I didn't really think that it was that bad.

Honestly, I would have always thought that the country look would be the easiest, since it is the one genre that has distinct fashion staples associated with it.

(Hat, boots, spurs, fringe, etc.)

If anytyhing, the look was too simple. Leanne should have added a hat.

Agreed.

Why not add fringe? Why *not* dress her like Minnie Pearl is you're going to go the cliche route? Why not put her in a Hee Haw classic costume?

To Judy Noodle's credit, the skirt did display all the fine junk in Korto's trunk.

Pretty bad. It would, however, be damned hard to do "country" without being clichéd.

And I thought the Liberian mama looked kind of cute working it on that runway!

My gal ROCKS!

I agree with you! As a country music fan, I couldn't think of any definable fashion today. It ranges from sequinned gowns at awards ceremonies to jeans and t-shirts at a country fair. Nothing stands out.

My main complaint about Korto's outfit was the color. Purple, gold and gray? Very odd. Add the neckerchief and you have a complete disaster. But, it was well made and fit well on Korto. That's more than you could say about Kenley's hip hop outfit.

Would LOVED to have seen Korto in a Minnie Pearl dress! Oh, well. Tough one, but she should have gone with something basic Western -- shirt with a yoke (no gold), tight jeans, boots, hat. Yee Haw!

Yeah, that purple and gold together... ick, but that skirt was absolutely a knockout on Korto's curves.

Stella and her leatha' would have knocked Country out of the park.

I see what you mean about not wanting to be cliche and I think in general they're all afraid of being "too costumey" still....this was a huge miss. No cowboy hat, boots OR fringe ? I mean, even Shania, who's a total pop princess wore a hat and boots. And I really don't get why she went with a skirt. Nothing about this said country to me. And the biggest thing is that she seemed to have no fun with it. This whole episode was kind of a miss wasn't it ?

NEXT !!!

bobbi said ... But, it was well made and fit well on Korto. That's more than you could say about Kenley's hip hop outfit.

And that's what saved Leanne, ultimately. It was pretty fug, but it was decently constructed.

It looked country, sorta, from the waist up. But overall, yes, it was not a good effort from Ms. Noodles.

It was a tough challenge for Judy Noodles. I think of contemporary country music as songs written by white people, for white people who don't want to listen to Rap/Hip-hop/R&B's domination of Top 40.

If Leanne went contemporary country (Shania Twain, Martina McBride, Dixie Chicks) she'd be grilled for not representing 'country', but if she went the other way, rhinestones, fringe, etc. she would've been called out for being costumey. Leanne even voiced concerns to Tim about crossing the line into costume.

It was a misstep by Leanne, and I think the judges called it as such and gave her a pass. I don't quite know if it represents a 'woman going out to eat ribs', but it would make anyone look like an extra from a cheap Patsy Cline biopic.

But didn't Korto work it? She (Korto) showed a dry and witty side to her personality this episode that had me LOL repeatedly. Her editing up to this point suggested sulleness. It was nice to see some playfulness peek out.
Wish Judy had done a noodley take on fringe.

