Gossip Girls Instruct

Remember what "Sex and the City" did for Magnolia Bakery and Manolo Blahnik? These venues became mobbed by fans of the show, and eventually, by everyone else. The highly-popular CW show, “Gossip Girl” is following in SATC’s footsteps, but rather than honing in on just shoes, it’s influencing buyers from head to toe and the retailers that supply them.
 
Television has long been a source for fashion suggestions if you are thinking of changing your look, or just looking, in general. Retailers like Target and J.C. Penney are glued to the screen as well, taking note of the potential next “it” item and speeding up the process of concept to product., called “cycle time” in the industry.
 
The next time you spot something you love on "Gossip Girl" and see it at the mall a few months later, there’s a good chance someone else had the same thought as you: hey, I like that! Have you ever found yourself influenced by fashion statements on television enough to seek out something similar? [USA Today]