History ReCap / MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E14SuitedForSuccess

** Fluttershy's "freaky knowledge" is not just random nonsense but consists of appropriate terms of art for the fashion industry... [[SubvertedTrope just one that don't have anything to do with the actual matters at hand]].

In the end, Rarity has learned that you can't please everypony, and her friends have learned not to look a gift horse (or [[JustForPun a horse's gift]]) in the mouth.

* ItSeemedLikeAGoodIdeaAtTheTime: The five ponies were ecstatic about getting their dresses made to every detail. When they finally try them on in public however, they realise their ideas weren't ''quite'' as elegant as they thought.

-->'''Hoity Toity:''' Oh, those amateurish designs look like a piled-on mish mash of everything but the kitchen sink!\\

* KnowNothingKnowItAll: Fluttershy is proved this when she shows freaky knowledge of sewing and stitching - but her demands result in a dress that's just as ugly as the rest. Fans have analysed her comments and found that, while she knows sewing, she knows absolutely nothing about design.

* MadnessMakeover: Rarity's mane becomes progressively messier the more stressed-out she gets.

* NiceJobBreakingItHero: The groups' attempt to get the dresses made exactly how they want them nearly destroy Rarity's career.

* NewspaperComicEffects: Rarity emits these (flying sweat drops from the head) when noticing Opalescence stranded in a tree.

* EarlyInstallmentWeirdness: Fluttershy specifically references "French ''haute couture''," which implies that France exists in the MLP universe. Later episodes would start the convention of giving real-world cities and countries "ponified" names (Saudi Arabia = Saddle Arabia, Manhattan = Manehattan, etc), so Fluttershy using the demonym of a real country comes off as odd.

* NiceHat: In addition to Applejack's signature hat, Pinkie Pie's original dress comes with one. All five redesigns have [[RummageSaleReject not-so-nice hats]] to match the [[ImpossiblyTackyClothes dresses]].

* EatTheCamera: Rarity does this during "Art of the Dress".

Her friends are initially grateful and excited... [[HypeBacklash too excited]], as it turns out, for when they see the dresses Rarity's made for them, they're not ''quite'' satisfied with them. Rarity graciously puts her original work aside in favor of the dresses her friends really want, even though their tacky, overly-critical, or vague suggestions result in ridiculous creations that strain her artistic sensibilities. To make matters worse, Spike informs Rarity that the famous fashion critic Hoity Toity will be coming in from Canterlot to attend the fashion show.

* HairDecorations: Each one of the dresses includes some sort of NiceHat, hair clip, or crown. The reject dresses have their own hair decs, but they're ''not'' so cute.

* UnsatisfiableCustomer: The other five morph into these over the new dresses, with [[BetterThanABareBulb lamphsades hung everywhere]]; see the page quote for one of the more frustrating examples.

* DamnedByFaintPraise: Rarity's friends' reaction to the original designs is tepid.
-->'''Twilight Sparkle:''' They sure are...um...something.\\

-->'''Rainbow Dash:''' Do you think we overdid it?
-->'''Applejack:''' Nah...
-->''(Applejack makes a quick glance at her dress, consisting of mega-sized boots and ten gallon hat)''
-->'''Applejack:''' Okay, maybe a little.

* FashionShow:
** ''[=FiM=]'' is noteworthy for making an episode about a fashion show into a ''parody'' of the fashion industry (also seen in "[[Recap/MyLittlePonyFriendshipIsMagicS1E20GreenIsntYourColor "Green Isn't Your Color]]"), instead of having it look like a bunch of children playing dress-up.

* {{Foreshadowing}}: When Rainbow Dash crashes into the Boutique at the start of the episode, a few bolts of cloth come unraveled and drape across Dash, making her look like she'd fit in at a toga party. This inspires Rarity to exclaim "I-DEA!" and envision the design of what would ultimately become Rainbow Dash's Romanesque Gala dress.
** Of all the ponies, Fluttershy gives the most specific and direct criticisms of her dress, pointing out things like stitching that don't meet her approval. This foreshadows her talents for stitching, which helps the ponies finish Rarity's prototype dress late in the episode.

* HiddenDepths: Fluttershy turns out to have a "freaky knowledge of sewing", as demonstrated when Rarity browbeats her into giving a critique of the dress Rarity designed:

'''Fluttershy:''' But...uh...you know...um...whatever you want to do is fine...\\

** [[SubvertedTrope Subverted]] in that everything she says is pure gibberish and inaccurate, since her dress ends up just as tacky as the others.

* InformedAbility: Fans who [[http://dirtyfruit.tumblr.com/post/160579005140/my-least-favorite-moment-in-all-of-mlp-was-that sew]] have pointed out that Fluttershy's "freaky knowledge" of sewing could qualify as this.

...
--->Piece by piece, snip by snip\\

** Fluttershy's "freaky knowledge" is not just random nonsense but are appropriate terms of art for the fashion industry. [[SubvertedTrope Except that it kind of is.]]
** Hoity Toity says "brava" instead of "bravo" when talking to Rarity. He, and by extension the writers, seem to know their Italian.

'''Fluttershy:''' Uh...Panic?\\

Needless to say, the show is a disaster, and Hoity Toity's scathing criticism of the redone dresses leaves Rarity utterly humiliated, driving her to lock herself in her room for days to wallow in "whatever it is ponies are supposed to wallow in." Feeling guilty, Rarity's friends manage to cook up a scheme to cheer her up: first, they put Fluttershy's knowledge of sewing to use putting the finishing touches on Rarity's Gala dress, then trick her out of her room long enough to show it to her.

** You can't always please your friends; you'll only end up pleasing yourself instead.
** Don't be overly critical about someone's gift to you and appreciate it. In other words, never look a gift horse in the mouth.

* ComplainingAboutThingsYouHaventPaidFor: The other ponies learn a lesson about not expecting customized creations when a friend is doing a favor. Oddly, part of the song is a line about their "budget". What budget?

* Music/AlsoSprachZarathustra: The opening of the song is used in Twilight Sparkle's introduction in the fashion show, complementing her starry-night dress.

* Music/AlsoSprachZarathustra: The opening of the song is used in Twilight Sparkle's introduction in the fashion show, complementing her starry-night dress.