Ripping the PRC Collections: Evan Biddell

Wednesday, January 02, 2008 by

Tom: Fucking stunning.
Lorenzo: The jacket/cape is amazing. Love the contrasting colors.
Tom: Agreed. And the silhouette was just beautiful. Pfft. Pockets.
Lorenzo: Get over it.


Lorenzo: I love it. I just think hoods are way done.
Tom: I agree, but the contrasting gold was just beautiful.
Lorenzo: It's just such a done version of "fierce," you know? Like the whole "unveiling the hood at the end of the runway" thing.
Tom: No argument there, but I still love this look. The detail on the skirt is really striking.


Tom: Gorgeous. Absolutely gorgeous coat. It's not exactly reinventing the wheel, but it's beautifully done.
Lorenzo: It's a shame you can't see it in the picture, but the back was a thing of beauty.
Tom: At first I thought that was a bag, but it's actually a giant pocket. I'm not sure how I feel about that. Love the giant buttons on the sleeves though. Can definitely see the cartoon vibe he said inspired him.


Lorenzo: I hated the whole thing.
Tom: It's just a basic dress with some embellishments that do nothing for it. I hate the color.
Lorenzo: I don't mind the color so much but I hate the detail at the waist and hem.
Tom: And I think the skirt's too full. Plus, giant bow. Do I need to elaborate?


Lorenzo: Absolutely love it. Just look at that skirt.
Tom: It's such a great silhouette. A very tight bodice with a very short, full skirt. Just looks fresh to me. Could do without the industrial gloves. She looks like she's laying tar on a roof.
Lorenzo: And the bow. Hate the bow.


Tom: Love it. Fantastic silhouette. Kind of a reverse of the previous look. Very tight bottom with a full, blousy top.
Lorenzo: I love the look but I think the shorts are a little too short.
Tom: No, I think they work perfectly, especially with the way the top balloons out in the back.


Tom: This model was horrible. Nothing wrong with bringing a little sass, but she looked like she was gunning for a fistfight.
Lorenzo: I love the look. Love the shorts and the way they're tailored. I love the weaving detail on the jacket.
Tom: I do too, but I hated the giant split hood on the back of it.
Lorenzo: And he went a little overboard on the buttons in the back.


Lorenzo: I didn't like this.
Tom: Well, I think we've seen the dress plenty of times before. It's just not that interesting.
Lorenzo: It's just very cartoony.
Tom: Well, it's supposed to be. I did like the jacket, especially the detail on the collar and hem.
Lorenzo: It looks too much like a cartoon villainess. Too "evil queen."
Tom: And not in the good sense.


Tom: I loved this.
Lorenzo: So did I. My god, the back of that skirt was AMAZING.
Tom: I know. It's a shame, because this is a really terrible picture of a really striking garment.
Lorenzo: Love the vest too.
Tom: And the collar.


Tom: I think this is stunning. I have just one complaint.
Lorenzo: I know what it is.
Tom: It's that Vosovic-esque triangle right in the middle of her torso.
Lorenzo: You're right. It serves no purpose and it could have ruined an otherwise perfect look.
Tom: Despite that, the pleating and the origami-like work on the cups is just beautiful.
Lorenzo: Another thing that is no small accomplishment: This was a skin-tight dress that went past her ankles and she had absolutely no problem walking in it. That is a well-made, well-designed garment.


To sum it up, this was, in our opinion, exactly the kind of collection that should always win a Project Runway competition. It was beautifully executed and it was unique and fashion forward and still consisted of the kinds of clothing that many women would wear or wish they could wear. It was youthful and exploding with creativity. It's something of an easy cliche, but in that sense, his collection really did remind us of Jay McCarroll's. Young, fun, beautiful and wearable.

One other thing: the criticism levied by many regarding the fact that he basically made the whole collection at the very last minute. We have absolutely no idea why that matters at all. What matters is the end product, not how he got there.

60 comments:

Mike B. said...

