Monday, January 14, 2008 by
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Oh, kittens.
We're back to arguing again.
Lorenzo loves it and Tom went from merely liking it to hating it more each time he looks at it. Seriously hating it.
Alright, let's start with Lorenzo: he thinks it's a beautiful, sophisticated, albeit basic, prom dress. He thinks the color and choice of fabric is lovely and flattering and he thinks the client loved it and glowed when she walked down the runway.
Here's Tom's retort: Basic. That's exactly right. In fact, it's so basic that it could be picked up in any prom or bridal shop anywhere in the country for about $150.00.
But before we get into the back and forth on that, let's talk about some technical issues on which we both agree. The shirring in the bust and the double straps are nice details, but the fit in the bust is seriously wonky. Those cups are way too high and she looks like she's gonna pop out of the sides the very first time she raises her hands in the air like she just don't care.
And what's the strange pulling over there on the right?
We're also both in agreement that the skirt was too full and from the back, wasn't particularly flattering.
Now. Back to yelling at each other.
Lorenzo says that it looks like a prom dress and it's a pretty and sophisticated design.
Tom says, if the criteria were "pretty" and "looks like a prom dress" then Chris should have been standing there in the number 2 spot instead of Sweet P.
Nonetheless, we're both happy to see her finally complete a look polished enough to get the judges' attention even if there were more deserving dresses on the runway.
Also, if they auf'd her, we're a little afraid she would have used her telekinetic powers to lock them in the studio and blow the whole place up.
[Photo: Barbara Nitke/Bravotv.com - Screencaps: Project Rungay]
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95 comments:
I think that although it was beautiful, it did seem quite basic compared to the others. Alike to the Hershey's challenge. Chris should've gotten more attention over his.
FIRST (I think)
Oh no Lorenzo, not you!! This dress was meh, eh, fugly!!
This dress was NOT flattering in the least. The gathers on the side made the poor girl look wider. And from the back, when she moved, it looked like she was wearing pampers!
And how could those judges say that Kevin's dress looked cheap, and not say the same thing about this? Yes, the color was nice but it was Marianne Shops all the way.
Those judges have got to be grading on a curve and needed to finally throw a bone to this 'special' designer who has shown no design nor construction capabilities whatsoever. She should have been auf'd already, but it looks like she is going to be this year's accidental finalist.
---GothamTomato
If Sweet P did pull a Carrie on the judges, it would be no more than they deserve this season.
I agree with both you guys. The dress is beautiful and yet there's something not great in the fit. I thought the problem was more in the hips, though. Something there didn't work for me.
I believe this was the first time that Sweet P's friendly nature worked for her. I'm not the biggest fan in the world of that dress but she heard what her client wanted and modified it in a way to make it a lot more flattering. so it's a decently nice dress that made both her client and her mother happy. This is a success of communication skills more than it is a great dress. it's actually only so/so, but a good compromise while still being pretty.
There's something in the way you guys dissect the runway looks that I don't agree with. It seems like your analysis is made after a lot of staring at screen captures. A prom dress (and most other dresses) is all about the first impression. If you liked it when you first saw it and then had to go back and examine it so closely before you began to like it less and less, you're judging the dress on terms that it wasn't meant to be judged on.
I've seen lots of other examples of this recently, most notably with Kevin's weight loss look where people argued over whether the model showed a belly. Someone said that she clearly did because if you scrutinized the photograph, you could clearly see a shadow. That's not the way people look at dresses. You have to see them move, and you have to see them in the moment.
Sweet P's dress looked great coming down the runway, and it would look great at a prom. I thought it was maybe a little bit too much of a second-runner-up-at-the-Miss-Teenage-Rahway-pageant look, and it was clearly basic, but it was a good response to the challenge she was given.
I think you're both dead on that the look was well done "basic prom" and could be found easily anywhere (as opposed to Kevin's, which didn't look prom and still could be found anywhere...). I think Sweet P really nailed it on the styling, though. The girl was glowing.
I'm dying to see the Ricky review.
