We’re all guilty of it: obsessing over your favorite TV or movie character’s outfit, believing whole-heartedly that if only you had her hair/make-up/wardrobe that your life could be so charmed too. Of course, deep down you know this isn’t true, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t still want her hair or clothes. In fact, some of the most well known beauty and fashion trends owe their fame to the big or small screen. Here’s a run-down of some of television and film’s most memorable beauty and fashion moments that ultimately sparked what could be described as cult followings.
Audrey Hepburn as Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s
Audrey Hepburn will forever be known as the classic Hollywood beauty, and her role as Holly Golightly is what perhaps cemented her status as a style legend. What makes her look so memorable is how timeless it is—a topknot, an LBD, simple makeup, and a delicate necklace. Any and all of these pieces have truly withstood the test of time.
Mia Farrow’s Pixie Cut in Rosemary’s Baby
Mia Farrow’s crop for Rosemary’s Baby sparked a hair revolution. Daring women across the country marched to their hair salon and demanded the dramatic chop. While Farrow’s pixie is not perhaps what some would deem traditional feminine beauty, the cut nonetheless became iconic thanks to the film. And Farrow’s crop clearly has staying power—just ask Michelle Williams, Hollywood’s most loyal contemporary pixie fan.
Farrah Fawcett’s Feathery Waves in Charlie’s Angels
When the television series Charlie’s Angels premiered in 1976, Fawcett’s feathery golden locks became an instant sensation. Her waves achieved peak fame in the mid- to late-seventies thanks to their carefree and low-maintenance nature. Of course, even after the show’s cancellation in the early eighties, Fawcett’s waves remained her signature feature, and continue to be a highly requested hairstyle in salons nationwide.
Jennifer Aniston’s “The Rachel” in Friends
Perhaps the most famous hairstyle of all time, “The Rachel” made its debut in Season One of Friends in 1994. Described as “bouncy, square layered hairstyle,” the cut was named after Aniston’s character Rachel Green, and remains one of (if not the MOST) requested haircut in salons to this day. Yet despite The Rachel’s immortal fame popularity, Aniston herself told Allure magazine that the cut was “the ugliest haircut I’ve ever seen.”
Sarah Jessica Parker as Carrie Bradshaw in Sex and the City
Carrie Bradshaw is arguably television’s most famous fictional fashionista ever, so it’s no surprise that she would end up on a list of the media’s most memorable fashion moments. Everything from Carrie’s dirty blonde waves to her Manolos screams glamour. While the chronicles of her life in the Big Apple are the main focus of the show, her outfits come in a close second. In fact, Carrie’s style and personality made such an impact on television viewers and fashionistas alike that the CW has announced a Sex and the City prequel show, The Carrie Diaries, to premiere early next year.
Blake Lively as Serena van der Woodsen in Gossip Girl
Given that NYC is a major fashion capital of the world, it seems fitting that Manhattan would be home to a second fictional fashionista, the infamous S. Serena’s I-just-woke-up-wearing-Gucci style and attitude were instantly contagious among viewers and designers alike. In fact, Serena’s style is so influential that ever since the first season, the fashion world’s most famous designers have been sending coveted pieces to the Gossip Girl set for Serena to sport on camera.