From the Valley to the Upper East Side: Lily Van Der Woodsen’s Style On the Set (and More Hermès Sightings)

All the fans of Gossip Girl know one of the secrets of the show’s success: it tells the stories of rich boys and girls who live in the poshest New York district, boys and girls who are impeccably dressed, who have everything they can possibly desire. Moreover, the actors and actresses of the show live a double life: they play their roles in the series but are celebrities at the same time, so they constantly live under the lens of cameras (the cameras of the paparazzi and the movie cameras). This mise en abîme makes Gossip Girl more than a simple tv show, I would define it a social experiment [1]: take some young actors, move them to New York, give them money, designer clothes, invitations to social events and parties, and see how all this will turn them into tabloid stars.

This is the reason why all the scenes shot outdoors and each public sighting of the protagonists arouses a media frenzy. Blake Lively and Leighton Meester are the queens of the show, I don’t doubt it, but isn’t it frustrating to realize all the media attention is focused on them? I like writing about Kelly Rutherford’s character – Lily Van Der Woodsen – and it’s not easy to find (untagged) pics of her. It’s clear she’s not part of the social experiment!

On August 6th she was spotted on the set wearing a formal outfit – a sleeveless little black dress, lovely Chanel satin Mary-Jane pumps and diamond flower earrings. She had a beige pashmina wrap under her arm, but it was not part of the outfit.

Unfortunately I couldn’t find a close-up of the pumps, because they’re really gorgeous. They have three straps and each is closed by a button. I love her braided updo and her natural make-up.

Earlier that day, she was seen on the set, shooting some daylight scenes. In this case, she was wearing a casual outfit.

She was sporting white Hudson bootcut jeans, two tanks (one white, one taupe), the same pashmina wrap seen above and a stunning Hermès bag. I’m sure this bag is part of her personal collection, but it’s the first time I’ve spotted it on her.

It is a Trim bag in black togo leather with palladium hardware. I love this bag because it looks so roomy and comfortable. Its shape is similar to the iconic Jackie O by Gucci, and maybe it is not a coincidence that both bags were made famous by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. The Trim design was based on an equestrian model, as many Hermès products are — the hay pouches worn around the neck of carriage horses.

We all know Kelly Rutherford is a passionate Hermès collector, so it’s not surprising to see her wearing one of the most popular pieces of jewellery of the French maison, the Collier de Chien cuff bracelet. This is not the first time she has been spotted with such cuff, but she has recently worn it at some social events. On August 1st she attended Super Saturday 12 to Benefit Ovarian Cancer Research Fund, an event hosted by InStyle Magazine at Nova’s Ark Project in Water Mill, New York. She wore a colourful Mara Hoffman printed long dress. Her accessories were Lilly Pulitzer Mckim thong sandals and a Collier de Chien cuff.

The day before she attended the QVC New Style Initiative kick-off dinner in New York. She wore another dress by Mara Hoffman – the India long dress, with short sleeves and cut-outs on the back. Kelly’s exact dress has got Turquoise Mirrors print.

In both cases, she wore the Hermès cuff bracelet, made of white leather with palladium hardware. What I love about it is that it is an ultrachic version of the studded punk cuffs, so it is edgy and classic at the same time. Last Monday I went to Venice to shop at the MAC store, and I also did some window shopping. Hermès windows displayed some gorgeous accessories, Collier de Chien bracelets and a Medor watch included.

They were so utterly gorgeous! I spent some time in front of the window sighing for the Collier de Chiens. I also peeked at the insane price tags:  the one on the left is 755 euros, the one on the right 1.250; the Medor watch is 2.440 euros and the tortoise and leather ring necklace 1.410 euros. Should I win the Italian lottery (at the moment the jackpot is 146.900.000 euros), I will surely return to Venice and grab all those marvellous goodies!

[1] If you can read Italian, please don’t miss this post, where the theory is explained.

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