(Ooh, this is going to be a good one!) Is there anything more sartorially polarizing than a jumpsuit these days? People either love 'em or hate 'em. So it's unsurprising that Tina Fey's choice for the Met Costume Institute Ball this past Monday - a strapless Yves St. Laurent silk jumpsuit - has set off a firestorm of criticism.I gotta say, I think the style is pretty cute on her. The bodice is smashing, and the trousers add a daring element. Except there's one glaring problem: the crotch does not fit! Am I right? I wish it had been tailored more closely to her body. So a big NAY on the fit for me, but I'm going to be bold with a full-out YEA on the silhouette.
Now, I personally don't think I would wear this as a full-length jumpsuit, but modify those trousers into a little pair of shorts for a 50s-style romper? I'd be all over it!
So what do you think, readers: yea or nay? Unleash your venom or show some love for Tina Fey's jumpsuit!
I have to agree with you. It looks great on her but definitely issues with the crotch area. So less about it being a jumpsuit and more a problem with the tailoring itself.
ReplyDeleteThe colour is stunning, the fit in the bodice is perfect but I'm not so sure on the shape of the trousers, they're neither here nor there... and you're certainly right about the crotch, well spotted! LL
ReplyDeleteThe fit makes this a big nay on this one. That crotch is awful. She also always wears black and the makeup is awful, so no I don't think that this one is good in any way.
ReplyDeleteI'm not against a jumpsuit. I just bought Simplicity 2476, a somewhat questionable mix of items, but I've always wanted a pantsuit! I must agree though, the saggy bum look is not working for me.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.simplicity.com/p-3649-misses-sportswear.aspx
Like so many dresses I see at red carpet events, I can only think: "The bodice is smashing, but what the heck was she thinking with the bottom half?!". The crotch area is terribly unflattering (especially since, if I remember correctly, she's a bit on the petite side). I would have loved the look if it had been a bit more fitted from the waist down.
ReplyDeleteI concur with the 50s style romper idea! (Says she who just whipped herself up something similar last weekend... ;)
♥ Casey
blog | elegantmusings.com
I like the jumpsuit. Kinda 70's-ish. I wouldn't have noticed the crotch if you hadn't mentioned it.
ReplyDeleteI don't really wear a lot of pants, but I like Vogues pattern for the "Hammer" harem pants. I am considering making them.
Good lord, no! The whole look is just awful. From the hip-enlarging trousers (not helped by the tapered ankles) to the strapless corset bodice, a big NAY.
ReplyDeleteI have nothing against the YSL jumpsuit per se, and my hunch is that the crotch is fine but just photographed badly. But my sense is that this is a woman with no real fashion identity of her own wearing something someone told her was attractive. On Tina this looks boring and under-accessorized. That's my $0.02
ReplyDeleteI think the sleek, angular cut of the bodice just saves this outfit, but you're right about the baggy crotch -- the bottom of that zipper doesn't know where it's going. Plus I can't help remembering this exchange from Spaced:
ReplyDeleteTim: I'd look like a tw*t in a jumpsuit.
Daisy: Don't say that word, Tim. That's a word that hates women.
Tim: What, tw*t?
Daisy: No -- jumpsuit.
Tres nay.
ReplyDeleteWhen I first saw it I thought she looked cute! Her body looks hawt! Yeah the crotch is a littly diapery, but the bodice fits perfect and I love the length of the pant!
ReplyDeleteNo to jumpsuits...they are not fashion, they are utilitarian. Coveralls are great if they are specifically worn to protect the clothes underneath and can handle dirt and grime...otherwise, they should not be worn.
ReplyDeleteI also think that no woman over the age of 6 should be dressed in a romper.
Hmmm, I am not sure. I'd need to see another picture of it in a different angle. But I am not one to talk about jumpsuits! I bought a jumpsuit when they were out back in the 1990's! It was a very dressy one with a cross over back. I loved it then, I love it now. Shame that my figure wasn't the same as it used to be otherwise I'd still be wearing it!
ReplyDeleteI love Tina Fey, but not the jumpsuit ( and the make-up is a little too much too)
ReplyDeleteI'm with Peter. I love Tina Fey, don't get me wrong. This look is just not her. Who told her a tapered leg looked good on her? Shame on them. And what's with the raccoon eye shadow? Not very her either. She is trying too hard.
