Suited For Success

"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 laughingstock! *sob*"

- Rarity

Suited For Success is the fourteenth episode of the first season and first aired on February 4 2011.

Writer: Charlotte Fullerton

Summary
Rarity was busy preparing a dress for herself for the upcoming Grand Galloping Gala with her cat, Opalescence, involuntarily "helping" her. As she was making the finishing touches on it, she was then interrupted by Twilight and Applejack, who the former came to ask her to fix a button on her gala dress. Rarity instead insisted on making her an entirely new set, as well as one for AJ. Although the farm pony preferred to wear her work clothes, she was reminded that the party was a formal event, prompting her to have them appropriately "spruced up". After seeing Rainbow Dash crash into her workshop, the elegant unicorn had an idea. Offering to them them all a new party dress, including ones for Pinkie Pie and Fluttershy, she decided to set up a fashion show in Ponyville. While AJ and Twilight were unsure of her making such a promise, Rarity assured them all that she can handle it.

Sometime later, she invited all of them to show them the new set. Each of them were made to match their own personality. They were surprised at these amazing new dresses, but were hesitant to find the right words for their criticism. Twilight, overall, stated that the ensembles were "not exactly what they had in mind". Rarity was a bit disappointed in hearing this, but the courtly unicorn kept a straight face and promised them that she was willing to make them all "110%" satisfied, planning to make a new, new set, as opposed to the ones she declared as a "first pass". When they wanted to make sure they weren't going to cause any problems, she once more insisted that she wanted to make them all perfect.

Time passed and, this time, she invited each one, individually. Fluttershy said she "liked" the new gown, but Rarity pushed her into saying what she really thought, if she liked it or loved it. Fluttershy then bombarded her with surprisingly specific details about the dress she was wearing, but reminded the unicorn that "whatever she wanted was fine". The others were also told to give some details on what they would want for their clothes: Twilight wanted constellations, Pinkie wanted balloons and streamers, Applejack wanted her clothes to be weather/worker-friendly (asking for galoshes to boot), and Dash simply but vaguely wanted hers to be cooler or, in her case, "20% cooler". While Rarity was following their instructions to the letter (balanced, beautiful, affordable, etc.), she was becoming increasingly more stressed as the time of the show was drawing near. However, when she finally finished, she believed that the new new dresses were downright ugly. And she still needed to finish hers...

Thankfully, her friends were satisfied with the "perfect" dress set, meeting all their expectations. Rarity seemed doubtful of her accomplishment, but was glad they loved them. Just as she was relieved that her job was done, Spike arrived to bring her some exciting news: a major representative of the fashion world from Canterlot, named Hoity Toity, has heard about her fashion show (Spike confessed that he may had mentioned it to him), and was coming to check it out. A positive feedback from a hot-shot pony critic would mean big business for Rarity's shop. Instead, she was completely horrified that such a guest was going to see her latest work, and with good reason: a negative feedback from him could destroy her fashion career in an instant.

It was the night of the show, and Hoity has arrived near the stage. Rarity was already on pins and needles, but believed that if her friends liked it, so would he. This was not to be, however. The crowed was shocked to see that the styles of the "perfect" dresses were of the flashiest sort, and even more so of the pony who made them. Rarity's friends noticed the audience staring in confusion and it was clear, after looking at themselves, that they might had been overboard on the specifics. Hoity proceeded to make the harshest form of criticism possible, going as far as to describe them as "a piled-on mishmash of everything but the kitchen sink" (the sink, itself, Rarity decided not to include before the event). Long story short: He deemed the outfits ugly. Rarity's fashion show was an absolute disaster, her career was unraveling before her eyes, and somehow, she feared all that would happen.

She locked herself in the the bedroom of her shop for the next few days, racked with shame from the fashion rep's review and Ponyville's citizens laughing at her. Unable to get her out of the room, they tried to figure out what to do to save their friend from, in Pinkie's words, "becoming a Crazy Cat Lady". They then noticed her unfinished dress inside her workshop.

