Roman Holiday - Part 1 of 3 - A Christmas Gift

Episode Synopsis:  It's Gossip Girl’s first (only?) Christmas themed episode!  If she doesn't celebrate, does that mean Cyrus is Gossip Girl?  Just a thought.  Dan and Serena struggle with finding each other the perfect gift, as Serena naturally wants to throw money at the problem, while Dan wants to give his Penthouse Princess a prezzie on his Brooklyn budget.

Blair’s anticipating the holiday with a hunger usually reserved for pie: Harold is  returning to New York!  But uh-oh...French lover Roman is in tow. Queen B furthermore lives in fear that Chuck will confess their sordid liaisons to Nate, thus “ruining” the “perfect love” she shares with her ex-ex.

Blah blah something about Rufus and Allison, and Lily is forced to make a decision about Bart. Is he human?  Do his chips need upgrading? Is that machine that replaced his heart as useless as it seems?

It’s winter in NYC, which means we get a glimpse of Dan’s snazzy outerwear, instead of just another LL Bean version of the St. Jude’s uniform.

I think we might have seen this jacket before, and I like it even more this time around—the scarf is very cute on him.  The combination doesn’t make it to chic or sophisticated but it’s a step in the right direction.

Oh Dan, I just wish you would stop searching through Rufus’ laundry for his discarded plaid shirts.  And are those maroon colored jeans?  Serena needs to tell him that yes, there is such a thing as being too hipster.

I swear we’ve seen this particular combination on Dan before—in fact, it looks suspiciously similar to a shirt that Rufus wore—but I am certain this is a repeat.  Rather than complaining about this, I’m actually glad to see at least one of the characters maintaining the façade that this is supposed to be real life.  Only in a fantasy world would you wear something once and discard it.  Or maybe if you were on Real Housewives or Keeping up with the Kardashians.

I liked the pattern of this button-up then, and I still like it now, though I am still befuzzled by Dan fashioning himself as the next Mr. Rodgers.  This one is a little better than the striped monstrosity from “Hi, Society,” but not by much.

To deliver Serena’s Christmas present, Dan throws on what must be Rufus’ jacket.  It looks downright lumberjack, which we all know is Rufus’ forte.

It’s not as horrible as it could have been—Dan has youth and the careless attitude that seems to elude his father.  However, if it was really December in New York and supposedly freezing, why is the cardigan not buttoned and the jacket wide open, exposing our dear Humphrey to the elements?

Vanessa gives Dan the best Christmas gift she could—not embarrassing him horribly when she shows up at the St. Jude’s and Constance-Billard Holiday Bazaar.

Of course, since it’s Vanessa, she can’t wear a single piece of clothing that’s un-embellished.  This red scarf, which I do like, and which does look good on her, has some gold sheen to it, as well as an assortment of beaded fringe.  But the simple black jacket is good, and the plain gray stripe shirt she’s wearing underneath evens out the rest.  Plus, her hair and makeup are about as good as they ever get for Vanessa.

Even this outfit she wears to work in the café is a significant improvement.

If you must mix patterns, this is the way you should do it.  I like the subtle purple stripe of Vanessa’s shirt and the flattering jeans. However, I’m not sure how I feel about the leopard print wrap sweater.  From the front, it’s a surprisingly wonderful piece to see Vanessa wearing.  Then you look at the back, and you realize that this is still Vanessa, which means every single compliment is accompanied by about a dozen caveats.

I don’t see why the shrug part was entirely necessary.  It really ruins the whole sweater.

 A simple gold necklace, her normal, ugly gold hoops, and a few bangles complete the look, which is surprisingly understated for Miss Abrams.  Let’s face it, she’s never going to leave the bangles—I challenge you to find any outfit where she isn’t wearing at least one bangle.

Not surprisingly, Serena is initially hesitant about Vanessa’s offer to help select Dan’s Christmas gift, and who can blame her?  It’s not like Serena’s got the greatest taste in the world, but she’s still heads and tails above Vanessa.

Another super cute, yet undeniably sophisticated Serena van der Woodsen school uniform.  I love the muted red of her suede jacket, and the loose tie with the pin.  You can’t see the rest in the above picture, but it’s paired with a short plaid skirt, navy tights and knee high brown boots.  Plus, her hair is absolutely stunning.

Later for Christmas shopping, Serena changes into a figure-hugging stripped sweater dress.

I'm honestly not not a fan of this —horizontal stripes, even in a nice shade of pink, aren’t very flattering on anyone, even if your name is Serena.  The gray tights are hideous.  Nobody should ever wear gray tights, which is a rule I've laid down before.  Keep up, Miss van der Woodsen!

The one positive of the ensemble is the navy blue wool coat and her long blonde waves.  Gorgeous!

