The late Mary Tyler Moore played Laura Petrie on The Dick Van Dyke Show, and we’re still swooning over her stylish ensembles. Petrie was known for her cigarette pants, sheath dresses, and pearls. Laurie's outfits were never flashy or over-the-top, but they were consistently chic, classy, and cute. She was a style icon that real women could aspire to be and emulate. We would still kill to wear her outfits today!
Maddie Hayes was the epitome of '80s glamour. Her signature style included voluminous blonde hair, sweetheart neckline gowns, pastel suits, and plenty of fur. Most of these trends are still popular today (although faux fur > fur), which makes her a prime canidate for a modern fashionista.
Amanda Woodward was almost universally hated on the show, but fans did love her confident sense of style. Woodward usually rocked super-short skirts, blazers, and skin-tight dresses. All of these solidified her status as a s*x symbol of the '90s.
Hilary, the oldest daughter of the Banks family, made a name for herself on the show as the resident fashionista. She was a fan of tight bandage dresses, skirt suits, trendy hats, and anything that showed just the right amount of cleavage.
Lisa Turtle hoped to be a fashion designer, and you could definitely tell by the daring, fashion-forward outfits she wore on Saved by the Bell. Viewers fell in love with her feminine sense of style, complete with flirty skirts, colorful blouses, and bold prints.
Ally McBeal loved to defy the norms, which she demonstrated by forgoing the typical frumpy lawyer outfits in favor of short skirt suits and boudoir-inspired camis. We love her feminine, flirty take on the power suit!
Even after Lisa Douglas moved from the big city to the countryside, she never gave up her New York state of mind. She continued to wear fancy dresses and peignoirs, no matter what she was up to in rural Hooterville!
D.C.'s best fixer dons the best white coats, creamy neutral looks, and Prada bags that know all the secrets and skeletons in D.C.'s closets. There’s no screwing around with Olivia Pope with her coordinated pantsuits. Ms. Pope's swagger hits the door long before her subtle lip color lets you in on why she’s the best in a city full of mediocrity.
Though Mad Men was filled with several stylish leading ladies, Betty Draper’s look evolved the most over the series run. Betty took that perfect '50s housewife chic, new divorcee and finally swinging '60s with her impeccable style—namely through the use of color, pearls, cat eye sunglasses and beautiful coats.
There’s no style age limit for Blanche Devereaux. That sexagenarian Southern Belle craves silk and satin: a flashy date night dress, a luxurious silk robe, beautiful silk scarves, and kitten heels. Blanche feels most confident in her sexy fashion best.
Elaine Benes wore just about every '90s trend, and we love her for it! Her wardrobe was filled with midi skirts, loafers, blazers, and sheath dresses. With just a bit of tailoring, Elaine could step right into the modern fashion scene.
Wouldn’t we all love to be Mary Ann Summer? Her ensembles frequently included high-waisted bikinis, gingham dresses, and adorable pigtails. It’s easy to see why she was everyone’s summertime crush.
Over-the-top glamour and over-the-top camp led to Alexis becoming a fashion icon on the 1980s soap opera, which still stands today over on Instagram. With her superb chapeaus, luxurious furs, bountiful boas, linebacker shoulder pads, and outrageous large-stone jewelry, she WAS the epitome of what wealth looked like on television.
Rachel Green is mostly famous for her signature haircut, but her sense of style is also quite memorable! We fell in love with her strappy sundresses, LBDs, turtlenecks, and pleated skirts that solidified her place as a fashion icon.
Thanks to an immense wardrobe department, Carrie Bradshaw became every NY fashion girl's dream. Carrie dropped high fashion names like candy: Fendi, Galliano, Dior, Prada, and of course, Manolo Blahnik. There was no look too out-of-bounds for this inspired, single gal writer.
Kelly Garrett had '70s glamour down to a science. She was fond of wearing Grecian-inspired dresses, pencil skirts, and golden jumpsuits. Today, we would love to wear her ensembles to parties and during nights out on the town.
Patsy Stone could easily be mistaken for a Vogue editor! She loved wearing unique Chanel jackets, sleek neutrals, and oversized jewelry. The world fell in love with her elegant sense of style, which would still be loved today.
Fonzie didn't have a large wardrobe, but what he did wear was iconic and effortlessly stylish. His outfit formula of a leather jacket + a white tee + blue jeans is a timeless look for the ages.
Denise Huxtable became one coolest-dressed characters of the '90s with her animal-print head-wraps, cool hats, and mixed patterns. Everyone wanted to be Denise Huxtable because her carefree style of boho punk resonated with the youth of America.
