Glee‘s divalicious star Lea Michele snagged the coveted September issue cover spot for Harper’s Bazaar.

Dress ($5,595), gloves ($790), pumps ($1,195) by Lanvin; ring ($21,600) by Van Cleef & Arpels; headband ($280) by Louise Green Millinery Co.

I’ve lusted after this Lanvin dress for a long time, but I’m not sold on this photo. I think we’re all used to Lea Michele trying to shock us with promiscuous photo shoots, so to see her in this shot is a little surprising. It reminded me a lot of Hailee Steinfeld’s Miu Miu campaign – which is strange, because Hailee is 14 and Lea is 24. A photo of Hailee frowning in couture like a sad porcelain doll feels emotional; Lea just kind of looks like a brat. It might just be the styling – the floral dress is fussy enough, but with the black evening gloves and that giant bow, she looks five minutes away from throwing a tantrum about how she wanted the diamond-encrusted Cartier headband. Furthermore, the flowers behind her are so beautiful that it’s actually hard to realize that Lea is supposed to be the focal point. That’s probably not a good thing – at least from Lea’s perspective.

Dress ($1,875) by Moschino; ring ($12,800) by Dior; left bracelets ($161 each) by Lizzie Fortunato; right bracelet ($727) by Mawi; earrings ($175) by The Way We Wore

Well, honey is not a model. I’ll never deny her talent, but for such an overly expressive actress, she gives NO range of emotion in this photo shoot. And although she’s got the cutest little figure, and she looks WAY taller than her 5’3″ self, she has no idea what to do with her body. The arms are awkward. The Cher hair doesn’t suit her – and how many giant flowers is she going to stand in front of, wearing more giant flowers? Just thought I’d ask.

Dress ($7,900) by Valentino; bracelet and ring by Cartier

More flowers. On flowers. On some more flowers. It doesn’t provide much range from photo to photo. I’m happy she’s working a profile shot, if only to ward off the nose job rumors/beg for the Fanny Brice role that she already didn’t get. But she looks a little uncomfortable in her own skin, probably because she’d never wear that dress. I love it, but it’s an Emma Watson dress, not a Lea Michele dress.

Gown ($3,900) and shrug ($12,500) by Gucci; shoes ($810) by Fendi

I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again – it doesn’t matter how tiny you are. Showing the middle triangle of your tummy in a dress is NEVER going to look good. I’ve seen everyone from Jennifer Lopez to Florence Welch in similar Gucci dresses, with varying levels of success, but I don’t think Lea is the woman for this gown. Let’s be honest, she doesn’t have the tits for it, and the whole aesthetic is a little too wild and exotic for our girl Lea, who prefers her couture princess gowns and her slinky Hollywood dresses.

Dress by Giambattista Valli; earrings ($10,300) by Van Cleef & Arpels; ring ($14,000) by Dior

This is more of a Lea dress – dramatic and attention-grabbing, but not over-the-top; a classic Hollywood glamour. Again, she’s not giving us much to work with in terms of facial expression, but the pose is a little stronger. I’m certainly grateful for the lack of flowers in this photo. Also, let’s give it up for Lea’s trainer, because her guns look AMAZING.

Jumpsuit ($5,100) by Yves Saint Laurent

This was the cover shot, and I have to say, it’s pretty excellent. Whatever garment goes on the cover needs to grab the reader’s attention without making the cover look too cluttered to read; something everyone will love that still feels unique. I think this gold-chained white jumpsuit really pops, and she looks incredibly sexy and confident in it. The hair and makeup are soft and natural, which works on her. Overall: Great cover, disappointing photo shoot.

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All photos by Mark Seliger, courtesy of Harper’s Bazaar.

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© Democracy Diva, 2011.
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