I liked Lucian's collection much more than you guys did (and MG's somewhat less). But I agree that this was a fantastic collection and the most appropriate winner.

Anonymous said...

Maybe the contestants should ALL create their collections at the last minute. Then they wouldn't over think them. Look what happened to Lucien.
LOVED Biddell's work here. And I liked the "fierce" model. She had an outfit to be fierce about!

yawningdog said...

I just finished watching the final minutes ago. I know it was the editing - they showed everyone's work but his, the stressed that he made in all in one week, and that he was making half the collection on site at the last minute. I try to ignore that kind of false build up, yet I was completely stunned by his work. I guess I was expecting half finished, last minute garbage.

His work is absolutely not my style and even if I had the body to wear it, and the money to buy it, I wouldn't and still I think it was the best collection I have seen since Jay's.

gloria said...

Arthur Miller had a play on Broadway when he was 88. When asked if he was writing another he said: "Probably." Ted Sturgeon
did not write for seven years - then he wrote an entire
collection of stories in a very short period of time.
An artist's head is always working - it doesn't matter if it is actualized in three months or three weeks.
An afterthought - would love to see what Lucian could do with oils on canvas...
TLo - thanks for your good work!

Trish said...

I loved Biddell's the best. You can definitely see the cartoon/superhero team influence in the collection yet the pieces were wearable.
I guess anyone who's upset with his winning with a last minute collection is jealous. Some folks do their best work under pressure. I hope Biddell is able to keep the momentum going though and not disappear off the radar.

Anonymous said...

I actually have to disagree. I loved that purplish dress on the red headed model. It looked really cartoony (in a good way because it fit his theme) and was strikingly beautiful against her pale skin. It's not a color you see too often. I disliked the red dress that came after that one. It just looked too short and I found the color boring for my taste. Overall it was a wonderful collection and the most wearable but I still can't get MG's collection out of my head! I don't know if it was those crazy pink stockings or what. Despite everything I've heard about her collection I just can't help but like it anyway. I also loved Lucien's doily bikini! You couldn't swin in it but it'd be cool with some shorts and long, straight 70's hair.

bitchesdye said...

I loved this collection. Second only to Jay's in all the PR pantheon. Go Biddell!

It also confirms that I didn't just hate Jeffrey's collection because he was such a jerk. Biddell's personality grated on me, but he really brought the goods in the final. And he deserved to win.

It's all about what goes down the runway, not the personality of the designer or how long it took to make it.

Sewing Siren said...

I think the jewel tones are the strongest pieces although the color palette seems a little more like winter than spring.
I agree that it doesn't matter how long it took him to execute the collection, however I bet he spent more time on it than it appeared on TV.

DolceLorenzo said...

Absolutely gorgeous!
Definitely the Canadian Jay!

Anonymous said...

This was the first collection that actually gave me chills and where I just yelled, "Yes!" at the screen. Loved it!

Anonymous said...

I loved the collection, but there is one thing I just didn't get - can you help?

The judges are always looking for a "cohesive collection" - in what way was this "cohesive"? The fabrics are all different, the colors are all different, the silhouettes are all different, - how is it cohesive?

In any case - the clear winner

Crow Winters said...

He totally played to the local crowd with the DFA 1979 song.

That said, stunning collection, totally deserving of the win.

Anonymous said...

The cohesiveness came from the repeated use of certain elements: the hoods, the large collars, the pleating, the origami, the open backs and the use of rich jewel tones.

Lilithcat said...

I wasn't as fond of this as you are, but I agree that whether he spent 3 months, 3 weeks or 3 hours on the collection is completely irrelevant.

That short red thing (#5) is godawful! It looks like something Esther Williams would wear, in the water. I like the green shorts & top, but he needed to lose the fishnet stockings.

Anonymous said...

I loved this collection and i think he totally deserved the win. i thought it was strange that biddell was the ONLY designer to use his signature model last in the line up and was the ONLY designer to close his show with an evening dress

i guess lucian did as well but his dont really count as his whole collection was evening wear

Anonymous said...

