Make It Or Break It: Groups and Everything Else Part Two

It's that time of the week again. Okay, it's a day past that time of the week but yesterday I had a blood test for the first time in ages and I needed moral support, vomited, and then spent the day at a friend's boyfriend's house being chatted up and checked out by his housemate while playing D & D style boardgames. It was a good day, minus the vomit. Today, I was in the city celebrating a friend's coming of age, feasting, gambling and bowling. Not really, I joined the casino club and they gave me a $5 voucher to gamble with, lost it, and won $10 on the slots. Huzzah! I paid for bowling with that. Enough of that, now for gymnastics.

Alicia Sacramone has retired, I'm sad. I read TCG's initial farewell article and came close to tearing up. I haven't been a mega gym fan for long but I'll miss AS's absolute determination, overcoming injuries, fighting the stigma that only young gymnasts are successful and watching her cheer on every gymnast in the arena. Every competition she attends you can hear her shouting the loudest "Come On! Up! There you go!" that you can hear. She's a hurricane and I may just give some respect if she pushes the terrible trio out of the NBC studios. I swear the only decent words spoken are the fun trivia facts you learn about gymnasts.

On to the leotards. The last MIOBI leotard review before we move on to other stuff.

Lauren's choice, it's nice for a start. I like the shiny blue that looks like the ocean when she moves, I don't mind the black stripes across the torso or the black strap. It may not be a winner but it's definitely not the most offensive leotard you could wear. It's rather pretty.

Black and a strong shade of girly pink, I like it. The shade of pink isn't too bright or to nauseatingly light and the black gives off the impression that the gymnast wearing it is to be taken more seriously than the gymnast wearing neon or deep magenta. It's nice and isn't shiny and just a nice sleek design.

I just realised, we've already done Payson's monstrosity. For anyone who doesn't recall, purple and velvet are words that should not be in the same sentence along with the word leotard. It just doesn't work.

Kelly Parker, a nice shade of blue, as most shades of blue are. Mind you I'm not sure about the skinny lines crossing her chest like they were added without checking to see if they were in the right place. Not to mention that the line that finishes on the left is lower on the breast than the line that finishes on the right. It's lopsided. Not sure if this is a manufacturing defect, stupid design or just a bad angle. Probably just crappy design. I get the feeling that some leotard designers come up with designs that look pretty on paper but don't take into consideration how they will look on human bodies.

We'll start with Lauren because her leo is rather easy to critique. I very much dislike silver or grey on leotards, let alone shiny grey or silver but this case isn't the worst we've seen. There is always Payson's tin-foil tard from her copycat Lauren routine. No Payson, I have not forgotten. It may not be an offensive colour but the weird rhinestone pattern is just silly. You can hardly see them at all so why bother? I think my theory is gaining ground. Designers assume their pictures will translate into pretty garments but don't actually think about how it will come out.

Payson, I sort of liked this one to begin with. Now I'm not sure. The shades of blue and the white details make me think of this leotard as a swimming costume. Yes, I'm aware there is a difference but couldn't you see this exact design in a one piece? I damn well could, I can even envision the Speedo logo on it by the thigh.

Do we need to speak about Payson's leo? You know what, on second glance I don't hate it as much as I used to. It may be shiny tinfoil, but the stripes kind of neutralize the overbearing element that all shiny leo's have. I'm rather conflicted about this one so I'll leave it up to you guys. Post a comment or send an email with your opinions on this one.

Oh Lauren. You may have a heart condition but that hardly excuses your wardrobe choice. Ok, the wardrobe people's choice. The major issue of this leotard is the psychadelic fire that makes no sense whatsoever. It's just trying to invade and just looks so wrong. Not to mention that Lauren is extra orange in this particular shot...Or maybe it's the black leotard making her look darker.