Hated it.
I agree about there not really being a "definable" country look. The same is probably true for the female hip hop artist.
I hate the two knots in the front. One at the neck one at the waist, that is just bad design. I hate the fit of the blouse and I double plus hate the fit at the back of the skirt. That bubbling just below the belt means the darts aren't deep enough. Very ugly. I also dislike the two solids together, some kind of all over embrodiery or shadow plaid would have been better.Leanne should have taken advantage of Korto's hour glass figure and really gone over the top. She had absolutely nothing to lose.

~~~~~
Is there going to be a separate post about the model switch?

Gotta agree with TLo on this one. It was painful to look at, but at least it was well made. Korto worked that tight skirt too. You go girl!

By the way PRfanalaPenn, great to see the change of pic. Even though I loved the one you had, this one is kinda fitting right now.

The problem with this challenge, as a whole, is that now that all the female artists have hired stylists, there isn't really a look for any genre. However, I think Korto in full Loretta Lynn country ruffles would have been AWESOME.

I agree with TLo, this didn't look country to me at all. Plus it's not a good look for Korto and it's ugly. For me Leanne's and Kenley's designs were the worst in this challenge.

"...for what the judges apparently decided was a stagewear challenge"

Seriously, I don't remember that being part of the challenge.

And I agree that country and hip hop were the toughest. Neither one really has a defined style anymore for women. I think doing country or hip hop for men would have been a little easier.

lovemesomedaniel said...
By the way PRfanalaPenn, great to see the change of pic. Even though I loved the one you had, this one is kinda fitting right now.

12:36 PM
============================

Thanks! I just wanted to pay some respect to one of my heroes.

This was a tough one and almost smells of a setup. I suppose creativity is the name of the game though.

I'm actually hoping JN snaps and gives Kenley a piece of her mind.

I think it was tough to truly define any subculture you're not familiar with.

Rock has many tones to it as well, and Stella would've been rolling her eyes at Korto's idea of "punk." What garnered Korto the win was a well made outfit for a genre with which none of the judges was familiar with outside of the cliches and what kept Leanne in the game was a well-made outfit that had a couple cliches in it.

Look at pop... how would you define the clothing of someone who listens to pop music? That's impossible. Jerrel went for the pop princess stagewear. That's why he was so highly praised. And then Suede made a rock outfit outside of the cliches and got aufed.

This wasn't a challenge about innovation at all. It was "how well do you understand what the judges are looking for."

Sorry if none of this makes sense, I blame the Nyquil.

I've gotta get this out...

WHAT THE HELL KIND OF SHIRT IS JUDY NOODLES WEARING???????

I didn't know what to think of this outfit. I hate the gold, though.

It's hard to define what's country now, they all look like Hollywood sluts, unless you go old-fashioned Dolly Parton way.

Thanks Sewing Siren for the remarks about the back of the skirt. I was wondering if I was wrong (it's been years since I fitted anything) about those ripples/puckers being a sign of poor fit - or if everyone was inexplicably giving Leanne kudos for "well made" except-for-the-back-because-Korto's-got-a-butt-and-designers-can't-be-expected-to-fit-such-unmodel-like-figures-correctly. Which would be out of character for this sharp-eyed gang!

Otherwise, agree with our fine hosts' deeming this a near impossible genre to define, and with everyone else lauding Korto's good-sportsmanship and questioning the color choices.

Leanne should've put Korto in a Nudie suit. i know the detailed beading and stitching might take longer than time would allow for, but Laura beaded the hell out of some dresses in under two days.

Gotta hand it to Korto though....she most certainly was a good sport about it.

Formerlyanon

I, for one, am comparing against Kenley. Tee hee.

C'est moi, c'est moi Lola said...
It was a tough challenge for Judy Noodles. I think of contemporary country music as songs written by white people, for white people who don't want to listen to Rap/Hip-hop/R&B's domination of Top 40.

A- HA!! Thanks - C'est moi - I now undertstand a LOT of today's culture - both in general and politicaly.... if you are white and don't like ANY individual thing that might perchance have any black ties - you are a classless, bigotted country yokel - clinging to country music guns and religion!

Forget the fact the plenty of white people who HATE rap (crap), hip hop (skater culture), etc have worked their asses off to defend freedom and fight discrimination is all of it forms. We just white therefore we is dumb ignorant and hood wearing!?

Laura said...

Formerlyanon

I, for one, am comparing against Kenley. Tee hee.

***********************************

Point taken!