AES
Oh dear god...forget the dress, what is up with her prom date? He reminds me of Matthew Mcconaughey in Dazed and Confused, and not in a good way.
This is the problem with being a Gemini...I agree with both of you. I have little Tom and Lorenzo angels on my shoulders! Help!
I totally agree about the boobs. She's gonna have trouble on the dance floor.
Nothing popped for me in this episode. "Best crop of designers?" What was Tim talking about? I'm beginning to think it was code for: "you won't believe which losers make it through to the tents."
Firstly, I do not like charmuse as for anything other than sleep or underwear. But that aside the dress looks pretty good. She did a good job working with her client and the fabric too.
Design wise it is unoriginal (but all the gowns were) and I (as a girl with a heart shaped ass) would never, ever, wear a dress that has gentle gathers into the waist seam in the back. Darts are much more flattering.
Look, there's no real consistency in the judging, and that's somewhat understandable; it can't be entirely objective and will always seem arbitrary. So what if this dress was basic, so what if she doesn't sew or design as well as some other people: the girl looked great, and SP got well-deserved credit for knowing how to work with her client--I believe that is part of this sort of challenge--taking the input and refining it. Basic isn't always bad, and sometimes a comparatively simple design adds up to more than a complicated one. And, yes, the bust looks a little high, but you do have a screen cap of her with her arms raised and she ain't poppin'.
"Those cups are way too high and she looks like she's gonna pop out of the sides the very first time she raises her hands in the air like she just don't care." I peed myself when I read this.
I liked it fine, the fabric was pretty. It was a bit like a nightie, though. And, what is up with the prom date? Hilarious picture.
i think i remember Sweet P's client explaining that she had a bit of a booty to deal with, which would probably explain the fullness of the back of the dress.
This dress seemed much more "promenade" ready than the other party dresses we saw clump down the runway. Love the fabric, and all in all it captured the look the client wanted.
This was at least pretty. It wasn't couture but it wasn't bedazzled either. Chris' dress far outdistanced this one as a sheeth type dress made for the model's body. When VictorYa won this one every other contestant was ROBBED.
Ah that the judges would look at these dresses more than once before flinging their barbs at them.
Cindi
OMG love the Carrie reference!!!!! Her date does look like William Katt!
i just thought it was boring - and thought she was gonna get booted because of it. I thought that with her biker-chick personal style she was gonna bring a little more "pow" into the season, but - blah.
Thank god for bedazzlers and bubble skirts and fringe!!! they may be awful,but they make the show worth watching.
It's amazing how all the designers (except for Chris) took $250 and created items that would retail for <$150. How does that work?
That said, Sweet P designed a lovely nightgown for Joan Crawford.
How much do the judges know about the clients' requests, I wonder? Because this girl wanted a pretty white prom dress -- and that's exactly what she got. I agree that there wasn't a whole lotta "point of view" there ...
But let's face it, everything about the judging this episode, top to bottom, was totally f**ked. Ricky shoulda gone home with Christian on the cutting block (at least they got that right), and the Top Three shoulda been Sweet P, Chris, and Kit, with one of the latter two getting the win. VictorYA should've received a nice "Congratulations; your scores enable you to move on, now get the hell off the runway."
Why are you so forgiving of the "wonky" fit on Kit's dress, and not Sweet P's? Kit's dress had serious fit issues in the bust (the TV test pattern was way off center) yet you glossed right over that.
Andrea said...
So what if this dress was basic, so what if she doesn't sew or design as well as some other people:
The *what* would be that she is in a design competition where the ability to sew plays a crucial role. I do agree with you however, that the dress looked good on the girl.
Although this is certainly Sweet P's best effort, I thought the biggest problem was that the dress was cut like a nightgown. That seemed particularly true as it was coming down the runway - cut too high in the bust and too full everywhere else. It billowed.
Chris's dress was both more forgiving with the front panel and more fitted. Coming down the runway, it flowed rather than billowed. Big difference.
Anonymous said...