First off, I love this pic for the pose. It's beautiful. It may be a shot from the side but you can see the general idea from here. It may be green but it's a shade that works somehow. It's a nice simple design, as opposed as some members of the gym community are to sleeveless leos in competition I like this one just because on beam you can get excellent shots that show the definition of the gymnast's arms. Well, it also helps that the sleeveless design isn't terrible. However I would not wear this to a national or international competition. For a club meet, I think it's perfectly fine.

Although similar to the previous leotard, this green is just hideous. It's the kind of green that only works on walls in kooky rooms and stationary. Not to mention the white sleeves and the pointless bits of black. The design team must have thought, "How can I make this less appealing?". And then there's the silver stars down the arms, what are they there for? They look silly. The current trend may be to add as much crazy shit to your garments but that doesn't mean you have to get sucked in and follow. More is less people.

At the very beginning, I liked these "leotards". I say leotards in quotation marks but the truth is no respectable gymnast would be caught dead in them. Except the stunt doubles, but you can't see their faces and there are so many doubles you can hardly tell who they are. So they're safe. As for the actual garments, they're way too loose at the crotch as evidenced by the episode, the fishnet rights just look stupid and I get the feeling they'd rip when you do bars. Also, they're probably made with pleather which just looks awkward when creased. The only positive thing I can say about this selection is that I like the overall design of Kaylie's leotard but perhaps in a much more normal leo.

Oh dear Kaylie, are we attempting to repeat your World's Team Trials leotard in some strange way? I don't mind the shiny black fabric, it's rather nice. The deal breaker is in the random green stripes and the random pink triangles. It looks like it should be either black and pink or black and green. Personally I'm sick of black and pink on Kaylie so black and green would be a nice change. And perhaps with some new shapes or designs that make sense.

Wendy we can sort of see in an aqua and orange selection. It's a colour combination I wouldn't have though of but it works quite well. In fact it's one of my favourites in the shot. It's pretty and simple, no unnecessary elements.

I actually like Lauren's leotard. Orange isn't a colour you see every day in gymnastics, and black and orange are always a great combination. It's a little cliche with the whole tiger stripe deal but I like it. Just not on Lauren. Orange skin and orange leo are like wearing a purple skirt and a purple shirt. Too much purple. Contrast is good, clashing is bad. Get it?

We can't see Kelly Parker's leo but I assure you you're not missing anything. Black leotard with a little but of red. Rather sporty and if I recall correctly has a v-cut neck with red outlining it.

Payson, nice colour on its own but the shiny fabric is just too shiny. It's distracting. I also dislike the black stripes down the side and over the straps. I get it that the designers were going for the sporty look but it's Payson here. She used to be the sporty one, now she's the pretty one. At least thats what we're supposed to believe. Her leotards are rather contradictory. Perhaps it's not the leotard, it's who's wearing it. I could probably handle anyone other than the central characters wearing this.

Background extras, most likely legit gymnasts. The one in the back is wearing something I can only describe as a purple mountain with a very sharply defined snowcap. The three colours together are just odd. Either combination of white and blue or white and purple and you're good. When you go to mixing the blue and purple, not great. At least not these two hues. It's a design I'd expect from the 90s.

Other background gymnast. I rather like her leo, it's a unique design. Theres very likely people who dislike it and I totally understand that, it is one step above bugly. It could however do with either less rhinestones or just get rid of them and stick with the other shade of gold. It's nice.

Ahh Wendy. The last three selections are of Wendy. I like this leotard probably because it's not on Kaylie. Also, I like the immersion of the black into the pink. You can't see it from this picture but it's sort of a spotted, chequered pattern where the two colours meet and it's rather nice. The shade of pink is right, the pattern is right and it's just nice and simple.

I used to hate this one for obvious reasons but I take it all back. It's completely whacky but I love it. It's so tropical and fresh. Or at least it feels that way. As much as I hate mesh sleeves because you can see the seams, it's harder to spot and your eyes aren't drawn to that area because there is so much more to look at. I agree the rhinestones on the sleeves are unnecessary but the fabric isn't too shiny, the stripes aren't senseless and the strap across the shoulder adds something to the whole look. In fact I think Kytra Hunter should have worn this instead at the 09' nationals. It's the same colours minus the black and there isn't green fire running up your armpit.

