Gossip Girl: Who's dated who?

During the trip back to Madrid after the VIII Congreso de Moda in the Navarra University (I'll tell you about it soon), I watched the latest episodes of Gossip Girl Season 4. Even though I already knew they weren't promising (you can read the post in which I talk about that), I missed the Upper East Siders. And I was right, despite Clémence Poèsy being on the show (she's great), the story is so ridiculous that every episode is more and more absurd. They don't know what to do, all the main characters have dated each other. Have a look at the scheme I made. You'll see that Nate has dated all the girls, and Dan can only date Blair to complete the circle (it would be the last straw, but the story would be interesting). Lily van der Woodsen (Serena's mother) is quite "friendly" too, she has dated Chuck's dad and Rufus, Dan and Jenny's dad.

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En el viaje de vuelta del VIII Congreso de Moda en la Universidad de Navarra (del que pronto os hablaré) estuve viendo los capítulos de la 4ª Temporada de Gossip Girl. Aunque ya sabía que no prometían nada bueno (podéis leer el post en el que opino sobre eso), echaba de menos a los Upper East Siders. Y tenía razón, no basta con que salga Clémence Poèsy (que está fantástica en la serie), el guión es tan ridículo que cada episodio es más absurdo que el anterior. Ya no saben qué hacer, si prácticamente todos los personajes principales se han liado entre ellos. Echadle un vistazo al cuadro de parejas que he hecho. Os daréis cuenta que Nate ha salido con todas las protagonistas principales, y a Dan sólo le queda enrollarse con Blair (sería el colmo, pero daría para mucha historia). Lily van der Woodsen (madre de Serena) también tiene lo suyo, ha estado con el padre de Chuck y con Rufus, padre de Dan y Jenny.



Updated: I had forgotten about Chuck and Vanessa! Thanks to Eme and Marcos for the tip.

Magazines they are a-changin'

This month's been a surprise seeing how almost every spanish fashion magazine has redesigned their layout. They've changed fonts, the proportion between images and text... I don't know if it's just that I care about that kind of things (good art direction is vital), but it's true that it makes you see the content differently. And if that layout change is accompanied by an improvement of the contents, well, then it's just awesome.

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Este mes ha sido toda una sorpresa ver que casi todas las revistas españolas habían rediseñado (aunque sea mínimamente) la maquetación. Cambios en tipografías, proporción de las fotografías y el texto... No sé si es porque yo me fijo mucho en esas cosas (una buena maquetación es vital), pero lo cierto es que te hace ver el contenido de otra manera. Y si ese cambio en la dirección de arte viene acompañado de un giro en los contenidos (mejorándolos), ya es genial.

Vogue Spain

Vogue Spain covers are usually very dull. Even though the september one with Miranda Kerr was really pretty, they stuck to their scheme (the same models, classic cropping, etc). Nevertheless, the october cover is a 180º turn. When I saw it, I thought: "This can't be Vogue Spain". But it was. An amazing cover, uncommon, strange frame and fantastic, two models... And in black & white!

If they keep making covers like this, it will be great.

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Normalmente las portadas de Vogue España no dicen nada, te dejan indiferente. Aunque la de septiembre con Miranda Kerr era muy bonita, continuaban en su línea (planos medios, clásicos, etc). Sin embargo, la portada de su número de Octubre es un giro de 180º. Cuando la vi, pensé "Esto no puede ser Vogue España". Pero sí, era Vogue España. Una portada increíble, fuera de lo común, con un encuadre extraño y fantástico, con dos modelos... ¡Y en blanco y negro!

Si siguen así, será todo un gusto.


Elle Spain

In Elle Spain they had good articles and good editorials from time to time, but they never took risks, and published content of very poor taste sometimes. It seems the change in the direction (the editor in chief resigned after quite difficult problems), is changing things radically. You just have to see their latest two covers (one below) and compare them with the ones they used to make (see them here) They are stunning. Now THAT is a fashion magazine! If they don't make the traditional special issue on december featuring a naked "celebrity" covered in Swarovsky crystals, it will be a good sign.

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En Elle España tenían algunos buenos artículos y de vez en cuando buenas editoriales, pero no arriesgaban nada, y en ocasiones, rayaban en el mal gusto. Parece ser que con el cambio en la dirección (la editora jefe dimitió tras duras polémicas), las cosas están cambiado radicalmente, y muy para bien. Sólo hay que ver las últimas dos portadas (abajo veréis la de octubre), y compararlas con las que solían hacer (ver aquí) Son realmente buenas ¡Esto sí es una revista de moda! Si en diciembre no sacan la tradicional portada con cristalitos Swarovsky sobre alguien desnudo, será buena señal, podemos respirar aliviados.