This whole episode was a mess. The challenge wasn't communicated well, so it got interpreted different ways by each designer--it went from "design an outfit for X based on Y music style" to "make X into a stage star in the Y style." So Jerell's everyday looks-like-himself by Suede was auf'ed because he didn't look like a performer, and here was same issue: Korto didn't look "performance ready" enough when the challenge *I* heard was closer to "design a look for this person." Hope that makes sense--because this episode was really confusing.

For an idea of what country can look like in a new(ish), modern way -- check out Joe's Bryant Park collection. Everything there puts LeAnne's outfit to shame.

Maybe a update on the Nudie Cohn suit?

I have to say, Leanne is my favorite and my pick for winner. But this is heinous. Awful. Terrible. And not even flattering.

:( Sorry Noodles. Kick ass next week, okay?

Sometimes, many times, the designers must feel damned if you do, damned if you don't.

true about country music scene these days...

hated the blouse [having flashbacks of one of the items i was 'forced' to wear when i was a kid]...i think the skirt suits her and was amusing the way korto kicked back at the end of her walk. :)

The construction of the skirt was actually pretty horrible...there were a couple of close up shots, and the front seam and the seam along Korto's fabulous behind were puckery madness. It's pretty obvious Leanne designs for the more willowy frame. Overall, pretty lame.

Thanks anonymous for the Nudie link!

I can definitely see country-fried Korto rockin' as a Rhinestone Cowgirl! That would have been awesome.

If the guest judge had been a country music star, Leanne would've been the one ripped apart instead of Kenley - this definitely smacks of set-up, big time, for both of them. Orchestrated just right for great reality-tv drama!

dina said...
If the guest judge had been a country music star, Leanne would've been the one ripped apart instead of Kenley - this definitely smacks of set-up, big time, for both of them. Orchestrated just right for great reality-tv drama!

I was thinking way back when the judges were announced for the season, that this one was going to be a "Hip Hop" challenge for the whole group. I was wondering if they changed it a little just for Kenley's comeupance.

I think kenley's was more of a hot mess.

The whole challenge was bogus imo. Especially for the final 5.

When you get to the final 5, it needs to be about real fashion, not some dopey gimmicky challenge.

I'm guessing the final challenge will be an evening gown of some sort.

Say what you will about this outfit; it did elicit the best line of the evening when the Dutchess declared that Korto looked like a woman "going out to eat ribs." And, yes, I HAVE seen women dress like this to go out to dinner!

i'm a nashvillian. i don't really listen to mainstream country music, but it's a but ubiquitous around here. there really isn't a "country" look anymore (at least, not for women. women typically don't wear hats. when they do, they're either being "tomboys" or else they're being funny.)

leanne started out strong with the idea of a western-style shirt, but her fabric choices were off. i'd have loved to see a solid shirt with a print (maybe a bandanna print or a prairie floral) peeking out from the slashes. add some piping across the yoke and some floral appliques (i'm sure they sell them at mood) and rhinestones or sequins or edging the appliques in metallic embroidery floss and you've got the focal point of a really awesome rockabilly look (which IS a definable look that takes elements of classic country and sexes it up a little.) make that shirt in a more fitted, modern silhouette and pair it with a slightly shorter straight skirt or a flared skirt with a crinoline and you've made something that's stagewear without being too costume-y, AND she would have beat kenley's schadenfreude ass at her own game! bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha!

okay.

another major problem i had with this look was the styling. did neither leanne nor the stylist know how to deal with black hair? have neither of them ever met a southerner?!? southern women of all races are COIFFED! to take korto's hair and throw it up in a half-ponytail was ridiculous! korto has really cute hair, but for country styling, it should have been straightened and either set on larger rollers or pulled up in an updo or pompadour!

I get what Leanne was attempting here: trying to update and embellish a Patsy Cline cowgirl costume with her googie-architectural flare; but the results are unflattering and badly constructed. It comes off as an uninspired and over-thought cartoon. Korto looks about as ridiculous here as Suede did in her "punk" costume with faux ripped fabric applique. (And those bleach treated jeans: not punk, not even plonk, more like puke.)

Thanks folks,
Dale.

Gorgeous Things said...
It looked country, sorta, from the waist up.

