Okay, so we know that the designers weren’t really taking notes during Tuesday Glee nights, but as gleeks who have recognized the adorableness of a bow-blouse, the retro-chic of polka-dots, and the potential of Rachel’s signature skirts and penny loafers, it is fun to say that we recognized some of Fall 2011’s trends when they were being used as quirky character pieces on the fictional series. Here’s a list of the perfect 10 ways that Glee inspired the designers.
1. Emma’s Bow-blouses: I have to confess, amongst all of her crazy, Emma is my absolute favorite Glee character. Although some of her wardrobe choices resemble a stylish grandmother (brooches, anyone?), other pieces like her bow blouses (made popular by Kate Spade) are swarming into other collections this season. Khloe Kardashion wore Dolce and Gabanna last week in New York.
2. Rachel Berry’s polka-dots. Remove the socks and loafers and Rachel would have been seen as the trendsetter that she wanted to be during season 2 at McKinley High. I always notice that Rachel’s wardrobe has fashion-forward potential, but I’m always Team Rachel, she’s tied with Emma for my favorite Glee character. Taylor Swift recently stepped out in a similar print.
3. Mercedes’ geometric dresses. While Mercedes’ no-less-than-eclectic wardrobe definitely caught our eye during season 1, we weren’t looking to replicate it into our own closet. BCBG recently toned down her ‘60s vibe and put geometric prints in their spring collections. During Paris fashion week, high fashion designers showed similar bold prints on the runway.
4. Britney’s blue hat. The New York finale of Glee was filled with nothing but color, the five main leading ladies brightening the streets of New York during the opening number. While you were busy staring at Rachel’s loud but ever so broadway jacket, you probably barely noticed Britney’s hat! Now that fedoras and the like are being shown in nearly every collection and celebrities are picking up on the trend, a hat is a must for your fall wardrobe. Jessica Alba dressed down a similar hat while leaving the gym in LA.
5. Quinn’s sweet dresses. Also in the New York episode, rather than layering one of her signature dresses with a thin sweater, Quinn chose a bright orange, long jacket. Designers on the runways this year also picked up on the trend, layering oversized jackets over ultra-feminine dresses.
6. Santana’s blousy tops. Santana sported a white chiffon blouse while singing a cover of “Landslide.” The blouses have since taken off in stores like Express and Forever 21 this fall. Pair it with jeans like Santana and Claudia Chiffer, who stepped out in London in similar apparel, or tuck it into a pencil skirt before going out.
7. Tina Cohen-Chang’s Lace. We all know that with Tina’s goth-obsession, we see a lot of lace in her wardrobe, and she’s been layering her lace with all different kinds of styles, like the preppy sweater shown below. Celebs are getting bored with the ever-present lace trend and layering lace with sparkly dresses, sheer chiffon, and blazers. Emma Stone attended an MTV event and layered her lace with a bold, corset dress.
8. Miss Holiday’s black leather leggings. Holly Holiday almost made the glee club cool, as seen when their costumes changed from the normal cute dresses and safe shirts to leather leggings in the “Singin’ in the Rain.” This year, celebs like Lauren Conrad are dressing up up leather leggings with open blazers and heels.
9. Rachel Berry’s Houndstooth Skirts. Earning a second spot on the list, the queen of the glee club’s skirts are hard to leave out. Shorten up Rachel’s skirt, put it on Selena Gomez and call it a trend! Because I dress preppy, I have always secretly loved Rachel’s skirts, and now that they are coming into style, it gives me a great excuse to actually copy her and wear one!
10. Kurt’s white jackets. You can’t have a style blog without the prom queen and the queen of reality television. Kurt’s white jacket closely resembles the ever-excusable white-after-labor-day blazers that Kim Kardashian and a host of other stars are popularizing this fall.