Gossip Girls just want to have fun

Monday night, Gossip Girl’s producers tried (heavy-handedly) to make Lily Van der Woodsen’s teenage years the subject of a spin-off show, but they may only succeed in resurrecting everyone’s favorite fashion era: the Eighties. During one grainy flashback, the very preppy young Lily tries on something for everyone (who’s looking for a good costume for an ‘80s theme night): an Olivia Newton-John “work out” getup, a power suit, a material girl ensemble, and – the look that the young Lily eventually settles on – an architectural jacket, long pearls and Givenchy heels. L.A. costume designer Meredith Markworth-Pollack styled this blast from the past segment, and got inspiration by watching movies like The Breakfast Club and scouring L.A. outposts like American Rag. She even cites some current collections, such as Alexander Wang’s neon-dominant line, as inspiration for the show’s styling. Too bad the spin-off seems dead in the water, we would have enjoyed an autumn full of spandex.