Contributors

Monday, January 7, 2013



I Don't Like Gossip Girl, but I Love Me Some Blair Waldorf Style

        My friend recently forwarded an article to me about Gossip Girl’s series finale, one of television’s most ritzy, provocative young adult dramas. Interestingly, the article didn’t focus on the actual show, rather on the flawless style of Blair Waldorf, one of Gossip Girl’s central characters.
       To be honest, my knowledge of Gossip Girls is quite narrow. I only watched half of the 1st season in 12th grade (the first time I watched TV in 5 years—yes, I eventually succumbed to this unholy bait). However, I do possess a rather personal memory associated with Gossip Girl. Whenever this show is mentioned, I’m fondly reminded of the days my mother and I would battle over the remote.
       You see, Gossip Girl and my mother’s all-time favorite show (a Korean soap-opera with English subtitles) aired at the exact same time. When my mom won control over the remote, I’d often exclaim“This is so unfair! Why do you like this silly Korean show anyways? Huh?!”
       I’d yet to appreciate how cool my mom was back then – she became hooked on Korean culture long before the days of Gangnam Style. Take that! But, as ever, I digress.
       When I won the “remote war,” I cozily settled in for an evening of scandal and “high-society teenage politics” a la Gossip Girl. Sure the show was famously juicy and entertaining, but it was also rampant with degrading morals and distorted values. I couldn’t get over the sheer irony that I was tuning into this show at 8:00 p.m. only to open up a Sefer Devarim and Rashi a mere twelve hours later. Irony can be rad…but not this kind of irony. I slowly weaned myself off the show.
       Would you like to know what the most gut-wrenching part about leaving the show was? The most addictive intrigue I hated to bid “so long” to? Not the plot-twisters. Not the characters’ wily back-stabbing. Not even the handsome actors (goodbye Nate…*sniff*, goodbye Dan…*sniff*). But the FASHION. If any of you ever watched this show, then you’ll know that its fashion was unparalleled. 
       When GG aired, I salivated over Blair Waldorf’s enchantingly feminine trousseau. Who wouldn’t? Even though I’m usually attracted to a tomboyish aesthetic (think Alexa Chung) and wear wrinkly chambray shirts and worn-to-death combat boots, Blair Waldorf’s style is still so desirable.


       I’m not the only one who feels this way. Fashionista.com’s Nora Crotty statesThere’s something about Blair’s style: It was so intentional. Her outfits were always a little calculated and matchy-matchy, giving her this sort of ethereal Chinadoll quality.” As skirt-wearing gals, we can also relish the fact that Blair Waldorf hardly ever wore pants, thus making her style more relatable in our day-to-day lives. Cheers to that!
Here is a portrayal of Ms. Waldorf’s undeniably refined and ravishing style.
We hope you enjoy!
Why, hello Holly Golightly! Er...I mean Blair Waldorf

Blair Waldorf 's style is truly the reincarnation of Audrey Hepburn’s.The fashion sense of Holly Golightly (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) and even Eliza Doolittle (My Fair Lady --check out the show's season finale!) are referenced throughout the show.
 Blair’s closet overflows with finespun silk, tweed suits, ruffles, flared skirts, chiffon, bows, and every other ladylike accessory conceivable. According to Blair, the "girlier" a dress is, the better! Her style is now and forevermore the epitome of polished glamour.
Blair’s Got Flair in the Spring...
 
Blair’s spring ensembles include eyelet lace and flirty florals. She also adds a touch of playfulness by print-mixing and color blocking. These outfits are youthful, effervescent, and dare I say oozing with Parisian elegance? Charmant indeed.
 …and in the Winter!

“Baby it’s cold outside,” but that doesn’t mean Blair will succumb to a lackluster wardrobe. On the contrary, she fends off despondent winter skies with the most pleasantly shocking hues.
 
 
If she’s not color-blocking, then she’ll mix textures to create a luxuriously monochromatic look. Check out the photo to the left: Blair is bedecked in blue! Her scarf, coat, and purse are all matchy-matchy.
 
Winter is also the perfect season to experiment with a trend that is very Blair Waldorf-esque:Tights! Peruse the photos carefully, and you’ll realize that this Upper East Side princess expresses her individuality by slipping on colorful, patterned, or textured stockings. She proves that an interesting pair of tights can only heighten your sense of style

My High School Days Were
 
Never This Polished
 
 
“Blair's school uniforms became a hot fashion trend, and her headbands ruled the accessories chart," said Eric Daman, stylist extraordinaire of Gossip Girl. Indeed, during the show’s earlier seasons, Blair channeled the stereotypical wealthy, private school girl with her collared shirts, pleated skirts, and stuctured blazers. Her ridiculously famous signature style though? HEADBANDS. Fans’ allegiance to Blair Waldorf and her headbands created a revolutionary love for these accessories. There is even a Facebook page called Blair Waldorf’s headbands with 18,050 followers.
 
Modern Day Princess
 
The sun will hurtle itself to earth and explode before Blair Waldorf wears a less-than-exquisite dress to a party. Enough said.
A Sum-Up on B.W.’s Style
 
Although we may not be able to raid Blair’s closet any time soon, we can replicate her style by
  • Investing in a couple of quality, well-tailored garments (instead of splurging on dozens of “cheap-thrill” finds) 
  •  
  •  Adding personality with tights, headbands, and other accessories
  •  
  • Incorporating splashes of vivid color
  • Being the portrait of poise and loveliness with florals, ruffles, lace, and other womanly details.    
To quote Fashionista.com again:“trends come and go, series get cancelled, tights get runs, and headbands get stepped on–but timeless style perseveres," and for that we heartily thank Ms. Waldorf.

UNTIL NEXT TIME!
 

5 comments:

  1. Whenever I found myself watching the show, I would put the tv on mute and just look and the clothing. Holy mackerel, what clothing.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Genius! Why didn't I ever think of that?

    ReplyDelete
  3. I also love Blair's style. It's always classy and lady like (well mostly!). I can tell you put lots of work in this post. It's fab!
    xo
    Sharon

    ReplyDelete
  4. love Blair's style - xo xo,

    ReplyDelete