She makes up for the sweater dress fail by wearing the most stunning dark crimson sequined tank dress to Eleanor Waldorf’s Christmas party.

I know I point out Serena’s unfortunate affection for sequins frequently, but the party is the right place to wear them.  She gets it right (for once)—though even I have to admit this is more than just right.  The whole outfit is flawless.  I love the fit, and the shade of red with her coloring.  Even the layered delicate gold necklaces are understated and lovely.

Is it any wonder that Dan’s rendered nearly speechless when he finds her surrounded by fake snow?  I don’t think she could have picked a better Christmas present for him.

Christmas morning, Serena makes the walk of shame home and changes into this.

Yeah, that’s exactly what you wear for opening gifts with your family.  At this point I would ask if Serena has any notion of propriety, but then we already know the answer to that one.  It’s not even that it’s ugly—it isn’t, it’s a gorgeous negligee.  I don’t know if I would have paired it with a baby pink robe, but that’s beside the point.  My issue is more with the appropriateness of what she’s wearing during this particular occasion.

Jenny and Eric are on hand to help their siblings find the perfect Christmas gift for their loved ones.  Jenny in particular seems to know exactly what Christmas attire calls for.

This black and white houndstooth coat is stunning on her, and what an adorable red knitted cap!  I don’t even care that the entire Constance-Billard choir is wearing the same hats; it still looks brilliant on her.  Eric Daman did a great job with red in the wardrobe this episode.

This particular outfit is less successful.  The shirt itself is not awful—I like the knit detailing on the neckline.

But those plaid pants are just utter fail.  Good thing the Queen B didn’t see her rival wearing those.  That's prime blackmail material.

Yes, this is two plaids, but I can’t help but think Jenny looks adorable. The plaid hooded jacket with the cinched waist is very flattering on her.

Plus the leggings with the contrasting socks paired with boots are really cute.  She looks like a much younger, slightly less sophisticated version of Serena. And yes, I mean that as a compliment.

Christmas morning, she even wears the same two colors as Serena does, except Jenny’s pajamas are night and day from her older doppelganger.

I know I use the term “cute” in conjunction with Jenny way too often while writing blogs, but there’s no other word that fits this particular ensemble.  It’s so Jenny and so adorable.  In fact, I think I had pajamas similar to those when I was her age.  A great, age-appropriate touch of realism.

Eric shows up to the Waldorf’s Christmas Party wearing a much-improved version of a typical Dan outfit.

He too is wearing a cardigan (or is it a sweater?  I can’t tell), but it works here, plus I love the maroon color with the white shirt and brownish-gold tie.

Plus, his hair looks excellent--one of the few times it actually looks good through four seasons.

He apparently got the memo, unlike his sister Serena, that early-morning family occasions aren’t the time to wear as little clothing as possible.

What an adorable plaid robe—I love his casual t-shirt because it's just the sort of thing a teenage boy would sleep in.

A Marlins jersey?  What was Bart thinking?  I hope Eric stuffs it a drawer and forgets he even owns it.

Roman Holiday - Part 2 of 3 - A Homecoming for Harold

Oh, Eleanor.  How many times must I tell you that shiny does not equal luxurious?  This gray shirt with the attached scarf is just hideous, and unbelievably unflattering.

Shall we look at it again from another angle?

Case closed. I think this alone should be enough to turn Eleanor off shiny tight fabrics, but we all know she’ll be back again next week, wearing the same ugly blouses.

This is about a million times better.  I mentioned earlier that Eric Daman did a wonderful job with red touches in this episode and this is one of those.  Eleanor’s red plaid wrap is flattering and beautiful with her skin tone.  I also love the fur hat perched rakishly on her head.   She looks fabulous here—alive and much younger because of the bright color.

Even better—no shiny in sight!

Oh no.  More shiny.

Shiny jackets are even worse than shiny shirts.  I do like the shade of dark red, but the fabric itself is terrible.  Can’t Eleanor pull out a fabulous dress like the one she wore for her Moroccan party back in “The Handmaiden’s Tale”?  She's a famous fashion designer and this is the best she can do?  I find this difficult to believe.

Even her peignoir set is shiny.  But I’m going to give her a free pass because she’s lovely and glowing after her hookup with Roman’s friend.

As for Eleanor’s ex-husband, Harold looks classic and elegant in his sweater and slacks combination.

Again, more great red from Eric Daman.  I love this maroon sweater paired with the light pink polo and gray slacks.  He looks fantastic.

Harold looks even better during the ice skating excursion.  Love the layered light blue and camel shirts, topped by the perfectly cut gray blazer.  Extraordinarily classy.  Male chic without looking overly ridiculous.

