by fans for its high drama and trendy New York setting, but perhaps most of all for its fashion sense.
The female characters of Gossip Girl have influenced high street shops and catwalks, and they will be sadly missed. Women of all ages took style inspiration from the series, and men, too, found a style icon in the pastel-wearing metrosexual Chuck Bass. As the moment of that final ‘XOXO’ sign-off draws nearer, here are some other TV dramas that have dramatically influenced women’s fashion.

Mad Men
Thanks to this hot US import, voluptuous secretary Joan has been inspiring countless women to nip in their waists in demure tailored dresses. Set in a successful ad agency in the 1950s, the action (and the costumes) later advanced into the early 1960s. With lashings of retro fashion and vintage style, Mad Men has encouraged women to wear 50s style dresses with full, swinging skirts in floral patterns or pastel prints. A little bit of retro glamour never goes amiss, and teased hair and big earrings are essential to complete the look.

Sex and the City
Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda have been bywords for style since the show first aired in 1998. The series quickly became known as much for its fashion-forward wardrobe as for its plotlines. Carrie Bradshaw had a terrific line in fancy footwear, and famously would go through hell and high water to preserve her vast shoe collection. The ladies continued their march through style with the two Sex and the City movies, allowing fans to catch up with the characters years later. When taking style tips from the fabulous foursome, remember that the right shoes are essential to pull together an outfit, and don’t forget to top it off with a chic clutch or ‘It Bag’.

Don’t mourn the loss of Gossip Girl for too long: why not recreate the look of your favourite character to fend off those end-of-series blues? Pull on some comfortable and stylish skinny jeans, add a pair of heels, a smart shirt and a blazer, and stride through the streets as though you were in the Big Apple with Serena, Blair and the gang – it’s guaranteed to make you feel better!

[ Please note opinions expressed above are not of my own ]