See, I liked it from the waist down. I thought the skirt was a good effort at maintaining the inspiration while catering to the challenges of a "real person" model (Korto might have looked good in jeans, but not in jeans made in 24 hours).

If the top had a little more creativity and glamor (and fewer cliches) the outfit could have worked.

Oh, and since no one else has mentioned it, the lip gloss on Korto was out of control! It looked like someone fed her a tub of Vaseline before the runway walk. All that shine called attention to the lack of bling in the garment/accessories. Something with a matte finish would have been much better!

To Anon 1:19 and others who may think that my opinion of contemporary country music suggests that I think that everybody white who doesn't like rap/hi-hop/R&B is a small-minded bigot:

I would suggest that some aspects of contemporary country music are not very inclusive, the best example being The Dixie Chicks. If you voice a political opinion that runs contrary to the owners of country stations, you get banned from the airwaves. If you are Toby Keith and talk about how Americans kick foreign ass, you get played all day.

Also consider a lot of country artists that don't fit the "pop/crossover mould". Loretta Lynn needed Jack White to produce her album before country stations would even consider playing her again, and Dolly Parton had to create her own label in order to do the kind of songs she wanted to do. And if those two aren't 'country' enough for you, I don't know where you've been for the past 40 years.

The biz for contemporary country music now aims more for pop/rock sounds than the traditional bluegrass/ honky-tonk stuff. That's because record companies like to follow the money.

Besides, how many African-American country acts do you see on the CMA's?

Sorry TLo, for going so far off topic. I'm done for this post.

I think she should have done a foundation of country basics with a modern twist, or a modern outfit with a country twist like denim, fringe, cowgirl boots, or a large belt buckle (haha).

Judy's hip-hop name should be "Noodlez."

@ anonymous -

I'm glad to know that that after what I assume was a lifetime of ignorance, C'est moi, c'est moi Lola's three paragraph comment on a blog about a TV show was finally able to explain "a LOT of today's culture - both in general and politicaly..."

@ C'est moi, c'est moi Lola -

Now that you know how incredibly influential and moving your writing can be, please use your power wisely!

Also, you are aware that whitey also is pretty prominent in musical genres outside of country, right? Right off the top of my head I can think of rock, classical, swedish death metal. I'm sure there's at least a couple more, but I don't have time to do the research.

Thank god some one else commented their dislike for the skirt. My roomie and I thought it looked awful. And that picnic table bandana! ugh! I think I could have gone behind this outfit if it was more kitsch-y or classic country. It could have added some whimsey to it

They really all should have had the same genre. They should have all made hip hop.

Frank

Amy G. said...

This whole episode was a mess.

Agreed!!

It was as if it took 2 minutes to come up with the assignment and 3 minutes to explain it to the judges. And NO minutes explaining it to LL, because he brought his own interpretation to the judging (i.e. stage wear).

I agree that this was a huge miss on Leanne's part. That MaryAnne tie at the front was embarassing.

You know, technically, they didn't sat WHICH country, and I'd bet that somewhere in Eastern Europe, this look is the height of music fashion.

But I'd have to agree, these wasn't the usual gourmet Noodles: This was Top Ramen.

--GothamTomato

korto's ass is AMAZING.

that is all.

Best country-inspired design on Project Runway? Chis March's wrestling outfit! Shania would totally wear that!

The ridiculous thing about this (dreadful) challenge is that PR designers are NEVER supposed to put design cliche (in this case, stereotypical genre) above innovation and their personal aesthetic.

As I've said on this site before, when the results of an assignment are bad, one must ask questions about the assignment. Were the designers given lookbooks? If they weren't, the only thing they could have relied on in order to innovate were stereotypical, hashed-out notions of these musical genres. The results prove that the assignment was muddled.

Leanne's outfit was horrible. But making a costume (another thing the designers are rarely supposed to do), replete with fringe and western boots, would have been even more horrible.

babs said...
another major problem i had with this look was the styling. did neither leanne nor the stylist know how to deal with black hair? have neither of them ever met a southerner?!? southern women of all races are COIFFED! to take korto's hair and throw it up in a half-ponytail was ridiculous! korto has really cute hair, but for country styling, it should have been straightened and either set on larger rollers or pulled up in an updo or pompadour!

1:49 PM

==============================

Korto could have always told them to go to hell.

