We know we're a little behind on posting this week's Gossip Girl season finale recap—truthfully, we're so sad to bid the show farewell for the summer that we've been putting it off as long as possible. It was definitely worth the wait: After a few recent fashion-y slumps, this week's episode was chock full of ruffles, intrigue and Vanessa in the most hideous dress ever for Bart and Lily's big wedding extravaganza.

"Why is she still staring at my ass?! This would SO never happen to my mom."

Blair bounced back with flying colors this week, in a parade of cute revenge ensembles (a great green printed jacket to send Georgina off to teen boot camp, a la Jerry Springer), a gorgeous wedding guest dress (pink! flowers!) and the best European schoolgirl, off-to-summer-on-the-Continent dress possible. (Plus some great primary colored suitcases to boot, which we can only imagine are chock full of fantastic French countryside-appropriate ensembles.)

Serena fared a little less well in a series of slouchy lame pieces (make no mistake: the 80s are back!). She did get decked out in a gorgeous floor-length ruffled dress that was straight off the Ralph Lauren runway (though, if it were us, we would have lost the little black gloves).

Even Chuck Bass was back and infinitely more likable in a cute little bow tie. (But for his return to the dark side by show's end, there was a really awful plaid knit vest that was—how do we put this gently?—not exactly slimming. If we can take one thing away from the costume department, it's that in the Gossip Girl world, the more evil you're doing, the uglier and more ill-fitting your outfit gets.)

Really, the biggest and brightest costume casualty of the show was poor Vanessa, who was forced to endure the humiliation of an orange tie-dye "Jenny Humphrey original" in front of hundreds of the Upper East Side's best-dressed. Poor Vanessa can't seem to catch a costume break—and that lime green tulle underskirt only added insult to injury. Nate might have claimed that he and Vanessa split because he was just too busy, but we're willing to bet it was that dress.

And with that, Serena heads to the Hamptons, Blair's off to France and Rufus is writing broody lyrics on a cliché-laden tour bus rolling through leafy middle America. (And we’re turning our fashion attention elsewhere to get through summer hiatus.) Have a great summer, kids! Xoxo, and we'll see you in the fall.

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