Anyone who watches Gossip Girl knows that it's more about fashion than the storyline. Sure, it may not have the most scintillating plot, but it certainly has its fair share of haute couture. The characters may have dubious communication skills, (yes, that means you, Chuck), but they are well versed in Prada, Valentino, and Versace. That being said, I've never understood why Blake always gets to wear the sluttastic getups while Leighton is forced to look like a nun. Perhaps it's due to my partiality to Blair, but I cringe at some of her positively matronly ensembles.








Case in point. Maybe they would work on 40-year-old sample-size soignee socialite, but not on a 19-year-old undergrad currently attending NYU (the land of artfully chipped black nails, strategically ripped tights, and Trash and Vaudeville jeans). She may have style, but Blair will never be "indie chic" - if it can be called chic, that is. Effortlessness, sadly, seems to be the domain of Serena.

In fact, the entire undergrad experience seems somewhat artificial. I mean, who actually goes to college with a personal chaffeur, their own penthouse apartment, and a closetful of designer clothes to make Rachel Zoe jealous? The dorms of NYU are devoid of sweatpants, flip flops, and oversized tees (unless they happen to be artfully slouchy ones by Alexander Wang). Students strut the halls with perfect blow-outs, Birkin bags, and five-inch Louboutins. If this is NYU, then what are the girls wearing at Columbia?