But naw, you are right. Southern women of all races got they shit DONE when it comes to the hair and nails.

Many here ask, why no fringe?

There WAS fringe, peeking out from under the skirt.

When I first looked at this I thought, MEH. but the more Iooked, the better it got. 'Cause as you boys say, it's hard to define country. There are all kinds of country, and if you're gonna use country pop stars as the standard, then it's all kinds of wrong. But what about a more down home kind of country, what about a rodeo gal? In that context I'm not sure it's so bad after all.

Kind of off topic...

Is there supposed to be an "interactive" PR show tonight?

I guess I can check on bravo, but I'm being lazy right now.

Geezey Ma Kneezey - apparently you are copping to "a lifetime of ignorance" and it is good that you are OPEN to other opinions.

And C'est moi, c'est moi Lola - yea, the Dixie Chicks REALLY suffered.

"If you voice a political opinion that runs contrary..."
every hear of the SO CALLED "fairness doctrine"?

Kind of like when people write about Mean Girl Kenly and rip her to shreds for her behavior/appearnce and attitude - ALL is fair.

But when people wrote about Terri's apparently barely contained anger and those people were R'sts

*yawn*

Oh, on another subject (sorry!), on CNN this morning they were talking about those crazy ass no heel boots!

Back to topic: maybe not. Nothing more to say.

She should've bedazzled the bejebus out of it.

And made it in white.

The Western shirt elements aren't bad.

Brooklyn Bomber said...
Many here ask, why no fringe?

There WAS fringe, peeking out from under the skirt.

I'm looking and I still can't see any fringe. Is it visable on the Rate the Runway page of the Bravo site? God how I hate going there.

Sewing Siren, you can see the fringe a teeny bit in the 2nd picture. There's a kick pleat or something at the front of the skirt and when she walked, the fringe did its fringy thing. If you have the episode on tape you can see it better when she's walking the runway.

Is it gold? I think I see it a little. maybe.. I don't know it's to damn dark in here. Somebody get the lights.

I really love Leanne, but her stuff lately has been crap.

I think last year's crop o designers were light years ahead of this year's bunch. right now I think Korto is the only one left to bring it, but IMO, she would have been 4th or 5th in season 4.

It was a lame filler episode as far as the challenge goes. It did bring out the high school antics among the designers, which made this episode much more entertaining than previous ones! And LLCoolJ - nice addition.

Yeah, the fringe is gold, that's it. You really can see it better when she's walking.

Yay! The PRG boys agree with me!

no one else seems to...

prafanalapenn...

lovemesomedaniel beat me, nice picture change

but I miss seeing my lookalike friend in your old picture

learning how to put a picture up yet alone change it is beyond me...next thing to learn in class... did change blog name don't know how I did that....

so good job

Gold because purple and yellow are complimentary colors, perhaps?

I just llked seeing the designers differently.

AND

I
LOVE
THE JUNK
IN
KORTO'S
TRUNK.

Just had to say.

anonymous 2:59 said, "If you voice a political opinion that runs contrary..."
every hear of the SO CALLED "fairness doctrine"?

The "fairness doctrine" no longer exists. It was abolished more than twenty years ago.

I loved the way Korto worked it on the runway. When she kicked up her heels at the end in her boots that was just adorable. Also loved her line dancing in the work room. She showed a sense of humor that I previously hadn't seen. And I must say that I got such a hoot out of how she and Jerell egged on Mean Girl. Korto was on fire this episode!

Not Judy's best work by a long shot but I see what she was trying to do. The blouse does have some country elements and I though the skirt sort of worked for Korto. But it was a really poorly conceived and explained challenge so I'm just glad that Noodles survived. Suede and Jerell were the only ones who came close to doing something good, IMO.

One knot per torso! HAH!

Leanne came in third because the skirt was well-made and fit Korto well; whereas Kenley's pants had a huge crotch-screpency (among other HUGE problems).

I thought the gold was odd, too. Some kind of Dolly Parton throwback. Cheri

Why has no one mentioned the hideous peek-a-boo yolk thing? I know they're inset in gold, but the way the light and shadows play, they appear to be another set of eyes.

And ya'll, this Southern girl doesn't mind the hair--I think it was an attempt at a Dolly Parton up-do.

I didn't think it was so bad...I thought it was sort of "sultry country". I am not sure what would have hit the right balance between costume and something more stylish....

It was definitely a tough one!

Well, I thought it was bad. She could have gone couture denim.

PRFAN---Lovely pic. And what a legacy he left behind.

PRFAN said: "Southern women of all races got they shit DONE when it comes to the hair and nails."