Why are you so forgiving of the "wonky" fit on Kit's dress, and not Sweet P's? Kit's dress had serious fit issues in the bust (the TV test pattern was way off center) yet you glossed right over that.
From the Kit entry:
"the bust is beautifully executed except it looks slightly off-center (although that could be a posture issue and not a fit one) and the straps are attached to the waist somewhat inelegantly."
I thought the dress was 'classic'. OK. 'Classic' usually equals 'basic' but the girl really looked good in it, she obviously loved it and it fit the brief nicely.
And I agree with the neighbors will hear, it's the first impression that counts and not static photos. The dress moved well, the boobs stayed put and, yeah, if I had a dressmaker making my dress, I'd expect at least two fittings, not the entire process being done in 12 hours and one short fitting session.
She deserves kudos on this one.
What are the fit/design/sewing issues that accompany the use of charmuse? Some of you gave some excellent insight into how Kevin's fabric choice influenced his otherwise headscratcher of a decision not to finish the hem of his dress. Did the use of fabric influence the issues with this dress in a way not obvious to us novice-level home sewers?
"kana said...
i think i remember Sweet P's client explaining that she had a bit of a booty to deal with, which would probably explain the fullness of the back of the dress."
It's the gathers that explain the fullness of the dress. The girl sounded like she was proud of her shape and wanted something that would flatter it, (ala Jennifer Lopez, the patron saint of junk in the trunk).
This dress did not flatter her at all, and SweetP clearly did not understand that, nor did she even understand what the girl meant. So much for working well with the client (there's more to working with a client than just not arguing with them).
This was not the right shape dress to flatter a booty. This gown was the gown equivilent of elastic waisted mom-jeans.
--GothamTomato
"The Neighbors Will Hear said...
There's something in the way you guys dissect the runway looks that I don't agree with. It seems like your analysis is made after a lot of staring at screen captures. "
What a bizarre complaint. That's what they do with every dress. That's what they've always done. Why complain about now?
Didn't we learn in S1 that charmeuse is incredibly hard to work with? That undoubtedly contributes to any fit issues, which frankly, I think are minimal.
Yep, the waist is too high, and therefore the boob cups start too high. But for all we know that's a reaction to Mom saying the dress is too lowcut and there being no time to do anything else other than hike it.
My recollection is that this girl had a booty and LIKED it -- wanted to show it off. Sweet P gave her a Full Butt without showing cleavage, and that was quite a trick. (In a color slightly different from the model's request and without looking trampy).
She singlehandedly raised that girl's taste level, without making her feel bad about herself. (That was the point of talking about her own prom).
And I'm surprised you didn't mention that she lived up to her name in defending Princess Puffysleeves to Promzilla. She didn't have to do that -- in fact it works against her interest since they poll the clients often and the happier the clients are with the dresses the more competition there was.
She's far from the best designer in the pack, but she's made some decently pretty things, she doesn't throw other people under the bus, and I don't get the hate.
I liked this dress, and think that Sweet Pea did a fine job of taking her client's wishes into account, but designing a gown that flattered her client's figure. And the girl was glowing.
Is the design basic,similar to a dress/gown that you'd find on the rack? Maybe, but frankly, most teenage girls are not going to be looking for a Commes Des Garcons style gown for a prom-which is my way of saying that this challenge was about couture meeting the real world, and how the designers handled that.
"andrea said: so what if she doesn't sew or design as well as some other people"
I'd like to compete in next Olympics. So what if I can't run, jump, skate, etc.
--GothamTomato
Sweet Pea is so adorable in her prom picture. Would that have been 1978, 1979?
I loved this dress and it should have won, if not Chris' dress. Only a fat girl would hate this dress.
It was beautiful and captured the spirit of the challenge. Prom is formal and most of the other dresses were not formal.
The dress was too tight in the midriff, which is why you get those drag lines. I'm conflicted about this dress. It was better than a lot of what went down the runway (Victoryaya), but it was kind of uninspiring.
Anonymous at 11:43. thanks for illustrating what I meant when I said T&L "glossed right over" the fit issues in Kit's dress.
