Gossip Girl´s Impact on Fashion and Television.

If you were a fashion-obsessed preteen or young adult in the late 2000s, you've probably seen an episode or two of gossip girl. From 2007 through 2012, the full-fledged cultural phenomenon aired on the CW. The show was partially based on Cecily Von Sagaser's novel series of the same name, which was published in 2002 and depicted the scandalous lives of Manhattan's young elite.

Even though the show stopped a decade ago, its legacy lives on. The intriguing consequence of several pop culture and media trends at the time was the gossip lady television show. The other part of the equation was reality television, which brought the ridiculous exploits of the rich and famous directly into people's homes with shows like the hills or the real housewives, which thrived off of extravagance and excess with an emphasis on romantic and social drama. For decades, family-friendly sitcoms like Full House or Militia were all the rage, but these shows not only came off as more comedic but also as more childish, something you'd be comfortable letting your child watch. It wasn't until the late 1990s and early 2000s that tv content for young adults began to change, with shows featuring kids in high school or college dealing with dramatic and mature story lines for multiple episodes not just a one and done situation.

Successful shows like Degrassi, Dawson's Creek, One Tree Hill, Gilmore Girls and The OC would discuss everything from drug abuse to marital woes and gossip girl followed in their footsteps.

By filming the show in New York, GG was able to make an immediate impact on its viewers much like sex in the city before it gossip girl was cited as a massive influence on culture in the 2000s and early 2010s. In regard to fashion specifically with the characters wardrobes which were designed by eric demand setting real-life style trends to the point that in 2009 anasui released a gossip girl inspired line for target which sold out in 24 hours.

The costumes in the show were as much of a part of the appeal as the plot itself gossip girl ushered in an era of fashion focused teen tv hat made gossip girls stand out when it came to fashion was not only where it innovated but also how the costumes were specifically designed for the characters they weren't just eye candy they were a storytelling device. You could look at blair waldorf and serena vanderwoodsen and see how their style philosophy reflected their respective personalities .Blair was more conventional conservative and academically focused while Serena was more risque experimental and extroverted demands set about the character's wardrobes quote sometimes the character is influenced by current trends it just so happens these girls are trend setters so trend is a part of their character but their past has led them to trends that they sport blair's severe disapproving mother led her to a lifetime of headbands and proper attire serena's wild child free spirit comes from several pseudo-fathers and no stable home life and is reflected in her plunging necklines and ultra minis.

With shows like That 70s Show and Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, it's hard to think of a time when the tv industry wasn't paying attention to its costume design. Because the tv industry had spent such little time developing its relationship with fashion when gossip girl's costume designer eric demand who had previously assisted patricia field on the set of sex in the city was first looking to source costumes for the show he actually found it quite difficult as at the time the fashion industry was under the impression that television wasn't as efficient a marketing tool as a traditional magazine ad or red carpet appearance.

Fashion designers and the pr houses just really didn't want anything to do with television there was such a stigma about the look of tv but after the surprising popularity of the show and subsequently its attractive young stars brands changed their minds and by the second season demand was receiving pieces from chanel to Valentino being able to use these luxury designs throughout the series not only gave the world of gossip girl an editorial look but also helped bring a sense of realism to the situation if the characters were wearing couture it was easy for the audience to believe that they were a part of the one percent with more than enough money to spare.

initially airing during the late 2000s the fashion in the series took on the maximalist approach that was popular during the era and became so ubiquitous to the styling of the show that even when we saw minimalism rise in the 2010s the characters continued to dress outlandishly with excessive accessorizing although retroactively the outfits in the original series come off as vary of their time and not necessarily wearable there were many aspects of the costume design that went on to spawn real-life fashion trends let's take a look at some of them>

capes, bubble dresses, headbands, bodycon dresses, neckties, bows, ballet slippers, preppy style, maximilism, headbands, hats, silk scarves, cut outs and knee high boots became trends an a staple on everyday wear