#vanessa abrams

Each colour is chosen to reflect the character’s canonical journey and (what I imagine to be) their best possible self.

While I do go into a bit more detail on Vanessa’s character’s role in the show, I don’t mention how racism definitely impacted the way she was written…hopefully one day I’ll be able to deconstruct Vanessa’s character arc a little more thoroughly.

If tagged below, it’s in reference to one of your posts, I don’t expect you to read this whole thing.

Vanessa Abrams - Orange

Vanessa is the biggest outsider yet still the most sociable character. The first association of Vanessa with orange is the dress Jenny makes her in 1x18 for her date with Nate; she stands out against the Upper East Side characters but deepens her connection with Nate. Orange blends red and yellow and connotes passion, joy, individuality, hospitality, creativity, dynamic, freedom, devotion, warmth and love. Orange also symbolises independence, and even as the Upper East Siders are forced to grow up quicker than they should, Vanessa is the most self-reliant living alone at sixteen and with a full time job.

Orange is uplifting, gives confidence and associated with being sociable and outgoing. This has several implications for Vanessa’s character; who she is as a character and her role in the story. I go into this in more detail in another post, but Vanessa is always filling the role of The Love Interest and/or Dan’s Girl. Vanessa is given the most attention when part of a man’s story (Nate and Scott as love interests and Dan as friend or love) and even her deeper plots like feuding with Blair or her mom or hating Serena are linked (small fling with Chuck, Dan and Olivia, etc). Vanessa guides Nate as he navigates his family issues and wanting more than the UES, she starts a relationship with Scott and links him to his family. With Dan, she’s his first friend and love and confidant and at NYU together they both link to Olivia and make more friends, though that’s forgotten after the plot starts focusing on Dan’s love for Vanessa.

Vanessa’s other orange looks include the coat she wears in 2x11 and stripes on her shirt when she sits for family Thanksgiving. Another is her orange dress in 3x06 while at the penthouse with her mom and orange stripes on her dress at the freshman’s dinner. Ironically, both times she is going against her morals (stealing Jenny’s letter and manipulating Danlivia) but moreso, it shows her vulnerability (afraid to lose Nate and wanting her mother’s approval). These are also times she’s given (albeit both connected to love) her own desires; a relationship with Nate and her mom. She’s still confined to her main character function (Nate’s love interest and Dan’s friend) but even devious acts mean she’s allowed conflict and character identity in her own right. It is notable that in Vanessa’s last episode, Serena is wearing orange, and Dan rejects her, meaning she’s completely lost her role thus ending her arc.

Jenny Humphrey - Pink

While pink for Jenny may seem very limited to her season 1 character/style, it appears multiple times as she transitions into her season 2 style. Her grey dress in 2x08 has a pink petticoat underneath it, as she’s navigating her way through the fashion world. She makes a similar dress for Agnes to wear in 2x09 coming into her own as a designer. The pink petticoat also appears in her back to school outfit in 2x14, as she handles the mean girls, and wears a pink dress to the party when protecting Nelly. Pink is a cross between red and white and has many connotations such as power, passion, sweetness, optimism, compassion, sensitivity, innocence, hope, kindness, inexperience, etc. Pink also symbolises immaturity and youth, which is the defining trait setting Jenny apart from the other main characters (excluding Eric). Optimism and hope, while consistently tested throughout her arc, she stills remains optimistic until her very late arc, which I consider late season 3.

Eric Damon calls Jenny’s 3x01 pink and black Hamptons dress a blend of her season 1 and 2 style, where she’s found harmony and her happiest self. From 3x04 onwards the cold queen style takes over (with her throwing out the pink petticoat dress in 3x07) and no more outfits, but two makeup looks. First is her at Cotillion rehearsal in 3x09 (inexperienced, unconfident, vulnerable (she trades her pink gloss for red lipstick at Cotillion)) and second is at the Ambassador’s dinner with Damien (romance, playful, admiration). From 3x14 onwards Jenny’s style turns more or less monochromatic (which is consistent with her loss of optimism) aside from red accents + a blue and green dress (in 3x20 and 4x06).

Blair Waldorf + Blue

Mostly as a contrast to Serena, red and blue constantly appear in Queen B’s wardrobe. As @strideofpride points out, red and blue are meant to indicate Blair and Serena are mirroring one another emotionally and narratively, where the colours don’t have a set meaning (ie. in 1x13 Blair wears red to cope with losing power and Serena wears blue as the friend in need; in 3x02 Blair wears blue when struggling with change and Serena wears red stuck in the same place she was). Even though Serena and Blair share blue and red evenly, red seems more like Blair’s colour initially. It connotes energy, power, attention, emotional intensity, aggression, drive, strength, dominance, determination, sexuality and love. Apart from next to Serena, Blair often wears red during Chair moments (2x07, 2x14, 4x02, 5x24 - love, support, power play, emotional intensity) and more critically, her struggle for power and Queen B persona (1x16, 2x17, 3x02, 3x07).

However, it’s important to remember Blair vying for power is linked to her insecurities and lack of self worth, and the Queen mask conceals her vulnerabilities and feelings. Blue has related connotations of authority and sophistication, but also highlights the coldness and impersonality Blair’s Queen persona requires. Blue also symbolises dedication and commitment, for Blair’s personal relationships that may be unstable yet deeply loving and protective. Compared to red, blue is more calming and stable, which might not fit with Blair’s canon identity, but nonetheless something she’d desire “I want pure and simple love”. Other traits are order, conservativeness, intellectualism, stubbornness, reflection, intuition, luxury and depth. Even outside of Serena, Blair’s blue outfits allow deeper insights to Blair’s emotional state and represent clarity (1x04 light blue - relaxing/friendly, 1x14 - isolated, 4x04 - dejected, 6x10 - dependability (something something businesses choose blue for its reliability something something the chair wedding was more of a business deal than love)).

Serena van der Woodsen + Silver

Glamorous golden girl Serena gets the most monochromatic colour palette - but still possesses a special shine. The start of the show is Serena looking out the window, returning home because her brother needs her but needing herself to start over. What separates silver from gray is its reflectivity, internally and to others. Serena is desperate to be better, but she’s not sure what a better version of herself is. Blair’s shortcomings are all reflected in Serena’s effortlessness, Nate loves her as the radiant, carefree and defiant person she is (that he isn’t), Chuck initially takes interest in Serena as a mirror to his own darkness, etc. Silver represents second place, not just for Blair’s sake (“I'm just tired of trying to hoId myself back so I don't outshine you”) but the role she takes in the lives of her loved ones. She (and Eric) are secondary to Lily’s boyfriends/husbands, she’s second place to Lola for William, she’s second place to Dan in writing for Ms Carr, she’s becomes secondary to Dan for Blair and Blair for Dan. More often than not she’s treated as the prize without being made a priority (courtesy of @thomas-the-goat-of-satan).