32 of our favourite outfits from Friends - from Rachel's fashion-forward 'fits to Phoebe's boho style

Friends was a groundbreaking show for many reasons: it was a huge commercial hit, it made its six stars world-famous, it was one of the first sitcoms to deal with sensitive issues and, of course, it popularised the famous haircut 'The Rachel'.

The fashion on the show was also top-tier - and we don't just mean Rachel's. Being filmed from 1993-2003, the show took place during a heyday of iconic style choices, with many of our favourite pieces worn by the characters still deserving a place on any capsule wardrobe. 

There are some sartorial choices which always make these lists, but some of our favourites may surprise you...

The best outfits from Friends: 32 unforgettable looks

Monica's perfect pair of jeans

In season three, we get a flashback episode where several dynamics in the group are very different (namely, Rachel having not 'arrived' yet and Joey only having just moved in with Chandler), but the clothes are still just as great. While hanging out at the bar downstairs, before it was changed to a coffee shop, Monica wears the most perfectly fitted Levi's jeans we've ever seen, with a strappy red top that proves the shade is completely her colour.

Shop our fashion team's edit of the best jeans

Phoebe's 60s-style mini

This pink patterned mini dress was worn by Phoebe when she wanted to impress her green-card husband and old crush, and in turn it wowed the audience, too. The baby pink shade of the cute dress was matched with her lipstick, and the flicky, bouncy side-part hairstyle also pulled the whole look together.

Monica's little grey dress

Monica initially paired this high-neck, fitted grey dress with a long-sleeved black top underneath, but when she and Rachel's radiator broke and their Christmas party resulted in sweltering heat, she stripped down to just the dress and tights. But of course, she looks great in this look with or without the layering.

Phoebe's reindeer sweater

Phoebe's style was always known for being the most 'out there' of the three girls (or the group in general), and she often used fashion to express her eclectic personality, rather than necessarily following trends in the way that fashion executive Rachel did. Sure, this oversized knit sweater with a reindeer - or is it a moose? - print paired with a long, floral skirt isn't exactly what we might choose to wear, but you can't say Phoebe doesn't pull it off. 

Dance class chic

While Monica, Rachel and Phoebe had countless incredible outfits between them on the show, it was a slightly rarer occasion when all three of the girls got it completely right. For a spontaneous dance class, Monica's perfectly fitted Levi's, Phoebe's shirt-and-skirt combo, and Rachel's baby tee paired with tartan leggings are all top-tier 'fits.

Phoebe's fairytale gown

While Monica's incredibly chic ballgown is beautiful, Phoebe's look steals the show in this New Year's Eve episode. The floral corset and flowing sleeves and skirt have a distinctly medieval feel, but would also not look out of place in stores today. Her lace-up boots and gorgeous curls pulled up into a half-up hairstyle complete this legendary outfit.

Rachel's stylish workwear

Whilst working in her third fashion role as a personal shopper, Rachel wore this elegant sheer black mini dress, with long sleeves and a black slip dress underneath. Though Rachel styled this dress for work, she could easily take it from the office to dinner or a night out.

Rachel's runaway bride dress

The first outfit we ever see Rachel in is this dress from her would-be wedding to Barry, and even after ten more seasons, this is still one of her best looks. The lace-adorned bardot sleeves and intricate headpiece are both reminiscent of popular bridal looks of earlier decades, but she manages to pull it off.

Rachel's blazer with cut-off overalls

Rachel wore dungarees (or overalls, as the Americans would say) several times throughout the early seasons, and this cutoff pair might just be the best ones. This is partly due to the fact that she pairs them with a smart blazer and white sneakers, blending styles in the way she knows best.

Monica and Rachel's party dresses

In the last episode of the first season, Rachel celebrates her birthday, and Chandler accidentally lets slip that Ross has spent the past year desperately in love with her. While the episode is full of drama, one of the most memorable parts of it is both Rachel and Monica's incredible outfits. Both looks perfectly encapsulate the women's style: Rachel, ever fashion-forward, in a brown playsuit that would only look good on her, and Monica in a cute cropped knit with a floral skirt.

