On tonight's Gossip Girl, there's an eighties flashback scene in which we see Lily van der Woodsen as a teenager (Brittany Snow) who has to find an outfit suitable for clubbing.
Scouring through her older sister’s locker, Lily tries on every type of Eighties outfit imaginable -- an Olivia Newton-John "Physical" getup, a hard-edged Pat Benatar ensemble and Madonna's classic combo of a belly shirt and suspenders — before finally settling into a strong-shouldered jacket, tiered dress and electric pink Givenchy heels. And over the course of an hour, viewers are transported back in time to the decade of excess.
The walk down memory lane may not be the only blast from the past. Gossip Girl executive producers Josh Schwartz and Stephanie Savage hope this episode will serve as a sneak peek at their as-yet-untitled Gossip Girl spin-off, which chronicles the wild adventures of a 17-year-old Lily in Los Angeles, circa 1983, with Eighties garb courtesy of Los Angeles-based costume designer Meredith Markworth-Pollack (the CW reveals its fall schedule on May 21).
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Lily's wardrobe starts off modeled after prim and proper Blair Warner from The Facts of Life, but undergoes a drastic transformation. "In the opening scenes, she dresses very preppy, which shows how she was brought up," says Snow. "Later, she has to fit into the [rock 'n' roll] scene her sister is living in," she says. "[Lily] is very out of her element in these clothes; you can see how uncomfortable she is."
Meredith Markworth-Pollack immersed herself in classic Eighties movies such as The Breakfast Club to prepare for the onslaught of Eighties costumes. She also used Andrew McCarthy (who starred in so many Eighties movies) as a style consultant. Andrew will appear in the new show, and was able to give Meredith the lowdown on the fashions of the day.
"He's king of the Eighties movie. He had the final word," she says.
