XOXO to the Gossip Girl Stylist

As it turns out... Going back to grad school takes up WAY MORE time than I actually have. As a result my poor DVR is filled to the brim with episodes of all my favorite shows. Unfortunately for work and school, but fortunately for my sanity (though not my head - coughing up a lung can give you quite the headache!), I've been pretty sick during the last week and I've had a little extra time to catch up on my shows.

YAY! Oh, Gossip Girl, how I've missed you!

And I've missed talking about all the fabulous fashion! If I were to talk about each and every single outfit I loved or hated over the last five episodes this post would be excruciatingly long cause let's face it... Right along with all the dazzling dresses and amazing accessories there were quite a few less-than-stunning failures (cough-Jenny-cough-Vanessa).

So instead of driving myself crazy with everything I didn't like, I'm just going to stick to what I did like! So here we go!

Here's Blake Lively in a gorgeous Nanette Lepore 'Darjeeling' dress.

Definitely looks better on Blake, no? Guess having an actual body as opposed to being a human clothes hanger has it's upside, huh? Either way, I love it. But, I don't love the $378 price tag. Boooooo!

My next favorite look is Blake again, but this time it's the dress she wore to Lily Van Der Woodsen's (fifth) wedding.

Seriously. She absolutely killed it in this J. Mendall Fall 2008 sexy, strapless, and flowing gown. Those Louboutins and MCL by Matthew Campbell Laurenza bangles certainly polish off the look perfectly. The signature messy hair always looks great as well. Love it!

My last favorite look comes from the same episode (Rufus Getting Married) and this time it's on Leighton Meester.

How beautiful is this 'Red' Valentino Dress?

The color and appliqué detailing is exquisite. It's pretty much everything you'd expect from a Valentino. Can you tell I have a small obsession with his dresses? I can't help it, though! They're gorgeous!

Also, how about the accessories she had??

A vintage-style Juicy Couture bracelet ($128) and a Paige Gamble Bronze Alligator and Smoky Quartz Clutch ($2800). Just perfect.

Can this show's stylist please come be my friend? PLEASE??

[photo credits: gossipgirlfashion.net, cwtv.com, valentino.com]

This is How We Roll at a Polo Match - Upper East Side Edition

I have to confess that the closest I've ever been to a polo match is living vicariously through Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman. So, my frame of reference for what one should wear to an end-of-the-summer charity polo match is roughly limited to this:

Preppy dress. Large hat. Pearls. Gloves.

Got it.

Only... My favorite Upper-East-Siders have pretty much shattered that image for me.

Not that I'm surprised or anything. I mean, Julia didn't exactly have a stylist to prepare her, did she? And even though she's lookin' pretty WASP-appropriate here, the Gossip Girl gang has shown me the light in this week's season premiere.

For example... You might think that an evening gown is not suitable attire for a daytime event such a this, but you would be very wrong.

The lovely Serena Van Der Woodsen (Blake Lively) clearly shows us that she can totally show up in this stunning peach-colored, pleated, and flowing Grecian Marchesa dress and not feel the least bit out of place.

I can't lie... I adore this dress. I don't think the pictures do it justice at all. I believe it's from Marchesa's Spring '09 line, at least according to what I've read, but I can't find any photos of it on the website. Definitely check out the Marchesa site though - the Spring '09 line is beautiful and one of my favorites from this designer.

Ahhhh... Here we go! Ever the proper WASP, Ms. Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester) brings back the hat! Not to mention a gorgeous Walter double-layered silk chiffon dress. Love it!

From the flutter sleeves to the ruffled scoop neckline, this dress had me at it's Tiffany-Box-Blue (which is really more of an aqua/sea-foam type shade, no?) color.

I'm happy to say that we have a new addition to the crew this season. Joanna Garcia (RIP Privileged!) plays Bree Buckley and I'm already a fan.

This floral maxi dress (couldn't find the designer anywhere!) was surprisingly pretty on screen; and though I apologize for the odd closeup on her chest, I wanted to show the detail on the top part of her dress.

It was very pretty and very flattering (at least for girls lucky enough not to need any support up there) and I give it a thumbs up.

Oh, the boys... How I love the boys on this show. They really don't ever need to speak. Just stand there and look pretty. If it's absolutely necessary to speak though, I really wish they would let Ed Westwick use his natural British accent even though his character, Chuck Bass, is a native New Yorker. I have a serious thing for accents.