ReplyDeleteI've been drooling over a somewhat tailored, utilitarian style jumpsuit for a little while now, and I did a post on them recently: http://cohabitatingcloset.blogspot.com/2010/05/mission-jumpsuit.html
ReplyDeleteI got pattern number 3 coming in the mail.
I saw this Tina Fey number the following day and was really excited (because I want jumpsuits to remain somewhat fashionable). Tina Fey probably isn't the biggest fashionista but she looks cute here. Maybe not a win but a "pretty good" from me. And since her sex appeal has always been secondary to her humor, I think it works for her. Maybe her stylist said, "We need folks to talk about your fashion sense," because it has totally worked. The Guardian was pretty positive about the look; they expressed that it should have been a bit more "dramatic."
I just can't get over the fit problem in the lower half. I think the hips are a little too roomy which is leading to the crotch going all wonky. I do think it could use a little something extra to spice it up a bit, but then again Tina Fey doesn't seem to be much of a flashy kind of gal. I think she would rather be in jeans and a t-shirt than to have to dress up and walk the red carpet. I think sometimes her discomfort in dress up clothes make them not wear quite as well as they would on someone who was stoked to be wearing a particular outfit.
ReplyDeleteI like the jumpsuit but the cut is unfortunate... makes her look like she's wearing boxer shorts all bunched up underneath, or a diaper.
ReplyDeleteAt first glance she looks great, but I totally agree with you on the crotch area! I personally love jumpsuits & rompers. I've recently thrifted 2 lovely vintage jumpsuits. I've worn both - interesting reactions. Your right Gertie people love them orhate them.
ReplyDeleteI really love the jumpsuit! It's really different.
ReplyDeleteLove your blog
x
I love this jumpsuit, with a better photo or tailoring yes. I have a pattern I've wanted to make for ages but I just don't know if I can pull it off with my body shape. So Kudos to Tina for being much braver than I.
ReplyDeleteI'm all about a jumpsuit, and I wholeheartedly agree with you that this one would be 100% perfect if the crotch area had been perfectly tailored. I still don't understand the animosity against jumpsuits ... they're sleek, can be so flattering, and helloooooo simple dressing :o)
ReplyDeleteI'm in the "nay" camp on this one. I suspect Tina's crotch problem stems from that dreadful zipper. Ugh! You'd think there'd be a better alternative. Makes her look like she's wearing strapless mechanics cover-alls.
ReplyDeleteI like to look at jumpsuits on other women, but not wearing them myself. I remember having worn jumpsuits some time ago and - whatever fit issues there may have been - they are really, really annoying to wear. Unless you can do without powdering your nose for an indefinite length of time ;-) And, if wearing them, remember that you shouldn't move too much; don't sit down, avoid to bend down ... Jumpsuits look best when you just remain standing.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid it's a nay for me. I like the bodice, but not the gold zipper dividing her in half. And the crotch plus the seemingly very large pockets aren't doing a thing for her.
ReplyDeleteHer pelvis looks like a partially deflated helium balloon.
ReplyDeleteThumbs down!
I do NOT approve of jumpsuits.
ReplyDeleteThough I do rather likethe style of the top half of that one. The trousers though? Just yuck. No no no no no.
Jumpsuits should just not be allowed.
Not generally a j-suit fan, but I think Tina looks fab. I do agree that she's having some problems in the crotchular area, though ...
ReplyDeleteOh, jumpsuits. I like them in the right situation. The red carpet is not that situation. I also like them when you play them retro (with the short ones like a 50s beach outfit, the long ones with pin straight hair doing a Last Days of Disco sort of thing)This just lacks vision...and fit.
ReplyDeleteHas anyone been watching this season of "America's Next Top Model"? Every week at the judge's panel Tyra Banks wears a different crazy jumpsuit. I have no idea why! Each is insane in its own special way.
ReplyDeleteFor the most part, I think she looks terrific. While the cut of the slacks does not appeal to me, I feel like it is intentionally generous... an experiment with proportions. I have accidentally achieved this effect (or the even more dreadful opposite... a too snug crotch)while attempting to alter pants patterns to fit my tall frame. Gertie, if Prof. King mentions tailoring of the rise in his course please pass this knowledge on.
ReplyDeleteyeh i love the whole jumpsuit look but what's going on in the crouch area???? I'm not a fan of the saggy bum look!!!!