Unfortunately he too swings and misses at his ex-wife’s Christmas get-together.

The red and green is subtle and well-done.  Not too cheesy.  I especially like the striped pattern with olive greens and browns in his sweater.  Casual but dressy enough for a party.

However . . . 

Plaid bell bottoms?  Really?  Harold, I am disappointed.  Blair should have said something.  She definitely would have if it had been one of her St. Jude's boys.  But I guess this really does prove love is blind.

The next morning, he changes into a much improved outfit.

Harold gets my Chuck Bass Man-of-Fashion award for this episode, mostly for this inspired ensemble of plaid shirt, Fair Isle sweater, and that wonderful gray jacket.  Mixing patterns can be a risky business, as Vanessa has learned, but clearly Harold Waldorf is a master (just make sure that plaid and pants are not involved).

As for Harold’s lover, Roman, I can’t say that I’m honestly impressed.

We’ve been hearing about Roman since the premiere episode of Gossip Girl, but this is the first time he appears on the show, and after such a buildup, this is kind of a letdown.

I find it difficult to believe that this man was a model as recently as a year prior.  Not that he’s ugly necessarily, but he’s old.  And his face looks well...not very model-like.  Also, that heavily patterned shirt underneath his staid gray sweater looks like something you’d wear to Miami South Beach, not a Manhattan penthouse.  No wonder Blair was upset at his unexpected arrival.

For ice skating, he does a little better.  I really think this leather jacket looks good on him, and the gray turtleneck is moving in more model-chic direction.  Plus, whatever he did to his hair was a vast improvement.

For the party, he goes the simple route again.

Nothing to complain about.  Again, red looks great on Roman.  It does glisten slightly, but I think it isn't quite shiny enough to invoke the same wrath Eleanor does on a routine basis. I’m not sure about the blazer—it’s hard to see but I think it might be a very dark brown, and perhaps a velvet.  If I’m right than this is much worse than I thought it was, but because I’m not sure, he also gets a free pass.

Definitely my favorite look of Roman’s from this episode has to be this one, worn on Christmas morning:

The smartly tailored, navy blue military jacket is wonderful, and I even love the white and blue knit sweater he’s wearing underneath.  Take note, Dan, this is what you should be wearing when you pull a sweater and/or cardigan out of your closet—if closets even exist in the fashion black hole that’s the Humphrey loft.

Finally, we have the most important Waldorf of all:  Miss Blair herself.

Christmas might not be Thanksgiving, but Blair’s still putting her best foot forward, since her dad’s coming home this year.

Unlike Serena, sometimes Blair’s schoolgirl outfits border on fussy and overdone.  Of course, also unlike Serena, Blair believes in covering up the goods and that sequins aren’t for every occasion.

Regardless, this is still a bit much.

I like the idea of the outfit, but in execution, it all becomes a bit much.  The ruffled placket on her shirt and the cute red bow belt might have worked on their own, but together, it’s overkill.  The blue jacket and its matching skirt are good simple pieces.  The headband is a nice touch, but again, it feels like one cute accessory too many.

Without the bow belt, the headband looks like the perfect finishing touch—a red ribbon pulling together Blair’s wonderful red patent leather bag and the navy in the plaid echoing the blue in her coat and skirt.  I can’t tell what the emblem is, but it looks festive.

Unfortunately the full view is even worse.

The clashing blue of the tights combined with those butt-ugly shiny black boots push this into a hot mess zone.

I went back and forth on this next outfit, and I finally decided that even if it’s twee even for Blair and the overall cheesiness is excessive, I don’t care.  I love it anyway, if only because it’s such a Blair thing to wear.  Of course she would own figure skating outfits.  This is Blair Waldorf we’re talking about, whose wardrobe is only slightly less obsessively-complete than Cher in Clueless.

Is it ridiculous?  Absolutely.  But in my mind, this is a very pre-series outfit, which makes sense.  Harold’s back in town, and suddenly Blair morphs back into his “Blair-bear.”  There’s a lot of over-dressed similarity between this and the jumper/turtleneck combination Blair wears in the flashback sequence of “Blair Waldorf Must Pie!”

To start at the top, the beret is Jenny levels of adorable.  Love the little puffballs, like tiny marshmallows.  Even the ivory gloves have tiny bows on them. 

But just in case you actually believed that Blair owned a matching tulle-lined plaid skirt and a capelet, you are wrong.  The pieces, which I always assumed matched, don’t.  No, if you look closely, they are similar plaids, but they are not the same.  Matchy-matchy crisis averted.

I don't know what happened at Eleanor's Christmas party but there was a serious lack of good sartorial decisions.

Unlike Blair’s figure skating ensemble, I have absolutely zero compunction in saying this is a horrible outfit, unflattering and downright ugly.  I hate the ivory and gold brocade of the dress—it looks exactly like the tablecloth my mother uses at Christmas.

