Jaysus Christ

Monday, November 13, 2006 by




Hey, you know what?


Jesus really knows his shit.


Oh sure, this isn't for everyone, but it's such a strong statement and it's so well-executed that we're surprised that the judges barely mentioned it.


In fact, we don't think anyone else did a better job of producing a garment that evoked "envy" more than this. For that alone, he should have won it. The bindings on the legs combined with the frantic, almost schizophrenic scribblings really set the tone for the piece. Even if we hadn't been told the particulars of the design challenge, we could have looked at this and made a pretty good guess.


And what really made it stand out was the witty way the piece starts off at the top almost conventionally light and pretty and gets deliberately uglier and darker on the way down. You can't not pause and take the whole effect in. Good job, Jaysus. And judges? Crack is whack, yo.



[Screencaps: projectrungay.blogspot.com]



Post a Comment

39 comments:

Anonymous said...

I agree, Jay nailed it.

Anne

Byron said...

Jay definetly should've won this challenge. Less blatant nippleage as well.

Anonymous said...

This was one of my favorite outfits of the season. While he didn't turn out something "beautiful" in the classic sense, I found it profound. If you aren't going for the lace and sequins in design then go for striking and profound and it will hold up better and get every woman what she wants which is UNDIVIDED ATTENTION. It works.

Anonymous said...

I loved Jay's presentation the most.

Anonymous said...

"Jaysus Christ"

LOL. I didn't know Jay's hair was so long. I'm not crazy about this outfit but I think it does represent "envy."

DolceLorenzo said...

Definitely my choice for this challenge.

Vic said...

Total envy. Totally love it. I've been screaming Jay Jay Jay since Episode One.

I suspect that the customers who voted for Kara's were not given clear instructions so they chose conservatively.

I would wear this outfit and strut my stuff, and make every woman pea green with envy because it's so happenin'!

Anonymous said...

It is a striking outfit. This is one of those memorable events from season one--it was a trip to see Jay pitching his outfit to the silent auction customers by calling himself Jaysus.

Gorgeous Things said...

Yes! Jay should have won. What were the judges smoking?

Sewhat? said...

As you said earlier, the problem was that PR pulled a switcheroo where this challenge was concerned. Jay's was certainly the best outfit for the original challenge, "Envy" but when PR did a 45* (I don't have a degree symbol) and had the "customers" judge with their checkbooks, Jay's looked more like a lame 80's outfit. Except the pink ankle warmers were missing. His outfit was a lot less marketable than Kara's.

I know T & L aren't big literalists, but I was really intrigued with the things 'Jaysus' was writing on the pants "I need to lose 1/8" here", etc. and I think that the dark grey of the pants and all of the stringy/bondage stuff lessened the impact of the writing.

Anonymous said...

"it's such a strong statement and it's so well-executed that we're surprised that the judges barely mentioned it." Amen, bruthas!

You could say this about just about any garment he presented all season. The judges were definitely doin' the Mayor Barry, imho.

Loves me some baby Jaysus!

Gorgeous Things said...

I wasnt' able to comment on the Ep. 3 preview, but I loved Tim's comment, "Safari meets Ice Cap"! Oh Tim, you card! And look, I found Austin's lost twin:
http://www.globalarray.net/user/tsayn/hermey01.jpg

Anonymous said...

I adore Jay, but in this case I want to ask... "Is it even pretty?"

No.

And not only is it aesthetically not pleasing, it demonstrates that bugbear that has been brought up so many times already this season: literalism.

You can't get much more literal (from Middle English "litteralis": of letters) than writing your message all over the outfit with a felt-tip marker.

And is it just me or is literalism the big buzzword of the season? I suddenly remember smirking as Nora said that putting roses on a wedding dress was "so literal".

Gigi said...

I agree, I thought this was the most innovative design for this challenge.

Anonymous said...

Like Austin, Jay has a very unique look, and I love him for it.

Anonymous said...

Not my style at all, but very innovative.

Thank you guys for blogging Season 1.
This is my first time watching it. Your commentary is hilarious.

Anonymous said...

The most memorable and easily the best executed designs out of all 3 seasons. Jay nailed it. He's amazing.

Anonymous said...

I know some may not agree with me, but I think that, of all the winning designers (from the 3 seasons), Jay is the only one that fits the "The next great american designer".

His style is definitely innovative and you can see that he's not trying to copy anyone... is all inside his sick little mind.. I <3 me some Jay..very, very much!

I love that you guys are reviewing S1... which, btw, I just bought it today through your link.. ;-)

Anonymous said...

My DVDs arrived yesterday : - )

I think Jay should have been the winner of this challenge. I love this outfit. It's innovative, young, and fresh.

Lydia said...

I too love Jay. You just never know what he'll say or do next. He's the Eric Cartman of PR.

Anonymous said...

love this one,
but hay didn't sell this well.

also love that model!

bungle said...

OH HELL YESSSSSSS!

My favorite art museum is the American Visionary in Baltimore. Visionary, or Outsider art, oftentimes has a lot of writing involved. If you're ever in Baltimore go to the Inner Harbor (where most people go anyway) and see this place. The website is www.avam.org

Anyway, Jay's work really elicited the kind of response I've had to avam stuff. While I couldn't identify an envy theme (I couldn't really read most of what he wrote) just from the look, I did get something this side of an apocalyptic vibe from his outfit; which is to say I wouldn't match the song "Pink Fluffy Dinosaurs" by Hooverphonic to The Jay's Envy experience.

The Jay is The Man!

Anonymous said...

Looks like Jeffrey lite. Boy, I'd give a year's salary to see those two collaborate on a line.

jinxy said...

Jay is a much more flippant than Jeffrey ever was, and in his own way, more intense.

