With the return of the series Gossip Girl, a new generation of Constance Billard and St. Jude’s students are under the watchful eye of the omniscient blogger. With the contemporary set of characters, we receive new storylines, personalities, and of course, glamorous event looks and stylized uniforms from Manhattan’s new elite. With the personal style of dress functions as the perceptual cue of oneself and by extension identity formation, the looks sported in the first episode hold great significance- the beginning of a storyline is captured within each outfit. Uniquely the reboot, dressed by original costume designer Eric Damon, references specific influences and codes of dress to create the image of very formidable characters with much depth that we will see developing and tangibly depicted throughout the show.
The fashion in the first episode establishes the tone, pace, and acts as the foundation for character introduction and by extension development. Costume designer Eric Damon’s approach to styling the new characters not only had their personalities in mind, but also this idea of self-expression and branding through fashion. In the original, the Costume designer found it eye-opening to see girl groups identifying themselves through high fashion brands, specifically in real-life Marc Jacobs and Tory Burch were the markers. The reboot has a similar approach,
SAINT LAURENT, THE SCHOOLGIRLS WEAR SAINT LAURENT. WE’LL DO YOUR SIGNATURE SHORTS. SCHOOL UNIFORM DONE!
FROM THE PILOT ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE FINALE, WE REALLY WANTED TO EDITORIALIZE WHAT WAS HAPPENING ON NETWORK TELEVISION AND THIS SHOW JUST SEEMED LIKE A PRIME CANDIDATE.
but with the influence of fashion within social media to not only go with the storylines. It is to present identity not only externally to signify visually but to showcase internal impact on these characters in hand with their inner lives.
In this video, I’ll be going over the meanings of sartorial perceptions as well as an understanding of the styles that these characters adorn themselves in with relation to fashion, beauty, and society. We will also be going over how the mind functions within first impressions with respect to fashion to grasp a deeper understanding of not only the experience found in the show and us watching the pilot, but also how this occurs in real life.
Let’s begin the analysis with Monet De Haan, the character who most embodies the nuances of the original Gossip Girl era. She is the ultimate Queen bee of the show, she has a magnetic quality to her that demands the room. Hailing from old New York Money, Monet has the most regal, polished, preppy, and daring style. She maintains a regal color palette but pushes boundaries with the execution of her looks. Monet is cunning and proudly exerts her title of queen, on this, the executive producer stated, “You don’t want Monet to read you because you will just disappear into thin air. What she says goes, and she knows what goes.”
Her initial outfit captures this aura and exerts an elevated form of power by which she is known for sporting a veronica beard Cooke Dickey Tweed Blazer with the Mirabelle Tweed Skirt, Balmain Button-Trimmed Ribbed Crop Top, Sam Edelman Aretha Platform Loafer Pumps, and finished off the look with a Ferragamo Studio Bag Medium. In total, her look costs 4,245 USD. Her other looks consist of Chanel, Gucci, Valentino, and other prestigious brands- typically the fashion powerhouses, As the mission statement of Balmain goes, “to always dress women in the right look for the right moment”- this is Monet’s approach to style, her fashion is always suited to and goes beyond the moment. Her clothing commands and projects visually just as she does.
The executive producer on Audrey Hope states, “She has a beautiful jewel box of an apartment and loves Chanel and old glamour and dinner parties […] When she gets dressed for the morning, it’s for herself — not for the world.” She is described as possessing a certain type of grace and competence, with self-assurance of who she is despite not being what is necessary in. However, she is someone who is always wanting more because she does not think within this box.
Her first look consists of an oversized Michael Kors tartan mohair-blend sweater, over the Constance’s base uniform paired with Chloe Emma leather-trimmed suede pumps over black ankle socks, and paired off with a small Cartier bag while reading Essays on Women’s Lives From Edith Wharton to Germaine Greer Paperback by Kennedy Fraser. -a very compassionate book. Her look cost 4,425 USD. The look captures her soft and girlish, yet poised, undone, and chic aesthetic. Many of her vintage pieces pay tribute to elegant fashion, but with a subtle edge in juxtaposition with a quiet softness.
