I don’t watch Gossip Girl anymore (I’m waiting for the most recent season to show up on Netflix), but I’m still always excited to see it start filming again in New York. There are a few reasons for that, and mostly they’re self-serving: firstly, the cast films a lot of exteriors in my neighborhood, and happening upon the set by chance is always fun. Secondly, and perhaps most importantly, the show’s outdoor scenes lead to lots of fun fashion-spotting, usually of things that are about to hit stores. In this case, though, Blake Lively‘s bag is a few months old.

The bright yellow 3.1 Phillip Lim Small Lark Duffel that Lively’s carrying in this set of photos is a piece from Spring 2012, which has already cycled all the way through retailers and made way for fall. The Gossip Girl costume department does occasionally source things from previous seasons, and all other things being equal, it’s a great bag that looks quite good with the outfit they chose for Blake. Are you excited for Gossip Girl to return to TV?

Bag Blake’s Phillip Lim Style via Neiman Marcus!

Is it just me, or does Blake Lively look totally lovely in these photos from the set of Gossip Girl? I’m not sure exactly what it is…maybe that her hair finally looks like it’s been brushed recently? Maybe because all of her clothes seem to not only fit her, but cover the parts that she seems perennially intent on showing the world? Maybe because she just looks really pretty in general, and the reasonable hair and wardrobing choices make it easier to notice that? I’m not sure.

I’m also not sure who makes the bright blue python clutch that Blake’s carrying for this scene, although my first guess was VBH. For reasons that I can’t entirely explain, whenever I see a handbag that I like and that looks very expensive, I always assume it’s VBH. The folded-over style of the clutch is similar to a bag made by Alexander McQueen, but the details aren’t right. Do you have any ideas? The combination of the cobalt bag and her chartreuse skirt is gorgeous, don’t you think?

When I first saw the lion-paw-shaped Christian Louboutin Alex Pumps, I wondered who exactly would wear such a shoe. Admittedly, it’s a fun idea, but there’s a wide gulf between thinking the shoes are interesting and actually purchasing and strutting your stuff in such shoes. But then I remembered that Christian Louboutin has a rabid pack of obsessed fans who will buy anything the man produces in droves, even if they never plan to wear it, and everything made sense.

Gossip Girl star Blake Lively might be the queen of that fan club. She cohosted Loboutin’s recent 20th anniversary soiree at Barneys New York, and she’s said to have purchased Louboutins as many as 40 pairs at a time. So naturally, she’s the one who would be wearing the Alex paw pumps proudly and for all to see, and with a fairly sedate outfit at that. Alternately, for those of you who might be more interested in her bag from this outfit, it’s a Dolce & Gabbana Miss Sicily Tote.

Bag Blake’s Christian Louboutin Style via Net-a-Porter!

When I saw these pictures of Leighton Meester and Penn Badgley on the set of Gossip Girl, I turned green with envy. Not over Leighton’s perfect skin, or her mustard yellow Fendi Peekaboo that matches her blouse and chapeau just perfectly. Instead, I’m jealous of her cape.

You guys, I’ve bought so many capes. I’ve ordered them online with high hopes. I’ve bought them at stores and vowed to find a way to style them perfectly when I got home. All have been failures, and all have gone back from whence they came. I don’t know what the problem is, but every time I see photos like these, of another young woman looking adorable in a cape, I feel a twinge of envy. This isn’t even the greatest cape I’ve ever seen, not by a long stretch, but for someone who has continued to fail Capes 101, it’s a sad reminder of a garment I’ll never wear. Pour a little out for all my returned capes, ladies.

Bag Leighton’s Fendi Style via Neiman Marcus!

I’m always excited to write about Gossip Girl because it features what I think is unquestionably the best fashion (and by far the best handbags) on TV, but I’m extra excited to write this post because I actually saw this scene happening in person! I live on the Upper East Side, and I set out down Madison Avenue on Friday to shop for a winter coat in advance of what promised to be nasty weather on Saturday. When I was walking toward 77th Street, a production assistant stopped me and asked me to go back up and cross the street to use the opposite sidewalk because of filming. I asked her if it was Gossip Girl, she confirmed that it was, and I crossed the street so that I could come back down and get a better look.

Leighton Meester is quite petite, so I couldn’t see her very well with the crowd that had gathered, but I noticed that they were filming outside of bridal palace Vera Wang. What I didn’t see, though, was the lovely, amazing, beautiful red-orange Loewe Amazona Bag that looks so bold against Blair’s cream-colored coat. That’s a pop of color if I’ve ever seen one; if only my view of the bag had been better in person!

Bag Leighton’s Loewe Style via Matches!

Bless me father, for I have sinned. Gossip Girl has been on for weeks and I’ve yet to see a single episode of the new season. You see, Real Housewives of Beverly Hills is on the same night, and I can’t watch and recap both. I know it’s going to take a lot of Haily Marys and Our Fathers to make up for this sin against god and pop culture.

