20 Years Later, 'Felicity' Is Still The Ultimate Fall Fashion Lookbook
It’s been exactly two decades since The WB (RIP) introduced the world to Felicity Porter, a young, college-bound woman who skips out on attending Stanford to chase her dreams—and her longtime crush—in New York City. During its four-season run, Felicity inspired an entire generation of wide-eyed coeds to pursue their own big-city ambitions, somehow making a part-time barista gig at Dean & DeLuca look desirable and even… glamorous? (Felicity’s side hustle may or may not have influenced my own barista stint as an undergraduate, if we’re being honest.) The act of chopping off her signature curls for a story arc at the beginning of season two created a sort of international incident—so, her look was very much a part of why viewers loved her.
And it wasn’t just her hair. I recently rewatched the entire series, and the entire time I was in awe of how cozy Felicity always looked throughout: From the pilot to the finale, her cardigans were perfectly worn in, the jeans were distressed just so, and the coats were oversized without looking frumpy or sad. Her accessories of choice—typically scarves and messenger bags—were often styled in a way that said, “Yes, I just threw this on, but it works because I don’t really care that much about my appearance.” Basically, Felicity had effortless fall fashion totally figured out, even if her love life was kind of a disaster.
Although the way college was depicted in Felicity was, um, debatable—what freshman gets a dorm room bigger than most Manhattan apartments?—and that series finale still has me scratching my head, Felicity’s relaxed wardrobe more than makes up for those shortcomings. It felt real, from the way she layered to how the sleeves on her sweaters were a little too long. Back in 1998, costume designer Linda Serijan-Fasmer told the Los Angeles Times that the key to unlocking Felicity’s style was keeping it as simple and bare as possible: “She won’t wear anything with stretch or sheen. She doesn’t like big, groovy collars. She won’t wear anything in her hair, and she won’t paint her nails.” It’s a different kind of aspirational, but one that was actually achievable for a twenty-something-year-old woman.
In honor of the show’s 20th anniversary, I’ve gathered some of the looks that capture Felicity’s distinctly understated, campus-ready style. From toasty knits to fitted turtlenecks, she gave us a blueprint for autumnal apparel that truly stands the test of time.