A LOOK BACK AT GOSSIP GIRL'S FINEST FASHION MOMENTS

The series finale of Gossip Girl is a mere eleven episodes away. While many a cynic may argue that the show actually ended sometime during the second season, for us die-hard Upper East Side wannabes, this news is harder hitting than a Nairtini to the head. Of course, what we'll miss most of all is the fashion. Gossip Girl has been on top of the fashion game since its first "XOXO" way back in early 2007, and as the series progressed, the characters' signature styles arguably surpassed the plot development in terms of critical praise. Between Blair's preppy headbands, Chuck's dandy suits, and Serena's gravity-defying cleavage, the influence the kids of Constance have had on street style and fashion spreads alike is undeniable. So, as a tearful ode to our favorite CW soap, here's a look back at some of the style stand-outs that have made the last five years of impossible-to-follow plot lines a little more bearable.

Bright Tights

Pre-Gossip Girl, I was aware of only three colors of stockings and whom exactly they applied to: Black was for grown-ups, white was for children, and sheer nylons were for women with no taste (a valuable lesson I learned from Paris Hilton). I dreaded that time of year when the air got a little too cool for bare legs--but Gossip Girl changed all that. The girls of Constance, led by Queen B, treated their tights as accessories, often coordinating them with aformentioned headbands. Suddenly, I dreaded going bare-legged in the summer--my outfits all seemed so incomplete and, quite frankly, lame-o sans bright, matching tights.

Blair's Headbands

Before Blair Waldorf, the wearing of headbands and hair bows was generally reserved for the six-and-under set. But the first season of Gossip Girl totally changed all that forever--or at least a couple of seasons, anyway. Fine, so Leighton Meester was technically playing the role of a high school student--but her character managed to make childlike hair adornments totally appropriate for us adult-folk. She had a different one for every outfit: They were sweet without being obnoxious and suited the role to a tee.

I don't care what any American Apparel-hoarding, Williamsburg-dwelling hipster tells you: Those hair bows you're wearing were made possible by the one, the only...Blair Waldorf.