Nina: Pure Simplicity.

Saturday, October 07, 2006 by

What happened to La NiƱa?

It's just not like our girl to wear something so frumpy-looking. Did she pick up the wrong drycleaning or something? She looks like she's going to a picnic. In 1964.


She's got the look of a woman just scanning the room, waiting for a chance to say "Oh, this old thing? Why, it was the first dress I ever made! The classics never go out of style - and it fits me just as well as when I was fourteen!"

Querida, it pains us to say this, but we don't like the proportions on this dress; the color isn't working for us, and we fear you haven't thought about how this will look on a woman's body. Your woman's body. We -- we can't believe it's come to this, but...

It's not aesthetically pleasing.

Chica, what happened?


"Haha. I know, right? My ex-assistant picked it out."

59 comments:

BigAssBelle said...

boy, that is one ugly ass dress, isn't it? didn't even notice it (or perhaps with my highly developed sense of aesthetics, i automatically averted my eyes).

don't they look cute in that last photo? almost like the all american couple, betty and bill, going to the neighbor's house for a pot luck.

BigAssBelle said...

and that first paragraph was a joke . . . i loved kaynebow's couture creation, and jeffrey's little bo beep frock. heh.

Anonymous said...

My immediate thought was "Nina is pregnant, too!" Let's start a rumor and tell Andy Cohen (BravoTV exec who is a rumor monger).

Sally

Anonymous said...

Seriously fugly. You can see why people are speculating that she is preggers. I'm sure it's just the combo of the dress and the things that T.V. is doing to the dress. Her hair looks gorgeous though, as always.

What is with the Michael Kors uniform? Maybe you've tackled this mystery before, but dayum, that's weird for such a hottie. You suppose he feels fat? We all hide in black sometimes, but sheesh, he doesn't even need to!

Anonymous said...

"betty and bill, going to the neighbor's house for a pot luck"...that's a scream.

what do you suppose MK would take to a pot luck?

i digress. nina looked as ninja as she always does. she obvioulsy went to the sample room and found every hanger to be empty but two (the gals in proofing pit got to them first). it was either that dress or the one uli designed, her "vasted" dress, and nina could not carry that one off.

she looked like she would have been more comfortable on jeffrey's lap......

Shari said...

I totally agree on the "serious ugly" of this dress but I did notice that she likes to wear that emerald green a lot. Or so it seems...

jd said...

This is the best Project Runway blog, ever! I love you guys.

Embeedubya said...

I thought maybe she was going with the whole maternity dress look, circa 1963 when pregnant women got big boobs, big bellies and little puffs on their shoulders.

Gigi said...

Yeah, and those pockets are insane.

DolceLorenzo said...

"Gigi said...
Yeah, and those pockets are insane. "

LOL.

I love Nina, but that avocado dress is not working for me. That is some serious ugly!

LauraK said...

The bodice was designed by Uli, the pleated skirt was added by Santino Rice and the pockets were supplied by Vincent. It was kind of a round robin.

Anonymous said...

Yup, pretty ugly. I had the same reaction when I was watching the show.

Anonymous said...

Nina's dress: Serious Ugly!!!

Anonymous said...

"She looks like she's going to a picnic. In 1964."

LOL. True.

Unknown said...

This looks like Santino held held her down and dressed her aginst her will. She just barely pulled the last bit of glue-gunned chi-chi off before hitting the scrim.

Anonymous said...

Yeah, I thought Nina was trying to join the club with Laura and Heidi. My thought was "are the girls trying to have a contest to see whos got the biggest?"

Anonymous said...

The dress makes her all tits and hips. That must be why she looks preggers - her waist is gone.

Unknown said...

While the dress is totally lacking is Nina's normal hotness, it is nothing compared to Kors' messed up self tanner. I think he forgot to add on to his chin.

Anonymous said...

"My ex-assistant picked it out."
There just might be an opening at Elle, after all!

Anonymous said...

I though the dress was just OK, but not nearly as bad as everyone seems to think. Just OK. I don't see Nina Garcia as a fashion icon and she does not come accross as someone that has a strong sense of style. I cannot recall a single outfit she wore during the run of the show that looked great or even remotely interesting. She did look cute with the sparkly tank & shorts combo at the Elle office episode, but still nothing that special either.
This green dress is just another so-so look.

Tiffany said...

Shut UP! I usually agree with most of you guys's opinions ... but I LOVED Nina's dress. It's so cute, fun and fresh. In her own words ... "Adorable!"

Anonymous said...

In reading this, I'm reminded of a scene from Drop Dead Gorgeous...

Gladys Leeman:
"Thank you, thank you. You know, I won the talent contest by sewing these culottes, Butterick pattern 7-4-3-2. Can you believe it? They still fit!"

