Hello there, if you didn't bother reading the side bar, I'm a gym-world observer, I lurk on dance, cheer and gymnastics forums, absorbing as much as I can. Essentially my intent with this blog is to showcase good and bad leotards, much like the Couch Gymnast's Leotard Fashion Police segment. I love CG, but I also want to showcase gorgeous leotards available from various manufacturers as well as those that aren't so flattering. I also would like to discuss the dance world, cheer and anything of interest in this particular sphere of the world.
So without further ado I present the review of the hilariously bad series, Make It Or Break It, otherwise known as MIOBI. No, I'm not reviewing a show, there have been other bloggers who've done that and quite well I have you, this is a review of some of the not so great leos that could have been better chosen.
Within the first few minutes of the Pilot we see the Kaylie wearing a run of the mill tank leo, albeit in a shiny obnoxious pink, nothing great nothing horrible. Later in the episode during the club meet we see her in another shiny pink leo, this time...Well lets just take a look.
It isn't hideous, i'll admit it, but the flame shapes and the mish-mash of shiny pink material doesn't work too well. It makes me think, "pick a colour already", do you want black, magenta-magenta or baby pink-gold? I'm not sure, that and it seems a bit much for a club meet. Not that I've ever been to any gymnastics meet but it's an expensive leo, not one to just wear all the time, although the main characters are supposed to be rich with the exception of Payson who seems lower-middle class and Emily who is clearly the poorest. And a fun fact, despite the myriad of leos used in the series, this exact style/colour combination is used for the Russian superpower character, Ivanka. Out of the two, I'd say Kaylie wins, just because red hair and a flaming pink leo seems a bit much
Now, only the next specimen, found in episode three.
Hmm...At first look this isn't great, isn't horrible but it's safe to say AbcFamily has decided to establish colour coding to make it obvious who the characters are, as if that's even hard. Although I've come up with a personal theory to say that most of the leo choices reflect the character's personality at a particular point in the series, Kaylie for example is all happy and friendly, wearing pink up until her anorexia starts and she wears a leo we will discuss at a later point. What I dislike about this leo is the straps, they're just a bit odd to me but as a whole not a bad leo. If I had to score it I'd give it a 5/10.
Ahh yes, a leo made out of material that looks like velvet. It isn't a disaster but it definitely doesn't suit someone Kaylie's age, much less Josie Loren's age. No wonder it looks odd on her, the actress is 25 playing a 16 year old. I think the leo choice would have suited a 10 year old better.
Finally, a leotard I think we can all appreciate, it may be pepto-bismol/baby pink, and it may be a tank but add baby pink sleeves and I think we have a winner. It may be shiny but it's simple, the stripes aren't placed weirdly and it just works. In fact it's just so simple and lovely it'd work on just about anyone, in multiple colours.
And we're back from fantasy-land...I understand many club leos are simple like this and I have no problem with that, it's just the fact that the majority is such a strange tomato red that makes me cringe. Of course you could suggest a colour switch but white wouldn't work because that is argueably the hardest colour to wear in a leotard, in fact even tight white dresses are hard to work. Wear the wrong type or colour underwear and you have disaster, in fact I've seen someone recently with that problem. Gorgeous dress, problem being that the girl wasn't wearing the right underwear and you could see the outline of her undies the whole night. Anywho, back on track, I'm not sure that purple would work either, or at least that shade of purple. In general the colour combination is just bad. Funnily enough though I have the same leo, but in a tank, black the background colour, one stripe orange and the other teal/green...Needless to say it looks better on Kaylie simply because of her physique.
And onto season two, beyond what you've seen kaylie has no major disasters or great breakthroughs
Still wearing pink I see...Not bad, the gold sort of works with the gold. In fact this leo gives me so little to say aside from the fact that it is a shade of pink I wasn't sure existed. I'm not even sure why I even bothered uploading it, ahh well, something for the gymmies to look at I suppose.
And this is what I was referring to when I mentioned the leotards of the series being representative of the gymnast at their point in the series. Here is when Kaylie's anorexia begins to completely take over her life, as evidenced by a less bubbly pink leo. Although I'd say Ellen Beal's comment about Kaylie's vault being easier if she lost a few pounds helped. Poor bugger. As for the leo it's interesting, but not in a good way. The black and white works, as always but the pink fire looks strange and the silver looks cheap despite the fact that that fabric was anything but cheap.
