Half a century before Don Draper (Jon Hamm) became a figurehead of sartorial prowess, Bewitched brought magic and ad man style into America's living rooms. Sitcoms have long been a barometer for comedy trends and reflect changing fashions. An outfit can be timeless, and so can a show that makes you laugh—ditto how quips and clothing become outdated and stale.
Of course, some aspects of costume design on TV's funniest shows are in on the joke, whether emphasizing differences or calling specific details to attention. Making you laugh and getting clothing inspiration are not mutually exclusive. Because most sitcoms are current to their era, this genre gives a strong sense of how people dress, including where garments are sourced and how the contemporary costume designer role has evolved. Costumers (which is different from costume designers) who shopped and rented rather than designed and built pieces are credited for most of the pre-90s entries.
Social media provides a hotspot of reappraisal "every outfit" accounts for new and old fans alike to muse over characters like Seinfeld's George Costanza (Jason Alexander), who has become a style icon in his own right—as has co-creator Larry David. Don't just take our word for it, as The A.V. Club has called on an expert to get into the finer details of 20th-century menswear on shows like I Love Lucy, The Bob Newhart Show, Family Ties, and yes, Seinfeld.
"I think George Costanza is super stylish. The caveat is that I was young when that show was on, so I don't remember him as being seen as stylish. It's just that, in hindsight, when I look at him, I’m like, 'Oh, he’s really stylish," says Derek Guy. Taking a break from writing about the current political sartorial scene, Guy (aka X's "menswear guy") hopped on the phone to travel back in time to chat about some of sitcom TV's most beloved characters. The California-based founder of the blog Die, Workwear! and editor at Put This On has over a million followers on X, where amid the lessons in tailoring history and hilarious retorts, the writer occasionally references TV characters like George, Frasier Crane, and Tony Soprano.
Taking into account that there are over 1700 episodes of the nine shows we discussed with Guy, this snapshot is still incredibly revealing about the cuts and silhouettes and how they read to a 2024 eye. Not only that, but these sitcoms highlight trends, what was considered elite dressing, and why some powerful political figures could take a page out of these characters' style books.
Join us from the '50s to the late '90s as we discuss I Love Lucy, The Bob Newhart Show, Family Ties, Cheers, Seinfeld, The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, Frasier, and Friends.
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