Teen SPIRIT

On the set of Gossip Girl with ERIC DAMAN, the show's longtime costume designer

Vanities/ First Look

"Tights are not pants!" Leighton Meester's Blair Waldorf famously shrieked during the second season of Gossip Girl. The series, which ended its six-season run in 2012, is back this July on H BO Max with a new cast gracing the steps of the Met—and now, according to Eric Daman, who has held dominion over the show's iconic aesthetic since the first season, tights are pants. "Athleisure has become fused into the system." For the more than 200 costumes per episode, he looked to influencers (the Hadid sisters, Kaia Gerber) and the streets of his own East Village neighborhood—think oversized proportions, like XXL jackets paired with itty-bitty biker shorts: "super contemporary." And while longtime fans should be on the lookout for fashion Easter eggs, "the headband has been retired," he says. "At least forthemoment."

-CAITLIN BRODY