To quote Heidi, "Ooooh, that's BAD...

...but true."


I cannot WAIT till you guys get to Suede and Joe!

All of his models looked super pissed, like "I got here at 4AM just so I could wear the Liza Minelli Decoy collection?"

You know, I can understand Suede and Joe's collections to be...lacking, since they were probably given less time and a smaller budget. But Jerrell...he really had no excuse for this. I think he's a good designer and a really good person, but he needs to stop being like five year old who puts glitter on everything. I can see good ideas beneath the clothes, but, you know, the clothes are in the way.

As much as I love Jerell, I didn't love his collection. It was just too much.

Ouch. Just looking at Jerell's in comparison to Leanne and Korto, even Kenley's collection, is pretty disorienting.

Bright purple dress gives me nightmares.

I had made correlations to the Westwood when I first saw it, but after the color, fabric and scale...it doesn't even compare.

Not to mention the Westwood was a heavily constructed piece, and this looks like he wrapped yards of taffeta around yards of tulle and taped it all together.

It's frustrating. I can imagine that every one of these long dresses looked like a great idea in the original sketches. And while his colors are not easy to wear, with attention to accessories and the wearer's coloring (lots of girls will look sallow in these)they could be dramatic and gorgeous.

And then the boy goes out and makes them up in not-right fabric and trim and trim and more trim, and executes sloppily.

So often a beautiful design is executed disappointingly because the fabric choices didn't work. It takes experience with how different fabrics make up and an eye for color - both of which can be improved with practice. But if as he's said he gets the fabric FIRST and designs from there I am sooo distressed for him. Because if you have the fabric in hand - you chose it yourself! - and you can look at it in different lights and against your other fabrics - and feel its weight and see how it falls and crumples and you STILL make garments that look like the wrong fabric was chosen for the design - I despair.

And I can forgive a ton of bling on bling quicker than frayed-ended cheap-looking ribbon and garments that don't fit.

While Jerell was not my favorite designer, I did adore him and enjoyed a couple of items he had made on previous episodes. I was initially cheering for him to make it into the top three. But this collection just BROKE. MY. HEART.

While I wasn't thrilled with the producers' antics with making him go through another hoop after he won the one competition; to be honest,personality or no, Kenley did edge him out in the next round and put out a much higher-quality collection at Bryant Park.

It's tragic that he didn't listen to all of the good advice given to him in the previous weeks, including Tim's when he came out to visit. "Edit, edit, edit.", if I recall? Oh yeah, and, "Finish."

The workmanship on the second outfit's belt alone was just horrid. Not everything on the runway has to be perfectly crisp and polished, but it should show some mad skills and taste, not look like an unkempt first-time 4-H sewing project for some frustrated teen whose only exposure to high fashion was "Cosmo".

Even Leann acknowledged in interviews that for all of the craziness of the initial competition and the inconsistent nitpickyness of the judges,she learned and grew from the experience. This collection is tragic evidence that Jerell didn't.

I'll say it again. I adore Jerell, He was a fun designer to watch. But this collection, I have to agree with you wasn't the best.

The collar on the second dress reminds me of fungi or coral:

http://www.shopaquaticus.com/sc/images/
640480grnlobo.jpg

Whenever I see a tight waist with a bulge around it, like in the third dress, I imagine it cannot look flattering on anyone. I have a small waist, but I won't dare wear that style. It adds pounds and looks matronly to me.

Yup, this one hurt the most because I like Jerrell a lot.

But his collection looks like he got locked in a Michael's for a few months.

And TLo...thanks for putting up the "No on 8" on your sidebar. I've written against it too.

I'm going to give him a 'get home free' card on fit.
How could anyone have cared when they came so close to a serious showing at Bryant Park, only to loose out to Kenley's feather dress?
Left over models, etc. I can see him not caring about the final details.
And about his wedding dress. There was some serious interfacing and structure built in to give it the three dimensions. Leeanne had a blouse collapse, fur gosh sakes. Even with all the wear it got, Jerrell's wedding dress held it together.

Finally, there are women whose coloring would look great with his color choices.

