How Gossip Girl’s Costume Designer Is “Breaking Down Gender Norms” With the Reboot

Obviously, we were curious to learn how exactly the reboot would both pay homage to the OG series and differ from it. “I wanted to make it feel very contemporary, current, and speak to the Gen Z generation,” Eric told POPSUGAR.

“These students are a part of the generation that has ushered us into this brave new fashion world that we’re in, but I also wanted to pay homage to the OG Gossip Girl because the fans want some opulence as well. The school uniforms are the biggest connecting connective tissue between the two worlds. I wanted to leave behind the heavily embellished, Crayola-colored tights and bring [the uniforms] into this modern world with athleisure pieces. I wanted to give the nod to what’s going on trend-wise as far as replacing schoolgirls’ skirts with biker shorts.”

That being said, you’ll probably notice there are a few homages to the cast’s original outfits from the opening scenes of the reboot. For example, Tavi Gevinson, who plays Kate, replicates an outfit made famous by Blake Lively’s Serena in the Gossip Girl pilot. She wears S’s iconic tan jacket, striped top, and scarf around her neck, just like Serena does in Grand Central Station when spotted by Dan Humphrey.

“We first see [Tavi’s character] paying homage to Serena’s first outfit. Here’s this teacher coming in, and maybe she knows that she’s emulating Serena, who was the It girl. Maybe she thinks it’s cool to be dressing like Serena, but it’s actually a little bit dated,” Eric said.

Aside from the new iterations of the uniforms, you’ll also notice that the accessories like handbags play a significant role in the characters’ wardrobes, just like on the original series. “With the bags, I chose a lot of secondhand, thrift, and resale pieces since there’s a movement towards sustainability. Sustainability is a huge part of how Gen Z is shopping and giving these luxury bags a second life. This generation identifies with these heritage brands differently because of this and the fact that the quality of these bags has a much longer shelf life than disposable fashion.”

Of course, that didn’t stop the reboot from including bags right off the runway, as you can tell from the first episode. “It was important to have still the giant LV bag moment,” Eric revealed. “I think it’s sensational, fun, and part of the GG fantasy. But Serena [from the original series] was definitely not carrying a secondhand bag.”

Another thing that has changed with the reboot is the concept of gender fluidity when it comes to the cast’s wardrobes. “Some of Max’s shirt button-downs are women’s blouses. For example, the lace Paco Rabanne shirt he wears at the fashion show is categorized as women’s wear,” Eric told POPSUGAR.

“We are in a world where we can talk about gender fluidity. Max can wear a woman’s blouse without being in drag or looking too camp while still being sexy AF. He’s the sexiest guy in the room because he wears it with confidence, and it doesn’t look like a joke. If we’d put Chuck Bass in a women’s lace blouse, it would have been ridiculous. We’re playing with these boundaries and seeing these lines get blurred while having a bigger conversation about fluidity.”

Clearly, from the conversations being had behind the scenes to the designers who were chosen, the cast’s wardrobes seem to reflect a modern viewpoint that more of us can relate to.