Love the looks you see on the small screen? That’s thanks to the work of talented costume designers, who dream up Jessica Day’s quirky style or Olivia Pope’s power coats. Some of these designers are blazing new paths and creating new fashion trends (and even lines) in their wake.
Here are the top ten costume designers making the television landscape a more fashionable place:
Lyn Paolo (Scandal, Shameless)
If you’re obsessed with Olivia Pope’s wardrobe on Scandal, you’re not alone. Sites obsessively chronicle the clothes worn by star Kerry Washington for a reason: they’re fashion perfection. From all-white everything to her trademark coats, Paolo has created the wardrobe for a modern gladiator.
Eric Daman (Gossip Girl, The Carrie Diaries)
As the creative genius behind one of the most fashionable shows on the small screen, Daman created the brightly hued fashion palates of the Upper East Side elite on Gossip Girl. So when it came time to find the perfect person to take on the daunting mantle of Sex and the City’s Patricia Fields for The Carrie Diaries, Daman was a safe bet.
Janie Bryant (Mad Men)
Getting period style right is no picnic. But every season, Bryant finds a way to make us all want to go back in time, if only for the fashion. Bryant’s vintage looks have evolved as the show’s transitioned into the late ’60s, but they’ve never been anything other than perfection.
Mandi Line (Pretty Little Liars)
The style on Pretty Little Liars not only accurately reflects the personality of the main four girls, it also reflects the style of the show: edgy, intriguing, dangerous, and inventive. That’s probably why Line’s looks have become so popular they’ve spawned their own fashion line carried by Aeropostale.
Meredith Markworth-Pollack (Reign, Hart of Dixie)
From Southern belles to French royalty, Markworth-Pollack has certainly shown her versatility. But it’s her designs for new CW historical drama Reign that really leave viewers breathless. Straddling the line between Renaissance and Renaissance fair, her costumes are as loose and inventive as the show’s overall relationship with historical accuracy.
Jill Ohanneson (Revenge)
Bright colors, form-fitting frocks, and beachy attire offset the dark scheming happening in every episode of ABC’s drama Revenge. The looks of the Hamptons elite are to-die-for, which works out, since the show has a perilously high body count.
Jenn Rogien (Girls, Orange is the New Black)
They might be broke in Brooklyn, but the girls on Girls are always fashionable. This is thanks to Jenn Rogien, who balances the highly disparate fashion senses of the four leading ladies. While Hannah’s wardrobe might often be a semi-disaster, the show’s individualistic style is always admirable.
Susie DeSanto (Nashville)
This big country music drama needs equally dramatic fashion. Thankfully DeSanto always delivers, putting stars Connie Britton and Hayden Panettiere in clothes worthy of the country music superstars they portray.
Ane Crabtree (Masters of Sex)
Telling the story of pioneering sex researchers Masters and Johnson, the period 1950s drama is immaculately costumed. The clothes manage to be completely keeping with the times, yet stylish enough to make vintage feel modern.
Debra McGuire (New Girl)
Debra McGuire is the genius behind Zooey Deschanel’s enviable wardrobe on the Fox hit comedy New Girl. McGuire helped shape the unique and quirky style sported by Jessica Day, turning her from adorkable to just plain fashionable.
What are some of your favorite fashion-forward TV shows? Sound off in the comments!