ReplyDeleteUsually when I see a starlet on the red carpet (especially one who is stunning but has dubious talents) it seems like fair game to criticize their outfits. They are, after all, getting by on their looks...
ReplyDeleteBut Tina Fey is a STAR and an intelligent woman. No one assumes that she got her own show (writing and starring) because of how she looks. I think the outfit is a bit silly and would never try it personally, but good for her for picking something she wants to wear. Just like when Meryl Streep shows up on the red carpet we can gripe about her dress, but that never really detracts from HER because she is much more substantial than her outfit.
Anyway, the pants seem comfy for having a nice meal before the gala and not worrying about sucking in her tummy for the cameras. I say go for it!
If someone had described this to me I'd have said NO NO NO! But seeing the picture, it totally works for her. She's a comedienne, so I feel like they get a license to be more creative in clothes, she has the perfect body for it.
ReplyDeleteUmm....No!!
ReplyDeleteI don't think this style would be flattering on most body types. The tapered leg for one would accentuate the thigh and hip area making it look bigger. You would really need to be in almost perfect shape with no bulges to make it work. Definitely not for me.
I LOVE IT. unabashedly! i think the crotch-shaping is interesting, adds hourglass shape whereas if it were fitted more directly to her (or any woman's) body, it might look majorly awk. i vote a resounding yes! Way to go Tina!
ReplyDeleteThis *is* a good one!
ReplyDeleteDefinite yay on the makeup - it's a lot, but it's fun to see her in "bold eyes".
I applaud her trying something new, but I agree with Peter that it's just not her - judging from past red carpet choices (lovely glam dresses) it's obviously an outfit she was advised to wear.
An edgy dress would have been a nice departure, but more in keeping with her style.
Nay! It reminds me of everything Tyra wears on ANTM (yeah, I watch it, but ONLY because my sister likes it! honest). Top half usually looks great, and I think no matter what the bottom half looked like if it were a dress(full skirt, slim skirt, floor length gown) it would be way better than the jumpsuits she keeps wearing! Same deal here.
ReplyDeleteI'm afraid I just can't forgive this jumpsuit its very oddly placed zip. It ends in a really unfortunate place, and I think that just makes the fact that the trousers are unflattering and the crotch ill fitting, all the more obvious. You're right, though, the bodice is great. I could say a 'yea' on a romper suit, without the tapered leg and with a shorter zip, but I'm afraid I have to say 'nay' as it is.
ReplyDeleteI do like this jumpsuit, and I think she looks adorable in it (and wouldn't have noticed the crotch if you hadn't pointed it out) but I don't think it has star quality. It's reminiscent of something I would have worn to the discos in the late 70s, something fun and glitzy but not so much for this event.
ReplyDeleteI love jumpsuits. Even easier to wear than dresses in a your-outfit-is-automatically-coordinated way... until you have to pee ;) I think she looks cute though; a little under-dressed for the event maybe, but good for her for taking a chance.
ReplyDeleteNAY!
ReplyDeleteA Big YUCK!
I think Tina rocked the look--and that took confidence. I've seen some bad jumpsuit revisits lately. I didn't really like them back in the 80s. And it was absolutely because of the crotch area issue.
ReplyDeleteJumpsuit OK for her. For me, never. But totally inappropriate for a ballgown event.
ReplyDeleteIt's cheeky, I like it...wish I could look that good in something so, um, odd looking. It sure beats her Sarah Palin look!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe that no one has considered the possibility that a good part of what looks like a misfitting crotch may be in the way she is standing....the right hand in the pocket is pushing fabric toward the left side and distorting the zipper. She also has her weight on her left leg with the right thrust forward so that her hips are not level. If she were standing up straight it may look fine.
ReplyDeleteI think that there has to be ease in the hip area when the legs are pegged in at the bottom to allow room for sitting down, unless the fabric has lengthwise stretch. Maybe the proportion would look better if the pantlegs were wider at the bottom and the hip area could be more fitted. Just a thought. I like the top part a lot though.
Jumpsuits will come and go. If you like them, wear them...if not, don't. No one has to be a slave to fashion!
I quite like the concept, but agree the crotch length looks ridiculously low. I think a really angular peg-topped style of trouser would suit the bodice better, than the rounded silhouette used.
ReplyDeleteI've never liked trousers in this type of silk - it always looks puffy, and the sheen emphasises every crease.
