Rome, If You Want To

Tuesday, February 19, 2008 by
Darlings, in discussing Rami's work this week, let us turn to two titans of Project Runway, The Duchess herself, Miss Michael Kors, and Saint Tim of the Gunn.



Michael's thoughts can be found here:

"In terms of Rami, once again, you might have a very nice career and a nice business being very specialized. But, is that going to make you a designer of real breadth if you’re so specific with your look, no matter how well you do it? Any designer who’s around for more than a minute will have the tendency of people knowing their point of view anyway. You’re going to have to deal with that regardless, so if you’re only going to be like, “Oh, I only make drape dresses,” it’s not going to allow you to withstand, it’s not going to allow you to have different kinds of clients of different ages, different bodies, different cities. I’m not curious about like, oh, if he made shoes, what kind of shoes would they be? Would they be draped? Would he only make draped handbags? Would his perfume be draped? Would everything be draped? No matter how great you are at a certain thing, I think you need to find an aesthetic rather than a category. If you find a category you might be a very successful niche designer, but if you find a look you have the possibility of building a world. I’m a little disappointed that although it’s consistently chic, the wow factor is lacking in his work."


And Tim's here:

"For a fashion designer, the greatest compliment in the world is to have people look at your work and say: Ah, that's Rami Kashou," says Gunn. "So it's a bit of a conundrum for me when the judges get tired of seeing it. Rami struggled with that. His work is quieter. He doesn't ever want to create a float in a parade."


DISAGREEMENT!! It's a Dames & Divas Deathmatch, poodles!

As for us, well...

We don't love it.


Part of the problem we have with Rami's work is that we just don't respond well to what we consider excessive draping. It's just not our thing. Even so, we can recognize when it's done well and Rami certainly does it well.


On the other hand, we really kind of hate this design. First off, the color's kind of gross, and the proportions make her look really hippy and we don't like the skin-baring aspects of it.


Marble statue of Aphrodite by Kallimachos

Rami kind of had a point when the judges called him on producing yet another grecian-draped gown and he reminded them that they took him to the freaking Greek and Roman courtyard of The Metropolitan Museum of Art. We're as tired of seeing these Star Trek dresses as anyone, but they really waved a red flag at him there, whether they intended to or not.


And hey, at least her tits matched, right? That's something.


We don't HATE it, but we just don't love it. It's such a lameoid, over-repeated thing to say, but there really is no "wow" factor here.

The judges, on the other hand...they HATED it.


"I - I could KILL YOU WITH MY BARE HANDS for showing me this - this thing!"


"Holy shit. Defcon One, guys. This looks like it may be the big one."


"Cariño mío, you are like a little bird to me. An annoying little bird pecking away at my nerves."


"And when annoying little thick-necked birds in tight shirts build the same nest over and over and over again AFTER I keep telling them, 'Stop building the same nest and do something else!' well..."


"Then that little bird needs to die, you see."


"Yes. Die.

Don't waste my time again."


[Photos: Insecula.com - Barbara Nitke/Bravotv.com - Screencaps: Project RunGay]


Post a Comment

185 comments:

Anonymous said...

These may be your funniest screencaps of La Nina ever!

gacm said...

Oh, brilliant Nina screencaps! They are your specialty. As he said, Tim could see them anywhere and say, "Ah, yes, those are Tom and Lorenzo screencaps."

SUS said...

I am not a Rami lover or hater. I couldn't care less that he was mean to Sweet P in that team challenge. With that out of the way...

Yeah... this dress annoyed me.
Perhaps I would have liked the draping in a different material and color---something that didn't look so much like a Grecian bridesmaid dress. The silhouette wasn't attractive, there was a lot of back showing, the saddlebags---yeah, not his best work.

But you know? That candy concoction he whipped up was my favorite outfit all season. Because of that, I'm interested in seeing what he presents for Bryant Park.

Anonymous said...

Okay, I can stop reading now. Those Nina screencaps are officially the funniest thing that can ever be written about Project Runway..

lisasabatier said...

Those are quite possibly the funniest Nina screencaps ever, you have found your niche!

drwende said...

Translation of Nina's sign language = best thing ever.

The problem with Rami's inimitable style is that he gives every woman the desperate look of "I'm sure everyone thinks I'm not a day over 36." I'm skeptical that draping has to be so matronly.

Brooklyn Bomber said...

LOVE the Nina captions!

I wish Rami had pushed himself out of his comfort zone & away from the obvious by choosing Egypt or European. He might still have been able to drape, but also would have had to think at least a bit outside the box, and I think it would have been worth it.

Save_The_Hobbit said...

Hated it. Not just because it was draping once again, but because it was ugly. :]

gloria said...

I SO needed a good laugh this AM so thanks so very much!!!

I do not want to rag on the boy but it's just too delicious that his was the only inspirational item WITHOUT A HEAD. Perfect for him. Since he doesn't ever LISTEN anyway why not have a client with NO MOUTH! Happy Rami.

One other note not belonging here so much but - watched the last episode again and hear Jillian say -
"What could be EAST of Madison Ave"
EAST?? She lives on Long Island and she doesn't know Fifth is West of Madison? Ah well Never mind. They are all sleep deprived and need little naps. And I love her coats so much. Elderly ladies like coats with VERY HIGH COLLARS.
I think there are those of you out there who know what I mean....

Mom said...

Finally, I feel as one with Nina. It may only be a fictional Nina, as imagined by TLo, but for once, I was right there with her, saying, "Yes, yes, yes, here's the gun if you want it."

WHY did they give this arrogant door-knob noggined schmo another chance!? All he did, the whole effing series, was make the same blah, waist-hating, draped silhouette in boring, blah, washed-out colors (except when he only had candy wrappers to work with -- and yet even there, he learned nothing from his success!). Moving Rami onto the "finals" was such an insult to Chris -- and for that, yes, Nina must be allowed to kill him. Ugh, I need a nap.

Anonymous said...

"Rome, If You Want To"

ROFL. You boys are too much!
Now that song is going to be stuck in my head for, like, ever. Dammit. : )

Anonymous said...

Nina Screencaps: brilliant.
Dress--not so brilliant. The return of the serial drapist!

I don't hate the dress as much as you do, though I've now wondered: is Rami colorblind? Or does he just like to drink? We had the Gray Goose first dress, the olive prom gown, and now the Ripple Goddess.

Anonymous said...

I am for Rami this time, I quite like his dress.


That's it!

DolceLorenzo said...

OHMYGOD Fucking hilarious!!! And MK's expression in that screencap is PRICELESS!

I hated this dress - same boring dress, different challenge - and do not understand why the judges didn't send International Male home.

Brooklyn Bomber said...

Gloria said, ""What could be EAST of Madison Ave"
EAST?? She lives on Long Island and she doesn't know Fifth is West of Madison?"

I know!!! That jumped out at me, too.

Anonymous said...

Not my favorite of Rami's draped dresses, although at least he decided to be assymetrical with something other than the breasts.

So, Tim and M. Kors disagree. But Tim does it so much more eloquently than the Duchess, whose blog entries usually skate right on the edge of incoherency. I'm not sure who's right--I'm actually thinking they both are to some extent. I guess I'm in a conundrum.

Loving the Nina screencaps. But maybe you we shouldn't call them your niche (category). Instead, let's say you've found your look (aesthetic).

Bill said...

screamingly funny Nina-caps.

