It is ON, Bitches!
12 collections, a $10000 prize, and YOU get to decide the winner, darlings! Show Heidi, Nina and Michael how it's done here in the real world. Go to bravotv.com and vote!
Watch the collections first, of course:
[Photos and video: Bravotv.com]
178 comments:
They should have done this as a blind comparison, without knowing which designer did which garment. That way, it's not just a rehash of Fan Favorite.
Jack used prints...what a shocker.
Christian's was kinda fug.
Who had the best, though? None other than the little puppet girl Elisa. Even the the barmaid look was a little remote, she pulled together an amazingly beautiful collection for three looks!
I agree w/ Tom. I bet the outcome would be far different if we didn't know who designed what.
Steven's was very reminiscent of the Dior "New Look" and I just loved it. I was surprised by Ricky's, aside from the horrid hats, the dresses were cute. I liked Jack's, Kit's, Jillian's and Chris. I have to watch again to decide who I liked best. Oh dear!
For the most part, I like 2 pieces in a collection, but not the third. It seems like it's hard to be cohesive without being repetitive with so few looks.
I have no idea who to vote for. No one really caught my attention (in a good way)
Not sure which collection I liked best as a collection. . .
Call me crazy, but I did like Elisa's rust-colored hooded gown (2nd look), and Carmen's kimono jacket (3rd look).
But what is up with all the high ruffed collars?! (Christian, Jack, Jillian, Rami!) Enough already!
Man, there were some hot messes walking down that runway. I think Jillian, Jack, Kit, and Elisa were my favorites.
Most elegant: Steven
Most unfortunate colour palette: Carmen. Runner up: Rami.
Most amusing use of accessory: Ricky's hats.
Not sure about a winner yet
So far luv Chris & Marion's, hate Christian's & Carmen's.
BTW, that last legging print on Leah... Big ol' splatch mark right on her v-ga.
Was Sweet Pea in that video? Did I just miss her?
Well, now we know why Christian didn't use color all season. He is awful with it. Ugh!
Verrry interesting!
So Victorya couldn't be bothered? Or was she too busy with her own collection?
Surprisingly, I liked Christian's least of all, and generally I enjoy his work.
There were some lovely pieces. Not sure of my fave yet.
I love Marion's Hitchcock dresses -- was really happily surprised to see what he did with this. It's the one of the non-finalists that made me most curious to see what he would have done with a full collection.
Is it me, or can you see part of Chris' shirt in the frame when they first go to Rami? It's like those two were together *everywhere*.
So: No Simone, VictorYA, or Sweet Pea?
-- CAAF
Definitely Elisa's was the best for me. I also liked Kit, Stephen, and Rami.
Chris' was okay but two of the models couldn't walk!
Still, nice work from all of them.
Christos
When did they have the time to do this? Especially the ones who make it to Fashion Week.
Ugh.
This voting shit again.
Why bother? As I said before the teens got a corner on this market.
Christian's was by far the worst. That boy needs to have Jack pick out his colors for him because he has no Idea what to do with them on his own.
I'm caught between Steven and Elisa for my Favorite. Elisa's barmaid thing was kind of ugly, but the other two dresses were straight up amazing. Steven's designs were all very elegant, even if the first two pieces had the exact same skirt.
Christian's was hideous. If he wins, we'll know this whole thing was a joke.
Marion won that challenge hands down.
Was it just me or, at first glance, did Carmen's 3rd model look just like Daniel Vosovic? Seriously, I had to do a double-take. Maybe it's just that I was watching on a tiny screen.
(This is my first post and I'm starting out by doing this crazy one! At least I'm still anonymous!)
Anyone else just getting the text "captcha image" where the captcha image should be?
Well, first impressions are that Chris, Elisa, Kevin and Steven are my favorites, and I'll have to view again to pick a winner. But I may be leaning toward Steven, simply because I would buy all three of those dresses.
Jillian's and Christian's felt like leftovers. And where was this Rami all season? Loved his first outfit.
Carmen may be onto a hot new trend with those duct tape obis, though.
Wow there is a whole lot of ugly up in here. Carmen, Christian, Elisa, Jack all were failures to me! Ugly.
Next batch....
Elisa's was cute & her last two dresses were gawchuss. Jillian's was boring, & Kevin's edgy.
And Jack? You made Lisa look preggers with that 2nd hideous look.
My favorites are Marion, Kit, Jack and Rami, as well as Stephen and Chris whose were beautiful but a bit dull.
You could totally tell Christian pulled this shit together at last minute. His collection was Fug City.
I'm wavering between Kit and Marion for my vote.
My favorite was Rami's. I liked his color choices and thought the looks were very feminine.
I have to admit that Puppet Girl pulled my strings the most on this one. I loved the one piece fit on the second one and that third dress must look amazing in person. Even the barmaid outfit was cute. Jillian was probably second choice for me, but I wasn't wowed.
I wanted to like Stephen's but too much black, too much of the same silhouette, too much Mad Men. Chris's second and third dresses were too tight to walk in (although the third was otherwise amazing) and I'm tiring of that heavy lace look. Christian's and Jack's were too printy, too puffy, too too. And Ricky has now demonstrated that his hats look awful on everybody - even models. Marion's and Rami's were too matronly.
Carmen's was interesting but her commentary sounded like she was talking to third-graders. Kit's was okay, but nothing stupendous. I can't remember who the 12th was and I guess that says something right there.
fka rain brain
Welllllll.... There are some interesting and telling absences, aren't there? No bitter VictorYA, no Simone (who was ignored in the reunion, too), or Sweet P [how did you make it to Bryant Park, then....????].