I’ll watch the season in one rainy weekend after it’s ended, probably, but that doesn’t mean I can’t look at paparazzi photos of the cast in the interim! Here we have Blake Lively, carrying a Valentino Demetra Satchel alongside former boyfriend (both on the show and in real life) Penn Badgley, and in a few of the photos you can also see Kelly Rutherford carrying a Dior Miss Dior Flap Bag. As always, the Gossip Girl plot lines may be problematic, but the choice of handbags is always top-shelf.

Bag Blake’s Valentino Style via Bergdorf Goodman!

Actually bothering to write paragraphs about Blake Lively carrying a Chanel 2.55 Flap Bag seems kind of silly; we all know that she’s Karl Lagerfeld‘s flavor of the month, and product placement is pretty easy to come by on Gossip Girl. But in this case, the bag is good enough to discuss.

In fact, this foil-y cobalt blue version of the 2.55 might be my favorite of all time. It’s vibrant and modern while still being one of Coco’s classic designs, and it feels much more fresh and relevant in this finish that it does in basic Chanel black. If I had to pick a Chanel bag to add to my closet right now, it would be this one. Metallic blue is just trendy enough to look really amazing right now, but the historical shape means that this bag will never, ever go out of style. More of this, please, Chanel.

Bag Blake’s Chanel Style via Chanel.com!

I always get so excited when we start seeing paparazzi photos from the set of Gossip Girl – it means that filming is underway and new episodes of the show are just around the corner! I won’t be recapping this season of the show on PurseBlog, but I will still be following along at home, even though the show frustrates me sometimes.

But how can I stay away from a program that gives us outfits as great as this high-waisted trouser ensemble on Leighton Meester? And besides, how utterly gorgeous does Leighton look in these photos? Way too gorgeous to be fair, I say. Her neutral tone-on-tone Valentino Aphrodite Small Bow Bag is not only the perfect compliment to her outfit, but it also fits perfectly with her character. Blair Waldorf is prim yet glamorous, just like a structured, bow-adorned Valentino bag in supple olive lambskin.

Bag Leighton’s Valentino Style via Neiman Marcus!

Some things are certain in life: The sun will rise, the IRS will find out and the phone will always ring as soon as you’ve put a giant bite of food in your mouth. Also, Gossip Girl star Blake Lively will wear Chanel to events, and if Karl Lagerfeld accompanies her or also attends the event, she will wear Chanel Haute Couture. Please consult these photos from the 2011 Met Gala for proof.

Blake’s Fall 2009 Chanel Haute Couture look is a bit different than the deep-V minidresses that she so often wears, so we’ll give her some credit there. Also, from certain angles, this dress is quite lovely. Because of the dramatic draped section, though, it’s not quite as great from others. The beadwork on the underlayer is flawless and this is far more covered than we normally see Blake, though, so I’m going to call this ensemble a net win.

Usually we have pretty good luck identifying the bags, shoes and clothes worn by the younger Gossip Girl stars because they are so heavily written about and photographed, but when it comes to the show’s adult characters, things get a little more tricky. Kelly Rutherford is undeniably lovely but doesn’t get quite as much blog ink as Blake and Leighton, so when her bags aren’t immediately recognizable, sometimes we’re at a loss.

Rutherford is known for her Hermes collection, much of which she uses as Lily Van Der Woodsen Bass Humphrey on the show, but the tweed and tan leather bag she’s toting in these photos doesn’t appear to be Hermes. It might be Ralph Lauren, which has placed many products on the shows’s stars as of late, but I’m having a hard time finding the bag on Lauren’s website. If you have any information, let us know in the comments.

I would imagine that there aren’t many downsides to being Gossip Girl star Blake Lively, but one of them has to be embarrassing on-set paparazzi pictures. And the more embarrassing they are, the more people love to look at them and poke fun; at heart, we’re all just a bunch of haters. So here, take a look at some pictures of Blake in a set of rollers and rejoice over the fact that you’ve never had to be outside in the snow in rollers for work. Or maybe you have?

Either way, Blake’s beautiful blue-purple Mulberry Bayswater Bag is nothing to be embarrassed about. This is perhaps my favorite color of leather that Mulberry has ever produced, and even though I’m not generally a lover of blue, I can’t help but want an entire wardrobe in exactly this shade. I’d settle for just the bag, though.

Bag Blake’s Mulberry Style via Luisa Via Roma!

Forgive me for blaspheming against the costume design gods at Gossip Girl, but I’m just not digging the Ralph Lauren Blue Label patchwork coat that series star Blake Lively is wearing in these photos. It’s so faded and drab that it looks like something you might pick up at the Goodwill, which is fine if you’re a person of modest means who’s simply trying to stay warm, but decidedly not fine if you’re Blake Lively and being dressed by some of the most resourceful costumers in the business.

Blake’s accessories are quite a bit better than her coat, and her brown Ralph Lauren leather boots are much more in line with the brand’s American sportswear aesthetic. Best of all, obviously, is her wine-colored Louis Vuitton Hazier Satchel. The mix of monogram vernis and regular pebbled leather makes this bag particularly special.

Bag Blake’s Ralph Lauren Style via Saks!