'Housewives'
and 'O.C.' inspire dedicated followers of Fashion
December 27,
2004
For the fashion obsessed, TV just
hasn't been the same since Carrie Bradshaw was mugged for her Manolo
Blahniks. But that hasn't stopped us from looking for the next "Sex
and the City." Channel surfing for trendsetting TV is leading
many viewers to ABC's "Desperate Housewives" and Fox's
"The O.C.," both evening soap operas about stylish suburban
subcultures.
On a recent episode
of "Desperate Housewives," the minivan moms of Wisteria
Lane walked the runway in a charity fashion show modeling gowns
by Bradley Bayou for Halston. That collaboration was scripted, but
in the wake of the housewife hype, costume designer Cate Adair is
receiving an average of 50 unsolicited samples a week from designers
hoping to get their clothes on the show. Retro aprons, gingham dishwashing
gloves, Peanuts T-shirts, and more have been shipped to the Universal
City set.
The show's biggest fashion moment to date
came a few weeks ago when Bree (Marcia Cross) tried to seduce
her straying spouse clad only in a fur coat, pearls, and a
red lace La Perla bra and panty set. Bloggers on fansites
went wild, and a spokeswoman from La Perla says the $265 lingerie
set has since sold out.
The company does a lot of TV and film placement,
she says, including the bikini Halle Berry wore in the last James
Bond flick, but nothing as successful as this.
On the other end of the age spectrum is teen
dream "The O.C." Now in its second season, the show has
been buoyed by the personal style of its young stars Mischa Barton,
whose relationship with the fashion house Chanel (they dress her
for public appearances) translates into costumes for the show, and
Adam Brody, whose signature geek chic (sweater vests over polo shirts)
has even trickled down to the racks at Target.
A new subscription-based website (theocinsider.com)
and a companion magazine launched last month offer fashion and makeup
tips written by the show's staff, among other things. The site also
sells clothes that the characters could wear. A bestseller is the
"Mrs. Seth Cohen boy-beater" tank top, a riff on celebrity-wife
T-shirts that refers to Brody's character.
"
'The O.C.' has a lot of impact on our readers," says Amy Astley,
editor in chief of Teen Vogue. "After Mischa Barton carried a
Chanel tote as her school bag, it was considered highly desirable.
Of course, not everyone can afford Chanel, but the trend went away
from the backpack to the tote anyway. It's also the impact of the
actors themselves, like Adam Brody, with his Mr. Rogers cardigans.
When we shot him for the cover of the magazine, we didn't change the
way he was dressed at all."
Down
at Raleigh Studios in Manhattan Beach, Calif., where "The O.C."
is filmed, costume designer Karla Stevens is on an eight-day shooting
schedule that begins with a shopping spree. She travels with her cheat
sheet of actor sizes and her corporate card, though much of the merchandise
will be returned within days.
