Prepare to get preppy with Rachel Berry's cute skirts from Glee

Rachel proves that preppy isn't always proper.

Glee has become one of the most unexpected successes of 2009, and it’s just getting better for the cast with amazing ratings, songs in the charts all over the world and a live tour coming up. But it’s not always the songs we’re interested in, oh no, sometimes we just can’t take our eyes off their clothes. Whether it’s Finn’s (Cory Monteith) laid back jock style, Emma’s (Jayma Mays) prim and proper look or Kurt’s designer gear, Glee is becoming quite the fashion show. Yet if there’s one person whose style has really caught our eye it’s got to be Rachel Berry, played by Lea Michele.

Rachel’s style is somewhere between preppy and old fashioned, an eclectic mix that suits a teenager who wants perfection and success. She opts for simple dresses and blouses topped by brightly coloured or patterned cardigans (particularly argyle) worn either buttoned up or tied around her shoulders. When it comes to footwear she’s extremely sensible, choosing Mary-Jane style flats and loafers, after all she needs to be ready to rock ’n’ roll at a moment’s notice.

Costume designer, Lou Eyrich knows exactly what look Rachel’s going for, saying: “She makes it her way, which is more quirky. The popular girls find a way to make it look cool, but Rachel makes it look nerdy. But it’s not old-school nerdy with thick glasses and pocket protectors. She thinks she’s taking a trend and making it cool, but she wears it wrong.”

We expect Lou is having a lot of fun dressing the Glee cast. He says that he mainly shops in Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie for their costumes, which are simple and fun. When it comes to Rachel he reveals the inspiration for her look “was Tracy Flick from Election — very buttoned-down, preppy, obnoxious, squeaky clean, nerdy.” Lea has also revealed that she bases her character partly on Blair (Leighton Meester) from Gossip Girl, saying “[Blair] is shady, but you still love her. She’s still vulnerable. That’s what I try to do with Rachel.” She’s just like Blair, without the budget.

However Lou explains that ”she’s got at least 12 costume changes each episode. That same look all the time just gets boring for the screen and for the actress to wear, so we spread it out a lot. We try to have her buttoned-up or wearing a nerdy sweater over a cute dress, like she doesn’t quite get it right. Or she takes that sweater and tucks it into the skirt and pairs it with knee highs and flats.”

But it’s this quirky nerdy-yet-preppy look that we love, and today we’re all about her skirts. Rachel loves wearing knee high socks, so miniskirts are a must for her. She has a great selection ranging from the simple denim mini to flirty pleated plaid numbers. As the denim skirts are quite simple, we usually see her sporting something patterned on top, whereas the plaid kilt-style skirts only need a plain blouse. She’s also got a couple of cute A-lines, in both blue and denim fabrics, which make for perfect outfit skirts – particularly when she’s doing twirls and twists.

Luckily these skirts can all be worn with tights or leggings with boots, which is great since the weather isn’t showing any signs of warming up. And they look equally great with bare legs (or knee highs if you’re going for the full look) and sandals or wedges. We’ve found a great selection of skirts, from denim skaters to plaid pleats just like Rachel’s, but remember to keep it simple – unless you’re planning on joining your local glee club.