Being that I'm going to be bicoastal for a few years --between L.A. and Savannah, I'll make sure I get my hair, nails and feet done weekly.

I have to say this outfit tied with Kenley's for the worst....and yes Suede should have stayed over this looks too!
First off that skirt was not well made ( did I see puckering?), it didn't even flatter Korto's shape. The choice of colors well Nina should have questioned her taste that Fuchia and Gold/Bronze together with a cheap assed looking bandana...was definately worthy of the bottom 2.

That skirt was not well made!

Fuschia and Gold/Bronze together with a cheap assed looking bandana..

Yes! It was one cheap assed look.

Question anyone: Whos' the best hair stylist in Savannah?

I'm taking a 2nd look at the outfit now, and old school country would've been tighter in the torso. Those ladies wore *fitted* clothes. (Ref. Dolly P. even today.) The flowered applique idea from above is fabulous. Some roses cascading down Korto's front would have sold it.

Korto has a fab figure, but it's almost like Judy Noodz was afraid of it--except for the obvious back-ended assets.

"southern women of all races are COIFFED!"

Umm Korto lives in Little Rock Ark....and that place is Country too ( I use to live there)

I just think that Korto didn't want her hair changes...I'm pretty sure Korto is rocking a "curly weave" and she probably didn't want her hair changed much.

I just noticed Korto's peacock feather earrings - I bet they were made from leftover flotsam bought by the models for the Green Challenge!

I like Leanne, but the last two challenges would indicate that she has a more narrow range than I previously expected. I think Korto and even Jerrell are better at adapting to the particulars of a given challenge, and they both seem to have a better touch with clients.

The gold highlights feel sloppy to me, and I feel that neither the nor the skirt are really cut "western", which would seem to be a first requirement. She could have gone with jeans and a turquoise belt, or maybe a cute little swing-dancing dress. Something like in Sewing Siren's icon above. I think Leanne knows country about as well as Kenley knows hip-hop, and she did about as well.

Are we going to talk about the model swapping? She was trying to hurt Suede, but I think she lost a lot of goodwill instead.

My personal taste runs more to the Laura Bennet style, and I seriously would have been stuck if I were Leanne. This had to be one of the lamest challenges, and PR should be embarrassed. The talent pool this year is weak, I get that, but this just seemed like an act of desperation on PR's part....it seemed like they were trying to smoke something out of these designers that just isn't there.

Korto is just OK. Her work often seems derivative, although she does it intelligently. The two most talented people are Jerrell and Leanne. Jerrell needs a year or two of school in order to learn how to edit and control his creative impulses, but his BP show displays original thoughts and ideas that are not derivative....they are truly his. If you've looked at his BP show, take a look at the inside cover of the October InStyle magazine. You will see some of Ralph Lauren's collection pieces. When you look at them, tell me Jerrell isn't onto something. He and Leanne are the ones to watch, IMO.

I wish there was a penalty for the producers when they come up with a complete dud of a challenge. You know, keep aufing production assistants until the producers realize THEY have to do a better job or they'll be auf next. I refuse to snear at any designer other than Kenley for how they handled this one.

Korto looks like a caricature of country.

Country with no fringe is no country.

Anonymous said...

I thought the gold was odd, too. Some kind of Dolly Parton throwback. Cheri


I hated the gold. It looks awful. I kind of liken the top without the gold.

Bad noodles.

I didn't think this was as bad as Kenley's. To me, this was inthe middle that night.

There is no nice way to say this- Leanne's skirt made Korto's ass look humongous. As Jerrell said, Korto has "some junk in the trunk." But I don't think the skirt made it look good, just huge. Leanne clearly doesn't know how to design for anyone who is not stick thin. Kenley has gotten raked over the coals for her hip-hop look. Mainly, I think, because she has been so mean. However, Noodley really screwed the pooch on this one. Big time. As the judges often say, the "taste level" just wasn't there. Ugh.

I thought Korto rocked the runway in Leanne's county-inspired outfit. I like the color and the skirt but the scarf and the gold was a little tacky.

I didn't think it was completely awful. In my opinion Kenley's certainly was worse than Leanne's, plus add Kenley's state of denial..

Brenna said...

There is no nice way to say this- Leanne's skirt made Korto's ass look humongous.
I'm glad somebody sad something. I thought so too. That's all I could see.

oops...said something

Korto looked like someone going to eat ribs at a ho-down.

I hated this episode. They all sucked.