I feel badly for Miss Jerrell. He has such potential, but this collection just looks sad. It's like he was depressed while working on it, and it shows. He needed Tim to pull what he did with Kara Janx when she was the decoy. Tell him that "look, who cares that you aren't in the final 3. You are showing to influential people at Bryant Park. Snap out of it!" Or words to that effect.

Wheeeee! A weekend post!!!

Someone wrote, essentially, "How could anyone have cared after losing to Kenley". Are you kidding us? Not cared? He's showing at Bryant Park. If I had to pick when to start caring, that would be it. He can't have not cared. Maybe he just doesn't have the chops.

Does anyone remember where this charming puppy trained? He has imagination, but just seems so inept and clueless about the basics. Although I wish him well.

I keep thinking that Jerrell is designing for himself, clothes that he would wear personally -- not for a female form. I can see the colors on him and certainly his tendency towards deeply plunging necklines is something that a thin man with just a sternum would think is appropriate.

He doesn't even do well designing for men who wear women's clothing. The green lizardy-looking dress he desigend for the Queen competition might have looked good on Jerrell himself ... maybe. But no one else could pull it off.

Jerrell says he waits for the fabric to tell him what it wants to be, but I think that either he's not hearing the fabric correctly, or that he needs to get a whip and chair out to tame the wild fabric beast and lash it into shape.

He reminds me of what happened to Mychael Knight--throught the season, he showed a certain flair and made some wonderful things, given the restraint of the challenges. When left to his own devises, where he could indulge in creating "his vision," he imploded.

It's sad.

Oh Miss Jerrelldine, I thought Santino had bust issues, then came you.

Design, then edit times about 100. It's just TOO TOO much. :-(

The poor fit and sloppiness killed this collection.

It's depressing, because I actually loved a lot of these looks (and found the other collections to be seriously boring. Sorry, guys.)

Okay, two questions :
First, I've always thought the decoy collections got less money than the "real" competitors . . . but since they didn't know the final three until a day or two before, Jerrell obviously got the same amount of money . . . so why would he choose those tacky looking fabrics.
Second, I thought it looked the Bryant Park version of his wedding dress, the boobwings were tacked down a bit and not in full flight? The annoying camera angles don't allow for much analysis on this, but y'all were there . . . did he clip the wings?
And a comment on what I thought could have been tasteful bling (oxymoron, I know), the outfit with the trim on the neck you recommended he remove, the gold stripe/purple/gold stripe sequins, the ridiculous ribbon, and sheer "skirt". I think if the neck trim had remained and if the dress were a solid, unshiny black (without the sequined gold trim and without the dreadful ribbon-belt), it would have been quite nice. If fact, in general, different, much plainer fabrics would have done this collection a great favor. And just one shiny per model. This collection was so sad, I'd thought Jerrell would put together a real funky, innovative collection and not this . . . halloween collection. And then when you add in how bloody nice he seemed to be, oi! I kept just shaking my head and saying "what were you thinking, how could you do this?"

- Donna in Seattle

I think what also hurts Jerrell immensely are his execution issues. He can't sew as well as his competitors. Let's face it, half of these looks might have been passably better had there not been such huge fit issues.

Jerell was this season's Michael. Appreciated what they added to the show, liked what they produced during the competitions, and shocked at what they sent down the runway at BP. Venture to guess that both guys benefited from having the other designers and La Tim around them.

All I can add is WHYYYYY

Jerrell seems to take criticism well. He was always very thoughtful during Tim's takes and on the runway. He just needs to take his current skills to fashion school.

So, I am left believing that the overall unifying element in his collection was......a cheap gold ribbon with frayed edges.

I just don't get it.

It is weird the more I see his collection, the more I like it? It's not a good - or even decent - collection by an stretch of the imagination, and the first time I saw it I was horrified, but it does have a certain Jerell-ness that grows on you. What can I say? Jerell is so charming! I think it's a trainwreck of fun.

I think Jerrell's collection has a ton of potential.

Yes, he definitely needs to learn to scale back & edit, but I like the juxtaposition of different textiles.

And that first long gold dress is gorgeous, IMO! One of the best of all on the runway.

I must say I really, really don't like his taste or aesthetic. They still look like cheap flea market stuff with crap glued all over it.

