The Biggest Fashion Flops In Glee History

When "Glee" began in 2009, it quickly became a phenomenon. This was in no small part thanks to the gifted actors who made up the members of the show's titular club. The cast of "Glee" includes stars who were fresh off their Broadway debuts, like Lea Michele, as well as established names like Idina Menzel and Gwyneth Paltrow. But while the cast was undoubtedly known for their talent, their characters' fashion was another story.

Let it not be said that "Glee" does anything in half measures. The songs, the plot points, and the outfits the characters wear — everything in "Glee" is taken to extremes. That means that while there are high moments where all three intersect in harmony, there are nearly as many low moments that strike a discordant note. The characters' fashion generally suits them, even when it's over the top or understated in the case of every straight boy member of New Directions (those guys sure love their hoodies). But there are times when the outfits just don't hit the way they're meant to. Here are some of the worst fashion flops you may have missed on "Glee."

In the very first episode, the McKinley High Glee Club is a bit of a mess. Case in point: this performance of "Sit Down, You're Rockin' the Boat" from "Guys and Dolls" by the inaugural members of Mr. Schuester's New Directions. There's a lot to unpack.

Ignoring the chaotic choreography and bad teamwork on display, the outfits here are insane. Yes, everyone appears to have just come from class to work on the song, so the mismatched nature of their fits makes sense, but why is everyone wearing gloves à la Mickey Mouse? And why does Rachel appear to be wearing a bump-it?

Rachel dreams of being a big Broadway star, and nothing says "I belong on stage" like a khaki argyle turtleneck and a vaguely mauve cardigan. Paired with an a-line denim skirt and similarly drab knee socks, Rachel looks more ready for the library than she does the spotlight.

To be fair, her fellow New Directioners aren't faring much better in the wardrobe department in this scene. Tina's wearing her fingerless gloves, Mercedes is mixing colors like it's her job, and Kurt's mixing patterns like it's his. One thing "Glee" does well, at least, is dress these actors like actual high school students who aren't always fashionable. 

If you think you're extra with your fashion, you'll still never beat Rachel Berry showing up to school in a bright blue pantsuit. She was really showing up to algebra dressed like she was running to be the first female president in between periods.

Fittingly, this look is featured in a scene where Quinn and Kurt describe Rachel's style as a cross between a toddler and a grandmother. The pantsuit definitely sits closer to the grandmother side of the scale, albeit a very accomplished grandmother.

When it looked like New Directions might finish before they had even really started, the McKinley High Glee Club sang a touching tribute to Mr. Schuester. They do a great job performing a moving cover of Lulu's "To Sir With Love," and not an eye was dry in that auditorium — in part because of Kurt's and Mercedes' outfits.

Who saw that silver fedora and sailor hat and decided that's what this touching moment needed? To be fair, Mercedes' outfit has probably been worn by a high school student in the early 2010s, but does that make it right? At least Kurt wearing a tie is on brand, but both characters deserve better.

When Kurt's dad, Burt, starts spending a lot of time with Finn, Kurt decides to embody his father's style as a means to get his attention back. It's the kind of faulty logic that makes "Glee" such an entertaining yet sometimes difficult watch. Kurt starts wearing fishing vests and baseball caps and even sings John Mellencamp during this episode.

This style is a clear mismatch with who Kurt truly is and doesn't suit him in the slightest. Thankfully, he goes back to his flamboyant self by the end of the episode, and we couldn't be happier.

Say what you will about her, but Sue has style. It's not a good style, but it is distinctive nonetheless. For example, take the time she decided to get married to herself (because who else will love Sue the way she deserves?) and wore a tracksuit-inspired wedding dress.

Like much of this list, the outfit is so bad it's almost good. Almost. But no matter how much the look suits Sue, it's still probably not a great idea to wear this to any wedding, though it is one way to break tradition. 

The "Glee" rendition of My Chemical Romance's "Sing" is one of the best on the show, but the outfits are some of the worst. "Why are they dressed like lumberjacks," reads one comment about the performance on YouTube.

Making everyone wear red plaid shirts and jeans to cover an MCR song was a choice, but not one that should have necessarily been made. Even Gerard and Mikey Way, who were otherwise happy with the cover, said they "didn't like the outfits" in an interview with Take 40 Australia.

