Michael - Part 1 of 2 - Don't Stop 'til You Get Enough

It was only a matter of time before the New Directions paid tribute to MJ, beyond adorning their wardrobes with sequins and spangles (yes, I’m talking to you, Mercedes) and I think they did a bang-up job of it.  And speaking of a bang-up job, there was a little “Blood on the Dance Floor” when the New Directions confronted the Warblers in a classic West Side Story-esque showdown, only for Blaine to go down in all of his Tony Wycek glory when Sebastian launched a loaded slushie to his eye.  Santana, Artie, and Kurt are hell-bent on retaliation, but only Santana and her under-boob manage to pull off any kind of revengey scheme.  In light of Quinn’s early acceptance into Yale and Kurt’s finalist letter from NYADA, Rachel’s grasping at straws to plan a future for herself when her own NYADA letter is nowhere in sight.  Then, one mini-meltdown and one facially-charged duet later, Rachel agrees to marry Finn…but of course, four seconds later, she finds out she’s a NYADA finalist and her future of wedded bliss doesn’t seem so blissful anymore.  And that's what you missed on Glee! 

It’s go time for the New Directions and they know they need to ramp it up for Sectionals.  Who better to draw inspiration from than the King of Pop himself, Michael Jackson.  Blaine busts a move in some awesome goldenrod trousers that are hiked up enough to showcase those amazing two-toned brogues. The white jacket just pulls the whole retro look together. 

But nothing tops the sequined jacket when he channels MJ and clearly, he can’t get enough of the ankle pants…but at least he knows how to work them.  Now, where’s my moonwalk?

I.  Love.  Shawl.  Collars.  It is the King of Collars.  Pair it with a simple striped pattern and you have the perfect winter sweater.  I mean, don’t you just want to cuddle with that—him?  I meant him.  

What sweater vests are to Schue, bow ties are to Blaine.  I’m not arguing.  I’m just sayin'.  

Well, this is what happens when the bow tie comes off and the black leather hoodie comes out.  Sick and tired of Sebastian’s set-list-stealing-arrogant-smirkiness, Blaine wasn’t content to let bygones be bygones with his former glee-mate. So, he and the New Directions meet the Warblers for what was possibly the most gangsta-like experience of their lives.   I say “gansta-like” because Quinn is in a floral dress and Brittany is still in her Cheerios uniform.  Really, ladies?     

And after their badass sing-off in an abandoned underground garage in the sleepy suburbs of Ohio, he was ambushed with a loaded slushie.   The good news?  He gets to recuperate in that very handsome pajama set and the eye-patch doesn’t mess up his perfectly slicked-back coif.  

And there to nurse his battle wounds is the ever-loyal Kurt.  But loyalty aside, what is with the ushanka? 

Unless he’s outside in sub-zero temperatures or sipping vodka in St. Petersburg, that’s just unnecessary. 

I guess we’re going for the deconstructed winter look because he left the hat at home but brought the snow boots and gloves along for the jaunt to the coffee shop. 

And sharp charcoal jacket aside, I’m really digging the sparkly tuxedo stripe down the leg of his trousers. 

Then, distraught over Blaine’s injuries, Kurt resorts to casual wear.  With the exception of the cape — because, come on, it’s a cape! — that side of his closet is kind of meh….unless my eyes have horribly deceived me and that’s a shawl collar I spy, in which case, win.  Shawl collar totes trumps the cape.  

  

Why, hello, cozy. 

He would make a lovely snow bunny sitting at the ski lodge in that wooly wintery piece.

But I wonder, is he studying how best to stick it to Sebastian? Or stewing over his as yet undetermined future with NYADA?  I had to hand it to him—when he had the chance to board the Bitch Town Express, he took the high road.  Nothing, not even going bat sh*t cray on Sebastian for hurting Blaine, was going to stop him from achieving his goal.

Not even earth tones. The tailored corduroy jacket and the plaid scarf are such masculine picks for Kurt, but I’m liking it.

