How many looks did each designer have?

Jesse?! Jesse made it to the point of getting to be at least a decoy?! Ugh.

I hope the rest of Ben and Amy's stuff looks better than these few pictures.

Each designer had ten looks.

It's hard to see the clothes past the styling with some of these. I'm waiting to see their full collections before passing judgement.

Color!

From what I see now, two decoy collections. Like Ben have to wait and see more before passing final judgement.

OOPS! Like DuBois*!

I really like Amy and Ben's. I'll take a pass on Jesse's.

Love Ben's red dress.

Not loving Jesse's styling at all. All I see there is the Jolly Green Giant's little buddy, Sprout.

Julia

Though even for decoys (assuming that Amy's and Jesse's might be decoys) these examples aren't *horribly* bad.

In previous years, some of the decoy collections have been laughable.

Ben's is interesting. Love the brownish look with the blue peeking through.

Ben seems to have a very cohesive vision. The blue tights/boots seem to be the pedestal... I'm going to guess that he's a final three.

There's just something very DIFFERENT about even the scant shots there.

Amy's voluminous offerings are interesting, too.

Jesse... not so much.

I'm actually the most intrigued by Ben's collection in the still pictures so far. My favorite Martian, you're a little out there, but I dig that about you.

Jesse's looks like he went too literal with the inspiration. Yawn.

What's up with the shoes on Amy's models? They look like old school Capezio flats. Then when you couple it with all those pleats in the skirts, it's looking a little dancesport to me. Which isn't necessarily a bad thing. Hmm.

Those little hats make them look like flight attendants on Slutty Martian Air.

Amy is going to have a problem because it seems like now a days everybody equates any kind of fullness in a garment with "looking fat". I love the muliti layer organza skirt and gold sweater.

Love Ben's red dress with turquoise tights. I can't wait to see more.

Jesse seems to have been highly influenced by the Ben and Jay aesthetic, in a good way. I like the emerald green piece.


No embarassments a la Suede, so far..

Had Ben just seen Avatar? Not a fan of that blue. Loved Amy's. Jesse's makes me angry. It's so...twee. Stupid hat.

Jesse's construction is off. But what I see of the other collections intrigues me enough to warrant my saying perhaps this season is going to be a return to the very strong collections/contenders on past seasons. Yippie.

of past seasons

I like Ben's, but it looks like it has fit issues. Same with Amy and Jesse's. I'm sadly going to call decoy on these ones, which is a shame, because I really like Amy and Ben.

I'm not crazy about any of these. Ben's is the most interesting but that blue is eye piercing and distracts from the garments.

I call decoys on all. Especially Jesse and Amy. Ben has a chance. I'd have to see the rest.

The more I look at pictures of Ben's collection that have been floating around, the more I think his collection might be the most cerebral collection since Jay's collection in season 1. Might be. Want to see more.

Is that Alexis in Jesse's second look? (I could be mistaken...) If so, does that imply that the two will keep working together? I wouldn't be surprised - both seem to make it a point to be super-obnoxious on camera.

I really love Amy's, been following it on Getty. The dress that goes up to the model's eyes is cracked out but I still think it's my favorite.

I hate to say it, but I think I like Jesse's the best out of these three collections. He's still a doucheturd though.

Is that the utterly ridiculous, ghastly troll Ashley, as the model in the second picture for Jesse? BLEARGH! That inconsequential little twit needs to get off my tv immediately. Atrocious.

I'm really liking Ben's and find a few interesting things in the Jesse picks.
Amy's, so so... doesn't feel top-3? In any event, I don't like handkarchief skirts, and she's doing lots of that, plus I was already thinking she was a bit overrated.

- Don

Liking Amy and Ben's very much, can't wait to see more.
Love the red w/turquoise tights.

Jesse. Ugh. sorry to even see his stuff or hear his name mentioned here.
Can't wait to see him auf'ed.

Certainly hope all 3 of these are decoys, 'cause there's nothing prize worthy, so far.

You were right when you said Jesse used way too much green - I'm feeling jealous and nauseous for no good reason;)

I love that some of these designers are getting the exposure of doing a decoy collection . . . except for Jesse.

Hate his looks - hate the colors he used - hate the bulbous black legging thing. Hate his stuff.

Uh, surely these are decoys? All of them!

O, and forgot - HATE the proportions on the shorts outfit. Good God - how he made that model look stumpy requires a special gift.

Extremely intriguied by Amy's! I don't know if I would say it was my "favorite" so far it's the only want I really want to see more of. I love those strange prints and textures.

Jesse's is a mess. I'm assuming, based on the hats (and the jumpsuits, and the military styling), it's 1940s theme? Too much of a retread.

Now that I think about it, I'd be surprised if Holly didn't make it to the top-3 as a model... does that mean Amy is top-3?

I definitely think this season is a cut above. And I like how each person who showed really does have a unique point of view, no one collection looks like another. Hope Amy's in the top three!!!

My husband is playing The Ghostbusters game on PS3 right now, and the last photo of Jesse's looks could totally be their uniform!

Re Amy's third look: Chador? Or Cousin It in drag?

I very much like Ben's brown/bronze look, and Jesse's khaki/black jumpsuit. I'd buy and wear both of them if they were available.

Anonymous said...
Re Amy's third look: Chador? Or Cousin It in drag?



LOL

I do have to say, though, that I am inexplicably drawn to her aesthetic. I like the leafy vibe of her stuff.

