Blair Waldorf essentially invented the biggest fashion trends of 2024

Gossip (the show and the anonymous blogger) always made it seem like there was only room for one IT girl on the Upper East Side: Serena van der Woodsen. Meanwhile, her best nemesis, Blair Waldorf, despite being a popular straight-A student with an Ivy League education, was always portrayed as insecure as a troubled golden girl. If only GG, aka OG DeuxMoilived until 2024.

Nearly two decades after the show first debuted in 2007, fashion girls are unanimous that the brunette beauty is the most powerful elite on the show. Just take a look at this year’s top trends.

Brightly colored tights, for example, are seeing a resurgence after being introduced in the 2010s by Blair. In fact, they were so widely associated with millennial style that they later became considered “hardcore.” And this is just one of her signature looks that has re-entered the fashion zeitgeist.

WITH Gossip finally returning to Netflix (October 29), it’s time to take a trip down memory lane and give credit where credit is due. From rainbow tights to bodycon slip dresses, here’s a look at some of today’s biggest trends that started with teen queen Constance Billard.

Colored Tights

When Blair first ran the school with an iron, she literally had a uniform. However, to make the prep school her own, she accessorized with colorful stockings.

Her love for the style continued into subsequent seasons of the show, years after graduating from high school, and her selection expanded to include all sorts of patterned tights.

Blair’s penchant for fashion comes in the form of colored tights. Soon after the show premiered, fans and fashion enthusiasts began wearing stockings in every color of the rainbow. It wasn’t until the mid-2010s that they began to be considered “cool” or “uncool” and fell out of favor. And no one reached out for colored tights again… until 2022.

Over the past two years, colored tights have officially made a comeback. Fashion’s brightest stars, including Selena Gomez and Cardi B shows off the trendas an addition to a monochrome outfit or as a pop of color.

Even Blake Lively, who played Serena in the show took inspiration from Blair’s style myself.

Even runways are replete with this look. At the Versace spring/summer 2025 show. Gigi Hadid wore brick red tightsproving that this trend will continue for the next few seasons (at least).

Headbands galore

Another one of Queen B’s main attribute was a thick headband.. For her it was not just an accessory, it was a sign of the elite. Even her minions were expected to wear them.

The wig was so synonymous with Blair’s style and ingrained in her dictatorial style that the dazzling iteration was literally used to coronate the next reigning queen, Constance Billard (Jenny Humphrey).

Like tights, headbands quickly penetrated the masses until they were considered outdated. However, with the advent of the aesthetic of quiet luxury, headbands have made a comeback, especially on the heads of such icons of secretive wealth as Sofia Richie And Jennifer Lawrence.

Today’s celebrity headbands are so Blair-coded that they belong to the same label that Blair used to wear: Jennifer Behr.

Plaid

Blair has never met a plaid print she didn’t like and often incorporates the pattern into her ensembles, either as a statement coat or as accessories. Several times she went the maximalist route and paired plaids with other patterns.

While plaids are a fall staple that gets a makeover each year as temperatures drop, this year more and more people are opting for a lining pattern.

Taylor Swift is an ardent supporter of design. She wore plaids and tartans on dates with Travis Kelce and red carpet performances the same.

Underwear as outerwear

This moment in time should be called “The Naked Years.” The dominant trends, especially this year, are iterations of the lingerie look. The most daring fashionistas show off their bras or panties (or both) in one form or another.

Before lingerie became commonplace, Blair gave viewers a glimpse of what lingerie drawers could look like. Her wardrobe was replete with babydoll dresses, slip dresses, lace pieces and even garters. Although she mostly kept her racy look within the confines of her bedroom, she once attended a party wearing only a lace shirt.

These days, everyone considers lingerie to be the outerwear trend. Sabrina Carpenter is perhaps the biggest fan of this style. Whether she’s on stage or at a party with friends, she practically only wears underwear out. She even likes to add garters to her thigh-high stockings (a combo that suits Blair perfectly).

Meanwhile, people like Lupita Nyong’o also love wearing nightgowns.

Like Carrie Bradshaw before her, Blair’s fashion longevity is impressive – and she will always be a style icon.