Regarding time spent vs. end product- I completely agree and understand that method (and madness) of working. I've never been much of a sketcher and I hate discussing my work before I'm settled on my designs. From school reports to creating jewelry for a show, I've always stored up my ideas until they come out in short, intense bursts of creativity.
He truly earned his win.

velvetbeet

Anonymous said...

LOVED Biddell's collection. It was the most innovative and interesting of the three.

and how about his using the hide of an animal that was killed by his family? Outrageous but so Western Canada!!

JoeS. said...

I was rooting for MG since the begining, and I liked her collection but Biddell won this hands down. His collection was fresh, lively and eye catching, and it reminded me to Jay's final collection too.

I hope Biddell becomes successful and he better starts working on some mensware too.

GothamTomato said...

" his collection really did remind us of Jay McCarroll's. Young, fun, beautiful and wearable."



I'd agree, it comes the closest to Jay's. I still think though, that Jay's collection has been the best PR collection. No one has yet surpassed Jay, but Biddel has come the closest to approaching him.

--GothamTomato

Brian said...

Eh. I'm not that impressed. It all looks a bit Kylie Minogue 5 years ago to me.

Anonymous said...

I didn't particularly like Biddell throughout PR Canada, but seeing the runway show, it was obvious to me that his was by far the best collection of the 3. The second look, with the hood and the gold piping, totally belongs on a snowboarding chick in one of those chic ski resorts. Of the 10 pieces, the 3rd look (blue dress with belt) and the green piece -- I hate it because of the anorexic model, might have liked it on someone with actual flesh on her bones) don't rock my boat, but the rest is great.

I couldn't wear any of his clothes on my best day, but he's a shoo-in with the young, hip, rich kid crowd.

GothamTomato said...

"gloria said: An artist's head is always working - it doesn't matter if it is actualized in three months or three weeks."



Exactly.

Anything and everything informs your work & so you are always working no matter what you are doing. At least, that's what I'm always telling myself when I'm spending the day out playing hooky, instead of being in the studio.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

I hate to be picky but in the second picture, gold and white dress, the color bands don't match where they meet at the side seam.
Isn't that a dressmaker faux pas or a sign of poor quality?

Linda Merrill said...

That blue/purple dress color is projected to be "it" color for 2008, per Patone, in fashion, products and interiors.

Anonymous said...

I don't like hoods - can't explain it. I would have loved his collection a lot more if he had gotten rid of the hoods and chosen another neckline.

As someone already mentioned, his collection reminds me of snowboarding at Banff/Whistler. Which makes sense given his background.

Loved the idea of the final evening dress, but feel there is something off about it. The first dress that he made for the fundraiser was perfection though.

Anonymous said...

GothamTomato said...
" his collection really did remind us of Jay McCarroll's. Young, fun, beautiful and wearable."



I'd agree, it comes the closest to Jay's. I still think though, that Jay's collection has been the best PR collection. No one has yet surpassed Jay, but Biddel has come the closest to approaching him.


Does Kara Janx's collection count? To me hers was a close second for best runway collection.

Linda Merrill said...
That blue/purple dress color is projected to be "it" color for 2008, per Patone, in fashion, products and interiors.

And it should be! I have a great eye. Lol.

Anonymous said...

I agree that it's the end result that matters, and he shouldn't be penalized for last-minuteness. I did think, however, it was really strange to see Iman pick Biddell as the winner after giving them her little speech about how it all comes down to hard work.

Sorry, but I'm just not feeling the love here. There is some beautiful detail work, just like there was on Lucian's. But for me, there's way too much shiny; too much way too short; too many loose plunging necklines; too many hoods. And way too many tights.

And I don't see many elements here that could be converted into something wearable for anyone over a size 0.

Anonymous said...

Gawchuss!

Anonymous said...

It was alright: better than the other two, although I liked Lucians collection much more than everyone else it seems. I think the green lantern outfit was aweful but I really loved some of the hooded peices and the weaving detail jacket. The end dress was lovely but I hated the pleated cups.

