Chip & Pepper

Hit TV show's cool fashions go from screen to teen

The Cast of Fox's "The O.C." L-R: Peter Gallagher, Kelly Rowan, Alan Dale, Melinda Clark. Seated center L-R: Rachel Bilson, Mischa Barton, Tate Donovan. Seated in front L-R: Adam Brody, Benjamin McKenzie.

Every generation has a TV show that embodies the era's sense of style. Back in the '90s it was the classic Hollywood-inspired looks of "Beverly Hills, 90210." In the '80s, audiences were taking their cue from the pastel suit jacket over T-shirt and shoes-with-no-socks look of "Miami Vice," and the all-out glamour of "Dynasty."

Today, "The O.C." and its young stars - Mischa Barton, Benjamin McKenzie, Rachel Bilson and Adam Brody - are playing the role of fashion consultant. And their style-obsessed fans, tuning in on this new night for the second-season premiere on Fox, are eager to see the new looks the high-school kids of Newport Beach might be sporting.

" 'The O.C.' is like the 'Sex and the City' of the West Coast for teens," says Kim Askew, a senior writer at Fashion Club, an online style report for teens from the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising in Los Angeles. "It's definitely more fashionable than other teen shows, and it's also just funnier - more entertaining. You know you're watching something where the writers are smart, because it's all about pop-culture references. The music is huge, too."

...Sometimes she even hits Target, saying, "A great top by Mossimo you might pair with a really great sweater and a pair of Chip & Pepper Jeans." Read more...