If anything I would say it was reversed, and Jeffrey was a Jay lite, if I dared to compare the two at all.

Jay's clothes were always stronger than Jeffrey's. Just look at his work for the first 2 challenges (I won't give any spoilers, but those that have already seen S1 know what I mean)

Jay hasn't been on the bottom yet... Hadn't Jeffrey at this point (S3/E1) ?

Vic said...

If anything I would say it was reversed, and Jeffrey was a Jay lite, if I dared to compare the two at all. Jay's clothes were always stronger than Jeffrey's.

Not only that, Jay's short commentaries are full of bite, wit, and sarcasm. Jeffrey was just an angry peanut, without charm or grace.

And Jay can sew. Look closely at that envy outfit, which was made under time constraints. Jeffrey could only WISH that some of his runway outfits were sewn half as well.

Anonymous said...

I love Jay. He's always funny and witty. I really liked this outfit.

Anonymous said...

"jinxy said...

Jay is a much more flippant than Jeffrey ever was, and in his own way, more intense.

If anything I would say it was reversed, and Jeffrey was a Jay lite, if I dared to compare the two at all."

I agree 100%. Jeffrey is nothing but a whinny little peanut.

Anonymous said...

Jay is the bitchy voice of reason. I thought his outfit was really cool. The writing on it is not totally readable from afar, so its coolness goes beyond what is written on it.

Anonymous said...

" Anonymous said...

I adore Jay, but in this case I want to ask... "Is it even pretty?"


I wouldn't say it's pretty but it does make a statement, and in my opinion, I think Jay's creation clearly fits the challenge.

Anonymous said...

OOh, I love this episode--I wish we were able to see more of what Jay had written on the pants.

Interesting thought about the Jay/Jeffrey comparisons, also. I tend to gravitate towards Jay because his designs still have a whimsy to them, even when they are "angry". His use of colors is very original and his character is just that, a character. He is abrasive and blunt, but it also seems to mask a deep-seated insecurity which I just can't help but respond to.

On the other hand, Jeffrey designs with much more purpose, even when angry. I don't get much of a sense of whimsy out of him, even when he is trying to be whimsical. This may also reflect their different career status: Jay was unknown, not even pursuing fashion as a career when he came on the show, whereas Jeffrey was already pretty well-established and had a definitive point of view.

Bean said...

God, I love Jay. I want to roll around in a pile of his clothes and giggle with him until we get bored and decide to smoke a cigarette.

rundeep said...

no one, no one no one, has been better than Jay. Fashion forward in a visionary sense, yet bizaarely wearable. Humor, inspiration, execution .... Jay.

madelineanne said...

I think my favorite moment of this episode was Jay commenting that people are intimidated by religious icons and maybe he should have come as one of the apostles instead. (I may have miquoted a bit, but that's the idea)
So dry and witty and also aware of whmsy. Love him!
The outift may be a bit literal, but the literalism is mixed up in an outfit that has a definite design poit of view and style.

Anonymous said...

Ms. Place said:

"And Jay can sew. Look closely at that envy outfit, which was made under time constraints. Jeffrey could only WISH that some of his runway outfits were sewn half as well."

I did look closely. You should, too. The draped cords on top are created by merely cutting out bars of fabric, and the remaining fabric just curls up to make the cords. Jeffrey would have sewn the cords.

Anonymous said...

I've forgotten how much I lerved S1! Thanks for the memories!!

Anonymous said...

I have GOT to, GOT to, GOT TO get a "Jesus Really Knows His Shit" t-shirt for my mother for Christmas. She can wear it to Rosary Group. :-D

Anne

jinxy said...

fash cur said
"I did look closely. You should, too. The draped cords on top are created by merely cutting out bars of fabric, and the remaining fabric just curls up to make the cords. Jeffrey would have sewn the cords. "

First of all, we don't know that. I saw Jeff send down some very unfinished work in his time on the show. I also saw him send down some stuff (the nun dress) that was poorly sewn.

Jeff seemed to just give up when he was faced with a challenge he didn't feel "fit in with his aesthetic" (the mother challenge) while Jay embraced it (the Banana Republic challenge) and went on to make something beautiful, with his own twists inspiring the whole look.

Jeff is not versatile out of his element. Jay adapts himself to the challenge put before him, such as designing for a clientele that does not necessarily share his design point of view, such as the Banana Republic clients.

Jay and Jeff really should not even be compared in my opinion, but if the comparison must be made, I just feel that while Jeff may be very good at a very narrow aesthetic, Jay is far more versatile, and holds his talent level across the board.

Anonymous said...

Just wanted to agree with what Jinxy said.

Also: I'm not going to get into a whole Jeffrey vs. Jay smackdown...oh, who am I kidding, of course I am. I just didn't expect it to start this early in the game.

Personally I would say that Jay's outfits were, on the whole, better thought out, better constructed, and far, far smarter and wittier than Jeffrey's. I personally like my edgy with a touch of whimsey. This "envy" outfit is a perfect example. As the PRGB pointed out, it is pretty on top -- the way the model wishes to present herself to the world...and the presentation purposely "unravels" on the way down. From future challenges it is clear that Jay's construction skills are extremely good -- the deconstructed aspects of this outfit are, I believe, deliberate. Think of the white garment as a dress that slowly comes apart to show the model's body -- or more specifically, her insecurity about her body -- underneath. Whether Jeffrey would have sewn the cords -- which is not a given, since some of his garments were unfinished in parts -- is irrelevant. Jeffrey never would have designed this. He doesn't have -- or at least, on PR, he gave no indication of having -- the quirky mind and wry humor that it takes to come up with something like Jay's envy outfit.

Anonymous said...

yuk...yuk...ugly..
then again I thought the freak should have gone home early and my friends and I gagged when he won.