Phoebe's Christmassy coat

Phoebe wore this coat a few times throughout the second season, and on "Christmas Eve Eve" she paired it with some mom jeans and this cute up-do, making for one of our most coveted wintry 'fits. A shoutout is also necessary for Rachel's adorable knitted white crop jumper, which she styled with her waitressing apron.

Rachel and Monica's 90s layering

Not only did this episode air at a point in the season where both Rachel and Monica had the perfect layered, bouncy haircuts, it also features a double-whammy of incredibly chic outfits. Rachel always seemed to pull off a high-neck top, and we love the pairing of this one with a maxi-length, tartan-ish dress and chunky boots, while Monica opts for a slightly more conservative but very cool brown-and-black look.

Rachel's retail therapy slip dress

Rachel wore this dress while clothes shopping to get over Ross, but she was already in a great outfit (as per). She was a fan of a slip dress in the first few seasons, and we're pretty fond of this one too.

Phoebe's funky leggings

Phoebe's psychedelic leggings were another example of a look that only she could make look good, especially when paired with chunky Doc Marten-style boots. The fact that she paired the leggings with a plain black jumper is surprising, considering her affinity for various patterns, but it was definitely a good choice.

Phoebe's white wedding

Apparently, Paul Rudd wasn't originally written to be a recurring character on the show but audiences (and cast and crew) loved his character of Mike so much that they decided to make him Phoebe's husband. On the day of the vows, a snowstorm means they have to get married in the street outside Central Perk, and what's already an incredibly romantic ceremony is made even better by Phoebe's gorgeous lilac satin dress. Monica and Rachel, her bridesmaids, wore equally stunning and unique bridal 'fits.

Rachel 'Green'

When Rachel started working in fashion house offices, we got to enjoy plenty of very fashionable workwear looks. One of our favourites is this combination of a turtleneck, sleeveless lime green top with a tartan maxi skirt; in fact, when Ralph Lauren launched a Rachel Green-inspired collection years later, a tartan skirt and turtleneck sweater were two of the items on sale, along with other corporate-style pieces.

Phoebe's oversized Grateful Dead tee

This oversized tie-dye t-shirt Phoebe wears in an early season has a bit of a backstory: supposedly, rock band The Grateful Dead agreed to sponsor Lithuanian's basketball team in 1992, when the country couldn't afford to send them to the Olympics. The band wanted the uniform to be tie-dyed and to feature a skeleton playing basketball, and the team wore them while winning bronze. Though this t-shirt is very Phoebe, it's very difficult (and expensive) to purchase one of them today.

Phoebe's layered look

This episode is iconic for several reasons, not least because Charlie Sheen guest stars as a submarine commander who Phoebe gives chicken pox, but also because of Phoebe's perfect date night look. Donning an intricately patterned maxi skirt, oversized silk shirt and what seems to be a second silk top to finish off the look, Phoebe made even chicken pox look good.

Joey's black-and-grey look

Most discourse around the best outfits on the show inevitably focuses heavily on Phoebe, Monica and Rachel's looks, but the guys also had some stylish outfits on repeat too; while Ross sported several When Harry Met Sally-esque knits, Chandler was known to be fond of a sweater vest, and Joey often favoured a black leather jacket. Here, though, Joey paired a black t-shirt with a long grey coat, layered with a stylish black scarf, dark denim jeans and (seemingly) some black Timbaland boots, resulting in a look that wouldn't be out of place today.

Phoebe and Rachel's bridesmaid gowns

While Monica's original wedding dress - that she had to give up to grant Chandler his favoured wedding band - was the superior choice, her final dress was still stunning, and Rachel and Phoebe's bridesmaid 'fits were just as gorgeous. Opting for light green gowns with tiered skirts and floral patterns might not seem like the obvious choice for a Monica Geller wedding, but they perfectly matched the interior of the venue, as well as suiting both women's styles and figures.

