After more than one fashion gaffe, Michelle Trachtenberg finally gets it right from perfect coif to appropriate shoes. Michelle was in attendance at the Chanel Boutique Opening on Robertson Blvd. in Beverly Hills, California earlier this week.

Maybe she’s channeling a little Leighton Meester, one of our favorite Gossip Girl fashionistas. Leighton looked oh so Chanel at the event.

Other attendees included Rachel Bilson, Angie Everhart and Amber Valletta - no Paris Hilton, but mom Kathy Hilton stopped by.

While the cameras went into full shutter frenzy, long timers were lamenting the arrival of the sleek new store - the first chain boutique on the formerly indie stretch. Rumors are that Dolce & Gabbana and Ralph Lauren will be making the move shortly.

To celebrate its arrival on the boulevard, the store features four nail polish shades called, aptly, the Robertson Collection. They are Melrose, Rodeo Drive, L.A. Sunrise and L.A. Sunset. They retail for $25 each - and you can’t get them anywhere else.

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After weeks and months of “are they or aren’t they?”, the romance between Penn Badgley and Blake Lively has been confirmed - by Blake’s onscreen mom, Kelly Rutherford.

“I think they’re so lovely,” Rutherford told People magazine.

She continued: “To be able to go through this ride and success and to have somebody to do that with and share that experience, I think they’re both very fortunate… They’re both so together and whatever happens is their business, and I think they’re both darling and very together as people.”

Awww.

What do you think? Happy together?

(And I’m sorry, I absolutely refuse to refer to them as “Bladgley.” Ugh.)

Wow. Of all of the couples this season, this is the one that I didn’t see coming the way that it was written.

First of all, I find it very out of character for BOTH of Rufus and Lily for Lily to have a fling with Rufus on the night before her wedding. Yeah, yeah, I get the whole “trying to see if he’s out of her system” thing but I don’t think it fit with their personalities one iota.

Second, Rufus was a jerk to Lily when Bart called her on her wedding day. What was that all about? His attitude was both condescending and awkward. Ugh.

I thought that Bart’s chat with Lily about the apartment building - the whole “letting go of the past” speech was a good plot device. I love how he let her know that he knew without the melodrama. Now we know where Chuck gets it.

And Lily’s response was right on point.

I really didn’t expect Lily to not marry Bart. It would have caused too much gossip if she had left him at the altar and gossip is something that I don’t think Lily would invite at this stage of her life. But the actual wedding was quite anti-climatic. The talk in her dressing room? How limp. One of the things that Lily loved about the old Rufus was his passion. Suddenly, he’s moved to alternating between apathy and simpering rather than passion. His appeal to her wouldn’t have changed my mind either (and I think he’s hot).

While I thought that Lily looked beautiful at the wedding, I didn’t see any of the emotion that I had hoped for. She didn’t offer any dramatic pauses, look resigned or even appear pensive for a second. She simply got married. Bad editing or lost writing? I hope it’s the former.

As for moving full steam ahead after the wedding, Lily already looks more Stepford-y than normal with Bart. I know that she said that it wasn’t about the money, but I still can’t figure out that relationship at all.

And Rufus? I guess the tour has taken his mind off of Lily - for now. I hope the writers introduce someone new to shake things up a bit. I’d love to see him get involved with a “sugar momma” type woman who could one-up Lily a bit. That would get her thinking…

What do you want to happen?

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We’ve all known for awhile that Vanessa has never gotten over Dan… and in the event that we were in danger of forgetting, we had Blair to remind us.

They were the best friends that grew up together. It was only natural that they would fall for each other. Only, the attraction was rarely mutual at the same time - kind of a flaw in a relationship.

Vanessa breezed back into town at the beginning of the season with her sights on Dan. By this time, however, Dan was smitten with Serena and was growing quite accustomed to his new life/social standing. Vanessa remained on the outside.

But now that Dan has seen what really goes on inside those ivory towers, is he ready to go back to his old life? The writers would have us think so. But is a Dan and Vanessa romance really in the cards?

