IN or OUT: Alicia Keys in Burberry Prorsum

Posted on Dec 5, 2012 in Fashion

We’ll say straight out that we LOVE the jacket and (lower case) love the boots, but we’re gonna need a ruling on everything else.

Alicia Keys attends KIIS FM’s 2012 Jingle Ball in Los Angeles, California in a turquoise leather jacket, Burberry Prorsum printed top, and Giuseppe Zanotti boots.

Giuseppe Zanotti Folded Leather Ankle Boots

The blouse is pretty and all, but it’s kind of business-wear standard, is it not? Like something you’d wear to the office, if the office didn’t have rules against gigantic underboob-baring keyholes. And the pants are just kinda … there, y’know? No oomph. Tucking them into booties makes her look a little stumpy. Basically, we think it all comes down to proportion. If the hem of the blouse didn’t extend past the jacket and if she wore knee-high boots, this would all come together a lot better for us. Also: girl needs to ramp up the eye makeup.

Agree/Disagree?

Vote Now!

IN! Works for me!

OUT! Oddly proportioned and strangely paired.

There was a lot of back and forth in the voting on Viola Davis’ Tron dress, but she squeaked by with an IN.

[Photo Credit:David Gabber/PR Photos, net-a-porter.com]

Tags:

procrastinatrice

I think the girl looks good. Love the lipstick. The colors are working for her. Underboob hole is disturbing, still IN.
RebeccaKW

Out. The shirt is kind of hiddy, and it really works against the jacket which is FAB. I like the boots and would rather see her in tight skinny jeans rather than..whatever those are. I know when you wear out there lips, you need to the keep the rest neutral, but this is combining to make her look tired.
- http://profiles.google.com/anplica Anplica Fiore
  
  I think I’d have liked the shirt paired with other things. As it is, it detracts from that BEAUTIFUL jacket that I want in my closet NOW! I agree with the rest – OUT
Kathy_Marlow

I agree on TLo’s notes, but she looks like an IN to me.
http://twitter.com/katshimmers Kat Wright

OUT . Whats up with the hair?!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000088447181 Sam Smith

I lurve that jacket. And the blouse is rockin, but don’t like them together.
Sobaika

Ehh, no. Not feeling this at all.
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_64HSRZWCSJ5RBFGCWDLFQOICYM G

OUT. That jacket is so gorgeous, nothing should compete with it. And the boots? meh.
DeborahJozayt

She’s trying to mix 9-5 with nightclub scene and it just ain’t working.

..plus she’s got a white stain right by her crotch.
http://twitter.com/TMamBo Therese Bohn

In! Love the turquoise jacket!
http://twitter.com/lenabena_ Elena

Out. This just screams “mess” to me.
http://joyouslifesf.wordpress.com Kiltdntiltd

That blouse really kills it for me. Out
- http://geekentertainment.tv irinaslutsky
  
  it’s the bralessness of it all…..
Sara__B

In. What she’s wearing works for the venue. Perfect? No, but perfectly acceptable.
Janet B

Out.
Those pants and blouse are not working, plus the lipstick seems to be fighting the whole look.
- calimon
  
  THAT LIPSTICK. >.< and I agree with TLo, non-existent eye makeup. I also think the earrings could've been in the more dangly–certainly not diamond studs, which bring the look closer to office-wear realm.
Jillaine13

Out. The jacket is gorgeous, that’s about it.
phrenk

Her makeup is drab, so my waffling falls on the side of OUT.
AuntJentie

OUT…I love the jacket, but that’s it. Wonder what the rest of the blouse looks like…sleeveless? But one good gust of wind, and we’d get a clear display of her “girls”. And spot on comment on needing to ramp up the eye makeup!
MilaXX

Small IN for me. I think cutting her hair was the best thing for her. The face could use tweaking; a better groomed brow, a nice matte shadow & a lip color one shade lighter. The outfit is okay. Alicia has always been a little thick. (not an insult in black culture). It’s a promo for the Jingle Ball, so I the look is appropriate, just not a wow. Considering I think she has historically been a bit fashion challenged, this is good for her.
Jacqueline Wessel

She looks OK…so therefore OUT.
Pants_are_a_must

That is not her shirt.

Those are not her boots.

That is not her eye makeup.

OUT.