The gang's football 'fits

Whenever the group took part in some sort of activity or sport, the outfits were always unmatched. Phoebe's graphic tee and Princess Leia-style braids are great in this episode, but as always, Rachel takes the top spot for the best look. We're coveting everything from those joggers to the backwards baseball cap (yes, really)...

Rachel, Phoebe and Monica's casual get-ups

In "The One After the Superbowl", Rachel and Monica argue over who gets to date action movie star Jean-Claude Van Damme, after seeing him on a movie set. During the scene in which the friends fight - figuratively and literally - before Phoebe breaks the spat up, all three women are wearing fabulous outfits; while Rachel and Monica are a little more dressed-down, Phoebe looks very Phoebe in a maxi dress, witchy boots and chunky layered necklaces.

Rachel's cute layers

Rachel often sported a slightly more boho style in earlier episodes, like this 90s-esque button-down black dress, which she paired with a long-sleeved brown top. Special shoutout to Phoebe's chunky knitted jumper and curly half-up hairstyle.

Phoebe's velvet date night look

Phoebe's more dressy, evening looks were the kind of outfits that no-one else could pull off, like this purple velvet two-piece outfit that she wore while trying to 'seduce' Chandler (in order to trick him into admitting he was actually secretly dating Monica). Phoebe managed to match her maxi skirt, cardigan/top, choker, the bra that is exposed at one point, earrings and the floral clips that adorned her hair.

Rachel's coffee shop chic

Even though she hadn't made her way into the fashion industry just yet, Rachel constantly jazzed up her waitressing uniform to look adorable. Pairing a short black skirt with a white top and black waistcoat, she proved that an apron can always look good.

Rachel and Monica's mini dresses

Another occasion where both Rachel and Monica both had standout 'fits was in a season two episode in which the gang had to throw Rachel two separate birthday parties, due to her recently divorced and fighting parents' presence. While Rachel donned an olive green satin dress with sheer brown tights, Monica went a little more dressed up in a cream mini with thick straps. Both looked gorgeous, of course.

Rachel's casual dress and Mary Janes

While on a date with Mark, Rachel opted for something a little more modest than usual, with this boxy, cap-sleeved floral dress. But it's the shoes that make this a standout outfit - cute, chunky Mary Janes with a dainty strap.

Phoebe's ultra-hippy look

In the flashback episode to 1993, Phoebe's quirks were even more pronounced, especially her bohemian style. Flowing curls, chunky necklaces, a long billowing skirt and a waistcoat that matches the lamp she was trying to stealthily move from Monica's flat to her grandmother's: this look couldn't be more early-90s-Phoebe.

Rachel's before-her-time silver skirt

Rachel wore this look both in an early episode and in several promo shots, so the costume designer must have liked it a lot. It's another case of sheer tights pulling everything together, and somehow the combination of a very dressed-down top with a shiny, almost iridescent skirt just works.

Monica's paisley print dream

This flowy dress worn by Monica in a very early episode was something of a rarity, as long dresses and skirts were much more suited to Phoebe's style, rather than Monica's. However, it has us wishing she wore outfits like this a little more; this paisley button-up dress is perfect.

Rachel's pyjama chic

We've said it before and we'll say it again: Rachel's loungewear cannot be beaten. This episode is best known as 'the one where Ross finds out', with Rachel's drunken voicemail changing their relationship forever, but it's also the one where she wore this very cute pyjama set, and managed to look incredible even when hungover.

Monica's business casual two-piece

In the first couple of seasons, Monica's outfits were often a few things: practical, fairly modest, and incredibly stylish. Though she didn't have a corporate day job, she tended to wear looks that could easily be taken to the office, including this grey two-piece that manages to look smart, chic and casual all at once.