A few weeks ago, I wrote an article about dressing like some of the girls from Fox’s hit TV show Glee. In the comments section of that article, many of you said that you liked Mercedes’, Tina’s, and Kurt’s styles, and wished that they had been included in the how-to post.
Though Mercedes, Tina, and Kurt haven’t gotten the major screen time of Emma, Rachel, or Quinn, all three of the “gleeks” have unique senses of personal style that are definitely worth writing about.If you were one of the many readers who asked for an outline of Tina, Mercedes or Kurt’s style–I heard you! By popular demand, here’s a follow-up: Fashion from Glee Part 2!
Mercedes
Mercedes Jones is the glee club’s resident diva. The only singer with a voice powerful enough to rival Rachel’s, Mercedes is competitive, passionate, and always stands up for herself. Because of these things, it only makes sense that Miss Jones’ strong personality would be accompanied by a bold sense of style.
Style Basics
- Wild child flavor with urban edge. Mercedes is a bold girl who favors a wild style. She wears lots of animal prints and patterns, and isn’t afraid to layer brightly colored pieces. Mercedes has also been known to wear hoodies and jerseys, adding some urban edge to her style. A plus-sized girl, a large majority of Mercedes’ unique wardrobe comes from Torrid if you’re looking for further inspiration or want to imitate her look!
- Love for denim. Mercedes’ sense of style is one that I actually find realistic for a high school girl: she wears a lot of denim. Skinny jeans, flares, and the occasional jean skirt are staples in her wardrobe, usually in darker washes with strategic whiskering.
- Accessorized to the max. Hoop earrings? Chain necklaces? Door-knockers? Bracelets galore? Mercedes is your girl. Her jewelry is often pop-culture inspired and is always flashy. Mercedes layers it on, and occasionally tops her outfit off with a great hat.
- Queen of kicks. Mercedes is the queen of fancy footwear, almost exclusively styled in high-top kicks. She favors metallics, neons, glitter, and prints on her many pairs of Nike Dunks and Pastry high tops.
Inspired by Mercedes
Product Information: Kenneth Jay Lane Bamboo Hoops, Piperlime. Mid-Rise Skinny Jeans, Gap. Foil Feathers Tee, Wet Seal. Nike Dunk High Premium iD Women’s Shoe, Nike.com. Zenana Outfitters Velour Hoodie, Stylesforless.com. Juicy Couture Starter Charm Bracelet, Zappos.
Tina
Looking at Tina Cohen-Chang’s bold sartorial choices and blue highlights, you’d probably never expect that this girl is painfully shy and insecure! For example: that stutter of hers? Faking it just to keep people away. In Tina’s case, however, fashion speaks louder (and clearer?) than words.
Style Basics
- Avril Lavigne-inspired punk rock style. Tina is Glee’s bad girl… or at least she dresses like one! Baggy clothes, punk-rock plaid and arm warmers are some of Tina’s wardrobe essentials. She even showcases her rocker edge in her beauty routine with her blue highlights and love for eyeliner.
- Tough accents. Tina’s edgy look is made even tougher by the addition of rocker-chic accents and embellishments. She often wears shredded shirts, studded accessories, and exposed zippers in her ensembles. When Tina wears jewelry, it’s usually a multi-strand necklace and embellished bracelets worn over her sleeves or arm warmers.
- Prefers a dark color palette. Tina is not a fan of neons or pastels. Instead, she’s usually styled in muted, darker hues. Army green, navy, grey, and black are typical of Tina’s wardrobe. If brighter colors make an appearance, they’re usually part of a print or used as an accent.
- Not afraid to mix patterns and textures. Each of Tina’s outfits is multi-dimensional and full of texture. Whether Tina mixes plaids and stripes or rocks fishnets and studs, she creates a look that’s authentically edgy and never matchy-matchy.
Inspired by Tina
Ann Racerback Tank, Bluefly. Tusk Rosary Necklace, Asos. Zipper Trapped Bangle, Forever 21. The Fishnet Underlay Jean by Tripp NYC, Karmaloop. Wide Stripe Cardigan, Forever 21. Studded Military Boot, Forever 21.
Kurt
Even though Kurt Hummel is male, he is arguably the fiercest fashionista to have ever graced our TV screens on Wednesday nights. Kurt is a true showman, capable not only of choreographing amazing dances and singing soprano, but also of kicking for the football team… all of which he does in couture. Kurt’s fashion sense is totally enviable, even with his Y chromosome!
Style Basics
- Expensive tastes and high-fashion sophistication. Kurt is a die-hard designer devotee. Even though the show is set in small town Iowa, he casually wears over-the-top McQueen sweaters and Marc Jacobs tees to school. In fact, many of Kurt’s sophisticated pieces are direct from RTW runway shows. While Kurt’s look isn’t especially believable, it’s definitely enviable!
- Expert tailoring. Kurt’s clothing is always sharply tailored and never baggy. He favors a slim silhouette from top to bottom, even while layering. Well-tailored clothes, however, are not just for Kurt! They’re universally flattering, and what celebrities swear by. A good tailor can fix a number of fashion faux pas – from jeans that need to be hemmed to a too-big blazer. A tailor can also totally restructure a good vintage find for a look that’s 100% unique. Tailoring is definitely an expert fashion investment, no matter your gender!
