Partyhopper

Sunday is usually my one day of rest, but this weekend I decided to give up my last few "me time" hours before the start of the work week to attend the Gossip Girl bash at shopping mecca Henri Bendel. Why did I brave a throng of aggressive GG fans on Fifth Ave. when I could have been at home with my feet up enjoying my night off? Because we here at InStyle.com know that our readers can't get enough of the show and we'll do anything to deliver what you want. Besides giving fashionable New Yorkers an excuse to stay up late on a school night, the soiree was thrown in honor of Gossip Girl costume stylist Eric Daman, who not only dresses the actresses in drool-worthy designs for the show, but is also responsible for helping them to develop their own off-screen style.

Bronwyn and Gossip Girl costume stylist Eric Daman.

Before I take you inside, let me first set the scene of the frenzy on the red carpet outside Bendel's, where reporters like yours truly had to fend off the rabid Gossip Girl fans in order to get our jobs done. My poor sandaled feet kept getting trampled, I took a couple of elbows to the kidneys and one woman even put a curse on me when I had a security guard ask her to stop pushing me out of the way so that she could get a photo. Minor injuries aside, I was able to speak with Leighton Meester about what she planned to get Blake for her landmark 21st birthday, ask Matthew Settle if it was even mathemattically possible for him to be Penn Badgley's dad (it is...barely) and talk to stunner Jessica Szohr about her amazing style.

Bronwyn interviews Jessica Szohr.

Once the stars were inside, I was not far behind. I rewarded myself on a job well done with a glass of champagne and a little lip color touch-up courtesy of event sponsor YSL Beaute before making the rounds to schmooze, snoop and snack. There's something about being in a store like Bendel's after-hours that makes you feel very V.I.P. and thanks to Andrew Andrew, who provided the evening's ultra-hip soundtrack, it almost felt like I was part of a scene in Gossip Girl.

Andrew Andrew spun hip hits like MGMT's Time to Pretend.

A while later, Parthopper pal Rachel and I found ourselves back on Fifth Ave., where a few die hard fans were still waiting around. Even though the night was no longer young, the dog still had to be walked and I knew that my Crunch Pilates trainer Kelly would show me no mercy at my next session, I headed over to Pop Burger for a little flame broiled nightcap--plus onion rings--before calling it an evening.

Bronwyn and Rachel pose for pics on the red carpet outside Henri Bendel.

Are you looking forward to Season 2 of Gossip Girl? Got any predictions on what you think will happen? And does anyone know how to reverse the effects of a curse? I want to hear from you!--Bronwyn Barnes