With the color and hippy shape of the dress, the model looked like she was in a grammar school pageant about farming and was playing the eggplant.

Hey - how long has the "Donate" button been on the blog (left side of page under "Contact Us")? Glad I noticed it the other day. Hope everyone gives TLo a little something to help support the blog. They deserve it for all the time and expense that goes into creating our daily fun!

Giselle "Hinata" Ascott said...

[i]then that little bird needs to die you see[/i]
OMG I FELL OUT OF MY CHAIR!!!
OMG that was too funny!!! And such a perfect screencap of her too, with the expressive, almost ready to choke hands and the right at the edge look in her eyes. OMG I can't tell you how hard I laughed.

The dress is eh, at best. I kind of like the back but that color is just awful.

Brooklyn Bomber said...

agnes gooch said, "WHY did they give this arrogant door-knob noggined schmo another chance!?"

I'm neither pro- or anti-Rami (or to be more specific, I found no one to really root for this season; kinda neutral on everyone), but is it possible it's because his clothes look well-made?

I admit to confusion on this point, because in previous seasons I remember the judges would talk about some garment fitting perfectly or being "impeccable," and I'd think, Huh? What about all those puckery seams, the gap around the breasts, etc. What constitutes well-made? I'm not a sewer, so maybe I don't know.

But, still, it seems that some designers' clothes always look well-made, expensive (even if I don't like the designs), and some designers' always look sloppy (or chip, very chip).

So, people who know about sewing: could that be it? Could it be that Rami's designs, even if you find them uninspired or otherwise lacking, look classy, well-made, etc.???

Anonymous said...

Bwaaaaahahahahahaha!!!

PhantomMinuet said...

And playing the part of Maleficent in this evening's production of "Sleeping Beauty"...

The Nina comments were hilarious. The Rami dress was meh. I didn't like the color, either, but I wasn't bothered by the skin. Quite frankly, I thought that was the only interesting thing about the dress.

And the matching breasts, of course. :-)

Anonymous said...

"Holy sh-t, Defcon One guys..." AND "That little bird needs to die."

OMFG! Too much hilarity for one day! A great riposte to the person in the previous post who kvetched in the comments that you guys weren't fun anymore.

I have to say I'm with the Dutchess on this one. Rami only showed something new when he absolutely, positively had to based on the challenge. I mean my god, the man draped spandex.... Yes, his work evokes an understated chic, but like Nina, I'm bored as hell at looking at it every week. Wow me!

Anonymous said...

"Would his perfume be draped?"

Ha ha! Well played, Duchess.

Bill said...

Whenever Rami does his "I love draping" talk, all I can think of is the best drape dress ever.

I think drapey Rami & costumey Chris should get together & remake the look for the 21st Century.

Anonymous said...

Oh, man. As much as I appreciate your critiques, the captioning makes me LOL.

Anonymous said...

I actually agree with both Michael and Tim.

Rami does have a point of view and his dresses are beautiful and extremely well made (just take a look at his BP collection) but he needs to expand his point of view a little more, nobody will want to wear something that is quite similar to other dresses he has designed before especially on the red carpet/celebrities apparently his main clientele.

Also, people make it sound like he invented draped dresses and that's not true, many other designers are doing the exact same thing, for example, take a look at the electric-blue draped strapless dress designed by Arthur Mendonca Nelly Furtado wore for the Grammys.

Anonymous said...

I have tears running down my face...

Anonymous said...

And please don't tell me that Arthur Mendonca copied Rami. Madame Grés, Balenciaga, Sophia Kokosalaki, Donna Karan...the list goes on and on and they all have done it way before we ever heard of Rami.

Kanani said...

Your Nina comments are the BEST! I can't help but think she and her staff are laughing at these!

I think once the show is done, I'm going to raise money to send Rami to rehab at Draper's Anonymous in Greece.

Unknown said...

Some of Rami's comments make me think that when he's criticized for draped dresses, he's taking it as an attack on draping (as in, a process of making clothes) and not the grandma's curtains dresses.

YvesPaul said...

Love the Nina thing you guys did. It's hilarious.

Anonymous said...

Oh I forgot the best part - The Nina screencaps are HILARIOUS! I heard through the grapevine that she loves them (A friend at ELLE).

Sewing Siren said...

As much as it pains me to say it, I have to agree with Tim.
At this point the designers should be showing a strong point of view, or style that they can be indentified wiith.
While this dress is not something that I would wear, it is quite beautiful and sculptural. I am amazed at the level of craftmanship that he is able to maintain in such a short amount of time. This was really only the third draped gown he showed. I do think they set him up a bit by having two of the choices for inspiration be Greek/Roman and Egyptian. He realized that and made a conscience choice to do the drape. I do feel like he should have done a long gown and bumped up the color or used a patterened fabric that would add an unexpected element to the design.

love me some rami said...

Well, by my screen name you know I love Rami and I loved this dress. Maybe that makes me matronly, but do I care? Look how well made his clothes are. That's why he made it to Bryant Park!

Your screen caps, especially from Nina, were frickin' hilarious! You guys rock. But despite all her criticism, you know she loves Rami anyway. Tight shirts can do wonders!

And I definitely can't get that song out of my head now! : )

Anonymous said...

OMG, what a great psuedo-Monday this is, after being off yesterday for the holiday, I didn't want to come back today. Those Nina screencaps are so funny and deep-down true.

I hated this dress, and am beginning to not like Rami. I used to like him, but he is so one note. Nothing but same old tired draped crap here.

modernemama said...

That strap really annoys me, neither fabulous nor functional, and the back is unflattering - all those horizontal lines compete with the soft drapes, and the front hem emphasizes the model's knees, which are not her best feature, and the color is depressing. There is so much wrong with this design, it's just a fugly dress.

Embeedubya said...

Of all the drapin' things he could have done! Was he trying to see how far he could push it by not only draping again, but draping boringly! The first one he did (the one that won) was way more interesting than this thing.

Anonymous said...

For his gorgeous redheaded model, Rami should not have chosen such a dull-dull-dull color. It washed her out and if a model doesn't feel good, she can't make the dress look good.

Study your colors, Rami. The model can help you SELL IT. Just ask the Angry Little Peanut.

Beej

Anonymous said...

I'm not a major Rami fan, but I feel a need to point out that he only sent 4 drapey-drapey-dresses down the runway out of eleven challenges.

1. Drapey dress--Rami won
2. SJP: Leggings and hospital gown
3. Menswear
4. Old trends--ho-down dress
5. Real women--pencil skirt & top
6. Candy--pleated peppermint patty
7. Prom dress--drapey-drapey
8. AG--drapey-drapey
9. Denim dress
10. WWE O.K. he draped spandex, but the overall impression was one of that's a horrific outfit rather than that's a drapey dress.
11. TLO have done a well-deserved number on this one.

If he'd made the prom dress for a "ladies who lunch" challenge, I wonder if the judges would have been so bothered by the draping.

If he'd demonstrated any understanding of the term "avant garde", the draped skirt might not have created so much animosity.
In both these cases, his garments totally failed to rise to the challenge.

However, it still remains the fact that when Nina started to carp on about draping (Prom challenge), she has seen one toga out of 6 challenges.

My guess is that Rami and draping were talked about so much, especially by Rami himself(ad nauseam) that it came to be believed he'd done more of it than he really had.