Really, it's as arbitrary a judgement as anything Nina or the Duchess claim week after week. On Kit's dress it "could be a posture issue", but on Sweet P's it's entirely the fault of the designer?
I'm not sure how we "glossed over" the bust on Kit's dress when we devoted just about as many words to it as Sweet P's.
The reason we floated the idea that it could have been a posture issue with Kit's is because we couldn't actually tell from the pictures and video.
The reason we didn't float such an idea about Sweet P's dress is because we can actually see from the pics and video that it's a wonky fit.
"There's something in the way you guys dissect the runway looks that I don't agree with. It seems like your analysis is made after a lot of staring at screen captures."
Ummm, isn't that the WHOLE point?!
I think it was the gorgeousness of the fabric that led the judges to forgive a myriad of errors. It just looked so touchable and ffwwahh! But that said, the fit on the boobs was nervous-making. It worked well enough for a quick stroll down a runway, but, you're right, there was no "Y-M-C-A" in that girl's prom future.
and another thing, I think we have to realize that we're not dealing with perfect bodies here. I'm starting to wonder if some of the wonky fits aren't due to some wonky spines and there's not much a designer can do within that time frame to custom fit a slightly C-curved spine.
Asian Spices, not the The Neighbors Will Hear can't speak for (him/her?)-self, but I think they brought it up now because it was a hunch they had for a while that this post finally clarified for them.
And I kind of agree with what they're saying. This dress worked much better in motion than the screencaps could capture, and the post doesn't take into consideration how well the dress flowed on the runway and the stunning first impression she made (although that's also in the context of being surrounded by a lot of crappy dresses).
""Anonymous said...
Anonymous at 11:43. thanks for illustrating what I meant when I said T&L "glossed right over" the fit issues in Kit's dress.
Really, it's as arbitrary a judgement as anything Nina or the Duchess claim week after week. On Kit's dress it "could be a posture issue", but on Sweet P's it's entirely the fault of the designer?"
The problem is that most of you
get all bent out of shape when the judges or the boys or whoever do not agree with you on a fucking dress. Go ahead and express how you feel about a certain dress, but let others do the same without being attacked by you. It's OK to disagree on something, what's not OK is when you write idiotic thigs like "I cannot believe you like..." blah blah blah... It's silly and immature! Fashion IS subjective. What's in today is out tomorrow. What you like, someone else probably hates. That's how it is in this industry.
"Donny B said...
Asian Spices, not the The Neighbors Will Hear can't speak for (him/her?)-self, but I think they brought it up now because it was a hunch they had for a while that this post finally clarified for them."
But it's the equivalent of complaining to Perez Hilton that he gossips too much. That's what they do and it's what they have always done. Don't like it? Move on.
Besides, it's not like the Boys haven't seen these dresses in motion. In fact, I remember them saying in the past that they usually watch each episode about 5 or 6 times.
gacm said...
What are the fit/design/sewing issues that accompany the use of charmuse? Some of you gave some excellent insight into how Kevin's fabric choice influenced his otherwise headscratcher of a decision not to finish the hem of his dress. Did the use of fabric influence the issues with this dress in a way not obvious to us novice-level home sewers?
Charmuse is a little difficult to work with because of the slipperiness of it. Finishing the seams is also a drag (but I don't think they bother with that on the show due to time restraint). To me overall she did a good job with the sewing. I will have to mildly disagree with Gorgeous Things about the source of the "drag". To me it looks like the back waist band is collapsing, which means it should have been interfaced, which in turn kind of defeats the purpose of the charmuse. But that's why I don't like charmuse for anything but lingere.
I agree with Tom. I HATE boring and this dress was the definition. Way too basic and safe. And Christ SHOULD have been included if that was there criteria. So yeah, I don't think it should have won like many because if you look back at something like the S1 wedding challenge you can see the judges don't care much about pleasing the client and boring, average dresses aren't rewarded. I think they need to remember Tim's "Don't bore Nina!" chant or they won't win or end up like Robert.