This challenge was simply too NARROW. The challenges should always have some degree of open endedness. You have to come up with something 'country' when you have ZERO background or knowledge of that. AND you are not allowed to research it, and therefore have to rely on gut instinct.

Country stars all wear contemporary designer clothing now-that's why this was a stupid challenge. It forced Leanne to decide between a contemporary dress, and being cut for not being country enough, or doing something traditionally country, and getting accused of being cliche. She couldn't win.

This episode brought out the lame in everybody because it was lame to begin with. Leanne didn't design a particularly great look, but neither did anyone else and hers wasn't the worst. I did think the outfit suggested country and I didn't mind the color choices.

I believe Leanne had the toughest challenge because the country look is the most susceptible to being either cliche or costumey, and because Leanne had to design and make an outfit for a body shape that she probably didn't have much experience with. Kenley didn't have that disadvantage.

The conspiracy theorist in me wonders if this challenge was designed with one thing in mind:

Can Kenley design something that is not 50s? Can Kenley design something that is not 50's if she is expressly instructed to do so?

Yes, I believe it is possible that this narrow challenge was 100% about Kenley. You can't completely write her off Blayne style, because she does have 'something'. I think they needed to know if she had anything else in there. They had already decided that korto and leanne were in the finals, and they needed to decide who would be in that 3rd place spot.

This competition gave them their answer. Next week will be soooo interesting.

I'm not sure if the judges have a sense of humor.
But, in their faces, Leanne should have done an awards gown, lush as it could be and top it with a hint of a hat, with a $5,000 price tag hanging front it.

Oh, and a really big handbag for the money they earn.

Brenna said...
"There is no nice way to say this- Leanne's skirt made Korto's ass look humongous."

croquemonsieur said...
"I'm glad somebody sad something. I thought so too. That's all I could see."

Humongous, indeed. But, you have to give the girl credit, she's not ashamed or embarrassed by it. And she certainly worked it on the runway. But, you know, good for her, embracing the booty.

ETA: If Kenley had been smart, she could have designed some sort of cute blazer with "countrfied" treatment, like suede patchwork, embroidery, or dare I say, fringe. A jacket would've pulled the look together and maybe cut down on all the focus placed on Korto's humongous...skirt.

- edina -

Kanani said...
Well, I thought it was bad. She could have gone couture denim.

PRFAN---Lovely pic. And what a legacy he left behind.

4:55 PM
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Thanks for the link, Kanani...

I got a little teary watching it.

Talk about a man of principle and conviction. And it was GENUINE.

And he and Joanne were so wonderful together. 50+ years together and they still acted like love-crazed teenagers, without looking too sappy. They were just a little too cool for that.

The world's a little more empty now.

Sorry for going off topic, TLo, but I had to say something about one of my favorite people.

I thought I was the only one who saw Noodle's outfit and thought, "Hoe cliche!" Then thought, well, in this day and age, what was she supposed to do? Country ain't the genre is used to be.

ROFLMAO! "How" not "Hoe" Seriously sorry, Leanne and Korto. :-)

I thought this was particularly difficult. Contemporary country artists - Leann Rimes, Faith Hill, or Taylor Swift, for example - don't wear the embroidery, ruffles, hats, fringe, and gingham of classic artists.

Instant country: Replace whatever hidden fasteners are on the shirt with pearlized snaps.

outfit wasnt the best but korto rocked that shit

I know this is Leanne-love-central, but I've never been crazy about her. I think TLo have pointed it out before; she encounters non-stick-thin models with a kind of frozen horror. and i think that, even though Fashion is all about stick-thinness, a Good designer needs to have range. and leanne DOESN'T, or doesn't yet. she can construct some great noodley architectural pieces - her BP show proves that - but I don't think she's the cat's meow. not yet, anyway. Nothing she's done has made me say: "WOW. THAT'S AMAZING."

I think Jerell did amazingly good work with the PopGirl look for kenley. he should have won. and two bad, bad weeks in a row for Leanne is not good.

Why in the WORLD would Leanne have switched from Karalyn to Tia? I didn't understand why she thought Suede had any advantage with Tia because he wasn't doing very well. Karalyn's blog talked about how "she's no Tia" because (and I'm paraphrasing) she has a normal model body weight, not skinny minny model weight. What is up with THAT?

Kountry Korto...hmmm. Did nothing for me. Wasn't heinous, but neither was it fabulous.