Sorry this is so long--but one more thing. Do you remember when Laura was accused of sending out countless numbers of plunging necklines and it turned out that she'd sent relatively few? In that case, it was suggested that the judges were confused because Laura herself appeared on the runway many times in plunging necklines. (You'd think a capacity for not becoming confused would be a prerequisite for being a judge.)

In Rami's case, I think he himself, helped along by the judges, dug his own hole more by talk than by draping.

thescot

Anonymous said...

Hilarious, guys!! You have been brightening up my days since I lucked onto you!

Anonymous said...

I wish they had given the designers more options like modern and contemporary paintings. I would've loved to have seen what they would have come up with having Picasso or Kandinsky as their source of inspiration.

Anonymous said...

It's a bit alarming how extremely well y'all channel Ms. Garcia. Truly hysterical. I think Rami is hot, but a bit of a prissy dork. I really don't care if something is draped well or if it's hard to do. I think it looks 70's, outdated. The tight shirts on Rami, tho - more of that.

Unknown said...

Reading that ... I envisioned Madeline Kahn saying those words in a movie version of Project Runway, if she was still alive.

I was talking to a client when I started to read that and I had to put the client on hold so I could stop giggling.

Anonymous said...

I have nothing to say that hasn't already been said, so just thank you, Gods of the screencaps. You always brighten my day. You know, I wonder how many thousands of people have smiles on their faces right now because of you. That is quite an accomplishment in itself, guys. Loveyameanit.

Anonymous said...

"Would his perfume be draped? Would everything be draped? No matter how great you are at a certain thing, I think you need to find an aesthetic rather than a category. If you find a category you might be a very successful niche designer, but if you find a look you have the possibility of building a world."


LOVE The Duchess!!

Anonymous said...

Another day-brightener when brightening is sorely needed. Thanks, TLo!

Mr. Titscrepancy (not here, mirabile dictu) Draperson also has, to my mind, a lousy color sense. My television (an antique like its viewer) doesn't necessarily give me the best color resolution, but your screencaps and my on-the-money computer screens do confirm it. Rami picks pukey colors.

Cement gray, old pea soup green, faded purple, and more gray and beige (the avant garde challenge), to recollect at least some, though not all. These colors are aging and, dare I say, grim.

I'd actually started to write this comment before I'd read some of the others here, and I see that many of the PRGayBoy Gang are with me on this. One wonders, is Titscrepancy Draperson somewhat colorblind or color-perception impaired?

Of course, it goes without saying that the Nina screencaps are brilliant, and we ALL can absolutely hear her saying EVERY ONE OF THEM.

All the best,

NDC

Anonymous said...

I saw the museum as a sort of a trap that was laid for Rami, and unfortunately he fell right into it. He can do nice things that aren't drapery! (see the candy challenge) but he always falls back into this toga thing and i'm so over it. He's a one trick pony by choice and he's not only obstinate about it, but arrogant as well. auf him!

TopCat said...

This dress and design is beautiful- right down to the color - period the end.

Funny thing is that Rami is one of the more talented designers on the show with a unique and "his own" vision, which yes is more than about draping to my eye.
The entertainment community and fan base may be interested in "physically bigger wow" designs and things that I've seen in collections years past from designers that do it better, but my favorite choice is going to be Rami.

He's really got what it takes to make it and sell and I hope he does.

Kanani said...

I'm hoping he makes a draped guayabera for Tim.

Sewing Siren said...

FashionFanatic said...

Also, people make it sound like he invented draped dresses and that's not true, many other designers are doing the exact same thing, for example, take a look at the electric-blue draped strapless dress designed by Arthur Mendonca Nelly Furtado wore for the Grammys.


Heavens, I certainly don't think that Rami invented draping. The very galleries that they were standing attest to that.
In addition to the designers you mentioned on your former post I would also like to add Mary McFadden, Fortuny, Angle Estrada, and Giogio Sant'Angelo. I am sure Rami himself holds Madame Gres in a very high regard.
Still given what they were to be inspired by, I thought the judges critique was kind of silly. My view of Rami is that he is not always designing for the judges, but that he is making the best dress he can within the limitations of the challenge.

aimee said...

"Yes. Die."

Bwaaaaaahahahahahahahahaha!

Your Nina screencaps are officially my favorite thing about Project Runway.

La Garcia is TERRIFYING when she's mad. I love it!

TED said...

Rami's the perfect example of why Project Runway doesn't need designers who are already established as contestants. Has he learned anything from being on the show? A number of the other contestants have strong aesthetics, but they all seem to be evolving, at least somewhat.

As for the dress, I also didn't love it. But I do think it would make a great eggplant cozy.

And Nina's screencaps were great, but I maybe like the one from Heidi even better. It is so easy to imaginer her using those exact words.

Anonymous said...

ok, this week Rami's dress didn't have a titscrepancy, but it definitely had sleevescrepancy.... and now that I think about it, Rami is also all about asymmetrical figures. In this case it was applied to the sleeves, in the Levi's challenge it applied to the collar of the dress. I cannot think of other challenges, but I guess I'm onto something here. In the duel between The Duchess and Tim, this time I have to agree with The Duchess.

Anonymous said...

OMG - look at the sneer on Kors' face in that one photo. That just says it all.

Anonymous said...

"STAR TREK DRESSES!!!"

Holy Uhura, that's funny! And that's EXACTLY what they look like!! :)

Rami's a Boob. This dress is so fug-a-licious it hurts. I can't believe he tried to BLAME THE JUDGES "Well ... you made me go into the Greek Antiquities section ..."

He would have been SOOO SMART to think "You know ... they probably led me here because they EXPECT me to do a Grecian Toga-Dress ... maybe I should give them something totally UNEXPECTED."

But smart? No. He walked right into their trap. What a Boob.

Serves him right for the way he treated Sweet Pea. Karma's a BE-YOTCH!

Anonymous said...

I just fell over backwards in my chair because of your Nina captioning. The concussion was totally worth it.

I think that maybe Tim was trying to say the same thing as Michael, but Michael was just a little bit more into it. I think of it as art, if you only have the ability to make one type of painting you might be popular, but all the best painters know how to make a painting of theirs recognizable without being repetive. I think that Rami is pulling a bit of a
Bouguereau (link below)... the work is beautiful, but there's something very repetitive about it.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William-Adolphe_Bouguereau

Anonymous said...

What's a "guayabera?"

Oh, never mind.

Unknown said...

First of all, those screencaps were brilliant.

Second of all, despite the fact that it is annoying having him do the same thing again and again....
I kind of thought it was a totally beautiful dress.

Anonymous said...

I got an idea from TLO post. I also read the Bravo blogs and there is a cool Burning Questions one up for Rami.

I won't link it, but here's one of the questions/answers I found interesting. I hope it's not too much to copy and paste here :)

Q: Honestly, for those who don't know, what does draping mean exactly, and what are the other options? What would be the opposite? Because we remember for Tiki you "draped" a pair of pants.

A: Draping is a beautiful and complicated craft. It might look easy and simple yet it is a very
detailed process to achieve a sense of ease in a garment that is draped. When I drape a fabric, basically I am creating lines and shadows (kind of like sculpting) that create texture and flow.
It's a process of moving a flat material around and molding it to a point that it appears in a flattering way around a body.