I am looking forward to seeing her whole collection.

Amy Cousin IT or A dirty ghost?

Dislike all of Ben's except maybe the red dress - but hard to look passed the fact that Red and Turq don't go.

Like Jesse's jackets in 1 and second last 2 (along with the pants)

HATE that Amy's models are wearing sneakers, looks like crap. It's unfortunate because some of her clothes are interesting.

oops same thought about cousin IT

Amy's I do not like one bit.

Ben's looks like he watched way too much anime.

Jesse's looks like he hung out with the Disney Fairies too much. Considering he works for Disney, this is highly likely ;)

I'm impressed!

For this first time this season, I'm kinda excited.

I've been looking at all the pictures over and over, trying to make decisions based not so much on what I like and don't like, but what looks original and interesting. And even though I really do not like Amy's, I think she may be final 3 -- she's got a unique POV that doesn't seem nearly as referential as some of the others.

Jesse's is only referential of the Jolly Green Giant. Ugh.

Ben's is interesting, but I'm afraid it's a bit too costumy -- he's probably not a finalist, IMO.

Why are we colorblocking vaginas? Is that in this year??

Amy's is.... different. Not sure if that's good or bad.

At first pictures I liked Ben's & disliked Jesse's.

That's now reversed.

I think Jesse's has a cohesive and unique structure.

Ben's is a getting ugly.

However, I think Ben & Jesse are definitely decoys. Amy, I'm not too sure.

I love you guys! Is there a pic you can post of Amy? You said her outfit was cuter than anything in her collection and now I'm wondering what it looked like...

Well yuck, I hope these are all decoys.

Jesse sure embraced his Captain Jack(assness). I like Ben's collection, though. Very cohesive, and I love the red skirt with the notch.

Interesting!
I mostly like Amy's & Ben's, not sure yet if it's "love," but definitely like.

A couple of thoughts -- is Amy's brown(?) print on white like tendrils of smoke? Ala McQueen? Or am I just looking at it on a crappy monitor?

I could tell right away I was looking at Amy's stuff, but I thought the whole post was just her, so when it switched to Ben, I thought "holy crap, what is she doing? that stuff looks like Ben!"

Then when Jesse's looks came up...damn. That's some fug. But I couldn't really tell WHO's fug at first, just fug. What's with the green body armor? No likey.

(Thanks TLo!!!!!)

I see some serious problems with colour coordination @ Ben & Jesse.
Some of the pieces could have been decent if not for the fug colour combo.

OMG! What's up with those leggings on Jesse's model? She looks like a knobby-kneed horse! They're just laughable.



Love the flat shoes on Amy's models, though.

I do not see nor understand the hate for Jesse's collection. OK...Chanel it is not, I will give you that, but it much superior to Suede, Jerrell or even Sweet P's final collections IMHO. Actually I like it better than Kenley's final collection.

TampaBay

I sure hope none of these are from a finalist. Blegh

Jesse's piece with the puffy knees makes me think of the South Park episode where Kyle gets a "Negroplasty" to turn him into a tall African American -- and the plastic surgeon used Mr. Garrison's testicles as his new knees.

here is a video

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TiE3EcDWnhQ&feature=sub

Ick. Jesse's collection is hideous.

Wow. Jesse's collection is way better and more interesting than I expected. Don't really dig him on the show and I've hated pretty much all the "tailored" suits he's done on challenges. Well ... surprise surprise.

Really disappointed by Amy's collection. Some of her choices (like that mud-on-white print) just mystify me. IMO her heart dress and burlap dress are both better than these choices where she had free rein.

I think Amy's might be my favorite...I'll need to mull. I like it best on first look, it's the "prettiest" to me. I may not give it the win in the end, though.

I still want to punch Jesse in the teeth, though. That knobbly kneed model...the Peter Pan looks...so tacky, so hateful.

Really loving Chmurka's pants, textiles, and colors.

I love Amy's, not liking the other two. They're likely all decoys though.

Amy had me kind of excited until I saw that half-Burka contraption!

I do not see nor understand the hate for Jesse's collection.

Oh, it's nothing like the hideousness of Suede's Barbie on crack collection. Speaking for myself, though, it looks like Jesse was inspired a bit too much by the costumers at Disney World. And maybe Universal Studios, too. In one model I see Top Gun, in another I see the Andrews sisters, in yet another I see Robin Hood. I hate to keep going back to the word literal, but it's the best way to describe it, so...

If you compare that with, say, Ben, you can definitely infer a heavy comic book/sci fi influence to his POV. But when you look at the stills, it's not like oh, there's Wonder Woman. And oh wow, is that Princess Leia? And hey, here comes Neytiri from Avatar...

If that makes sense.

Kind of disappointed with Amy's. I like the knitted yellow sweater the most. Hate the sneakers and too much handkerchief skirts for my taste.

Jesse's I am surprised that it was this good, but I also hate the look with the trashbag leggings. Too much green and a little too military for me, but still pleasantly surprised though I do think he is a decoy.

I am the most intrigued by Ben's. I actually like the use of red and blue. Like Jesse's is a bit too military Ben's is a bit too futuristic, but I like the shapes and color blocking of Ben's line better.

So far, there seem to be no really horrible or embarrassing collections! Though Janeane's seems to be very boring.

