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PREVIEW: The Last Days of Disco Stick

Jen — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 01:41:20 +0000

Hilivia and V are so not feeling awkward about what happened last week. No, honestly! (vid clip)

Kelly Rutherford rocks the skinny jeans mere months after giving birth. Also, Jenny has no qualms about uttering the phrase "gonorrhea of the throat" in front of her parents (vid clip)

...but the more horrifying transgression appears to be that Blair has forgotten one of her most valuable pieces of advice: TIGHTS ARE NOT PANTS!!!!!!11!!!! (vid clip)

Trailer here. Episode recap will be up mid-week, as soon as YKYLF HMFIC Jen recovers from Lady Gaga-induced retinal scarring. Oh, did we forget to mention? Lady G guest stars this week. Yay?

They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They? 1 of 4-Jenny, Nate

Jill — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:09:47 +0000

Episode Synopsis: We here at YKYLF don't like to beat around the bush...so let's make note of the elephant in the proverbial (chat) room. We know everyone is talking about this week's episode because of, well, um, little J and her leather gloves of course! We jest dear readers...this episode became an especially hot watercooler topic because of the Dan, Olivia, Vanessa action, but we'll leave the one, two, three times a lady? talk to the pundits, the politicos, and the Parents Television Council, and get on to the business of what we know and love...the fashion!

Jenny was the style star in this week's episode. Her miles of legs, and scrap of fabric someone (not me, but someone) would call a skirt, remind me of something friends of mine (never yours truly) would do when they went out in high school. Have an "appropriate" outfit on to pass the parental check...a leather jacket, tights and booties, a skirt that's past your fingertips--why you're good to go hit up that burger joint! But post check, I (I mean my friends) would hike that skirt up. Could that be what little J did? Because the photo is screaming out:

Hello world! I'm Jenny, and these are my thighs. But look at my smart top. But um, really, how could you, because I'm wearing a skirt that is ABSURDLY SHORT.

This next dress is a little too Stevie Nicks for me. It ages her significantly.

For Jenny's big debut, however, I think this is perfect. She looks, dare I say, her age?

Here's a closer look...I love the fabric. She looks elegant.

But of course little J has to funk it up. And so I present to you her super cool, only cover half her hand, I mean why don't they cover the entire hand, black leather gloves.

They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They? 2 of 4 - Dan, Olivia, Vanessa, Lily, and Rufus

Jill — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:09:33 +0000

Dan in a plaid shirt. Quelle surprise. Olivia with an attention-grabbing necklace. Again, quelle surprise.

Vanessa finds a way to jazz up a traditional cardigan with a bold color. And later she'll find a way to jazz up a typical night out...

In a decidedly more tame atmosphere, Lily's impeccable breeding is rather apparent. I love the pleating at the top of the dress.

And here's those crazy newlyweds at the Ball. Rufus looks so dapper! And that necklace is gorgeous on Lily!

They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They? 3 of 4 - Chuck and Blair

Jill — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:09:15 +0000

Confidence is key to Chuck pulling off this color combination....but he's got that swagger in spades.

And this is Blair's "relaxed" look. You can tell because her clothes aren't dripping in intricate details. The color won't stop you dead in your tracks. And sakes alive, not every hair seems to be in place!

Now this coat is more like the B we know and love. It's in her favorite style (a trench), only Blair could manage the care of this pristine color, and the slight ruffles under the collar? Perfect.

And Blair's beau stays true to form by selecting loungewear in quite the striking hue. Purple is made for royalty, and Bass baby looks like a King.

Love the cuff, the dress I'm not crazy about. Especially because Blair goes head to head at this event with Serena, whose clad in her one-shoulder LBD. And for this round at least, the blonde delivers a quick KO.

Does anyone else see shades of Dynasty in Blair's choice of frocks for the Cotillion Ball? It's the second coming of Alexis Carrington, in a hell yes I'm the Queen bow down to me blazen red dress, with that signature Blair frill of the huge bow around her waist.

They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They? 4 of 4 - Serena

Jill — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 15:08:58 +0000

Nothing screams political savvy like this ultra glam necklace. But props on the jacket, S.

My favorite look of the episode. Serena certainly does love to play with fire. And what better way to be an alluring temptress, I mean, um, just like a super caring and nice employee dropping by some food for the boss, then by donning this season's most popular take on the go-to LBD: the one-shoulder style.

And unlike her usual tendency to amp up her American girl appeal with a curtain of cascading blonde locks, Serena shows her style sensibility by pulling her hair back and making the dress the star here. She looks so elegant. So mature. So seconds away from launching into yet another sound decision...a dangerous liaison with a married man of the people.

