Author:Tyler McCallPublish date:Apr 23, 2020Late last evening, my phone began lighting up with Instagram and Twitter notifications, tagging me into threads and posts. Why were so many people sending up my Bat Signal on a hum-drum Wednesday night during quarantine? Variety had posted an interview with actor Sebastian Stan, now a bonafide Marvel Extended Universe superstar, in which he claims that there were no belts on the show "Gossip Girl.
Now, I knew right away that Stan's allegation didn't apply to the female characters on the show. I've spent nearly three years carefully documenting Blair Waldorf's ensembles on my Instagram account for a recurring feature I dubbed #WaldorfWednesday, and I knew I had IDed a belt or two in my time. And, because I have nothing else going on, I started doing a #SerenaSaturday series, and right there, in the first outfit in the pilot episode, is a big ol' belt from Ralph Lauren.
I found proof Chuck wore a belt at least once while doing Belle Epoque cosplay in Paris during season four's debut episode, "Belles de Jour." Suspenders also showed up on more than one occasion. "I think he relaunched menswear and being able to dress like a gentleman," he said. "It wasn't just about jeans and T-shirts and being 'super sport guy.' We took being masculine and made it okay to wear ascots and pink jackets and be flamboyant like a peacock, like men used to be. It wasn't seen as fay or dandy. I love that he really switched a button for men to dress better.