Every so often, I'll catch a show and fall madly in love with an item worn by a person or character.
... And then I must know where the piece is from and how I can get my hands on it!
Great costume design is just one of the ways a good TV show will keep us coming back for more - whether the style be romantic regency era, form-flattering 1960s office wear or aristocratic English country estate.
It opens our minds to new (or renewed) styles. We look at the characters and think "Oh! I've never seen that before... I like it! I want it!". It's part of what drives the fashion cycle. It creates fashion trends. It creates awareness. It inspires us to try and buy new styles.
You might recall the Bridgerton phenomenon just a couple years ago. A massive hit, Bridgerton inspired collections of dresses with empire waists and floral patterns, hair bows, dainty jewelry and shoes. The romantic hair bow trend has only gained momentum since, and is still going strong.
But what if you don't want a piece inspired by the show - you want the very same, exact, precise item that you saw?
I want to share a few secrets with you, for the next time you fall in love with a piece and wonder how you can get your hands on it, too.
These are the sites you need to know!
On this site, you will find clothes worn on TV by characters in scripted shows, reality shows, even soaps, talk shows... even by news anchors.
Love the army green batwing sweater you just spotted while watching that morning show? No problem! Search for the show, the personality or character, the episode or just browse pics. The site provides you with the brand and the model, and a link to buy the item. If the item is no longer available, often they'll provide a link to a similar outfit. Sometimes they'll provide a budget-friendly alternative for the higher end pieces. For older items, I've even seen links to buy them on eBay, at a discounted rate!
You can also see who else has worn that item on television, to view it on a variety of women.
2. Shop Your TV
Shop Your TV is similar to Worn on TV, with the addition of SO MANY MORE shows, including series from decades ago!
Find outfits and accessories; search by season or character. You’ll find the brand and model, and various links to buy it, if available, or a similar item, if unavailable.
Do you like a character or a personality's style? Do you have a similar body shape to someone famous and want to see how a TV stylist dresses them? Click on the personality or actor to see everything they've ever worn on television, for inspiration.
You can also search specific brands, to see who wore that brand, when and on what shows.
3. Spotern
Find ANYTHING! Not just items worn on TV or in movies. Anything worn, designed or sold by celebrities. Find an item from YouTube. Source clothing, accessories, even furniture!
Wondering what sunglasses Tom Cruise wore in Top Gun: Maverick?
Wondering where you can find that blazer from the Olivia Palermo x Zara collab?
Wondering where you can find an orange sofa like the famous Friends one from Central Perk?
Spotern is a crowdsourced platform, where regular people hunt down and provide the links to the items. If someone buys that item, those people receive a well-deserved commission.
Costume designers are fashion geniuses... take advantage of that
I also love these sites because they're a great source of inspiration. Most TV costume designers know what they're doing - they find the BEST items to flatter the talent and make them look good. Why not take advantage of their hard genius and work?
So the next time you fall in love with something you’ve seen on TV… don’t be so quick to reject the idea as being beyond the scope of reality... or your budget. Hunt it down and see. Sometimes a piece is a find from Zara or H&M; sometimes it’s a model that’s reissued every season with a slight alteration, making it easily findable. Maybe you'll find an alternative that's close enough to the real thing. Maybe you'll fall so in love with the item that you decide it's worth the splurge, whatever the cost.