How to Succeed in Bassness, 1 of 4 - Blair and Serena

Episode Synopsis: The return of Jenny and Eric...they do still exist! Serena still hasn't learned what is appropiate workwear.  Blair and Chuck try to work out their issues, which clearly are on a whole other level of normal people relationship issues.  Dan has qualms about hitting the sheets with Lizzie McGui...I mean Olivia. 

Classic Blair.  Not quite as stuffy as we have seen previously, and finally we see a little leg! Not showing her cheeks like her BFF likes to, but highly appropiate.  The ruffle blouse and the detail on the sweater are a little much together...I suppose then it wouldn't be a "Blair" outfit.

I LOVE these colors on Blair!  The skirt color is simiar to a top she wore in an earlier episode and it is gorgeous.  Again, another classic "Blair" outfit.  There is really nothing bad I can say about it.  I like the blouse with the perfect placement of the brooch, and you can't go wrong with a pencil skirt.  Definitely one of the best outfits of the whole episode!

Has there been some trend or fad that I'm missing out on that says "evening" or "going-out" clothes are now apropos office attire?  Maybe Serena is trying to start it?  In any case, I don't think anyone would wear this to even a PR office.  This dress is too low-cut, too studded, and the piece de resistance is the laces down the sleeves....UGH! You can't see it here, and I only caught a glimpse, but yes this dress was a mini and she had on what appeared to be over-the-knee boots as well. 

At first glance, Serena's outfit seems way more appropiate for work than we are used to seeing on her, but then BAM...boobs! The cardigan is super-cute and has just enough embellishment down the front, but her tank underneath is quite revealing!  However, I really love the necklace...it does kinda work--in a non-office ensemble way. 

Here we see the bottom half, if you can call it a bottom half, more like a middle half.  Another of Serena's now infamous mini mini-skirts! I really like this outift for some type of event or dinner, but seriously for work?  I can't get over what Serena considers business attire...I think I may want to work for this Casey (KC?) woman!

The back of this top, there are no words.  Well, maybe one that keeps popping into my head: swimsuit.

How to Succeed in Bassness, 2 of 4 - Jenny, Lily, and Olivia

Jenny's back!  I don't know where she's been, maybe she's had to stay home and figure out ways to evade the dress code?  This would make sense since this in no way resembles the Constance uniform.  Her jacket is awesome though! Maybe I could borrow it some time??  It's tough but also feminine because with the ruffle-like lapel. 

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She is definitely not wearing the Constance plaid skirt...looks like shorts? And fishnets? And silver heels? Hmmm....I guess high school girls in NYC wear much different clothes to school than Midwest girls. 

Just when I thought it couldn't get any worse...it does.  Jenny looks like some hobo begging for money (or drugs, I suppose) on the Met steps.  And if not a hobo, then definitely on the worst walk of shame I've ever seen.  Oversize t-shirt because she threw up on herself, skirt looks a little ripped and disheveled because she just rolled out of some dude's bed, and hair stringy and messy.  Yeah, that's it for sure.

Lily.  You've just been dressing beautifully.  Epitome of the Upper East Side mother.  Enough said.

I'm not a huge fan of this suit.  The jacket is a little boxy (I really like the neckline of it) though, but overall pretty clean and simple.  I still can't say anthing bad. 

I'm still adjusting to Hilary Duff on the show now, even more so adjusting to the fact that her and Dan are dating.  It just seems weird.  I guess I still see her as Lizzie McGuire...she was great on that, and I think I like her tween-teen wardrobe on that show than her character Olivia's wardrobe here.  The shirt/cardigan, whatever it is, is too buttoned up, literally.  If it was open over a tank, I would like it better.  The color isn't very flattering on her skin tone either.  And paired with that blah colored handbag, no wonder Dan rather wanted to watch her in that vampire movie!

How to Succeed in Bassness, 3 of 4 - Dan, Nate, and Chuck

Dan doesn't have too many costume changes this episode, not that it matters since most of what he wears is a slight variation on the same theme.  But here, Dan actually has on a henley instead of a plaid button-down.  I can't decide if this is hot, or sloppy?

