Eric Daman on ‘Gossip Girl’ Fashion: ‘There Isn’t One Ugly Stepchild’

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With 100 episodes — and an approximated 100,000 outfits! — there’s always been plenty of room for some Gossip Girl costume drama.

“There are a lot of Chuck outfits that are up for discussion,” wardrobe designer Eric Daman (left) admits to PEOPLE. ”Some people like to take things a little too seriously,” he adds, laughing. “There isn’t one ugly stepchild out there.”

Perhaps Daman is biased; over the course of five years, he’s watched the gang graduate from a shoestring budget to show-stopping couture. Since season one, there’s been a “huge turnaround,” he explains. “The star power has definitely helped that. On the budget we have, there would be no way to do what we do.”

What Daman does do, in fact, is create characters through costumes. And he does so with conviction. When we first met Blair Waldorf (Leighton Meester), she was doing a “flirty, girly thing,” which evolved into a sartorial “coat of arms” in college, comprised of structured looks from Victoria Beckham and Narciso Rodriguez. But as GG‘s resident princess evolved, she “reverted to an old world glamour,” says Daman, evidence of which is apparent in tonight’s royal wedding episode (8 p.m. EST). Tell us: Will you be watching?

–Justine Harman

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