(but she can keep the jacket)
- kimmeister
  
  My thoughts exactly. The makeup is making her look jaundiced.
http://twitter.com/Lily1129 Lily

No to the hair, yes to everything else, so IN
eowyn_of_rohan

IN. Underboob keyhole is a miss, but the rest of it is just kick-ass enough to pull it into IN territory.
Judy_S

IN.I would not call that color turquoise; on my monitor it is a sky blue ( a color I particularly like).
MrsMaxPower

Out, but I do love that hair on her (on top of that jacket).
crash1212

IN. I think she looks great although I totally agree about the ramping up of the eye make-up.
decormaven

Sadly, out. Love that jacket, but the blouse is strange. Plus a much longer, leaner leg is needed to show off those boots to best advantage. Her eye makeup looks weak- c’mon honey, that’s a swagger look and the makeup needs to match it.
mjude

OUT. she has really changed her look, it amost doesnt look like her.
barbarienne

So far OUT that it’s looking back at Voyager I.

I imagine the following conversation took place somewhere:
“I have designed this beautiful, sexy blouse!”
“Um, it’s really frumpy and tacky.”
“No! It is sexy!”
“You’re an idiot.”
“But look at the keyhole! It shows TEH BOOBZ! That is sexy!”
“Please stop designing clothes.”

I don’t think there is any way that blouse could appeal to me, no matter what it was paired with or on whom. I hate the pattern, I hate whatever the hell that is happening at the neck, I hate the hemline, and I hate that ridiculously unsexy keyhole that just looks like she put her shirt on backwards (which would explain a lot, actually). I am actively repulsed by that blouse.

I didn’t even notice the jacket at first look because all I could see was that blouse and I had to avert my eyes. On second look, I agree that the jacket is awesome. But it cannot make up for the blouse.
- MrsMaxPower
  
  The Voyager line made me snort giggle…well done.
- Kayceed
  
  I love it when a single garment can really rev up a BK!
http://twitter.com/stellaphone Stella Zawistowski

I don’t like the way the pants make her legs look stumpy, or the lip color, but I love everything else. IN.
- H3ff
  
  I think the angle of the photo makes her appear stumpy, but those jeans aren’t flattering either way.
BrooklynBomber

Well, this is an IN from the waist up and an OUT from there down.
kaycem

alicia has always been pretty fashion-challenged but even graded on a curve this is still OUT for me.
this is an odd thing to stick on, but i think it’s the oxblood-colored lipstick that’s throwing me off. it’s good on its own but paired with the bright blue jacket, it makes her look sallow where a truer, blue-based red would’ve been complementary. and i agree: if you’re going to go for a bold lip, a little extra oomph on the eyes is called for, even if only a little extra liner and a half lash.alicia tends to do the jeans-in-booties thing, so i take that portion of this outfit with a grain of salt. even with said salt, however, this is still bad. i keep trying to picture it with non-colored jeans, but it’d be just as bad if not worse lol.
tylka5

Love the jacket, love the boots. Not together. Blouse should be tucked in. Unfortunately it’s an OUT for me.
Le_Sigh

OUT: does not work together.
http://twitter.com/foodycatAlicia foodycatAlicia

OUT – it’s all horrible, but I really hope she’s in the running for a Lena Horne biopic. The cheekbones are perfect!
- ecallaw1977
  
  Good call, she would make a great Lena Horne. But here she looks like Lena Horne with the plague, who decided to make herself feel better with a spot of lipstick.
  - http://twitter.com/foodycatAlicia foodycatAlicia
    
    She does. Definitely undead Lena Horne, given that she is dressed as a Buffy The Vampire Slayer extra (movie, not series).
  - formerlyAnon
    
    Nothing wrong with that. I was raised to believe that a slash of [the right] color on your lips and one’s armor was donned.
    
    Too bad it so often takes more than that.
Kenisha Hill Phillips

In. I’m not feeling the hair and makeup, but I like the shirt and jacket combo.
http://kingderella.tumblr.com/ kingderella

im not voting, because the overall outfit mainly inspires a shrug. but i have to say, while i appreciate the minimal eye makeup, it doesnt work at all with that super-strong lip. yes, one should either emphasize the eyes or the lips (or so i was told), but there still needs to be some face-wide consistency.
- MilaXX
  
  it needs groomed brows and neutral shadow/mascara.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000905542323 Rhonda Shore

IN.
Rand Ortega

Rock N Roll…bank teller? She’s really gorgeous but she needs to get a little RiRi on & either tart it up a skosh or go full out Chrissie Hynde.
OUT.
Tracy_Flick

