I’ve worked as a costume designer for a few years now, and I have always found costume design to be a fascinating topic. Most people explain their love for fashion or clothing by saying that it allows them to express themselves, to show their personalities; but never is this statement more true than when it comes to designing the costumes for characters, may it be for a film, TV, theater show or musical piece like the ballet or the opera.

When you have to design costumes for a specific character it is a lot like expressing your personality through clothing and accessories, but you are expressing someone else’s personality instead of yours. The value and importance of costume designers is worldly recognized, there are awards and interviews, and people are intrigued and attracted by some famous characters’ wardrobes, and now, thanks to some really passionate people and technology, you can actually buy some of the exact (or quite similar) pieces worn by your favorite film and TV characters!

For the sake of being practical, I’ll just tell you a little bit about two really interesting sites (and app) that will help you get that “Olivia Pope” style you are looking for, or that “Kimmy Schmidt” colorful outfit you feel so charmed by.

• Worn on TV: This site was created back in 2012, and the premise is very simple: to provide you with information on pieces worn by TV characters from mostly famous shows. On the site you’ll find information like where to get the piece and you will also get recommendations related to cheaper alternatives to the original items. The people behind this site do not work with the actual networks or TV shows, so it is possible you won’t find that super specific dress, T shirt or necklace you were looking for, but they sure make the effort to add as many pieces as they can find online. Remember that not all shows work with stores that have an online presence, and it is quite common for TV and film productions to get custom pieces or even vintage items for their characters, so in those cases you obviously won’t be able to get a perfect match. They keep the site and their social media up to date, so it is fun to follow them and discover new items!

• Spylight: This new site, on the other hand, works closely with production studios to give you the most accurate information possible on items worn by TV and film characters. They just launched this year, and in it’s essence Spylight is basically Worn on TV taken to a new level thanks to beautiful, organized and efficient site design, association with the studios and stores, and a more modern and “professional”/business-like look in general. You can search for very specific items searching by film or TV show season and character, you can even search for a look or outfit you loved as a whole, and when you find the product you are looking for it redirects you to a site where you can purchase the exact original item or a more affordable option. There are also two creative elements that make this site stand out. The first one is that Spylight is also an App for your Iphone, Ipad or Ipod touch, and it allows you to do basically the same that the website but from the comfort of your phone. The app is easy to use and works very well. Then, you can also visit their blog, where they post inspiration, celebrity looks, and more.

These are not the only options, there are many websites that constantly post information on what TV shows/Film characters are wearing, but I have tried these sites for a while and have found that even if you don’t actually buy the pieces you still get a lot of inspiration to recreate the looks with things you already own.

I highly recommend that you don’t get stuck with the business/retail side of projects like these websites. If you visit them it is because you already feel inspired and fascinated by the costumes selected by truly talented people to make you feel something special, to make the characters on a screen remind you of yourself or maybe inspire you to try new and exciting styles, so make sure you have fun, and be creative! You can always mix and match items you have in your closet with new pieces from your favorite stores or even thrift stores, let the magic of the shows you love the most be part of your daily adventures!