I don't mind the velvet this time around. Rhinestones around the collar and sleeves, a nice touch. The star, I don't mind. The rest of it, unnecessary. I can understand the desire to make all leotards even and add the red but it makes little sense.

An interesting array of leotards this week. Some good, some bad. It's only been a month. I'm going nuts for any gymnastics. Anyone else feel the same? Comments, suggestions, anything goes guys.

Coming up next week is a selection from Alpha Factor and Snowflake Designs.

Make It Or Break It: Groups and Everything Else Part One

Good afternoon dear jellybeans, I know I'm late writing a new entry, I've been dealing with uni stuff and it's been hectic. That and I just didn't feel like writing, I apologise, that sounds like I don't care enough about my readers to provide consistent updates. Ahh well, it's only a day or two late and we're back on track. This particular edition will be in two parts because there's about 25 selections in my folder and I refuse to cut down. On a side note I hope Vika gets the rest she needs, poor bugger was being worn out from carrying the Russian team while Musty was getting back on her feet and the new seniors were getting their toes wet. I look forward to seeing her back and more determined to win gold than ever!

It's a poor shot, I'll admit it, angles are just silly. But I think you get the idea on how...Interesting these two are. Lets start with Payson, Velvet, we went there last time so that's strike one, second strike would be the poor pattern cut over her boobs, it makes them look small and we know that girl has a chest. That and the rhinestones accentuate the silly line that chops her boobs in half. I think we get the picture there.

Onto Lauren, alright its even harder to see what she's wearing but from memory there's a white stripe on the other side from shoulder to hip. I'm not overly wowed but it's not a terrible shade of blue either. Perhaps if the lighting didn't make it look so shiny I'd be more inclined to liking it. I dunno, ths one's in between.

At first I wasn't crazy on this one, but now that I look at it nearly a year later, I like it. It's kinda crazy looking with the different coloured swirlies but it works because of the black background. Something about the swirlies and the pastel colours make me think some sort of alternate form of this would work on the Australian team. Or maybe I'm thinking of rhythmic gymnast Jenine Murray and her crazy ass leotards from London. Although I did like her routines, AIS really seems to like wolf turns. Ok that went a little off track but overall I like this one, it's nice and simple and not too whacky.

Shiny silver fabric, it's not the terrible light silver, more of a grey but still an abhorrent colour. And then it had to be mixed with the purple in a completely unflattering way. The pattern is silly and the black outlining it makes it even more unflattering. If the grey fabric were black it'd be more appealing. On an unrelevant note don't you just love Jordan's expression? It's like she's saying "Bitch, please"

It's too much, clearly but I like it. I normally hate the v-cut neck but it's not too bad. The deep blue is super flattering with Jordan's skin tone. I could love this leo more if there were no rhinestones on the neckline, sleeves, or at all I suppose. Okay, I'll let the rhinestones stay around the star in the middle but that's it!

The one decent leotard Chelsea Hobbs gets to wear and it's not even great. White is a tough colour to wear in the gymnastics world, it's hard to make it work. I think it looks nice on Chelsea, but the shiny flames reaching toward her crotch are just weird. I can't tell if the cut of the legs is too tight but it's not making her body look as good as it is. If you look to where the leotard ends and the leg begins you notice her body seems to be trying to escape, "Help me, I'm being crushed by a small garment". I'm sure it looks like that on a lot of people, hell when I try on the one leotard I own I get balloon thighs. I just wonder why it looks like that because if you look over at Josie, she has no ballonage whatsoever. I'm just gonna take a guess and say her genes are better than the rest of us. Lucky girl.

As for Josie's leotard, I quite like it. The black is shiny, almost leathery but it's quite nice. The childish pink is minimal and the stripes across her torso are nice and thin, perfectly flattering. It's a nice mature look and I'm very much a fan. How about you guys?

