I envisioned using this time in lockdown for self betterment, devouring all of the books, emerging with new yogic flexibility and a previously untapped set of culinary skills. In reality, my time has been spent figuring out WFH, becoming my own IT help desk and vegetating in front of Netflix. After finishing the entirety of Friends in the first two weeks, I graduated on to rewatching my teenage favourite, Gossip Girl.
For those not familiar with the premise of Gossip Girl, it’s a noughties tv series, following the fictional lives and scandalous secrets (revealed by the anonymous figure, known only as, Gossip Girl) of the Upper Eastside’s privileged youth and - most importantly - all of the clothes that go along with having excessive amounts of money and an outfit necessary for every possible occasion (even assassin - yes, really).
The show is deliberate in its use of clothing as a means of visually communicating a lifestyle dichotomous to that of (most of) the viewers. The clothing needed to be as fantastical as the lifestyle was excessive and the storylines were dramatic. And as characters discovered shared siblings, hidden identities, married royalty, divorced many times over, died and were resurrected; the clothing remained the visual anchor in amongst the tumultuous six seasons. Much like Sex and the City, clothing was a scene stealing character, and oftentimes the favourite character, elevating the likes of the playground headband from Claire’s Accessories to couture and causing grown women to deliberate rewearing their school uniform to the office.
From the newfound position of a pandemic, the likes of ballgowns and cocktail dresses worn to various soirées and grandiose events is at extreme odds with now. And although under normal circumstances such things would still speak very much of a fantasy; as social interaction has become a limited freedom, watching such abundant social mingling is pure escapism. However, I would posit that as opposed to reality as Gossip Girl is and more specifically the clothing is (it is an entertainment show after all), there is something that is transferable from the screen to real life and the pandemic allows for its full embracement; that of elevated loungewear (and day drinking, of course).
Although the fashion is undeniably fantastic, it is the clothing under the clothes of the Gossip Girl characters that has caused me to reconsider my own interpretation of comfort wear. Due to my very limited interaction with anyone not related to me, a deep apathy has infiltrated my usual excitement for getting dressed, resulting in outfits as nondescript as a brown paper bag. Which has got me to thinking; if I feel this uninspired when left with no one to appease but myself, then who did I dress for in the past?
With no where to go and no one to see (or to see me), what I choose to wear is at the complete determination of myself. Yet I have not realised this to its full potential, instead adopting a lazy-girl cycle of spandex and ease. Until one such day that I noticed the unacknowledged wears of Gossip Girl; those worn before they get dressed and those worn under the outfits. The private items, that are as beautiful as the ballgowns that conceal them. Gossip Girl uses clothing to posit extravagance at all times, regardless of situation or circumstance, whether alone in your penthouse or posing for the paparazzi.
The underwear of Gossip Girl is better than most people’s outerwear. As Gossip Girls’ creative director, Eric Daman explained, they’re “not wearing Hanes”. With silk slip dresses beautiful enough to be worn alone, matching lingerie sets for feeding the ducks, garter belts for breakfast and stockings hidden beneath day wear. When clothes are coming off as frequently as they do in Gossip Girl you can’t blame their need to be prepared. Goodness forbid that they get caught on laundry day. And whilst I acknowledge that a tv show does afford one the artistic license to dress for the fictional world it inhabits, one can allow the fantastical elements to inspire the mundane realities of life.
In this new world of WFH, it’s all too tempting to roll out of bed, change out of pyjamas into equally as comfortable clothing, inhale a coffee, work, yoga, bed and end the day with a Netflix binge, only to do it all again tomorrow. The need to ‘dress-up’, let alone consider matching underwear is a frivolity lost to necessity. However, the satin pyjama sets and silk robes of the show are a little bit of special that can be easily adopted, particularly those of Blair Waldorf. From the removal of her pretty dress and exposure of her negligee at burlesque nightclubs, to the numerous statement making lingerie sets worn under her preppy school uniform, best is never kept for best as everyday is an excuse to make an effort for yourself.
From Olivia Von Halle to Florence & Fred, options of silky bed wear abound. And with WFH encouraging much of what we know to be rethought, dressing as if you made an effort needn’t take effort. Elevated lounge wear epitomises this sentiment. For example when paired with smart bottoms (giving your joggers a rest), a silk pyjama top makes a chic transition to day wear. Proving that bougie loungewear and fancy lingerie can be as conspicuous or as inconspicuous and as practical or as impractical as the wearer desires. Stockings worn under flowy dresses or secretively under sweatpants. A bustier under a cosy cardigan. A silky gown draped over jeans and a t-shirt. Fluffy kitten heeled slippers worn as you tap away at emails on a Monday morning. After all, office etiquette and dress codes aren’t a thing when you’re temporarily your own boss.
Whilst most of us don’t reside in a penthouse, that doesn’t mean that we can’t dress like we live in one. Real life means dressing sensibly, dressing for specific situations, dressing for the weather, dressing with the opinions of others factored in. However, from the sanctuary of home, anything goes. Now is the time to indulge in ourselves in however that manifests. Whether it be overt or covert, investing energy in ourselves to prevent the onset of mundanity is the ultimate act of self love. Something that I’m sure queen B would approve of. XOXO
(Images via: coveteur.com, insider.com & Vogue.es)
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