From 'The Holiday' to 'Love Hard': The holiday rom-coms that also influence your wardrobe

AFTER TV shows and video games, holiday-themed romantic comedies are proving to be the latest fashion influencers. "The Holiday," "Love Hard" and "Bridget Jones's Diary" are some of the must-see movies that are shaping online shoppers' wardrobes during the festive season.

'Tis the season! Morning, noon or night, it's impossible to channel hop at this time of year without coming across one of the countless Christmas rom-coms, showing on television or on streaming platforms.

And while they usually transport you into the magical world of holiday celebrations with a tear in your eye (or not), it seems more surprising to learn that they might also influence your wardrobe. Yet a new study reveals that certain clothes are particularly popular when these kitschy films start showing.

The global fashion search platform Stylight* looked at the impact of certain cult Christmas movies on searches for clothing on its international platforms. And the result is surprising.

Starring Cameron Diaz and Kate Winslet, "The Holiday" is one of the movies seen to influence seasonal shopping habits. More specifically, it's the outfits worn by Cameron Diaz that seem to seduce viewers, starting with her iconic wool coat, with a 255% increase in clicks for the category during the holiday season. The same goes for her white cashmere scarf (+396%) and her pastel knitted beanie (+373%).

And "Bridget Jones's Diary" has a similar effect, it seems. The fashion essentials if you can call them that of the world's most famous singleton, seem to be a seasonal hit.

The famous ugly Christmas sweater is a must-have in the movie, seeing clicks up more than 1,000% between November and the end of December. And, although this is probably due more to the time of year, as well as the now globally celebrated National Christmas Sweater Day, December 17, there's no denying that this tradition is also a key part of the romantic comedy starring Renée Zellweger, Hugh Grant and Colin Firth.

In the same vein, pajama sets, also seen in this staple of Christmas viewing, see clicks for the category up 614%, while the heart-shaped pendant Bridget wears appears to fuel clicks for heart necklaces (+162%).

"Love Hard," the latest addition

Directed by Hernán Jiménez, the Christmas romantic comedy "Love Hard," released in 2021 on Netflix, is another festive movie that appears to be influencing fashion choices. Among the most coveted movie essentials are the black and yellow down jacket from The North Face (+40% clicks in the 24 hours following movie's release), the Levi's "Lydia" sleeveless down jacket (+100%) and the red floral dress worn by Natalie Bauer (Nina Dobrev), with clicks for this category up 32%.

*The data for classic Christmas movies is based on the period from September 1 to October 31, 2020, versus November 1 to December 31, 2020. Stylight explains that it focused on 2020 in order to analyze data during the Christmas season, in order to see if Christmas movies influence buying behavior. The data for the Netflix movie "Love Hard" refers to the release date versus the following day.