Perhaps I spoke too soon. It's a strange shade of pink, close to red in the dark and almost fluorescent magenta in the light. Not to mention the awkward swirlies across her chest. It's not a horrible leotard, but I think it'd suit a younger gymnast much more. If they'd be willing to swallow the pricetag that is.

Kelly Parker, bitchy rival turned friend. I wish she hadn't been cut, she was really turning into a fan favourite. Her hairstyle I wont miss however, something about tight buns on top of someone's head always gets to me, especially the ridiculous ones of Dance Moms Miami, it's like the got a golf ball and wrapped the kid's hair around it. Anywho, onto the leotard. It's a rehash of the leos used in the first season when we briefly see the Denver Elite gym. I like this leo, I love the blue and the white and red stripes aren't hideous. However I wouldn't choose this leo for this actress. I dunno if it's the lighting but it makes the poor girl look bigger than she is, in casual clothes she looks smaller than this.

Shiny silver fabric, check. Distracting v-cut neckline, check. Baby pink, check. All in all, not one of the design choices make the leo look good.

As for KP's leo, I like it. It's a simple, classic design we see all the time and it works. The red is nice and refreshing, the silver, if used appropriately (see here) can add to the overall aesthetic and the black ensures it doesn't go overboard. I'd take it with every colour possible where the red it.

I wasn't a fan of Lauren's leo but now I am. The shade of blue is lovely and the black doesn't override it, the pattern isn't weird and wacky, the rhinestones are used minimally to accentuate it. In fact I love it.

Oh Kaylie, shiny pink/gold fabric, just don't do it, I'll be too distracted staring at your leo too watch your gymnastics. The pattern is just strange and it looks like those funky scissors that put a wavy pattern into your paper.

Instant fan here. I love deep royal blue, it's a great shade. The white is a perfect compliment to break up the space and the rhinestones add a little sparkle to the garment. I'm not sure if I'd pick this colour on KP because although it goes quite well with her skin it doesn't show off her curves, rather it makes her look like a blocky blob. I'd be interested in seeing what Chelsea Hobbs looks like in this one though, I imagine it'd be stunning.

Disaster, complete and utter disaster. The green was a bad choice from the start, another difficult colour to work on anyone. In fact it's rare that jungle green works on any gymnast. I'm not even sure what colour the shiny swirls are, it looks like a purple/blue. Not to mention the mesh sleeves. I'm not sure I'll ever be a fan of them because all I stare at is the seam where the sleeve meets the rest of the leo. It drives me nuts.

I can see why Kaylie didn't want to wear the match to KP's strange choice. I agree with Kaylie in disliking 3/4 sleeves. It makes me feel like the manufacturer ran out of fabric and said *bleep* it, just fold the fabric and make a seam. I'm not a fan of the pink and white together on the same garment, it just looks odd, not to mention the pattern is strange. Perhaps some sort of analogy to Kaylie and KP's situation? KP the pink blob trying to get into Kaylie's inner circle and befriend her for real and Kaylie the white blob repelling KP's advances. I know, I'm just making crap up now. But it's a nice thought.

In the beginning I liked what Kaylie is wearing, the more I look at it the less I like it. The black and silver swirls/hands/peace symbols? whatever they are look like they were just put there to fill space. I totally get it, I used to do that to handouts in class and see how much of the page I could fill before the teacher stopped talking. Many times I'd end up with colourful swirly papers. It made studying fun but in this case nope. I do however like the little cutout over the chest and the subtle rhinestoning. It's a nice pattern but I think it'd be ten times better if the main fabric was either plain or had a nicer print on it.

Hello, did we not just see Kaylie in an exact repeat of what Lauren is currently wearing? Except in differing colours. I still hate the funky scissor pattern but I like the two colours together. Sort of. Perhaps not on a leotard. I used to like it, now...Not so much.

