Gossip Girl appreciation post

I am not going to bore you with details, but let's just say I am desperate for any kind of SAG work during this as well as next week - I'll take anything, as long as I make the requirement for insurance eligibility before 9/30! Just in case any casting directors would happen to read this...

Anxiously going through the list of possible employment opportunities in my head, I just realized I have not been on set of Gossip Girl for about three weeks, which means they are probably ready to have me back any day now! Now that would be just perfect, considering my current insurance dilemma! My actor friends think I'm nuts for being so excited about working on the show, since it pays below regular scale and all that... but I can't help myself! Being a hopeless fashion junkie, I am always curious to check out Blair's and Serena's outfits down to the last little accessory piece. And hell, I even enjoy getting wardrobe directions on the night prior to shooting, putting together my own, stylish looks and seeing if the picky wardrobe department will give them a yay or a nay (if any friend might be reading this: no, I am actually not kidding... however, my excitement over dragging clothes, shoes and accessories in a heavy suitcase on the subway to set is reserved for GG only!).

Below is a little behind-the-scenes recap of the work I've done on the show so far this season.

Early July: Vanderbilt charity polo match, shot in the Hamptons. There are simply no words to describe my love for horses. Hence, I really enjoyed being around all the beautiful thoroughbreds that had been brought to set for the polo match shoot. Another nice surprise was not having to wear heels... those are usually a must for any party/gala/event scene on GG, and during summer season thin-strap stilettos or peep-toe slingbacks are typically recommended. Needless to say, we all know those are maximally painful for your poor tootsies, at least if you have to wear them for 15 hours straight! However, for this one we all had to stay in wedges or flats throughout the day so as to not rip up the lawn. Cool with me - I am not ready for bunion surgery just yet!

Serena's look for the day - coral flowy dress with grayish wedge heels, I know you all saw it on TV last week - left me pretty unimpressed, and her horseback stunt double's well visible Spanx did not exactly spice up the outfit. Blair's wardrobe, on the other hand was flawless! Let's forget how tacky she looked from the back - wearing a bra with a dress that's low cut in the back indeed only works on a TV set, where you can select the angles you wish to be seen from. But even so, that green dress was gorgeous and I had to force myself not to stare too much... it's too bad I couldn't take pictures, as it's seemingly impossible to find images of her full outfit online! On a sidenote, I am sitting on some juicy Leighton gossip from that shoot day, but you have to buy me a pair of Chanel flats before I speak....! That would be size 8.5, please.

Most of the ladies were outfitted by the wardrobe department (their hat collection was to die for - I hope you paid attention to the headwear when watching the episode last week!), but I fortunately got to wear my own clothing:

• strapless pink peacock print chiffon dress with sash - Nanette Lepore
• strappy gold wedge sandals - Zigi SoHo
• layered charm necklace - Craigslist find
• gold bracelet - Pilgrim

I didn't really have a clutch that went well with the dress, but had no intention whatsoever to part with my phone, so I hid a little blue mini clutch, containing my iPhone, a compact and some lipgloss, in my hands and prayed that no one would see it or say anything... worked like a charm, and I was emailing and chatting with friends and my agent throughout the day!

Late July: Sotheby's on the UES. Shooting GG exteriors in Manhattan is always crazy, due to the ruthless paparazzi (pictured below) and all the crazy fans. This was a three day affair, shooting an auction scene at Sotheby's, but I had better bookings on day 2 and 3 (as in, NOT background work!), so I only worked the easy part: passing by outside on day 1 wearing two changes of comfy street clothes, while my friends had to suffer for three days straight in their sparkly cocktail dresses and strappy stilettos digging into their feet!

Stylish favorites from this shooting day included Serena's beautiful, hip hugging dress as well as Blair's intricate, braided hair updo. Can't wait to see them on the air! And while I'm at it, here's some props to Ed Westwick for not giving me any 'tude when I mistook him for a background actor and snapped at him to move out of my way. I know, my manners are just impeccable....

Outfit #1:

• fuchsia knitted jumpsuit - Nanette Lepore
• olive green tank top - H&M
  
• tan embellished suede wedge sandals - Dr Scholl
• yellow floral cuff - 80s vintage
  
• charm necklace - Craigslist find
• black quilted ice leather hobo bag with gold chain strap - Marc Jacobs

Outfit #2:

• hot pink/red floral dress with ruffled hem - Kookai
• black suede platform pumps - Steve Madden
• dark gray pearl necklace and earrings - gift from my mom, many years ago
• same MJ bag... I don't mind dragging my stuff around that much, but I will draw the line at bringing more than one purse!

Late August, Meatpacking District. I think I wrote my first entry on this blog ever right after having worked this shoot. I was indeed smitten by Blair's whole outfit, especially the floral skirt and the adorable little Chanel evening purse. Look out for her in the scene at Buddakan where she is yelling at the college rep! I also spotted some delicate silver-ish heels on Serena, as well as one of those rompers they put her in so often, but they were terribly hard to get a closer look at from where I was standing, and I was also miserable from being fresh out of the hospital as well as soaked in rain, so....

I will leave you with some images of paps and loyal fans hanging outside of Buddakan early in the morning, the cupcakes in craft services (I didn't have any... I'm not that into sweets, but I do think cupcakes look awfully pretty!) and even more fans, 14 hours later, braving the rain just to see a glimpse of Blake Lively outside the Chelsea Market.

I think I might be ready to do this soon again..... maybe. :D

xoxoxoxoxo