Marie Claire Spain
Changes in design. If I already liked it, now I like it even more! /// Cambios en la maquetación. Si ya de por sí me encantaba, ¡ahora todavía más!



Vanidad

Vanidad's case is different. They changed looks some months ago. The magazine used to have black edge (awesome!), and the pages had a very chic allure. They changed everything, and although I still like, I prefer the old version...

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El caso de Vanidad es diferente. Cambiaron de look hace ya meses. Antes el canto de las revistas era negro (absolutamente genial), y tenía un look muy chic. Lo cambiaron todo, y aunque me sigue gustando, "El formato antiguo de Vanidad molaba mucho más"... (como dice el grupo de Facebook)

all images scanned by me (except for the Vogue cover)

The work behind a fashion production

Elle UK is one of my favourite magazines. I read the issues several times every month, and I enjoy their good taste in fashion mixed with their classic english humour. They always do a feature in which they talk about the making of the issue, using numbers. It's both fun and surprising. You can't imagine all the work behind an editorial, how many people have worked together, the money needed...

They just launched their 25th Anniversary issue (October), with Kate Hudson on the cover (it seems like Kate is an Elle UK staple), and the usual "by the numbers" article is very interesting and fun. You can view the editorial here.

For the cover and main editorial...

• 17 pizzas were devoured by Team Elle
• 12 members of Elle crew making it happen
• 1015 frames shot by photographer, Ben Hasset
• 4 shades of Chanel eyeshadow used for Kate's cover look
• 100 minutes spent creating Kate's make-up
• 10 layers of extensions added to Kate's hair
• 35 pairs of crystal-encrusted party shoes in size 7
• 5 bottles of rosé wine drank by Team Elle and Kate
• 8 days spent creating ideas and moodboards
• 39 dresses hanging on Kate's Elle rail
• 12 minutes spent by Kate in the pool in a Cavalli dress

For the whole issue...

• 3 months from comission to printing
• 24 suitcases carried through airports
• 12 red pens used by Editor Lorraine Candy
• 416 cocktails consumed researching the bar guide
• 36 shades of red lipstick sampled
• 25 moodboards
• 119 editorial meetings
• 247 shows attended
• 653 cups of coffee
• 350 tonnes of paper
• 185 nails bitten
• 689 post-it notes
• 960 trips to the courier room
• 10000+ samples called in
• 34049 air miles
• 1 office mouse, Clarence, spotted

Everything has to look perfect, that's fashion. Any flaw is erased, edited, and photoshopped until it is how it should be. Fair play?

What we see...

What it was...

(click to view larger and read the notes)

The Best (free) Fashion iPad Applications

When I first heard about the iPad, I thought it was another useless gadget for Apple geeks. I swore I would never buy it. But weeks later, someone gave it to me as a present. And I instantly saw what all the fuss was about. The definition of the screen is amazing, the multitouch is magical, and there are so many applications that I've almost reached the limit of apps the iPad allows. It's so good checking the news on the sofa and reading emails on the iPad, and long trips are not so long with the games I've installed.

There are lots of applications, but not all of them are good. I've installed tons and deleted many, so I felt I had to make a post about the best (free) fashion iPad applications. I still have some doubts about several magazine applications. I think it's not reasonable that the digital edition of the magazines cost the same as the print ones. Maybe they are right, we don't pay for the paper, we pay for the contents. But it's still not clear.

1. LOVE

The app of the magazine, but it doesn't offer the magazine itself. You can watch short films made for LOVE, making of's... The layout of the application is so cute!

2. Modelinia

Lots of videos featuring models, being interviewed, talking about their lives... Excellent content!

3. 'S Max Mara

You can check their latest collection, play rubik's cube and win a trip to Milan... I tried to solve it but I have no patience! Fun and entertaining.

4. Gucci

You can watch the show via livestream, check their latest collections, view special content... And create a beat! There's also a very interesting travel guide with the most exclusive places on Earth. Wanna know a good restaurant in Cannes? This is your app.

5. Style

If Vogue is the fashion bible, Style.com is the digital edition. The application is really good, lots of videos, runway previews, party pictures, interviews...

