Faux, Fierce, and Foxy

Tuesday, February 20, 2007 by




It's funny. Faux "dirty" jeans look hot when they're worn normally, but all that ripped, distressed, and stained denim being used for skirts, tops and dresses this week just doesn't work. We can't help but find ourselves hoping these girls were sprayed down with Febreze before they hit the runway.

Even though the end result isn't quite what it could be, we really liked the idea of Emmett using a pair of jeans to make a shrug. Unlike the other designs, we suspect this one was meant to make you think of the original clothes and see how they've been rethought.


Like his entry last week, the basic design is good, it's the proportions that are off. Everything would work better if it was just a little more tailored. Not that there's anything wrong with a looser fit, but without a little more tucking and pinning, it looks too much like he just put an old shirt and pair of jeans on her without really sewing anything.


The only choice that we really don't like is the blue trim, which adds nothing and is a bit too distracting. We don't think the dress needed the trim at all but we do think the belt should have been in a contrasting fabric. A strip of denim would have worked a lot better there.


We can boil Nick's fashion philosophy down to one word: fierce. In fact, we suspect that's Nick's life philosophy.

"How are you doing, Nick?" "Fierce!"

"How's your steak, Nick?" "Fierce!"

"Excuse me, do you have the time?" "It is a FIERCE ten minutes after three, girl!"


This outfit is indeed, the very definition of "fierce." It's not exactly the most tasteful thing and we doubt the word "demure" is even in his vocabulary, but that's fine. He's working an aesthetic and making clothes that are supposed to get your picture taken; not get you marriage proposals.


And that's how this outfit needs to be judged. It's not tasteful because it's not supposed to be tasteful. It's supposed to be hot, outrageous and yes, fierce. Big props to him for coming up with something truly different.

We're not supercrazy about the asymmetry in the top or the (ohmigod I can't believe I'm about to type this) studded thong straps or the -- what is that thing hanging off her ass anyway? A foxtail? However, it is an eye-catching, sexy, over-the-top design and it's perfectly executed, so even though this is not at all to our tastes we think it was a major contender for the top of the pile.



[Screencaps: projectrungay.blogspot.com]


Post a Comment

33 comments:

Anonymous said...

I thought emmet's shrug was clever but agree that the whole thing was not that well executed. Although I feel it was one of the most wearable. Nick's was fierce, you are right. Not my cup of tea but I agree, it was original. I hated the foxtail. Hated. I loathe fur but even if it had been fake I would have despised it.
CP

Anonymous said...

One thing that always bugged me about this episode was how the judges were falling all over themselves giving Santino so much credit for chopping up his leather jacket. Nick did the same and no mention of it. I like what he did, but that tail....isn't that a furry thing? ***shudder***

Anonymous said...

Whether the designs were well-executed or not, I really enjoyed this challenge.

It remains one of my favorites.

- Barnaby

Anonymous said...

i'm surprised that you didn't mention the styling on emmett's model--sheer reba mcentire circa 1991-1995! (don't get me wrong though--i love that perky lil' redhead!) i thought the outfit was a little too holly hobbie, or to put it a less nice way, trailer-trashy. doesn't that girl look like she's had relations in a pickup truck bed?

Anonymous said...

Uncle Nick is the fiercest fashion beast this side of fierceness!!! I <3 Nikolaiki!!

Anonymous said...

Great post, but sweethearts it's "demure." Demur means something else entirely.

TLo said...

Darling! How embarrassing. Fixed it!

Anonymous said...

Given the nature of the challenge, I liked the way Emmett turned his jeans into the shrug. Sure, the dress wasn't well-made, but he didn't have time for good execution--he had to spend so much time staring at his dress form waiting for his clothes to speak to him.

As for Nick, he did make a statement and he did it well. Way too hooker-y, of course, but at least we get a pricier hooker than next season's Jubilee Jumbles variety. And what's with the PR designers giving their models a tail? That's just never a good idea unless you're designing costumes for Cats (or at least Halloween).

eric3000 said...

"Unlike the other designs, we suspect this one was meant to make you think of the original clothes and see how they've been rethought.

Exactly! I appreciated that. That's one reason I also liked Santino's: it worked on its own but you could also see the original garment in it. Most of the designers were simply using their old clothes as pieces of fabric (nothing wrong with that; it's just a different method).

I didn't realize until just now how much Nick's outfit had in common with Kirsten's. They really are the same basic concept. Nick's did turn out much better, though.

DolceLorenzo said...

"Excuse me, do you have the time?" "It is a FIERCE ten minutes after three, girl!"


ROFL. I am SOOOO using that!

Sewhat? said...

Guys could you post the clothes that Nick originally wore that night. I don't remember him being dressed for a leather bar, but I could be wrong. And why would he be wearing a raccoon tail to a leather bar?

TLo said...

sewhat? said...

Guys could you post the clothes that Nick originally wore that night. I don't remember him being dressed for a leather bar, but I could be wrong. And why would he be wearing a raccoon tail to a leather bar?


Hi Sewhat?,

Here's a picture of what Nick wore that night. Hope that helps!

Anonymous said...