Kaylie, what is it with you and pink and gold? I'd be more inclined to like the combination if the pink was just pink and not pink and gold. I actually like the sort of feathery/winged shape across the front, it's something I haven't seen before and with the two colours together it's quite nice.

Somehow my picture uploaded itself smaller than I wanted. Ahh well, we can all still see. Unless you're viewing on a tablet or iPhone, in which case I wish you luck. Off to the left side we have an extra, likely a legit gymnast who I'm too ignorant to know. Do not like her leo, the shark pattern and the colours. It looks like it would be fresh and new in the early 2000s but not now.

Lauren, I never really paid attention to her leotard because of the focus on her mother in the story but now that I see it as just a leotard. Dear god. Shiny pink on its own isn't a crime but mixing pink and white together should be. At least bright pink and white. Not to mention her heart is being burned away by pink fire.

Emily, your other fancy leotard. And it's terrible. Shiny silver, shiny grey. To me it's the same, a big fat to don't. Or rather, if in doubt, do not. And then we have the random crossing over with black velvet. If you read the last post I do believe you all know my stance on velvet in gymnastics. To mix the two worst fabrics together is just demonic. Why would you do that?

We can't really see the girl in the black and white in the background so she's off the hook but the girl in the purple/blue. I see you, hard not to with that fabric so shiny it makes polished chrome jealous. I love people wearing different leotards for the sake of wearing something different and pretty but when it's so shiny that it distracts half the audience into staring at the flipping tinfoil and not the gymnastics it's kinda time to step away. We can see you in that arena, you don't need to make yourself a lighthouse beacon.

It's taken me a long time to write this entry, in fact I've been struggling with it for about two hours. My internet wouldn't save so I'd have to go and do something else, I'd stop writing to admire the sex god that it Niko Pepaj on Bunheads. Or watch the amazing dancing of his character's sister. Then running around trying to find food and some sort of drink that isn't coke.

Until next time chikadees

Make It Or Break It: Payson Edition

Please please please let the accessible gymnastics season begin...Or just put all my favourite tv shows back on air. Waiting until April for GoT is diabolical, waiting every week for Bunheads, Dance Moms and Criminal Minds is irritating. Or maybe I really need something to do, if tomorrow's news is what I'd like to hear I shall have a place in my course of choice. Then I want a job....Epica in April as well as Supanova.

Sorry, I'm dying out here with nothing new to watch. Onto Payson and her small array of leotards. This edition will be somewhat short if it goes to plan because Payson's character doesn't go through a huge range of leotards, likely because her character is lower middle class and can't afford as many fancy new leotards, at least until her Grrl Bar deal.

The first one is a doozy.

 Just look at the poor girl's expression, she knows what she's wearing. Purple velvet, ew. I don't mind the patterns and the subtle rhinestones but the shiny purple velvet is just disgusting, it belongs on little girls, or the Chinese. Well especially the Chinese because they are little, but then again red velvet doesn't look to bad and we've come to expect that from them. Nevertheless London was a lovely change. I don't know, that particular shade just doesn't work for me, it just isn't appealing. Blegh!

A much nicer shade of purple, but dark and light of practically the same shade. Not to mention the piping on the outline, personally it never works because it just looks out of place. It's a bit athletic but I suppose it works on Payson because she's the strong powerful one. I could be totally wrong about this one, I'm personally more inclined into girly pretty leos.

The shiny fabric on the bottom, love. The shape above the breast, love. The purple velvet, terrible. Honestly I thought purple velvet left when the 90's did. Not to mention it's not particularly flattering. If it were regular leo fabric, the non-shiny plain stuff, and perhaps in a more contrasting colour I'd be totally onboard. In fact it'd be shot to my top Payson list.

I look at that stripe and I instantly thought, "baby sling". She means to carry a baby, perhaps she should have given this one to Emily, then she could look after her kid and go to the Olympics. The shiny purple on the other hand I'm enjoying, its a nice girly shade and I like it. If they took away the white stripe completely and just left it as plain purple I'd still put it here because despite being plain is beautiful.

