Gossip Girl is an American drama television series based on the
book series of the same name written by
Cecily von Ziegesar. The series was created by
Josh Schwartz and
Stephanie Savage, and premiered on
The CW on September 19, 2007. On February 24, 2009 The CW renewed the show for a third season.
Narrated by the omniscient yet unseen blogger "Gossip Girl", voiced by
Kristen Bell, the series revolves around the lives of privileged teenagers attending an elite private school in New York City's
Upper East Side.
The series begins with the return of
Serena van der Woodsen (
Blake Lively) from a mysterious stay at a boarding school in Connecticut.
(
Leighton Meester), who creators describe as the queen at the center of their chess game,
is a longtime friend and occasional rival of Serena's,
and the
Queen Bee of
Manhattan's social scene.
The story also follows
Chuck Bass (
Ed Westwick), the resident bad boy of the Upper East Side and boyfriend of Blair Waldorf,
Nate Archibald (
Chace Crawford), Chuck's best friend, and certain outsiders who become part of the turbulent
Manhattan scene:
Dan Humphrey (
Penn Badgley), Nate's friend and Serena's on-again, off-again ex;
Vanessa (
Jessica Szohr), Dan's best friend; and Dan's ambitious sister
Jenny (
Taylor Momsen).
Production
Costume design
The series is known as much for its costume design as it is for its plot. Eric Daman, the series stylist, incorporates rising designers in the series' costume design. In an interview, he stated, "
Alexander Wang and Vena Cava were definitely not mentioned in the books but are essential on the fashion scene in today’s NYC. I felt it really important to incorporate these young designers into the vocabulary of the show as the socialite girls that
GG is based on would know these designers, be the first to find them and the first to wear them. Think
Zac Posen and Lola Schnabel."
