In the Gossip Girl heyday, the show’s hyper-posh Upper East Side costuming made the style mood board of millennials' collective consciousness (at least of those who watched the show.) In 2007, it was Blair Waldorf and her accompanying clique who defined what preppy style meant. Jenny Humphrey outlined to us edgy for the modern teen. Gossip Girl’s thesis on personal style showed itself in the ever-changing style modifications to their high school uniforms (was that even allowed?) Now, a new generation will have a new Gossip Girl of their own, but how will the fashion compare?
It doesn’t matter whether or not teenagers watching the show and were actually dressing like its main characters. (Honestly, we hope most weren't). Even if the fashion in Gossip Girl existed solely as a glossy aspiration, the original show’s social influence on adolescent style was undeniable — a quick eBay search still has pages and pages of listings labeled “as seen on Gossip Girl” — so the upcoming Gossip Girl reboot has big shoes to fill.
The reboot is slated to premiere on HBO Max in 2021 and though we have yet to see much of the new Gossip Girl save for a slew of on-set images, it appears the tradition among the boys of St. Jude’s and the girls of Constance Billard to alter their uniforms to suit their personal tastes is going nowhere. (OG costume director Eric Daman is on also board this time, after all!)
The signature forest green plaid remains, but the new cast seems to be trading stockings for bike shorts under anything oversized. One of the early photos from the shootings in NYC shows actor Whitney Peak sitting on the steps of The Met wearing her plaid pinafore dress uniform with tube socks, Adidas Superstars, and repping a red tote bag from Revolution Books, a leftist New York bookstore.
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In the original series, Jenny Humphrey was really the only character pushing against the status quo in terms of conscious fashion choices — her rebellious nature made her an edgy, punk antithesis to the rest of the characters at school. Blair had the UES prep school girl on lock, between her uniform look, her Hamptons wardrobe, and party attire. Serena had an easygoing, carefree air to her relationship with tradition, and her style reflected that.
There is a piece that has infiltrated the new GG that we would never see in the original: Balenciaga's infamous Triple S sneakers. I mean, you know what they say, the times they are a-changin'. Jordan Alexander's character was spotted clad in a pair of the shoes (the all-white version) while filming in early December. And we know these are part of the actual character closet because the actor slipped into some comfy black UGGs in-between takes.
We know very little about the new characters so far, but the reboot seems to show way more of a blend between these archetypes across characters. From the set pics, we can see multiple characters have a personal style that seems to prioritize comfort (baggy sweaters, bike shorts, sneakers with dresses) and often pair these pieces with their formal clothes. (Though it should be noted that since most of these pics are candids it could be that some of these 'fits are the actors' own and not the characters' per se.)
The original Gossip Girl series took place in a pre-Instagram era of Blackberrys and Motorola Razrs, so the show gave the world a beautifully idealized glimpse into what rich kids in New York City were wearing. But it’s unlikely that a reboot could have the same level of influence. Why? Because in 2020, if it’s cool, we’ve already seen it on the timeline. So, in a satisfying reversal of roles, it seems like the Gossip Girl reboot’s costuming borrowed a lot of influence from Instagram.
What Gossip Girl fans can hope for with the new series’ style, though, is a version of nostalgia that recalls the opulence of the original series while embracing the fashion subcultures that made streetwear, sneakers, and other alternative forms of expression cool in the first place. Fashion still has a long way to go, but compared to the era when GG first came out, there are way more voices pitching in to determine what’s in.
Check out some of the Gen Z GG (potential) fashion below:
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