In the beginning I thought this leo was gorgeous, but now I look at it and I think Payson time-warped into the 90's, stole a truckload of colourful velvet and came back to make this based on a drawing from when she was 5. Kinda nasty but it's just way too much. I keep saying it but colourful velvet is terrible, it was only every acceptable on the Chinese because their gymnastics is so damn good and still it was only when the velvet was red as opposed to orange. Rhinestones on already shiny fabric is another to don't and mesh sleeves only work once in a blue moon (pun unintended).

Another butchy leotard, and bland I might add. I'll give her a free pass just because Sascha is gone and she's attempting to be in charge, and you hardly ever get attractive gym teachers. I'm not sure how I feel about the gray, again with the piping and the stripes are just pointless. I don't think words are necessary, we can see this leo for what it is.

Hallelujah. I love this one, the shade of purple is right, the swirls aren't unflattering and the piping works because it is incorporated into spaghetti straps. I think we can all agree on this one and how nice it is. I do admit that's a little hard because the picture isn't great but it was a little hard, the rest were far blurrier.

One word, albeit repeated: Shiny, shiny, shiny, shiny, shiny, shiny... Just unflattering and a huge distraction

First, or was it second episode of the last season. I like this one, just not on Payson. Jungle green is not her colour but on someone else it could be a hit.

On it's own I like the shade of shiny purple, but on Payson I think not. Poor girl looks a little larger than she is. The swirls are just unflattering and a distraction. The sweetheart is unecessary, we all know Payson has boobs, no need to highlight the assets she clearly has.

I like the colour and the stripes but not as a whole. I don't know, I can't really say too much about this one, it's just wacky and I think I'll leave the decision up you guys. If you have anything to say send a message, comment whatever.

Lucky last, literally the last gymnastics leotard Payson will ever wear. Red is a nice colour on her though, it's bright and is a nice nod to her fiery attitude and her perseverance. The rhinestones are nice and subtle. The fabric is velvet, red velvet. I think the fact that it isn't shiny saves it. The neckline, is just odd to me. The leo is nice but the hair and the new routine for Payson made me see her as an old lady. Like Emmett's old lady ice-skating outfit from Project Runway Season Two. Not to mention the routine was just cheesy, repetitive and boring. The character frustrated me, who cares if you don't anchor the competition, you just got told you were practically guaranteed onto the Olympic team, no small feat considering that only five girls achieve this every four years.

Payson, a rather lackluster wardrobe. Next time, Wendy, Jordan and some background characters as well as a few group shots.

Then after that the rest of the group shots, theres a fair few to be seen.

That's all for this week. Comments, requests and all the rest are all welcome. Till Tuesday!

Make It Or Break It: Lauren Edition Part Two

Another week, another batch of leotards. I can't wait until the real gymnastics season begins, or at least the major meets. First up is the Nastia Liukin Supergirl cup which features amazing junior and senior athletes, most of whom end up competing for various colleges. Then the American Cup very soon after. The Visa Nationals and then Worlds toward the end of the year. It sounds strange considering I'm Australian but I'm a poor uni student who can't afford to travel to even the Australian Nationals, let alone a car. Unfortunately I'm left with watching the major events that are televised, most of which are American, but I don't mind at all, the US has a large pool of amazing gymnasts.

Sorry for that rant, I just felt a little background information would do some benefit.

 A nice shade of blue I must say, and simple. Unfortunately the picture does no justice to Cassie Scerbo's amazing womanly curves, and I wonder if the colours or the shiny material contribute to that. The white arrow shape is a nice way to break up the blue. Yeah it's a simple leotard and everyone has one in the same style but that's because it works on just about everyone.

At first I captured this screenshot because I didn't care for this leotard but after a few weeks of not seeing it I have less harsh words to say about it. The black, as ever a slimming tone that looks almost leathery because of it's shininess. The orange flames are wrong for a few reasons, firstly, they're upside down and burn towards her crotch and secondly because it's orange. On Lauren. Queen of the super orange tan. Perhaps if the colour was changed and the flames were contorted into a different shape I'd be more of a fan.