Very Pinterest. A not-so-matchy shirt would have been better. I like the rest, though.
Vickiefantastico

I agree with you on all counts, although I think the hair is also very boring and old-fashioned. I love her, but it’s an out.
Rand Ortega

But, on another note, if anyone was born to play Lena Horne, it’s Alicia.
- http://twitter.com/foodycatAlicia foodycatAlicia
  
  YES!
DCSheehan

Out. The blouse kills the whole look dead. You know, instead of killing it in a good way.
Judy_J

I honestly thought she was wearing a flesh-toned scarf or tie with that blouse till I saw the shot of the underboob! I can’t endorse this…OUT.
trisker

OUT too much stuff goin on
http://twitter.com/emilyf007 emily

Out. It’s hideous.
http://twitter.com/emilyf007 emily

And she doesn’t look like herself. It’s wonky. Still an out.
jw_ny

OUT

I keep looking for 1 thing I like…nope..it’s all just awful.
Gregory Baird

Oof. Putting the (admittedly great) jacket over that shirt gives this an automatic OUT. Also, I couldn’t figure out what was giving me eye twitches about the makeup until you pointed out that she needed a stronger eye.
afabulous50

OUT! All I can see is that ugly lipstick…
formerlyAnon

I don’t love the blouse, but she’s within limits of “just fine” with it.

Her hair is AWEsome and sets off her face. Makeup needs some work around the eyes.

Girl is not tall (on line figures range from 5’5″ to 5’9″ – IMDB calls it at 5’6″) and she’s got normal looking legs. No problem with that, here.

Basically it’s a great jacket, the colors hit your eye happily and (at least for me) the eye is drawn to her face, which is set off beautifully by the hair.

On balance, a reserved in.
Stefanos Mantyla

OUT.
http://profile.yahoo.com/J2VE4NE2FY2BP4QD2XOYKJGLPI Laura

Gonna have to go with OUT. The jacket is cool and all, but the keyhole boob action is a big no, the pants and boots and hair are awful….
http://frankbettecenter.org/ sleah_in_norcal

IN IN IN. LOVE LOVE LOVE. a few points off for the dowdy pants and lack of eyeline, but the pants tucked into booties give extra points for hip-hop chic. that jacket is a treasure, though i would describe it as cobalt blue, not turquoise. and the peek-a-boob is a sweet treat.
http://twitter.com/jocelynarias jocelyn arias

Out. This is an after outfit for someone that use to dress too sexy on What Not to Wear, not Alicia “this girl is on fire” Keys.
demidaemon

I think it’s a lot of look, plus the proportions are not very forgiving. She looks a bit short and wide her, which she normally doesn’t. And the make-up seems underwhelming for what appears to be a fancy holiday party. OUT, though I do heart the jacket.
Imasewsure

Love the jacket, like the shirt, boots are underwhelming, pants are frumpy but it’s still an IN for me.
MarissaLG

I wish she was wearing heavier eye makeup but that is such a small complaint. Definitely IN.
CeeQ

Oh come on this is rocking! LOVE the jacket and LOVE the boots, the blouse works too! I like that she’s adhering to TLo Fashion Rule of matching to the least dominant colour in her outfit. (Edit: Ok fine, maybe the blue isn’t the least dominant on second look but still, it works I think!)

The pants (or are they leggings?) are fine because everything else is so loud that anything else other than black pants would have been migraine inducing. In other words: IN!
AnnaleighBelle

Her makeup makes me sad.
http://TheDoseofReality.com/ The Dose of Reality

I think that blouse comes dangerously close to having a pussy bow. No thanks. OUT
http://profile.yahoo.com/KBNJ6GJTXYEE6BON3WGK6KEGT4 Elizabeth

IN. There was a lot of leather on this red carpet; practically everybody was in black. It looked like Alicia was one of the few who opted for some color. I’m going to give her an IN for being daring and having fun with that fabulous blue jacket.
Trisha26

Out. Love the boots and jacket.
clevRcat

The fact is some of us should never wear the skinny pant tucked into (even the most “kick-ass”) boot. It can stumpify. (I am, sadly, in that category.) Out.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Jessica-TallGirl-Freeman/1043623567 Jessica TallGirl Freeman

out. if it’s that cold to wear all those clothes, I feel like I should not see part of your boob. ever.
kschwarting

