And now we come to “Suited for Success” in our rewatch! This one is by Charlotte Fullerton, who did… “Look Before You Sleep”. Which makes sense. That was a great Rarity x Applejack episode, and I certainly have good memories of this as a Rarity episode.

That may partially be the song, though. This one has “The Art of the Dress” in it, which I love, which is based on Stephen Sondheim’s “Putting It Together”. I remember listening to Barbara Streisand singing that song, and that’s just great, too. But Stephen Sondheim is a master songwriter anyways.

This episode was at one point titled “Dress for Failure”, incidentally. So let’s get started, shall we?

So we start with Rarity talking to her demonic familiar. What she sees in that cat, I’ll never know. She also whisks some fabric from under Opal, sending her flying to the ground with a yowl. Encore.

Rarity is talking to herself, and seems to be planning to make a dress to wear to the Grand Galloping Gala, and thinks she’ll get some business that way. Which is possible, I suppose.

Opal, being a cat, clawed the fabric a little and tried to go to sleep on it, only to have Rarity pull it from under her again. She snarls at Rarity, who seems to interpret that as Opal wanting to help. She puts Opal on a table, and sticks one of those ball things you stick pins in in her mouth. Not sure how she gets Opal to cooperate with that, and, indeed, it’s more something you’d see Spike do later.

Opal mwrrars at this, which is somehow interpreted as wanting to help even more. Now she’s got half a dozen things hanging from her. Maybe I should give Opal a break, with the way Rarity’s treating her.

Cut for the opening, and Applejack and Twilight are knocking on Rarity’s door. Applejack opens and they enter without Rarity responding.

“Howdy Rarity!” “Shh! Can’t you tell she’s trying to concentrate?” Indeed Rarity is, and they react by loudly having a conversation from either side of her.

“What do you think she’s making?” “Looks like a dress.” “Well, that makes sense. Seeing as this is a dress-maker shop and all.” *Hmrrrgh* “Is there something I can help you with?” Lovely.

I’m going to have trouble not quoting all the dialogue on this, as it’s pretty well written.

But Twilight wants a button fixed on a fairly hideous dress she was planning on wearing to the Gala. Naturally, Rarity insists on making her a new one instead. And she just has to inquire about Applejack, who it turns out is just planning on wearing her work duds. So Rarity insists on making her one as well, which Applejack reluctantly goes along with, as long as it isn’t too ‘fru-fruey.’

Than Rainbow Dash drops by. Through the roof. How does any place in Ponyville have a roof left by now?

“Hmm... [gasp] Idea! I'll make you an outfit for the Gala too, Rainbow Dash.” “Outfit for the what now?” “I'll make one for you and you and all of you. Oh! And of course Pinkie and Fluttershy too. Oh, and when I'm done, we can hold our very own fashion show!”

Oh, Rarity, you are getting in way over your head here. Generosity is one thing, but making 6 dresses for the Gala for ponies that don’t necessarily even want them? But she’s getting carried away in the moment.

“So all you have to do is make a different, stunning, original, amazing outfit for one, two, three, four, five... plus yourself, six ponies? And lickety split?” “Oh, Applejack. You make it sound as if it's going to be hard.”

And in comes the song!

I love this song. And not just because Opal gets hit with a bolt of fabric at the beginning, and otherwise abused through it. The scenes that go along with the music are perfect.

When also considering the reprise, it goes from her being so happy to be making everything to all the demands that are being made of her along the way and the compromises to being totally stressed out. And everyone is being pretty demanding!

I always note the line “Even though it rides high on the flank / Rainbow won't look like a tank”, too. This could be a reference to Tank, Rainbow’s pet, but she doesn’t have Tank yet. Of course, I can think of something other than Tank she could’ve said here that wouldn’t have been appropriate to the show’s rating…

And Rarity’s managed a bunch of good looking dresses. Opal seems pretty impressed, too, as she’s rubbing all over them happily. Or maybe she’s been in the catnip.

Her friends don’t seem nearly as impressed, though. Awkward silence and blinking on Rarity’s part.

She gets such comments as “They certainly are… something” and “It’s… nice”.

Naturally, Rainbow Dash is the first one to break down and actually complain about hers.

“Mine's just not as cool as I was imagining.” *glares* “She asked.”

Now that the dam’s burst, though…

“I guess what we're all saying is that they're just not what we had in mind.”

Rarity tries to take it well… “That's okay. Not a problem. There's plenty more where that came from. They were only a first pass. You're my friends and I want you to be 110% satisfied. Not to worry, I'll redo them.”

After they’ve left: “What have I gotten myself into?”