I live in South Texas and many women do wear clothes like that outfit (except their budgets are Texas sized!) They tend to call it "ranch wear" instead of "country" but still.

For once I am a source of knowledge for Project Rungay!

Kate

I didn't see country at all in this outfit. The cowboy boots perhaps? Silly challenge.

"Brenna said...
There is no nice way to say this- Leanne's skirt made Korto's ass look humongous."




You say that like it's a bad thing.

--GothamTomato

When a woman can wear something that ass & still have Mr P, my fab, loving husband of 11 years turn to me & say, "THAT'S sex on a stick" tells me Korto is the hawtness.

To coin a phrase, "Baby got BACK!"

I agree with pretty much everything you've said- I do not think this look was good AT ALL but at the same time it really was the hardest because there ISN'T a country "look" anymore. If she was dressing a guy, it'd be different, but girls? Please- country singers these days are pretty much wearing pop outfits.

FAIL.

On Leanne ditching Karalyn -- I think it's kind of an interesting little sideshow. Leanne probably didn't think there would be any consequences from dropping Karalyn, and in the short term there probably weren't. But in the greater scheme of things, I always like it when a designer sticks with a (very good) model -- think Laura and Camilla -- and it builds up a little goodwill.

What Leanne couldn't have known was that Karalyn would turn out to be such an engagingly snarky little blogger, and build up a nice bit of goodwill for *herself* in PR fan circles. Which Karalyn ironically did by championing Leanne in her blog up to this point, which can't have been easy after the fact. Because of her blog, I feel more invested in Karalyn as a PR character than I have for any other model except Camilla, and thanks to that, Leanne looks much worse for dumping K. than she would have if K. had remained just a pretty face. Not enough to hurt Leanne's career or anything, but wasting a bit of goodwill for no particular benefit.

I think the best thing for Suede was to go out on a high note of "injustice" and the same is probably true for Karalyn -- anything that gets her a little more attention, especially in a good way, can only help her career.

i am all for a uber-high-thigh platform boot, but i am a traditionalist and want a heel with that boot.

angryparsnip said...
prafanalapenn...

lovemesomedaniel beat me, nice picture change

but I miss seeing my lookalike friend in your old picture

learning how to put a picture up yet alone change it is beyond me...next thing to learn in class... did change blog name don't know how I did that....

so good job

3:42 PM

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Thank you, angryparsnip!

It's not hard to change your picture.

Just save whatever pic you have as a file, and then load it in your profile, by clicking on the "browse" button.

When you find your saved pic, select it, and it should load for you.

I will probably put Marlon back up in a few days. Maybe, because I adore Paul. I don't know yet.

Well anywho, thanks again!:0)

The girl who needs too much said...
i am all for a uber-high-thigh platform boot, but i am a traditionalist and want a heel with that boot.

6:58 AM
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Um, I think that you want the Beckham post.

I thought the challenge wasn't well-defined. Some of the designers seemed unsure if they were going for a stage look or a fan look. It seemed like the judges were looking for a stage look, which would be a costume. Some of the designers seemed to be afraid to go in that direction.

It was up to Leane to make an outfit that said "country" without being too costumey and cliched and to read the judges' minds that it apparently had to work on stage. That was the challenge at which she failed. If I knew what that look would be, I would be a fashion designer...hint, hint, nudge, nudge.
Since Leane aspires to be the winner of Project Runway, she needs to have the creativity within her to meet the challenge in each episode no matter how flawed or wacky. Of course, she can always lose PR and just be a normal fashion designer.

What part of "reality show" do you think is real?

Oy-Leanne switched from a cute blond model to a taller, skinnier, more striking black model. Tia is more high fashion, end of story. Karalyn has a future in catalogs and bite and smile commercials, but she's not high fashion. People really need to get over this-models are rejected every day for not having the look the designer is going for.

I think one of the issues at play here is that the designers natural inclination was to play it safe, Korto didn't play it safe because she has been in the top group, as has Jerell, plus Jerell is a risk taker. Suede took more risks than he had before, but remained in the safety zone. You can tell this by the conversations with Tim how the designers wanted to stay restrained.

I'm from the South and from a very redneck family, and I ca tell you, there IS a definable "country" look. Is it fashionable? No. Is it undeniably country? Yes. Camo. THAT is *the* look of "country", stylish or not.