Unless you have been living under a rock, you will know that F.R.I.E.N.D.S has officially been added to UK Netflix (all 10 seasons!!). If, like me, you are pretending that dissertations and deadlines are still an abstract concept, then Winter break is ample time to binge watch your way through the seasons.

That Rachel Green is a fashion icon is a well-known fact. However, watching seasons one and two made me realise just how much fashion truly does go around and come around. Pretty much everything worn by the female characters was back in fashion, and I wanted it all. I decided therefore to put my wardrobe to the test, to see how well I could recreate some of the most iconic Rachel looks.

Day One – The One with the Sonogram at the End

This look was fairly easy: I found my old pair of dungarees (why don’t I wear these anymore?!), and paired them with a white vest top. Granted, I don’t look quite as effortlessly chic as Rachel herself but the look was fun and comfortable.

Day Two – The One with the East German Laundry Detergent

Again, this look was one of the easier ones to pull off (admittedly my midriff was not the tanned perfection of Jennifer Aniston). This was also so 90s it was amazing – tied shirt? capri pants? It felt a bit nostalgic but I was also here for it.

Day Three – The One with the Stoned Guy

This isn’t a like for like outfit: I didn’t own a brown top. This was mostly because all of my fashion-senses told me that brown was wrong, and yet here is Jennifer Aniston looking great in a brown top.  This look was very un-me, but it was different and I’d like to think I’d wear it again in the future.

Day Four – The One with All the Poker

This felt one of the most current looks. My Mango shirt worked perfectly and it was an easily thrown on outfit which felt relaxed and chic.

Day Five – The One Where Joey Moves Out

Rachel’s little heart tattoo is iconic. Unfortunately, I didn’t have any red tartan trousers, but I figured my green ones would do. Paired with black jumper-Tee and mules, this was easy enough. Would probably wear again.

Day Six – The One with the Evil Orthodontist 

I’ll admit that by this point I was struggling slightly with finding clothes that were a likeness. This orange shirt is a similar style though, and I like to think it was RG inspired. This is probably something she would have worn, had she had access to my wardrobe (probably being the important word). Anyway, this outfit was cute and I liked it regardless.

Day Seven – The One with Barry and Mindy’s Wedding 

Okay, so this was a somewhat joke, but it’s actually the reason I decided to write this blog.   This dress was IRL my mum’s bridesmaids’ dresses at her wedding, and it is so pink meringue it’s amazing. I tried to do my best pouting Rachel face, but I was secretly loving having this on. It’s not something I will be getting out regularly, but it was too perfect not to show.

Overall, it was eerily easy to find clothes that Rachel would have worn, which suggests that 90s fashion truly is back (not that we didn’t already know that). Mostly though, I realised when watching that Jennifer Aniston looked amazing wearing just jeans and a t-shirt, and unfortunately that is not something that can be bought.

 

by Rachel Brown

(ironically very close to Rachel Green and yet, not quite)

Photographs: Eve Brown