( CNN ) -- For a group of high-schoolers being framed for their friend 's murder , the characters on `` Pretty Little Liars '' sure put a lot of thought into their outfits . It 's like costume designer Mandi Line says : Why be conservative about hemlines and heel heights on a show where a teacher is dating a student and a drunk girl ca n't remember if she dug up her friend 's dead body ? `` We always go down this whole list of things every time ( the producers ) call me out with , 'Those heels are a little high , ' `` said Line , who has worked on the ABC Family series since its first season , which premiered in 2010 . Fall TV Fashion : 'Revenge ' Viewers only have to wait until October 23 for the show 's anticipated Halloween special . And Line says fashion lovers are in for a treat when the third season returns . Emily , the queen of simple tank tops and tees , will really step up her game ; Hanna 's skirts are getting a little bit shorter ; Aria continues to push the envelope ; and a new , top-secret storyline influences Spencer 's wardrobe . But when you 're dealing with characters who routinely wind up with blood on their hands -- that 's literally and figuratively -- plucking looks off the runway is n't always an option . Just a few episodes ago , Hanna ( Ashley Benson ) was stabbed in the leg while wearing a pair of neon pink pants . Line said her team had to `` do a lot of driving '' to find at least four identical pairs for multiple scenes and takes . The blood just would n't have shown up as well against blue jeans , she said . `` I try not to make it inconvenient for ( my team ) , '' Line added , though she recently had to track down five of the same $ 150 shirt . Hanna gets a drink spilled on her while wearing it in an upcoming episode . Line said dressing main characters Emily , Spencer , Aria and Hanna like typical high school students would be boring , adding , you ca n't blame viewers for `` wanting to go to some sort of fantasyland . '' `` One of the things that 's hilarious is that Mandi , she 'll pick such amazing costumes that they 're , at times , hilariously inappropriate for what we 're doing , '' said Troian Bellisario , who plays Spencer on the series . `` Our school outfits are outrageous . Sometimes we 're all standing together in the hallways , and we 'll look around at all of our background actors who look like normal high school students . And we kind of make a joke , like , no wonder nobody talks to us in this school because we literally look so out of place . '' Never mind the disconnect between the main characters and the background actors , typically clad in pieces from Forever 21 and Wet Seal , Line said . The costume designer can hardly believe Aria , Hanna , Spencer and Emily are best friends given their distinctive styles : `` I always wonder why , fashionwise , they would even talk to each other . '' Bellisario , whose character Spencer dresses the preppiest of the bunch , says , `` When you start out on a TV show ... the network really wants you to have a strict character style so that at any point in the show , your character is identifiable from the back side . ... It 's really important on a show with three brunettes . '' But as the characters evolve , so do their styles . `` ( Spencer is ) not that girl you were introduced to in the argyle sweater and the pearls in the pilot , '' Line said . The one thing that has stuck with Spencer , however , is the skinny watch she always wears an inch or two above her wrist . `` At the beginning of every day , I get to walk in and somebody hands me my watch and that 's how I know it 's Spencer Time , '' said Bellisario . It was her idea for Spencer to wear the timepiece in the first place . And that 's not the only way the actress ' style has influenced her character 's . `` I dislike color in general , especially pastels , '' Bellisario said . `` I think the way ( Line ) always compromises with me is , I love knee socks , like thigh high socks , in everyday life . And tights . And so whenever she gives me something that I 'm not happy about on top , she 's like , 'Look , I 'll give you tights and boots . ' `` Though , she said there is a bit of style envy when it comes to her costars . `` Whenever I walk into the costume fitting room , I 'll see something on a rack or on the floor and I 'll ooh and ahh over it , '' she said . `` And immediately Mandi will say , 'No , that 's Aria 's . ' ( Actress ) Lucy ( Hale ) definitely , definitely has the most fun in terms of style on the show . She gets the coolest clothes . '' Line said she used to think that Aria , played by Hale , was the most fashionable of the girls , but now she just considers the character to have `` schizophrenia fashion . '' `` One episode is stripes , there 's an episode where she 's a rockabilly . And then this one she looks like a flapper . Literally , she 's so inconsistent . ... The only thing that 's consistent is that she wears , like , 1,000 pounds of jewelry , '' Line said . The character popped up in the summer finale wearing a metallic blue , pleated leather skirt from Topshop that Line modified . `` That 's not in . But it 's going to be , '' she said . `` These kids do become ( fashion icons ) . '' And Jessica Simpson knows it . Shortly after the singer/actress/designer tweeted in June about sending the show `` some @ JSCollection goodies , '' Line said she received a box with `` a crap load of stuff . '' The costume designer acknowledges that many teens are likely not wearing Jeffrey Campbell wedges , Rag and Bone jeans or Vince sweaters to school , which is why she makes an effort `` to stay within some sort of a realistic price point . '' `` 'Gossip Girl ' put TV fashion on the map . You had 'Sex and the City ' and then you had 'Gossip Girl . ' But what 's really good about 'Pretty Little Liars ' is , 75 % of the items are attainable . ... You can save up for that Free People top . You can save up for that Rachel Roy dress , '' she said . That 's part of the reason she said she loves featuring Rebecca Minkoff 's designs on the show . And Minkoff told CNN that the brand 's unofficial partnership with the series has certainly been beneficial . During the show 's second season , Minkoff said one of the characters referenced her red minibag by name . `` From there we noticed a definite uptick in sales , '' she added . Minkoff said her fall offerings include `` a lot of embossed , faux python '' handbags , `` great outerwear pieces '' and a ton of `` rich burgundy and purple '' -- so do n't be surprised to see such trends show up on `` Pretty Little Liars '' this fall . Line said it did n't take her long to realize what the series was capable of , having heard from viewers who watch each episode twice : First for the plot points , and then again for the fashion . After all , it 's not surprising that Line says she has `` creative freedom '' on set . Anyone who can glue craft pom poms on a brown maxiskirt from a rental house , pair it with a pink blouse and make it look fashion-forward deserves at least that much .
Mandi Smith is the costume designer behind ABC Family 's ` ` Pretty Little Liars '' A new , top - secret storyline will influence Spencer 's ( Troian James ) wardrobe , she says . At times , outfits are ` ` hilariously inappropriate for what we 're doing , '' Bellisario says . Emily , the queen of simple tank tops and tees , will really step up her game , Line says .