I agree with y'all, there might have been some interesting ideas, but he never stopped. MY EYES, THEY BURN!

I wasn't going to comment, 'cause my mom taught me to keep my mouth shut if I had nothing nice to say. I really liked Jerell's personality on the show, and he did design some decent looks (the mom/daughter challenge being my favorite) BUT he needs to tone everything down. Edit, edit, edit.

There may be a place for him in the fashoin world, but he needs to pay more attention to construction and not use all the trims, sequins, netting and bows (serious yuck) all at once.

I was also a little disappointed in the way they auf'd him after he won the last challenge, but his collection proves the judges made the right choice.

Best of luck to Jerell.

At first I thought you guys were being too hard on him, but you're not. I still wish he had made it to the final three, but that's a completely subjective thought based solely on personalities.

At the risk of sounding bitchier than usual...I was hoping that you, Dearest TLo, could give an example of where in the competition Jerell showed some talent? I thought he was a nice and even charming man, but I thought everything he put on the runway was a train wreck.

This runway collection was a completely predictable extension of everything he did in the competition. Think back to the ridiculous outfit he created for the Olympics. Enough said.

Finally realized what I so loath about the wedding dress ... the dress fabric is a gold undertone while the tulle is silver, blue undertone. Together instead of looking metallic they just both look like $1 yard seconds, and dirty ones at that. Had he gone with a gold undertone in that tulle I probably would have appreciated (though not loved - the wadded newspaper look isn't my favorite) that dress.

I'm not sure I get the fascination with Jerell. I really liked the structured long skirt he created for one of the challenges, but he had an issue with the craptastic. I didn't care for his work too much as he continuously added too much trim and the fabric choices left a lot to be desired. Was it Korto who said his work looked like a craft project? I have to agree with that comment.

That wedding dress looks like the poor girl got it caught in the garbage disposer. And why do Jerelly's bust treatments always look uneven? Chicks like to keep the girls reigned in and balanced, ya know? I liked jerell as a person...as a designer? Not so much.

I think Jerell was this season's Michael Knight. Both performed very strongly when given specific defined challenges and then they lost their minds when left to their own devices. I hope Jerell catches on and works for a design house for a while before unleashing another can of hot mess like this collection.

that collection is so 'jerell' that it's not jerell, by which i mean it's as if every bad design habit he has was exaggerated to the nth degree. it almost makes me wonder if jerell knew, even while working on his collection, that he wouldn't be in the final three and was trying to be the best decoy he could be, as if he'd gotten kicked off way earlier than he did.

too many cats* said I'm going to give him a 'get home free' card on fit.
How could anyone have cared when they came so close to a serious showing at Bryant Park, only to loose out to Kenley's feather dress?

I'd agree with you, except: he didn't know he would be a decoy. Until they arrived in New York, collections finished except for final details, and had the final elimination, he had the possibility of being in the final three. This collection does not reflect that.

So we all know, for the most part, that this "collection" was pretty much a disaster. That being said, I kinda like the first dress of this series, only I would want either the sleeves or the back, not both, and I actuall prefer the sleeves. I'm SO shocked to say that....but I do.

Jerell doesn't seem to understand women and breasts. I don't think any of those dresses fit correctly.

The first dress could have been a winner with a good fit, different sleeves, the back stuff removed or edited, and the shaping at the bottom improved. That's a lot that needs to be fixed.

"Anonymous 1:09 said...
He reminds me of what happened to Mychael Knight--throught the season, he showed a certain flair and made some wonderful things, given the restraint of the challenges. When left to his own devises, where he could indulge in creating "his vision," he imploded."

You took the words right out of my mouth.

I'm sorry, Jerell. I rooted for you and loved you on the show, I laughed at your jokes and crazy antics as you started drawing faces on pieces of fruit and talking to them, and I enjoyed the wacky outfits you wore.

But this collection is just ugly. All of it. I hate to say it, but was there ever a worse BP collection in PR history? Nothing comes to mind.

"...was there ever a worse BP collection in PR history? Nothing comes to mind."

Did you not see Suede's collection?
Brace yourself.

I don't see how Jerrell is "this season's Michael Knight".

