Sunday, November 12, 2006 by
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In the Project Runway Hall of Shame, the "tumor dress" has a place of honor. Again, this is one of those designs that, two years later, PR fans still talk about.
To be honest, we're of two minds about this one. First off, the challenge was a bit of a shell game. The designers were given a challenge that could only yield purely conceptual results and after the designs were completed they were told that they needed to go out and sell them.
"Envy" is a design concept that would naturally lead to conceptual pieces that were less than pretty. We really can't fault Starr for her concept, although it did provide hilarity in the facial expressions of the people to whom she tried to explain it:
Incidentally, that 30 Van Dam guy is a cutie but is it politically incorrect to point out that we could barely understand him without subtitles?
So no, we don't hate the concept of a tumor dress to evoke envy. And even though the color scheme looks like a Christmas decoration circa 1968, we don't even fault her for that, considering she had to hand-dye the fabric on an extremely tight schedule.
What's wrong about the dress is exactly the same as what was wrong about Mario's this week: literalism. "Envy is a tumor that eats away at you." Okay, fine. Very poetic. That does NOT mean that you LITERALLY attach big red tumors to the dress in order to make your point. Starr, what were you thinking? No, the concept doesn't lend itself to "pretty," but at some point, she needed to step back and realize that she inadvertently forged head on into "grotesque."
With this week's and last week's challenges, it's obvious that the one thing Starr needs more than anything, is to cultivate the ability to edit herself. Three words, girl: Tone. It. Down.
Then again, what can you say about someone who goes around wearing a "strawberry ovaries" apron?
[Screencaps: projectrungay.blogspot.com]
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41 comments:
What bothers me even more than the garish colors and the ridiculous "veins" is the fact that this dress is HORRIBLY FITTED. It gaps and puckers around her torso, and the hemline is just stupid looking. Very amateurish all around.
And ugly. Very, very ugly.
Mmmmmm...strawberry.
mmmmmmmmm...ovaries.
Perfect! Loved the expression on that poor woman's face when Starr said, "It's a tumor."
"Then again, what can you say about someone who goes around wearing a "strawberry ovaries" apron?"
LOL. Both dresses were ugly. And strawberries? WTF?
Strawberry + ovaries = coffee on screen.
I'm not so sure those tumors weren't malignant, as one seemed to have lodged in Starr's brain. Nothing else could explain that monstrosity.
ditto potty mouth princess. strawberry. ovaries. that is so divine!!
This dress is the Season 2 equivalent to Santino saying, "I want them to look like deer."
she's cornered the market down in Fraggle Rock though- not even H&M can compete with her down there- Go Starr! Soft-sculpture your competition into an early grave!
Yeah, Van Dam, he's hot!
I recall having a profound visceral reaction to her creation. Like, "I want to throw up now" was probably my exact thoughts at the time. This reminds me of when Kara Janx did that "No Trespassing" dress. The literal translation of something does not work well in fashion as it does in other areas of design. It comes across as trite and mundane.
OOoohhhh I was SO hoping you were going to comment on Meep's outfit. She looked like such an ass.
!!Strawberry!!Ovaries!!
Leave it to you two to lead me to a funny side of cancer. So my ovaries ended up on her apron but it appears my uterus and fallopian tubes are hanging off that poor twigs shoulder.
Keep that dress away from stem cells and photocopiers because it could replicate into a dreaded epidemic of Prêt-a-Porter.
PS: For those of you who fret and worry - it was ovarian and I survived 12 years so far.
Just looking at that dress makes me sick.
Strawberry ovaries! You guys are hysterical!
Even the model, Audrey, looks sick in that picture. As if that hideous dress was sucking the life juices out of her.
Vic
You know, with a nice pair or patent red peep toe platforms and a Kate Spade hair do, it might work.
I outright didn't like the dress. It looked like an upside-down plant thing was eating poor Audrey. And I think Starr has a strawberry fetish.
