Keep Your Friends Close - Part 2 of 2 - Those Kept Close

Ok, I'm gonna say it...I think Alison has the best hair on the show. Let the debate begin. 

If this was the day I was going to steal a purse-ful of money from an old lady (albeit secretly and within the confines of a bank) I think I would have chosen an outfit a little more exciting. At least added some sleek leather gloves!

I love Ezra and his little vests. And icing on the cake, his leather messenger bag is perfection. YUM. 

Khaki-colored jeans. Enough said. 

Look at how the light perfectly illuminates Ian as he steps through the door. I did NOT mean to get a screencap this good. He certainly is no angel, as we soon found out. 

I never did understand the combination of a tank top and boots. If it's cold enought to wear boots, then how is it warm enought to wear a sleeveless shirt? Don't you run the risk of sweaty feet or cold arms? Someone please explain this to me!

Full skirt and simple tank and sweater. Honestly, I don't think we've ever seen Melissa wear anything bad.  

Dear PLL Wardrobe Department: Where are these jeans from? They are the perfect dark wash and perfect straight leg (which I find very hard to find). If you made them yourself, would you please send them to me? Thank you.

If Mona wants to wear a t-shirt, she should take lessons from Emily. This top is a fashion don't. 

Never one to skimp on trends, Mona incorporates every piece of glamorous camping apparel she can find. Oddly, it kind of works on her...

I wasn't going to include Noel in this recap because his one appearance this episode is less than noteworthy; however, I'm confused on why he is wearing both a henley-type shirt AND an opened button-down that is buttoned open? Pick ONE shirt buddy!

After watching Toby in the second half of the season with his shorter 'do, I really can't stand this shaggy look on him anymore. No wonder everyone thought he was a criminal!

There's No Place Like Homecoming - Part 2 of 2 - Dance, Dance

I love when the girls dress up and we get to see how their individual styles translate into formalwear. Some did it spectacularly while others should have taken a second look in the mirror.

Let's start with Aria. I'm head over heels for her choice! Part hard-core rocker, part ballerina. I'm practically drooling and severely regretting some of my high school dance outfit choices. Hair up in a ponytail would have been great so we could see more of the dress, but that's just me being picky!

The detailing is breath-taking. If their dance didn't have so many disco and strobe lights I might have been able to get a better shot...

Close-up of the jealousy-inducing shoes. How can Ezra resist these? Hot. 

This dress reminds me of someone or something but I can't quite put my finger on it. In any case, that cerulean blue is gorgeous on Emily and I love the way the bottom swishes (swooshes?). 

You know what? It looks like the perfect dress to go Tango-ing in. Maybe the writers should consider some dance scenes...

Everyone's dresses seem to be a mix of two things. Hanna's: part Bjork's swan dress, part amazing.

Sophistication at its best! Spencer is stunning in this simple yet flattering frock, and with that metallic fabric...perf!

Color again for Jenna! No wonder we were all convinced that Jenna was not really blind - she wore so much color in the first half!

I don't think red is best for her though, but I guess she can't see it so it doesn't matter? Too harsh?

Did Rosewood up and move to Texas? Because I can't come up with any other explanation for all the big hair. Stick with me a moment...

Mustard yellow is never a good choice for anyone even on a pretty girl like Maya. 

Two words: not flattering. Sorry Mona. 

Once again big hair reappears! But unfortunately I do like Melissa's dress. I really hate that I like her wardrobe as much as I do!

Alex sure knows how to clean up!

All this dance floor lighting makes all the colors look different; however, we can still see how bland and boring Ezra's suit was. He dresses so much snazzier for the classroom. What happened?

Adorable, geeky Toby. The bowtie fits his personality to a tee!

Hard to tell from the lighting, but I loved that Sean went with a lighter colored suit. Some high school boys really do have style. 

I think I prefer Toby in just a t-shirt...or no shirt at all. You can't see it here, but I must point out that Toby had draped a scarf over his coat as well--pointless? Yes.

Reality Bites Me - Part 1 of 2 - Same old, same old

Episode Synopsis: This week, relationship drama takes centre stage. Ella tears into Byron after he admits he had an affair. Aria hides from her dysfunctional home life by attending Ezra's reading. There, she meets his college roommate, who makes Ezra feel weird about dating a high schooler. Ezra is even more freaked out when he sees a message from A on Aria's phone, and assumes that she's told all of her friends about them. Emily befriends Toby, who has way too much hair and sits around reading Catcher in the Rye all the time. Hanna suspects Sean has found a new girlfriend, but it turns out she's just his ride to Virginity Club (that isn't an euphemism, by the way). She also discovers that Jenna's been seeing a psychotherapist and that Jenna wears the same colour of lipstick A wrote her mirror message with. And after Spencer's father makes her throw a tennis game to help him win a client, she realizes that winner-takes-all is not the way for her after all. She comes clean about plagiarizing her essay and goes on a date with cute Alex, the country club hottie. 

So, the thing about these early episodes is that the show was clearly still finding its way. Plotlines appear and disappear (Spencer's plagiarized paper, Jenna's lipstick) and the costuming is All. Over. The. Place.

Let's begin with the things that stay the same, shall we? Such as Aria's boho chic - cute dresses with cute boots:

You can only sort of see here, but she's wearing tan knee-socks inside of darker brown boots, which looks adorable. She is like a little perfect boho pixie. Check out how her shiny, shiny hair looks great with her cute purple handbag:

And she looks so high-schoolish in the photo below. This is just after Ezra suggests that, perhaps, dating might be kind of a bad idea. Seriously, she suddenly looks about 13:

Oh, and I should also mention that this dress-and-boots combo is the outfit of the week. Everything goes pretty much downhill from here.