I know, not a great shot of the leo but there was no full body shots in that scene so I had to make do, although it's easily assumed that there's nothing special down below. Back to pink, trying to hide her deadly secret with some dark undertones. As a whole I like this leo and think this one would also work quite nicely as a long-sleeved competition leo. Simple and nice, and I appreciate the rhinestones that have been used sparingly, unlike some other people. Cough, cough, GK, cough, cough, USA Gymnastics. I can only imagine how much those leos would cost if the rhinestones were swarovski crystals (and I apologise if that is the case, I assume otherwise) or real diamonds.
Ahh yes, dark, gloomy and ugly as hell. Also further evidence of my theory, as this is worn in episode 10 when Kaylie collapses at World Trials due to her anorexia and it's effects on her body. This leo is hideous, the first truly terrible leo. Firstly, the colours are awful, again the cheap looking silver fabric, and the green which I keep seeing on the GK website, I don't know who told the designers that lime green was flattering but whoever they were must be colourblind. Although pretty bad, it could be worse, it could be v-cut at the neck, ew.
I could have used Lauren or Kelly Parker as an example of this leo but I felt it looked the best on Kaylie. I know some people out there would dislike this one and I agree that in some lights it could be ugly but I think it's quite nice. I especially like the red straps on the front and back and the blue fabric on the torso. It's quite a nice combination of simplicity and flash, if only the US had worn this in the Olympic TF. It would have been great seeing a talented team win while looking like queens of the sport, like the Russians always do.
Once again the end of a season's worth of leos, onto the last and most colourful season.
Despite being locked in a life-long battle with anorexia, Kaylie seems to have made an unrealistically speedy recovery. As if a few weeks in rehab, two sessions with a shrink and a friend dying will make her magically snap out of it. Anyway, onto the leotard, Kaylie seems to be recovered, according to her attire, back to bright pink, with a black...shape across the front. Nothing terrible but the brightness of the pink is just wrong on someone her age as well as making the black patch seem odd and vice versa. Overall I'd give it a 4/10.
Oh dear god, just no. I think the swirls are bad enough to warrant a 3/10. Personally, I'm with Kaylie on the three-quarter sleeves thing, just not quite right. Tanks when done correctly can work in competition despite being a rarity and long sleeve leos work most of the time save for a few that didn't work out so well, but three-quarter leos, they just look like the manufacturers ran out of fabric and turned them hem and called it a day. Aside from that the colour combination doesn't work either, highlighter pink, black and white. No thank you.
And here comes the great leotard revolution of season three. Take away the navy lining around the neck and we have a fresh new look for Kaylie. I'd be annoyed about the ridiculous pink but I'm too busy admiring the navy blue on her. Although the swirls should be less than flattering the colours work too well to let them ruin their party. As much as I dislike v-necks on leotards it isn't too bad on this one.
It appears I spoke too soon about that revolution. It happened to Lauren and Payson more, see future posts for the rainbow factory's explosion. I dislike the swirls, it looks like they are trying to eat the poor girl. Not to mention the colours are far too clashy, the deep pink is just awful, the baby pink isn't too bad but there isn't enough of it for it to make a difference and the white, well it doesn't make much of a contrast considering the other colours. I can't help but wonder how the leo made it out of the factory, let alone the drawing room.
There must be a God. It's simple, it's a nice soft colour and the pattern isn't offensive. A complete and utter winner, there really isn't much else to say beside that.
Olympic trial leotards. The neckline is too high, the colour isn't great in a fully bodied leo, the star pattern makes no sense and the mesh, is so distasteful I can almost see a nipple. It's difficult to make mesh work on a leotard and when in doubt, just don't do it. This is what happens when you do crap like this. It looks like leotard-design has taken a huge step backward in time. On top of all the things wrong with this particular leo, it's the last leotard anyone will see on Kaylie, why did they have to pick such a bad one to use. GK has a lot of great leos for sale and if the production company wanted, they could have the most gorgeous, extravagant leotard ever, but because they wanted to get the show over with they just threw whatever was in the wardrobe on the poor bugger.
As a whole, the character of Kaylie Cruz hasn't had a great track record with colour but she's had a few nice choices and a few that shouldn't see the light of day, lest they blind you with their shininess.
If you've made it this far without leaving the page, thank you so much, I appreciate any and all attention this blog receives. Comments are welcome, if they're enabled. I have no idea and if you have any particular leotards or outfits you want me to comment on let me know who wore it and when or send a picture. I will try my very best to continue this because I have spent a lot of time collecting a large number leotard pictures and I intend to review them all in time. Also, I am aware that Kaylie has worn other leotards, good and bad and I will get to them in my fourth post which will include group pictures and background characters as well as Jordan, Wendy and Kelly Parker. I will try to keep to a schedule that involves a post every week or every two weeks and I hope you continue to enjoy , whether you read what I have to say or just come to look at the pictures and make your own judgements.
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