Pictured with Phoebe Dynevor and Daphne Bridgerton
JANUARY
Bridgerton
Irreverent Regency romance Bridgerton was Netflix’s biggest series ever at the time, watched by 82 million households worldwide.
Daphne Bridgerton’s empire-waist, frothy dresses (Phoebe Dynevor), were nearly as desirable as the Duke.
Long gown sales soared despite us being locked down in our third lockdown. Ghost, a demure brand reported an increase of 61% in the sales of its long floaty gowns. Still available for £89 and £145, ghost.co.uk.
Picture: Channel 4’s The Sin
February
It’s A Sin
It’s A Sin — which told the story of friends living through the Aids epidemic in the 1980s — smashed records, becoming Channel 4’s biggest ever drama launch.
A memorable scene was when characters wore slogan T-shirts to protest. John Lewis quickly saw sales jump by 74% for 1980s logo tees.
A slogan T-shirt inspired by the show was worn by celebrities including Amanda Holden and Sir Ian McKellen, and raised more than £500,000 for the Terrence Higgins Trust, a sexual health charity.
Jenna Coleman in The Serpent as Monique
March
The Serpent
This BBC thriller set in 1970s Asia transfixed audiences — but what got them spending was the bohemian style of Jenna Coleman’s character, Monique.
From vibrant suits to flared jeans and geometric-print blouses, there wasn’t a look we didn’t want.
Online searches for 1970s aviator-style sunglasses tripled (£300, Gucci at johnlewis.com, below).
And Monique’s teal suit caused a 66 per cent spike in searches (Mango’s version, £39.99, quickly sold out).
Kelly Macdonald and DCI Joanna Davidson
April
Line Of Duty
Joanne Davidson, a sharply dressed DCI (Kelly Macdonald), was a great inspiration for workwear as lockdown restrictions were eased. BBC police hit Line Of Duty was back for a sixth series — with 12.8 million viewers watching the season finale. Pretty Little Thing reported that searches for blazers have increased by 144 percent. At Reiss, the Larsson blazer was a bestseller (£285).
Pictured is Lily James and Linda Radlett from The Pursuit Of Love
Mai
Love and the Pursuit of It
The Pursuit Of Love was a BBC adaptation from the Mitford novel that attracted five million viewers to its first episode.
They were transfixed by Lily James as socialite Linda Radlett doing insouciant inter-war style in lamé evening frocks, printed midis and smart suits.
The show’s most wearable trend? A prim midi like this £130 sequinned sunflower print, Monsoon’s bestseller in May.
Pictured: Jennifer Aniston and Rachel Green from Friends: The Reunion
June
The Reunion for Friends
Friends: The Reunion brought together all six ‘friends’ 27 years after the iconic series began. It was Sky One’s most-watched show ever, with 5.3 million tuning in.
And when eagle-eyed viewers spotted the similarity between this mint-green Whistles dress and one worn by Jennifer Aniston’s character Rachel Green, it quickly went viral.
Featuring the same square neckline, thick straps and side split, it’s a piece of 1990s perfection. Sales of the Whistles dress flew up by 400 per cent at John Lewis (£199).
Pictured: Nicole (The White Lotus) by Connie Britton
July
The White Lotus
Many of us had been planning to stay in summer mode, but The White Lotus provided the tropical escape we needed.
In the Now TV series’ Hawaiian resort, guests were swanning around in fabulous kaftans and jumpsuits (think the striped number worn by Connie Britton’s character Nicole).
All of which had viewers shopping for a holiday — even if we weren’t yet allowed to head to Hawaii ourselves. Luxury womenswear label Plumo reported increased sales of straw hats (£89, plumo.com). Jumpsuits also flew off the shelves (£182, farfetch.com).
Photo: Nicole Kidman portraying Masha in Nine Perfect Strangers
August
Nine Perfect Strangers
Nicole Kidman as a mysterious wellness guru was just one reason for our obsession with Amazon Prime’s Nine Perfect Strangers.
What viewers really wanted to know, however, was where Kidman’s character, Masha, shopped. Her pink lace top from French brand The Kooples was quick to sell out, as was the Cult Gaia eyelet lace dress (£800).
Gillian Anderson, Jean in Sex Education
September
The 3rd Season of Sex Education
Season 3 of Sex Education, a quirky comedy about school sexuality, saw 55,000,000 viewers tune in the first month.
And while bumbling main character Otis (Asa Butterfield) isn’t much of an icon, his mother, Jean (Gillian Anderson), made us all long for statement colourful jumpers and smart shirt dresses.
Winser’s best-selling silk shirt proved popular in this bright teal colourway (£229, winserlondon.com).
Otis’s on/off girlfriend Ruby Matthews (Mimi Keene) also earned a devoted online following.
According to Pretty Little Thing online, the yellow bra that she wore on episode 1 was a popular trend. Pink jeans searches more than doubled after she wore them. Her Celia B Singapore dress also sold out online.
But poor old Otis wasn’t left out in the cold. Famous was his three-colour puffer jacket. H&M said searches for puffer jackets increased by 80 per cent.
Pictured as Shiv Roy, Sarah Snook in Succession
October
Succession Season 3
October brought the debut of the third season of Succession (an HBO drama about a dysfunctional family-dynasty)
The first episode drew 1.4 million viewers and sparked a craze for ‘billionaire chic’. Shiv Roy (Sarah Snook) is the queen of this look.
What is the key? Sumptuous fabrics — think cashmere, velvet and silk — in clean, min- imalist styles, such as this shirt, £138, and trousers, £138, from Reiss.
Lyst, a shopping site, reported that cashmere items were viewed 25 percent more after the premiere episode. Turtlenecks were also viewed nearly three times more than last year.
Jigsaw sold one out of nine cashmere jumpers during the month, and Reiss’ Nova roll-neck was their best-seller, along with its signature tailored pieces.
Gillian Anderson, The Great
November
The Great Season 2
Gillian Anderson popped up again in Amazon Prime’s The Great, loosely based on Catherine the Great’s rise to power in 18th-century Russia.
This pleated lace maxi dress was one of the month’s best-selling pieces at Jigsaw (£265). With its sheer lace, voluminous, pleated sleeves and smocked cuffs, it’s fit for an empress.
Pictured: AJ Odudu on Strictly Come Dancing
December
Strictly Come Dancing
With only two weeks remaining until the Strictly final, the glitz of the ballroom is already being reflected in our Christmas outfits as we make up for last year’s lack of festivities.
L.K. Bennett — a favourite of the Duchess of Cambridge — reported its Christmas partywear has sold well. At River Island, the number of online shoppers searching for sequins has doubled, and its sequin dress (£120) sold out in a week.