Okay, I’m sorry, but every time I look at this picture I think that’s a Star Trek  Starfleet emblem (the turtleneck doesn’t help) and is it just me, or do his ears look pointier than usual?  Live long and prosper at NYADA, Kurt.  

Honestly, I don’t really care for the sailor crewneck here, but I was beyond thrilled to see a drawing of Kate Middleton posted in his locker.  But then again, what’s a show about the King of Pop without a queen thrown in there somewhere? 

Unlike Kurt, Santana was full steam ahead on the Bitch Town Express—nothing was going to stop her from squeezing a confession out of Sebastian.  Seems fitting, then, that she rocked the military get-up and epaulets — can you think anyone better than Lima Heights’s finest to lead the cavalry against the Warblers?

Loved the “Smooth Criminal” get-up!  It’s always so fun to turn a masculine piece like a tuxedo into something sexy and feminine.   Especially when there are electronics taped to your underboob and payback is on the agenda. 

The booties, however, stole the scene for me. Absolutely perfect.  It’s always better to go after the prize in a good pair of heels.    

Another Glee go-getter?  One Finn Hudson, who won’t stop asking Rachel for an answer to his utterly harebrained marriage proposal.  He’s so determined, so absolutely single-minded that he obviously doesn’t have time to think about what he wears.   Plaid shirts for regular days…

 

…and polo shirts for fancy days.  Maybe he thought sprucing things up with some American Eagle would sway a favorable answer from Rachel?  

With her future hanging in the balance, Rachel suddenly doesn’t know what to do with herself.  She did know that it was winter — finally! — and thought it a good idea to wear a sweater and tights.  I think I’d really like the black detailing on her black skirt if I could see it…unless she’s actually wearing a skort.  Sadly enough, I wouldn’t really put it past her.  

I could almost forgive a skort mishap because of her taste in outerwear.  Flawless every single time — from the gray tweed, the oversized collar, and what looks to be cape sleeves, it’s just perfect.  And her hair is great here. I’m a fan of curls on her. 

Oh, for the love of....  Back to summer wear, are we? 

Luckily for her, the colors are stunning and the print is interesting enough to make me wish I could see the whole ensemble.

I love the simplicity of this dress — the unadorned high neckline, the dainty cap sleeves, and the classic polka dot pattern make this dress a great go-to piece.

See what I mean about her fabu outerwear collection?  You can’t beat a red coat and when you add oversized buttons and a strong shoulder. It just works. 

Overall, her look for this episode has been toned down, and I'm giving golfclaps to the results.  Clean lines, simple patterns, minimal embellishment, and classic colors look so great on her.  This red frock is so flattering, and the soft pleating and little black bow keep the dress from bordering on boring.  Plus, when your primary accessory is an outrageously expressive face, you really can’t have too much going on with your outfit.

Love the lace and the bustier outline at the bodice, but admittedly, she did wear a lot of dark colors — a big change from her usual bright color palette. 

But, I suppose if I was scared out of my mind about the future and only knew that Plan A was a giant question mark and Plan B involved shackling myself to one person and one town for the rest of my life…well, I’d be a smidge depressed, too. 

Michael - Part 2 of 2 - Just a Little Bit of Me

The rest of the New Directions only seemed to pop in here and there for bits of Michael week. Or at least stayed just long enough for a solo or duet.  Otherwise, their appearances were as unremarkable as their outfits.  Case in point:

Boring Irish fellow.

Sad looking Puck:

On the other hand, everyone is A++ for the big group MJ number.  Brittany’s costume looks so amazing on her, Finn in anything glittery is definitely noteworthy, Rory’s rocking the military look as well as Santana, and Mike’s Thriller get-up is spot on. 

Not so spot on?  Tucking your shirt and cardigan into your pants.

I suppose, though, it could be overlooked given that he’s about to don some spikes and nail a duet with Mike.  Such a fun change from the usual Artie! 

That’s also about as interesting as it gets for Mike; though, I do love that he took a cue from Blaine and pulled on a pair of colored trousers.  The track jacket pairs excellently with the red.  And I was beyond thrilled to see Tina in this navy and green dress. 

But not as thrilled as when I realized she had ditched the hideous Pilgrim collar for the cowl neck. 

