Blake Lively, The New Chanel Icon

Following Taylor Momsen at John Galliano, it is now Blake Lively's turn to cross the threshold of a big Parisian house of fashion. Photographed by Karl Lagerfeld, the new Chanel leather goods campaign will star the star of "Gossip Girl."

Given that she has been given 3 Vogue U.S. covers by Madame Anna Wintour; has announced her addiction to Louboutin (just like Carrie Bradshaw did about Jimmy Choo), and is always perfectly dressed for the series that has made her a star, the luxury brands can no longer remain indifferent towards her. Always ready to celebrate the latest youth en vogue, Lagerfeld has fallen for the blonde Serena van der Woodsen, seeing in her the perfect incarnation of the Chanel girl.

Her role in the Josh Schwartz series (a rich uptown girl won over by a Brooklyn "commoner" has already made her the darling of an entire generation of adolescents) and her image around town (at a time when beauty standards are trying to diversify, her physique - less skeletal than those of her Hollywood colleagues - can but please) have allowed Miss Blake to fit in perfectly with the times.

Less sultry than Lily Allen but more charismatic than Keira Knightley, Blake Lively could well cause sparks in front of Lagerfeld's lens. It remains to be seen if her 100% Yankee aura will match the image of Chanel elegance. A Clémence Poésy would have perhaps been an interesting choice in this respect...

On the other hand, from a commercial standpoint, there is nothing better than making the heroine of a bankable series an icon to familiarize the series' audience with the high-end brand, previously considered inaccessible...

Visuals to be released beginning 2011.