High School Meets High Fashion

When the television show "Gossip Girl" has its premiere next month, it will bring national attention to the shopping and spending habits of privileged teenagers growing up in Manhattan. Based on a young adult book series of the same name, "Gossip Girl" is about a pretty, precocious group of frenemies living on the Upper East and Upper West sides. All of them attend exclusive private schools in the city.

An executive producer of "Gossip Girl," Josh Schwartz, also created "The O.C.," a recently canceled Fox television drama about affluent but troubled teens in Newport Beach, Calif. Mr. Schwartz has reportedly said the purchasing power of the "Gossip Girl" characters would make the acquired wealth of the teenagers in "The O.C." look like "chump change."

And what do these girls purchase? The promotional Website for the book series offered fans an online quiz to determine which character they most resemble. "It's Saturday afternoon and there's shopping to be done!" the quiz begins. "Your outfit: (a) Fitted linen pants, a Miu Miu tank, and gold bangles. (b) Pencil capris, a Lacoste polo, and a silver watch. (c) A deconstructed Miss Sixty miniskirt, tight black tee, and gummy bracelets. (d) Seven Jeans, an Anthropologie cardigan, and tiny chandelier earrings."

Not one of these ensembles is likely to cost less than $200, and that's without taking into account the price of bags, shoes, and other accessories.

Students at elite city schools who are familiar with the "Gossip Girl" books, penned by Cecily von Ziegesar, say that while the series exaggerates the amount of partying and the lack of parental involvement in their lives, it is accurate in its portrayal of shopping — not only in the amount of money their peers spend on clothing, but also regarding their proclivity for designer labels.

"I think a lot of girls in the city have the same habits — and that they don't think about price," a 17-year-old rising senior at the Horace Mann School, Sarah Miller, said. "At my school, not everyone's wearing Prada, but almost everyone has nice bags."

Miss Miller, who lives with her family on the Upper West Side, said many of her classmates don't flinch at spending up to $1,200 on a purse, noting that Balenciaga and Miu Miu sacs, with their four-figure price tags, are especially popular.

A 15-year-old Upper East Side resident, Eden Lipke, said she favors more "age-appropriate" designer clothes and accessories, such as True Religion jeans — the "Johnny" straight leg variety retails for $172 at Bloomingdale's — Juicy Couture tops, Coach leather bags, and Tory Burch ballet flats.

"When I see a 15-year-old girl on Facebook wearing Stuart Weitzman stilettos, and a Gucci handbag, I think that is so wrong," Miss Lipke, who will be a sophomore at Bard High School-Early College in the East Village, said of photos published on a popular Internet social networking site. "There's a way to be fashionable without dressing like a 40-year-old."

A New York City stylist with several teenage clients, Jesse Garza, said young people should dress their age — instead of trying to emulate their parents' fashions. "Putting a teenager in Manolos and Dolce & Gabbana dress, there's something not right with that," he said. "I say, ‘Go to Club Monaco or Zara. Get something that is sophisticated, but also leaves room for some aspiration.'"

After watching a promotional clip of "Gossip Girl," Mr. Garza, the co-author of "Nothing to Wear?: A Five-Step Cure for the Common Closet" (Hudson Street Press, 2006), said the on-screen clothes appear too glamorous for even the most urbane teenagers growing up on the Upper East Side. "The girls look like they're wearing Chanel," he said. "The boys look like they're wearing Dior."

The costumes in "Gossip Girl" may be evidence of the mounting stakes of high school fashion, which a 2005 graduate of Trevor Day School on the Upper East Side, Rachel Hammer, said she has observed. "My brother is 15, and his friends seem to be dressing up more than I did in high school, maybe to look older," Ms. Hammer, 20, said. "They wear fancier shirts and going-out clothes. I definitely see a difference, even in the past five years."

Teenage girls aren't the only ones relishing frequent shopping outings, and donning designer labels. Their male peers are doing it, too.

"Normally, you'd think that girls would care a lot more about dressing up, but I think guys in the city also put a lot of pressure on themselves to look good," a 16-year-old who lives on the Upper East Side, Andrew Malin, said.

Form-fitting Diesel jeans, Lacoste polo shirts, and Ralph Lauren blazers are hot-ticket items amonghis malepeers, many of whom shop at Barneys New York, Ralph Lauren's Madison Avenue flagship, and Abercrombie & Fitch, Mr. Malin said. He noted that some of his friends have credit cards — and no set spending limits.

Mr. Malin said he expects the "Gossip Girl" television series, which debuts September 26 on the CW Television Network, will stoke the public fascination with children growing up in wealthy Manhattan enclaves and attending elite schools. "It can be secretive here, so not that many people know about the lifestyle, unless you actually live here," he said. "I think we'll be perceived by some viewers as obnoxious and over-the-top."