Ah yes, the leotard from the "learn my routine" episode. The black is again nice on Lauren but the spiky green..Whatever it is isn't the best, another colour another shape would do the dear much better. In fact if the shape was changed I think it's be quite a nice choice. However from memory I believe there is a silver stripe outlining the green shape. I've said it before and I'll say it again, silver on a leotard tends to look cheap. I've yet to see it used in an aesthetically pleasing manner.

My first impression of this leo had me thinking that it'd be nice for UCLA. The navy is quite nice and if she hasn't lost weight it's quite slimming. If I'm not mistaken I think this is a sleeveless version of MIOBI's Worlds leotard. It looks almost a bit much with sleeves but without it's quite fancy. It's a less fancy choice for Lauren but it's probably a reflection on the fact that in this scene Lauren imitates Payson and her all brute and power bars routine. However you'd never see Payson dead in this leotard. A Lauren sassy pants version of Payson?

Here we go, the very first leo of the third and final season of MIOBI. The silver, still not working for me. Green, we've seen Lauren in this shade of green before and it's worked but in this case it's not the right colour for the design. The design itself isn't terrible, if the colour combination was different I think this would be quite nice.

Are words even needed here? Well we'll have a crack at it. The colour is wrong wrong wrong, and the crystals are unnecessary. Pick a different colour, don't add crystals and perhaps think about putting a pattern on it. I love Cassie Scerbo's figure, she's a beautiful girl but with the colour and the simplicity it makes her look bigger than she is.

Conflicted is the right word to describe the feeling when I saw this first. The design is unusual, orange usually doesn't work on Lauren and most people would rip this leotard apart. I don't know, if it was on any other person I'd probably hate it. I think if it were for commercial sale I'd offer up several different colour combinations and probably get rid of the yellow, change the orange arch and finally alter the orange underwear blob to look less like... Well, underwear.

Ugh, the Olympic Trials leotards. Whoever decided to order these was an absolute fool. Every single one of them is just a bad choice. On other real gymnasts it'd probably look better but the color combination is such a bother. I get the whole stars and stripes vibe but the colours are red, white and DARK blue. The light blue is so wrong with the white and red. I'm not a fan of mesh in most leos but I appreciate the colour of them. And the overall white, not many gymnasts go for white leotards, because it doesn't look good on many people. A poor girl like Cassie is made to look bigger than she it and the poor choice in colours is likely partly responsible for the hate on her and Ayla Kell for not looking like "traditional gymnasts". Well, the show is primarily a drama with a smidge of gymnastics in it, of course the producer and the director went for actors who would act rather than casting real gymnasts who couldn't act. But also there are plenty of successful gymnasts with those girl's shape, albeit with much more muscle tone.
Whoops, went on a rant there, perhaps it was more entertaining that just talking about leotards. Speaking about the hate on the actors brings back memories of a particularly horrible person on IMDB who goes by the screenname "Dukesy" or something like that. He was Ayla Kell's biggest hater. It's unfortunate because I like her, she's a ballerina and she is the shape that she is.

Speaking of Ayla Kell, next week will be on the leotards she's worn throughout MIOBI. It'll be one part because theres about twelve that I've picked out as opposed to the many for the other characters. It's not out of hate, many of her leos are either too plain or repeats or just not worthy of mentioning, which probably means that it wasn't a disaster.

Once again I'm more than willing to review choices sent to me, feel free to send a topic on gymnastics or dance even and I'll try to comment on it in the next edition.

Until next time gymmies.

Make It Or Break It: Lauren Edition Part One

Hello again, or for the first time. Today I'll be going through the character Lauren from MIOBI's wardrobe, however I'll split it into two parts because there are so many choices and after looking over my previous post I figured that it's a bit too much and people are prone to get bored if there's too much to read. I totally understand, happens to me all the time.