And I know Serena isn't big on "layers" or "long sleeves" or her major pet peeve, "pants," but I don't know how she could part ways with that coat, if even for a moment. The buttons, the shape...magnificent.

I wasn't a big fan of the shirtdress. The color was a little drab, and the ensemble was a little more plain then we've come to expect from Serena. But of course, she does give the look the S treatment by letting her locks flow loosely, and by making sure the zipper ventures way past any conceivable notion of professionalism.

PREVIEW: They Shoot Humphreys, Don't They?

Jen — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 04:16:09 +0000

The title of this episode is inspired by the book/film They Shoot Horses, Don't They?, a story about people who appear normal, but in fact, when faced with desparate circumstances, they fall back on questionable morals and are exposed to be nothing more than animals.

In otherwords, it's exactly like Gossip Girl.

So, these new CB minions, with their coordinating colors? So Heathers. In fact, maybe they should have named this episode "Jennys". I don't remember Blair's ladies-in-waiting being quite so matchy-matchy

Chuck lounges around in trousers and suspenders, reading the FT and listening to Chopin. You know, like most 18 year olds do. vid clip

Jenny Blair and Serena fight over Jenny (vid clip)

And oh! Did you know there's going to be a threesome? Yeah, there is. 30 second trailer

To borrow a line from TSH,DT?: UES people are the ultimate spectacle, and next week, Jill is all too happy to, um, speculate.

The Grandfather Part II, 1 of 3 - Serena and Blair

Amanda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:13:00 +0000

Episode Synopsis: Serena is still on the outs with Blair and Nate, so Blair has to find herself a new friend to escort her to Tripp’s election party at Chuck’s hotel. Vanessa walks around with a camera, being annoying (so season 1!), and Nate takes the fall for Tripp’s staged heroic rescue. And, at long last, Serena is mistaken for a hooker. Oh, also, Olivia and Dan’s subplot brings Jimmy Fallon back to my television, and I will never forgive them.

I was spoiled after my first episode featured every character in formalwear. This time, I’m hard-pressed to find enough content for three posts. But I’ll give it the old college try anyway.

Watching this on TV, I thought Serena was wearing pants. But no, she’s just wearing tights with another really short skirt, and what appears to be a bib. A lovely printed bib, but a bib.

I get that metallics are big this fall, but unless sequins provide extra warmth, I don’t see this cardigan offering much shelter from the elements. Then again, this is Serena we’re talking about, and the girl apparently is impervious to cold, if her hemlines are any indication.

So, are Serena’s thighs are off duty this week? Good, those girls could use a break. No, seriously. Normally in a shot like this, we’d have at least three inches of leg showing. But she’s actually going professional for a change and only showing cleavage. I know, not what most people would consider “professional,” but for Serena, this is practically nun-like.

Which is why it's so strange that she was mistaken for a hooker in this episode. Of all the outfits she's worn this year, she's downright demure in this dress. Well, demure for S, anyway. Compare and contrast her outfit with the actual call girl. Yeah. I can see why there’d be some confusion.

Moving on to darling Blair, also wearing metallics. Interesting to see that, since Serena’s out of the picture, Blair’s wearing a dress that could have been stolen from Serena’s closet. The length, the metallics – with the coat on, it looks very sleek. Although, when I was at NYU, the closest I ever came to being this well-dressed in the dorms was the day I decided to put on pants to visit the cafeteria.

A better look at the coat – I love it. A little big on her, but still, I’m a fan.

Without the coat, though, this dress is a major fail. That’s right, Blair. Look shameful. Your dress may be pricey, but it’s not flattering and the material looks cheap. Just because you’re about to befriend a call girl doesn’t mean you should wear lamé. You’re a Waldorf, after all.

I swear we’ve seen Blair in this dress before – or rather, it just feels very, very familiar. It reminds me of the red politician’s wife dress from The Freshman, only even more boring because it lacks a peplum. Instead, it’s just plum, and although it looks good on her, it bores me. There are many adjectives that describe Blair Waldorf – smart, scheming, crazy – but boring should never be one of them.

Neither should “covered in cake,” but Serena changed that.

Poor B. She just wanted a friend, and instead she got Washingtonienne.

The Grandfather Part II, 2 of 3 - Vanessa, Nate and Chuck

Amanda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:12:00 +0000

As soon as I saw Vanessa with her little camcorder in hand, I knew this episode was going to bother me. She is the most annoying student filmmaker since Dawson Leery, but at least he occasionally brushed his hair. And don’t look interested, Nate, you’ll only encourage her.

