by Television and fashion have not always been the best of friends. Not long ago, before the big TV boom of the 2000s, TV’s main link to fashion was through a small cross-section of well-dressed soap opera divas (thank you, Dame Joan Collins). You wouldn’t see designers happily lending their pieces to characters on the small screen, nor would you turn to said characters for inspiration for your own outfit.
But now, as our appetite for endless, high-quality television only grows, so do series budgets and the prestige of the industry’s costume designers. The outfits seen in hit series are influencing the way we dress more than ever. From Succession’s mastery of style discourse (quiet luxury was surely a contender for trend of the year, right?) to The White Lotus’s ostentatious, flashy roster of main characters, to direct documentation of the history of fashion through series like The Super Models, Television and fashion have never been so close. And 2024 promises to be the closest year yet.
From shows that chronicle the lives of real designers, including Christian Dior and Cristóbal Balenciaga, to TV shows that are a real treat for the eyes, here’s the best of the stylish 2024 TV lineup.
Cristobal Balenciaga
This Disney+ original drama series will chart the “life and legacy” of the Spanish designer, whose cutting-edge fashion brand remains as relevant today as it was during his tenure. Balenciaga, who was born in 1895, had a successful career dressing the royal family and Spanish aristocracy, a fact that may surprise those with even a passing knowledge of the current brand in all its strange splendor. The show begins just before Cristóbal Balenciaga decided to go a little strange, after opening his first haute couture house in Paris in 1937.
As the official description of the show details: “‘Cristóbal Balenciaga’ begins when the designer presents his first Parisian Haute Couture collection in 1937. He has left behind a successful career in his workshops in Madrid and San Sebastián dressing the Spanish elite and aristocracy. However, the designs that had set trends in Spain do not quite work in the sophisticated fashion empire that Paris has become, where Chanel, Dior and Givenchy are references of Haute Couture. Guided by his obsession with control in all aspects of his life, Cristóbal Balenciaga will define his style and eventually become one of the most important designers of all time.”
You can expect some charming reconstructions of original Balenciaga couture pieces, as well as some very well-dressed supporting characters (a young Audrey Hepburn will make an appearance).
The series will debut on January 19, 2024 exclusively on Disney+.
Royal Palm
If you’ve been missing the ladies of Big Little Lies lately, fear not: Not only are they returning for a third season, but Laura Dern (aka PayPal’s most stylish fictional board member) is appearing in the new series from Apple TV+ Palm. Royale, available in March. Set in the 1960s, Palm Royale describes itself as “a true underdog story,” following Maxine Simmons (Kristen Wiig) as she attempts to break into Palm Beach high society. Other cast members include Allison Janney, Ricky Martin, Josh Lucas, Leslie Bibb and model Kaia Gerber looking incredibly retro as a manicurist for Palm Beach’s elite.
There are a lot of huge bangs, colorful kaftans and brightly colored eye shadows. Turns out it’s all curated by Alix Friedberg, the costume designer responsible for (you guessed it) Big Little Lies. And if Palm Royale’s looks have anything close to the influence of the chic chunky knits and luxurious fabrics worn by the Monterey Five, we better start taking notes.
The first three episodes of “Palm Royale” debut on Apple TV+ on March 20, 2024, followed by new episodes every Wednesday through May 8.
The new look
Cristóbal Balenciaga’s on-screen version will be accompanied by a reinvention of his old friend (and rival) Christian Dior in the drama series The New Look, also premiering in February. The couple was born on the same day, so it’s actually quite fitting.
Apple TV+ describes The New Look as an “emotionally moving” series that “reveals the shocking story of how fashion icon Christian Dior and his contemporaries, including Coco Chanel, Pierre Balmain and Cristóbal Balenciaga, navigated the horrors of World War II.” World and launched modern fashion.
Dior will be played by Australian actor Ben Mendelsohn and accompanied by Juliette Binoche and John Malkovich, who play designers Coco Chanel and couturier Lucien Lelong. Also joining the cast is Glenn Close, as former Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Carmel Snow, as well as Maisie Williams, who will play Catherine, Christian Dior’s French resistance fighter sister.
Mr and Mrs Smith
Anyone who has seen a single episode of Atlanta knows that Donald Glover is capable of making stylish television, and anyone who has seen the third season of Atlanta knows that Donald Glover, when working with a real budget, is capable of making In fact stylish television.
So it’s safe to say that we’re excited for what’s to come from the new TV series adaptation of Mr & Mrs Smith, based on the stylish 2004 blockbuster of the same name that teamed up Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie (and (er, split Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston.) Glover co-creates and stars in the series alongside Maya Erskine, but there are also some pretty massive cameos from the likes of Paul Dano, Michaela Coel, and John Turturro.
Images released so far show Glover in stylish, if slightly bloody, white turtlenecks and Erskine dragging a body into a bathroom while wearing a crimson ballgown. We are meant to become obsessed.
Capote vs. The Swans
Capote vs. The Swans, formerly known as Capote’s Women, is the second series in Ryan Murphy’s “Feud” anthology, following its 2017 version that explored the bitter divide between Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. Murphy has secured major financial backing as a result of his previous successful works, including American Horror Story, American Crime Story and Dahmer.
Thanks to a $300 million deal with Netflix, Murphy provides the budget and the cast provides the glamour. Demi Moore, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny, Molly Ringwald and Calista Flockhart will star, with Tom Hollander playing the man himself.
The story focuses on Capote’s friendships with numerous glamorous socialites, whom he referred to as his “swans.” Such socialites included Lee Radziwill, Jackie Kennedy’s younger sister, and Barbara “Babe” Paley, who was married to the CBS founder. Like Palm Royale, the style will be ’60s, with a touch of the early ’70s: the hair is styled and the Park Avenue suits are luxurious.
The limited series will premiere its first two episodes on January 31 on FX in the US and is expected to arrive on Disney+ in the new year.