While Rarity had thought of leaving Ponyville in self-exile, she saw her cat was stuck in a tree. She rushed outside only to discover that Dash placed the cat up there to draw the depressed unicorn out of hiding and show her what they were really up to. Thanks to Fluttershy's knowledge of sewing, she and the other ponies finished Rarity's dress as a way of apologizing to her for asking too much, and being ungrateful. Rarity was surprised but happy of the quality, saying that it was exactly as how she imagined it. They even managed to convince Hoity Toity to come back and give their friend another chance. During a private fashion show, Rarity used her early "first draft" ensembles for her friends to wear. The pompous critic was so impressed with this particular set, he offered to feature her work for his Canterlot boutique... and asked to make a dozen of each one in at least a week.

Rarity learned that she can't always please all of her friends, and Twilight learned to appreciate a friend's gift and not be overly critical about it.

Quotes:

 * Rarity: Tell me tell me tell me tell me TELL ME!
 * Fluttershy: All right. If you really want to know... *inhales* The arm's a size tight, the middy color 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 overall design is reminiscent of prêt-à-porter and not true French haute couture... But... uh... you know... um... whatever you want to do is fine...


 * Pinkie Pie: More balloons! Oh no! That's too many balloons! More candy! Oh less candy! Oh wait! I know! Streamers!
 * Rarity: Streamers...
 * Pinkie Pie: Who's dress is this?
 * Rarity: Streamers it is...


 * Rainbow Dash: What?
 * Rarity: Aren't you going to tell me to change something too?
 * Rainbow Dash: No, I just want my dress to be cool.
 * Rarity: Do you not like the color?
 * Rainbow Dash: The color's fine, just make it look cooler.
 * Rarity: Do you not like the shape?
 * Rainbow Dash: The shape's fine, just make the whole thing you know, cooler ... It needs to be about 20% cooler.


 * Spike: Since the beginning of time, the Elite of Equestria have longed for pony fashion that truly express the essence of their very souls. Patiently waiting decades-- No! Centuries-- for the perfect pony gown. Today, at long last, Equestria, your wait is over. Let's hear it for the breathtaking designs... of Ponyville's own... RARITY !


 * Hoity Toity: Oh those amateurish designs look like a piled-on mishmash of everything but the kitchen sink! It's a travesty, that's what it is! Those outfits are the ugliest I've ever seen! Oh, for shame! Who is responsible for objecting our eyes to such horrors?! Not to mention, wasting my valuable time!


 * Twilight: You're not a laughingstock, Rarity.
 * Rainbow Dash: She kinda is...
 * Twilight: Shh!


 * Rarity: LEAVE ME ALONE! *sob* 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 !!!!


 * Twilight: Now what are we supposed to do?
 * Fluttershy: Panic?
 * Rainbow Dash: That's your answer to everything!


 * Pinkie Pie: She'll become a crazy cat lady.
 * Twilight: She only has one cat.
 * Pinkie Pie: Give her time...


 * Rarity: *muttering* HUH?!
 * Pinkie Pie: We all finished your dress for you!
 * Applejack: Thanks to Fluttershy's freaky knowledge of sewin'...
 * Fluttershy: Do you like it?
 * Rarity: Like it? Like it?!
 * Fluttershy: Uh oh. She doesn't like it...
 * Rarity: No, I don't like it... I LOVE IT!

Trivia

 * Because this episode mentions the Grand Galloping Gala, the event most likely has not yet taken place after the episode "The Ticket Master".
 * Rarity's song "Stitching it Together (Art of the Dress)" is based on the song Putting it Together by Sondheim, from the musical "Sunday in the Park With George." The original song is about an artist complaining about people interefering with his work.
 * This episode can be taken in a different light if you assume Rarity is Lauren Faust, her friends are executives working for "The Hub," and Hoity Toity was to represent the audience.
 * Toile is today a reference to cheaper cloth used by designers to test a pattern; in the past it meant "linen cloth" and could include painting canvas. Prêt-à-porter refers to "ready to wear" clothing, while haute coture refers to custom-made clothing, which is what Rarity does. The last explains her reaction to Hoity Toity's "order" at the end of the episode.
 * The sequence where Rarity has locked herself in her home to hide from her shame is likely a reference to the film "Sunset Boulevard," about a Hollywood actress who hides away in her mansion after the public stops loving her. Pinkie's line about Rarity potentially going crazy also references the story from this film. The sequence includes a direct reference to actress Greta Garbo, to whom the line, "I vant to be alone" is attributed.