Despite life’s unpredictability, fall welcomes the return of several autumnal constants: birds fly south, Starbucks rolls out its infamous pumpkin spice latte, and the Gilmore Girls aesthetic starts trending again.
The comedy–drama series, starring Alexis Bledel as 16–year–old Rory Gilmore and Lauren Graham as her witty, young mother Lorelai Gilmore, went off the air in 2007. Miraculously, every fall, the show worms its way back onto social media algorithms. Depending on your TikTok For You Page, there’s a good chance you’ve seen proclamations of it being a "Gilmore Girls Fall" and the notorious cut and warped edits of fall scenes from the show. On Instagram, edits of seasonal follies to the tune of Gilmore Girls’ iconic “La La La'' transitions proliferate.
Notably, this fall’s edits aren’t just a commentary on pumpkins, red and gold leaves, and coffee on chilly mornings. This year, TikTok is awash with Gilmore Girls–inspired fall weather outfits and exact recreations of outfits that characters wear on the show.
So how did a show that hasn’t been on network television since the MySpace era become a yearly autumnal hit on TikTok and Instagram? A few searches on X (formerly known as Twitter) reveal some interesting trends. The app (which became open to public use in 2007, the year Gilmore Girls went off the air) had a few public posts regarding the fall season and the television show in 2012. @lozopus tweeted “autumn, i should explain, is prime gilmore girls time inside my brain.” Several X accounts echoed the sentiment in 2012 and 2013 that Gilmore Girls is a “fall show," with many noting that that was the season to rewatch the series. @emilyHerrmann tweeted, “And so the great undertaking begins (aka rewatching all of gilmore girls because it's fall and gilmore girls is a fall show tbh imo).” The following year, Netflix acquired the rights to carry the television series, and the number of posts discussing how Gilmore Girls encompasses the autumnal spirit skyrocketed as a new generation of viewers were exposed to the show and longtime fans were able to easily rewatch it.
The show’s enduring influence on fall fashion trends lies in its strong presence on streaming platforms and the focus on autumn each season. Gilmore Girls has been exclusively available on Netflix since 2014, and seasons are available for purchase on Amazon. The show captured the attention of its largely female fanbase throughout the early '00s, peaking as Warner Bros. TV’s second–most–watched series in 2005, and consistently ranking in the top three shows for women under 35 throughout its run on network television. Netflix’s choice to carry the show several years after it went off the air allowed the show to make an impression on the next generation of women and remain in fans' hearts (through rewatches, of course).
Then there’s the question of fall. About half of the episodes take place during autumn, with most seasons starting in September and primary plot points occurring throughout the fall. Many scenes take place outdoors in the charming, fictional Stars Hollow, under orange foliage in the New England town’s village green, allowing for fall outerwear to shine. The theme song plays over shots of the mother–daughter duo’s shenanigans spliced together with shots of the yellow–hued scenes of Stars Hollow. Real fans know that the shots of the town featured in the theme song are actually videos of South Royalton, Vt. in the fall.
Gilmore Girls' influence on fall fashion still holds strong. Recently, the show was lauded for its Y2K outfits, which is illustrated by recent online hoopla surrounding “The Rory Gilmore Sweater.” Suddenly, TikTok and fashion magazines were flooded with an oversized white cable–knit sweater dubbed, “The Rory Gilmore Sweater.” Rory Gilmore actually wears several white cable–knit sweaters throughout the series, but the Rory Gilmore sweater refers to the one she wears in the pilot episode. It’s unclear exactly which brand was used in the episode, but fast fashion be assured, you can find several dupes online, whether from Princess Polly, Aelfric Eden, or PacSun, with some, such as this Amazon listing, even tagging mentions of Rory Gilmore and Gilmore Girls.
Fashion trends have long been attributed to TV shows. Deliberate costume design and prominent brand appearances on series like Sex and the City and Gossip Girl not only cultivated distinct styles but also propelled brands and accessories into the mainstream (think Carrie Bradshaw’s iconic Manolo Blahnik pumps or Blair Waldorf’s chunky headbands). This relationship between fashion and television has only been strengthened by streaming, social media, and fast fashion. It's easier than ever to discover a look on TV or a series–inspired TikTok moodboard and order the exact pieces online. It can feel like every show has had its fifteen seconds of fame—in internet time—in our closets. Anyone remember the Outer Banks–inspired looks that dominated YouTube and fashion think pieces in 2020? Or when Stranger Things resurrected sherpa jackets and bombers into our fashion lexicon for a brief moment in 2016?
The reality is, you probably aren’t wearing those beaded choker necklaces you got the summer after watching Outer Banks or that olive bomber jacket you got after season one of Stranger Things. That’s where the Gilmore Girls aesthetic stands alone. Twenty–three years after the series premiered, the show is flooding TikTok, Instagram, and Pinterest, and it’s not the first year it’s happened. The show has consistently flooded social media channels every fall for several years. While some might argue that the four episode revival, Gilmore Girls: Year in the Life, can be credited with the show’s resurgence in style, the reality is that it came out seven years ago, eons in the world of internet trends.
So what makes Gilmore Girls' influence on fall fashion so enduring? All of the aforementioned television series are no longer fueling fashion trends (we’re sorry, but no one is wearing the Carrie Bradshaw tutu in 2023). Gilmore Girls' success is wrapped up in the show's strong presence on social media, its permanence on Netflix, and the resurgence of Y2K style.
The show already garners buzz online each fall partially due to the warm associations with the season that are baked into the show. The style of Gilmore Girls is full of closet staples, especially when it comes to outerwear (think leather jackets, monochrome knit sweaters, and heeled boots) interspersed with Y2K pieces (baby tees, midi skirts, and bootcut jeans). With the Y2K fashion trend still in full swing, this makes it the prime time for both old and new fans to turn back to the library of Gilmore Girls episodes easily accessible on Netflix for fashion inspiration. Not only is Gilmore Girls resurfacing this time of the year for its annual dose of fall nostalgia, but it’s also making waves in fashion circles hungry for Y2K inspo.
While other TV shows have had their moments in the fashion spotlight, Gilmore Girls stands alone in its ability to consistently resurge and maintain its influence year after year, making it a timeless source of inspiration for fall fashion enthusiasts.
