The Seahawk

Issue date: 3/29/07 Section: Lifestyles

Media Credit: Fox.com Certain fashion trends, geeks and the independent music scene were all made trendy by the characters in the canceled show, "The OC."

FOX canceling yet one more critically acclaimed television series is hardly newsworthy. "The O.C." has joined other cult and critical favorites such as "Freaks and Geeks" and more recently "Arrested Development" in the FOX TV show graveyard; and although it's tough, we're over it. Well, at least we're over the loss of another short-lived, angsty teen drama staring late twenty-something C-list actors (although I am still in shock that "One Tree Crap" outlasted the drama in Orange County); however, it's possible the cancellation of "The O.C." means death to one of pop culture's biggest trendsetters. Whether you recognized it or not, fashion trends, geeks, the rise of the independent music scene and even religion were made cool by those dramatic teens in SoCal.

In Harbor Prep, walking down the hallways is like watching a catwalk. Baby doll dresses with combat boots, the return the empire waist, pleated skirts, over-the-knee boots, Uggs, cute flats and the cable-knit sweaters are just a few trends, "The O.C.'s" most popular, Summer (Rachel Bilson) and Marissa (Mischa Barton), brought from the runway and into the lives of fashionable teens and twenty-somethings alike. Barton's terminally-doomed character also showed that it was okay for tall girls to embrace their height and even accentuate it with heels and mini skirts.

And it wasn't just the babes of "The O.C." who were fashion forward. Adam Brody's Seth Cohen made geek, chic. Humor T-shirts ("P" is for player), the resurrection of Converse All Stars, tight-fitting hoodies and skinny jeans for men quickly dominated the closets of today's hipsters. And for those not so trendy, Ben Mckenzie's Ryan brought wife-beaters and dirty jeans from trashy to sexy when he made the move from Chino to New Port Beach.

Speaking of geek chic, this pop culture trend didn't just stop at clothing. Seth's obsession with comics helped us come out of the closet and embrace our hidden pleasure in watching Jessica Alba in "The Fantastic Four" and reading "Archie." Even in the infamous battle against "the female version of Seth," Anna (Samaire Armstrong), for Seth's love, Summer confessed that Betty and Veronica had a huge influence on her growing up (Surprised? Me either. Although I am a little stunned Summer could even read a whole "Archie" comic). But can you blame Summer and Anna for wanting to duke it out for Seth's affection? How can you not love a guy who confesses all to a plastic pony named Captain Oats?

Continued...

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