Gossip Girl fashion: a farewell to bedhead hair and plaid shirts

The show's ladylike-but-cool look may have been superseded by new teen-TV shows, such as Fresh Meat and Revenge. But for fashion insiders, it has always been a must-watch

The fashion of Gossip Girl. Photograph: James Devaney/WireImage

Jewelled headbands, bow ties, bedhead hair and plaid shirts are all items familiar to the pop landscape these days. They all also have something else in common: their origins on the set of Gossip Girl.

The TV series that began in 2007 starts its sixth and final season tonight, and marks the end of a fashion era. Detailing the lives of Upper East Side rich kids such as Blair Waldorf, Serena van der Woodsen and Chuck Bass (as well as the supposedly poor relations, the Humphreys, hanging out in aircraft hanger lofts in Brooklyn) what this crew wore was of as much interest to viewers as the increasingly silly storylines. With a cast wardrobe that regularly featured Yves Saint Laurent, Lanvin and Moschino, there was also space for newer designers such as Mary Katrantzou to be introduced to a global audience. While young fans of the show couldn't afford these clothes, they clamoured for a little of the look. In 2008, the New York Times hailed it as "one of the biggest influences on how young women spend". It even made fashion stars of its actors – Blake Lively, who plays Serena, featured in Chanel adverts, while Dan Humphrey's Penn Badgley recently starred in a video of Alexander Wang.

The influence of the Gossip Girl look – ladylike but cool – was masterminded by Eric Daman, whose credits include working with Patricia Field on Sex and The City. But the power of that glossy look may be fading. "It was definitely a pre-crash look, but it's about a mash-up now," says Katherine Omerod, senior fashion news and features editor at Grazia. "The unreality of it doesn't chime with the times." Omerod points to the increasing influence of street style, and Malcolm Mackenzie, the editor of teen magazine We Love Pop! thinks this will continue for the next generation. "Our readers probably do watch it but the fashion is a bit high end," he says. "They're much more likely to be influenced by what their friends wear."

For fashion insiders, however, its very niche-ness made it a must-watch. Post-Sex and the City, where else would you find a YSL bag before it hit the shops, a cameo from American Vogue's Hamish Bowles or a whole episode centred around a Roger Vivier shoe? Newer teen TV like Fresh Meat and Revenge might be taking its place with a more "real" idea of what teenagers wear but, with a bit part from Alexa Chung, the return of Blair's headbands and a character who for works for Women's Wears Daily, this last series of Gossip Girl can still count on an audience of front row names. XOXO, Upper East Siders, fashion will miss you, and your outfits.

http://www.guardian.co.uk