CAAF said...

I'd put Kara Janx's second, with Biddell's tied with Kara Saun at third for all-time. This was a gorgeous collection -- loved the energy, loved the colors, would love to wear many of the clothes (esp. that coat!).

Don't care about how long it took him to create his collection but do query his maturity overall to start and run a business: He will need to pair with (and be willing to listen to) a great business manager. Whatever, though, he was the clear winner. Really exciting.

CAAF said...

I'd put Kara Janx's second, with Biddell's tied with Kara Saun at third for all-time. This was a gorgeous collection -- loved the energy, loved the colors, would love to wear many of the clothes (esp. that coat!).

Don't care about how long it took him to create his collection but do query his maturity overall to start and run a business: He will need to pair with (and be willing to listen to) a great business manager. Whatever, though, he was the clear winner. Really exciting.

Anonymous said...

I don't see how you can say that it is a well made collection. We can't see the finishing - even if it was sewn as opposed to glued, taped or stapled.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree that work schedules don't matter; the finished product does. But I don't love this collection, though I like some pieces. Too much seems to me absolutely unwearable. (Who would wear that godawful green short set or the dress that came just before it?) Okay with me that this collection won, though I am less enthusiastic about it than others are, but Jay McCarroll's collection genuinely was wearable--on the subways and everything. This isn't.

Gorgeous Things said...

You know, it's funny, I hated the collection at the time. But with a little space and without having to listen to him or watch him mug for the camera, I like some of it.

As far as the how-long-he-took-to-do-it, pfeh. I get assignments sometimes months ahead, but I don't do them until the last minute. It's how I work well, and I would bet that, while he may not have sewn it, Biddell probably chewed it over in his mind for a lot of that time.

Unknown said...

Yes, I'm always far better with too little time as well. I tend to Over Edit and end up with nothing. I loved this collection, too. Almost as much as I hated Lucien's. MG's disappointed me and I think she might have suffered from too much time.

Mom said...

I felt this was the clear winner, too. It just felt so fresh and interesting. As for Biddell's TV personality, I don't know but my life brings me in constant contact with his age group and what others saw as arrogance and assholishness struck me as pure nerves and insecurity. As with Jay, I suspect it will be a big challenge for Biddell to harness the creativity and develop some businessman discipline, but I really do hope he can.

Anonymous said...

Where does one get to see Kara Janx's decoy collection?

As for Biddy, you know, he's now based in Vancouver. I'm in Vancouver. I see *a lot* of young women around here wanting and buying those styles of clothes and the jackets could be worn by stylish mature women, too.

I want pants, though. He seemed to do pants so well and shorts just don't cut it.

He'll be a flash in the pan. Maybe open his own little shop somewhere. The money doesn't even pay for half of the cost of a crummy studio apartment within 30 minutes of downtown so who knows how he'll blow it.

TLo said...

Where does one get to see Kara Janx's decoy collection?


Why, right here on Project RunGay of course! Go here and here, darling.

Anonymous said...

biddell just repeated everything he's done all season, the pleating was done in the iman challenge, the origami details he did in the resort challenge. they were all the same scooped backs, hoods, coats in different porportions and colours. i disagree a little with the comparison to jay.

Anonymous said...

Loved this collection with few reservations. Yes, even the Evil Snow Queen look.
Y'all KNOW where you've seen the dress before. It's our Laura without embellishments. Something, IMO, a little more everyday, or at least not necessarily cocktail/symphony wear. Now, I adore Laura, but this simplified version of the deep V neck potentially appeals to a much broader audience.

I love his basketweave work, though it was ill-placed on the bubble dress (definitely a miss). That said, this collection hit the perfect balance of not "too much" (other than the bubble dress and c couple of tacky bows), or "too quirky."

IMO, the winnah.

Anonymous said...

These pics look much better than they did on video.

Anonymous said...

Oh. My. God.

TLo typed to me (I'm Anonymous in Vancouver).

Jesus. Reading that was almost as exciting as watching Biddy's runway show.