-shane-
http://eastmeetswest.blogdrive.com

Anonymous said...

Agree that the whole vibe was odd, maybe due to editting? She kept hanging back while MKors strode forward.
She seemed in a shy mood, but who knows? Maybe she was anxious someone would ask if she was expecting....

Anonymous said...

She couldn't have worn anything less flattering! Oh my goodness, heads are going to roll!!!

Anonymous said...

I was so disappointed when I saw her; barely recognized! Where's her tiny waist, why are her hips so gi-normous? The color-- my folks had a washer that color in the 70's-- from Sears & Roebuck. The capri's and tank-- super young & hot. This? Too tired to make the effort.

PS: Michael Kors-- please change up the outfits. You're a handsome man. You dress millions of women (like me)& men in the most beautiful of clothes. Live a little. Do the same for yourself.

Chiro Board Watcher said...

It looks like she got dressed in the dark........in someone elses closet.

BTW, I have got to agree with the Kors uniform. WTF is up with that!? Three years now and he's still wearing the EXACT same thing. Good Lord man, design something else for yourself. My wife kicks my ass if I wear the same pants two days in a row.

Anonymous said...

Yes, Nina's dress looks like a Vincent original! It's a total Twiggy.

bonnie lass said...

I wasn't crazy about this outfit, but 9 times out of 10, Nina still looks loads better than Heidi. And at least she does mix it up, unlike fellow judge Kors. The green looked too dark and it definately made her waist disappear ... But the more I see her, the more I realize she loves these sorts of dresses.

Oh god ... If Nina ever does get preggers, I don't want to know about it. My sad little fantasy of having a lesbian fashionista running around would be shot to hell. A dyke can dream, can't she?

Anonymous said...

Yeah, what IS up with MK always wearing the same exact thang? I's a little...well...predictable... and dare we say....boring? Ahem. Robert, I know you're smiling somewhere.

James Derek Dwyer said...

Regardless of the dress, that color is terrible on her. And I love Nina. La Nina, as we call her in these parts.

Sewhat? said...

Note to "Marcelomf":

She is the FASHION EDITOR of Elle Magazine, for God's sakes !!! I have been trying to point out her lack of taste all season. How on earth did she get her job at Elle...she can seldom dress herself. Do not misunderstand, she is personally very attractive, but no taste.

jacoffoalltrades:

"what do you suppose MK would take to a pot luck?"

MK would take prosciutto wrapped figs drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a bottle of Pinot Grigio, Nina would take a five layer bean dip from the deli counter at Safeway and Fritos.

And about the pregnency thing? I think Nina has "womb envy".

FIT GRAD said...

"prosciutto wrapped figs drizzled with balsamic vinegar and a bottle of Pinot Grigio...a five layer bean dip from the deli counter at Safeway and Fritos"

TOO FUNNY...

That would have looked cute on Paris Hilton, it just wasn't age appropriate...well, let's just say it probably looked good on the dress-form at the Tijuana Wal-Mart...it made her look like the Lucky Charm's Cathouse Madam.

As for MK, he's stuck in that NYC chic mode from three years ago. It is the official uniform of the creative Manhattan Male.

XXXOOO to the boys

Anonymous said...

i thought it was really cute...

marniecel said...

Oh you guys have summed it up, the dress is ugly, the colors don't work. I never have liked that Green and black accents color scheme for a dress. I remember Princess Di wore a dress in similar color scheme and I thought it detracted from her. It's a loud colored dressed but still" dowdy" how did she manage that. Remember they accused dear wonderful Emmet of being dowdy and tacky or something...well she's not tacky but it is dowdy and a bit loud at the same time. Don't think she's pregnant, these dresses are the style now, highwaist , remember Santino did it to almost everything...ha ha now Nina's wearing it, it looka a little like one of Santino's dresse I think!!!Oh no!!!!!

bonnie lass said...

So, were there rumors of her pregnancy elsewhere, or just here on Project Rungay? I'm all confused. (It doesn't take much.)

But seriously, if she is, someone let me know so I can skip next season. My fantasy needs to stick around for a while longer. =)

Lisette said...

I thought the dress looked very becky-homecky too. Probably cost a mint though. Did Kayne get his self-tanner recipe from La Kors because the two of them are now sporting the same shade of orange.

Anonymous said...

Maybe Santino made it...

Chiro Board Watcher said...

If Kors had been a real gentleman he would have let Nina carry the big check to hide behind.

Unknown said...

I love you guys, and your blog, but this has been gnawing at me for quite awhile now.

The line is not "It's not aesthetically pleasing."

The line is, in fact, "It's aesthetically not pleasing."

Keep up the good work, though.