Ben's the only one of the three with a shot at the true finale. He has vision. Amy just doesn't have enough of a vision or aesthetic and Jesse, well, we know what's going to happen to those, um, clothes, when it's all said and done. He's going to wear them.

I think these are decoys. They just don't look like they have the time and budget of a final three. Ben's might be final three; I like his skirts in particular. I actually like the first part of Jesse's collection, but then it goes off in a completely different direction. I'm surprised that I am disappointed in Amy's. A couple of nice pieces but not that great.

I am glad that they have gone the route of separates and casual wear instead of just pretty dresses and gowns.

The short black leather one at the end looks like it was inspired by Ping's burlap dress!

Personally I think all of these are medicore and definitely nothing to rave about. And I am not a fan of Ben's blue tights look there. I like that color was used but not in any of the ways that they applied them.

Amoungst this group I believe Ben and Amy to be finalists.
I think if Amy's collection were designed by a male designer it would win. However I can not predict how the judges will react to these silhouettes from a female designer. Not well probably. I love the cousin It. And the finale dress with the hanging black crochet and flat white tennies. Love.

These collections are some of the best decoys I've ever seen. I'm assuming they have a bigger budget or something... Suppose I should check the rest of the decoy updates...

Amy's reminds me way too much of the clearance rack at Macy's Women's World; those prints, and that color range, have been depressing me since Spring 2007.

This still leaves me on the fence in regards to Amy. Was bored by the winning Campbell's dress but wowed by the potato sack. Here, there's some wow factor, mainly in her printmaking ability.
That one dress with the high neck makes me think we've just met the world's most flamboyant garden gnome.

Ben's has a sly humor to it and is strangely adorable. But likely, this is a decoy. The blue shoes on the white outfit is overkill.

Jesse seems to have designed a new line of clothes for Hot Dog On A Stick employees everywhere.

I as well am really disappointed in Amy's. I am pretty sure she's a finalist -- it has the look of a lot of time, care, and money spent on it. It's nothing egregiously wrong with it, but it's just lacking a spark. And it has the expensive-looking, avant-gardey burka dress -- that kind of repulses me.

And there are a few others (Emilio is a decoy, I think) that I wonder -- what could/would they have been able to do with that money for their collection as a finalist.

Let me correct myself slightly.

It's a burka mini-dress!

Amy's color-story is almost what I imagine Anna's would have been if she survived to be a decoy. Amy, you could have put some lively colors!

I think I like Amy's collection more than any of the top three from last season.

I thought Ben's was crummy, and Jesse's was alright and somewhat interesting.

I too don't understand the Jesse criticism/hate.

He has three that are awful and some of what takes them from bad to awful is styling - that green top with the freaky leg pieces, the shorts outfit and the (I hate) jumpsuits. But most of his jackets and some pants are very very good.

I think Amy's Ben's, Jonathan's and Janeane's are all far worse. And I'm debating the order of Mila and Emilio vs Jesse.

Really disappointed by Amy's. I've been into her since I saw her in the meet the designers post, there's something abou her (yes, the eye makeup is part of that). However, she must be in the finale, yes? Bitch has Holly.

ASK and Tampa said...
I too don't understand the Jesse criticism/hate.

He has three that are awful and some of what takes them from bad to awful is styling - that green top with the freaky leg pieces, the shorts outfit and the (I hate) jumpsuits. But most of his jackets and some pants are very very good.




ASK & Tampa, keep in mind that earlier today about the only pictures that were up for Jesse were "that green top with the freaky leg pieces, the shorts outfit and the (I hate) jumpsuits."

I like what I see in the close-up of the coat, but - and I know how subjective this is - I HATE the combination of colors he used.

I kind of love the idea of the green & grey top - it looks like a faceted stone. But I just can't get on board with the colors.

And that shorts outfit is still abysmal.

These three HAVE to be decoys. All fugly.

Amy having Holly is a pretty blatant giveaway that hers is one of the real collections. There's no way Holly isn't making the final 3 models.

Aw. Ben was crying?

What a doll.

Seriously, no matter what happens. It would be good for him to move to NYC & go work for somebody to get some experience. Someone who does sportwear. Which big name designer would he fit with?

Maybe Alexander Wang (if Wang were a little older?)

I wonder if Ben made the fab bracelets two of his models were wearing. Want! Also the peek-a-boo-knee pants are kinda cool.

I too think that Amy is the big FAIL in this collections, but then, I was already thinking she was being overrated. She has this penchant for detailing, but gets lost in it and looses all sense of shape and proportion. That was already evident in her burlap dress, which was praised (and rightly so) for the treatment she'd given to the fabric. And here she just goes and gives Holly, her star model, the handkarchief skirt of that dress, which was the one thing wrong with it. She just doesn't seem to have the sense of proportion... And I too think that this looks like a top-3, which is a shame because...


... Ben seems not to be? Not sure, but while I LOVE the look, the aesthetic, the clothes, everything really, this is exactly what I would have expected from him but rendered in kind of more complex materials, more saturated colors, richer textures... So that makes me think this may be a low-budget decoy collection. If it's not, then he didn't spend his money wisely. But I love it. Hope he does well because he's got the talent.

I also don't thin Jesse's is half as bad as the critiques pouring in. It's whimsical and has some interesting looks. It's not going to be a winning collection, but it's not devoid of ideas and taste. It also shows a sense of humor that he has so far failed to demonstrate in the show, personality wise. I cannot help thinking that if the shows had been anonymous the reactions would have been different...