It was nice to see Sweet P. act like a grown-up in this challenge: Competent and able to gently guide her client. She often acts like a girl -- and while I applaud her kindness, I like to see women who aspire to more than "sweetness" (see Bennett, Laura). So, good to see another side of her come to the fore.
I liked this dress at first ... but now realize that it was a relative liking. It was such an uninspired group of gowns on that runway that even this one was a relative bright spot. (I didn't like Kit's as much as our hosts did. Or rather, I thought it was a great dress but not one I'd want to wear to prom.)
Just re-watched the Tara Conner challenge from last season and was struck by how many stunning dresses there were on that runway. Fashion-wise this season is sucking -- lots of exceptions, but in general the runways have just not been as exciting and beautiful to watch.
-- CAAF
The dress was simple, sophisticated and spectacular...only in comparison to her other designs.
I wasn't blown away by it and thought it was a little too mature and honeymoon negligee for prom.
I will give SP props for toning down the butt cleavage request. Can you imagine how hoochie THAT would have been?
TLo said, "...we're a little afraid she would have used her telekinetic powers to lock them in the studio and blow the whole place up."
Perfect!
I only saw a few moments of this episode while on vacation in Key West last week. When I saw what the challenge was, I hoped & prayed that they would play up to middle aged prom lovers everywhere and have Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Nancy Allen or (please, God, please) PJ Soles as a guest judge. It would have been great!
TLo: I can see your dirty pillows. Everyone will.
Sweet P: Breasts, TLo. They're called breasts, and every woman has them.
Thank Gawd Bill is back! Maybe he will bring civility back to the comment section of this blog. WE MISSED YOU!
Jay said: "I believe this was the first time that Sweet P's friendly nature worked for her. I'm not the biggest fan in the world of that dress but she heard what her client wanted and modified it in a way to make it a lot more flattering. so it's a decently nice dress that made both her client and her mother happy. This is a success of communication skills more than it is a great dress. it's actually only so/so, but a good compromise while still being pretty." Totally agree, Jay, you stole the thoughts right out of my head. And LOVED the prom pic; was that guy Spicoli's better looking older brother??
I was not crazy about this dress. It was just ... eh, whatever, at least she finished a dress without freaking out for a change. But it didn't scream "TOP TIER" to me.
I loved it, but I agree that the cups were too high and that it was a bit generic.
But...not that generic. I think the fullness of the skirt (which I liked), the looped strap detail, the side seaming method, etc., set it apart a little bit. I think you could find something similar in a shop, but not quite like that.
Some important points for me:
The model got what she wanted to the exact level she should have. P didn't cave on the stuff that was a bad idea (excessive cleavage, front and back, white for the color), but respected those wishes and worked around them in her own way in a way that served the client best (back and front were low enough to be sexy but not trashy, she looked amazing in champagne). She also gave her client exactly what she wanted when she could make it work (emphasized booty, goddess style).
Above all, the girl looked amazing. I'd say, best on the runway. If her girl looked the best and she dealt, in my opinion, the most successfully with the challenge of working with the client, and still turned out a dress that looked amazing, was perfect for the event, and had some individual charm, I think she had every right to be in the final two.
"hello, i'm patsy stone said...
Thank Gawd Bill is back! Maybe he will bring civility back to the comment section of this blog. WE MISSED YOU!:"
Amen to that!
"What a bizarre complaint. That's what they do with every dress. That's what they've always done. Why complain about now?"
If you read what I wrote, you'll see that I used a plural ("the runway looks"), and that I was making the point about all of the analyses. That would also be why I referred way back to Kevin's earlier dress from the Weight Watchers challenge.
As for saying that if I don't like the way they do something, I should just move on, your love-it-or-leave-it point is ridiculous. I might just as well say that if you didn't like my comment, you could just not read it or make an additional comment on it. I would not say that, though, because this is the Internet, where people disagree and argue.