- An eye for trends. To accompany his love for labels, Kurt is also extremely trend savvy. Last season, he rocked blazers, chunky knits, skinny pants, and oxfords, all of which have become extremely popular in recent months. Kurt also has amazing styling prowess, giving Finn fashion advice before dinner with Quinn’s parents, but sabotaging Rachel with an over-the-top “makeover.”
- Jackets serve as focal points for unique outfits. Kurt LOVES jackets. They are without a doubt his signature piece. Though he loves his basic blazers in a multitude of colors, he’ll also wear cotton motorcycle jackets, cropped trench coats, and fancy sweaters. Steal Kurt’s penchant for layers this winter and pick up a jacket or two!
Inspired by Kurt
Product Information: Stella Ponte Skinny Pants, True Religion. Long Sleeve Bodysuit, American Apparel. RSVP Ivana Pumps, Zappos. Waterfall Cardigan, KarenMillen.com. Chloe Square Sunglasses, Zoë.
What do you think? Are you excited for Glee to return? Are these some of your favorite characters? Which character has your favorite style? Let us know with your comments!
@Kayla- Not to mention the fact that Tina’s more gothloli-INSPIRED than actual gothloli. :/
And I definitely have to second the lolis not always being shy and quiet–isn’t that more of a belief held mainly by the ones who want to pursue the ‘lifestyle’?–as I’ve found that you can find pretty much every personality you can think of in the community. The one thing they all have in common, beyond an interest in loli, is the fact that they have the guts to wear it–or the balls, as Kayla says.
where is santana???????!!!!!!!!!!!
i know you’ve already done extra but you missed out brittany and santana.
they are so cool. i don’t mean to be demanding or anything but i love both of them a lot.
🙂
Ha ha ha! the bodysuit reminds me of “All the single laddies!”
Please re-do the cheerleaders now that they’re wearing normal clothes to school/events! Santana and Brittany have really great styles too!
Also google “Gothic Lolita’ THAT is tina’s style, she almost never wears jeans!!
I think you got Tina’s style focus a bit wrong.
She’s less punk and more Gothic Lolita. She incorporates Gothic, Victorian, and Punk elements into her clothing. For example, a black petticoat or Lolita skirt with lots of lace, bustiers and corsets, frilly skirts, high collars, empress waists, and like you said, a mixture of textures, like satin with cotton, fishnet with studs, etc. However, Tina’s style, especially in Gothic Lolita, actually fits her personality perfectly. A Lolita is usually quiet and sweet, even with dark colour palettes. I just love Tina’s wardrobe — I would love the outfits she wore in the episode Duets in season two.
Kurt — how I love Kurt. You got his designer-obsessed wardrobe perfectly. He, in a way, reminds me of Gossip Girl because his style is extremely sophisticated.
As for Mercedes, she definitely has a believable fashion sense for high school! What I like about Glee is how the characters dress uniquely.
I love your suggestions, and Kurt is my fav.! As you can tell by my alias identity! 😛 I was just hoping that Kurt’s style could be a bit easier to manage, because college budget isn’t very Kurt Hummel’s-style friendly. My fav. Kurt piece he’s worn is the tee with the sunglasses on it! <3 Oh, I want it sooo badly! : ( Too bad budget is limited to Kurt-splurge! :* ( Anyway, thx 4 the advice!
P.S. Chris Colfer DOES have a Twitter. He updated twice today that I'm aware of! <3 I think I spotted him around Memphis, Tennessee this week!
glee is set in ohio, not iowa.
Gabby- You make a great point. I myself am a size 8 pants, size 6 dress, so I have to look at some of these suggestions with a critical eye because some of the looks on this site are not catered for my body type. The important thing to remember is to try out different fashions. While the looks are shown for those who are a smaller size, they do make them in larger sizes and can work for curvier girls. It would be nice to see one of the celeb fashion inspirations for a celebrity that isn’t super skinny (ex. Jennifer Hudson, Jordan Sparks, Kelly Osbourne, Liv Tyler, Estelle, Leona Lewis)
You should include more clothes on your site that would actually fit plus size girls like Mercedes, there are plus size college girls too you know, and they want to be fashonable also! Just saying I never really see anything on this site that is not just for size 0-2 😉
Hey guys! I’m so happy you’re into this post, especially because it was reader requested!
LC and Lalaina–I wanted a military jacket for Kurt’s inspired outfit SO BADLY, but I couldn’t find anything online that was cute, not sold out, and reasonably priced. There were some amazing pieces, but in the $500+ range, so not exactly college-friendly! 🙁
I completely agree with everything LC said! Great job with this post!
Oh my, those rose-emblazoned heels are gorgeous, and I love the waterfall front trend I’ve been seeing lately in cardigans and dresses. Nice post. <3
wow, thank you for hearing our suggestions!!!! I love this article, and mercedes and tina’s outfits are spot on. Although the kurt inspired outfit is freakin adorable, I would have expected to see a military jacket and a scarf instead of a cardigan! So great though, keep up the good work
i am defintly sycked for glee to return!!
mercedes outfit- i can see myself wearing this but i would trade in the hoodie for a cardi and the nikes for some cute flats or maybe even some converse or keds
tina’s- not my style
kurt’s- love love love
I haven’t even seen the first season because we don’t get Glee in Europe. I don’t even know anything about any of the characters. It seems like Rachel has the best style, just based on the picture at the top because it seems very unique yet trendy at the same time.