This is honestly a pretty realistic situation to get into, and friends aren’t exactly going to be the best customers, especially when you are working for them for free.

Rarity is looking considerably more frazzled later, when Fluttershy comes in.

And Fluttershy’s being difficult. She keeps saying the dress is nice, and clearly isn’t telling Rarity what she thinks or what changes need to be made, and Rarity has to pull it out of her.

Fluttershy does have a lot of complaints when she’s finally convinced to talk, though.

“All right! Since you really wanna know... [inhales] The armscye's tight, the middy collar doesn't go with the shawl lapel, the hems are clearly machine-stitched, the pleats are uneven, the fabric looks like toile, you used a backstitch here when it clearly called for a topstitch or maybe a traditional blanket stitch, and the overdesign is reminiscent of prêt-à-porter and not true French haute couture. [pauses] But, uh... you know... um, whatever you want to do is fine.”

How much does Fluttershy know about sewing and fashion, anyways? Becoming a model later actually is appropriate with this.

I looked up what “prêt-à-porter” and “haute couture” are, and she’s basically saying that rather than something that’s made to match the individual person and being a perfect and exact fit, it’s more like something that’s high quality, but mass produced and not tailored to the person in question.

And “toile” is ‘an early version of a finished garment made up in cheap material so that the design can be tested and perfected.’.

Fluttershy’s actually being kinda savage here. Charlotte Fullerton clearly knows something about dressmaking.

And on to the reprise, with all the complaints.

Twilight wants her stars to be technically accurate on her dress.
Pinkie demands lollypops and balloons on hers. And streamers.
Fluttershy wants, well, this:

Applejack wants galoshes.
Rainbow Dash wants her dress to be 20% cooler. (And is being so vague Rarity’s going to have no idea what to change.)

And Rarity has made some hideous dresses that match everything they wanted. They like them, though Opal does not approve. How much does Opal know about dressmaking?

“Are you as happy with them as we are? Huh? Huh? Huh?” “Well, I'm... happy that all of you are happy. I'm just relieved to finally be done.”

Only it turns out Hoity-Toity is in town, and wants to see the fashion show of all these hideous dresses. Okay, Spike told him. And Spike is being a good friend doing that. He had no reason to expect they’d be anything but great. Spike would have connections in Canterlot, too. The way Rarity starts twitching thinking about it…

It’s the day of the fashion show. Hoity Toity is clearly someone important, and has ponies that put down a cushion for him to sit on. Oh boy.

Rarity is trying to calm herself with breathing exercises. She’s very nervous.

Oh, Dj Pon3 is doing the music. Probably her first appearance. Spike is announcing once again, with cool shadow silhouettes.

How many ponies are at this thing?

These dresses are so awful! Poor Rarity.

Hoity Toity: “Oh, those amateurish designs designs look like a piled up mishmash of everything but the kitchen sink!” *Rarity discretely kicks a kitchen sink backwards.

Wow, Hoity Toity is harsh. Rarity tries to hide behind Opal, but has to reluctantly come out.

Switch to later, and Rarity is in full Audrey Hepburn mode.

“Rarity? You okay in there? You haven't come out for days.” “I'm never coming out! I can't show my face in Ponyville ever again! I used to be somepony. I used to be respected. I made dresses. Beautiful, beautiful dresses! But now everypony is laughing at me. I'm nothing but a laughing stock!” *sobs*

I love Rarity in high drama mode, and this is probably one of her best moments.

“Shhh! Come on out and talk to us.” *sobbing* “Leave me alone! I vant to be alone! I want to wallow in... whatever it is that ponies are supposed to wallow in! Do ponies wallow in pity? Oh, listen to me, I don't even know what I'm supposed to wallow in! I'm so pathetic!”

Love the references, and this is great stuff.

“Now what do we do?” “Uh... panic?” “That's your answer for everything!” “Well, we can't just leave Rarity like this.” “She'll become a crazy cat lady!” “She only has one cat.” “Give her time.”

“Exile... I guess technically I'd have to move away to live in exile. Where would I go? And what would I pack? Oh, it's going to take me forever to do all of that packing. What are you supposed to pack when you go to exile? Are you supposed to pack warm?” Rarity is so obsessive, even when she’s in full breakdown mode.

But she has to come out, because Rainbow Dash stranded Opal in a tree.

Seems they somehow got hold of Rarity’s dress for the Gala and her designs, and finished it, thanks to Fluttershy’s “freaky knowledge” of sewing, which we saw in her complaints earlier.

Great! Except how did the get all this past Rarity? Oh well, just a nitpick. The rest of the episode is so great, though.