6. Interview

You can read the latest issue of the magazine for free! I still don't know if it's the full edition, but you can flick through its pages and read the interviews and see the editorials.

7. Zara
Zara has always been not so-online friendly, they don't do much advertising... But things are changing. With the launch of their online store (at last!), they've made a quite good iPad application in which you can purchase Zara items, and watch making of' videos.


8. Dazed & Confused
Read ALL the issues for FREE!! It's Heaven, right?


9. Net-a-porter
You can have the online store for iPad, but also the Net-á-porter magazine, which is quite good.


10. Elle Italia
Elle is the magazine with more applications that I've seen. They have shopping guides, cooking recipes... Elle Italia offers the digital edition of every issue. The current issue is 2,99€, and the previous month's issue is for free.


11. Grazia
The italian version of Grazia, all issues for free!

12. Glamour US
It's not for free sadly... :(


Made for iPhone...
Vanity Fair Trivia: Movie Madness
There's only one thing that I love as much as I love fashion... Movies! The combination of Vanity Fair and a movie trivia is simply awesome. Beware, the questions are difficult!
PS: Graydon Carter's face in the game is hilarious.


Mango
The "what I wear" features, the catalogue, and the online shop. There's also a fun game in which you can create your own outfits with Mango items, but there are not enough items available and it gets boring.

The Sartorialist
A fan made this application that simply shows his pictures. Good if you want The Sartorialist's pics with you all the time.

Elle France

The french version of Elle. It offers fashion, beauty, politics, and art news. There's an Agenda application that tells you all the fashion events, music gigs... They also have quiz&tests, but you have to pay in order to take them.

Elle US

A very useful shopping guide of the main cities (NY, London, Paris...).

My little Paris
One of the best Paris guides (check the website). The most exclusive addresses, beatiful plans...

Shopping Guide to Paris - Part 1: Le Marais

When I was in Paris last week, I visited so many shops that I had to make a post about them. I found treasures in vintage shops that I had never imagined. I bought the most perfect leather jacket in a shop where they had dead ravens decorating the walls. On the same day, I saw a COS store for the first time (I loved it!), and shopped at the most beautiful concept store ever (Merci). I though I should share the addresses with you. You'll find a new post soon about another area of Paris.

Part 1: Le Marais


click to download (right-click + save)

Vintage
-Vintage Désir: On sales season, everything is 10€. The shop is really small and full of clothes. They have shoes, handbags, dresses, pants, t-shirts, belts... It's all second hand, but the quality is good. I bought a very cute little black dress.
-Noir Kennedy: the shop where they had the dead cravens. For me, that place was heaven (not because of the cravens, it was quite disgusting). There were amazing clothes everywhere: leather jackets, denim jackets, vests, jeans, furry coats, sunglasses (not very uv-proof). I took a leather jacket for 35€, and although it was a little dirty, I can clean it.
And also, Yukiko, Free 'P' Star, Mamz Elle Swing, Joy, Alternatives

Brands
-American Apparel: the classic AA store. It was more expensive than I thought, on the internet it's way cheaper.
-The Kooples: Their style is very parisian, with a rock touch.
-COS: The expensive H&M. Clothes with geometrical cuts, simple patterns, new colours... I loved it!
-Also visit American Vintage, Fred Perry

Concept Stores
-Merci: The best concept store ever. Read more about it here.
-L'Eclaireur: This shop is a work of art. It's run by Armand and Martine Hadida. The most exquisite womenswear, a dreamy ambient...
-Les Prairies de Paris: A must. Paris is not only Colette!
-Lunetiers Delambre: Sunglasses of every kind.
-Also visit Comptoir de L'Image, Sam, Bonton

Other
-Agora Presse: The fashion magazine paradise.
-Mariage Frères: The tea shop.

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Cuando estuve en París, visité tantas tiendas que vi que tenía que hacer un post sobre ellas. Encontré tesoros en tiendas vintage que nunca había imaginado. Me compré la cazadora de cuero más perfecta en una tienda en la que tenían cuervos disecados en las paredes. El mismo día, vi una tienda COS por primera vez (me encantó!) y estuve en la mejor concept store jamás concebida (Merci). Pensé que debía compartir las direcciones con vosotros. Pronto, un nuevo post con otra zona de París.