She looks good–I agree about needing a bit more eye makeup, but I think it’s because she looks a bit tired. Since I think she has a young child, I’m chalking it up to a good effort after having had too little sleep.
julnyes

She usually looks much worse – IN!
lalahartma

Out – those pants or whatever they are!
marilyn

Barely in. The blouse does not work at all, but she still looks great overall.
Martha Deutsch

In. Not perfect, but it’s fun and mostly good.
rkdgal

Maybe it’s the makeup, but I feel like Ms. Keys looks a lot like Lena Horne here! I never noticed a resemblance before…
Jangle57

That blouse is just awful and I don’t think anything would make it look better. The jacket is cute, the boots are cute (but not with the pants). OUT – find a better use for that blouse like dusting or washing the car.
kitu4

She is so gorgeous but it makes me feel more human that she takes TERRIBLE pictures sometimes.
http://profile.yahoo.com/DNWEFT2SVBX5T3NPMROQCT4U2U jennyv

Oof, Out! This is horrifying. Although her face looks very pretty and glowy.
elemspbee

OUT. shirt and pants ruin the jacket and boots combo.
vintagion

IN! Proportions a little off (all it takes is a higher boot, ladies!)… but I’m diggin’.
http://twitter.com/cornekopia Shawn EH

In! She has some odd proportions to work with, period, but this is cute.
Louise Bryan

It doesn’t look so much put together as thrown together. Jacket and boots are highlights, the rest is out of tune.
teensmom99

IN–she looks great and underboob hole is what makes it an edgy take on an office shirt which is then perfectly paired with the jacket.
http://profile.yahoo.com/2LIE6ISFQUBIAO7OB6U5TAVXXQ Depot'er

Out. I thought she had on some funky tie, then realized it was skin showing. she just bores me on a good day, so big ol’ out.zzzzz
nannypoo

I love everything about the outfit but I don’t like her hair and her eye makeup is really awful. She’s a pretty woman, but even the prettiest woman can look washed out and plain, and that’s what happened here.
calimon

I want to like it, but the more I look at it, the more I cringe. Sorry, Alicia, but Out.
joancarol

She looks like Derek Jeter.
altalinda

It all works for me. IN.
TieDye64

OUT. Hate hate hate the blouse with the crazy keyhole thing. Her makeup just makes her look like she didn’t get enough sleep. But hey, the jacket and boots are pretty kickass in a late 80′s way.
stagmania

OUT. I think the shirt is working against the jacket, and hate the pants. Also, what is up with her hair?
http://twitter.com/MichelleRafter MichelleRafter

Love that she’s a real girl with real curves, but real curves need a real bra.
Delaney Davis

Out. Not digging the pants or the proportions. It just doesn’t seem like “her!”
Anathema_Device

In. I agree with problem areas here, especially the proportions on the bottom, but I can’t argue with how pretty she looks overall. I love the jacket & boots, and I like the blouse well enough. The cot and pattern punch up the look nicely.
- Anathema_Device
  
  The color, not cot. Damn autocorrect and damn Disqus for not letting me edit!
http://twitter.com/graceishuman Grace

That blue is all wrong for her. It makes her skin look ghoulish.
RocknRollmom

So it comes down to how much can one overlook because of those boots. I recently drooled on these exact boots and know exactly how spectacular they look and feel in person so I am willing to give a lot. But it isn’t so much the blouse (which I don’t like particularly but might overlook) as it is the pants. What is she wearing under those things? She has weird leg creases and just looks bulky from waist to ankle. Weird and unflattering and distracting. Ok, long winded way of saying OUT.
NICHOLAS PASQUALE

I agree with your assessments, but I think she’s managing to pull it off while still looking interesting. IN.
frannyprof

Works for me! In!
fungstyle

if the shirt didn’t have so much going on around the neck but was a simple shell and if the pants contrasted so you could actually tell those were ankle boots (maybe a medium gray jean?), i could get more behind this. also, the lipstick is fighting hard against that blue for me.
http://twitter.com/SamH4Prez Samantha

I don’t love the blouse but the jacket is so fierce I don’t even care. IN
Candigirl1968

OUT (but I’d kill for that jacket).
l_c_ann

Out, because the blouse is confusing and attention craving.
CatherineRhodes

OUT. Hate the boots.
LambeeBaby

Out. I hate the boots, love the jacket. Her hair and make up is just meh. But someone needs to sign her up to play Lena Horn in her biopic
Northern_Light_27

Scroll-down fail… I absolutely FLOVED this until I saw the underboob.