- Don

Initial impressions: Amy has some interesting fabrics but I'm not entirely sold on her actual looks... though I'm not hating them, either. Ben has some things I really like but I'm not 100% sold on his colours. Jesse's stuff looks like Jesse made it.

I cannot help thinking that if the shows had been anonymous the reactions would have been different.

I expect not, if for no other reason than I think so many of these do look like their designers' work. Of the people showing, Jesse is one of the ones with an easily identifiable aesthetic: he likes waist-length jackets and pants in specific and in general is the most sportswear-like of the designers. Other designers who I think would be easy to tell would be Ben (comic inspiration and colours), Mila (pattern combinations), Anthony (fabric choices and draping), and Seth Aaron (because his style is very different from most of the rest). The others I think would be identifiable with a little thought, if not quite as easily... even with Maya missing.

Are other minons seeing a lot of white boxes instead of photos? Are those just place holders or is my computer effed up?

LOVE Ben's red skirt. I'm too old to wear it, but I would anyway.

I want to like Ben's a lot more than I actually do because I've really liked him and his designs so far on the show. But honestly I don't love the color scheme, especially the blue tights which would have made more of an impact if they didn't appear on every single model. Some of the fabrics also look a bit cheap and I think he was a little too literal with his inspiration. Either way I don't think the judges will let him get all the way to the final three anyway.

I like that Amy took a risk with her collection although I don't love some of the colors and prints that she used. Still, it's different and offers another point of view we haven't seen before. From seeing some of her pre-show stuff her designs are a lot more out there than what we've seen of her on the show so far, so it's surprising that people seem disappointed by her collection so far and not what they expected. I do wonder whether she would have made some of these choices if she was actually in the running. Also, flats on the runway? I don't think the judges would like that but who knows.

Jesse's is surprisingly not bad. Not exceptional by any means but I too don't understand all of the hate against it. Some of the jackets are actually quite good, but like Ben I think he too was too literal with his Peter Pan/ military inspirations. The styling hurt him more than anything.

What in the HECK did Jesse to do poor Amanda?!

I was disappointed with both Ben's and Amy's, especially the latter. Amy's was really inconsistent and not cohesive. Ben's was reminding me of Star Trek, and it made me think that this would have been the perfect collection for the 2055 challenge, but not BP. Surprisingly, there were several pieces in Jesse's collection that I liked, though others seem to have fit issues. I could see the underlying military theme, though there's way too much green going on.

But Amanda's outfit and styling are absolutely criminal.

I'm assuming that the top three are the final three who showed today as that's how it has always worked out in the past when decoy collections were employed. That means the finalists are Mila, Ben, and Amy; which is too bad because I prefer Emilio's, Jay's, and Seth's to Mila's. I'm also assuming that either Ben or Amy will win, which suits me fine.

Thanks,
Dale.

Dear god, why did Amy make a Boohbah dress?

http://images.google.com/images?hl=en&source=hp&q=boohbah&gbv=2&aq=f&oq=&aqi=g10

that last dress is a total rip of of leanns saturn dress (without the class and wow factor)

oh lord - theres a lot of holy crap on this runway. coupld of good pieces here & there, but for the most part - yikes D:

I can't be the only one who thinks Jesse is a designer who just thinks "weird=fashion". I mean, Ben is "weird" but I can see a purpose and they're visually interesting. Jesse just seems to string random elements together and calls it "fashion" with no rhyme or reason to most of it. I HATE THAT.

LOVE Ben's collection!

Just let someone cute and talanted win plz!
I mean Ben
Love his collection

I've looked at these a few times and 2 things keep popping into my mind:

Though I like his best overall, Ben's collection seems to have more fit issues than I noticed on the others -you can totally see the crotch of those blue tights on the 5th look (flashbacks of Ping's bottom-baring dress)

Amy's one dress' silhouette looks like it was inspired by the Daleks on Dr. Who.

Now that I can see the whole collections, I have to say, I really dislike Amy's. It's trying to be "edgy" and it looks like drapery with odd blots and ugly colors all over it. I really dislike the styling. I think she's going for a deconstructed feel with construction and it just doesn't work. I can't imagine this collection inspiring women to want to wear a version of these clothes. A pleated bag? Really? I am very disappointed.

Ben has some lovely pieces, but as a whole, the styling overpowers the garments except for the red/orangey pieces. The blue doesn't always work. I like that he took a risk to express his point of view and as a whole, the collection did this, but it just wasn't successfully done all the time. Which shows that sometimes, you need to edit or be flexible with your concept.

Jesse...I like the leather trench and the first jacket. But beyond that, I'm not seeing anything fresh and new that works. The grey jail jumpsuit is horrible. The little hats seem gimmicky. And sorry, Thurston, you look like a used car salesman. Don't try so hard. If you relax, maybe you'd be likeable.

I still believe that all three are decoys. If Amy is a finalist, I'll be extremely disappointed.

I too am disappointed with Amy's. I had higher hopes for her.

Ben's is definitely his style, but it doesn't look like the clothes moved very well on the runway, and the comic book color palette only works some of the time.

Jesse's is what I expected it to be - underwhelming.

Had high hopes for Amy, but that color palette was unfortunate. If that's not the saddest shade of yellow I've ever seen. Mustard is always a difficult color to pull off, and Amy's collection proves that point. Her cream print was not that pretty either.