Vintage
Vintage Désir: En temporada de rebajas, todo está a 10€. La tienda es muy pequeña y la ropa apenas cabe en los percheros. Tienen zapatos, bolsos, vestidos, pantalones, camisetas, cinturones… Es todo de segunda mano, pero la calidad está bien. Allí me compré un little black dress muy mono.
Noir Kennedy: La tienda en la que tenían cuervos muertos. Para mí, esa tienda es un paraíso (no por los cuervos, era bastante asqueroso). Había prendas geniales por todas partes: cazadoras de piel, cazadoras vaqueras, chalecos, pantalones vaqueros, abrigos de piel, gafas de sol (no muy fiables, eso sí). Todo es de segunda mano. Me llevé una cazadora de ante, que aunque tenía unas pequeñas manchas, se pueden limpiar.
Visitad también Yukiko, Free 'P' Star, Mamz Elle Swing, Joy, Alternatives

Marcas
American Apparel: La típica tienda AA. Era mucho más cara de lo que me pensaba, por Internet es más barato.
The Kooples: Tiene un estilo muy parisino con un toque rockero.
COS: La versión cara de H&M. Ropa con cortes geométricos, patrones sencillos, nuevos colores… Me encantó!
Visitad también American Vintage, Fred Perry

Concept Stores
Merci: La mejor concept store de todas. Podéis leer más sobre ella aquí.
L’Eclaireur: Esta tienda es una obra de arte. Los dueños son Armand y Martine Hadida. Tienen la ropa femenina más exquisita, y un ambiente arquitectónico.
Les Prairies de Paris: Un must. París no es sólo Colette.
Lunetiers Delambre: Gafas de todo tipo.
Visitad también Comptoir de L'Image, Sam, Bonton

Otros
Agora Presse: El paraíso de las revistas de moda.
Mariage Frères: Una tienda de té.

Most common rumours

In the fashion world, there are some rumours that come and go every certain period of months. They suddenly surface, cause a stir, and then they disappear. Here you have the usual rumours:

- Kate Moss is getting married
- Lorenzo Martone & Marc Jacobs split up
- Karl Lagerfeld leaves Chanel

- Alber Elbaz replaces Karl at Chanel
- Naomi hits someone again
- Armani retires
- Lindsay Lohan designs for Ungaro (wait, that was true)
- Anna Wintour retires
- Carine Roitfeld editor in chief of Vogue US
- Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt's marriage is weak
- Kate Moss is pregnant

Can you add more rumours?

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En el mundo de la moda, hay rumores que se repiten cada cierto periodo de meses. Aparecen, causan un revuelo, y desaparecen. Aquí tenéis una lista de los más típicos. ¿Se os ocurren otros?

- Kate Moss se casa

- Lorenzo Martone & Marc Jacobs rompen

- Karl Lagerfeld deja Chanel

- Alber Elbaz sustituye a Karl en Chanel.

- Naomi Campbell vuelve a agredir a alguien

- Armani se retira

- Lindsay Lohan diseña para Ungaro (espera, eso fue verdad)

- Anna Wintour se retira

- Carine Roitfeld sustituye a Anna en Vogue US

- Angelina y Brad Pitt tienen una crisis matrimonial

- Kate Moss está embarazada

The journey of a product purchased online: Vente Privée

A couple of days ago I travelled to Paris invited by Vente Privée to get to know the brand. Bloggers from Germany, England and Italy attended the event. The Spanish ones were Marina Conde (La Condesa) and I.

First we went to the warehouse they have in Paris (photos below), where we could see the journey that the products follow when they are purchased until they are delivered to the client. Then we made a tour of the headquarters, which seemed more like a museum than a workplace. I don’t remember the number of people that work in Vente Privée, but they have 160 people to manage the software of the website. (Edit: 900 people work in the Paris offices) You can get an idea of the magnitude of this company. Plus, the people there are extremely nice!

The formula that Vente Privée defends is a total success, and it’s used as an example for e-commerce business. The Vente Privée blog receives 400 comments on average on every post. That's a very impressive number for a corporate blog.

How it works: Every week there are around twelve sales (depends on the country), of stock products of all sorts (I saw from microwaves to neoprene suits, make-up, or dresses). These sales last three days or so, and the products are sold within moments. You’ll find brands like D&G, Quiksilver, See by Chloé, and many more, with generous discounts (I love that expression).

It was a very revealing visit, it is impressive how much work there is behind an online shop. Sometimes it seems that just by clicking a button you magically get the product delivered to your door.

