Empire of the Son - Part 1 of 3 - The Corporate Club
Thursday, March 3, 2011 at 8:24AM Kristina Alto - Staff Writer Episode Synopsis: Has anyone ever seen Empire of the Sun? It’s about a Japanese internment camp…and if you want a place with as many landmines (of the more figurative variety), congratulations! You’ve come to the right place. Lily turns herself into the D.A. for what she did to Ben. Wham! Serena thinks Ben betrayed her by stealing Lily’s affidavit, but it was actually his mother who swiped it for Thorpe. Boom! Nate and Raina are together. Pow! Vanessa shows up wearing a garbage bag. Fizzle. Thorpe blackmails Chuck and Lily with the stolen affidavit, but when that backfires he tells Chuck that Bart killed his wife. Bang! William Van der Woodsen returns. Kablooey! Blair and Dan grow closer. Kaboom! Blair and Dan kiss. Nuclear explosion.
Or fireworks?
Nothing says spring like a hostile takeover and blackmail. Revenge and pastels were rife at Thorpe Enterprises and Russell Thorpe does well by these cheery shades of purple. Instead of looking like an Easter egg, he looks springy and sophisticated.
I’m all for wearing bright colors and mixing things up, but there’s something a wee bit off-putting here. Maybe it’s the garish tie that's as bright as the sun. Maybe it’s the basket weave/checkerboard pattern. Or maybe it’s because he’s wearing four different colors. Two piece suit. Four colors. You do the math.
Now, here’s a man who knows his way around a suit—and all three pieces at that! I love that he’s wearing shades of purple, too (I know, the brown coat’s a little distracting, but I promise, purple lurks within). The bold patterned tie with the subtly striped shirt is enough to make his look interesting without being loud. I still can't decide how I feel about this coat, though. It's beautiful as a stand-alone piece and, like everything else he owns, is immaculately tailored. I'm just not really jiving with that particular color for this particular suit. A+ for effort, though!
For his premature celebratory gathering, Chuck switches gears (sort of. Okay, not really) with a bold shirt and understated tie. I like the red pocket square, too; it’s a fun pop of color without being blinding. Like, say, an IKEA-yellow tie.
With a high-profile corporate giant as his best friend and a corporate giantess as his would-be girlfriend, Nate and his boyish charm fit in well with the business movers and shakers. What doesn’t fit? His brown, oversized sweater. Chuck probably overdoes the suits to compensate for his BFF who’s latched onto his affinity for casual wear with astonishing temerity.
While still a pullover, this is a much better alternative to the brown knit. The light gray is much more on-trend and praise the Heavens, it actually fits! Rather than looking like a frumpy afterthought, he looks…well, good. Really. Good.
I really like Nate’s coat here, but you can’t go wrong with a classic double-breasted navy overcoat.
Raina is the picture of spring in this brightly patterned dress (it looks like a watercolor painting!). The color palette looks amazing on her but I’m not a huge fan of the awkward ruching along the front of the skirt. It seems to make the skirt stretch unflatteringly.
I generally enjoy a coat with a strong statement collar but as Bon Qui Qui would say, she went a little crazy with the idea. It looks as if there are wings sprouting from an otherwise very chic coat (I love that it has a bubble skirt effect!). Maybe if she buttoned the top clasps that would reign those talons in. Her sparkly clutch, though, is absolutely lovely.
LOVE her earrings (or earring, in this case). It reminds me of the Fabergé eggs (or egg).
04x17, Chuck, Nate, Raina Thorpe, Russell Thorpe in Gossip Girl 