The opposite of draping would be construction, which I am also very capable of doing. For example I constructed patterns to create my denim, candy, mens, "What's the Skinny," Bitten, [and] trend team challenges. Construction would be working off muslin, pattern paper, and measurements to draft a pattern off a basic block. you would piece parts of the pattern together through seams that create a fitting garment. When you construct a pattern, you can drape a dress form with muslin. It is a term used also in construction where you lay the muslin on a dress form which is a step used before achieving a pattern. So you can drape muslin during construction which does not necessarily mean you are just draping another garment. I draped the muslin for the Tiki Barber challenge which was then used in the construction of my pants.

chicksinger said...

It's an old song by now, but the Ninagarcia commentary was brilliant.

And I appreciate what the Duchess had to say about an aesthetic vs. a category. It's an observation that can be applied to any artist in any discipline.

Anonymous said...

Amen Sewing Siren. Your response to FashionFanatic took the words (and names) right out of my mouth. Every time the judges critiqued Rami's "limited" aesthetic, I wanted to scream "Fortuny" and "Madame Gres" out loud at the screen.

I'm not necessarily his biggest fan, and I feel he could certainly make better color choices, but some of his rock throwers reside in their own glass boxes.

Stubenville said...

wannabe said...
I've now wondered: is Rami colorblind?


I have started to wonder the same thing. The alternative is that he just has fugly color sense.

Every color he has chosen is "D for dull and for depressing, dismal and deadly!"

Think Pink! Miss Prescott (Kay Thompson) from Funny Face - 1957

Anonymous said...

Trent said...

"Draping is a beautiful and complicated craft. It might look easy and simple yet it is a very
detailed process to achieve a sense of ease in a garment that is draped. When I drape a fabric, basically I am creating lines and shadows (kind of like sculpting) that create texture and flow.
It's a process of moving a flat material around and molding it to a point that it appears in a flattering way around a body.

The opposite of draping would be construction, which I am also very capable of doing.


Could he sound more obnoxious? That and the fact that apparently he's related to Aphrodite.

Hmmmm.

Anonymous said...

"Star Trek dresses" killed me. So true. I swear I've seen this exact dress on it. Played-down, pukey colors are a ST staple. Ew, Rami.

Crow Winters said...

I can't really echo everyone's comments enough: this dress was a dissapointment, and I think the judges giving him a second chance when he was the obvious out was favoritism.

But, sweet god: The Nina captions are. The. Best. I actually don't really like Nina Garcia, but your take on her? I'd watch an entire show about the Nina that exists in your minds.

Anonymous said...

Why would you want to wear something that looks like you just got out of the shower? I don't get it.

Anonymous said...

it is finally time for me to defend Rami. I think his clothes are beautiful, although somewhat on the muted side and think that the producers and judges have just picked on him all season. They have to find someone to say that "think outside of the box" to, they do it every season.

If you think back they said the same thing to Austin (who is successful designing wedding dresses for Saks) and to the wonderful Laura (To quote the Duchess "Am I going to see 12 slinky dresses with a plunging neckline?") and she is on her way to becoming largely successful.

What seems to still be missed by some people in the fashion world is that a 25 year old woman just doesn't have the finances to purchase fashion like this stuff. Women who are older and more established can buy high fashion and will.

That is who these 3 appeal to. Simple, elegant, well-made. That's what the older woman wants.

Rag on Rami all you want, but he's who will make it in the long run.

It doesn't hurt that he has a great body either ; P

Anonymous said...

"Crow Winters said...
I actually don't really like Nina Garcia, but your take on her? I'd watch an entire show about the Nina that exists in your minds."

I mean no disrespect, I'm merely curious: why do people hat Nina so much? I think she's a great judge and always has something interesting to say about the designs and designers. She's also very supportive of the show and the participants.

Anonymous said...

I think that the biggest problem with this dress -- other than the fact that it was so predictable -- was that it just couldn't match the high drama of the other looks on the runway. Nicely constructed, serviceable dress, but he was the #2 clear candidate for the auf for me. Not even a question.

Anonymous said...

"Anonymous said... Nicely constructed, serviceable dress, but he was the #2 clear candidate for the auf for me. Not even a question."

I agree, why they didn't send him home is beyond me; the judges are playing favorites. I still think he will be the winner.

Anonymous said...

Seriously, what's the difference between Aphrodite's dress and Rami's dress? One was made with a Brother sewing machine.

Anonymous said...

Stubenville said...
wannabe said...
I've now wondered: is Rami colorblind?

I have started to wonder the same thing. The alternative is that he just has fugly color sense.

Every color he has chosen is "D for dull and for depressing, dismal and deadly!"

Think Pink! Miss Prescott (Kay Thompson) from Funny Face - 1957


D is also for dowdy....

SisterZip

Anonymous said...

I love love this dress. And I would look so good in it.

finding the filth said...

bwahahahaha!!! fucking brilliant.

okay, i totally understand everyone's criticisms about rami's dress. but i have to admit that, out of all the draped garments he made on the show, this was probably my favorite. i would probably like it more in a different color, but construction-wise, i thought it was pretty great. it was sexy, refined & ultimately pretty timeless. not my favorite garment of the week, but still quite nice.

and the model had matching titties! this is a milestone, people!

Gorgeous Things said...

DefCon 1- I love it!!!

My problem with this dress was that it looked like a bathing suit that he had tacked a swag onto and called it a dress. I agree with Tim that the highest praise for a designer is when someone recognizes their work. I don't have a beef with Rami's aesthetic. My beef is more with his "aren't I great" attitude. I know - Christian is worse in some regards, but Rami's getting boring.

Fnarf said...

The thing is, he drapes so much, after a while you don't notice that he SUCKS AT DRAPING.

This dress was terrible, terribly made, terribly designed, and yes, terribly draped. The back was hideous; it looked like it was an inch thick. The droopy sleeve loop was mentally challenged. It didn't look ANYTHING like Aphrodite.

Glad to see you go-go-go-go-goodbye.

Anonymous said...

Hi TLo,

I agree with Anonymous (thescot) at 11:25 and Anonymous at 12:17. Just like Laura, Rami has been accused of draping too many dresses when he hasn't really. Why, then the unbridled hate for his draping and the fawning over Laura's plunging neckline cocktail dresses, other than the latter having a more fun personality?

And for the record, I hate Rami's drapes and floved Laura's dresses:)

webbie said...

I really hated this dress. Hate. Hate. Hate. I didn't like the way it fell in the back, with that strap across the waist, and I hated the strap. I kept wondering how the model was able to refrain from trying to pull it up like an errant bra strap.

And the thing is, I love Rami. I think he is amazingly talented. But this pains me.

Anonymous said...

I think I would have fallen out of my chair if this had been the dress Rami made for the first challenge. I was one of the .08% of viewers who hated that first dowdy gray thing he made. I do like this one better, if we're comparing his drapiness side-by-side, but I thought it didn't fit the challenge.

Tim even said -- blow their socks off! Send Nina's shoes flying across the runway! This dress is not the way to do that.

Love the Nina captions though -- so hilarious.

Anonymous said...

i hated the back of the dress - the front was just ok but not great. the color was blah

i'm not sure he really cares at this point what the judges think -- he got to show at fashion week - whether it counts or not is really not the issue. he's getting the exposure he wants to boost his business. there are plenty of women out there who will want his dresses, so why do something to please the judges? he'd rather keep showing his "look" in the hopes that more clients will flock to his door.

Anonymous said...

I hated the dress because (1) she couldn't walk in it; it looked like she had an Uzi strapped to her thigh or something. (2) The back was awful ugly ick. It just didn't match the classical front (that was classical as long as the model stood stock still only).

