The CW hit series’ celebrated costume designer, Eric Daman, reveals his favorite looks that he’s so stylishly pulled together for Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), one of TV’s most iconic fashionistas, during the show’s six-year run:
“G.G.,” SEASON 5
“Runaway bride? More like runway bride! Ms. Blair stuns in her Vera Wang, dashing down the streets of NYC. I had the honor and privilege to work directly with delicious designer VW herself, on not only one but two gorgeous gowns,” Daman gushes. “Blair floated down the aisle like the princess she always dreamed of becoming. The layers and layers of antique French lace, all hand-applied, give this dress old-world charm and couture. Vera keeps it contemporary by adding a horsehair bow, so Blair. By the way, B’s bridesmaids were decked in cocktail gowns from Vera’s fab and affordable collection for David’s Bridal.”
“ALL THE PRETTY SOURCES,” SEASON 5
“BW has a bun in the oven! Thank god Dior makes beautiful orange sparkle muumuus,” Daman says. “It was a lot of fun playing dress-up for Blair’s pregnant episodes. There were haute empire waists and blouson confections any UES mom-to-be would kill for, from Balenciaga to McQueen. But for me this couture cocktail dress takes the cake. Demure and elegant, Ms. Waldorf stuns at her Tiffany-themed bridal shower.”
“BELLES DE JOUR,” SEASON 4
“Blair is a study in art history as she wanders the halls of le Musée d’Orsay. The Oscar de la Renta dress is reminiscent of a classical painting and perfect for meeting a prince,” Daman says of Blair’s pretty look in the season four premiere. “Not a bad option when shopping Chanel with your best frenemy, either! OMG alert: Is she wearing orange satin shoes from Nine West?!? Oui, oui, c’est vrai!”
“THE WRONG GOODBYE,” SEASON 4
“Parisian couturier Alexis Mabille sent this one-of-a-kind black velvet sheath for our season four finale. The baby blue and pink hand-embroidered flowers and filigree work are quintessential Blair,” Daman says. “A true piece of art, perfect to be kidnapped in. But the heroine is saved by the bell as our gang rushes to her rescue.”
“VALLEY GIRLS,” SEASON 2
“Fit for a queen! This black Marchesa with its gold brocade peacock reminded me of a turn-of-the-century, high-society ballgown. Perfect for crowning Ms. Blair queen of Constance!” Daman explains of Blair’s iconic prom look. “A Simon Tu tiara tops it off with gleaming crystal rosettes. Simon is one of NYC’s best-kept secrets; his beautiful boutique is a gem, and only a stone’s throw from Bloomingdale’s.”
“SEDER ANYTHING,” SEASON 2
My fair Blair! One of my favorite dream sequences based on one of my favorite films,” Daman explains of B’s My Fair Lady-esque ensemble. “Blair radiates Audrey Hepburn’s aura at the Ascot Races. The delicate chapeau was handmade in the costume shop by a milliner on our wardrobe team (and later worn by frenemie Serena in another dream sequence!). The Carolina Herrera gown couldn’t have been better to emulate Cecil Beaton’s original award-winning designs.”
“SUMMER, KIND OF WONDERFUL,” SEASON 2
“No one pulls off florals better than BW. Flirty and fresh, this Alice + Olivia number is ideal for a romantic bike ride through the Hamptons,” Daman says. “The dress print and shape are vintage chic. A soft floral headband and pop of pink gives this look Blair’s signature style. Matchy-matchy is not always a no-no; love the wicker bag in the bike’s wicker basket!”
“HI, SOCIETY,” SEASON 1
“Ahhh, my first Deb Ball…Coming out never felt (or looked) so good!” Daman recalls. “Queen B is in all her glory in an Eric Daman original. The first couture creation I actually designed and had handcrafted in our costume shop. The pale silver silk jacquard gave me visions of a modern-day Marie Antoinette. Just add a giant bow and it’s BW à propos! Insider secret: We had to rig the dress’s train to faux rip off for a formal faux pas!”
