“Gossip Girl” Queen Bee Leighton Meester is stepping out of her co-stars shadows and commanding the spotlight.

On Monday night, Leighton attended opening night of the flagship American Eagle Outfitters store wearing a super sexy black leather plunging neckline micro-mini dress with matching leather bandeau, from Paule Ka. The racy look, not often embraced by Meester, was finished off with dark, smoldering eyes and blood red lips.

During the event, the 23-year-old singer made an outfit change as she hit the stage, slipping into a pair of statement Eighties-style leggings, studded boots and a bare midriff top for the performance of her new song, “Somebody to Love.” Leighton, who plays high society girl Blake Woldorf in Gossip Girl, was cheered on by the crowd as she performed, which included her cast mates Patrick Heusinger, Michelle Trachtenberg and Jessica Szhor as well as Meester’s fellow castmate – and boyfriend – Sebastian Stan.

Today, GQ Magazine revealed a risqué photo-shoot of their latest obsession, Leighton, modeling leather, satin and lace lingerie by high-end brands such as Yves Saint Laurent and D&G.

Meester, who plays the decadent heiress Blair Waldorf on the hit show, has had an upbringing that is anything but. It was reported last year that Meester was born to a mother who was incarcerated at the time on pot charges, and she has spent the better part of her life on earth shuttling, Gypsy-like, from cramped apartments to soul-sucking auditions. Gossip Girl is the first stable job she’s ever had. “I’ve finally unpacked,” says Meester, who next year will appear as Steve Carell’s babysitter in the romantic comedy Date Night. “I didn’t expect anything. I’m always like, ‘Is the show going to get canceled?’ ‘Am I going to have to move?’ It’s hard to have any kind of luck in this business.”