Um, no.

I predict a short-lived fling. Dan will grow to feel comfortable with Vanessa again but ultimately, she’s not what he wants. She is the token girl best friend. Her role is to pine and think about what could have been…

The producers have purposefully pitted Vanessa and Serena as polar opposites. Rich, poor. Blonde, brunette. Fashionable, bo-ho chic. Bad girl turned good, good girl.

It seems to fall on Dan to make a choice about what (or who) is most important to him. The thing is, the finale made it feel like Serena wasn’t important to him. The *almost* having sex with Georgina, a girl that he knew to be a liar? Serena believing that Dan was such a good person that he could never understand the worst in her? It doesn’t make for such a flattering portrait of their relationship.

And all the while, Vanessa is his best girl pal, waiting in the wings.

Hmm. Will he be thrown back together with Serena? Or will Serena find happiness with Nate?

In November, most of you thought that Serena deserved to date Dan. Has that changed?

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People has a really fun pop quiz on its site: Gossip Girl or Golden Girl? Give it a whirl and share your results!

(Psst, I got 7 of 9 correct)

Nate and Vanessa are one of those pairings that felt forced when the writers first put them together - much like the Dan and “Sarah” story line. You got the feeling, very much so, that it was all in spite to punish Blair. After all, what could be worse for an Upper East Sider than to lose your ex - not to another member of the elite - but to a girl who doesn’t have money and (gasps) appears to work for a living? Vanessa had previously one-upped Blair… How very convenient to get revenge by stealing her man?

But - and you’re going to hate me for this - I kind of like where the story line is going.

Yes, it feels forced. I agree that the writers kind of bounced Vanessa all around as villain and poor girl just trying to make good and frenemy to Serena… I think they’ve finally settled down and I like who Vanessa is becoming. Now that Vanessa has more of a presence in the show, the relationship is a bit more organic - rather than just throwing two people together and seeing what happens. We understand more where each of Vanessa and Nate are coming from.

I like that she has her own moral compass which is very different from that of Serena or Blair. I like that she sees past money and privilege. I like that she calls a spade a spade. I like her maturity - as cute as Taylor Momsen is, a Nate/Jenny relationship would have been a disaster; Nate needs someone who has knows her way around the world a bit more.

And I think Nate needs someone a little more grounded. After all, he more than most of his friends, understands that too much privilege can be a bad thing. He has learned that money can’t buy everything. He knows that remaining in a relationship for the sake of appearance isn’t good for anyone.

So I like where this is going. The “wrong side of the tracks” thing is working for me in this relationship. I think it opens up a whole other world for the writers to explore. Are Vanessa and Nate meant to be together? Will Nate realize that he still loves Blair? Or has he never gotten over Serena? Has Vanessa really been in love with Dan all of these years - or is it more the idea of Dan? The possibilities are endless.

Don’t get me wrong. In real life, I don’t think a Vanessa and Nate relationship would last. There is far too much baggage there… And Dan isn’t so far out of the privileged world that he is a complete outsider but Vanessa? Way, way out. There’s no sameness at all, none. And that is really difficult in a relationship. Nonetheless, I like that they’re giving it a whirl.

What do you think?

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Warner Home Video has announced the upcoming release of Gossip Girl: The Complete First Season on DVD slated for August 19, 2008.

The five-disc set includes all 18 episodes from the first season plus four hours of Special Features including three all-new Featurettes, Deleted Scenes, Gag Reel, Music Videos and a FREE Download of the original bestselling book read by actress Christina Ricci. It is expected to retail for $59.98.

The DVD will include all 18 episodes:

1. Pilot
2. The Wild Brunch
3. Poison Ivy
4. Bad News Blair
5. Dare Devil
6. The Handmaiden’s Tale
7. Victor, Victrola
8. Seventeen Candles
9. Blair Waldorf Must Pie!
10. Hi, Society
11. Roman Holiday
12. School Lies
13. A Thin Line Between Chuck and Nate
14. The Blair Bitch Project
15. Desperately Seeking Serena
16. All About My Brother
17. Woman on the Verge
18. Much ‘I Do’ About Nothing

She wants to be Audrey Hepburn. He is the devil himself. And together, Gossip Girl’s Blair and Chuck are quite a pair.