Lauren, an underrated character who essentially disappears after the second season, performs only one solo during her time in New Directions. During her singular performance, which is a cover of "I Know What Boys Like" by The Waitresses, she struts through the classroom wearing a cobalt blue shirt under what appears to be a prom dress. She finishes the look off with black leggings and high-top Converse. Why not, right?

Every piece of her outfit is fine on its own, but together, it's a mess. Lauren deserved a better outfit during her one solo.

In an episode decrying the dangers of teenage drinking, Rachel throws a party at her house wearing a long-sleeved nightgown. Yes, it's also floor-length. Because nothing says house party like a nightgown that wouldn't be out of place in the 1800s.

It's not the only time Rachel's been caught wearing elaborate, conservative nightwear. In the episode called "The Power of Madonna," Rachel wears a caped nightgown before nearly doing the deed with Jesse while singing "Like a Virgin." There's a time and a place for a cute Dolly Parton-esque nightgown, but a drunken house party is not it.

This performance of "Afternoon Delight" is one of the funniest moments in the series. The members of McKinley High's Celibacy Club, led by Emma and Carl, mistake the song for being about a dessert instead of what it's actually about. It's quintessential "Glee."

During the performance, everyone wears pastel blue shirts, and the girls wear long floral skirts. The outfits definitely fit the vibe of the song, but that doesn't mean we love them. Emma somehow makes the look work for her, but it doesn't quite work on Quinn and Rachel.

When New Directions made it to Regionals, it was a moment we had all been waiting for. Since the beginning of the show, it was made clear that this competition was where the members of the glee club would have to prove themselves. And with their original song, "Loser Like Me," they finally do. Everything is great, or at least it would be if not for those atrocious dresses.

This episode aired in 2011, when dresses over leggings were already on their way out, so making these girls wear these shiny blue, seemingly plastic dresses over cropped leggings was a crazy decision, even at the time. To the costume department's credit, these do at least look like something you'd see at a real show choir competition.

Tina Cohen-Chang started off the show with an edgy, goth-inspired fashion that distinguished her from the rest of the cast. Sure, sometimes her outfits bordered on cringe (fingerless gloves were a staple in her early wardrobe, and she rocked funky hats), but who among us can say they still love everything they wore in high school?

The real crime against fashion was transforming Tina from the emo kid to the Rachel Berry clone she would become in later seasons. Seeing Tina dress preppier in response to feeling like a "prop" made us sad. No wonder she's one of the "Glee co-stars" who aren't close to Lea Michele anymore.

The episode "Born This Way" has an inspiring message. Encouraging the show's viewers to be themselves, the members of New Directions perform a rousing cover of Lady Gaga's hit while wearing shirts emblazoned with their reclaimed insecurities. Before that touching moment, however, Santana wears this ugly hat.

While there was a vision here, the execution is lacking. Why did the costume department put Naya Rivera in such dumb-looking headgear? Did anyone's high school actually allow hats in class? We have many questions and few answers.

Kurt enlists some friends to perform a flash mob of Duck Sauce's "Barbra Streisand" in the hopes of convincing Rachel to embrace her natural nose like her idol. For no apparent reason, he does this while wearing a sweater vest with an American-flag-inspired pattern and a red fedora.

Hanging out at the local mall is one of the most American pastimes, but that doesn't mean one must drape themselves in the flag to do so. Still, it's a testament to Kurt's fashion sense that he doesn't look nearly as bad as he should in this outfit.

New Directions has made it to Nationals, which is, of course, in New York City. It's the perfect opportunity to play tourist and explore the city via a musical montage or two, and that's exactly what "Glee" does. Nationals is of particular importance to Rachel, whose dream is to make it big on Broadway.

To mark this occasion, she wears an outfit that brings to mind "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" or perhaps a fashion-forward kindergarten teacher. What can we say? Twee was in at the time.

One thing "Glee" loves is a dream sequence, and that's exactly what we get with this performance of "It's All Over" from the musical "Dreamgirls." Performances like these offer a welcome escape from the limitations of high school show choir, complete with costume changes and elaborate choreography. Those costumes don't always hit the way they should, though, as we see with Tina's and Quinn's look.