It’s still IN for me, I love the colors in the shirt and how the darker blue and the orange play off the bright sky-blue-crayon jacket and I think the neckline + her short hair frame her face beautifully. I love the boots and think they’re fine with the pants. I like the jutxaposition of tight pants and boxy leather jacket with a softer, flowy-fabric blouse.

The only negatives for me are the lipstick (like that it’s dark, don’t like that it’s so purpley) and THAT UNDERBOOB.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Sarah-Adams/1143985903 Sarah Adams

OUT. I’m getting a polyester rash from that shirt even if it is silk. Reminds me of a school secretary when I was junior high.
sleepycat

love the jacket but hate everything else OUT
RzYoung

I love it all apart from the lippy. IN
RzYoung

I love it all apart from the lippy. IN
http://twitter.com/mhleta Martha Hicks Leta

She’s got a tricky build. I give her points for balancing her slender top half with her thicker lower half. She probably should go for things that lengthen her legs when possible, but that would mean should wouldn’t get to show off cute little boots like these. Agree about the top, mostly. It’s a tad matchy, too, but I think the length works for her. Oh yeah, I’m still giving her an IN because she’s really enjoying herself and if I met her looking like this at a party I’d want to hang out with her.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001998855370 Fatima Siddique

My initial reaction was IN! But, yeah, after a moment, that blouse started to look a little “secretaries’ pool” to me, although not enough to take away from the overall impact of that jacket and boots. In…but just barely.
ShayShay

June Ambrose is A. Keys’ stylist and while I generally think Ambrose has an eye for style, I think she continuously styles Keys in an unflattering manner. Keys’ is bottom heavy, with tree trunk legs, so super tight pants with ankle boots just don’t flatter her. But that’s a look Ambrose always picks for her. In these pics, Keys’ legs look like sausages. The whole outfit makes her look dumpy and awkward.
TRSTL

Love everything but the hair. The hair takes it down the “I work part time at Casual Corner and am in design school at the community college.” path.
Crystal

In. It’s not perfect, but it’s different and it’s fun and she looks good.
http://twitter.com/Nancer Nancer

Totally with you on this, TLo. It’s a proportion issue.
http://www.lippsisters.com/ Deborah Lipp

Jacket makes the outfit. Wacky print on the blouse does the work of supporting the jacket, and everything else works. I think the proportions are fine. To be clear, the proportions are “eh” and could be better, but she’s still popping with the jacket and boots and fun hair. The makeup is hiddy.

In.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=768540908 Badriya Al-Badi’a

Out. The blouse makes sense from a color palette perspective with the jacket, but the style is all wrong, and wrecks the whole look.
MissAnnieRN

out. #1, her makeup is really distracting me. That lipstick is awful, and her eyes are not defined at all, and it all comes together under the lights to make her look jaundiced and sickly. #2 – Alicia Keys and I are built very similarly from the waist down and a skinny jean is just not for us. It’s a trend I really wish I could participate in, I REALLY want to rock some skinnies with boots over them, but sadly when you have a narrow waist, wide hips, a bootylicious ass, and legs with muscle and meat on them like Alicia and I do, the proportions really don’t flatter. Stick with highlighting that skinny waist, and balancing out your hips with some volume on the lower leg in the form of a straight cut or a boot cut, honey chica.
http://www.ellenciompi.com/ NurseEllen

OUT. I’ve seen better looking black leggings in the exercise section at Target, and I have an irrational hatred of things hanging below jacket or coat hems. A bland thumbs up for not wearing some combination of red, green, and gold to a jingle party, though.
PrunellaV

Boots. Want. But otherwise, OUT.
http://twitter.com/peacebang Victoria Weinstein

Snappy. I like it. The jacket is just so fabulous that it redeems the blouse issue.
Jessica O’Connell

OUT.
guest2visits

Such a totally different look for her and it works well.
ShayShay

Note to T Lo: cover the red carpet looks at Alicia Key’s Black Ball yesterday. I’m interested in your thoughts on her ensemble as well as the fashionistas and celebs of color who attended.

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IN or OUT: Alicia Keys in Burberry Prorsum

Vote Now!

IN! Works for me!

OUT! Oddly proportioned and strangely paired.

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