Luna La is known as a stylist of the group and is originally from Mexico, she lives alone while her parents travel the world creating films. She has a very ethereal and feminine style with boho-chic lenience. Her style thrives in the details like ruffles and frills, rather than abundant looks she goes for understated and fresh ones, much like her personality. She does not strive to be the center of attention but uses her styling skills to uplift others and is direct with wit. Safran on Luna stated, “Whatever you’re going to wear, wherever you’re going to eat, whoever you’re going to date if Luna says not to, or Luna says to, you do that. If Luna says, ‘That’s not for you,’ you’re like, ‘You’re right. That’s not for me.'”
She is conscious and observant, but not a wallflower. She has an eye for fashion and beauty, Luna will go for fashionista looks at times where she holds greater visual depth with tasteful branding. She tends to keep within neutrals and light tones or goes for bright pops of colors. Her first outfits consisted of a Cami NYC ‘Gia’ ruched embroidered cotton-voile blouse, Jimmy Choo Jin 45mm Sandals worn with light socks, gold hoops, and a bow around the neck to adhere to the uniform dress code. While in this look she is more focused on the look of others and curating this. She dresses in a manner that allows her creativity to flow. She is conscious of fashion and exudes a delicate yet confident aura.
Julien Calloway, noted for her influence, is a rising model and social media influencer. She is the top trendsetter with athleisure, menswear, glamor, and high fashion influences. Her style similar to how Serena in the original had taken style cues from models such as Kate Moss and Gisele Bundchen, is modeled after Adut Akech, the costume designer felt that Adut’s style was on-brand with Julien- a hybrid of high fashion and behind the scenes models streetwear. Her personal style is eclectic and derived from numerous origins to produce an original look with every outfit.
Her first in the show is made up of a Maje Paris Cimpo Oversized Striped Shirt in Ivory, Schutz Abbey Boots in Almond Buff, and Fendi Red Corduroy Baguette. Her tie is embellished with a Cartier Juste Un Clou 18ct pink-gold tie pin. Her style is carefully curated with the help of her friends to maintain her perfected, influential image. Julien has an understanding of how fashion serves her and how clothing functions in the world.
This now brings us to the newcomer of the show, Zoya Lott, Julien’s half-sister who is defined by a perspective. We can see that Zoya believes clothing has a voice through her revolution book tote. She tends to emotionally connect with the pieces she wears as we can see through her wearing her mother’s scarf on the first day of school. Her usual looks are more vintage, casual, and relaxed. Any higher-end fashion she sports is a gift from her sister, such as the Adidas x Beyonce Superstar Platform Sneakers.
The two sisters strived to complete a plan of integrating Zoya by utilizing these shoes, while this plan did not go at the thought and the initial act may seem trivial to some, it was actually a quite formidable thought that is backed up by sociology and psychology.
Studies have shown that the shoes one chooses to wear correlate directly to the wearer’s personal characteristics. Though not telling of all and there is much to be considered, one’s choice in shoes does convey prominent information about the wearer. For instance, age, income, and attachment anxiety can be judged simply from a person’s shoes.
Uniform displays the values, morals, and attitudes of the institution by which it is from. By deconstructing a uniform, you are creating a display of personality, mood, or style in connection to who you truly are, part of who you are, or the identity necessary and/or deemed acceptable. All the styles of the girls are very distinct, but despite having differing looks do have a lot in common in terms of variables such as brand identity, price point, etc. Similar to the original show, clothing and accessories are visual cues to convey where characters fit in and who they think they want to be at this point in time.