Ben's is a bit to clinical for my tastes. Star Trek-nurse-chic? I like it ok. Half liked, half not so much. The superhero red and blue pieces were better than the futuristic suits in the latter half.

Jesse... another case of an unfortunate color pallete. Hunter green is not that great a color and should be used sparingly. That said I liked the proportions and tailoring of some of his looks. Overall, though, about what I expected: not much.

Ben's color scheme makes my eyes burn. I hate.

I'll need to look at these again,but so far I'd say Amy's is real collection, Jesse is a decoy and I'm undecided on Jay's.

correction make that Ben is undecided.

Amy, Ben, and Emilio were the only designers in the pics posted so far that use recognizable models from PR7.

Amy has Holly, Ben has Alison, and Emilio has Lorena.

Just sayin'....

oh dear, I still think Jesse's a cutie, but gosh, his collection had some unflattering colours and awful construction. That, and it still comes off as very 1st-year-design-student-like.

Other than Jesse's and Jonathan's collection, the finale collections this season make me smile :). And Seth Aaron's elicited a huge, happy grin from me :)

Most if not all of the collections have models from the show. Jesse has Alexis here, I know Mila has Brandise in one of her looks, and I'm sure the others have one as well so I don't think that's any kind of give away other than that it's surprising that certain designers aren't working with certain models like Emilio and Holly which might tell us something.

Anonymous said...

Amy, Ben, and Emilio were the only designers in the pics posted so far that use recognizable models from PR7.

Amy has Holly, Ben has Alison, and Emilio has Lorena.

Just sayin'....


Well, as far as I could tell, besides those that you have mentioned, Mila has Brandise, Seth Aaron has Kristina, Jonathan has Cerri, Anthony has Monique, Jesse has Alexis, and Jay has Brittany... the only collection where I cannot spot a MotR model is Janeane's. Maybe it's because there are still photos to post...

Amy's prints are really cool. I think that first dress is pretty fabulous. However, I'm not crazy about the overall colour story. The shapes are nice, but I agree with Sewing Siren: she will get comments about her models looking 'fat'. Don't like the showstopper. I like that she used flats; let's face it most women can't pull of heels used in most fashion shows.

Ben's collection seems in line with what he presented on the show so far. Kind of fabulous with traces of costumey (wonder woman). I have to say though, I like it. The shapes are good and the construction is really interesting. The pops of blue are nice, too. He definitely took risks and I think they paid off. Very cohesive and a clear vision.

I don't like Jesse's collection much, but it's actually much better than I could have imagined. I love the first dress. The rest of the collection is an 'almost but not quite' for me (even though 'quite' would still not have been great). Oh and those hats look ridiculous.

Ben had big time fit issues with his models. The pants were way too tight and those skirts needed at least an extra inch (did you see the blue crotch shot?!?).
I actually rather like Jesse's theme. I like that whole 40's war era feel.

Amy's collection was really wonderful. It had these quirks and surprises that took it from the expected amped up simple Calvin Kelin aesthetic to something that is really her own.

I responded really well to Ben's collection. That being said, it could be because I'm both a comic reading, and a graphic designer, and this really spoke to both of those things.

Jesse's was surprisingly better than I ever expected. I don't hate it, but it's not great. His coats and tailoring are really where he stands out.

I'd really like to see Amy, Ben and Jay in the final three. I doubt that'll happen for one reason or another, but I feel like those three could deliver one of the best finales the show's had. On par with Rami/Jillian/Christian.

Talk about fit issues with Ben's dresses... in the immortal words of Anne Slowey, "That is entirely too much tootie."

Jesse needs to learn that fashion should not add fullness at the hips. Most women have enough going on there. There was *maybe* one look in his collection a sane woman would consider wearing voluntarily. Everything else was hideous.

Ben & Amy- meh. Some interesting ideas. Nothing earth-shattering.

Ooooo, close ups of Ben's bracelets. Thank you! Love. Want. Do you think they can stop bullets?

I hate to say this, because I appreciate the concept and I'm not one of those people who routinely picks apart abstract prints to say stuff like, ew, it looks like a vajayjay, blah blah blah... But damn. I don't think I can get behind Amy's print, the one that looks like a giant stain of questionable origin. It makes me want to reach for some Shout.

Ben's is totally not to my taste, but LOVED it anyway. He said early on he had a sci-fi aesthetic, and I think it's really in keeping with that, and very much of a single vision.
Amy had some good pieces and a couple of neat ideas, but aside from one print choice, it seemed completely uncohesive.
Cannot believe how poorly-sewn most of Jesse's are. The fabric is all wonky at the seams.

Again I think I must have, I don't know, weird taste or something. I think maybe I have a case of fogey. I rather liked Amy's still and I think those fabrics are fantastic. If she designed them, even more so. that first dress is totally a high-end Boobah, though. While I am alllll about the comfy footwear (see: fogey, above), I have an abiding loathe of little white sneakers or, god forbid, jazz shoes.

Ben's is brilliant. I think it's flat out ugly, but it is Fashion, it is impeccable, and it is chic. Just, you know, not my taste.

Jesse--I think part of why I react so viscerally to his collection is that his models are painfully thin. Too many bones are visible and that always looks hateful to me. But also? Those hats. Those leg covering things. Just...ick.

Oh, and yes, that last dress is Ping's burlap dress, hold the tootie.

