16 Best-Dressed TV Characters in History
Who among us has not coveted an outfit, a garment, or even an accessory we’ve seen on television? If you’re anything like us, you’ve also tried to copy that small-screen style — and if you’re even more like us, your mileage varied.
Thanks to the masterful work of Hollywood costume designers, it’s almost impossible to name TV’s most stylish characters, let alone rank those high achievers, but after much hemming and hawing, we’ve come up with the following best-of list. (If you disagree, don’t be a stitch about it!)
16. Fran Fine, The Nanny
Not only is this Fran Drescher character a hardworking caretaker; she’s a clothes horse, too, wearing fashion that’s still trendy today. How Fran affords fresh-from-the-runway clothes on a nanny salary is beyond us, but if the women of Friends can afford that apartment…
15. Cookie Lyon, Empire
We cringe to speculate whether all the fur Cookie Lyon wears is real or not, but those fuzzy garments and her head-to-toe animal print ensembles are fitting. This is, after all, a Taraji P. Henson character who’s out for blood as she vies for control of her family and its record label.
14. Mabel Mora, Only Murders in the Building
We considered putting Upper East Siders of Gossip Girl on this list, but we think an Upper West Sider has them beat. Trendy jumpsuits, chunky sweaters, glaring patterns, oversized coats, more plaid and argyle garments than we can count, and a muppet-like mustard coat — the Selena Gomez character’s fashion is just more fun.
13. Lisa Turtle, Saved by the Bell
The 1990s may not go down as one of the most fashionable decades, but you wouldn’t know it looking at Lark Voorhies on Saved by the Bell. High-waisted outfits, statement belts, hoop earrings, even brooches — Lisa Turtle made it all work in harmony.
12. Emma Peel, The Avengers
Before The Avengers was a Marvel franchise, it was an espionage TV show featuring Diana Rigg as “agent extraordinary” Emma Peel, whose wardrobe ranges from leather catsuits to op-art-inspired mod skirts. Clandestine? Maybe not. But fashionable? Always.
11. Tommy Shelby, Peaky Blinders
Not everyone can pull off round spectacles and a newsboy cap, but Cillian Murphy and his cheekbones can. As for Tommy’s suits, all that wool looks deathly itchy, but you can’t deny the Birmingham gangster cuts a killer silhouette.
10. Seth Milchick, Severance
As a middle manager on Severance, Mr. Milchick often resorts to his trusty button-down, trousers, and keycard lanyard. But when the Tramell Tillman character can march to the beat of his own drum — or marching band, as the case may be — his fashion shines. We’re talking motorcycle jackets, turtlenecks, even double-breasted winter coats.
9. Mary Richards, The Mary Tyler Moore Show
We imagine a whole generation of female office workers were inspired by Mary Tyler Moore’s wardrobe on her self-named show. That the TV news producer’s clothing doesn’t look dated a half century later — not even the sweater vests — is a testament to the show’s forward-thinking costume designers.
8. Mindy Lahiri, The Mindy Project
Her personal life may be a mess, but her fashion sense certainly isn’t. Mindy Kaling’s OB/GYN character rocks eye-popping coats, skirts, and dresses with all kinds of prints, only occasionally obscured by a lab coat. Houndstooth, florals, stripes, geometric designs — you name it, it’s in Mindy’s closet.
7. Adrian Boseman, The Good Fight
Suits was named after lawyer-preferred wardrobe, but we give the win to one of the Good Fight bosses. Delroy Lindo wears the hell out of a three-piece suit in character as Adrian Boseman, and we’re seriously in-vest-ed in each garment and accessory he wears on the show.
6. Claire Underwood, House of Cards
It’s hard to imagine Robin Wright ever not looking good, but as Claire Underwood, she was ruthlessly fashionable. It’s obvious the costume designers were just as calculating as the Underwoods were, and television has never seen a more fashionable U.S. president.
5. Alexis Colby, Dynasty
Follow the Instagram account @whatalexiswore, and you’ll see why the Joan Collins character is the picture of ’80s glamour. Alexis never wore the same thing twice, much to the delight of viewers who appreciated every glimmering dress, ever shoulder-padded suit, and every silky top, plus her endless supply of accessories.
4. Hannibal Lecter, Hannibal
Yes, that Hannibal Lecter. Mads Mikkelsen’s version of the character is the ultimate aesthete, with an immaculate home, precise handwriting, and refined cooking. (Just don’t ask what’s on the menu.) His clothing, meanwhile, is always perfectly pieced together — even with seemingly clashing patterns.
3. Olivia Pope, Scandal
It would be a Scandal not to mention Kerry Washington’s sartorially-inspired Gladiator. Between the gowns she slips on for state dinners, the pantsuits and coats she wears at her day job, and the white hat she dons when she’s feeling virtuous, Olivia is a fashion icon. Not all heroes wear capes, but this one does!
2. Joan Holloway, Mad Men
It’s no wonder Joan drove mad men — her style is bold without being gaudy, and luxurious without being haute couture. And as opposed to her male colleagues’ boorish comments, the Christina Hendricks character’s outfits are never HR violations — her sleeves are often long, and her skirts are often longer.
1. Carrie Bradshaw, Sex and the City
We don’t condone buying Vogue instead of dinner like Carrie used to do, but there’s no question the Sarah Jessica Parker character’s avant-garde fashion lights up the streets of New York more than it misses the mark. The tutus, the tulle, even the tanks — all trés chic. There’s a reason Carrie demands a big closet, and for her commitment to fashion, we award her this ranking’s top prize.
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O
The lack of Villanelle from "Killing Eve" makes this list wrong.
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R
No David or Moira Rose?!
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O
How could you leave out Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in Murder She Wrote????? And how about the completely unique styling of Carrie Preston's Elsbeth? For both of these shows, the clothes were as important as the story line.
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C
I always liked how Jessica Fletcher dressed in MSW. Stylish, yet in a subtle way. No overpowering, and certainly not dowdy.
As for Elsbeth, I'm not a fan of the character or the show. But even in the TV ads it almost looks like the wardrobe department is "trying too hard" to make her attire stand out. (I get the same impression of pics of Carrie in S&TC... you can tell the show is trying to get viewers' attention on her clothes. As evidenced by the dress she's wearing above. I can't imagine any average American woman wearing that. At least, not in an 'average' American suburb.)
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C
Crappy list. "Best dressed" is such a subjective descriptor. If it means "most expensively" or "exemplified by famous brands," then yes, I agree with many of these. But whether the fashion is attractive...... 100 people will have 100 different opinions on that.
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W
Where is Christine Baranski in The good Wife and The Good Life? She was brilliant, but of course, her wardrobe was brilliant, too! And she wore each exquisite piece so very well!
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R
Very old school here, but I remember quite a dapper Craig Stevens. as “Peter Gunn”.
Big disappointment in #1 choice, since some of Carrie’s clothes & accessories in latest AJLT have simply been bizarre!
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