(3) I'm not thrilled about either the color or the length, either. I sort of think if you're going to go for a Grecian statue look, it needs to be floor-length. Otherwise there's an abrasive cognitive dissonance while your poor little brain tries to fit together images from Caligula with the Grammy's red carpet.

Rami keeps talking about European sophistication -- I wonder in what Yurpy capital this dress would be worn.

Anonymous said...

"the best drape dress ever." -- ROFL!!! Thanks, Bill! All these young'uns are so deprived to have missed such a funny show! very few could do it like carol burnett and crew....

veruca salt said...

Hysterical. This post completely made my day!

And it was WAY more interesting than this dress.

The Neighbors Will Hear said...
"As for the dress, I also didn't love it. But I do think it would make a great eggplant cozy."

Nice job Neighbors Will Hear, this made me laugh so spontaneously that I spit on my computer monitor.

love me some rami said...

I'll never forget that particular Carol Burnett Show. A classic!

eric3000 said...

I am so scared of Nina right now.

Anonymous said...

In response to Minna's query about the "Nina hate": It's not about disliking Nina, at least not for me. It's the fact that she seems more willing to call out designers on things they might overlook (hems, pins, puckering) and also be able to give tough but constructive criticism. Going back to the Nina vs. Santino exchange, one of the reasons it was so heated was because Santino tried to avoid, and never really answered, her pointed questions. I like Nina as a person (listen to her interview on Pink is the New Blog), and she is my favorite judge. However, I could be on the net all day enjoying TLo's screencaps!

Anonymous said...

My coworkers are looking at me funny but I don't care - this is so worth it. Thank you for the hilarious moment!

Anonymous said...

Greek/Roman statues use draping to reveal the body. Rami's did almost exactly the opposite. I did not see any link between the artistic 'inspiration' and the final dress. Even Sweet Pea's dress looked like she drew more from her chosen artwork than Rami did from his - and that's saying something.

Anonymous said...

Bill -- Amen to your best draped dress ever.

The Nina screencaps made me cry. Thanks for the laugh, boys.

texasinafrica said...

Bitches! Defcon 1, this may be the big one! I love you, I love you, I love you!

Anonymous said...

You had me from "Rome, If You Want To." Star Trek just sealed it.

But if Cavalli hated the dress, and Nina hated it too, why is Rami still around?! He should've been aufed with Sweet P.

Usually Nina seems to be the one in command of the judges' ship (cf. Chloe in season 2). Did MK grab the wheel and steer Rami toward Bryant Park while Nina was killing birds or something? I don't get it.

Anonymous said...

Bill, how timely.

Oprah had Carol Burnett, Jim Carrey and Steve Carrell on the show yesterday. Oprah asked Jim what his favorite clip was and of course, it's the drapes. They showed the whole clip which will now be on my DVR Forever!!

I'm about to ramble, so if you're not a Carol Burnett fan, skip over to the next post.

As many people may or may not know, Bob Mackie, designed every dress, every costume ever worn on that show. She said he'd whip up 500 costumes a week!!

She said on Wednesday, the drapes were just thrown over her head. He asked her to come down to his workroom and told her his idea for keeping the curtain rod in it. She roared, and when they taped on Friday, everyone was seeing it for the first time. The reaction you hear is from the cast, crew, everyone.

Thanks for the pic.
Reen31

Anonymous said...

La Nina screencaps-formidable!!

I rather liked Rami's dress-the judges were being ingenuous to carp about this when they had to know that Rami was going to zero in on the Grecian sculptures.

Also love the Heidi screencap-Defcon one!

Anonymous said...

bill said:

Whenever Rami does his "I love draping" talk, all I can think of is the best drape dress ever.

Brilliant! I remember that episode so well-and how hard Harvey Korman had to work to keep a straight face!

Anonymous said...

This dress is gorgeous. I absolutely love it. Very inspired by the art form.

I must say, have seen all of the designers drape muslin on the forms to create patterns. This is just a term in using the word.
I also see the obvious - that Rami has 4 draped looks out of the 11 on the show. When I looks at the 4 looks, they are also very different.
I'm seeing this all to be a set-up. Weirdness. I'm roorting for Rami now.

GothamTomato said...

HA! Those Nina screencaps actually reminded me of John Tesh, at the 92 Olympics, when he kept refering to that gymnast as a 'little painted bird'. I wanted to smack him.

But now, we excuse ourselves from our frivolity for a word in defense of Mr. Rami Don't-Hate-Me-Because-I'm-Beautiful Kashou...

Here's thing about Rami & the drapes: Yes, he sticks pretty close to his signature drapery style, but Christian sticks pretty close to the puffy sleeves, ruffles & skinny pants style without being called to task over it.

The 411 on him is that he doesn't take risks, but I would argue that Rami actually takes more risk than many others - in his use of color (rather than silhouette). While Christian (and others) have stuck pretty close to black and other safe non-colors, Rami has made lots of bold color choices. They are not always successful, but he IS taking that risk, especially when sticking your neck out with color gets it lopped off faster than marrying Henry VIII.

Personally, I'm not so crazy about the drapey style. I think it's matronly. I'm only saying that, in his own way, he is stepping out of the safe zone, in his designs.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

Hahahaha. Hilarious, bitches!!

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't be caught dead in one of those wraps. Nina? You boys kills me.

GothamTomato said...

"Gloria said: ""What could be EAST of Madison Ave"
EAST?? She lives on Long Island and she doesn't know Fifth is West of Madison?"



Long Island is a different country.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

I'm sorry but the thing Aphrodite had on was SO much more interesting than Rami's dress.

Anonymous said...

Another obvious point:
Chris, Rami and Jillian have all explored and used color.
Christian has used no color. He did black and white the entire season, sometimes a little beige - VERY SAFE and VERY NOT exciting.

I'll give props to Chris, Rami and Jillian for that!

Anonymous said...

The dress was pretty but I didn’t really like the big hole in the back. I also agree with Gorgeous Things, it does look like "a bathing suit that he had tacked a swag onto and called it a dress."

Anonymous said...

By the way, thank you for posting pictures of the artworks, it makes a huge difference to look at them and then "judge" the designs.

Anonymous said...

If Jessica Alba wore his dress somewhere she'd be on the best dressed list. If she wore anything else that trotted down that runway this week she'd be at the top of the "What Was She thinking? list

the dogs' mother said...

Next season....
I would like to see a challenge
where they double dog dare a contestant to not fall back on their 'strengths'
Rami - no draping
Christian - no more puffy sleeves, fitted jackets and skinny pants.
Jillian - no coats
Chris - not a whiff of costume
Sweet Pea - noncommercial

gloria said...

GT said: "Long Island is a different country."

Hard to explain to anyone outside of NY but yes - you are right - I should have known better!

Suzanne said...

Defcon one

Genius!!!

Its amazing to me that Rami couldn't see he was SO being set up by bringing him to the Greco/Roman art....
that was a no brainer....

Anonymous said...

You can watch the Carol Burnett GWTW (drapes) episode on youtube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TjhtxfSMIWk

Joanie said...

The color...all wrong for this challenge (and most others as well). The skin...all wrong for this challenge (and most others as well). The draping...he was damned if he did and damned if he didn't. But he shouldn't have. Not at all.

The only ninagarciaofellemagazine screencap missing was one that said, "although you have in the past made my panties wet, Rami, you have now become more like a yeast infection with your draping. I don't like being uncomfortable or scratching my crotch in public. But that's where we are and it must stop."