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Hace un par de días viajé a París invitada por Vente Privée para conocer a fondo la marca. Al evento asistieron bloggers de Alemania, Inglaterra e Italia, y de España íbamos Marina Conde (La Condesa) y yo.

Primero nos trasladamos a uno de los almacenes que tienen en París (fotos a continuación), donde pudimos ver el recorrido que hacen los productos desde que llegan a Vente Privée hasta que se envían al cliente. Luego nos hicieron un tour por las oficinas, y creedme, parecían un museo más que un lugar de trabajo. No recuerdo el número de personas que trabajan en Vente Privée, pero para manejar el software de la página web tienen a 160 personas (os hacéis una idea de la magnitud de esta empresa). Además, la gente de Vente Privée que pudimos conocer eran súper simpáticos!

La fórmula que defiende Vente Privée es todo un éxito, y se utiliza como ejemplo para las empresas con actividades similares. El blog de Vente Privée, al que sólo pueden acceder los usuarios registrados, recibe una media de 400 comentarios en cada post. Para ser un blog corporativo es no está nada mal. Es uno de los blogs más comentados de Francia.

Vente Privée funciona de la siguiente manera: A la semana se llevan a cabo alrededor de doce ventas (depende del país) de productos de stock de marcas de todo tipo (vi desde microondas hasta trajes de neopreno, pasando por maquillaje y vestidos). Estas ventas duran tres días más o menos, y los productos vuelan a los pocos momentos. Podréis encontrar marcas como D&G, Adolfo Domínguez, Quiksilver, Pull&Bear, See by Chloé, y muchas otras, con generosos descuentos (me encanta esa expresión).

Fue una visita muy reveladora, es realmente impresionante ver la cantidad de trabajo que hay detrás de una tienda online. A veces parece que sólo con darle a un botón, el envío aparece mágicamente en tu puerta.

The headquarters:

Before a product is sold online, the whole collection is delivered to the offices to be inspected. The sizing, the fabric, and lots of details are checked. They write a description of the product with guidelines such as "the fabric can be stretched and fit to different sizes", which are added to the description of the product on the website. Curious fact: one of the Sales Managers has an average size and he tries on the clothes to give his opinion when there are doubts about the size of a certain piece of clothing. /// Antes de poner a la venta un producto, la colección completa se envía a las oficinas para ser inspeccionada hasta el último detalle. Se comprueba el tallaje, la calidad de la tela, y se redactan observaciones de todo tipo. Cosas como: "Puede encoger al lavarse", "La tela es elástica y puede servir para varias tallas", que se añaden a la descripción del producto en la página web. Dato curioso: Uno de los Sales Managers tiene una talla modelo y le piden que se pruebe prendas cuando dudan de la talla.

For every sale a trailer and a full catalogue of every product is made. Amazing, yes, just for sales that last a couple of days. They have photographers, musicians, models, producers, and many professionals at their disposal. When a brand gets their products sold at Vente Privée, is a huge achievement for them, as they get an advertising campaign that millions of users all around Europe see. ///Para cada venta se realiza un trailer y un catálogo completo de cada producto. Increíble, sí, todo para ventas que duran tres días. Tienen a fotógrafos, modelos, músicos, productores, y todo tipo de profesionales a su disposición. Que una marca consiga vender sus productos en Vente Privée es todo un logro, ya que la campaña de publicidad que se le hace es única y llega a millones de usuarios de toda Europa

The warehouse:

The products arrive to the warehouse and are sorted into very strict categories /// Los productos llegan al almacén y se ordenan en categorías muy definidas.


Every product has to be checked to see if it's what the client has bought. A special code bar is assigned to the purchase /// Se comprueba si el producto está en las condiciones adecuadas y si es el que el cliente ha comprado. Se le asigna un código de barras especial.



All the different purchases are put into boxes, and if a customer has bought several products, they are put into the same box. Curious fact: when Vente Privée had just started selling products, some packages were lost in the way because the Vente Privée logo was very appealing to neighbours. Now the box is sealed with a generic box without logos /// Los distintos pedidos se ordenan en cajas, y si el cliente ha comprado varios productos, se ponen en la misma caja. Dato curioso: cuando Vente Privée empezó su andadura, algunos envíos se perdían en el camino porque el logo de Vente Privée era muy goloso para los vecinos. Ahora las cajas se precintan con una cinta genérica.


