American Girls in Paris

The first two seasons of Gossip Girl were an amazing revolution in TV. It had all the grit and drama of teen TV but with the added benefit of exciting fashion and actually talented and stylish characters. But then the show succumbed to the curse of the third season, as with the OC (they have the same creator, Josh Schwartz), and descended into a meaningless melodrama of inflated character egos and banal and unrealistic plotlines. The only saving grace of the third season was Jenny Humphrey's styling which, it appears, is just an extension of Taylor Momsen's own wardrobe of fishnets, leather jackets and vintage underwear. I don't have particularly great expectations for the fourth season, particularly due to the absence of Momsen, and especially as the third season ending was so ridiculous. However, the multiple images leaked on the net of Leighton Meester and Blake Lively filming scenes in Paris provides some source of interest and hope that at least the fashion may have improved. Blake's character Serena was renowned for swanning around during the day wearing completely inappropriate body con dresses and other items of attire which exposed both her ample bosom and enviably long legs in a distinctly provocative manner which bordered on being slutty. Nevertheless these new images suggest that Serena's style has taken a turn back to the more bohemian glamour of the first season with touches of SATC quirky individuality (unsurprising as GG's stylist Eric Daman was an assistant to Patricia Field). Serena seems to be wearing more trousers and experimenting with tailored pieces and embellished fabrics rather than the stretchy lurex of last season. If things continue this way I may even start watching the show again and not feel so guilty about watching crap TV.