Have you heard? The hottest show right now to hit the CW and the latest guilty pleasure of countless Cornell students is Gossip Girl, the deliciously scandalous portrayal of the lives of privileged teenagers on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. Although Josh Schwartz, the producer of Gossip Girl and formerly The O.C., may have simply transplanted his teen drama formula from the West Coast to the East Coast, Gossip Girl has a distinctly different feel to it, mainly since the show is based on a bestselling teen novel series by Cecily von Ziegesar and is voiced throughout by a mysterious and unknown “Gossip Girl.”

However, amidst all the back-stabbing, boyfriend stealing and malicious gossip spreading is one of the biggest draws of the show: the truly fabulous and fashionable clothes. As teenagers in New York City, the cast of the show is without a doubt highly fashion conscious, and when money is no issue, the limits to expressing the latest trends and their personal style are almost none existent.

Serena van der Woodsen, played by Blake Lively, is a socialite whose on-again and off-again relationship with her best friend Blair Waldorf, portrayed by Leighton Meester, is one of the main focuses of the show. Serena’s easy and natural style is based on the style of supermodel Kate Moss, a fashion icon known for her effortless ability to always look fashion forward. Without much deliberation or careful thought, Serena always manages to throw together outfits that are stylish and trendy. For her, fashion is not something to be carefully put together but rather stems from a more innate sense of what looks good.

For a night on the town, Serena often turns to minidresses for a glamorous look that is relatively simple but packs quite a punch. On her dates with Dan Humphrey, we’ve seen her in a beaded black Catherine Malandrino dress and a dazzling gold sequin tunic dress by Tory Burch over black Wolford tights. For Serena and her other Upper East Side classmates, tights and knee socks are accessories that are frequently incorporated into their prep school uniforms or other outfits.

Like the wild child she used to be, Serena sometimes adds funky touches of animal print to her outfits, such as a leopard print coat or a zebra patterned shoulder bag. Accessories are often what make an outfit truly memorable, and shoes are no exception. Serena is a huge fan of boots, and her over the knee, gray suede flat boots by Chinese Laundry add flair to her school uniform.

In contrast, Blair Waldorf’s approach to fashion is nearly the polar opposite of Serena’s, but Blair is no less chic. Blair’s outfits are the result of her painstaking efforts to present an image of herself as being in control of everything around her. Possessing a distinctly sweet, feminine style, Blair almost always has a trademark bow incorporated somewhere on her clothes or accessories. Leaning towards a more preppy or prim and proper image, Blair frequently finishes off her outfits with a headband and patterned or colored tights.

While out and about in the city during the day, Blair dons dresses that are more Upper East Side princess than downtown party girl. On a shopping trip with Serena in Nolita, Blair’s ladylike Milly print shift dress and black tights are in stark contrast to Serena’s more casual jeans and denim vest. Causing a stir in a more neutral color palette, Blair’s gorgeous Victorian-inspired Marc by Marc Jacobs ruffled lace minidress is made even more fashionable with an espresso colored, cropped capelet by Trina Turk.

Like her classmates, Blair personalizes her school uniform with accessories and additions that pop. Taking a cue straight from the runway, Blair’s blazer from the fall 2007 Balenciaga collection reinterprets the traditional collegiate look by adding a touch of color to keep things fresh.

In every episode, the cast of Gossip Girl is outfitted in glamorous clothes that are on the cutting edge of fashion. However, their enviable wardrobes are not completely out of your reach. The show’s costume designer amazingly mixes both high end luxury goods with more affordable, mass market brands. At her birthday party, Blair’s sensational black Valentino dress is worn with Nine West pumps. Other tops and accessories from the show come from Coach, Urban Outfitters, the Gap and H&M.

As a result, you don’t always have to be the outsider looking in. Instead, Gossip Girl can serve as inspiration for your own outfits, and Serena and Blair’s sometimes daring but always fantastic ensembles can push you to experiment with your look and to incorporate some of that high society style.