I wish I thought he didn't beat Chris for the final spot, but I'm afraid that will be what happens. Sigh.

Joanie said...

P.S. Did someone already link to the "secret video" of Rami and Ricky in the Aerosmith video a while back?

"Rami" and Little "Ricky", together again.

Judy said...

Have you ever thought of doing similar commentary on a presidential debate? I am sure they would be brilliant.

Love it!

Anonymous said...

"P.S. Did someone already link to the "secret video" of Rami and Ricky in the Aerosmith video a while back? "Rami" and Little "Ricky", together again."


Huh?? I don't get it ...

Anonymous said...

I love you guys.

Disagree about the color, though.

The thing with Rami is that he's got the draping skills -- almost -- but I question his taste level.

Draping can be a fabulous technique and doesn't have to be boring. See Paul Poiret & Madame Gris & many gowns in classic movies

These dresses should make you say "Yowza!"

Instead, it's "THAT looks like a lot of work." And, "Hmmm. Isn't something a little off there?" Not to mention the obvious, "Toga! Toga! Toga!" Bluto-speak.

I can't take his work seriously.

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

"Rami has made lots of bold color choices. They are not always successful, but he IS taking that risk, especially when sticking your neck out with color gets it lopped off faster than marrying Henry VIII."

Change the word "Bold" above to "Ill-advised", "unfortunate" or "TERRIBLE" and you will have agreement from me.

Just because he is taking Risks doesn't make him a good designer ... particularly if his "risks" have consistently and uniformly been critisized as inappropriate.

Dark-Olive (for a party-Prom dress!!!), mauve, lilac ..... EWWWWW!!

It's a taste-level consideration. Either you have it or you don't. There is nothing "Risky" about bad color choices. LOL!

If he sent his model down the runway in a Hot-Pink Tube Tope and fuschia Johdpurs, should we say ... "Ah, well, he took a risk!"

One Person's "Risk" is another person's catastophe.

He needs Sweet Pea to keep an eye on him!

Anonymous said...

LMAO @ Nina

Lilithcat said...

I think draping can be beautiful, but this dress wasn't. I was particularly bothered by the fact that the model seemed to have a very difficult time walking in it. I'm also not fond of the deep back drape and that odd, thin little strap at the waist. And I don't like the way it falls off the shoulder - I'm sure it's intentional, but it just looks like it doesn't fit.

The color, on the other hand, concerns me far less than it does many others. That particular color is very flattering to redheads (see the first pic in the post about Alexandra Vidal's collection!).

Anonymous said...

"I'm only saying that, in his own way, he is stepping out of the safe zone, in his designs."



By creating the same garment, the same silhouette, the same aesthetic over and over and over and over ... I'd say that Lady Drapery is planted very firmly in her own little "safe zone".

Innovation and range of style are not his strongpoints.

Anonymous said...

Nnaaaa....not goign to buy that at all.
Rami's great and very talented. I love him and his style...and sexy... XO!
I'm pullen for Rami to make it in the final 3.

Rainwood said...

I now love Rami because he caused you to create your best Nina ever. I'm a tough laugh, but when you got to the "That bird must die' part I just cracked up. Too bad she didn't follow through.

I didn't like this dress - the color, the potential tootieness when she walked, or the draping. I don't want a dress that drapes my ass ever - or at least until I need it to hide the Depends line. And I hate to be disloyal to St. Tim, but the Duchess's distinction about draping being a category rather than an aesthetic is quite insightful. He's absolutely right.

rainwood fka rain brain

Joanie said...

"P.S. Did someone already link to the "secret video" of Rami and Ricky in the Aerosmith video a while back? "Rami" and Little "Ricky", together again."


Huh?? I don't get it ...

Anonymous3:00 PM


First, the whole video is done as if it's on a runway. Then there's the bald guy in red pants and no shirt ("Rami"), a little guy in a hat ("Ricky"), and having watched it again, there's a "Chris", a "Kit", a "Sweet P", an "Elisa", and even a "Jillian" (but that requires more imagination). Hell, I could even stretch further and tell you I found La gran pistola, Tim Gunn, in the video.

Thombeau said...

OMG! You really outdid yourselves with the Nina captions!!!! Really, amongst your best work!

As for Tim...maybe he just wants to do Rami. It's understandable...

GothamTomato said...

"He needs Sweet Pea to keep an eye on him!"




(Seriously?? That's too, too funny.)...and speaking of no taste, no talent, no skill, no risk: That would be Miss P.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

I just scared my dog laughing so loud!!
Love what you put coming out of La Nina's mouth!!
Can't wait to see Alex do a cartoon with that....

Oh Rami, Rami, Rami-- whatever shall we do with you?

Anonymous said...

LOL!!!!!!!!!!

i just laughed out loud in a verrrryy quiet library

woops

Hephaestion said...

I, too, was shocked that Jillian didn't realize that Fifth Avenue is west of Madison Avenue. Maybe she just got her directions confused. But I am still surprised no one seemed to have an idea that 82nd & Fifth would take them to the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the others; these are definitely some of the BEST Nina screencaps EVER. You guys are great, always putting a smile on my face and giving me a good laugh when I need one.

Sara

Anonymous said...

After reading the Michael Kors & Nina blogs, I'm starting to let myself think he might've ended up being the 2nd decoy at Bryant Park.

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

I think Rami was in a Catch-22 situation. In this case, he draped and was blamed for draping.

If he had not draped, the judges would have said, "Rami, here was your chance to shine, to drape, to do what you do best and you missed the chance!"

They set him up in a paradoxical trap. There was no way to please them.

Anonymous said...

I have to agree that you guys do Nina screencaps better than anyone...although I don't really know anyone else who does them.

Anonymous said...

Ooooo pretty.
I like it.
:)

Anonymous said...

XD LoL...! You are so funny and witty as well as hitting the truth. I cannot stop myself from stopping hating you.

Anonymous said...

How was she supposed to move her arm?
And though the fabric looked lovely, the color screamed 'BRIDESMAID'. i should know, i have it hanging in the back of my closet.

Anonymous said...

"He needs Sweet Pea to keep an eye on him!" (Seriously?? That's too, too funny.)...and speaking of no taste, no talent, no skill, no risk: That would be Miss P.

--GothamTomato


I knew not one day could go by without a Gotham rag on the P. For Pete's sake, she's GONE. Hold a grudge much? Let it go already.

Anonymous said...

HAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! Love it! More putting-words-in-Nina's-mouth please! Friggin' hilarious! Love the blog BTW!

Stubenville said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Anonymous said...

i agree with the judges. i hate it. but not just because it's "too rami" but even on its own merits i don't think it's that great of a dress. he talked about "ease of the drape" but i don't think there's anything easy about the drape of that dress. and then the blah strip of the bodice with the darts and the color and... ugh. who would ever wear that?

great recap as always!

Stubenville said...

Okay, New Yorkers, this is a quiz.

Where is Fifth Avenue, on the East side or on the West side?

Bzzzzzt!

The answer is kind of BOTH. Manhattan cross street grid numbering begins at Fifth Avenue.