Absolute YAE!
ReplyDeleteI love her no matter what she has on.
YEA
ReplyDeleteI think she looks adorable, but you are right - it did need adjusting on the fit.
I am not totally loving the exposed silver zipper, but the rest looks really good.
I do not normally like jumpsuits much. They certainly do not flatter every body. Not to mention, I have a longer torso so they are always too tight on me.
I love it, I think the tailoring in the bodice absolutely makes it.
ReplyDeleteAs for the crotch, as someone who's worn a jumpsuit lately, let me tell you that if you intend to sit in it and not be garrotted, it needs a little more ease than may be strictly flattering.
I'm afraid that I'm against jumpsuits on a general basis and I think rompers should be illegal on anyone over the age of five....
ReplyDeleteNay. Proverbial potato sack on the bottom and totally nondescript on top.
ReplyDeleteYea! I used to be a jumpsuit hater. But I have grown to love them (though never wear one). I found a very cute Liberty of London for Target jumpsuit that really sealed the deal for me.
ReplyDeleteIt makes me think of those all in one things that babies wear and they only look adorable on babies not on adults so I've got to say "Nay!!"
ReplyDeleteIt's a Yay! for me. I think she looks great - the crotch area looks bulky because of how she is standing - so no wonder it looks skewwiff.
ReplyDeletehttp://originalmischief.blogspot.com
Very Studio 54, have a hazy recollections of Lauren Hutton or Bianca Jagger wearing same. Requires a tad more oomph of the late 70's to get it quite right....smoky eyes with a hint of glitter shadow and slightly elongated eyebrows and more 'tude. I think YSL and the pantsuit absolutely rocked in it's heyday and this retro look is funky but needs to be braver. She works hard for the money!!!!!
ReplyDeleteregards
M-C
Sorry, but *shudder*. I can't stand jumpsuits and rompers on anyone who is old enough to talk properly.
ReplyDeleteSophie
filasewphie.blogspot.com
Nay to this version of the jumpsuit. A jumpsuit has to be fitted perfectly and is best suited to a style that can blouse a little in the bodice (adds some sitdown flexibility) and fitted well in the crotch and leg. My mother has a khaki version in the 1980's that she wore quite often. It had short sleeves with cuffs, a convertible collar and breast pocket, and a trench style belt. The length was correct and the legs did not taper too much. She would never have worn a jumpsuit to such a formal event.
ReplyDeleteI like some of the style elements of Tina Fey's garment. What about that bodice on a fitted skirt in the same fabric? The overall effect would be similar, but this incarnation would have been red-carpet appropriate and more flattering. I can't help with the make-up.
Nay, nay nay! Besides the fact that I find wearing such things irritating, I think that the cut in the entire transition area is off, not just the crotch. She looks like she has a balloon in between her bodice and her pant legs. The bodice itself is cute, and I would like it with a separate pair of trousers, but I think that making it into a jumpsuit has made the fabric move around her stomach and hips in an extremely unflattering way, especially where she put her hand in her pocket.
ReplyDeleteNow that I have read the other comments, I think Jade and patsijean have a very good point: jumpers need some way to accomodate a great deal of physical movement between the torso and legs that is usually accounted for by having separate garments. That means you either need an extra-long crotch or a blousy top -- or a lot of spandex...
ReplyDeleteI agree with patsyjean that this movement requirement is most flatteringly accomplished with a tight pant and blousy top. That would mean that the fitted corset top inevitably leads to a baggy crotch once you make it part of a jumpsuit.
I think she looks pretty great in it. Sure, there's something funny about the crotch, but on the other hand, I think it would have been a complete cop-out to go with a more fitted silhouette below the waist. That lady is teeny-weeny, and looks so much the better for a bit of added hippage: sometimes closer-fit is not sexier, and certainly not classier!
ReplyDeleteAppropriate for the occasion? Why not? It's fun, and people who take parties too seriously are kinda missing the point of parties ;)
I like the top - but, as with a lot of jump-suits, I think the hip-area is a real problem. I don't think she actually has hips quite that big and I don't think it looks very flattering...
ReplyDeleteI'm not crazy about this jumpsuit, but will admit to loving coveralls and the 70's jumpsuits worn in The Runaways movie as well.
ReplyDeletea good one!
ReplyDelete