I love both outfits for different reasons. I would totally wear Emmett's during the day and Nick's for those occasions when I want to be and feel yummy. Fierce!! With Liquor!!

Anonymous said...

Nick's outfit is skanky. It looks like something from Britney Spear's closet. Ewww....

I like Emmett's dress a lot. The trim is especially pretty and the jacket is too cute.

Roxy said...

Thanks, sewhat! I couldn't believe actually wore a foxtail to that party, but I was wrong! I thought he should've won because his outfit was the best! Not my taste in clothing, but totally hot. I didn't really Chloe's dress, unlike the panel of judges.

Emmett's outfit is badly-made, IMO, so kudos, uncle Nick!

Anonymous said...

A FOXTAIL! I mean, really! A FOXTAIL!! That girl has a FOXTAIL hanging off her ass. WTF?????

It reminds me of that designer on Project Catwlak who put a HORSETAIL on one of his dresses.

TAILS should be strictly the domain of FOUR-LEGGED critters.

I've yet to see a human woman pull off a shaggy waggy tail.

BigAssBelle said...

oh my, the hot studded thong strap tail thingie is actually something i'd have worn back in the day. i do vaguely recall, in those disco days, heading out with the tail of some critter attached to my jeans.

dirty jeans = hot

ugh.

i detest the whole dirty jeans thing and don't think it's hot in any way. it just looks nasty and stinky and like you don't wash your hands, so when you rub them down your thighs, all that grimy stuff from god knows where gets deposited on your jeans which you never wash because you're a drove up dope shootin junkie and can't be bothered with such things. ick. not hot. creepy.

but then i hail from the land of knife-sharp triple starched wranglers bunched up around a fella's cowboy boots.

i don't even wear jeans, but if i were to wear them, they'd not look dirty and neither would the pockets be down where the roundness of my ass meets the straight up of my leg.

but i liked the shrug thingie ~ if only done with clean jeans. :-)

Anonymous said...

TAILS should be strictly the domain of FOUR-LEGGED critters.

Indeed.

CP

Sewhat? said...

Well, my then, um, what was Nick thinking when he got dressed that night? He is much too cute a guy to dress that way.

Is there some secret code/symbolism to the fur tail that us fruitflies should know about?

I have to say that it is not a popular affectation here in the Castro in SF. But as I have said they do things differently in SoCal.

NahnCee said...

I liked the tail. I thought it showed a sense of humor, which is always a good accompaniment to chains and black leather.

Anonymous said...

I think Nick was being literal. The woman is a FOX! Get it?? A FOXY LADY!!! That's why he stuck a big ole bushy tail on her.

But I don't like how these young girls wear their G-strings hanging out. It looks trashy... super low-rise with the THONG straps sticking out in plain view. It's something a stripper would wear.

Anonymous said...

Pair up Nick and Emmett's models and they are a progressive high school prom couple.

Jenn said...

Wow, every time I see Rebecca I'm hit by how striking she looks, the "Nazri" of Season 2.
Only Rebecca could make a female erection (hilarious, guys!) look hot on the runway. Hats off, she's damn sexy.

Hey bigassbelle, know what you mean about those jeans, I go to osu and see those walking by me everyday...niiiice :)

Anonymous said...

I love Nick's look. It's borderline hooker, but it's hip.

Anonymous said...

is that jeans true religion?

but emmett's is pretty good.

nick's...i totally can't remember what nick has done this episode, oh, a punk dress, right.

Anonymous said...

No self-respecting hooker would wear Nick's outfit. You'd get arrested in a millisecond. That screams out, "FOR SALE!! RENT BY THE HALF-HOUR!"

The big chains on the back?

Leather thong straps hanging out?

The foxtail?

WTF is the front? It looks like two rags pasted over her breasts.

My goodness! This is pure trash.

Nick's taste level is in the gutter.

Anonymous said...

"How are you doing, Nick?" "Fierce!"

"How's your steak, Nick?" "Fierce!"

"Excuse me, do you have the time?" "It is a FIERCE ten minutes after three, girl!"


You boys sure do know how to make my day!

BigAssBelle said...

Jenn! Honey! That's my dear alma mater :-) So much better than that passel of criminals down I-35.

Anonymous said...

Nick has taste issues. That outfit looked like it crawled out of a trailer park.

Anonymous said...

The only thing missing from Nick's outfit is a tramp stamp over her butt crack. Nick is the queen of slutty wear.

Anonymous said...

the hot studded thong strap tail thingie is actually something i'd have worn back in the day.
------------------------------

I'm only 20 but I still wouldn't wear that. So vulgar! She looks obscene. I can't imagine any woman paying money for that sleazy outfit. Unless... she's Lil Kim or Anna Nicole Smith.

Anonymous said...

I think Nick's outfit was atrocious. Original? Yes...but so was Lupe's. What was up with the thong? To me, the outfit screamed "prostitute."

Anonymous said...

Geez, Nick, the tail looks ridiculous on Tarah... blech.

But Shannon looks so cute in Emmett's outfit. She's pretty, but the way she was styled here, she looks very natural and outdoorsy. I liked the look he did here for her, though it didn't seem to fit as well as it could have.