Gossip Girl Reboot: The Fashion & The Expectation
By Victoria Cremin
So, in case you somehow missed it, the most iconic show of the century is coming back: Gossip Girl! The new show is branding itself as less of a reboot and more of a sequel, as it takes place about eight years after the original show ends, following the lives of the new generation of Upper-East Siders as they deal with Gossip Girl in a world that revolves around social media. The show is currently scheduled to premiere sometime in 2021 on HBO Max and will initially consist of ten hour-long episodes. Of course, original GG fans and even some newbies have high expectations for the show, given the society-shaping scale of its predecessor. It begs the question, will the reboot ever be able to live up to the original?
To start with, we should talk about what was is the most important part of the first Gossip Girl: The Fashion. If the BTS pictures are anything to go by, this re-incarnation will be serving up looks just as fabulous as the OG GG. Honestly, we should expect nothing less, since the first show’s head costume designer, Eric Daman, is taking on the same position for the reboot. However, the major plus-side to the modern adaptation is that these looks seem way more practical for average viewers who are looking to re-create the show’s outfits. Already, early images feature the cast in overalls, chunky cardigans, joggers, and adidas sneakers. Clearly, it’s a stark contrast from the wearing-heels-to-high-school crowd of the OG. Blair wouldn’t be caught dead sleeping in comfy joggers, let alone wearing them on the streets. Sneakers and casual clothes is a major win for modern fashionistas who want to embrace the show’s style. While there will obviously be a great deal of evening looks and designer pieces, it seems like most ensembles can be re-created on a budget!
Of course, now it comes back to the overall plot. 2007-2012’s Gossip Girl plot was lavish and wild and dramatic and intense, sometimes overly so. But that’s why viewers loved it. The reboot already has a leg-up, with far greater diversity and LGBTQ+ representation being featured in the main cast. But the question still stands: will it be as good as the original? So far, it seems to have all of the crucial components necessary to be a success… but that doesn’t mean it will be. A lot has changed since GG’s first blast, even the way that viewers watch TV. Gossip Girl first aired during a time when you had to wait a week between each episode and would stress out if there wasn’t space on your DVR to record it. The newer version will be released exclusively on a streaming service (HBO Max), presumably all at once, for audiences to watch on their TV, their laptops, or their cellphones. It’s not just Gossip Girl that’s changed: so has television, audiences, and entertainment as a whole.
Plus, the OG GG lived in a very specific era of time where having your life posted all-over the internet was an anomaly. Now, celebrity-culture and social media’s influence is unavoidable. Having your life online is the norm. The new Gossip Girl needs to find a way to embrace that without taking away from the intrigue that possessed the first show.
So, can the Gossip Girl reboot ever match the expectations set for it by the original show? Right now, the fashion and limited behind-the-scenes glimpses suggest “yes.” Personally, I have no doubt that the show will be amazing. However, only time will tell if an updated version will have the same lasting-legacy as Blair & Serena. There is SO much more stuff today: music, TV, tiktok, video games…just stuff, than there was in 2007. With so much competing for everyone’s attention and even more being released on a daily basis, the updated series will have to work 10x harder to have the same impact as the first, even if it is a great show. In the modern world, being great isn’t enough. Simply put: the show will need to be epic.