Oh wait! There's the plaid button-down.  I think Rufus donated all his clothes to Dan, or else Dan stole them all before Rufus could move them to Lily's.  The fedora and gun kinda work on him, I think Dan would make a pretty fabulous gangster...

Nate! My love!  You are looking fine, here.  Obivously he's been spending too much time with Dan, but this shirt looks great.  The color is a little bolder for Nate, as he tends to stay with the neutral-blue family, and those jeans look like they are the perfect amount of tightness.  I can't forget to mention his hair...messy but not too much, just plain HOTness.

Someone on this show is actually wearing a hoodie!  Nate is dressing exactly how a college boy should or does...only why don't I ever see college boys that look like this?

Chuck once again is single-handedly reviving the pocket square.  Even though Chuck's clothes always are tailored perfectly and he does make a suit look good,  I'm not really into this combo of shirt, tie, and pocket square. 

Close-up of his shirt and tie.  While Chuck never really does matchy-matchy, this really doesn't look good together.  Is this really a polka dot dress shirt?  Other than that, the tie is definitely pleasing to the eye.

I don't think Chuck can go an episode without wearing some sort of purple, and I thank the wardrobe gods for that!  He looks so cute in purple!  Chuck also can pull a vest off like no one else.  I was so close to having no issues, but then the worst thing that could have happened, did!  HE IS NOT WEARING A BELT!  What is going on??  Does putting a belt on take too much extra time?  Luckily, the no-belt look is not as blatantly obivous as when Carter doesn't wear one...so I guess that's a small plus. 

How to Succeed in Bassness, 4 of 4 - The Costumes

Now of course these characters wouldn't actually dress up as a celebrity, or an animal, or a movie character like regular dress up as for Halloween, why would we expect that?  These Upper-East-Siders dress as an "era."  And the funny thing is that for most of them, it's not too different from their "real-life" clothes.  They must be on a budget, so they pulled pieces that they already owned.  Yeah, right.

Blair's flapper dress and accessories definitely look they something she might wear on a normal night out.  The jet-black chunky necklaces are a little edgy for her, but the thing I'm not understanding are the gloves.  Channeling Michael Jackson of the '20s?

Basically Chuck is really not wearing something significantly different than usual except he traded the pocket square for a flower, and added a fedora

Did women in the '20s wear pants?  I wasn't really aware of that.  I don't even know really what to say about this outfit. 

I must pay some respect to Jenny's hair and makeup.  It looks FAN-tastic.  She doesn't look super pale and her lips are a normal red color.  Her hair doesn't look stringy or dead either! Too bad it takes a costume to for Jenny to make her hair and makeup look normal. 

Nate obivously raided Chuck's closet.

Dan and Olivia.  Meh.  Looks like they are from the right decade, so I guess it works.

And finally...Serena.  Love the cape, it's a nice touch and a little different from what everyone else was wearing. 

But then, Serena takes off the cape.  This is just a beaded, sequined, rhinestoned dress.  Since when does this dress constitute what one would find at a speakeasy?  More than that, and which we can't see here,  it's a mini-dress!  While hemlines were going up during this time, they were definitely not up to Serena's crotch-grazing lengths!....it is a pretty dress though!

PREVIEW: How to Succeed in Bassness

"How to...apply for a job / How to...advance from the mailroom"

I blame the title of this episode for a random How to Succeed in Business earworm a few weeks back. If Gossip Girl and How to Succeed got together and had a baby, we'd be blessed with such numbers as:

"Skanky Original" by Jenny.  She's wearing that to school?  No, seriously?  SOMEONE TELL ME WHAT HAPPENED TO THE CB DRESS CODE!!

"Happy to Keep Her Seat on the Steps Warm" by Eric (vid clip)

"Gotta Stop that Blair" by Chuck (vid clip)

"My Actress Girlfiriend is Not a Toy" by Dan (vid clip)

Extended trailer here.  Kate's YKYLF recap will be up on Thursday, y'all.