The boxes are sealed and ready to be delivered ///Las cajas se cierran y ya están listas para ser enviadas.


Then they are classified depending on their destination. /// Se ordenan según su destino.

and voilà!

Huge thanks to Nuria, Pilar, Isabel, and the spanish team!

all photographs by me.

Gossip Girl: From TV's best to extremely boring

(versión en español abajo)
When Gossip Girl first started, I thought it was one of the best series I had ever seen. The dialogues were intelligent, the clothes were a new step, and the characters were mythical: Blair, Chuck… I always wanted them to be together, so evil and twisted. The rest of the characters were quite typical: the handsome sportsman (Nate), the blonde (Serena), the poet/writer (Dan), the little sister who wants to stand out (Jenny)… They were not perfect, but they were entertaining. Though I always thought Rufus was too young to have two teenage children.

/// Contains spoilers!///

As in Sex and the City the fifth character is New York City, in Gossip Girl one of the leading elements were the clothes. Mothers who told their daughters what to wear, masked balls where diamond bracelets got lost, pyjama parties (or soirées, as Blair prefers) that included dressing in the most expensive outfits, and lines like “Yes! You are not pregnant! That’s great! I’d never know what to wear to a parent hearing!”

Nevertheless, from the second season the series started to get seriously worse. Those characters that were just ok began to have behaviours that soon made them insufferable. It was a good idea that Jenny entered the design world, but her decision to play the victim all the time was a huge mistake. Her style evolution was remarkable, I really liked how they transformed her from daddy’s girl into the bad girl. She no longer was the little kid who wanted to be part of the Upper East Side elite at any price, even if it meant being Blair’s slave. But the drug problems, skipping school, leaving home without her dad’s permission, and her “I don’t care, I’m the best” pose made her a stupid girl. She lies to everybody and she does anything to get what she want, even if it means hurting the people that love her. She wants to steal Serena’s boyfriend? All right, she doesn’t mind that Serena was the only one who helped Jenny when Blair and her followers took advantage of her.



Serena was cool. She was a free spirit, she didn’t care that much about clothes (in spite of the fact that she wore Burberry trenches), and she was cheerful. There wasn’t a single chapter in season 3 in which she didn’t whined and used that “nobody understands me” tone of voice. According to her, Rufus lies to everyone, she was to look for her father… She is quite stupid now. And all the pains are always Nate’s fault, who only tries to help her. Actually, Nate is the only character that has gotten better; he’s the only one with common sense.

Dan and Vanessa are going out, and everything points to a possible comeback with Serena (at least according to season 3's final episode). I never liked Vanessa, I don't know why. She's a little blah.

And Chuck and Blair… let’s say they survive. Blair’s wickedness is not that cruel anymore, and Chuck has gotten softer. The relation between the two of them is the only good thing in the series, because the rest of subplots are so typical that result tedious. Vanessa goes to Haiti for three months, and that affects her relationship with Dan. Chuck’s uncle wants to steal his hotel. Serena’s father comes back from God-knows-where to get his ex-wife back and uses fake medical recipes to do so. Fine… That’s all they got? The tricks they are using to produce more episodes are so typical that I only kept watching the series because it had become a tradition. There are some cheap tricks TV shows use, I’ve made a list pointing out which ones has Gossip Girl used.

Typical cheap tricks TV series use…
- A secret brother comes into scene. Yes
- The missing mother comes back, though everyone thought she was dead. Yes
- Someone is a drug dealer, or someone gets into a jam with drugs. Yes
- A main character dies. No
- Everyone has gone out with everyone. Yes. (The only remaining couple whe have are Dan and Blair)
- One of the main characters kills someone. Yes.
- Someone ends up in jail. Yes
- A finale ends with someone being shot/hit by a car. Yes
- Someone runs to the airport to confess his/her love. No
- The poor marries the rich. Yes
- One of the members of the family is a traitor who wants to steal everyone’s fortune. Yes
- One of the characters was secretly married. No
- The children of a former couple get together. Yes
- Someone had had a child and hadn’t told anyone. Yes

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Cuando empezó Gossip Girl, era una de las mejores series que había visto jamás. Los diálogos eran geniales, el vestuario marcó un antes y un después, y los personajes eran míticos: Blair, Chuck... Yo siempre quise que acabaran juntos, tan malvados y retorcidos. El resto de personajes eran más bien típicos: el deportista guapo (Nate), la chica rubia (Serena), el escritor incomprendido (Dan), la hermana pequeña que quiere destacar (Jenny)... No eran perfectos, pero daban juego. Aunque siempre me pareció que Rufus era demasiado joven para ser el padre de dos adolescentes.

