Rachel Bilson: August 2003
Those shoes, strangely, are marginally ahead of their time; not so the GIANT cuff on her jeans and the snug strapless shirt. This should not work, at all, and yet she manages not to look absurd in it, which is... a feat. Also, if there hadn't been a surfboard back there to prove the age of the photo, I bet you'd have thought it was a lot more recent. She looks EXACTLY THE SAME.
Rachel Bilson: October 2003
THERE we go -- those are the 2003 shoes I expected to see. Now if we could just take a scissors to that skirt...
Rachel Bilson: November 2003
This was at a Make-A-Wish Foundation benefit, and well, you know what my wish is. The early aughts were seriously such a rough time.
Rachel Bilson: November 2003
Why don't chartreuse lace-up boots feel more wrong to me? They deserve better.
Rachel Bilson: November 2003
Rachel's bodice is a little weird, but it may actually be more important to dissect what Samaire Armstrong has on her body. It's like she gnawed off the figure-skating skirt with her teeth.
Rachel Bilson: August 2004
This feels really Little Joey Potter On The Prairie to me.
Rachel Bilson: February 2005
Ah, kitten heels and fluff. I bet she wants this one back -- if she tried it now, with better lipstick, higher fun shoes, an updo, and MAYBE a trim of the hem, we'd probably be in business with it.
Rachel Bilson: Feb 2005
Classic over-accessorizing. Like, why do you need tights at all when only two inches of leg is exposed? There are seriously seven different pieces to this ensemble and none of them are saying much to each other.
Rachel Bilson: February 2005
By contrast: so simple, so refreshing.
Rachel Bilson: October 2005
There is way too much elasticized ruffling in this photo.
Rachel Bilson: March 2005
The cover line on Cosmo for this true tragic story is "THE LADY OF GARROTE: How My Lingerie Nearly Beheaded Me."
Rachel Bilson: August 2006
A year later, a MUCH cuter, cooler spin on the same neckline.
Rachel Bilson: September 2006
That's actually quite cool. We're getting into the phase where she was learning to spit-shine the boho thing that had been her signature.
Rachel Bilson: January 2007
And also, unfortunately, the phase where she wore an old woman's braid on her chest.
Rachel Bilson: September 2007
This is adorable.
Rachel Bilson: December 2007
Oh, lord and I remember ACTIVELY coveting this Sretsis dress. I yearned for it. No wonder those Hollywood miscreants spent so much time robbing Rachel's house. (Not that I advocate this behavior. I just meant, they had good taste.)
Rachel Bilson: May 2008
This glorified wet suit, less so. She really needed slicked back hair with that much dress.
Rachel Bilson: May 2008
I don't even need to deal with the rest of the outfit, because here is where it all went wacko for me. Your shoes should not look like something in which you can keep a forty of Old English.
Rachel Bilson: June 2008
Can we hold this against her? After all, shoving oneself into a tiny and tight bandage dress was a rite of passage at this moment. The key is that she never did it AGAIN.
Rachel Bilson: July 2009
We can hold this against her, though. The blazer alone, however, I wouldn't mind trying to hold against myself.
Rachel Bilson: September 2009
Cute again. So bright.
Rachel Bilson: September 2009
CRAZY again. So crinkled. Like if a Ferrero Rocher wore a training bra.
Rachel Bilson: January 2010
I'm distraught by the sleeves not actually being attached to the dress.
Rachel Bilson: April 2010
I'm distraught by EVERYTHING. THIS DRESS IS AN ENEMY OF THE STATE. Put it on the do-not-fly list at once.
Rachel Bilson: May 2010
And just like that, I can breathe again. So elegant (albeit slightly booby).
Rachel Bilson: May 2010
In fairness, I believe she arrived at the boat party wearing shoes. Also in fairness, that doesn't excuse the rest of it, unless she was the one serving drinks. And even then.
Rachel Bilson: May 2010
I suppose bejeweled areolae are better than real ones?
Rachel Bilson: October 2010
Dreamy.
Rachel Bilson: October 2010
Bad-ass and dreamy.
Rachel Bilson: February 2011
Gunmetal and dreamy. (It's a good thing. I love gunmetal. Just not on actual guns.)
Rachel Bilson: January 2012
Her face seems amused and a wee skeptical. With good reason. It looks recovered from a flooded, mildewing ballet shop.
Rachel Bilson: July 2012
But THIS is totally cute on her.
Rachel Bilson: January 2013
And this is probably as close as I'm going to get to being okay with hot-pink leopard.
Rachel Bilson: July 2013
Her tulle insect wings are killing the mood here.
Rachel Bilson: August 2013
A tad short, perhaps, but I LOVE the big ol' colorful paillettes. Cheers to her for having fun, and also not aging at all. I'll have what she's having.