That being said, Aria had a standout ensemble during the episode's opening pajama party. I mean, only Aria would layer a cropped long-sleeve tee over a white henley, with XXL floral print pajama pants. But it looks adorable on her:

Ezra also dresses pretty consistently with his character from the latter-half of the season. I know for sure he wears another pair of ill-fitting cords later on. I guess he's still early enough in his job that he hasn't earned enough money to purchase a vest to go with this outfit: 

He wears the same shirt and pants out to the reading later on, reminding us that he's not so far removed from his starving-student university days. He looks like an actual twentysomething when he adds this t-shirt, though:

Hanna's look this episode is also typical Hanna - by which I mean, all over the place and kind of a mess. She didn't really get her act together, sartorially, until she got involved with Caleb. And I wonder if this pajama ensemble is a holdover from her Hefty Hanna days:

Yes, that is covered in little yellow teddy bears. Another possibility is that she picked this up when she got her scrubs to wear for her fake-job at the dentist's office. Has anyone ever looked cuter wearing kittycat scrubs? I think not:

She's even colour-coordinated her nails to the fuschia kittycats.

And I don't know about this very zipper-y outfit:

I like the ginormous ring, similar to others she wears later on in the season. But the dress seems kind of a bizarre choice to wear to school. True, we never see any of these teens in class, but this is more of a club dress than a daytime ensemble. Here's a better look of the dress. I think the necklace may be attached?

Also? What is this show's obsession with cropped jackets?

THESE NEVER LOOK GOOD.

Hanna looks cute in this outfit, which she wears for snooping around the psychiatrist's office (and then hilariously pretending to be his client, "Martha"):

This is mostly cute. The top is white with gold sparkles, which I enjoy. However, the tank is sheer enough that you can see her cami inside, which would be fine, except that the cami doesn't cover her entire midsection. A full-length black cami would have made this so much better. Still, it's like 85% cute.

Ashley Marin is, as always, a style star. Last week Steph couldn't decide whether red or blue was her best colour. And this week, I offer that maybe fuschia is her best colour?

Oh, who am I kidding. Every colour is her best colour. She is completely fabulous. Never change, Ashley!

Can You Hear Me Now - Part 2 of 2 - The Adults

If there's an award for Best Dressed Parent, it goes to Ashley. I don't think she's ever worn a bad outfit. This is no exception - royal blue is so her color.

Actually, I take that back. Red is Ashley's colour (and it's a power colour, so no surprise there!). The wrap dress looks absolutely fantastic on her - and her heels are covetable.

Ella's style seems to be simple, loose, and comfortable. Nothing much to comment on here.

Isabel's cream silk shirt and pearls seem so out of place in this setting. If anything, Isabel and Kate just seem out of place in Rosewood.

We finally meet Hanna's father, Tom Marin. And what does he wear? A boring, typical Dad suit.

Or, a boring, typical Dad sweater.

I need a chaser after all that predictability. How about a completely unnecessary picture of Ezra on his bike - because he does have nice legs.

Speaking of Ez, let's review his various modes...

Ezra in teacher mode - tweed version.

Ezra in date mode - kitchen towel version.

Ezra (back) in teacher mode - brown cords version (yikes).

And finally, Ezra in (casual) date mode - hoodie version. Yum. I'll take this one with a side of intrigue, please!

The Jenna Thing - Part 2 of 2 - Could 'A' Be...

At this point in the game, anyone could be 'A.' 

"Hello there Spencer, I'm here to seduce you."
"Oh Wren, you're very dapper and that accent is dreamy.  You may kiss me."

I should totally be a PLL writer, right?  Just tell me that's not how it went down in their heads!  Wren is super cute and he has a great sense of style as well.  How could Spencer resist his charm?

This navy half zip sweater looks very nice over his orange and blue plaid button down. 

As much as we don't want to admit it, I think there's a very strong case for Ezra being 'A'.  He returned to Rosewood at the perfect time, he's got an air of mystery around him, and he's got Aria under her spell.  So much so that she eventually tells him everything about the girls' past and present.  I don't know...

But I do know he looks adorable in his teacher gear.  The suit fits well and the subtle dark grey stripe on his tie adds a sophisticated touch.

We've seen what Mona is capable of, there's no reason not to include her on the list of 'A' suspects.  Plus she's always on her phone.  Coincidence?

As far as her style...not too shabby, Mona.  I actually like her wide elastic band skirt with paint splattered design.  It compliments the light grey top and jean jacket.

Here she is shopping with Hanna in a very preppy cardigan.  I love the color and the fit.  Simple yet cute. 

I wonder who does Jenna's hair.  It always looks so pretty, and has just enough curl and volume.

I'm actually not liking this outfit.  It might be the black tights, or perhaps the buttons down the front of the shirt.  Something is just not right.

Continuing with our 'A' suspects...could it be Maya?  Like Ezra, she appeared at the right moment and we know nothing of her past.  She seems a little shady to me, and I'm not a huge fan of her fashion sense ether.  This loose white cover up does nothing for me.  Sure, she's school appropriate, but it's just meh.

Heellllllooooooo Pocahontas.  And the flower design on the back of the shorts make them look too youthful, like one might wear in middle school.