Kiss kiss,
~Maddie
Is it me or do the models seem more "polished" in season 1. The hair is usually lovely if not rolled up in giant rollers and they seem better made up and generally unlike they were just pulled off the street, hat ripped off the head, feet slipped into shoes, dress over the head and whip cracked to walk the runway as in this season where the hair was AUF'UL.
'Cuse me T&L,
Who can concentrate on your funnies when you keep flashing Nordstrom?
I'd rather be shopping there. Make me Happy just like Alison when she sees animals.
maddie said...
"I outright didn't like the dress. It looked like an upside-down plant thing was eating poor Audrey."
That's IT! The dress *IS* Audrey Jr. from The Little Shop of Horrors!!!! FEEEEED MMMEEEEE Seymour!!
"strawberry ovaries" apron...too f*cking funny!!! XXXOOO to the boys
The Scarlett said...
This dress is the Season 2 equivalent to Santino saying, "I want them to look like deer."
ROFL, it looked like liver on her shoulder
T&L,
R U going to have time to snark on Treasure Hunters.
I called that one too. The geniuses after the 1st episode. I am a sucker for U's.
And they all want to provide health care for the needy. Wow. Carry on!
That strawberry dress and apron look like something from "Come Back To the Five and Dime Jimmy Dean, Jimmy Dean". She needs a name tag that says "Darlene" and an order pad.
I have to say that I love the model's shoes. I think they're gorgeous.
"Even the model, Audrey, looks sick in that picture. As if that hideous dress was sucking the life juices out of her.
Vic"
It's 'cause she knew she could be going home that very moment. I would be fearful too.
yeah when i watch season 1 i thought, what is starr thinking? but then i watch season 3...compared to vincent and angela, starr is adorable. lololololol. and her little twisted face.
is the judge guy gay?
and kevin johnn...i can't tell.
Patsystone said:
"That's IT! The dress *IS* Audrey Jr. from The Little Shop of Horrors!!!! FEEEEED MMMEEEEE Seymour!!"
I got that same visual!!!!!
Ugh, this garment looks like a thrift sale Mardi Gras costume. Totally barfworthy.
"is the judge guy gay?
and kevin johnn...i can't tell"
Kevin is straight, and I'm pretty sure that the judge is a robot.
how did she get on the show exactly???
Tears are literally pouring down my face. Just catching up from a weekend away and after reading about WackoPepper, the Tumor Dress, Strawberry Ovaries AND comments from the peanut gallery, I need a box a tissues.
This blog is too much. :-)
"
This dress is the Season 2 equivalent to Santino saying, "I want them to look like deer."
"
indeed!!
i think of santino as well. i was like, well, lame+colorful...isn't santino like starr? but obviously judges love santino more. he brings drama.
Great. Now it's not just the tumor dress, it's the christmas ornament tumor dress. Wonder why she didn't put her model in a bald skullcap.
Strawberry ovaries--one of your funniest lines yet!
But the thing is, you can't have it both ways. Either the challenge was designed to evoke purely conceptual pieces or it was designed to evoke commercial pieces.
If it was designed to evoke conceptual pieces, I mean, EW! "What was your inspiration for this dress?" "Well, I remembered reading an article a long time ago about how some tumors even have hair and teeth when they remove them..." And if it was designed to evoke commercial pieces, WTF would make you think anyone would buy a dress with a tumor on the shoulder?
Anne
"This dress is the Season 2 equivalent to Santino saying, "I want them to look like deer.""
...Or Santino trying to turn Sasha Cohen into a turkey curry buffet.
--Gotham Tomato
I wonder what she wears to go to the office.
I couldn't watch Starr during the runway segments of the show. She was so fragile, like she was going to very quietly fall apart on the stage in front of the judges. It made me so uncomfortable, like I was channeling her angst. How do you go through life teetering on the edge like that? (She reminds me of Nicole Kidman - ready to blow at any moment.)
Then again, what can you say about someone who goes around wearing a "strawberry ovaries" apron?
oh. my. god.
I think I just burst a strawberry ovary laughing.
Starr lugged her jean jacket up onto the runway to use as a shield against the judges. But who can blame her for wanting to feel a sense of defense against them?
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