I was merely trying to raise a valid concern, which I believe I did in a thoroughly polite and non-confrontational manner. There is a lot of complaint about the judging around here, and I agree with much of it, but what doesn't seem to get considered is that the initial cut for the judging appears to be done based on one walk down the runway. They decide who's out and who wins based on a more detailed questioning, but they're winnowing down the field based on the first impression. If you liked a dress when you first saw it come down the runway, you shouldn't be surprised that the judges liked it based on a fifteen-second initial viewing.
The judges get way more than 15 seconds to view a garment. The judging takes hours to shoot.
This is a prom dress that many girls would love to wear to the prom. It needs a few adjustments for the fit, but it's a classic dress.
I'm glad it didn't win because it's too basic and this is a design competition, not who can make the prettiest dress competition.
This one was hard. If I went for prettiest, I'd say Chris's was lovely, but for design, I did like Victorya's. I think she could have bedazzled with more sophisticated colors if she's using cheap material.
Darlings, you're forgetting the most important bonus point criteria! She looked like...and most certainly HAD a HOT PROM DATE! She deserved the win or the number 2 spot for that alone!
She worked well with the client on this one. The client wanted white or ivory, she wanted plunging neckline and plunging in the back.
What Sweet P did was deliver what the client wanted in a way that wouldn't cause people to scream teenage slut at the pro-prom restaurant.
It wasn't an earth shattering original dress, but it was nicely done.
The color was beautiful and looked marvelous on her. And I thought SweetP did a good job- it was more flattering in movement than in the stills and she balanced the racier look the girl wanted with a sexy glamour silhouette that was still more appropriate for a minor.
The judges are also a few feet away, and are seeing it in 3 dimensions. All we have are a few seconds during the show, and then static screencaps. What else are the fans, including TLo, supposed to judge on?
I still think the judges are wrong, but they do have the best view.
can I say "Pre-Prom" restaurant. Geezus --this giving up of sugar in my morning coffee is making me crazy.
Also wanted to add that there seemed to be a lack of accessories --bangles, necklackes great earrings, wraps, cool shoes, hair do's, for this challenge.
All Sweet P needed in that prom picture was a drindl to complete the swiss miss look. :3
Anyways, I never liked this dress, although I prefer it over Vayayaya's dress. Those sides really do look unflattering, even in the screencaps. Ugh.
I have got to agree with Tom. The only thing that I could think when this went down the runway was "off the rack". And it's not even off the interesting rack. Not to mention that I am still trying to understand what is up with under-boob rolls on this dress.
No one mentioned yet that Sweet P was actually worried about the virginity of her client? "She also wants ivory and I'm kinda scared about that. This is not a wedding day, hopefully she's not going to lose her virginity." Hilarious!
That was my problem with Sweet P's, Chris's, and, to a lesser extent, Kit's: they were all very pretty but I just didn't find them interesting.
Fear her prom date even more. He looks like he's going to bite someone.
Charmuse...erg, it's like trying to sew 2-sticks of warm butter together...and applying/rolling the hem, like a root-canal for your fingers. It has a gorgeous effect, but OH the trouble that it brings. (nods to sewing siren's previous comments)
I think Sweet P, who is clearly not the most accomplished at machine work, managed to wrestle the beast-that-is-charmuse into a lovely, 'challenge-appropriate' dress. She made some wise editing choices, which several of her peers failed to do.
Her client had a high, small bust. Sweet P gave her gathers under the breast to create fullness and the bareness at-side-cups is not overt as there is no flesh rolling out. She also managed to emphasize the client's flat torso, instead of obscuring mid-section as so many others chose to do. I will say I think the placement of the hip-line darts is a bit off, but a valiant effort no less.
In addition, she gave the client a fully bare back, then cleverly had the hair styled to 'drape' most of it, thereby avoiding the Dread-Nina proclamation of VULGAR! (I thought the largish-dangle-earrings were complimentary and had Prom-dazzle, as opposed to Be-dazzle)
The bootay-fit could have been improved certainly, but overall I think SP struck a nice balance between the client's desires and her own capabilities. Personally, I doubt she'll make it to the finals, but for this challenge I think she deserved kudos...as second after Chris.;)
sallyb
So did Sweet P and Kit go to the prom with the same guy? He was Surfer Dude with Sweet P and Preppy Chic with Kit. I wonder how he looked when he went with Jack?
