The duo agreed their on-screen personas' bottomless wardrobes dripping with the likes of Dior and Louis Vuitton couldn't have been any further from their own.
"Growing up, I didn't have a lot of resources, I didn't have a lot of money, so I was thrifting," Smith says.
"This experience has shown me I do enjoy fashion and expressing myself with it.
"Just like New York is a character in the show, fashion is also a character in the show.
"And we talked about this before, Emily and I, we're like, when you're wearing clothes worth tens of thousands of dollars and you're wearing diamonds for the first time in your life … it's going to shift how you play your role, how you walk and talk and relate to each other, which helps us as actors."
Lind, 19, says she has developed a new-found respect for the fashion industry after learning of its relevance in modern culture, specifically mentioning Yves Saint Laurent, the first fashion designer to debut a suit in its women's eveningwear collection in the 1960s.
"I wasn't into designer growing up. I was into fashion, but it came down to what I liked, which was flea markets and stuff," she says. "I just liked that entire process of having something special that only I had.
"But what I've learned from this project, and something I never thought I'd learn, is that I am interested in the industry as a whole and the history behind a lot of these brands is so intriguing.
"Like YSL was ahead of the feminist movement with the first lady suit … I have so many books and have been studying the history of fashion, and I fell in love with it."
The original Gossip Girl influenced an entire generation of fashion during its six seasons, with Blake Lively's Serena van der Woodsen bringing bohemian chic onto mainstream TV, and Leighton Meester's Blair Waldorf modernising a classic sense of dress inspired by Elizabeth Taylor.
Designers were desperate to be showcased on the series after its first season exploded in popularity, with the pieces worn by the cast proving almost instant sellouts.
Costume designer Eric Daman, who worked on the original GG and is at the costuming helm for the revival, also managed to make headbands a must-have adult accessory thanks to Lively's revolving door of exquisite pieces.
As for what trends they hope the reboot will set for the next gen, Smith and Lind have a few thoughts.
"I think the 90s is coming back … Definitely the mini skirts with matching coats," Smith says. "We've also been doing fun socks with open-toed sandals, which we were kind of like 'Huh?' and then we saw it all put together and were like, 'Ok that actually looks pretty cool'."
Lind adds, "In the show we have these little ties on our necks. A lot of us have these ribbon ties. And obviously the high boots with no pants, but that's already a thing."
