‘Friends: The Reunion’, could this be any more perfect?

OMG. Okay, so these are my OBSESSION CONFESSIONS. I know, maybe it’s a little embarrassing, but come on… Surely I can’t be the only one? This series is about all the things that we can’t take our eyes off, the latest viral TikTok trends, the secret infatuations with certain former boyband members…okay I’m only going to say this one more time, surely I can’t be the only one?

 
 

*In the voice of Janice Litman-Goralnik* OH...MY...GOD! Finally the Friends reunion is a reality in honour of the sitcom’s 25th anniversary and honestly, it’s about time!

After much disruption and an ultra-long production period (thanks Covid), the end of UK lockdown has brought us the much-anticipated reunion of perhaps the most widely known and BEST series ever to exist, could the timing be any better? So, to celebrate the release of ‘The One Where They Get Back Together’, we’re digging deep into the time capsule and uncovering some of our beloved character’s most iconic styles that have remained timelessly fashionable and meme-worthy. BRB just going to rewatch all ten series…

“It’s like all my life everyone’s told me, ‘you’re a shoe! You’re a shoe! You’re a shoe!’”

We can always rely on Rachel Green to serve some lewks with her trendsetting hairstyles and slip dresses. I mean, she literally has a hairstyle named after her… But my personal favourite is the slouchy sweatshirt and denim dungarees. Or the time she wore a silky lingerie one-piece in front of Joshua’s parents and tried to pass it off as testing the waters of Milan fashion over on their side of the Atlantic. This is definitely one of her more ‘dressed down’ looks, but let’s be honest, casual chic will never go out of style. Is anyone else tempted to hunt through their parents’ dusty wardrobe for some ‘90s pieces?

“Why didn't you make a copy and keep it in a fireproof box and keep it at least a hundred yards from the original?”

Did Monica Geller sit in a fridge because the apartment was too hot or because this outfit is fire… Okay, I’m going to stop. But seriously, the grey mini dress and tights with a dark berry lip? Cute and classy. This is almost as stylish as the classic Monica outfit of the red tank and mom jeans, or remember the boots? “They're very practical. See, you can wear them with dresses, with skirts, with pants…” Truly a match made in heaven.

“Well I gotta buy a vowel because O my God”

Perhaps an unlikely style muse… For Janice Litman-Goralnik, her fashion choices are as ostentatious as her personality. The criteria? If the jewellery is bold, pink and plastic, she’s got to have it. Ahead of her time with her leopard-print fits and head-to-toe animal prints, it all just screams fashun. What I love about Janice is that she is absolutely, unapologetically authentic, sometimes to the point of being completely oblivious… but hey, at least she’s confident.

“I still cannot believe you're engaged. Just because it's happening so fast, not because you're a loser”

Who needs a groom when you have three bottles of beer, popcorn and your two besties by your side? I mean, this feels like true friendship to me. Princess Consuela Banana-Hammock, otherwise known as Phoebe Buffay, is perhaps Friends’ most eccentric fashion icon. From Christmas centrepieces as brooches, polkadot dresses, tops with leather fringing, the best maternity clothing ever, more colours than you could imagine and that one fur coat… As Ms Buffay herself has said, “I'm very wise, I know.”

“Oh dark mother, once again I suckle at your smoky teet”

Gunther is perhaps the most underrated style icon of the series, no? I mean c’mon, look at those neon accents and the platinum hair of our beloved Central Perk barista. Each tie he wears is a literal piece of art, one of which quite literally pays tribute to Edvard Munch’s The Scream. Did he deserve to end up with Rachel? No. But did he deserve more than what he got in the series? Hell yes. #JusticeforGunther

 
 
 

May Garland

May Garland (21) is Check-Out’s Editorial Intern and English grad from the University of Bristol . She was previously one of the editors of The Croft Magazine and has written for 1 Granary, FUZE and Bristol 24/7. She aspires to use fashion journalism to advocate for sustainability and spends her time being that cliché who trawls through charity shops for wavey garms whilst blasting old skool disco anthems through her headphones.

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