We’ve been going through a severe case of GGW—that’s Gossip Girl Withdrawal, of course—ever since the CW’s beloved teen dramedy went on summer hiatus. (Though we’re keeping ourselves entertained with regular repeats, airing Monday nights, as well as following the real-life coupling of stars Blake Lively and Penn Badgely. Hey, we’ll take anything we can get.)

We also thought it would ease our suffering to take a trip through some of our favorite looks from episodes past. Join us, won’t you?

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.

"Listen to me: I'm wearing a leopard print sweater, and they gave me those ugly earrings to wear...AGAIN. I want out of my contract!" Photo Courtesy of the CW.

It's no secret that our beloved Gossip Girl has been suffering in the ratings ever since it returned from the writer's strike hiatus. We can't quite figure out why–after all, everyone we know watches it religiously–but if we ever manage to meet one of those influential Nielsen audience members, we're definitely planning to give them a piece of our mind about this. (Come to think of it, we're still pretty bitter they didn't give Arrested Development and My So-Called Life more love, too.)
 
Now, short of accosting Nielsen viewers to help up the ratings, we'd have to say the producers would probably see a bigger boost if the shows had more than one outfit change. This week's episode was fraught with over-the-top drama, but that's no excuse for the lack of eye candy on our small screen. I mean, Blair in two outfits? For the whole show? What is our TV world coming to?

GG's somber storyline (death! drugs! fuzzy flashbacks!) also set the tone for some subdued ensembles. Absent from this week's show were Jenny and the clique-y crew in their cheerful day-glo bright outfits (though I'm getting really tired of the whole "this character is not on this episode because she decided to take a spontaneous trip!" excuse). Instead, we had our fill of mustard-y yellows, burnt oranges, deep purples and lots of black. Sequined, very cute black (on Blair toward the episode's end), but black nonetheless.

We are a little behind on catching this week’s Gossip Girl, but it was definitely worth the wait. Chuck and Nate were sadly absent for this episode—what’s up with that? We demand Chuck in brights!—but the featured fashions and the dramatic frenzy more than kept us happily distracted.

The devil wears skanky tights (and lots of blue). Photo courtesy of the CW.

If we learned anything from this week’s episode, it was: 1) Never trust an ex-best friend with an extreme fondness for royal blue; 2) Boys can totally wear brights this season, too; and 3) Invest in hairband companies *stat*.

But to rewind a bit: Ever since the CW network’s delightfully stylish teen dramedy Gossip Girl (a.k.a., GG) returned last week, we’ve had it highlighted as the “must do” event on our Monday night calendar. (Actually, the boyfriend suggested we run out to see Forgetting Sarah Marshall–co-starring the uber-cute Kristen Bell, narrator of GG and also the former Veronica Mars—and we immediately rejected the idea, despite our love for the movie’s producer, Judd Apatow. GG on Tivo? It’s just not the same!)

Of course, Monday night’s GG did not disappoint. It featured the much-anticipated arrival of Michelle Trachtenberg (formerly best-known as Buffy’s little sister) as Georgina, the show’s new Bad Girl, who spent much of the episode in slightly skanky clothing (in today’s world, black rubbery tights = pure evil!) and a lot of royal blue (which got a tad tiring but, we have to admit, does really work for her).