The "Nephrite Fashion Disaster" poll (found here) has proven to be a very popular poll, and I've had some people ask me my own opinion on the subject, or why I added one option or another to the poll. So here's my take on the outfits in the fashion disasters poll, going from Fashion Don't to Fashion Do.

1. The purple tux from the Diamond Ball episode. Can you say Las Vegas Lounge Lizard? Ick! Unless your first name is Wayne and your last name is Newton and you have a lifetime gig in Vegas, tuxes should never *ever* be any color but black, gray, or white. Plus it's too short and too tight -- it looks like Nephrite borrowed it from Zoisite. Also subtract fashion points for the mask (I hate those masks) and the ruffles on the shirt. This outfit is why I can't go with the "He makes anything look good" option. It's embarrassing.

2. Sanjouin Masato's white pants. Now, I guess there's nothing really wrong with white pants, besides the fact that they show the dirt. My problem with them is this: When I was in high school, lo these many years ago, back in the dark days of disco, we had a male student teacher (a college student training to be a teacher, if you're from a place where this term isn't used) who showed up one day wearing tight white dressy disco pants with black bikini underpants. O_o Definitely a Fashion Don't. I'm scarred for life by that incident, so that whenever I see white pants on a guy, that's what I think of.

3. The Tuxedo Nephrite disguise. Actually, the tux itself isn't so bad. The classic black tuxedo -- a Fashion Do. What's bad is the top hat (top hats are bad anyway, especially with hair like Nephrite's), that stupid mask (what is it with these awful masquerade masks? They're so dumb-looking!), and the cape. But, after all, this is business. Nephrite has to look like Tuxedo Mask in order to carry out his plot. What about the hair? you, and I, and everyone else wonders. On Sailor Moon, the rule is: No one but the audience ever notices hair styles. For a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at this episode, read Gita Toronjil-Lee's story "Backstage Preparation," on "In Metallia's Name" (linked from here).

4. Sanjouin Masato's shoulderpads. Not really a problem. From some angles, the way they're drawn makes them look exaggerated. I think that's a matter of bad animation rather than bad taste on Neph's part. I only included them on the poll because I'd seen them made fun of on other sites, and wanted to make sure I covered all the options.

5. The Dark Kingdom uniform. Defnitely a Fashion Do. Nothing wrong here; I only included it in the poll because I know some people don't like it and, again, I wanted to make sure all the options were covered. That crisp, buttoned-up jacket (take that, Kunzite, you slob), the elegant epaulets on those broad, manly shoulders (some people say they look like fried eggs. They don't, they look like abstract gold thingies set with big red jewels), pants tucked into high black boots. It all adds up to that strong, sexy man-in-uniform look.

If I had my choice, what would I like to see Nephrite wearing? Three things: Armor like that in Soylent Green's picture "Invincible and Fearless Warriors" (sadly gone from hyperspace, WHERE ARE YOU SOYLENT GREEN?!?!?), jeans with a dark silk collarless shirt (although I've lately seen such shirts described as "too 90's," whatever that means), or an outrageously expensive Armani suit. With necktie, of course.

(February 2002)