From the moment she walked in, you knew Fran Fine wasn’t your typical, buttoned-up nanny. Her bodycon dresses, wild prints, tiny miniskirts, and big, over-the-top hair let you know that EVERYONE was going to notice her, including Mr. Sheffield. She could rock latex, leather, tweed, turtlenecks, and still take care of business.
These gals set the inspo boards for young women everywhere because they were attainable. Headbands, cute flats, Lilly Pulitzer dresses, and fashion-forward color tights—girls could buy these fashions at Gap, The Limited, and Ann Taylor. Gossip Girl also set some high bars for drama through fashion that are being explored today through, dare I say it: Bridgerton.
You can’t have one without the other; Crockett and Tubbs took '80s fashion and dialed it up to a 12 out of 10. Pastel blazers over t-shirts, Ray-Ban Wayfarers, and the sheer insanity of the wearing loafers SANS SOCKS put these two crime fighters over the fashion top in a city as iconic as Miami.
Straight out of the Official Handbook for Preppies 20 years too late, Andy brought the bow tie/argyle sweater combination to Scranton, PA and helped the Dundler Mifflin branch move fashion forward. One look at the buttoned-up Bernard, and you were singing a capella show tunes with him just like good old Cornell.
Audrey Horne’s iconic sense of style would fit right in with today’s trends. She loved to wear cropped sweaters, high-waisted skirts, and bold lipstick.
There’s no denying who’s the boss when Cookie Lyon enters a room. With her extraordinary collection of animal print in all colors, along with her slew of streetwear-meets-Fleet-Street looks and her signature large hoop earrings, you can’t look away from Cookie; she commands your attention and your respect for her fashion moxie.
With rugged, handsome looks, a stylish overcoat, tweed blazer, or dark gray suit and understated loose tie, John Luther is the epitome of masculine style—although he’s a crime investigator. While the cases are often weird and creepy, Luther’s wardrobe never is; it’s as polished and refined as the character.
Kelly Taylor had some difficulty choosing which guy she wanted to be with, but she had no trouble choosing her stylish outfits. What we wouldn't give to have her collection of sexy bikinis, bodycon dresses, and menswear-inspired blazers...
You can’t look past the impeccable styling of L.A. Law’s leading gentlemen in their designer duds. Each brought their own style to their look: Michael Kuzak as the sexy attorney/husband, Arnie Becker as the ruthless, wealthy divorce attorney, Jonathan Rollins as a fresh new graduate, and Victor Sifuentes, a smoldering Latino lawyer in double-breasted suits with a passion for social justice.
Jess on New Girl popularized nerdy-girl chic by dressing in bold prints with stripes, polka dots, bright colors, and of course, her trademark bangs and glasses. Her fresh-faced makeup allowed her beautiful eyes to tell the story, while her flats allowed her movement and freedom. A girly girl, Jess looks fabulous in blouses and skirts, flouncy dresses, and low-key flowing tresses—allowing that bubbling personality to shine through.
Perhaps the classiest entry on this list, the eponymous Mr. Big has only been seen in a tuxedo or Armani suit—but he is sophistication as squared as his pocket handkerchief. One look and you see why Carrie Bradshaw fell hard; he’s the well-tailored mystery man with no first or last name at all, leading everyone to imagine the origin of the nickname.
That chest hair. Those loud Hawaiian shirts. The boat shoes and light wash jeans. It was easy to see why the world still associates Tom Selleck as everyone’s favorite former military-turned-Hawaiian private investigator. The antithesis of the gumshoe, suited detective was refreshing, and women all over the world still hope that Magnum will come bumbling in to save them while sporting his beloved Detriot Tigers ballcap.
Diane Lockhart is feminine, elegant, and scorching in every way. A fashionista in every sense, her wardrobe full of power suits, chic floral prints, understated jewelry, and confident silhouettes. Lockhart carried her daily look to evening without batting a perfectly dressed eye. Even kicking off her heels for a cocktail at the end of the night looks chic.
Patrick was the king of the vest paired with jeans and blazer, aka his three-piece suit. His effortless hair and sarcastic, devil-may-care attitude. Is he a con man? Is he for real? Do you care when Patrick Jane looks as confident and suave as he does?
The grand dame of '50s housewife fashion, Donna rocked a shirtdress and heels to iron and clean. Always perfectly coiffed in pin curls and ready to serve her husband, Donna was what all housewives aspired to be. Was it gender stereotyping? Of course. However, I like to think that her dresses brought a bit of color to a black-and-white world.
