Gilmore Goods: The clothing and home decor of The Gilmore Girls

[JayInChicago]

Oh, there are explanations. They just suck, mostly.

To show Lorelai has no respect for her mother's world. To show Lorelai was still struggling with being frivolous and irresponsible.

To put Lauren in tiny shorts, a baby tee, and boots??? I mean, between me you and the wall, I don't mind so much.

Certainly the boots make absolutely no sense, unless all her non cowboy boots were also at the dry cleaners. Lol.

It definitely gave a quick push start to the Lor vs Headmaster C personality conflict.

[takalotti]

Also, her folding under the peer pressure to take off her coat was just silly. It falls under the category of things like "there's a misunderstanding, and the one person just sputters or says too much lead-up instead of blurting out the two words that would clear up the misunderstanding" or "one person leaves upset and the other person just stands there and says a halfhearted 'no wait, don't go' without actually trying to follow them."

I'm supposed to believe that strong willed Lorelai was incapable of just saying a firm "Nope, my coat is staying on, let's move on and talk about Rory, shall we?"

Just a weak reason to make Lorelai show her ridiculous outfit.

[desertflower]

Yeah, nobody is THAT insistent on someone taking off their coat. And she takes EVERYTHING to the dry cleaner? Really? How about some pajama pants? They would've been better than those shorts.

Overall Lorelai looked great IMO, with the occasional misstep. (I agree the shiny top at her parent's vow renewal was bad!) But in general I'd be happy with her wardrobe! Rory had some really cute outfits at the end of college, too. Wonder if they got to keep any of the clothes?

[CalamityBoPeep]

Yeah, nobody is THAT insistent on someone taking off their coat. And she takes EVERYTHING to the dry cleaner? Really? How about some pajama pants? They would've been better than those shorts.

 

 

I've been lurking on this thread for a while, but had to jump in on this.  This whole situation drives me nuts on every re-watch.  She has a whole closet, filled with clothes, right behind her while she's flailing around looking for something to wear.  There are piles of clothes on the chair and probably on the floor, and yet, this outfit is all she can find to wear???  Could the set dressing people not even empty the freaking closet, in preparation for shooting this scene?  Show a closet full of empty hangers, ffs, if they must insist that this is the sum total of what Lorelai can find to put on.  It's an incredibly ridiculous set up, in the script, but the execution is even worse.  It's like the Emperor's New Clothes in reverse... "no, no... those clothes you see there don't exist!"

[Taryn74]

Yeah, nobody is THAT insistent on someone taking off their coat. And she takes EVERYTHING to the dry cleaner? Really? How about some pajama pants? They would've been better than those shorts.

 

And now I'm giggling madly at the thought of Lorelai showing up in the Headmaster's office wearing these.  THAT would have been funny and not just stupid and annoying, IMO, because at least she could argue the point that from a distance and from the front, they at least just look like normal clothes.

 

[dustylil]

I dunno about nobody being that insistent  on somebody taking off her coat. This is Emily Gilmore we are talking about. She who must be obeyed,

I entirely agree about  the utterly ludicrous nature of Lorelai's outfit. However, had she the slightest idea that her mother would be at the school and in the Headmaster's office, I think she would have dressed differently. Even if she had to swing by Miss Patty's to pick up an item or two of clothing.

[timimouse]

Her mother being there should not have been a factor. She made such a big deal about her daughter being accepted to Chilton. Even if she didn't know she would've been meeting the headmaster, she knew she would've been taking her to school. Nobody should ever leave their house dressed like that. Especially when taking your child to school. I'm sure her mother embarrassed her many times that she wouldn't want to do that to Rory. And before you guys tell me she didn't expect to leave the vehicle, I'm sorry, I still don't buy that THAT is all she could find to put on.

[dustylil]

I don't believe anyone is defending Lorelai's choice of clothing. Well, except those with a salacious interest in Ms Graham's attire in that episode. But  having deciding to cover up her ridiculous garb by wearing a long coat, I think she had a reasonable expectation to think she could meet with the powers-that-be at Chilton - such as the Headmaster - without any difficulties. It is not as if Hamlin could insist she remove her coat - without facing possible legal charges, that is. Had the uninvited Emily not appeared, she might have got away with appearing either somewhat eccentric or extremely modest ;)

[Guest]

This. Why?!?!?!?!