I wanted to hate them together. I am not a fan of the reformed bad boy story line - it usually happens too quickly (ugh). And remember, Chuck’s past goes beyond just being a bit mean - he actually tried to assault Jenny early in the season. The boy has issues.

All of that said, I like Blair and Chuck together much better than Blair and Nate. Blair and Nate struck me as a couple that felt that they had to be together because their friends and family wanted them to; Blair and Chuck are a couple that can’t stay apart despite what their friends and family thought.

Let me be clear. I’m not saying that bickering and meanness equals love. I think that a real relationship requires a certain amount of respect, admiration and tenderness that I don’t think that Blair and Chuck have at this stage. But man are they fun to watch.

The story line is very 1954 Sabrina: the much sought after beauty (played by Audrey Hepburn), the man who doesn’t think he wants her until it’s too late (played by Humphrey Bogart) and the almost too good to be true guy that she wants but he isn’t sure that he wants (played by William Holden). Like in that movie, the fun is really in watching all of them discover what (or who ) is really important.

And that’s exactly why I’m glad that Chuck didn’t get on that helicopter with Blair. They both need time to figure out what it is that they really want. And maybe that is each other. And maybe it’s something else.

The truth is, Bart’s speech didn’t change what Chuck was thinking. I believe that he always thought he was in over his head. He’s a boy who likes to be in control - only Blair is the kind of girl that wants to be in control, too. That’s a tough combination.

What Bart’s speech really changed wasn’t Chuck’s mindset but his timing.

It was a great way to end the season. We all know that Chuck won’t really end up with Amelia. She’s just a distraction. The real question is for how long…

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She’s the Golden Girl.

He’s the boy from the wrong side of the tracks, the hard working honest boy.

Torn apart by their families and backgrounds.

How very “Romeo and Juliet” of them… Bound to be together, right?
Perhaps not.

The producers of Gossip Girl have put a question mark in the middle of Dan and Serena’s relationship and I, for one, am thrilled. No, don’t get me wrong: they were cute together. But they were also boring.

When you think of classic on screen romances, you tend to think of witty banter or hot chemistry. Serena and Dan started off with both and quickly petered into an old married couple (and yes, I’m married, no jokes please!).

And clearly, they were both not happy, really.

Take Serena. She refused to tell Dan what was happening because she feared the worst. Really? What’s the worst? Not being able to talk to him? Because that’s what already happened. If you can’t tell your boyfriend/significant other about what’s really going on in your life, what matters to you, what bothers you, what eats away at you, then it’s not a relationship that is going to last. I’m not saying that Serena had to “tell all” the first second that she saw Dan but it’s clearly indicative of their relationship that she could trust Chuck (Chuck!) with her secrets and not Dan. Chuck, whom she claims to loathe. And Dan whom she claims to love.

As for Dan? Serena was his dream girl, we were lead to believe. He waited and waited to have sex with her because he wanted it to be special - yet would have *almost* sex with a girl that he had only met a bit before and knew to be a liar. It doesn’t make sense.

Serena and Dan kind of found each other in the beginning, but I don’t think they ever really knew who the other was. There is a familiarity with Vanessa (for Dan) and Nate (for Serena) that is probably largely comforting.

Are they destined to get back together? I don’t know exactly. It’s a more compelling story line to keep them apart - I certainly hope the writers don’t push them back together in the first episode. I’d love to see them explore life outside of their relationship.

What do you think? Are Serena and Dan meant to be? Let me know what you think!

(Next post: Blair and Chuck)

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I’m not saying that I didn’t love the finale of Gossip Girl - because I did - but…

The highlight for me?

The promo for 90210. Anybody else just a little bit excited?