BrianB
Sorry Lo, this time I'm with T. The fabric is truly beautiful, but when that dress came down the runway, I thought, "I could make that!" And that's not saying much. The only winner on this episode was Chris (unless details from the stills change my mind).
Almost. Not quite.
Aw, Sweet P was so cute in this episode.
And, the girl's Ma like the dress!
That should count for something.
Didn't anyone think the darts were distracting? - it looked like a sloppy last minute fitting fix. Sweet pea's designs are not as fascinating to me as the effort she makes everyday dressing herself to coordinated with the colors and patterns of her bare arms. That's a feat.
when this girl was standing on the runway next to sweet p., it looked like she was struggling mightily to suck in her stomach as far as possible. whether the dress forced her to do that or just created the illusion... it seems bad either way and REALLY bugged me! ugh. I didn't think victorya's dress deserved to win, but it looked better to me than this one, mainly because of the weird fit issues.
Actually the top reminds me of the homemade bikini tops I made circa 1977. I'm not much of a seamstress and mine fit better than that.
I think that's what bothers me about the dress....in the end it's just a little too amateurish.
i have to agree with tom on this one. while it definitely was prom-ish, and more so than most other garments on the runway, i really didn't get why the judges fussed over sweet p's design any more than chris's. i mean, chris's actually fit his client. sweet p's not so much.
the tits were a mess. the train was entirely impractical. and it was overall, uninspired and oddly bulky. kudos, though, to sweet p for actually making something other than a sack dress!
Just noticed that Sweet P's own neckline for this ep is exactly the same as the one she wore to prom. Aw.
I agree that Sweet P was sweet in this episode. More and more I notice her really gorgeous eyes. She is adorable in her prom picture.
Agnes Gooch said...
I'm starting to wonder if some of the wonky fits aren't due to some wonky spines and there's not much a designer can do within that time frame to custom fit a slightly C-curved spine.
Word! I have a C-curved spine which effective eliminates a bunch of garment styles since if I wanted to emphasize that particular feature, I would just applique a giant red arrow to my shoulder, pointed to my high hip. (helpful note to PR designers - take body type into account as you develop your garment.
Re sewing charmeuse, a good test of sew-ability is setting it on your work table and leaving the room. If you can hear it slithering to the floor from elsewhere in the house, abandon all hope and pray for a miracle. You are not about to have a good time.
What is up with that weird seam on the sides? It looks like the top of her candy store dress. She keeps doing this weird semi circle seam with gathering at the edges (sorry guys I don't sew- I am doing my best to describe it). Its ugly and weird and unflattering and the girl looked like she was 45 years old.
Re: the poor accessorizing this episode -- Kevin said they didn't have the Bluefly wall for this one; they had to use whatever the girls brought in.
What I don't understand is that I can see how horribly MOST of these dresses fit when I look at the screencaps. For instance, with this one, I had missed the pulling at the right side and the too-high cup of the breasts (and the difference between the two sides).
But the judges are right there, and seeing the dress in 3 dimensions, and spending a lot more time looking at it than is shown. Why don't they see these fitting problems? This dress was praised as being meticulously fitted, wasn't it? Whereas it really isn't at all.
I'm in complete agreement with everything GT said. Awful gathering in the back, check, horrid seaming on the sides that made her hips double wide, check, she had to "suck in" the entire time she was on the runway... check.
The idea was there, the silhouette showed up, but looking closely the construction and execution was atrocious.
Sus:
It's amazing how all the designers took $250 and created items that would retail for <$150. How does that work?
HaHA! So true! I might even include Chris in that statement too.
asian spices:
Besides, it's not like the Boys haven't seen these dresses in motion. In fact, I remember them saying in the past that they usually watch each episode about 5 or 6 times.
And of course they would have watch the eps that many times... I can't imagine how much time it must take to get all these screen captures - oy!
