The third season of White lotus Finishes on Monday and marks the end of the column with group chats and columns dedicated to the Thai Hotel and its abundant guests.
Some of this chatter is dedicated to the theory that who will kill who will kill in the finale, or killing the fallout suspicion between creator Mike White and composer Cristobal Tapia Devia, but many focus on something else: fashion.
The most popular items of the season include a shirt with a dragonfly crocodile printed on it worn by Rochlan, a Zimmerman printed halter neck dress worn by her younger brother, Piper, and a Hunza G-green bikini worn by Chloe, a former French Canadian model who lives on the island. All of these are sold out online.
The designers are very well aware that the TV show, which boasted a new audience of 4.8 million viewers in the US in the seventh episode, can serve as a platform for selling clothing. Simon Porto Jaquemas contacted costume designer Alex Bovard on Instagram by requesting to cooperate before the latest series began filming. This is the reversal of the typical process in which a costume designer contacts a brand to rent clothes.
The result is two custom looks from Chloe, including a pink swimsuit and a cover-up at Brimmed Hat to welcome his partner’s superyacht guests in Episode 4. Bovaird says that it’s the first time that a famous designer is, as Jacquemus contacted her. “White lotus This particular niche fills the niche that it’s very cool,” Bovaird says. “People want to be involved in that.”
Since the series began, Bovaird has been a costume designer. She asks for items to borrow from the brand, but she says, “a mix of flea markets, showrooms, charity shops, [and] We make some things. Nadia’s Unitard [the partner of Aleksi] The wear in the latest episode came from the market in Essex. I have a Hermes bag. It also costs £5.99, like that unitard. ”
She says that part of the appeal of fashion comes from characters who are always on holiday. “When you go on a holiday, you’re dressed, you don’t wear your everyday clothes. You’re nailing reality in other modern shows. I get the opportunity to dress up.”
Bovaird also collaborates on the White Lotus H&M collection, about half of which have already been sold out on the high street chain. “The idea was that not everyone can afford a luxury hotel resort, but everyone can afford to have a little. White lotus In their wardrobe,” she says.
TV has a long history of boosting the sale of fashion brands. Sex And the town In the 90s, the famous Manolo Branik and Jimmy Chu were created – Newsweek In a 2000 article, a buyer at department store Neiman Marcus cites Blahnik’s sales tripled due to the show. mad men Characters like Joan Holloway and Don Draper influenced countless designers during the seven seasons.
White lotus It is not even the first TV series to partner with the brand. In 2009, New York designer Anna Sui created a collection of targets inspired by clothing from gossip girland the Banana Republic cooperated mad men 2011 (and collaborating) White lotus (This season).
Included in more recent TV shows with fashion acclaim A sense of happinessthe rif of the 20s about the style of the rif, influences the 20s, Emily in ParisWith its super fashion look, and Inheritanceundoubtedly contributed to the rise of the quiet, luxurious aesthetic and “financial companion” Gillette. Apple TV office base retirementMeanwhile, this is a reference for the return of current workwear in fashion.
“We’ve seen television and fashion intersect for quite some time, but in this current era of Prestige TV, we’re dialing up to 11 people in terms of impact,” says Beth Bentley, founder of Modernism, a brand strategy consultant. “Inheritance It has brought heat around brands people have never met before, like Lolo Piana and Brunello Cucinelli. People were interested in those brands. ”
Paul Flynn writes about television Graziasays: “There’s a debate that should take place somewhere. [Succession’s] Kendall Roy is the most influential menswear figure of the past decade. ”
The love of these shows, and the discourse around them online, means that fans are defeating costumes and thinking of them as what is known as “Easter Eggs,” or as plot clues. Bovaird says she uses clothes to plant cues – in an interview with Absentshe revealed that the mannequin was wearing one character’s dress in series 2. “I know people have delved into what they dress and what it means,” she says. “Some of that is true, no doubt, I just couldn’t say anything.”
Flynn praises all costume designs EastEnder To Ryan Murphy Monster: The Story of Lyle and Eric Menendezhowever, he says that the attention to what the characters wear is also a sign of how television is changing. “The wardrobe is one of the things that began to show terrestrial television in the 20th century, in contrast to streamers,” he says. Bentley adds: [a show] In front of the others. ”
White lotus It has appeared on the fashion radar since Series 1. Olivia, Sydney Sweeney’s third-knit teen character, has become a favorite. Hailey Lou Richardson’s Portia from Season 2 has become a ZZ “Schlumpy” style poster girl.
Independent brands often don’t have the resources to lobby for the designs featured in these shows, but they notice the impact. Scooter Laforge has created a t-shirt that Chloe and Chelsea wear to the current series Full Moon Party White lotus. He says the response was “overwhelmingly” positive. “My Instagram followers have skyrocketed throughout Season 3.”
Although Laforge paints his T-shirt by hand, fans are unable to purchase the exact ones featured on the show, he sold a similar design at Patricia Field Art Fashion Gallery in New York. “The sales were strong,” he says. “I was very busy [even if] Mass production or printing is not involved. ”
Often, designers don’t know that their products appeared on the show before they aired, as in the Green Hunza G bikini worn by Chloe. “When I saw the episode, I watched it [the bikini] “The brand’s founder, Georgiana Huddart,” said: “My phone went crazy.” The bikini was sold out within a week.
Haddart says Hunza G has appeared in other television shows. Bad sistersbut White lotus There is a special status. “that [reaches] Demography of such a wide range of people. ”
Bentley agrees that the series has a unique place in the culture due to the fact that the episode is only released once a week. “Expectations are shared,” she says. “I was in a hairdresser in Somerset, and people were talking about it, not just media hotspots, but city locations, or between Gen Z.
If watching these shows is a relatively universal experience, then the world or people they often portray is not what they are. “If you look Inheritance or White lotus The characters, the writers of the show, distort the rich and entertain them, but at the same time we want to dress like them. There’s a crazy sarcasm there. ”
Nevertheless, Bentley believes that the relationship between television and fashion brands has not disappeared. In fact, she predicts that they will blend further. “[There will be] Perhaps, collaborations and capsule collections, and perhaps the brand will dig financially and fund the original content, creating more intent and more control, from a brand’s perspective,” she says.
Bovaird claims that it’s a good thing, as the costume designer’s work continues to mark consumer wardrobes.
“people Should “I’m not saying that Tiktok influencers can’t make an impact, but we’re really experts. We’re always thinking about clothes.”