Anonymous said...

why does everyone have to jump on the bandwagon when one person says something is ugly. i think the dress is cute. the 50's are really in. but maybe she's just a little bloated.

but i love you guys <3

Anonymous said...

The 50's are really in?

Where?

Anonymous said...

Nina's dress is NOT 50s. Mrs. Ward Cleaver would have NEVER worn a dress like that (no crinoline) and much too short.

No, Nina's dress reminds me of what my mother wore in the 70s. Fugly.

Anonymous said...

I thought it was a really nice dress.

Adora said...

Nina's dress is "trendy"-- not particularly "flattering" or "pretty". They look good on just about no one, but every girl on the street just HAS to wear them....

and I just don't know why. Having an empire waist-->Preggers. Thats the only time it might be helpful, IMO. Blegh.

Anonymous said...

Get over it, the dress wasn't THAT bad. What's worse is Kayne's icky fake tan. Congrats to Laura for not feeling the need to tamper with her natural pale complexion.

Anonymous said...

I watched the Reunion repeat today and the only thing that bothered me about the dress was how cheap the fabric looked. Tonal polka dots! ICK! I love NIna inspite of that and forgot all about the dress when she fried Angela for that dog of an outfit with the wrinkled tank and bloomer skirt!

Brian

Anonymous said...

I don't disagree with the whole Nina thing but I think the bigger question should be: WHY DOES MICHAEL KORS WEAR THE EXACT SAME OUTFIT EVERYDAY? Seriously! Black jacket, black T, jeans, black shoes. Considering the business he's in he should be able to find at least one other outfit on the planet to wear. Should we all pool our pennies and buy the man a stylist? How can Nina not have turned to him by now and said: "I'm sorry Michael, it's old, it's matronly, it makes you look like your mother for god's sake, it's boring!"

Lili

mickeyitaliano said...

sorry guys...maybe you had your gay goggles on...She looked smokin as ever. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, right?
She can do no wrong.
To quote La Garcia:
"I just don't understand this? Your a mess"

Anonymous said...

Did Alison make this dress? Nina looks a little zaftig...

Anonymous said...

nina? That dress? It CONFUSES us!

Anonymous said...

that is a very cute dress. seriously.

Anonymous said...

Ok. We are all officially PRheads!

* We follow the contestants even after they finish the season.

* We know much more about their personal lives than about our own family members.

* We get into fights because somebody called our favorites names.

And now I noticed:

* We speak all the time using quotes and expressions from the show!

(I know I do it all the time and people in my family totally don't get WTF I'm talking about...)

PRHEADS! :-D

Anonymous said...

Mickeyitaliano,
While I think Nina (& you, btw, I've read your blog-- you should TOTALLY have your own show--wowza)is hotter than a nickel whistle (an old southern adage)the dress hides and/or misleads all of Ninotchka's fab assets. Either her Victoria's Secret Wonderbra is at the cleaners or the dress makes the "ladies" nearly non existent. The hips are more pronounced because the waist is not even close to being accentuated. & think about the color-- does it do anything for her honey golden complexion? Perhaps I'm missing something but I think given her position, her beauty and her critical aplomb, she could've done much better.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if Laura had dressed like Michael Kors does if she would have suffered less from the impression that all of her creations were exactly the same...

Vantine

Unknown said...

It kind of looks like the bastard lovechild of Jeffrey and Vincent made this dress.

However- at least Nina's look varies- unlike La Kors in his black blazer and tee and 1997 semi-faded bootleg jeans.

Anonymous said...

Michael Kors look is fine, people. He chose a classic look and stuck to it, just like Armani in his solid black Tees, Gaultier with his sailor stripe jerseys or Tom Ford with his black blazer and unbutonned white shirt. They work with fashion but don't need to be a fashion plate. Being in the industry myself, over time you become blase about the search for the "next hot look". You learn to appreciate the classics that flatter you and leave the trendy stuff to the fashion victims.

JM said...

Nina is simply carrying on her tired old tradition of dressing like a sixteen year-old girl from Beachtown USA. Her style lacks maturity and taste, in my opinion. And has anyone noticed that she NEVER wears any tops with sleeves??? Woman, throw out the tank tops & cutesy dresses, and cut off that split-ended, fly-away crazy frizzle-frazzled mess coming out of your head. IT'S JUST NOT ASTHETICALLY PLEASING!!!

Anonymous said...

I just saw this dress that Nina was wearing on a preview for next weeks Brothers & Sisters on ABC.

It oddly seems to suit Ms. Flockheart

Anonymous said...

Perhaps show producers asked Nina to wear the ugliest thing possible as a backdrop in case the four finalist dropped the ball at Bryant Park?

Naaaaah...just butt ugly...period!