Hello. My name is Dennise and I’m addicted to Gossip Girl (everyone echoes, “Hi Dennise”). What constitutes this obsession, you ask? Is it the brilliant writing and complicated plots? Eh, no. Is it the Emmy-worthy and revolutionary acting? Not even close. It is simply one thing: the fashion.
TV and fashion have and always will work hand and hand and so I’ve been led to write a TV themed post:
I’ve been inspired by Bust magazine’s latest issue and its Twin Peaks centered photo shoot. Much to my delight, I just picked up the current issue of Nylon and they likewise dedicated much of their pages to dressing like your favorite nineties TV show. The nineties may not scream “fashion revolution”, but luckily we have popular culture figures to remind us of the fun styles that were sported to inspire us today. So I’ve decided to take two of my favorite nineties TV characters and put together a shopping list of the items I’d imagine they would purchase if they were around today.
Janine Turner plays Maggie O'Connell in Northern Exposure.
Two of my favorite TV heroines belong to that quirky and wonderful show about a doctor placed in Alaska, that’s right, the one with John Corbett before he was our beloved Aidan Shaw, the former beau of one Carrie Bradshaw. If you haven’t guessed by now, the show I’m referring to is Northern Exposure.
Janine Turner played Maggie O’Connell, a stubborn, independent and spunky pilot who drove Dr. Fleischman crazy with her witty feminist banter and beautiful full lips. I remember watching her every week and pledging to give up all worldly possessions if I could look exactly as she did. She wasn’t very fashion forward; she was a comfort over style type gal but on those rare occasions when she chose to “dress up”, she was such a stunner, it was no shock she was regularly able to pull off the baggy clothes and big boots.
Were Maggie around today, I believe she’d be a regular at stores like J. Crew, Gap, Eddie Bauer and Lands End. She’d opt for classic shapes and basic styles and colors; someone as beautiful as she could get away with few accessories and plain looking clothing.
My next heroine is the polar opposite of Maggie, Shelly Tambo, played to perfection by Cynthia Geary; Shelly caught the eyes of all the men around her, young and old, with her beauty pageant good looks and her naïve optimism. Despite being a beauty queen, head cheerleader and girlfriend to the most popular young man in her hometown, she opted to run away with the Cicely self-appointed mayor only to end up in the arms of his best friend, the much, much older owner of the only bar in town.
Cynthia Geary plays Shelly Tambo.
Shelly was a much trendier dresser, she loved utilizing colors and sporting the styles of the late eighties with large earrings and teased bangs. Were Shelly around today, she’d definitely frequent Forever 21, Urban Outfitters and Topshop. Her style was fun and flirty and of course influenced by music as she always happened to mention listening to the latest Aerosmith or Guns ‘N’ Roses tape.
It’s your turn to give it a go, choose your favorite TV show, new or old, pick a character and try to build his or her wardrobe based on where you normally shop. It’s a fun way to see what influences your style.
Did you like this post? Read more fun blog posts by Dennise Pineda on her blog Tenacious Dee, or here at Fashhh. And, join Fashhh. It takes just a second, is completely free (of course) and very fun!
2010-01-05 12:42
Sabina said
Was the character Maggie in Northern Exposure portrayed as feminist on the show, I read somewhere that she was someone who always blamed all the problems in her life on the man in her life.
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