For those who are yet to book a jet-setting holiday somewhere idyllic, you don’t have to go on holiday to escape. Why not take a trip to one of these fictional towns instead and drink in the world that their talented costume designers created
Sunnydale, Buffy the Vampire Slayer
© Getty ImagesThe fictional Californian town of Sunnydale was the setting for the cult classic late 90s/early 00s show that is potentially getting a reboot (with the original cast!). The town was supposed to represent a typical Californian setting where not much really happened, an everyman sort of space where nothing unexpected troubled its citizens (for example, a constant stream of vampires digging their way out of the local graveyard…).
© Getty ImagesFun Fact:
Sarah Michelle Gellar took home a pair of Buffy’s iconic boots when the show wrapped.
Costume designer Cynthia Bergstrom cut her teeth on the first Scream movie, so horror with a teen audience was something of her speciality. She dressed the show from series two through seven, often opting for labels like Dries Van Noten, Marni and Maison Margiela. There was a quirky best friend, Willow, whose outfits sat in the Phoebe Buffay world of cutesy eccentricity, but it was Buffy’s slick and slightly sexy outfits that took centre stage. Leather pencil skirts, halter tops and cross necklaces. Stereotypical teen style, this certainly isn’t.
Stars Hollow, Gilmore Girls
© Getty ImagesOur ultimate comfort watch, the mum and daughter combo who spoke at a ludicrous rate with the most obscure pop culture references you could think of, wore clothes as comforting as a big cup of coffee and a slice of cake in Luke’s Diner. Lesser fans feeling a bit cruel might describe their style as a bit cheugy, but remember, cheugy is making a comeback with jean jackets and side partings finally being released from the subs bench.
Fun Fact:
Items of clothing would often pop up more than once on the show, infusing it with a sense of realism.
© Getty ImagesCharacters in Stars Hollow had their clear uniforms; Luke with his button-down check shirts, Jess with his brooding denim and backpack. The stuffiness of forced Friday night dinners at the parents were enhanced by custom suits made for patriarch RichardGilmore. While Rory, (played by Alexis Bledel) grew up on screen, her private school Chiltern uniform became replaced by college go-tos of V-neck sweaters paired with miniskirts.
Wisteria Lane, Desperate Housewives
© Disney General Entertainment ConWisteria Lane, the gorgeous suburban cul-de-sac, was the setting for murder, someone being chained up in a basement, and a man going blind only to regain his sight a few episodes later, and honestly, that’s just scratching the surface. The show was part of peak Y2K culture, with characters such as Gabrielle Solis (Eva Longoria in, surely her best work) and Edie Britt (played by Nicollette Sheridan), sporting baby doll tops, capri pants, kitten heel mules and lashings of white denim while going about their absolutely ridiculous lives. The cami top was basically a co-star in its own right.
© Disney General Entertainment ConFun Fact:
Edie was the only character to wear leopard print on the show. Often opting for a double dose of the bombastic pattern.
Due to the frequency of flashback scenes in the show, it meant that cast members couldn’t swap their favourite outfits from set, much to the actors’ chagrin (we would also be absolutely fuming). The show was apparently also quite stressful to film, with the cast getting hold of their scripts just one day before recording, and rifts among the female leads. Rumour has it that every actor had conflicting clauses in their contract, which only served to ruffle up tension even further. But you can’t deny the rhinestone-embellished appeal of the fantasy wardrobe of a group of outrageously glamorous women living on, surely, the most dangerous street in the world.
Pawnee, Parks and Recreation
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesAs a costume designer, coming up with outfits that feel realistic to the world of local politics wouldn’t be the most exciting brief to get through the door, but Kirston Mann managed to infuse each character’s wardrobe on Parks and Recreation with a sense of authenticity to a world most of us know very little about, but assumet he fabric involved is mostly highly flammable. Deputy director of the Parks & Rec department in the fictional town of Pawnee, Leslie Knope (played hilariously by Amy Poehler) wore practical ensembles that were utterly unthreatening in an office environment as she tried to climb the ladder of local politics over the course of the seven series of the show.
Fun Fact:
The show was beloved for its depiction of true female friendship between Leslie and Ann (Amy’s actual pal), Rashida Jones.
© NBCUniversal via Getty ImagesIn 2009, when the show debuted, the outfits weren’t particularly attention-grabbing, but in our 2025 mindset, where all things 2010s have come rocketing back into fashion, we’re looking at those skirt suits and check shirts with a new respect. And who could forget tongue-in-cheek moments, such as when Leslie gets her first official political haircut, only to be given effectively a short-back-and-sides by the barber who has only ever tended to male candidates. A sharp, and hilarious, nod to the overwhelming male dominance in politics, local or otherwise. We would still vote for you, Leslie Knope.
