Friends 20th Anniversary - the top ten dresses
Believe it or not today is the 20th anniversary of when our all-time favourite TV show Friends, aired for the very first time, (no that doesn't make us feel old at all) and what a perfect excuse to reminisce on the show. It's fair to say that the iconic show has made a lasting impression on us all, we still mimic Joey's "How you doing?", we still do our rendition of Phoebe's Smelly Cat song in the shower and we're hoping that one day we might just have a hair day as great as Rachel's.
So what better time to look back at our favourite fashion moments from the three ladies who created some of the most hilarious moments and iconic comedy looks of all time. So from Rachel's cheer-leading outfit and her lucky little black dress to Monica's revenge dress and Phoebes' 'stop eating hot' outfit, we reminisce on some pretty brilliant nineties style...
1. Rachel's wedding dress
We first saw Rachel's wedding dress in the very first scene of the pilot episode, The One Where it All Began, after she ran out on her wedding and went to Central Perk to seek out her high-school best friend, still in her gown (as you do). Making quite an impression in her impressive nineties style wedding dress, Ross was clearly still infatuated by his high school crush. Just the start of one of the longest and best ever TV relationships, Ross and Rachel.
2. Phoebe's cheeky cardigan moment
After months of sneaking around, the season 5 episode The One Where Everyone Finds Out, finally exposes Monica and Chandler's relationship to the rest of the group, but first Phoebe and Rachel have some fun pretending not to know... In a bid to force Monica and Chandler to reveal themselves, Phoebe and Rachel master a plan for Phoebe to try and seduce Chandler, only for it to backfire when Chandler and Monica also play along. After some interesting dance moves, a flash of Phoebe's bra (Chandler is afraid of bra's you know), and a painfully awkward kiss, Chandler finally cracks and declares his love for Monica, n'aww.
3. Rachel's green dress
Every woman is well experienced with the dilemma of not being able to decide on the night's outfit (despite the fact you have a wardrobe brimming full of clothes), so we can all relate to Rachel's struggle in the season 3 episode The One Where No-one's Ready. When Rachel finally emerges in this slinky figure-hugging green number, Ross was no longer in such a hurry to go.
4. Phoebe's Christmas decoration dress
Again in the season 3 episode The One Where No-one's Ready, Phoebe also faces one of those major dress crises that you can never be prepared for, after spilling hummus down her buttercup gown. Rather than nipping home to change or borrow something as any regular person would do, Phoebe decides instead to fashion a brooch out of an over-sized Christmas decoration... we think we'll just always remember to carry a cardigan.
5. Rachel's lucky LBD
When in doubt and looking to entrap a man, turning to the LBD is ordinarily a fail-safe option. However, when throwing a fake party, initiating an awkward game of spin the bottle and choking on a cherry whilst trying to tie it with your tongue, then you can't even always rely on the allure of the LBD for success. In the season 4 episode, The One with the Fake Party, we were almost pained watching Rachel trying hopelessly to impress Joshua. Although, we must admit the fact that even Rachel Green has problems with men gave us a little satisfaction.
6. Monica's revenge dress
When someone has called you fat, the best way to get your revenge is to lose weight, put on a sizzling sexy dress and then cut off their toe the following year, right? Possibly not the latter but we still think Chandler deserved it a little. In the season 5 episode, The One with all the Thanksgivings, a flashback shows Monica executing a fake revenge seduction on Chandler, using macaroni cheese and carrots as props, only for it to get a little out of hand. We have to say toe or no toe, the dress certainly made an impact.
7. Rachel the cheerleader
So Rachel is still trying to do all she can to entice Joshua but putting on your high-school cheerleading outfit is never EVER an option. Neither is trying to take your bra off through your sleeve. Rachel gets an A+ for her effort in this outfit, which was the third of the evening in the season 4 episode The One with the Fake Party, but we're not so sure this is the best way to seduce your man. Desperate times call for desperate measure, just never resort to your cheerleading outfit.
8. Phoebe's sexy LBD
Phoebe's LBD was the perfect dress for showing her ex, Mike, exactly what he was missing, and she looked, as Joey described, 'stop eating hot'. In this plunged neckline black gown, Phoebe was all set to go and meet Mike, after months of trying to get over him, until fate stepped in and who does she run into but former flame David. Ah, the power of the LBD. If you fancy recreating this timeless sexy look, then of course we have the perfect match, shop it here.
9. Rachel and Monica's prom dresses
This is one of those episodes that we're never going to forget; after waiting patiently for Ross and Rachel to finally get together, and then waiting for Rachel to forgive Ross for making the list, The One With the Prom Video in season 2 finally made this happen! This episode was so iconic that it even landed on TV Guide's 100 Greatest Episodes of All-Time, and although it was mostly one of our favourites because of all the love and romance involved, we also got a lot of laughs from the flashback to Monica and Rachel's Prom night when they sported some interesting fashion choices... can you imagine if those huge puffball sleeves were still in fashion now?! Sorry we don't have a dress match for any of these.
10. Rachel's negligee dress
Things just seem to go from bad to worse with Rachel's relationship with Joshua (we'll never forget the later episode where she proposed to him and then greeted him at the door wearing a wedding dress), and this is one of those moments that would only ever be in your nightmares. After slipping in to something, "a little more comfortable" in the season 4 episode The One with Rachel's New Dress, Rachel gets a shock when Joshua's parents arrive home unexpectedly. At least she wasn't draped over the piano when they saw her.
We don't think Friends will ever get old, let's hope they do a reunion soon!
Like what you read? Sign up to our newsletter for your front-row pass to all things fashionable here.
Leave a comment
This site is protected by hCaptcha and the hCaptcha Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.