For now we'll start at the beginning, in which Lauren features in a ridiculous shiny orange leotard with a darker orange racer back that does nothing to complement her skin...Which is equally orange. Nothing much to see, not really worth uploading. However what she wears to her club meet, not the case at all.

Hmm, where to start. Perhaps with the stripe on the neck, it's odd and is much like the leotards of the 70s and 80s. And then the colours, Orange and red, not bad colours to put together but in this case it is. The patterns and the colours do not go together at all and the swirls look like they're not sure where to go, "shall I crawl around her arm this way or that way?". Not to mention the colours on this particular character, who is as tan as can be without crossing into fluorescent territory. Just...no, never put someone in clothing the same colour as their skin or hair, it just doesn't mesh well.

I don't hate this leo, I really don't. Something about the blue stripes calms the granny smith green down. In fact I rather like the blue on Lauren, it goes well with her hair colour and skin tone as well as drawing your attention away from the green in the background that normally would be pretty bad. As a whole, it's not bad at all. 6/10

Here we go, first off the pattern is just terrible. It looks like a shark is trying to eat her chest, or maybe she's trying too hard to represent her club, the Rocky Mountain Gymnastics Club. Also, the colours aren't great. Despite saying that blue suits Lauren, this particular shade does nothing because the shiny green-yellow just overtakes the whole garment and makes her look silly. An interesting thing to mention is that this leo is repeated at least three times throughout the first season on the same person and although that isn't terrible is strange because you'd think the bitchy rich girl would be someone who would have the most wardrobe changes and while other characters also repeat leotards it just seems like Lauren could have been given a more diverse wardrobe. Or maybe it could be that this leotard should never be worn several times let alone once.

More green. It's granny apple green but this isn't a travesty. Something about the shade gives the overall look a tropical feel. However, where leotard designers do good, they do bad. And in this case is the white stripe across the boob. Wrong place and too thick. If white could be added to the leo in some other way I think it'd be a hit.

Interesting leotard choice for episode ten considering the China meet at the end of the season, obvious foreshadowing given the colour choice. I'm still not sure if I like or dislike this leo because I don't love it and don't hate it. I like the red on Lauren and the gold complements it well. The problem lies with the way the gold is added to the leo, the strap is fine and the cut is refreshing and new but the star on the side isn't the worst side addition to a leo but it takes away from the wearer's figure. On the other hand if you take away the star the leotard becomes quite plain which isn't bad but it highlights the shiny fabric and detracts from the overall look.

Bad quality picture but I only had seconds to get it and I'd be damned if I didn't capture Lauren in this nice simple blue tank. For starters it's a lovely shade of blue and the white complements it quite well with the stripes not being overbearing but making sure that it isn't too plain. I don't really have much more to say but I really felt I had to show how the right leotard can make all the difference.

We're back. Ho hum, shiny gold fabric is a big no-no for the simple reason that it's tacky and looks cheap. The sharp cutting pattern isn't particularly flattering and if you stare at it long enough it resembles a clown's collar. Also, the gold is dangerously close to Lauren's skin colour which in this case doesn't do as much damage as wearing orange does.

Is it me or does she seem tanner? (Pun intended). Seriously though it could be the lights it could be a fresh tan that hasn't toned down but this green thing isn't doing Lauren any favours. The black stripes do nothing to hold back the obnoxious advance of the green monster. If in doubt, just don't do it.

Final leo of the week, from season two episode five. I still very much find red a suitable colour on Lauren but the animal print makes me think this leo would be suited on a tumble tot. Somehow, this combination works. It almost makes Lauren look innocent because animal print is more typically seen on children's leotards.  Not the worst offender but not a great success either.

And that's all I've got for this week folks. I hope you enjoy and recommend this blog to people interested in leotard fashion if you feel this qualifies as decent reading. Feel free to recommend leotards to be reviewed and post comments on what you think of these leos, I'd love to hear other opinions.

Next week: Make It Or Break It: Lauren Edition Part Two