This piece is so fucking Wizard of Oz I can't even stand it.

It looks like Jesse failed at what Ben did successfully; the comic book, metropolis look.

Amy - too weird for the sake of being weird
Ben - really interesting; some fitting issues
Jesse - kind of interesting, hate the styling, too cliche

I'm surprised by the comments here - Amy's is clearly the most tasteful and fashionable collection in this group of three. Ben's got some good ideas but it's not quite there yet, whereas Jesse's is just truly tacky and nonsensical. (How many flightsuits does a woman need?) Ugh, and the green - FAIL.

Amy was a nice very marketable feminine blah blah blah. It will sell well at department stores. Thank god someone is trying to go back to flats BUT please make them pretty flats?

Ben I love and I am so not sci fi and so not his demographic and yet loved it. Some of the fabric choices would not be anything I would touch, but it still looked very well put together. I was under the impression that these could be worn as tops over leggings or mini dresses over tights. The blue crotch just looked more like leggings with a shorter top.

Loved his color story.

Jesse ... love the coat. Ok with one or two jackets. He gives the vibe of a student that with some experience and training will be an OK designer, nothing earth shattering but good enough.

Call me crazy but I LOVE some of Amy's stuff, not the silvery origami dress or the 'face poncho' but it's light, pretty, floaty and feminine and it's great to see some prints on the catwalk.

I like Ben's collection but there seem to be some issues with fitting?

Jesse's third and fourth look seem to owe more to Robin Hood and the Thunderbirds than film noir but there's something about the detailing on the back of the green flightsuit that I like...!

Eclectic

I would have pegged Amy as Top 3 but now I'm not sure. For the most part I liked it, but she seems to have crossed the line from "cohesive" to "repetitive". I'm chalking it up to limited budget. That and the shoes!
Ben, I hadn't pegged him as Top 3, and I still don't, but God bless him. He clearly took the opportunity and ran with it. Good for you Ben, do your thing!
Jesse... no need to comment.

I see Ben's comic book influence very strongly in this. He clearly grew up studying Jack Kirby's artwork. I just don't think it translates well from two dimensions to three.

The little loincloths, cutouts at the hems of the garments, appliqued bars of color and metallic studs are all classic Kirby. All he needed was a cloud of kirbydots surrounding each model to make the look complete.

http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/marveldatabase/images/thumb/2/29/Eternals_Vol_1_19.jpg/300px-Eternals_Vol_1_19.jpg

http://technoccult.net/wp-content/galactus1.jpg

http://mindlessones.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/04/prime-one.jpg

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_oy9Ib8PN9PE/SkAR-_NcIYI/AAAAAAAAA7Y/yUNsnJJkq30/s400/pastedGraphic.jpg

Ben's collection made me smile. Love all the colors and comic book (?) reference.

Question for TLo: are we sure that last dress is Jesse's? One of the other designers (Jonathan, I think) had a three-point spiky black hip as well. Also, this doesn't seem to fit Jesse's collection in terms of theme or workmanship.

I love Ben's designs, but they don't seem to fit very well, which makes them look less appealing than they would have. I suspect he was a decoy and thus didn't have the budget to do it properly.

I appreciate Ben's POV but not the clothes derived from it.

Does anyone know what kind of white sneakers those were in Amy's collection? I want a pair!

That aside, these three collections were definitely decoys. Jay, Seth Aaron, Emilio, and Mila's were much more finalist-worthy.

YIKES! Amy's is the biggest disappointment: Ugly color story, ugly fabrics & what the hell is that first one about?

Ben's has some really fun moments. And you can see the woman who would wear them.

Jessie's looks over-worked and derivative.

--GothamTomato

Anon 12:23 "are we sure that last dress is Jesse's?"

Besides the fact that the model is styled in the same way as his other models (swoopy up-do, romantic make-up), you can see one of his flight-suit looks walking back up the runway in one of the pictures. So yes, it's Jesse's dress.

Thoughts...

Amy: Not loving the prints that look like they're exploding from crotches. I do like the prints, though. Probably the best part of her collection. Otherwise, it's repetitive. I have no idea how I feel about the shoes. I go back and forth--I find them amusing, but then I think it looks like the shoes got lost and she had to make a trip to Wal-Mart to buy cheap shoes. Ultimately I think the shoe choice is distracting and detracting from the collection.

Ben: Hmm. I love Ben, and I've loved most of what I've seen from him, but I'm on the fence about this collection. I don't really like the patchwork busyness of the skirts, and I'm not fond of the color combinations. Subtract the blue tights, and it's a lot of orange, bronze, and brown, and those aren't my favorite colors. And I find the sparkle of some of the fabric to look cheap. Most people are loving his collection, so it must just be me, heh. The red dress is killer though.

Jesse: Oh dear. Not dreadful, but not good. Very derivative. I'm someone who loves vintage looks with a military twist, so I'm his target customer, but this collection does nothing for me. His fabric looks cheap, thin, and limp, which really detracts from the structured look he's going for. And the thigh-high Hefty bags tied at the knees... just... ugh.

THAT OTHER REDHEAD
2/13/10 10:37 AM It looks like Jesse failed at what Ben did successfully; the comic book, metropolis look.

Exactly what I thought. I started out liking Ben's show a lot, then as it went on I became not-so-sure. Most of the jackets I can see people wearing on the street soon. Still, Ben is true to himself and he knows the difference between inspiration and imitation. Jesse does not.