“DESPERATELY SEEKING SERENA,” SEASON 1
Classic queen B! Blair’s school unis became a hot fashion trend, and her headbands ruled the accessories chart,” Daman says. “This one has all the iconic trimmings: Brooks Brothers cape, grosgrain headband from Bendel’s, red and white spectators, and a giant statement school bag (by Valentino of course). Ladylike vintage gloves keep our scheming queen’s hands clean as she texts Gossip Girl with some high school scandy.”
“ROMAN HOLIDAY,” SEASON 1
“My very own ice princess, très chic as she skates through Central Park in mix-and-match plaids. Creamy tights, crochet beret and pink pom-poms give her look a juvenile innocence as she schemes to get her father’s attention,” Daman explains of the outfit Blair wears while spending time with her father’s husband Roman. “#blairs scheming beret. And the caplet is by H&M and the cute crinoline skirt was from Zara Kids! High-low, ladies, high-low!”
![Who Is Gossip Girl? Will There Be a Movie? Scoop on Tonight’s Series Finale From Boss Stephanie Savage
Who is Gossip Girl? Will Dan and Serena get together? Will Chuck and Blair get married and have tons of beautiful and conniving babies together? And can returning guest star Jenny Humphrey (Taylor Momsen) still open her eyelids after so many years of heavy eye-makeup layering?
These are the burning questions that will be answered tonight as the CW’s first-ever hit,Gossip Girl, signs off after six “OMG”-worthy seasons.
To celebrate (and prepare!), we chatted with executive producer Stephanie Savage about what fans can expect from tonight’s final two-hour episode. And here are five things you need to know:
1. The Gossip Girl Reveal Wasn’t Planned All Along—but It Was a Possibility: Savage explains why she and the writers felt it important to reveal Gossip Girl’s true identity in this last episode: “When you’re thinking about a finale, you go back to the pilot, you think about everybody’s series arcs and think what is the premise of the show? In this case, ‘Who is Gossip Girl?’ is a big part of the show. We had a thought in the back of our minds who Gossip Girl was, but we were never sure if we were going to reveal that. Was it something the audience wanted to know, or would they rather not know? We kept it very open. Then last year, we did a lot of storytelling with Gossip Girl and it felt right that this year, she would be revealed.” She? Hmmm!
2. The Cast Was “Surprised” by Who Gossip Girl Turned Out to Be: ”The actors were really excited and surprised,” Savage tells me. “Everyone has had many theories over the years. I think they liked it.”
3. The Writers Were “United” on How the Show’s Core Couples Should End Up: ”When you create a series,” Savage explains, “you have an idea in the back of your mind where you think everybody is going to end up. But you have to be very open to the road the actors and characters take, which I think we really tried to be on Gossip Girl. In the end, I think I always felt I knew who I wanted to be together. By the time we were at the end of season five, the writers were all united about how we felt everything should end.”
4. No Regrets: When asked if there are any storylines she would go back and change over the course of the series, Savage replies: “There are too many things to think about what you would do differently. That’s one of the good and bad things about television, you have to keep going and you can’t second guess yourself.”
5. Don’t Rule Out a Gossip Girl Movie. “It’s funny we’ve never talked about [a movie] seriously until the show was actually ending,” Savage says. “We’ve never had any legitimate conversations about doing a movie until we were saying goodbye. Then we said, ‘We’ll do a movie, Broadway show or reunion show, right?’ Even though we are likely to see each other again it’s not like we’ll all be working together again, so that’s where the fantasy starts.”
Say so long to Gossip Girl tonight with three hours of Upper Eastside goodness on the CW—including a one-hour retrospective and two-hour finale. Then come back to E! Online tonight for our take on what went down, and more scoop from showrunner Stephanie Savage tomorrow morning! After you watch the finale, tweet any questions you have to @kristindsantos and we’ll ask her as many as we can.
Enjoy. XOXO](http://24.media.tumblr.com/25dbf64943843f540ebaf813eb77b97a/tumblr_mf6jj2Nil41ql7hulo1_500.jpg)