For one thing, Michael Knight put out some genuinely great outfits for the challenges and was up against a, say, top 6 group who were, overall, heads and shoulders talent-wise over this season's top 6.

Jerrell's 'wins' seemed to be the equivalent of 'least sucky outift on the runway before us' rather than 'this outfit stands the scrutiny of fashion and design' that Michael's wins always gave me the sense of.

In my opinion, Michael deserved to be in the top three based on his talents and his output - and then he skidded into tackyville. Jerrell seemed to get to the top four out of attrition and then did what I saw as the inevitable - he produced as mediocre a collection as anything else he had produced for the competitions and the attrition finally caught up to him.

I also was surprised how just-off Michael's final collection was. I was completely unsurprised by how bad Jerrell's final collection was... .

But he seemed like a nice guy?

So, yeah. Really tangential connections between Michael and Jerrell (but Michael seemed like a nice guy, too).

i'm so glad you did jerell first with the decoy collections, because i have been ACHING for somebody to call him out! the colors were so bad, so bad... and everything did look very "holly hobby," to borrow a term from leanne (that should have been used to describe jerell instead of kenley!).

for me, the last straw was when he wanted to make his model wear that strange little brown hat for the post-grad makeover challenge. i had been thinking that there was hope for him, but from that point on, i knew that he was clearly DELUSIONAL!

I think his work looks unique and rather magical. But then, I'm a fellow Sagittarius.

I don't see anything remotely Holly Hobby in this collection at all.

Puke-alicious. I was really surprised as I expected a lot better from him.

I too cannot wait until you do Suede and Joe! Both of their collections looked like design school projects.

I cannot believe Suede and Jo showed at Bryant Park, or that Jerrell made a collection of ass. Yikes.

I also disagree with the Mychael/Jerrell comparison. MK's stuff all season was amazing. Jerrell was inconsistent, but not amongst the most competitive cohort. They may have both had tacky collections, but Mychaels was tacky but had a market. Jerrells kind of just sucked, in my opinion

I've never really been into the whole wedding thing, but even I know that no bride wants to walk down the aisle wearing a gown with origami tits.

--GothamTomato

The next to last outfit was not pretty.

It did not look right against the model's skin tone.

He should have had her wear something a little brighter.

You know, I can understand Suede and Joe's collections to be...lacking, since they were probably given less time and a smaller budget.

I liked Joe's.

That first dress looked okay coming down the runway but then she turned around and we were back at the whore house.

I adore Jerell but he needs a lot of help to get rid of the lotta look problem.

Good God that was hands down the worst collection I have ever seen on PR (or any collection for that matter). There wasn't a single piece that wasn't a complete eyesore.

Sheesh, how did Jarell do so well on the challenges?

I still think that that wedding dress looks like the bride has been given the "Y" incision for an autopsy

Jerrell has always bugged me. He can say some funny, bitchy things, but his necklines are always awful. And I always end up looking at the neckline. Someone said earlier that he's sewing for himself, and I think that's right. The model to keep her boobs in, has to really contort her spine. At some point Heidi said that she wanted to walk up to the model and yank the neckline up. I thought that with every challenge-- and the effect of his necklines always made me think that the model had scoliosis.

also, the Mood in Los Angeles is NOTHING like the Mood in NYC. maybe he couldn't find the same materials, cause i live in LA, and our downtown's okay, but it's no fashion district nyc.

The first model - redish blond hair - wasn't she Uncle Nick's in the inspiraton challenge? Maybe?

Late to the game, but I'm surprised that you boys didn't have fake Tim come out and say,"Jerelll...may I be blunt? It's a sartorial clusterfuck!"

Although you may wish to save that little gem for Suede's collection as well.

"Clearly, the one thing Jerell needs to learn is how to edit but we have to say, there's a taste issue as well. It's not just that he used too much trim; it's that the trim he used was ugly and tacky. We have to add that his color and fabric choices were terrible as well. Those deep purples and irridescent dark greens aren't very pretty when paired together and they strike us as about a decade and a half out of style."

Geez, no need to sugar-coat it boys. I guess Jerrell won't be inviting you to his house for Thanksgiving dinner!

Sadly, I agree with everything you said.

