From The Straits Times    |

 

There’s more to the trending TV shows on everyone’s lips of late than just can’t-keep-your-eyes-off, juicy storylines and top notch ensemble casts; there’s also plenty of style tips to take mental note of.

With all the fantastic looks and on point wardrobes screening on TV lately, we can’t decide which leading ladies’ closet we’d love to raid first. Perhaps cool spy chick Elizabeth Jennings’ amazing undercover disguises from the glamorous ‘80s in The Americans? Or Park Min-Young’s enviable closet filled with elegant flowy blouses and classy work skirts while playing the lead role on the smashing k-drama hit What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim.

Either way, we’re diving in head first and breaking down all the sartorial high points of Fall 2018’s hottest shows. Copy your favourite looks right off the screen with these tips below.

 

What’s Wrong With Secretary Kim

Photo: tvN

One thing’s for sure: If you ever run out of ideas for classy office dressing, you can look no further than the looks seen on Park Min Young’s Secretary Kim in the top Korean drama of the year. Following a straightforward styling blueprint that is long sleeved blouses, pencil skirts, and high heeled pumps, the character always finds a way to keep her outfit interesting.

For instance, she opts for chiffon blouses in soft colours, and keeps the bow at the neckline untied for a feminine look. Building around a simple colour palette consisting of neutrals and brightening it up with pastels and the occasional pop of colour, the classic silhouettes appear reinvigorated and sharp.

 

This Is Us

Photo: NBC

For a TV show with a beautiful plot that inspires a flood of tears each episode, This Is Us does a great job in styling its characters – specifically, Mandy Moore’s character Rebecca Pearson. Taking us through decades of fashion using flashbacks, Rebecca’s outfits from the ‘70s were romantic and pretty. One of the outfits that stuck with us was a dreamy light blue wrap dress covered in dainty pink florals, all tied together with a bohemian woven belt.

Also stunning were her endless array of printed dresses, which was in one instance paired with a green plaid shirt and a colourful crochet cardigan: A style formula which, on paper, should not have worked, but looked sweet on the likeable Mandy Moore.

 

Encounter

Photo: tvN

Song Hye Kyo stars in this brand new Korean series Encounter, a sure-to-be hit that has achieved the highest audience rating among the first episodes of tvN dramas. Straight from the get go, we already know the character she plays, Cha Soo Hyun, will sport stylish threads for the rest of the series based on what we’ve seen her in so far.

From the iconic bright fire truck red shirtdress seen in the promotional posters to a sleek black turtleneck dress teamed with a grey coat, Soo Hyun sure knows how to take professional dressing to the next level. A look she sported in the first episode, a light pink blazer met with a dark blue windowpane mini dress and simple high heels, was absolutely refreshing to see. With only a couple of episodes released, we’re looking forward to see what other stylish tricks this series will pull from its sleeve.

 

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The Goldbergs

Photo: ABC

Ugly-pretty sweaters that’ll put your tacky-on-purpose Christmas knits to shame, tracksuits in every bright colour known to man, glorious shoulder pads, and outrageous print-on-print combos – that’s exactly what you’ll see on leading lady and matriarch Beverly Goldbergs from the hit ABC series. With a closet that’ll do justice to the aforementioned decade where all things sartorially outlandish thrive, the candid and hilarious Beverly teaches us to explore dressing in loud colours, patterns and silhouettes and not to be afraid of any judgement. Confidence, it appears, may actually be any woman’s greatest accessory in looking good.

We’re taking inspiration from this TV show for good reason too, with ‘80s fashion and fun jazzercise clothing on the rise right now. There’s a resemblance between Beverly’s amazing tracksuits and Gucci’s striking shell suits, her boxy tailored jackets and volume-packed trousers with Marc Jacobs’ recent collections. In short, her style is relevant in today’s context, and we’re surely busting out our patterned pussy bow blouses and statement belts ASAP.

 

The Beauty Inside

Photo: JTBC

One of the biggest K-dramas of 2018, The Beauty Inside, details the love story between an A-list actress Han Se-gye (Seo Hyun-jin) who wakes up in a different body for one week out of every month, and Seo Do-jae (Lee Min-ki), a man who suffers from prosopagnosia due to an accident. As if the premise isn’t intriguing enough, throw in a scheming step-sister (Lee Da-hee as the stylish Kang Sa-ra) and you’re all set for a hit TV series.

We’re always looking forward to Sa-ra appearing on the screen, mostly because of her enviable closet. Teaming puff-sleeved crop tops with polka dotted ruffled skirts and long sleeved blouses with elegant long skirts, her urban style looks feminine and modern. Sa-ra tends to veer towards ‘girly’ skirts such as tulle maxis, while anchoring them with something more preppy like a blazer jacket and a beret.

Then there’s the lead character Se-gye, who also has an impeccable sense of style, though hers is comparably more relaxed and simple. One of the looks we couldn’t keep off our minds was a pinstripe double-breasted wool suit from Isabel Marant which she wore as a dress, layered over a cream blouse and cinched at the waist with an antique-looking belt. Se-gye has also been seen in matching cardigan and skirt sets frequently: A fall-appropriate outfit we’re definitely on board with.

 

The Americans

Photo: FX Networks

Starring Keri Russell and Matthew Rhys as Elizabeth and Phillip Jennings, Russian spies going undercover as an American couple in the ‘80s, FX’s The Americans may well be one of the most engaging TV shows airing right now – if not for the plot, then for the many undercover looks Elizabeth has spotted throughout the series. She’s indubitably one of the most stylish ladies on TV, having rocked chic looks such as silk blouses tucked into high-waisted velvet trousers, vintage denim, slim turtleneck dresses, and the most incredible collection of suede car coats.

You can see Elizabeth in a look as simple as a blouse and jeans, but the whole look is elevated with a blue and beige-lined coat and a pair of knee-high leather boots. Her style is very sophisticated and polished, and has an air about it that convinces us she’s a spy not to be messed with. The style lessons we’re taking from her? One: Get a car coat. Two: Wear it with EVERYTHING.

 

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