Oh, and, Jesse? If you're going to go to the military for *imitation,* make sure that your psuedo-military frou-frou has at least some imagined use -- those back suspender-things look like they would put a girl's life in danger on a city street. Or is that how she's supposed to carry her umbrella and yoga mat?

I do think that all of these were strong collections, particularly for a trio of designers who MUST be decoys. Whether or not one likes the collections, they all were able to convey a vision and a certain degree of cohesiveness. Ben in particular (and Jesse, as well) had some fit/construction issues that I don't think Nina and Michael would have ignored all the way into the top 3-4-5.

Personally I didn't particularly care for any of these collections, but I'm still rather impressed that at first glance, these didn't scream "DECOY."

To the designers' credit, they all display a certain amount of talent and skill and design perspective that I DO think all of them have great potential, and futures ahead of them in fashion design.

LOVE Ben's. LOVE LOVE. He's not afraid of color, and sometimes I'm on the fence about the color combos, but they just seem to work, somehow. The collection is different from anything I've seen before, it's bold and creative and expresses such a clear POV. I like Seth Aaron's and Jays as well, but I'm feeling the Ben love much more than most others, I think. I hope he's at least top 3.

-e

INteresting that that Jesse fellow ended up borrowing from the dress that pushed out Ping for his last look.

Oh, seeing the complete collections really makes me like them better!

I like Amy's more today than what I saw yesterday. The prints are truly great, and the whole feel of the collection. But I still think she has problems understanding volume and proportion. And I didn't really get the all-black with the rest. If you have a 40-outifits collection, that would make lots of sense, but with 10 looks, it just looses cohesion, like there are two parts to it, but each too short to develop fully.
There is something about it that makes you feel she's a finalist.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ben's collection. Love his color sense, the fabrics, the shapes, the inspiration and lots of the pieces. Still I think he's going to have problems with execution. That skirt over the crotch is a clear miscaculation, some of the tops are also not perfectly executed. Maybe he was overambitious because the shapes he went for are not necessarily easy in terms of the fit. Not drapey not organic. Still my personal favorite.
I wouldn't be able to say whether he's a finalist or not...

I think Jesse's collection would be getting better reviews if it wasn't Jesse's collection. I think it's a clear decoy, but he hasn't done bad at it, a couple of the looks are really interesting. The WWII inspiration is a bit overbearing though.

- Don

*snort* the Fug Girls said that Jesse's line "looked like the stewardess uniforms for Von Trapp Family Air."

Amy's shoes are not sneakers, they are white brogues. They are all over the place right now, it is THE Spring shoe, all the magazines are running features, and Kate and Sienna have two seasons of wearing them...

By the way, wasn't this supposed to be a winter collection right? I think Amy's looks totally a spring-summer one...

-Don

Ooooh I love Ben's collection, especially that silver and gold jacket. His whole aesthetic is so cool.

Amy - loved how she worked the fabric. Pleats are fabulous. But I'm not sure I like the clothes so much.

Ben - Hard one for me to judge, I am not a fan of the genre (sci-fi-ish clothes), even though I think it's awesome he's inspired by Bradbury. Liked the short sleeve jacket/top, really liked the red sweater - esp. the detail at the bottom - in the red sweater/skirt paired with the blue tights.

Jesse - well, he didn't disgrace himself. He did one jacket I liked and the jumpsuits were good for those tall and skinny enough to wear jumpsuits without looking like the cleaning crew.

The graphic elements in Amy's collection is very amateur. But I loved that ruffled-paper/woodgrain dress she made. (Second to last look).

I am loving Ben's collection though. Everybody is saying his collection is Sci-Fi, but I think that's only half of it. I am seeing some awesome Steampunk inspired looks in his collection and I think that was a really smart thing for him to do.

I think the colors Ben chose were really, really ugly.

Not a fan of any of these three collections. I hope these are not in the final three.

Mrs. Miniver

Amy - The Cousin It dress is a WTF, but it makes a statement, so more power to her. I like the casual, sporty stuff a lot. I am not as wowed by the dressy dresses and wonder if she is one of the finalists and as such felt that having such a casual collection would not get the judges' respect.

Ben - I am not feeling my pretend boyfriend's collection :-(. There is definitely raw talent here and I generally don't like to play the "he needs to go work for a big name designer" card, but in his case he may benefit from working / interning for Nicolas Ghesquière / Balenciaga (if he could get hired course). In the long run, I don't know if I want to see anything from Ben on the runway or the red carpet, but I definitely want to see his stuff in this decade's blockbuster space opera or an inter-galactic version of Mad Men.

Jesse - He exceeded my expectations. It looks like too many ideas going on, even within the military construct there are too many ideas. A decent job overall, I just wished he would have exercised more discipline and presented a more cohesive collection around a narrower theme, e.g., stick with WWII North Africa and don't go off on Vietnam and outer space tangents. Also, other than the hair and makeup, I don't even get the film noir theme he mentioned. Did he find out that SA's was also military and decided to pull a different theme out of his back side?

why do all of jesse's models look like they are about to cry?

It's a crime what Jesse's done to Amanda.

I don't understand why everyone hates Jesse's collection. It's a clear decoy, yes, but there were a lot of cute pieces in there.

