Top 5: Gossip Girl dresses through the seasons

This was the easiest and yet most difficult post to write! Easy because there are so many stunning dresses on  The CW‘s Gossip Girl, and difficult because there are SO MANY stunning dresses!! Finally I narrowed it down to the top 5 breathtaking dresses throughout the four seasons.

1. Serena’s white party dress – Season 2 – by Oscar de la Renta

This dress has to be my ultimate favourite, in fact I want it to be my wedding dress!! It’s stunning and flattering to Blake Lively’s figure, I think it looks better on her curves than on the runway. The way it was all out together, with her hair and jewelry to create a grecian godess look was very in in 2008, but this effortless style still works for 2011. A beautiful floaty white maxi dress can never fail in my eyes!

2. Serena’s Mullet dress – Season 4 – by Zuhair Murad

This almost-mullet dress is another which made me stop in my tracks when watching the show. Blake Lively looked amazing in it. I love the way it’s a long dress, but still shows of her amazing legs. It also pulls in at her tiny waist and shows cleavage without being too racy, which makes it sexier I think. Lace was very in last season, as was gun-metal-grey, so as well as being beautiful, this Zuhair Murad gown was so on trend. Exactly what you’d expect from an Upper East side girl in New York!

3. Blair’s Prom dress – Season 2 – by Marchesa

This gown is absolutely stunning, from the Marchesa Spring 08 collection, it’s intricate and yet bold at the same time. Marchesa is one of my favourite designers, and this could be one of my favourite gowns by the English duo. As well as being beautiful, the dress fits perfectly with Blair’s style, she wears romantic strapless dresses with voluminous skirts, where as Serena often opts for slinky, sleeved or strappy numbers. Therefore this was an obvious choice for Blair’s Prom gown and it definitely didn’t fail to wow us.

4. Vanessa’s cap sleeve gown – Season 3 – by Reem Acra

Normally I’m not a fan of Vanessa’s style in Gossip Girl, usually she is put in bright colours and prints. Although these look great on actress Jessica Szohr, they are not to my taste. So I was pleasantly surprised to see her in a Reem Acra gown in season 3. The colour looks stunning on her, and the neck line is so flattering. I love the jewel encrusted cap sleeves and the gorgeous floating skirt. I also love the way it as been styled with a red lip, diamond earrings and a soft up-do, for a sultry old Hollywood glamour look.

5. Blair’s Parisian red dress – Season 4 – by Oscar de la Renta

There is no denying that this dress is beautiful. With all of the different reds, oranges and corals, the ruffles are accentuated and add depth to the skirt. Again it fits with Blair’s style of strapless and voluminous. However the bright colour is quite out of character for Blair. However actress Leighton Meester pulls it off perfectly on set in Paris. Teamed with a red lip, gorgeous swept back hair and bright pink clutch, the dress is a jaw dropper.

I can’t wait for Gossip Girl to come back after it’s mid-season holiday break now, so that I can get my fix of the drama and of course, more stunning gowns.

Gossip Girl airs again on the 24th Jan 2011 in the US and returns to the UK on ITV2 soon.

Top 5: Cheryl and Dannii; which gowns had the XFactor?

With the final of XFactor last night (congratulations Matt!) I have decided to look back at the judges fashion highs of the show.

Overall I think that Dannii kept it classy through out the series, with her new mum status meaning her looks were covered up but still sexy. Also, her body looked amazing, considering how recently she gave birth to baby Ethan.

Cheryl on the other hand often opted for short styles and sparkle and shine. Many of her dress choices were questionable, of course she could pull them off, but most would not be seen anywhere near my wardrobe!

Although I think overall Dannii won, Cheryl had a few statement looks that really caught my eye. Having said that, here are my top 5 favourites worn by Cheryl Cole and Dannii Minogue throughout the show, and who designed them…

1. Cheryl – Semi Finals – Sunday Night – Zuhair Murad.

I am so in love with the mullet-dress trend this season, with the short front and long back, and this dress is no exception, I love the flowing black train and the drapery across the front. I also like the way Cheryl has let the dress speak for itself, with swept back hair and simple black court shoes. She’s also got the on-trend long earrings going on. The contrast between the soft black fabric and then structured metallic of the bust and skirt is beautiful.

2. Dannii – The Final – Saturday Night – J’Aton Couture.

New mum Dannii adjusted this dress from the original by adding another panel under what was a sheer bust when it first hit the runway. You wouldn’t know it however, the dress still looks amazing with ruffles galore. The deep red wine colour is very in this season and suits Dannii’s skin tone perfectly. Her hair and make up fits the style perfectly and the dress is so flattering for her figure. The belt brings it in at the waist and the floor length skirt adds class, but being sheer it still allows us to see the Aussie’s perfect pins.

3. Cheryl – Week 8 – Saturday night –  Again wearing a stunning Zuhair Murad number.

Cheryl opted for another dress by Zuhair Murad. This sparkley frock has also been worn by Kylie Minogue & Emma Roberts. Asymmetry is very in at the moment, and the colours of this dress work perfectly with Cheryl’s skin tone, hair colour and smokey bronzed eye makeup. The sheer sleeve and lace are very on trend. The zip up the side gives it a little bit of edge, something Cheryl loves in her dresses, but it does not take away from the glitz and glamour of the gown.

4. Dannii – Week 1 – Saturday night – again in a stunning piece by Australian duo J’Aton Couture.

I think this might be my favourite dress of the series. Dannii looked absolutely stunning. Everything about the look was perfect, from the wavey hair and simple earrings, to the bright red lip and structured shoulders. White lace is a look many celebrities are loving at the moment, and the sheer parts of this dress are sexy without giving too much away. Take a look at my top 5 white lace dresses.

5. Cheryl – Week 3 – Saturday night – HMH Couture. (Hanna Marie Hutchinson)

HMH made this dress especially for Cheryl after they were asked to design and produce an exclusive gown for the show. This dress is quite demure for Cheryl, floor length and a high neck, however the HMH signature cut out sides are sexy and the shape is stunning on her. It’s nice to see her covered up but still looking sexy. Her simple make-up and gorgeous Grisogono globe earrings complete the look. I also love the colour, beige/nude has been seen everywhere on the runways and catwalks this year, and Cheryl is really working it. The dress is available to buy from selected boutiques across the UK from December in nude and red.

It was so difficult to choose just five dresses as my favourites, there was also a gorgeous black versus number worn by Cheryl, and a gorgeous ruffled red dress worn by Dannii. However, the five above had the XFactor in my eyes! I want them all!

To get the latest news, or to hear and download all the songs from every XFactor show this year visit XFactor Songs.