It annoys me so much. There is no explanation why she would even be dressed like that, laundry day or not. It was just too much.

And knowing she was dressed like that, it never made sense to me that Rory insisted she walk her in. She could have said her mom had an early meeting but would be there that afternoon.

[timimouse]

And knowing she was dressed like that, it never made sense to me that Rory insisted she walk her in. She could have said her mom had an early meeting but would be there that afternoon.

 

That's so true!

I'm not sure why this bugs me so much but every time I see it, it gets under my skin.

 

I actually would've preferred the "Juicy" sweat pants.

[dustylil]

it never made sense to me that Rory insisted she walk her in

 

Yes. Clinging to your Mom on the first day of your  second year of high school did seem a bit much. She was entering a new school, not going into battle, for crying out loud. Particularly given what said Mommy was wearing...

 

timimouse but if she wore the Juicy sweat pants, the cowboy boots would have made little fashion sense!

[takalotti]

Yes. Clinging to your Mom on the first day of your  second year of high school did seem a bit much. She was entering a new school, not going into battle, for crying out loud. Particularly given what said Mommy was wearing...

Never thought of it before, but I also agree that it didn't make sense that Rory wouldn't have made an excuse for Lorelai to come later in the day.

But I just wanted to add that I didn't think Rory wasn't insisting Lorelai go in because of clinginess. When she says "You have to meet the headmaster" it sounded to me like a protocol thing, not "I need you to hold my hand to get me through this."

[Taryn74]

But I just wanted to add that I didn't think Rory wasn't insisting Lorelai go in because of clinginess. When she says "You have to meet the headmaster" it sounded to me like a protocol thing, not "I need you to hold my hand to get me through this."

 

Oh definitely, the implication was that a parent was basically required to go in and chat with the Headmaster for a moment.  Which really makes the whole thing make even LESS sense because Rory would have told (and reminded) Lorelai about that already.  Several times, probably.  And she certainly wouldn't have let her mother walk out of the house wearing that getup.

 

The whole thing is just ridiculous and annoying, but I chalk it up to the show still getting its footing.

[dustylil]

As well, if  it was  a protocol thing - and given how well organized Rory was in those days - it seems to me likely that Rory would have laid out exactly what she expected Lorelai to wear for the occasion. In addition to the multiple reminders Taryn mentioned.

 

But I too attribute those scenes (and that outfit)  to the series still finding its way.

[Nostariel]

What really drives me nuts about that scene is that in S1 Rory and Lorelei had an argument about sharing clothes, IIRC. She could fit into at least *some* of Rory's stuff, presumably, so even if all of her own clothes were dirty she still wouldn't have any excuse for that outfit!

[Guest]

But I just wanted to add that I didn't think Rory wasn't insisting Lorelai go in because of clinginess. When she says "You have to meet the headmaster" it sounded to me like a protocol thing, not "I need you to hold my hand to get me through this."

 

I agree, but I think Rory should have been intelligent to know that it would be better for her mom to pretend she wasn't aware of that requirement than to show up like that.  That's why I feel it is a plot contrivance.

[Kohola3]

ASP was trying out her QuirkyMeter.  Massive fail.

[timimouse]

 

The good thing here is that she knew EXACTLY how bad this outfit was. Bad thing is that she even tried it on.

[JayInChicago]

This doesn't exactly fit with the topic, but I think half of the reason I got hooked from the Pilot was the wall of coffee mug cubby holes behind Luke in the first scene. I really really want to recreate that.

[dustylil]

Speaking of Luke's coffee mug cubbies -

I have always been taken out of the moment in the earliest part of first episode of Season 6 when Luke responds to Lorelai's proposal. There is a considerable difference in the set up of the mugs from the previous scene. It Is supposed to a matter of mere seconds, yet the shelves behind the counter have been rearranged. I know there are other differences but that was what took me aback.

[Nancybeth]

I have always hated Lorelai's Maid of Honor dress in Wedding Bell Blues...this doesn't look like something Emily would have chosen AT ALL:

 

Rory, on the other hand, ROCKED this shit:

Edited November 25, 2015 by Nancybeth

[Kohola3]

Yeah, whoever picked the female clothing in that episode must have had a hangover.  Emily's outfit looked like something from some online Mother of the Bride collection.  What a wasted opportunity for some really great wedding-type gear.