For the non-New Yorkers, the neighborhood immediately East contains many of the most expensive townhouses and apartments in Manhattan. In keeping with the neighborhood prices, there are actually very few businesses on Fifth Avenue in the 80's other than a few small professional offices in residential buildings. The next major destination on the Avenue is the Guggenheim Museum near 88th Street. To the West is Central Park, which flows around the Metropolitan Museum. Hence to most cultured New Yorkers there is only one VERY obvious destination that the designers could be heading to at Fifth Avenue and Eighty Second Street.

Anonymous said...

Hmm, where IS Alex!?? Time for more 'toons! PLEASE!!!

Anonymous said...

also love the screencaps! thanks for the pick-me-up at work!

Anonymous said...

The judges wet themselves when Victorya's model couldn't lift her arms in her first dress.

Even though I'd liked to have seen something different from Rami, I liked this dress. Sam looked pretty.

And as founder of the Society to Support Men In Towels, I am pleased he towel draped himself this week.

See? Its all good.

Anonymous said...

I just saw Ramis collection . . I have to say I love Rami. . he's sexy, talented, smart. . . but It's all draped! the whole damn thing. . . except one dress that looks like a snake shed its sking and put it on a dress form. . . that was pretty cool. I love you Rami but I'm so dissapointed.

Anonymous said...

I hated Rami's dress - agree that it was unflattering, and the color and length were hideous. The design was not good, he only goes on draping and not fashion. That color looks like everyone's carpet in the late 80's. I think he should have been sent home. Chris' dress was reminiscent of the avant garde dress, but all of Rami's draping dresses are the same and they are all awful. The only dresses of his I liked were the ones he didn't drape to death, like the candy wrapper dress and the Levi's one had a lot of potential.

Anonymous said...

I understand the judges pov but when it comes down to it I thought the dress was very beautiful. It wasn't as loud as the other dresses but it was well done and beautiful. I think the judges wanted something more akin to the avant garde challenge...which probably should have been made a little more clear at the beginning of the challenge seeing as both Rami, Chris and Sweet P missed the mark on that.

Unknown said...

LOL on the screencaps! Same ol' Same ol' from Rami. Kors really didn't care for it, Nina almost has an aneurysm, and yet Rami is still on the show. Color me confused.

Anonymous said...

Oh goodness! That last screencap, "Yes, die!", was killer! I'll bet Nina wishes she had said the very things you two came up with!

I knew better this time, when I scrolled down to see Nina's pic, I put my tea down and swallowed before going further!

Lizzy poo said...

I am utterly sick of the word 'draping'!

Milla said...

The imagined Nina commentary is HILARIOUS babies.
I actually really liked Rami's dress.
It would look hella better on a model with a different skin tome though.
It is a very flattering shape and it was well-made.
I thought it was plain mean-spirited to give Rami the greek statues as an option, if they obviously knew that that was what he was going to pick. He was damned if he did and damned if he didn't and he said just that.
If they wanted to stretch their imaginations (god the imagery of that... I need to stop reading about the gay baths in the 70's)and come up with something innovative inspired by art, they should have taken them to MOMA not the Met.
Love ya,
Milla

Anonymous said...

Toward the end of a gross day I am sooooo happy to see this Rami entry, if you will.....

Color, gross. Design, zzzzzz. I can add nothing and wouldn't try.

But to really get down to it, from the aesthetic of the Nina screencaps you can build your world, TLo!

matty said...

i laughed out LOUD @ those nina screencaps:D <3

Anonymous said...

It's already been said, but I'll say it again: those are hands down the BEST Nina screencaps and captions OF LIFE. A new TLo high. Fer reals.

Anonymous said...

Late to the party, but I thought this challenge was inspired. The designers picked artwork that spoke to their style--things that looked like their designs, things they could easily interpret. It would be fun to see them interpret twentieth and twenty-first century art, but I'd imagine the licensing restrictions would be prohibitive. Damien Hirst's shark in formaldehyde, anyone? (currently at the Met, for the next 3 years, I think).

Unknown said...

Ahhh, I love it when Nina's expressions are interpreted. I miss funny Project RunGay.

Anonymous said...

I agree Milla. He was set up for sure.
I also love the dress. It's beautiful and inspired from the sculpture for sure. This would be my pick over a manlike Hulk Hogan silhouette for a women or giant costume.

Liz, go continue to shop for your wardrobe at Target.

Anonymous said...

bottom line the dress was B-O-R-I-N-G!!
And the same goes for Rami!

katiecoo said...

The Nina comments...hilarious! And the Duchess saying "is he going to drape perfume?". HA! I love his sense of humor and I can just hear him saying that. That one photo of he and Nina together looking just totally pissed off. So dang funny! Thanks Boys!

Anonymous said...

brilliant said...

"Would his perfume be draped?"

Ha ha! Well played, Duchess.

AHHHH! You beat me to it.

Yes, Michael is really funny sometimes.

katiecoo said...

PS. What was that skinny little waistband peeking out in the back of the dress? Did it have a purpose? NOT aesthetically pleasing!

Anonymous said...

Are you guys kidding? That dress was GORGEOUS! I agree, the color is not the best, and the line on the back is not the most flattering. But though he is indeed draping again, is his design not original? Granted I don't know a lot about fashion, but I don't think I've ever seen such a design before, twisting the cloth on its side and draping it spirally down and then up again, and at the same time doing it so that the individual folds get tighter as you go down...I thought that was spectacular, and it's very different from his normal draping style. And I love the looseness in the back; I think that's extremely sexy, and unique; the way the right leg comes out as she walks (the first picture did make the left side look too big), and for the comment made, having womanly hips IS sexy as well. I am a heterosexual woman and I would be thrilled to wear this dress.

*susan* said...

Without reading all 781 posts, BRILLIANT!

Anonymous said...

so, if the duchess thought this was same old same old and Nina didn't like it, how come the judges were deadlocked? Heidi definetly went for Rami and the lovely Signor Cavalli for Chrees, so who picked Rami? Nina? I still think he made it to Fashion week, though. He is far more of the judges' pet than Chris.

Anonymous said...

I agree anon - the dress is very sexy, the reveal in the back it hot! and it would move amazing on the hottest and curviest of women. Meow....

Anonymous said...

Anyone else notice that this is the second look (Prom challenge) in which the fabric starts to bunch between the model's thighs when she walks?

Unwearable? Or just a "tweaking" issue?
-Ignatz

Stubenville said...

Our fabulous hosts were called 'Runway's Fabulous Accessory' in today's Philadelphia Enquirer. You can read about it HERE

dramcolsop said...

I find the colour a little odd in that dress - it's like a shirt my mom gave me as a present once, because she thought it would fit me well, but at the same time apologized for the colour. Not the yummiest shade of purple.

Eric V. said...

OK, so I'm not looking at any of the runway spoilers, but I just want to know if Daniel was there and if you've met him.

Today I struggled with my fibromyalgia.... So tender to the touch.

Spandrel Studios said...

Love the Nina screencaps. They just beg to become some sort of YouTube movie. With an operatic aria playing in the background behind Ms Garcia's voice-over. Or something.

If this doesn't get you an appointment with her, nothing will.

Anonymous said...

I'm away on vacation and just quickly sneaking a look in, but I just have to say that the Nina comments and screencaps are brilliant pieces of electronic art.

Truly magnificent.

Laura said...

The thing that kills me about Rami is that we've seen what he can do when he can't drape. His dress for the Hershey's challenge was, I thought, super cute. But as long as he can use actual fabric, he drapes and drapes and drapes. Zzzzzzzzzz. I want to see something new, not an old skill perfected.

Lisa Katz-Paz said...