Even worse, it fits poorly, hanging on poor Blair more like a sack than a dress.

And the final insult?

That awful red headband.  Why is it so puffy?  God only knows.  The whole outfit is just a mistake; in retrospect, Blair should be pleased than neither Chuck or Nate had to witness this fashion disaster.

I know I laid into Serena pretty heavily for her Christmas morning nightwear, calling its scantiness inappropriate.

Well, I’m going to be hypocritical now, and say that Blair’s is awesome.

Does Blair get a free pass because the red and white polka-dot pattern of her very short nightgown is reminiscent of innocent Disney characters and therefore permissible?  I don’t know, but I do acknowledge that my opinion of Blair’s appearance is probably not very fair to Serena.

Also, I think I need to point out that this is the same white filmy robe we see Blair wear for almost all of season 1.  Props to Eric Daman for consistency—even Blair wouldn’t have more than one or two robes in her wardrobe.

Roman Holiday - Part 3 of 3 - Couples in Crisis

The episode begins with a rather awkward run-in between Rufus and Allison with Lily and her new man, Bart Bass.

Is it awkward because of the romantic tension or because one pair is so badly dressed in comparison to the other?  Hard to say.

I bet it’s not hard for you to guess who the poorly turned out pair is, though.

Yes, that olive green stripped sweater of Rufus’ is back with a vengeance, this time paired with a muted red plaid scarf in a nod to the holiday season.  If I never have to see that sweater again, I’ll throw a party, Gossip Girl style.

For being an edgy ex-rock star, Rufus certainly has terrible taste in leather jackets.  This one looks like he picked it up for $50 at one of those duty-free stores at the airport.

And the crowning evidence that Rufus is (and will ever be) fashionably lame?

I present his Christmas attire:

Could he be any blander?  I honestly do not see what Lily saw in him.  Maybe he used to dress better?  You’ve got to hope so.  Though I will admit to finding him in an apron adorable.  Maybe any man in an apron is automatically adorable?

Rufus’ soon to be ex-wife doesn’t do any better (hey, you knew her three episode guest run was coming to a close, so this had to be her final appearance).

This jacket is the step-sister to a sweatshirt.  Lily van der Woodsen doesn’t even know what a sweatshirt is, even though we do have evidence she owns a cashmere snuggie.

Fur-lined hood or no, this is what’s referred to as not trying very hard.

I’ve never seen any character with such an affinity for cowl-necked sweaters and jeans.  This one is a nice shade of muted cranberry.  That’s really the best thing I can say about it.

I actually like the cut and design of this one better, but it’s still a cowl-necked sweater so I’m not sure that even matters.

Oh, Lily, you single-handedly save all characters over the age of 21 from looking dowdy and bizarre.

The trench coat is so chic and fits her flawlessly.  

The camel turtleneck is luxe-looking and complements both her coloring and the pale gray of the coat.  Well done, Lily, but not very surprising.  This is your equivalent of Allison’s sweatshirt fail.

I’m honestly not sure how I feel about this gold dress.  I feel like there’s too many overly-designed elements going on around the bodice area. There's gold lace trim, a gold sequin inset, as well as the gold-patterned fabric.  Still, you have to give her props for trying and for actually donning a party-like dress, unlike Eleanor who wore an ugly shiny red jacket and pants or Blair who decided on a bag fashioned out of some curtains.  You can’t deny it—Lily looks festive, despite also looking like she’s trying a little too hard.

Another example of trying too hard:  when everyone is in their pajamas for Christmas morning and you literally not only dress, but wear jewelry.

Yes, your boyfriend is present—and he’s not just your boyfriend, but uber-billionaire Bart Bass—but that’s a bit excessive, don’t you think?

I do like the necklace though.  The combination of small and larger links is interesting.  Not really a fan of what I can see of her top—it’s a bit too wrinkly and I don’t think I like that shade of brown on her.

Bart Bass has more money than God and since his son wasn’t in this episode, I have to rhapsodize over at least one Bass per blog.  So Bart it is.

No red here, but I really like the combination of different shades of blue.  Navy in the coat, lighter sky blue in his shirt, and a medium blue pattern in his tie.  This is the effect that I think Blair was going for with her school uniform, she just didn’t quite get there.  I can’t say I like the white collar with contrasting colored shirt, but he is working it.

For Christmas morning, Bart dresses down probably about as much as he ever does.  No Marlins jerseys for him! 

He pairs a pair of dark slacks with a light blue shirt with a tiny white check pattern, a red tie, and a very luxurious looking gray sweater.  He looks great, and like Chuck, it would be nice to see him dress down a little more often.