It went on to point out that the show’s sense of style has had a huge impact on the retail marketplace and is “one of the biggest influences on how young women spend.” This is a fact that was further confirmed when we got our February issue of Vogue and found the show’s most coveted actress, Blake Lively, on its cover.
July 2008 and February 2009 however, are two very different animals indeed, at least in terms of consumer confidence in the economy. So is the tanking economy affecting the fashion used in this style-setting show? Is it affecting the choices of clothing, jewelry and accessories called in for use in other productions in the works right now? In short, no. As Ms. Lively stated in the Vogue article, “We live in an alternate universe on the show; it’s a heightened reality, so I don’t think the writers would work [the recession] in.” And would we want them to? Certainly not! Reality is not why we tune in religiously every Monday night. In fact, if the lives of the Gossip Girl characters in any way reflected my high school experience, I never would have made it to graduation! The reason we tune in is to immerse ourselves in the lives of these characters and forget whatever troubles we may be having in our own lives, and even if our budgets are more “little Jenny Humphrey” than her more well-to-do peers, it is the “Girls on the Steps” at Constance Billard School for Girls who we try to channel when we get dressed every morning.
Like Sex and the City, Gossip Girl is unique in that the clothing, jewelry and accessories are an integral part of the plot, and therefore the looks used are dramatic, highly stylized and inspirational. Most film and television productions on the other hand, generally ask to pull in looks that are more realistic for an average woman to wear on an every day basis. The value of the pieces worn in film and television productions is determined by the character’s income and not the reality of the existing economy. This was the case when Rene Russo turned a simple, cultured pearl necklace into an overnight phenomena when she wore it in the 1996 comedy Tin Cup, and it is still true today with costume designers pulling in looks for everyone from the cast of Ugly Betty to stars like Demi Moore, Kate Hudson, Scarlet Johansson and Anne Hathaway.
While magazines are more accurately reflecting the current economic climate, with many books calling in an increased amount of sterling silver, mixed metal and “sentimental” jewelry, other books asking for “dramatic looks under $5,000,” and “Splurge vs. Steal” type articles popping up in unexpected places, film and television productions are still an escapist’s haven, and the costume designers we work with at LupRocks.com are working hard to keep it that way.
-Michele Orman President of Lup a fashion media placement company that places in television hits such as Ugly Betty, Gossip Girl, Lost, CSI Miami and many others (www.luprocks.com)
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