Hey sweet angels, as usual, today’s newsletter is not what I planned for it to be so I have decided I am not longer ever planning anything I write. Just kidding. My OCD can not handle that. I was gonna go into a little bit of history about Miuccia Prada because I’m obsessed with her, but I felt like doing a Gossip Girl costume review first was a bit more timely, so here we are!
Disclaimer, before you try and come for me, remember that I don’t care(:
ALSO, I will have you know, Gossip Girl has me in a choke hold. The OG is one of my comfort shows and I will never tire of it. Will not be disclosing how many times I’ve watched it. With that being said, I did not go into GG 2.0 thinking that it was going to be anything like the original. I knew it was its own thing, I’m treating it as its own thing. However… it did not give what it was supposed to give. But my review of the show in general will be on my blog (will update with link when live), here we’re just talking costumes.
Eric Daman, the costume designer for both the OG and the reboot, is one of the best in my opinion. I was sooo looking forward to see what he did with this reboot, and the original will always be my bread and butter, but the reboot made SOME points.
For the reboot, Daman said that when creating the costumes he looked to Instagram influencers to see what they were wearing and what brands they had connections with. There’s no doubt that the OG Gossip Girl had a smaller costume budget (especially when it first started) and it’s no surprise that that the reboot had more to work with. Uniforms in the reboot averaged $1200. I mean, their varsity jackets are by Saint Laurent!!!! However, there was something about the OG that always felt so editorial in every episode.
When it comes to the uniforms in this show, I have to give Daman a round of applause for working with a limited color palette, yet still giving each character a distinct style. Like the OG Gossip Girl, I think it’s very easy to look at an outfit and place which character would be seen wearing it.
Let’s start with Monet and Luna, my queens, who deserve more character dimension. Daman described Monet’s style as Blair Waldorf meets Dion from Clueless and I think that matches her very polished and Type A personality perfectly. Monet is for sure a Chanel girl. Luna’s style on the other hand is warmer; it’s softer and more feminine. Kind of the anthesis of her mean girl persona, but somehow it works. In a way, I feel like their uniforms/outfits always play off of each other a little bit and I think that goes along with them being a duo we rarely see apart.
Audrey. Audrey. Audrey. Honestly one of my favorite characters, and the person’s style who I like the most. Will admit that some of her looks are already running through the fall wardrobe section of my brain. While I don’t agree with Daman’s comparison of her to Grace Kelly, I do think she has a bit of an elegant, “old soul” feel to her. She looks like a little porcelain doll to me and her style compliments that. Audrey for sure loves a designer, vintage consignment shop. Also, Audrey gives me Blair Waldorf energy, does she not? Elegant. Bold. A lil neurotic. Cultured. Mommy Issues.
Next, Ms. Influencer; Julien Calloway. While Daman said he looked to Instagram influencers and celebrities to curate her wardrobe, which I definitely see, I feel like Julien reminds me of Serena in a way. Like if Serena’s character was written today, she would have Julien’s athleisure, model-off-duty day look, and sleek night look. Right? Her style feels very relevant to the way celebrities and influencer dress today. However, there were some things that Julien wore that made me very confusion. Sometimes pieces she wore felt a little bit “off-trend”. Now, I know that I always talk about wearing something because you like it and not because it’s in-style, but Julien is a SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCER. She’s also rich, and should be in the know about what’s in-season and what’s not. Daman also spoke about how he plays with Julien’s shaved head and earnings the same way he played with Blair and her headbands, especially in relation to the emotions happening in the scene, and I’m v into it. There was a Christopher John Roger’s show in the first episode that Julien walked in, which like, I love. I also get that she’s rich and wears designer brands, but would it have been that difficult for her to wear some smaller, chic, Instagram brands?
Zoya is the bby of the group and also not as wealthy. Her style is very grungy, comfy, and… sustainable, if you will. You see her re-wearing her clothes and also wearing more affordable brands compared to the rest of the crew. The only times she’s wearing something designer or more glam is when she’s doing something with her sister, Julien. It makes it very clear which pieces are hers and which ones Julien bought for her. Daman also has her use tote bags with social justice logos, which is very fitting with her outspoken character and the causes she cares about.
Kate Keller, aka Gossip Girl, aka an English teacher, has a very… teacher appropriate style. I also think that making her dress more maturely was a smart move, given that Tavi is the same age as most of the actors playing students. Also her first outfit that was a little callback to Serena’s first look was much appreciated. It also makes you kind of wonder who her character is before you even know anything about her.
While the boys of the show didn’t impress me much when it came to style, I have to talk about Max. His wardrobe, filled with fun patterns, textures, and colors definitely caught my eye. I think it’s very representative of him as a character. Max is pansexual and was raised by two dads to always be himself, and I think he does just that. His fun choices in clothing show that he is comfortable and confident in himself. Daman also mentions that he used some women’s clothing to style Max, which like hell yes, because let’s stop pretending clothing has gender. Max’s style reminds me of Chuck Bass sometimes, although don’t get it twisted, Max Wolfe accomplished in three episodes what Chuck Bass tried to accomplish in an entire series. We love Max in this house. But what I mean in that comparison is that they both push the boundaries for what men “should” wear.
So overall, the styling for this show very much feels like Gossip Girl. If you didn’t watch the OG Gossip Girl, I don’t know how much that matters to you. Just looking at the show alone, sometimes the looks felt like they were trying too hard to be a look, and sometimes they felt outdated; like I mentioned before with Julien’s outfits. Also, all of the high schoolers dressed like they were much older. Other than maybe Zoya, I felt like a lot of their outfits lacked youthfulness. I love Daman and I love the fantasy that shows like Gossip Girl create. While the OG was super camp, I feel like the original is trying to find the balance between camp and modern day coolness, but still hasn’t figured out where it stands just yet.
Either way, I will continue to eat up anything Gossip Girl related, so like, this is just mY OPINONNNN!!! I’d love to know what you guys thought of the reboot and the lewks. Please doooo let me know.
xoxo
Caroline