What's great about these collections (all 10 of them, or however many) is that not one of them is a clear trainwreck unlike season 5's Suede and Jerell. For what it's worth, all of them made a decent showing.

So Dudly Do Right (Jesse) asked his girlfriend to marry him before his runway show? What, the Super Bowl was booked? Every time I see this jerk playing to the cameras, I see a bubble over his head pontificating "I am a THESPIAN!" Right o Fake Jack Sparrow. I hope she said No.

What is a crime is what Ben did.

Ugly shapes.

HEINOUS , absolutely HEINOUS color combinations. 3 reds -ranging from orangey red to almost burgundy/dark cranberry?, turquoise AND light purple? oh honey, just no.

The blouses didn't fit. The pants and shorts were unflattering and did some one pay him by the patch?

Amy burkha/cousin it monstrosity and the ugly print and leggings were overpowering. I did like the idea of thay loose kint sweater, but when yoy make a size 0-2 model look like an 18, it is not good.
That last black blobby thing - looks like she got dumped on her way to an after work party and changed to her sneakers for the walk home.

Jesse - the first few were bad, some decent, but at least I really like a couple - that great coat outfit and the lovely gray jacket. It totally has the cut and detail/seaming that are flattering to more womem.

Someone posted about not liking attention to the hips - but a number of have previously posted that we like that - it can balance out a fuller top.

ginmaru said...

"So Dudly Do Right (Jesse) asked his girlfriend to marry him before his runway show?"
**********************************

No, He said he loved his fiancee' and wanted to marry her. They are already engaged and I believe the wedding is next month. I thought it was pretty romantic myself. Who wouldn't want their husband-to-be announcing to the world that he loved you, esp. on Valentine's weekend? I know I would.

It looks like Jesse heard military-inspired jackets were on spring runways, and decided to slap us in the face. "MILITARY!!! SO HOT RIGHT NOW!" My husband wears a green flight suit to work every day, and it is not-nor should it ever be- haute couture.

That being said, he did a much better job than i thought he would.

PS: i've been having trouble with posting. If this has already showed up, my apologies.

I'm not usually into red, but in the three shades Ben proposed it I'd buy it. Turquoise and purple is to die for. And that metallic-black-taupe-lavander, how gorgeous that is?? I thought his color combinations were absolutely beautiful. And so modern, it's so difficult not too loose edge if you do lots of color, but he manages that.
-Don

I'm pretty disappointed by Amy's. I was really looking forward to her collection. I think she could do a lot better.

I would like a couple things in Thurston's collection, but everything looks so messy and poorly executed that I just can't. Also, sweet Christ, that suit he's wearing is ridiculous.

Like Jesse's, Ben's craftsmanship is rather shoddy, but in Ben's case, it's more surprising since he hasn't been putting out total trainwrecks so far like Jesse has.

These three sadden me -- Jesse because he's there, Ben because his color sense is horrible and his execution sucks, and Amy because I know she can do so much better than this. Maybe she lost the use of her dominant hand for four months. Maybe she's been replaced by an alien. I don't know. I really hope she gets another shot to show a collection and that she puts out an amazing one.

I wanted to love Amy's, well it was ok. the print is beautiful but to much of the same thing. no one will ever feel preety in the burka. the coffee filter dress is not as cool as the original coffee filter dress.
jessee would have one the post office challange hands down.
ben, sweetie, I hope they gave yoyu your comic book challange this season so you would have scored at least one win.

If Jesse and Ben are decoys I see no reason why they shouldn't make the clothes THEY want to make. I'm sure it was fun for them.

Jesse's suit made me smile. My 24 yr old son and his crowd would DIE to own a suit like that. It is very much how they dress.

I actually have decided I hate Amy's. The more I look at it, the more it looks like fashion school looks. She clearly has some talent, but she needs an editor.

Amy's clothes look like the model has been cleaning up dog poop with them. Seriously??

Anonymous 9:10 p.m. said "No, He said he loved his fiancee' and wanted to marry her. Who wouldn't want their husband-to-be announcing to the world that he loved you, esp. on Valentine's weekend? I know I would."

Sure, it would be romantic if I didn't think Fake Jake Sparrow had huge ulterior motives in mind such as "Look At ME, ME, ME." He seems to be the only PR player ever who always knows when the camera is on. That little fist punch at Mood Fabrics reminded me that this boy is an actor first and foremost.

i dont know what it is, but i liked amys collection! totally loved the feel of it and i think she has great ideas, just give her 2 or 3 years and its gonna be somewhat stunning!

Isn't that Holly, the favorite model in Amy's collection? That leads me to believe she wins the final challenge.

Is Amy's collection reminds me of Three As Four. That's probably why I thought it was cute...done before, but cute.

OK, am I the only one who thinks Amy's ninth dress makes the model look like she's being overcome by barnacles?

No, you are not the only one. There is something aethetically unapealling about Amy's collection. Lots of underwater references - seaweed, flotsam, jetsam. But all sort of thrown onto the models without much thought. All in all, a huge disappointment.

I think Amy's collection is a stunner; thoughtful, understated and very much a collection of ten looks. I see her in the finale and I see Nina all over it.

The coffee filter dress feels like a wrong note though.

Jay's and Jesse's work do not feel as well thought out or cohesive but I thought they both had some interesting looks. Yes, even Jesse!

It seems that many designers picked up on the "Ping" hip embellishments (for lack of a better word - e.g., Jesse's last look). Fascinating.