-TLo Addict-

Yuck. And watching that green dress come down the runway was cringe-inducing. The fabric on the breasts moved independently to her body. When the model went left, the boob fabric went right.

I liked the purple one that had the 'tumor' and the green one just following. I guess everyone here should be glad I'm not a fashion designer!

I'm totally with you on those ribbons round the waists. What's Tim's word? Incongruous...

Um, no. Jerell never really showed much promise at all, design-wise. He advanced because he was deemed an interesting character. His runway show was classic Jerell -- tacky, over the top, fugly. In his competition pieces, good design was the exception, not the rule.

He had some good moments of characterization, in which he displayed genuine niceness and thoughtfulness, but however much we might have liked seeing him interact with other people, I don't think we ever really liked much of anything about his designs.

Now THAT is a hot mess.

I call this the Kitchen Sink Collection.

He did not leave out one single piece of whickety whack - what a disappointment!

If I had to pick the most horrible part (and that's not easy) it would be the fit. Not one decent fitting (ugly) piece in that collection.

I knew it was over for Jerrel when Tim suggested that he edit. It looked like Tim was talking to cement. There was no one there.....

Oh lord...

Ugly, ugly, ugly.

Jerell's critique of Kenley - that her clothes were too old-fashioned - seem a bit funny in the light of this dreadful collection. The fabrics, as TLo mention, are a couple of decades out of style, not to mention tacky beyond belief.

I kind of like the yoke on the 2nd to last one. All the hardware as beading reminds me of an English jewelry maker named Judy Blame.The model is also very fierce. I dislike the belt on it though.

Jerrell seems to take criticism well. He was always very thoughtful during Tim's takes and on the runway. He just needs to take his current skills to fashion school.

2:04 PM

Amen. In his exit interview Jerell talked about how he hadn't draped before doing PR5, and other issues that clearly show that he could benefit from formal training...of course, for draping, he can call Rami-emperor of the drape!

I agree with those who've said Jerell would benefit from some training on the basics of fit and construction. I also agree with you, T Lo, that unfortunately Jerell has some taste issues as well. I don't know if further education would fix that or not.

Jerell is a nice guy, but he's not a great designer, at least for women.

I love the first dress.

Rainwood said...
I agree with those who've said Jerell would benefit from some training on the basics of fit and construction. I also agree with you, T Lo, that unfortunately Jerell has some taste issues as well. I don't know if further education would fix that or not.

Didn't LaNina say during one episode of this season that you either have taste or you don't, and that taste is not something that can be taught?

That said, some formal training and judicious mentoring might help Jerell develop a better sense of when and how to use different fabrics.

OMG!!! I Tivo Project Runway and didn't get to see that jarrell won yet, even though I knew he would. So the element of surprise is gone for me. LOL I still gotta watch though.
Now I have to say, Jarrell did some really great artistic work on the show, but that collection he put on after winning is hiddeous. Editing is a big issue for him, as well as thinking, and taking time, and having taste. He's going to end up like all the other really bad undeserving reality stars......No longer a star, duh! If you don't come out on top after winning, on the first try, you're never going to get far. Like Kelly clarkson compared to Fantasia Barrino, both from American Idol. LOL See the dif?
You are totally right about his fabric choices as well. Being a aspiring fashion designer myself (pat pat on the back)i have a clear understanding of quality or at least the illusion of quality. Sometimes the way you use the fabric, is what makes it look cheap, or bring the cheapness to the forefront. LOL
The only good thing there was the lines and shapes. For a KID he has a really good understanding of a lady's body. Ahahahaha
i could talk about this stuff all day, so I'll sign off for now and get back to my own blog!

Kisses and Cupcakes

Adrianna

I totally have to laugh at myself! I thought you were reporting a win on jarrell! Ahahaha
Thank God I was wrong.

Kisses and Cupcakes bitches

Adrianna

this has to be the worst one i have seen in PR history. i can even tolerate wendy pepper's collection much much better than this one.

horrid.

What does Jerrell have against boobies?!! He clearly hasn't been around many and simply has no idea how to design for them.

Jerrell, you have got to get acquainted with boobies. Seriously.

well, what is the big surprise here? He's been tacky since day one, and all the while a sweetheart of a guy, but at the end of the day, taste is taste.