I'm loving the casual suits. Ed's fellow cast members, Sebastian Stan (who is actually Leighton Meester's real-life boyfriend) and Chace Crawford are just as dashing, if less fashionably flamboyant, than Ed and I think it's a hit.

Now for the bad news... Taylor Momsen is still pissing off somebody in the wardrobe department, only now she's bringing fellow cast member Jessica Szohr (Ed Westwick's real-life girlfriend) down with her.

Little Jenny Humphrey needs to wear some more appropriate clothes and much less makeup. She also needs to get rid of those ratty bleached-blonde extensions. Any more episodes like this and she's likely to get kicked out of the upper East side and end up on The Real Housewives of New Jersey.

Tacky, Jenny. Just stop being so freakin' tacky.

As for Vanessa Abrahms (Szohr)... Ugh. More ratty extensions. And the girl clearly has very curly hair. Can't they do a little bit better job of smoothing it out? It just looks frizzy and stiff and ugh. Bad. Really, really bad.

This dress did nothing for her figure (when you're that tiny, shouldn't everything look good?) and the pattern was just... Bleh. I'm just not a fan.

So there you have it. Season 3 of Gossip Girl is underway and I'm pretty excited to see what's in store for the gang.

Want to hear more about the (mostly) fabulous style on the show? Gossip Girl Insider has a few videos from costume designer Eric Damon. He talks all about the style for the upcoming season for Serena, Blair, and Jenny. Enjoy!

[photo credits: cwtv.com, gossipgirlinsider.com, gossipgirlonline.net, seenon.com, pret-a-party.blogspot.com]

Gossip Girl Meets the Roaring 20's

Oh no! My favorite Upper East Siders graduated at the end of last season! How am I supposed to deal without seeing Serena's inventive and inappropriate variations on a school uniform? Or Blair's Queen Bee headbands??!!

Okay, if you have absolutely no idea what I'm talking about... No worries. I've got you covered.

Here's the recipe:

1. Take one part Beverly Hills 90210 for the rich kids with little-to-no parental supervision

2. Add two parts Dawson's Creek for the far-too-witty-to-be-high-schoolers dialogue and the romantically incestuous group of frenemies

3. Blend together and spread out all over a super glamorous backdrop - Manhattan (without any of those pesky realities like subways, crowds, closet-sized-apartments with five roommates, etc.) and the occasional tragically-hip neighborhood in Brooklyn

4. Sprinkle in some straight-from-the-runway fashions and accessories (some that I wouldn't hesitate selling my soul straight to the devil for)

5. Top with more teenager angst than the last twenty years of soap operas combined

6. Promote with some raunchyyyyyyyyyyyy ad campaigns just to piss off any potential Puritans who might catch a glimpse

VIOLA! Gossip Girl Souffle! A light and airy, yet sinfully delicious guilty pleasure with an outstanding wardrobe, unbelievably good-looking cast, moderately acceptable acting, and an absurd amount of fun.

I love seeing the photos from the set of Gossip Girl and this latest batch certainly doesn't disappoint. As far as I can tell from what I've read so far, it looks like the gang is heading to a 20's themed Halloween party and their costumes are gorgeous!

Here are the lovely ladies - from left to right:

Blake Lively (as Serena Van Der Woodsen) - What can I even say? HOT.

Hilary Duff (guest starring) - She's adorable and that dress is beautiful. You go, Lizzie McGuire!

Taylor Momsen (as Jenny Humphrey) - No. Just NO. No way, no how, just... UGH. I'm not sure who Taylor pissed off in the wardrobe department, but they consistently give her the short end of the stick. And, please, for the love of everything holy... EAT SOMETHING.

Leighton Meester (as Blair Waldorf) - Unfortunately, this is the only shot I could find of her in costume and you only get a glimpse of white fringe and a few layers of a dark necklace. Leighton's outfits rarely disappoint me, though, so I'm not concerned about her. I'm still very concerned about Taylor. In fact, I cringe every time I look at that photo.

And though there's less for me to comment on with the boys, I've got to say that they're not lookin' too shabby themselves.

Ed Westwick (as Chuck Bass), Penn Badgley (as Dan Humphrey), and Chace Crawford (as Nate Archibald) are definitely all bring the sexy back to my television screen. Can't wait!

Okay, I have to do a close up of Serena's outfit, the details deserve a full on Oh.Em.Gee.

Sparkles and lace and satin and that flower at the bottom... Le sigh. Be still my heart.

So, what do you think? Anyone else a fan?