I guess Vanessa has been too busy to stop back at the dorms to load up on accessories, so instead she went with a top that had a chest plate inlaid on it. Let’s keep an accessory count going, shall we? With this outfit, she’s wearing massive hoop earrings with mini earrings within (1.5), bracelets (3), necklaces (2), and layers of beads on her top (13), bringing us to a total of 19.5 accessories. Well played, Abrams.

(It's like she's saying, "I know, right?")

Too bad, because from this angle, when you can’t see all the other stuff piled on, her outfit could pass for cute.

First off, accessory count: bracelets (3), earrings (1), necklaces (2, but with 6 strands, averaging to 4). That’s a total of eight pieces of jewelry. Almost restrained, for Ms. Abrams. But there’s no excuse for the rest of this outfit. I keep trying to figure out if those are shorts or a skirt, and I’m afraid to believe that they’re shorts, but … I think they may be. I think she’s wearing leggings under shorts, with mid-calf boots. This is how I used to dress when I was six and didn’t know any better. I also used to throw temper tantrums, so it looks like Vanessa and six year old Amanda have a lot in common.

And she put her shirt on backwards. Yeah, Vanessa is totally six year old me. Her character suddenly makes a lot more sense, when you think of her as a really big six year old.

This episode features a lot of deceptive outerwear. First Blair’s coat hides what ends up being a fairly ugly dress. Then, Nate’s topcoat makes him look almost dapper.

Mostly because it hides an untucked shirt. Really, Nathaniel? You can’t be bothered to tuck in your shirt when you’re running your cousin’s congressional campaign?

At least he manages to pull it together for the election night. He almost makes me believe that an 18-year-old is in charge of a 26-year-old’s last minute congressional campaign. Wow, when you say the plot out loud, it doesn’t sound very believable, does it?

Oh, Chuck. Love the three-piece suit, complete with a purple bow tie. The man is a sharp dresser, isn’t he? Those are French cuffs he has on. Meanwhile, Nate can’t be bothered to tuck in his shirt.

He’s running a hotel, Nathaniel, and he still has time to make sure everything is pressed and in its place. Look at him, gesturing broadly, secure in the knowledge that he will always be better dressed than you are.

Oh, Charles. I was on such a roll, talking about what a sharp dresser you are. Then you had to go and steal Cameron Diaz’s hair from There's Something About Mary. Sure, it’s better than your slicked back Gordon Gekko hair, but that doesn’t mean much. At least the rest of you is put together, even if I couldn’t get a screencap of your wearing pants. But I’m going to assume that you’re not pulling a Serena, and that you do in fact have pants on.

The Grandfather Part II, 3 of 3 - Maureen & Tripp, Dan & Olivia

Amanda — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 13:11:00 +0000

Finally, the costumers get to dress a candidate's wife, and not just dress Blair like she is a candidate's wife (where have we seen that ruffled shirt/cardigan combo before? Oh, right, last week). Check out Maureen in her best potential first lady gear.

Even better is seeing her in red. She matches Tripp's tie and she stands out when going up against Grandfather. I especially love that wardrobe defied convention and put a redhead in a very, very red dress. Part of me almost wants Blair to marry Nate, just so she and Maureen can go head to head.

And of course, the hero, Tripp, looking like the lost Kennedy son. Which, if his last scene with Serena was any indication, he very well could be.

Ugh. The bringers of Fallon. I will never forgive them for it. Although, their wardrobes this week may have been punishment enough. They didn’t even get a real costume change, just a switch from pajamas to – well, more pajamas, from the looks of it.

Here’s Dan in the world’s most weathered henley. I’m not sure that he didn’t steal this from a long underwear set.

Also, it looks like swine flu isn’t the only epidemic going around. It seems that Olivia caught lumberjack from Dan.

We did learn one important thing about Olivia this week. Apparently, Olivia can dress herself, she just chooses not to. Really, Olivia? You bring your A-game for Fallon, but you wear Paul Bunyan's hand-me-downs for Scrabble with your boyfriend?

PREVIEW: The Grandfather, Part II

Jen — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:29:40 +0000

One nice thing about Gossip Girl borrowing episode titles from movies is that it allows me to make all sorts of bad puns. So, thanks for that, GG Writers.

Blair raids Serena's closet and finds this little gold number. Hey, I thought they were in a feud! Aren't they about to start a war the likes of which the DiMeo and Leotardo families haven't seen? (Crap. That's The Sopranos, isn't it?)

Serena needs to do the deed, or she sleeps with the fishes (vid clip)

Blair meets her match, and makes her an offer she can't refuse (vid clip)

Extended trailer here. Amanda's dishing out the YKYLF snark next week. Catch it here on Thursday.