If you’ve watched the popular show Selling Sunset show on Netflix, especially if you’ve watched it from the beginning you have probably noticed the graduation of style. From standard stretch pencil skirts and classic Louboutin heels the women on the show have stepped it up if you will to outlandish basketball purses that don’t hold anything and strappy dresses that cover only what is NSFW.
As the show has progressed the outfits have become their own character, an entity that lives as its own being. Sometimes appearing as a flamboyant metallic big bird, or a scantily clad dominatrix that really wants you to invest in LA real estate, but always making a presence.
On the other side of the water in Netflix is Buying London, a show similar to Selling Sunset and its spinoffs, but with a few less story lines. More British, less American. And with that comparison so too is the fashion. It’s left me wondering if there is more of an emphasis on the bodycon inspired fits of the 2010s and if it’s outdated by accident or an intentional decision to lean in a direction that perhaps appears more professional.
Are they bringing back the bodycon dress?
When I was in college (or university cause every term in British English is more fun to use) the going out outfits were comprised of bodycon dresses and tight button up shirts. We’d wobble along the broken concrete sidewalks wearing platform heels from Payless and Target and some budding online site that took weeks to deliver your items (pre Amazon Prime) and the attire was consistent regardless of the time of year.
This held true even in the climate in Pullman, Washington, where it snows every winter. This is the same town where one January night when it was negative five degrees fahrenheit my Jetta struggled to make it up a hill and slid backwards on the black ice. I was saved by a real life cowboy donning his hate and cut off sleeve denim shirt. He got behind the bumper told me to put the car in neutral and then he pushed my car up the hill with his strong farmer hands. At the top of the hill he told me to take care of myself and I tipped my invisible hat in his direction as a show of thanks. We were both far too underdressed for the weather, but that was just what you did. Maybe it was the months-long buildup of alcohol in the system that gave us a warmth even when sober or the trending style of the time, but it was a persistent trend.
Questioning the goals of these looks
When it comes to the fashion in real estate on Netflix it’s interesting to consider what the women in Buying London are trying to achieve with their attire. As I check my facts to confirm the year the first season came out (the one I’m currently watching) I can confirm that the season aired this year in 2024, so assuming it was filmed in 2023 and I’m a bit shocked at the styles. Maybe there wasn’t as much of a budget for the women to be able to have some more fun or perhaps they lacked stylist support that shows like Selling Sunset might provide (pure speculation I don’t know on either count but you never know what’s happening behind the scenes). It’s also important to mention the men on both shows, but this is not a targeted take on just the women of both shows, but frankly the men in each are rather unremarkable, as with so much of men’s fashion there’s less poobah, less frill and things going on. Which frankly isn’t fair. Why is men’s typical fashion coated in much less veneer and pizazz? There are so few options. A suit is basically a suit minus the color and minute accessory options, while for women there are endless outfit options.
Can we also talk about the opaque tights with heels that are happening on the show? I get being sensible in colder months but there are more options to explore. Also all the blazers are fitted and not oversized. I fully acknowledge my proclivities towards oversized pieces and that’s not everyone’s cup of English Breakfast Tea, but the lack of it is a clear indication of stylistic change. Clearly the world needs more oversized blazers, as you can tell from my piece Blazers, Blazers, Blazers, you might notice that I really dig them.
There is some hope for fashion in real estate on Netflix
It is worth noting that in episode 4 of season one in Buying London the social media gal is wearing barrel leg jeans and an oversized sweater with classic chanel slingback heels and I fully stand for that outfit. It was finished if I remember with a bottega pouch and that one outfit gives me hope for the rest of the series. This cast member really needs more airtime to give us the opportunity for more contemporary and arguably good outfits.
Again though, that’s something I’d wear out to dinner in Seattle and nothing near the outlandish and unattainable characters of Selling Sunset, but that’s ok. Does all fashion on reality TV need to be unattainable? Is that part of the escapism and joy that we gain from these shows is the imagination that we get to explore while watching these people wear pieces and outfits that are outlandish? If so, great. Either way all style is subjective, art is in the beauty of the beholder. My line of thinking comes from observation and curiosity, there is no right way of getting dressed in the real world, and therefore by extension isn’t one way of doing it in faux reality TV land. So what’s your take? Is it worth commenting on what women are wearing for the fun of it?