I am also super-loving her foray into the land of preppy.  The suspenders are a great, and often overlooked, accessory. 

Be still my heart. 

Now, this is not the best dress ever, but it is far and away a world of improvement.  We can ditch the orange, but the button detailing along the front is a nice little touch.   And while Mike is about to yawn at his outfit, Quinn is super chic in her bright yellow jacket and gray and white skirt.  I’m not wild about this full skirt situation over here, but the jacket makes up for it. 

She must be taking lessons in great jackets from Rachel, because she stole Blaine’s blanket and fashioned herself a great red and black blazer. 

And can we talk about her hair? That impulse decision to chop off her locks at the end of Season 2 was a good one.

White and navy always look great together.  So do dresses and blazers.  Put them all together and add some lace detailing?  Lovely.  Classic, chic, sophisticated and mature without looking dated.  

The clear winner of the night was her floor-length black sequined gown.  Obviously, this picture doesn’t do it justice, but while everyone — yes, myself included — was oohing, ahhing, and salivating over this long sparkly number, I was also over the moon with her hair and make-up.  To.  Die.  For. 

This outfit, with the bow detailing at the collar, is pretty nice and it somehow works with the plaid, but let’s face it, nothing can really follow that black dress.

Not to be outdone in the sparkle department, Mercedes ups the ante with metallic lettering, bright colors, animal prints…

…and sequins, of course.

At least it matches the sparkling personality that caught Sam’s attention in the first place.   In other circumstances—like, say, if we were somewhere in southern California—I’d be onboard with this light wash jean jacket.  I appreciate his effort to move away from the plaid, but I’m going to go ahead and say he should get rid of it. Just a little bit.  

 

And despite his few and far between appearances, Mr. Schue managed to make the most of it with four outfit changes.  Only one vest this week, my vest-defiant friends. 

He switches it up from the blazer and the boring shirt with a forest green cardigan trimmed with light blue which is a great piece.  But matched with a red tie and a swill-colored dress shirt and I’m singing a different tune.

And speaking of different tunes, while the New Directions definitely hit it out of the park with their renditions of Michael's songs (and I know it was awesome because I woke up the next morning with “Gotta Be Startin’ Somethin’” in my head) I can’t wait to see how they do when Ricky Martin takes their tunes south of the border.  I’m sure it’ll be nothing short of caliente! 

Mini-Recap: Michael

In an effort to tie many mini-plots together, New Directions decide on a Michael Jackson repeat for Regionals. Blaine spills the beans to Smarmy Warbler Sebastian, who is now stealing ideas and throwing shrapnel-laced slushies, thus putting Blaine in hospital for eye surgery (or giving him time to go be awesome on Broadway - whatevs). The kids start to get college letters: Kurt's a finalist for NYADA, Quinn is improbably getting early acceptance to Yale, and Rachel hasn't seen anything in her mailbox...but it's really just late arriving. Speaking of Rachel, while she was leaning towards the practical "high schoolers probably shouldn't get hitched" route, all it took was one duet to change her mind and now they're getting married.

  Song of the Night: "Never Can Say Goodbye" - I'm not an MJ fan, but I do love the Jackson 5 and Quinn killed it on that one. And wore the hell out of that sparkly evening gown.

Melodramatic Rachel Solo Duet of the Week: It's not Glee if Rachel doesn't make her Dramatic Solo Face TM and she brought it for "I Just Can't Stop Loving You" with Finn.

Santana's Snark: "Well, you're in luck because Auntie Snakes just arrived on the Bitch Town Express."

Outfit of the Week: How to decide between Quinn and Blaine? Those two brought the prep and they brought it hard. Blaine with the mustard pants and suede Oxfords and Quinn pairing a navy blazer with a white eyelet dress.

Worst Outfit of the Week:  Kurt took down at least three animals to create an all leather outfit with a fur hat.

Tracksuit count:  0. It was a Sue-free week. But Finn did wear a bedazzled football jersey, so that must count for something.  

Tune in on Friday to see what Kristina has to say about the rest of the outfits.