Why Gossip Girl’s Blair Waldorf remains our favourite on-screen style inspiration in 2020

As fans prepare for a reboot of the glossy high school drama, we look back at some of the preppy character's standout looks

(Rex Features)

It might be eight years since Gossip Girl’s final episode, but the sartorial legacy of its characters are permanently stitched into our memories.

Serena van der Woodsen was famed for her laissez-fare designer ensembles, Jenny Humphrey for her kohl-rimmed eyes and punkish plaid and Chunk Bass for his Wall Street suiting. But it was Blair Waldorf whose playful, preppy wardrobe is just as covetable today, if not more so.

Take her headbands, for example. Not even Ms Waldorf could have foreseen the gargantuan renaissance that her trademark accessory would later undergo. What was once considered a kitsch schoolgirl staple became the ultimate cool girl must-have, with everyone from Bella Hadid to Alexa Chung adding some pizazz on their outfits with gaudy headbands.

Then there were the coloured tights, another trend that has made a resurgence in 2020. They came in deep fuschias, sunshine yellows and post-box reds and were suited to all occasions, from high school gossip sessions to Fifth Avenue shopping sprees.

But Blair’s unique aesthetic came to the fore on formal occasions, with her most dramatic arcs often unfolding while clad in couture. Who could forget the scarlet Oscar de la Renta gown she wore to dash across Paris and convince her on-off boyfriend, Chuck Bass, to return to New York City with her? Or the equally frothy pink frock (also by Oscar de la Renta) that she paired with a cream fur-collared blazer and her fizzing-with-diamonds tiara?

To mark HBO’s highly anticipated Gossip Girl reboot – which will see Kristen Bell reprise her role as the narrator – we choose our all-time favourite Blair Waldorf looks from the cult show. See our selections by clicking through the gallery above.