Costume designer Eric Daman speaks to Bustle about the evolution of ‚Gossip Girl‘ fashion, from the original to the reboot.
Celebrity Style According to costume designer Eric Daman. When Gossip Girl first debuted in 2007, the iPhone and Twitter had just debuted, Instagram was still five years away, and TikTok was barely a pipe dream. Sustainability wasn’t a major part of the sartorial lexicon, and ‘90s trends were being rejected in favor of naughties maximalism. Since then, the world of social media and fashion has completely changed, and so too has the Gossip Girl wardrobe. Costume Designer Eric Daman, who worked on both iterations, acknowledges that his approach to the series fashion has changed with the times. For one, vintage shopping was frowned upon by the characters in the original series, which Daman calls “O.G.G.G.” “I didn’t do any vintage on the original,” he tells Bustle. “Sustainability is much more embraced now. It’s really important to this generation and also to me to have a [responsible] fashion footprint moving forward.” Likewise, the over-the-top 2000s aesthetic has been replaced by a return to ‘90s restraint. “We’re going into this more minimalist world,” says Daman, whose previous credits include Sex and The City. “It’s not the crayon-colored tights and bright boots. It’s a very pared down almost monochromatic palette [today].” Ahead, Daman speaks to Bustle about the evolution of Gossip Girl costume design, from the impact of social media to the introduction of thrifting. The key difference between the Gossip Girl series wardrobes is maximalism vs. minimalism. Julien Calloway’s sleek patent pants and Zoya Lott’s sheath dresses are a long way from Blair Waldorf’s bright-red tights and Serena Van Der Woodsen’s ubiquitous headbands. “I feel like there was a maximalism that I brought from Sex and the City into Gossip Girl — O.