All of Mercedes' backup singers wear ensembles clearly inspired by "Dreamgirls," and the looks are nearly cute. But something about the hairdos and the fit of the dresses prevents these looks from being as good as they could be.

Blaine, much like his love interest, Kurt, dabbles in nautical-inspired menswear from time to time. This look dives in headfirst — something about the hat and sweater combo just screams "I have a yacht," or at least, "I wish I did."

This isn't the most offensive outfit we've seen on "Glee," but it's disappointing because Blaine can do better. He looks great in collegiate fashion, but this yacht-club chic ensemble is not his best.

Kurt is one of the most ambitious dressers in "Glee," but he's also a high school student with the budget to match. Though we love that he refuses to play it safe, it means he misses the mark more often than his peers do. Take, for example, this look he wears while performing Pink's "Perfect."

In the asymmetry of it all, there's something editorial about this turtleneck poncho, but wearing that over a red button-down was not the move. Still, even if it didn't pan out, we can't help but admire Kurt's vision.

When "Glee" did a Michael Jackson episode, you knew what to expect: gloves, moonwalking, and that jacket from "Thriller." What no one could have expected was this diabolical outfit that the powers that be put Quinn in during the performance of "Wanna Be Startin' Somethin'."

Everyone is wearing an outfit that looks straight out of Michael Jackson's most expensive music videos, but why is Quinn wearing a dress out of "Little House on the Prairie" under her jacket? Probably for the same reason Finn is wearing a tired football jersey in this scene (not pictured). Did the costume department run out of imagination?

Mr. Schuester tries to prove he deserves tenure for his work as McKinley's Spanish teacher by performing a bilingual rendition of Elvis Presley's "A Little Less Conversation." In a Matador outfit. With Brittney and Mike as bulls. And a Mariachi band. You get the picture.

Santana accuses Mr. Schuester of perpetuating stereotypes, and he has a hard time arguing with her after that performance. Thankfully, Santana's comments and the assistance of guest star Ricky Martin help him realize he's not fit for the job, so we'll never have to see that outfit again.

It's rich to hear Miss Rachel Berry tell Kurt not to join the New York Academy of Dramatic Arts' glee club because he'll end up a loser, but after watching this performance, she might have a point. Adam's Apples, led by Kurt's fleeting love interest, Adam Crawford, leads his show choir in a soft rock cover of Sir Mix-A-Lot's "Baby Got Back." Yes, it's as bad as you'd expect.

Like the song, every member of Adam's Apples is dressed awfully. We're talking blazers and tutus, fringe workout tees, and multiple people in business casual for reasons we can only wonder. The worst fashion offender is Adam himself, though nobody looks good here.

Sue is known for many things. Her style is not one of them. So, when she switches it up, it's a welcome surprise. This outfit she wears during her performance of Nicki Minaj's "Super Bass" is about as far from her everyday look as it gets, though not for the better.

This episode sees Sue don a very fake-looking blonde wig and what appears to be pink leopard-print pajamas with a skirt on top. Needless to say, this look is not a hit. The glow-in-the-dark aspect was fun, though.

When "The Fox (What Does the Fox Say?)" by Ylvis came out in 2013, the world released a collective sigh. It was inevitable that it would end up on "Glee," and sure enough, it pops up in the season 5 episode, "Puppet Master."

As one can assume from the title, the episode features puppets. It doesn't stop there; the horrors persist with performers wearing animal snouts and paws. "Glee" proves here that just because you can does not necessarily mean you should.

After her TV show flops dramatically, Rachel returns to Lima, Ohio, to find things have changed in her absence. What clearly hasn't changed is her style, if this ensemble is any indication. While visiting home, she appears to have rifled through her childhood wardrobe and landed on this outfit.

None of the individual pieces — a bow-patterned shirt, pink shorts, and stilettos — are bad on their own, but the combination is weird. The stilettos in particular are strange when paired with the kidcore top half of this fit.

Raise your hand if you ever wanted to see Will Schuester rock Bon Jovi-style hair. Anyone? Regardless, that's exactly what you get when you watch this cover of Europe's "The Final Countdown."

To be fair, this performance is supposed to be cringe, and the styling reflects that. Both Sue and Will look like they've sprayed enough hairspray to rip a new hole in the ozone layer, and that's by design. That doesn't mean we have to like it, though.