They apologize, Rarity forgives them, but her career is still ruined… except here comes Hoity Toity. I’m just going to assume Spike got him.

Time for take 2 on the fashion show, as he pushes Opal behind him when she starts playing with his mane. Probably a good idea, that.

This one, despite being improvised, is somehow much flashier, and really, it is pretty great. Hoity Toity is impressed.

Dear Princess Celestia,
This week, my very talented friend Rarity learned that if you try to please everypony, you often times end up pleasing nopony, especially yourself. And I learned this: when somepony offers to do you a favor, like making you a beautiful dress, you shouldn't be overly critical of something generously given to you. In other words, you shouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth.

And Rarity will be featured in the “Best of the Best Boutique” in Canterlot! But she needs to make a dozen of each dress by Tuesday.

Such a great episode. This is really one of the standouts. Charlotte’s next episode wasn’t as good as the first two, but it had a lot to live up to.nThis was so fun to watch again! Good lesson, too.

And after rewatching, I can say it wasn't just the song. The whole episode was great!

Next week comes one of the divisive ones, Dave Polsky’s “Feeling Pinkie Keen”. See you then!

--Sweetie Belle

7111175
All we ever want is indecision
All we really like is what we know
Gotta balance style with adherence
Making sure we make a good appearance
Even if you simply have to fudge it
Make sure that it stays within our budget
Got to overcome intimidation
Remember, it's all in the presentation!
Piece by piece, snip by snip
Croup, dock, haunch, shoulders, hip
Bolt by bolt, primmed and pressed
Yard by yard, always stressed
And that's the art of the dress!

I sing this song in my head more than I'd like to admit.

Next week comes one of the divisive ones, Dave Polsky’s “Feeling Pinkie Keen”. See you then!

You know, 99% time I don't really care who the writer is. But Dave Polsky is that 1% that scares me.

7111182
I love the song. I have many mlp songs I love playing, but this was one of the earliest, along with "Winter Wrapup",

While Dave Polsky has done some pretty controversial episodes, I sometimes feel like he gets a bit of a bad rap. He did do "Rarity Takes Manhattan" and "Twilight Time" after all, and he did a pretty good job as showrunner for Hanazuki. Shame about his episodes in the first three seasons, though.

--Sweetie Belle

7111185
It's internet, everything gets increased bad rap by default. I think actually it's just his comedy doesn't resonate with me, not that I think he is a scourge.

7111175 Ah, Opal, the most forgotten and neglected of all the pets. Even Winona gets noticed and acknowledged more than that poor cat.

Man, I wish I could find the review video talking about how Suited For Success was not only one of the best episodes of MLP, but one of the best show episodes of all of television. It really summed up my take on the episode. I thought it was by Tommy Oliver or Anthony C, since it had some animation with the review, but it's not on thier pages. Anyone know what I'm talking about?

7111209
"Very soon" on a Yakkity Sax rewatch seems a bit unlikely. At a rate of once a week in order, it'd probably be years before I get to that point, assuming I do all the seasons...

7111261
The pets do get forgotten a lot, and Opal certainly is one of them. Though, looking over at her wiki page, she's made appearances in every season other than eight, at least.

7111340
I could see that point of view, since the episode was really good.

It could easily have been one of Tommy Oliver's, since one thing I notice looking over there is that a lot of his mlp reviews look like they are missing. A Canterlot Wedding's the only video of his reviewing an episode that I see there...

--Sweetie Belle

7111175
Ah, one of the true gems even among a whole season of good eps. Rarity may have had to wait the longest, but she sure delivered. And I guess perhaps Charlotte Fullerton had as much of a role as Faust in shaping her.

Cut for the opening, and Applejack and Twilight are knocking on Rarity’s door.

One of the early hints as to Twilight's best friend among her new circle. Pity they never really went anywhere with it...

I love this song. And not just because Opal gets hit with a bolt of fabric at the beginning, and otherwise abused through it. The scenes that go along with the music are perfect.

It's important to remember that this was only the second major song of the show, and he first long solo piece. And it's magnificent - both as a song and as a representation of the pressures of non-independent creative work. But then, they do say to write what you know, right?

7112066
It does feel like Charlotte had a big role in shaping Rarity. which is funny, because those two episodes were about the end of her involvement with Rarity, too. The early episodes were pretty crucial for shaping things, though.

It is interesting that it was Applejack, particularly, that she showed up with.

"Art of the Dress" is a wonderful song. If you haven't, definitely listen to "Putting It Together", though. "Art of the Dress" owes it a fair amount.

--Sweetie Belle