I think I'll go swoon now (and then go look at LaJanx's stuff).

Off to see what the brouhahahahaha is all aboot.

Julianna Strelow said...

Whenever I sat down to watch the finale of PRC, I had seen some of the previews for the show (don't live in Canada, but was visiting friends up there when the finale aired) and was extremely worried for Biddell, knowing that he didn't really spend as much time as Lucian or MG on his collection.

However, when his collection came out, I was amazed. It truly doesn't matter how long it took him to do any of it, because he did a terrific job. Totally deserved the win, even though he wasn't who I was rooting for at all.

Anonymous said...

Biddell's collection had the same effect on me as Jay's. Biddell's was last, like Jay, and I knew the minute I saw it. Loved it, loved it, loved it. Couldn't stand Biddell's behavior on the show, was not a fan of his designs in the challenges, but I responded immediately, much to my surprise. And my favorite look was the Evil Snow Queen. Yum, even though the bullet hole in the leather freaks me out a bit.

I hope he's able to capitalize on the win and do something great.

Anonymous said...

The hoods looks stupid. Kylie Minogue wore that shit 4 years ago.

The boobs on the wine-colored halter dress are horrible. Not woman-friendly at all.

The rest of the collection was okay but forgettable. It didn't blow me away like Jay's.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and I agree with Lorenzo that those green shorts were way too short. It looked like pinched underwear.

I think the PR3 designers had more variety. We saw more trousers, vests, and other pieces. The Canadians just made skirts and dresses. Most of Biddell's collection is comprised on those miniskirt dresses. Boring!

Anonymous said...

Wow! I really hated this crap. All of it. I don't know how you could like this. BORING. It was very tired.

Anonymous said...

LOVE it! And I was really hoping for MG to win it all. But when this came down the runway, to me, it was a hands-down winner. Fresh and innovative. Love it!

Congrats Biddell!

Anonymous said...

ROWRRR!! Get up on the wrong side of the bed did we? Delete comments that don't suit you?

TLo said...

" Anonymous said...

ROWRRR!! Get up on the wrong side of the bed did we? Delete comments that don't suit you?"

No, just the ones that treat us like hired help and complain that we don't write fast enough.

Anonymous said...

I heard that Biddells little sidekick CArlie designed the collection for him while he was incapacitated by the effects of prolonged cannabis use.

This guy is an AUF and cannabis use causes laziness and severe weight gain.

His stuff was OK, but you will not see him produce a collection, that is for sure. The guy is too stupid.

Anonymous said...

Oh please, Gitane Girl. Where did you hear this? Exactly where? Don't go spreading rumors that have no basis in reality.

Anonymous said...

The show's over, though. What else *is* there to discuss except innuendos, double entendres, heresy and gossip?

Anonymous said...

TLo said...
" Anonymous said...

ROWRRR!! Get up on the wrong side of the bed did we? Delete comments that don't suit you?"

No, just the ones that treat us like hired help and complain that we don't write fast enough


It was a joke sweeties (the deleted one and the second one) Lighten up. Can't you tell when someone is kidding?

finding the filth said...

i have to agree with your assessment of biddell's collection. it was fresh and creative and just bursting with energy. so graphic. so youthful. it deserved the win.

definitely the most exciting runway show since jay.

Anonymous said...

"I heard that Biddells little sidekick CArlie designed the collection for him while he was incapacitated by the effects of prolonged cannabis use."

LOL, that does not surprise me in the least!

James Derek Dwyer said...

I only have one thing to add. Biddell's cute. I'd hit it- and bounce back for more...

Anonymous said...

Who the fuck cares about Canada?

Anonymous said...

i looked at the pictures and guessed what u would say: loved it or hated it. i was right most of the time

Anonymous said...

Since Biddell has done hoods forever I doubt that he will ever stop. One of my favorite Biddell pieces is a coat with a gigantic hood. When I go out in snow my hair doesn't get ruined.

Loved the collection. Can't wait for his show in March.