Gentlemen, I have been reading your fabulous blog since its inception, and those Nina screencaps are by far the funniest thing you have ever posted! I laughed out loud at my desk! Bravo!

Anonymous said...

They baited him. Of ALL the exhibits in the Met they chose Roman statues? They were just asking for it! "Let's see....we'll dangle togas in front of Rami and then blast him for accepting! Muahahaha!" They were probably hoping they could call Chris 'costumey' but he eluded them.

Daxx said...

I was off for a few days, so have been catching up.

What to say, you either like it or not. I like his aesthetic, so this was interesting for me. I think that the drape gave the model nice curves, but she doesn't look "hippy". It also imparted movement. The back was a little fuill though, but I loved the open side and the little peekaboo strap around the middle.

I also liked the color and agree with GTomato that that is where he is taking a risk (wrestler pink non-withstanding).

I agree with the poster that likened Rami to the fabulous Laura Bennet. Skill and style without end, but will probably be pegged as lacking imagination or "vision". Oh, and will do well regardless of that underserved label.

d-kat said...

This was what I've been waiting for! Yea for the Nina screencaps! We need more! Did you catch the look on Michael's face? I think you could do a book of screencaps for the judges. . . .

Anonymous said...

The BEST NINA screencaps E-VER!

profp

Brandenburg3rd said...

Oh, Jeebus. The best screencaps and comments ever. I literally have tears coursing down my face from trying (and barely succeeding!) to not scream with laughter. The hell of reading TLo in a public place...

One upon a time, I loved draping in gowns. Rami kinda killed that (you can even get sick of chocolate fudge cake, I guess). But bless him for doing it on the final challenge, thereby giving Nina the chance for those great screencaps and comments. It sure wasn't your intention, Rami, but thank you nonetheless.

Oh, goddess, they're gonna wonder for the next 12 hours. I'll have "little bird... making the same nest" running through my head all damned night.

I <3 TLo. Smooch.

Penny Tration said...

Hey Guys! I'm a long time reader and first time commentator. I love you guys, so it's hard for me to make my first comment to you a negative one, but I have to call you out on what you said: "Rami kind of had a point when the judges called him on producing yet another grecian-draped gown and he reminded them that they took him to the freaking Greek and Roman courtyard of The Metropolitan Museum of Art"

PR took the designers to the Met and told them to pick something in one OF THREE rooms as inspiration for an outfit. They did not force Rami to choose the Greek room! Although you could argue that that is where his inspiration comes from, that would be a complete cop out, in my opinion. It would be like saying to Ricki "either make a cocktail dress, a wedding gown, or a babydoll dress!" Just because you give him the OPTION of the babydoll doesnt mean he HAS to pick it!

For me, a great designer is someone who can step outside their tiny draped box and get inspiration from many different types of art! Rami CHOSE to do Grecian because that's (apparently) all he can do! If Rami really wanted to wow the judges and how them he's the kickass designer he thinks he is, he should have picked something that wasnt so OBVIOUSLY his aesthetic and draw inspiration from it. To me it's barely inspired and almost contrived.

TFLS said...

My husband's comment when it was revealed the designers would be given camera's to record their inspiration?

"What do you bet Rami takes pictures of the curtains."

We then did our best Carol Burnett meets Scarlet O'Hara impressions and almost fell off the bed laughing.

Nothing for or against Rami in all this. We just find his draping obsession charmingly hilarious.

Anonymous said...

I think "hippy" can be beautiful, especially since this was Grecian inspired and Greek depictions of goddesses are in this manner. It is a bit of a boring dress, but I see nothing wrong with the way it plays with proportions and challenges the typical tall, boyish figure of a supermodel.

velocibadgergirl said...

OMFG. Hilarious. Best Nina captions ever.

ID#94076205 said...

Hips are sexy!

Anonymous said...

There is nothing wrong with having a distinctive look.

What about Fortuny?

Anonymous said...

I'm so late to the party that I doubt anyone will ever even see this, but in reply to the many folks who asked "what's with that skinny little strap in back?" (yes I read all 180 comments): I believe that is the waistband. It's hard to see how the thing is constructed, because she has her hand on her hip right where the drape in back takes leave of the attached skirt in front. But it looks like at that point the strap becomes the front half skirt's functional waistband.

What really surprises me is that after looking at it for so long, I've actually shocked myself and come around to sort of liking it. I love the long graceful curve of the drape in front that swoops from her ribcage across her body and down to mid thigh, and the way the skirt flows out from underneath.

I like the front much better than the back, though. The way the skinny little detached waistband has nowhere to go but march straight across her otherwise bare back seems awkward. It's like Rami couldn't figure out what to do with it at that point, so he made it as skinny as possible in an attempt to make it disappear. Maybe if he had gone totally Star Trek and done it as a gold chain instead of fabric, it wouldn't have seemed so "what is it doing there?"

I don't like the arm loop, either. And I don't care too much for the color. I think the mauvey grape is actually too dark. This dress might have been kind of spectacular if he had gone lighter and done it in a shimmery silvery orchid, maybe even something with a little bit of an ombre effect.

Of course, that's dreaming up a fabric which probably doesn't even exist. They all have to work with what they can find on the shelves.

~ no burlap ~

Anonymous said...

Hey gayboys, after reading all of your comments about Rami's outfits, I've noticed something interesting. While we all agree that Rami's clothes are very well made, a lot of time, you two (and I) don't even like the drapes. You didn't like the prom dress, the first winning challenge, this dress, and so on. Has Rami really created an incredible draped dress yet? Is he not even as good a draper as we thought?

Roxy said...

Yeah, they took Rami to the freakin' Grecian and Roman section of the art museum. Big deal! He could've have marched straight out and used one of the other rooms. He didn't. He wanted to drape.

I'm glad he got a smack on the hand, but if anyone doubts that he'll be the one showing at Bryant Park instead of poor, put-upon Chris, they've got another think coming.

Laura said...

Just wondering if you guys noticed that this dress was a replica of a (gold) dress in Rami's Fall/Winter 2007 collection (on his website). Which means that he didn't draw inspiration from the sculpture at all, he just took the easy way out like the judges said. I wonder if they (or the producers)recognised it?
It was a very pretty, wearable dress (it has been worn on the red carpet) but I think that it would have done better in the prom dress challenge (as opposed to that vomit green, old lady, titscrepancy disaster). He needed o do something AMAZING - intricate, unique and avant-garde - to wow the judges in this challenge.
I agree with him that he simply had to do drapery, it was a no-brainer and he had to play to his strengths.

Anonymous said...

Ok, here's the thing. I love Rami's draped dresses, particularly the green prom challenge one that everyone seemed to be so down on. But this a) was just ok and b) was a craptastic interpretation of the Aphrodite sculpture, which I think Rami could have pulled some serious awesomeness out of.

It felt to me kind of like he said to himself, "Greek. OK. I'm good to drape. Let me find one of the pictures that has a single element I'd like to include." The off-the-shoulder thing was the only element of the dress that recalled the statue at all.

I think that the judges calling him out on the draping decision was totally crap, though. If he hadn't been their golden boy, I feel like they'd have lauded him for the decision to go with his strengths, especially in the pre-Bryant park challenge when the idea is to give a synecdochic representation of what your point of view as a designer is.

Well, they would have if it had been a stellar dress, that is. The problem was that it wasn't, either viewed by itself or viewed in reference to the inspiration.