Cultural influences also persuade the impression of another viewing the piece, collectivism versus individualism will influence how this impression is formed. Subconsciously, many times people will tend to opt for the group perception over the individual or have the group perception shape the individual. If a collectivist has a differing view, they may be inclined to persuade other group members into an agreement. Individualists are more open to change as they are generally much more comfortable with uncertainty.
The first impression is the event by which one meets a subject and forms a mental image of them or it. The accuracy of the impression varies based on the attributes, prior experiences, and environment presentation. Overall first impressions give a general influence over how they are viewed and treated in the many contexts that everyday life has to bring.
This relates to social cognition which is the term used for processes related to perception, understanding, and implementation of linguistic, auditory, visual, and physical cues. This intake of information communicates emotional and interpersonal information.
Many observed physical attributes of a person such as features, clothing, cosmetics, and grooming have a traditional first impression. For example, physical beauty is often linked to health, or a “baby face” type of structure is taken as more trustworthy and naive. This is one reason why personal style and beauty are very powerful. We can shape ourselves into who we are internally on an external level to create the identity of the look we feel more suited to.
Many observed physical attributes of a person such as features, clothing, cosmetics, and grooming have a traditional first impression. For shoes, traditionally, a practical one is linked to someone more amiable, stylish shoes are linked to wealth, and new or highly maintained shoes can be interpreted as more anxious and/or needing to belong for a first impression.
“The formality of clothing might not only influence the way others perceive a person, and how people perceive themselves but could influence decision making in important ways through its influence on processing style,” the researchers of California State University, Northridge and Columbia University found.
A first impression is formed within the first milliseconds of the subject. The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex is engaged when intentionally forming a first impression at first view. Research has shown that there is a processing of diagnostic information for example distinguishing features more than processing neutral information.
Since a vast majority of communication occurs on a nonverbal level even once well acquainted, this intake of information is continued over a relationship, but the initial impression sets the foundation of a relationship but in most cases will change to some degree over time.
Since fashion is a display of thoughts or beliefs, personal style aids in us finding our place and the people we belong within the world- it contributes to how we will experience our life. What you wear, however, does not define you, it is only the amount of reflection you’d like it to be, the information you’d like to reveal or need to adhere to in regards to dress code for school, work, etc.
Many find marrying appearance to personality to be the most fulfilling and comfortable, whether that be a carefully curated image, one to cater to lifestyle, a display of personality, or personal expressions- fashion is what we make of it and how we may communicate to the world.
What other people think of how you look or choose to style yourself ultimately doesn’t matter as everyone has different preferences for what is beautiful or fashionable. What is important is to live with conviction and confidence, to stay true to oneself, and honor that through action and your clothing in the manner you see as suitable. The impressions we make initially are not set forever but, our image does impact our experiences and vice versa so clothing may serve as a vehicle to be or go where we’d like in life and the evidence of growth on this journey. Moving forward we will see this tangibly depicted in the show and see how the characters develop or navigate the world, which is in the same manner that we have the choice to experience and by extension form the visual narrative of life as well.
SOURCES: Shoes as a source of first impressions- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0092656612000608?via%3Dihub The Psychology of First Impressions- https://www.six-degrees.com/the-psychology-of-first-impressions/ What Your Clothes Say About You- https://www.forbes.com/sites/learnvest/2012/04/03/what-your-clothes-say-about-you/?sh=95a9b8566992 THE COSTUMES ON ‘GOSSIP GIRL’ 2.0- https://fashionista.com/2021/07/eric-daman-gossip-girl-reboot-costumes-outfits Character Bios- https://gossipgirl.fandom.com/wiki/Category:Characters Effects of intentionality and diagnosticity on subsequent memory- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3267862/ The Role of National Culture and Multimedia on First Impression Bias- https://ieeexplore.ieee.org/document/6605607 When Clothing Style Influences Cognitive Style- https://www.psychologicalscience.org/news/minds-business/when-clothing-style-influences-cognitive-style.html Social Cognition through the Lens of Cognitive and Clinical Neuroscience- https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6158937/