I agree with both of you. It was a nice dress, and it was totally off-the-rack basic. The judges made a mistake (IMO) putting it in the number 2 spot, but they all said the same thing: "pretty." That's damning with faint praise from the PR judges. Pretty means safe. Pretty means predictable. Pretty means students from Fashion Industries High School could probably make the exact same dress with relatively little effort. Nice enough, but one expects a slightly higher level of creativity from someone of Sweet P's age and experience, someone who is competing for the chance to be "the next great fashion designer."
I'm just sayin'.
I thought this dress was beautiful, but the problem I have is the color... I don't know where they are going to their prom, but unless it is in a hospital, this dress is going to look filthy in about an hour. (Sorry... I'm practical)
thryza, I totally agree with you! The tone in which Nina or Heidi said "It's a pretty dress" was just so flat, boring, and condescending. At least Gilles Mendel added "sexy" (IIRC).
What you want to hear is "fabulous", "fun", that kind of thing. Not "pretty".
Sweet P's dress was my #2 with Chris' being my #1. IMO, Prom dresses should be floor length. The dress was simple but elegant and the client looked great. You could tell she was very happy with the final product.
"The Neighbors Will Hear said...
There's something in the way you guys dissect the runway looks that I don't agree with."
Then seriously, what are you doing reading this blog OR watching this show?
The show IS about dissecting clothes. The show IS about finding out what is perfect and what is flawed in terms of the designs presented on the runway. That's how the judges determine who has the best and worst design for that particular challenge.
The judges spend HOURS deliberating, asking questions, and making comments.
bill said..
I only saw a few moments of this episode while on vacation in Key West last week. When I saw what the challenge was, I hoped & prayed that they would play up to middle aged prom lovers everywhere and have Sissy Spacek, Amy Irving, Nancy Allen or (please, God, please) PJ Soles as a guest judge. It would have been great!
LOL too right!! PJ Soles in her baseball cap would have been hysterical!!
I think if PR had been more clever with choosing guest judges this year, I would be much happier with this season. Who was that guest judge anyway?? I still have no idea..
RE: The Prom Picture
Just imagine those two, sitting on the tailgate of his El Camino, hitting a ginormous bong, listening to Steely Dan, and making out under the stars.
Doesn't that make you want to applaud?
I don't know why I don't try out for this show. I know my construction, uh "skills" are at least as good as Sweet P's. I love Sweet P as a person, but she's really "meh" as a designer, and her construction skills are somewhat non-existent.
I don't know why some American fashion programs don't enforce fitting and patternmaking skills as part of the required curriculum?
It's like telling a sculptor, "Eeeh, you don't need to know about marble - let the stonemasons handle it." It's just really stupid.
Okay, it's a basic dress, but she made it out of a beautiful fabric that moves extremely well, and then she styled the heck out of it. The girl looks G-L-A-M-O-R-O-U-S!
But yeah, Chris did a better job in the red carpet gown category.
ladyjane said...
I don't know why some American fashion programs don't enforce fitting and patternmaking skills as part of the required curriculum?
All of the legitimate Fashion Design programs that I know of (Pratt, Parsons, and FIT) do require courses in pattern making , draping , and construction skills to obtain a degree. I actually checked the curriculum of Los Angeles Trade and Technical College (to make sure) and it requires similar courses.However these are skills that must be practiced in order to keep them sharp. If you are employeed as a designer by a major manufacturer, patterning making and first sample making are usually not part of your duties.
i just noticed, when the girl had the dress on in the workroom, the bodice fit perfectly. the boobs were right where they were supposed to be and it fit her really well. but once she got it on the runway, the boobs were a good 2 inches higher than they had been before. threw the whole thing off.
jammies
OMG, her highschool pic made me think of Carrie too!
Thank you! I knew the boobs were off in that number.
And the dress is extremely basic. The only reason they singled it out, IMO, is, 1) most of the others were fugly and 2) Sweet P is going soon and they wanted to acknowledge something of hers, sort of a consolation prize.
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