/// Contiene spoilers!///

Igual que en Sexo en Nueva York el quinto personaje es la propia ciudad, en Gossip Girl uno de los elementos claves era la ropa. Madres que les decían a sus hijas qué debían llevar, bailes de máscaras en los que se perdían brazaletes, fiestas de pijama (o soirées, como prefiere Blair) que incluían una sesión de vestuario con las prendas más caras que pueda haber, y frases como: "¡Qué bien!!! ¡No estás embarazada! Nunca sabría lo que ponerme para un bautizo"

Sin embargo, a partir de la segunda temporada la serie empezó a empeorar estrepitosamente. Esos personajes que antes ni iban ni venían se hicieron cada vez más aburridos y comenzaron a tener comportamientos que pronto se me hicieron insoportables. Fue una buena idea que Jenny entrara en el mundo del diseño, pero que adoptara esa actitud victimista a los pocos capítulos fue un gran error. El cambio de look le vino de perlas, ya no era la niña que quería entrar en la élite del Upper East Side como fuera, aunque tuviera que arrastrarse y besarle los pies a Blair. Pero los líos con las drogas, las escapadas de casa, la pose "todo me importa un bledo y soy la mejor", la convirtieron en una chica insufrible. Miente a todo el mundo y hace lo que sea para conseguir lo que quiere, aunque haga daño a la gente que se preocupa por ella. ¿Que le quiere robar el novio a Serena? No hay problema, no importa que Serena fuera la única que la ayudó cuando Blair y sus súbditas le hacían la vida imposible.

Serena tenía su gracia. Era un espíritu más libre que los demás, no se preocupaba tanto por la ropa como Blair (aunque siguiera llevando trenchs de Burberry), y era alegre. En la tercera temporada no había capítulo que no pusiera morritos y ese tono de voz tipo "nadie me entiende". Que si Rufus es un mentiroso, que si tiene que ir a buscar a su padre... Ahora es bastante tontita. Toda la culpa es siempre de Nate, aunque intentara ayudarla. Ahora que lo pienso, Nate ha mejorado, parece el único que tiene un poco de sentido común. ¡Viva Nate!

Dan ahora sale con Vanessa, y todo apunta a que quiere volver con Serena (a juzgar por el último capítulo de la tercera temporada). Vanessa nunca me cayó muy bien, no sé por qué. Es un poco sosa.

En cuanto a Blair y Chuck, digamos que sobreviven. La maldad de Blair ya no es tan cruel, y Chuck se ha ablandado un poco. La relación entre ellos dos es lo único que tiene interés en la serie, porque el resto de subtramas son tan típicas que resultan tediosas: ¿Vanessa se va a Haití y su relación con Dan se ve afectada? ¿El tío de Chuck le quiere arrebatar su hotel? ¿Un padre que vuelve de la nada y quiere recuperar a su exmujer falsificando recetas médicas? En fin... Los "trucos" que están usando para continuar con la serie son tan predecibles que si he seguido viéndola era por la costumbre. Hay una serie de giros en la trama que utilizan muchas series, he hecho una lista, señalando los que han usado en Gossip Girl.

Típicos trucos que usan las series...

- Aparece un hermano secreto. Sí

- Vuelve la madre desaparecida, la cual creían que estaba muerta. Sí

- Alguien es traficante de drogas o se ve envuelto en un lío relacionado con ellas. Sí

- Muere un personaje principal. No

- Al final todos han sido novios entre ellos. Sí (Sólo falta que Dan y Blair se junten)

- Uno de los personajes principales mata a alguien. Sí

- Alguien acaba en la cárcel. Sí

- El último capítulo de alguna temporada acaba con alguien en el suelo después de haber sido atropellado/disparado. Sí

- Alguien va corriendo al aeropuerto para no perder a su verdadero amor. No

- El pobre se casa con el rico. Sí

- Uno de los familiares es un traidor que quiere arrebatarles la fortuna a todos. Sí

- Alguien ya estaba casado antes y nadie lo sabía. No

- Los hijos de una antigua pareja acaban juntos. Sí

- Alguien se va en busca de su padre. Sí

- Resulta que alguien había tenido un hijo y no se lo había dicho a nadie. Sí