Are we about to go back to 70s style?

It usually takes more than a season for a series to seriously impact fashion trends, as it has usually happened with long-lived shows, namely Gossip Girl, Sex and the City or most recently, Euphoria. It takes a lot for a costume direction to alter our natural cycle of trends or to even change our perception of aesthetics. Sometimes all costume does is cause noise, but in other cases, it creates a whole subculture by itself. When Gossip Girl aired, they created a whole culture around Blair’s sense of dress, topped with a Target collaboration designed by the one and only Anna Sui. Pieces that were used in the show such as the Marc Jacobs F/W 07 Dita dress have not only permanently altered our brain chemistries, but also the way we dress.

Most recently Euphoria has made a distinct impact on fashion. What stood out wasn’t a wardrobe packed with designer bags or hard-to-get archival pieces, it was the authentic portrayal of a generation that is so often visually misinterpreted by the media. In an interview with Love magazine, the TV show’s costume director Heidi Bivens said that her styling and design choices for the show were inspired by real teens – visualised with a combination of emerging designers, high street fashion and the occasional luxury item.

Even more recently, Daisy Jones and the Six started to air on Prime Video. Based on the namesake novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid, the visual adaption was probably one of the most highly anticipated shows this year. Retelling the story of a fictional 70s band out of the eyes of each of the members, the book and its interview-style narrative were striking. Now, when we think about the 70s, we think of Stevie Nicks, Pamela de Barres and Fleetwood Mac. In terms of clothes, the 70s are bold, orange, and have big sleeves and bell bottoms. They are the opposite of every sleek, MiuMiu girl or Indie sleaze trend that is floating around social media right now.

In the show, Daisy is portrayed by no other than the granddaughter of Elvis Presley, Riley Keough. The costume designer was Denise Wingate, who once travelled with the Bangles, an 80s band. To get the look right, she went on a deep dive into eBay, and vintage sites, and spent her weekends at flea markets for a year. «Daisy’s wardrobe was a true highlight of my life,» said Keough to the New York times. Looking at the first few episodes, Daisy looks like a modern-day recreation of a young Stevie Nicks — especially when she is wearing a deconstructed Halston dress at the Soldier Field performance.  So, will Daisy Jones be the new Euphoria when it comes to fashion? Well, Free people, which belongs to Urban Outfitters, have already launched a Daisy Jones collection, as a few pieces that the characters wore reportedly came from this shop. Googling Daisy Jones and the Six' fashion, and you will be overwhelmed by a storm of articles, showing you various ways to recreate Daisy’s looks. People don’t reference Stevie Nicks, they reference Daisy. The show has made the 70s accessible to the younger generation, who are going through their Fleetwood Mac phase right now, it seems.

On Google Analytics, every time an episode aired of the show, the searches for Daisy Jones and the Six fashion skyrocketed. Traditionally, the fashions of TV characters influence the way we dress. Throughout the plots, we form emotional connections to fictional characters. Like Bridgerton, the costumes of DJATS are referencing a bygone era in fashion, easily recreateable in thrift stores. The flowy aesthetic of Daisy’s outfits, the tight-knit dresses Camilla wore, or the rock-inspired looks of Karen might influence the young generation, who ultimately set the trends. It might not kick off immediately, but it will be interesting to see who will profit from this – the Highstreet or the local thrift shops? One thing is for sure– it has to look authentic. When designing the costumes, Denise wanted them to be authentic, not like a costume movie. If this way of dressing will be translated into our daily lives, it should look like an authentic version of the aesthetic, making it relevant for the present day.