While perusing a recent issue of Entertainment Weekly, I practically squealed with glee to discover their list of 50 Pop Culture Moments That Rocked Fashion. Some important background information: I love lists. They complete me. In fact, my love of lists is surpassed only by my love of chocolate, Christian Louboutins and man cardigans.

In keeping with their tradition, I thought I would compile a list of my very own, only it would combine two of my passions, television and fashion, into an amalgamation of awesome. I would call it something innovative like, The Best Dressed People on Television Since the Dawn of Time.

But here's the thing - there are many such people on television, past and present (the short list: Charlotte York, Denise Huxtable, Seth Cohen, Carrie Bradshaw, the cast of Mad Men, Sonny Crockett, Stacy London, Blanche Devereaux, Lorelai & Rory Gilmore, Alexis Morell Carrington Colby Dexter Rowan, and of course, Chuck Bass). How was I ever to boil such a list down to a paltry few?

I thought about having a poll - really, I did. I even contemplated having a countdown, followed by a really suspenseful unveiling of the winner. But in the end, there is only one top dog, one crowning achiever, one blue ribbon recipient, and she goes by the name of Blair Cornelia Waldorf.

She of the plaid skirts, double-stranded pearls, and ubiquitous headbands was a no-brainer for best dressed. She also happens to be devious, shrewd and utterly charming, so a wicked fashion sense is really just the icing on the already delicious cake.

To celebrate Gossip Girl's triumphant resurrection on September 1st, I present to you some of Blair's most dazzling ensembles from the past season:

Surgeon General's Warning: Please do not attempt to recreate any of these looks at home without the aid of a trained professional. Blair's over-the-top clothing may look fabulous in the scandalous world of Manhattan's elite, but transported to real life, people may start to confuse you with the girl on the corner who systematically plots the world's demise with her taxidermied army of squirrels... otherwise known as "that crazy chick".

1. I can tell you firsthand the horrors of wearing an unbecoming uniform day-in and day-out, which is why I want to draw your attention to Blair's panache for punching up her own school wares. She isn't afraid to mix patterns, wear bright primary colours, accessorize with coordinated hair ornaments (flowers and bows, naturally) or shroud herself in a $3000 Balenciaga blazer. I only wish my own drab uniform had sparkled with this much style and finesse.

2. The very notion of the decorative headscarf is lost on the modern set. Nowadays, they are used almost exclusively as a functional way to keep warm or as a festive way to prevent flyaways. But Blair, ever the revolutionary, has summoned an outfit reminiscent of Edith Wharton's Old New York, filled with afternoon tea, carriage rides and romantic diseases like consumption and yellow fever.

3. Okay, seriously, do these two not look like the most adorable geriatric couple ever? Can't you just picture them sitting on the sidelines of a polo match, sipping their delicately aged port and bickering about whose turn it is to accompany Serena to her bi-weekly game of bridge? Sigh.

4. Aw, it's Blair's Ode To A Russian Princess. Let's pretend her pseudonym is Tatiana and she's a sinister spy from Moscow sent to procure classified information about the US gymnastics team's top secret uneven bar routine. And look, there she is again moonlighting as an ice dancer in preparation for Vancouver 2010. That Tatiana is pretty multifaceted. PS I would sell my spleen for the coat and one or both of my kidneys for that bag.

5. This may be my favourite outfit in the history of ever. It's even possible I'm wearing an exact replica as we speak. It's so crisp! So clean! So sophisticated! So coordinated! And check out the adorable polka dot gloves! The red patent bag! The sunhat! The nautically-inspired footwear! As an aside, the number of exclamation points in the previous paragraph should be indicative of my overwhelming adoration.

So to sum up, well played, Waldorf. Well played. And a toast to many more glorious and trailblazing fashions in the weeks and months to come!

Images courtesy of:
http://www.gossipgirlonline.net
http://www.blairandchuck.com

Posted by KATHERINE