It’s time to have a little chat about fashion forward TV shows ending and being cancelled. When I say TV shows I do not mean fashion reality shows such as: Project Runway or Style to Rock.
Now being a fashion lover who is also a television and film enthusiast, I pay very careful attention to the wardrobe element of anything I am watching. I live for great fashion on screen and over time several shows have provided that fashion fix for me. Sadly, shows these days last shorter than warm days in New York City. I recently found out yet another show is being cancelled and felt the need to reflect about this.
Sex and the City was everyone’s fashion fix from 1998 to 2004. Who didn’t live for Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte and Miranda’s fabulous wardrobes? Let’s not even get started on Carrie’s shoe game. Sadly, all good things eventually come to an end and Sex and the City ended. However, in 2006 fashion lovers were able to get their fix back when Ugly Betty came on the scene. It wasn’t the movie The Devil Wears Prada, but it was a fix nonetheless. The costume design from 2006 to 2010 was noteworthy, but when Gossip Girl appeared in 2007 I’m sure people like me gagged (in a good way). Here was a show that lived for fashion just like Sex and the City did. My fashion fix was thoroughly fixed from 2007 to 2012. Between Serena van der Woodsen and Blair Waldorf how could I not get my fix? I was devastated when Gossip Girl ended. Well maybe not devastated because I had mix emotions about seasons 5 & 6, either way all the fashion I loved on that show came to a halt. Thankfully, in 2010, my focus went from broadcast television to cable and I checked into Pretty Little Liars. For anyone that watches Pretty Little Liars you know the wardrobe is on point. Aria Montgomery and Hannah Marin styles had me hooked from Day 1.
Although Pretty Little Liars has not ended, the season finale was last week and PLL fans will have to wait for the summer to tune back in. Now sticking with cable for a bit, in 2011 Single Ladies on VH1 came on the air. Love the show, not particularly for the acting, but the fashion and the overall concept of it being an urban wannabe Sex and the City drew me in. Again, it provided the fix I needed on a whole different level. Say what you want about the show, but designer/wardrobe stylist Anthony Williams’s slayed it every time. Sadly, the show got cancelled and will air its last episode tonight. I can honestly say I will miss Raquel Lancaster’s fashions. Her looks are perfection to me. Then in 2012, aside from Pretty Little Liars, ABCFamily aired Jane by Design. This show was extremely short lived, but I really liked it. Again, more for its fashion than anything else, but the main character Jane Quimby could have been Carrie’s best friend from The Carrie Diaries. Her style was just that fabulous.
Speaking of The Carrie Diaries, another show that will probably be cancelled due to ratings, aired in 2013. It follows a younger Carrie Bradshaw from Sex and the City. People have their reservations about the show, but I really liked it and I live for young Carrie’s fashion. Actress Anna Sophia Robb really does Sarah Jessica Parker’s character justice to me. I think the big issue is the time slot. The show should be featured on a Monday or Tuesday at 8 or 9pm. That Friday time slot was such a disappointment. Now we do have Mad Men, which has amazing fashion, but it takes place in the 1960s (which I love), but still it is the 1960s and the series is coming to an end next year.
So after going through the list above it’s clear there really aren’t any shows like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl to give us some incredible fashion moments. There are shows that have one or two characters who have impeccable wardrobes such as Kerry Washington’s character Olivia Pope on Scandal, Tika Sumpter’s character Candace Young on Haves and the Haves Not and Alyssa Milano’s character Savannah on Mistresses (which will hopefully come back this summer), but no show that we can consider a fashion forward show.
This is just sad. We really need another show like Gossip Girl, but for 2014. There are a million TV pilots in progress every year so hopefully we can get a thorough fashion fix in the near future.
Did I miss a show or has fashionable shows on television come to a halt?