 

Maybe the costumer was wedding-phobic.  Lorelai's choice of a wedding dress was godawful.  She could have been stunning.  That thing was a hot mess.

[dustylil]

I agree the outfits of Lorelai and Emily were dreadful.

Maybe the costumer was expressing his or her opinion on the ludicrous nature of the event.

I kept hoping for the cameras to pan to some of those in attendance and having one say to one another,

genuinely puzzled, "Wait. Wasn't Emily dating Simon McClane just a couple of weeks ago?"

 

[Eyes High]

Sophie Lucido Johnson over at Jezebel.com is all over the Gilmore Girls' nine worst fashion sins, basically summarized as follows:

 

1. Rory's T-shirt/tank top combinations.

2. Lorelai's horrifying at-home cotton shirts (including shirts with rhinestones, bubble lettering and decals).

3. Sookie's pink and purple jacket.

4. Rory's "ill-conceived" layers, including wearing a T-shirt, button-down, cable knit sweater and cargo jacket all at once.

5. Lorelai's stupid hats (most egregiously, a pink leather newsboy cap).

6. Lorelai's horrifying work shirts with weird and/or highly impractical sleeves.

7. Rory's ugly print peasant dresses.

8. Rory's extremely modest casual wear in Season 1 (khakis, turtlenecks, huge sweaters, etc.).

9. The impossibly long, skinny scarves.

[JayInChicago]

Nice find!

I agree with a lot of those, especially that pink news boy cap. I actually don't think Lauren Graham looks good in hats at all--my eyes get a dull ache whenever I see a scene where they've put her in another godawful hat.

 

I do disagree about first season Rory. I thought her clothes were pretty typical for someone not into fashion. I even like her sweater from the pilot.

[Eyes High]

Nice find!

I agree with a lot of those, especially that pink news boy cap. I actually don't think Lauren Graham looks good in hats at all--my eyes get a dull ache whenever I see a scene where they've put her in another godawful hat.

 

I do disagree about first season Rory. I thought her clothes were pretty typical for someone not into fashion. I even like her sweater from the pilot.

 

To be fair to Lauren Graham, no one would look good in some of the hats they made her wear. Lauren Graham really had a great body for clothes, though; even the less flattering stuff looked amazing on her.

 

As for first season Rory, I think the writer's objection wasn't so much as to what she was wearing--which, if dowdy, at least wasn't aggressively ugly--as to the costume designer's need to swathe every inch of potential exposed skin in bulky fabrics so as to convey that Rory was a "good girl."

 

In later seasons, Rory wore a lot of trendy Marc Jacobs (those short-sleeved blouses with the puffed sleeves, for one) and Anthropologie, while Lorelai pretty much lived in stylish, flattering DVF wrap dresses, so I imagine there were less objections to what they wore later in the show. A number of the things the writer takes issue with were unfortunate but real fashion trends of the early 2000s: impractical skinny scarves, the weird sleeves on Lorelai's work shirts, the infamous tank top/T-shirt combo (which bled over from the 1990s), etc.

Edited November 26, 2015 by Eyes High

[lavenderblue]

The watercolor sketches are cool, but I kind of wish they'd offered links to a few screenshot examples, because some of those points of criticism weren't ringing a particular bell with me. But I was Rory's age as the show ran and loved her later season clothes so I suspect the peasant/print topic is at least one I'd personally take issue with, heh.

[dustylil]

Interesting Jezebel article. I wish it had also addressed the attire of that first Gilmore girl, Trix.

[JayInChicago]

the dream of the 1890s is alive in Trix Gilmore's wardrobe

[dustylil]

the dream of the 1890s is alive in Trix Gilmore's wardrobe

 

And to somewhat paraphrase Luke Danes - the eternal question is asked once again - why?

[Kohola3]

Why indeed.  It was just so over the top.  She was supposedly a refined upper crust matron.  I am certain that even in Merry Old England none of her contemporaries dressed like Queen Victoria.

[dustylil]

Actually she dressed more like Queen Mary, Victoria's granddaughter-in-law - and the current Queen Elizabeth's grandmother.  One can see the similarities in photos or old newsreel clips.  Which doesn't make much sense either because she was born in the 1860's - almost fifty years before Trix.

 

Perhaps Trix was a member of some obscure religious cult that chose garb reminiscent of a particular era and simply stuck with it.