My scribbled reactions:
Chris March was channelling The Fabulous Ms. Laura Bennett. Third go 'round on his "signature" collar, and three's too many, notwithstanding that I'm a Sissybear fan.
Christian's trio were ugly. He did not do prints well. The first look was a big bib on a baby... or so my recollection as I write this now characterizes. A telling association.
Carmen's three were muddy, muddled and unattractive. And she looked angry as she monitored her display.
Marion was channelling Mortica Addams.
Elisa's one-cut dress was nifty but ruined by the lack of support for her model's bosom. Elisa is singular, one cannot deny.
Jack's three were really unattractive, and there was an ugly jacket in there. I was surprised at this poor showing.
Jillian is showing her prowess and her RL roots. The second dress was really elegant; both it and her third look (vest & pants) said "RL" to me. But in a good way.
Kevin's three were hootchie and S&M-ish. The plaid was fug; boy, there are precious few people who can wear plaid pants.... even models.
Kit's threesome: black, commercial, but not very memorable.
Rami: I think he has been infected by Princess Puffysleeves given the tops he showed. The fits seemed to be good, but Mr. Draperson, the Welch's Grape Juice! That being said, I really liked his 2nd look a lot. It was pretty and complex.
Steven's triad said "Grace Kelly" to me, and didn't his second look have a red petticoat or underskirt? Or was that my monitor playing tricks on me. Elegant but a bit monotonous for an effort to make an impression.
Ricky: Ayyyy! Those hats and gloves were not a good idea. I thought his three were hootchie, and the third dress, in its rear view, didn't seem to fit the model well.
I wish I could see these on the Big Screen, so to speak.
I am figuratively scratching my head here. Why did Bravo feel the need to do this?
All the best,
NDC
I really liked Elisa's, even the barmaid. Jillian and Marion had some lovely looks as well. I did like Kevin but those horrible pants on the last model were just awful.
I would vote for Steven, but I think I have every one of those dress patterns from Vogue in my sewing cabinet. Beautifully done, though.
Elisa for the win!
- Steven. I like very much.
- Aw... the hats! Who knew Ricky had a sense of humor?
- Nobody seems to understand color this season. Or even to like it very much.
- Ditto on the prints except Kit and Carmen.
- Funny to see all the lace since (a) La Laura and (b) it's big in Milan Fall 08 collections this week. (Prada's got her usual verrrrry interesting color scheme going along with The New Dowdy silhouette.)
- I don't think Jack would've made it to the finals.
- I wonder if they filmed this before or after taping reunion show?
- I liked this challenge.
-- desertwind
just watched it and i vaguely remember anything. the first one stands out, marion. it seems like they are all over it
Is Carmen designing armor for video game toons? I'm probably about the only person in existence who both watches Project Runway and has played a couple of MMORPGs, but seriously:
http://wiki.guildwars.com/wiki/Image:Monk_Kurzick_armor_f.jpg
Is actually nicer than her third look.
Loved Marion's, and I'm not usually a fan of fussy necklines. Chris's first dress made me swoon and wish I was over five feet tall. Gorgeous, but not really a dress for the shorties. Elisa still hates hems. Jillian's black cocktail dress was nice, as was Steven's dress with the plaid bodice.
Christian completely phoned this one in.
OK - first impression is that those were some of the worst walks I've ever seen - were all the real models busy that day?
Second, not terribly impressed with much of it. I liked Rami's coat. Steven's three dresses were pretty (and I thought so the first time I saw Grace Kelly in them). But overall, blah. Dark, dark, dark, browns, blacks, plaid, dull...
I'm voting for Elisa (and where was sweet P?).
My first reaction was, "Wow, okay ... so we could have seen clothes that looked this nice ALL SEASON LONG had the designers not been given impossible tasks to complete in 48 hours."
No, not all the pieces were gorgeous, but FINALLY we can evaluate based on talent and not on lack of time and/or resources.
I'm voting for Elisa too, on the basis of her final look alone. Abso-freaking-lutely gorgeous.
Since when did Ricky start designing for Gaultier?
Christian's? Must be color blind. And another ruffled top. Rami's color was pretty; inspired by the art challenge, but still pretty.
Didn't care for Kit's at all.
Liked Chris's first and third dress (with a little ruffle), but they were so tight the models couldn't walk right.
Elisa's were ok. Jillian and her halter. Actually liked Marion and Carmen's!
Jack's first dress was really pretty, but yeah, he's not a shoe-in for the final.
Ulk! Christian's was terrible, especially since his BP stuff was so good. But of course he'll win cause his voters will be in full force.
Sissybear's 2nd & 3rd peices were very pretty but I hated the first.
The only one I liked all the way through was Kit's.
And WTF? Ricky? The hats!! Oh honey.
herdgirl72
I liked Elisas, she had a good story to go along with them; some other good looks, some bad ones too.
In order for me- Stephen (who knew?) Elisa, Kit (I'm so sick of the tartan, though), Marion and Carmen.
Big props to Ricky for the trucker hats.
Chris, Elisa, Kevin and Steven were my favorites. WTH was Carmen thinking. Christian just didn't care lol. Kit's was cute but it was too much of a contrast for my taste. Marion was inventive but forgettable
BTW EVERYONE DON'T LET THE TEENIE BOPPERS GET THEIR GREEDY LITTLE CARPAL TUNNEL HANDS ON THIS TOO! VOTE!
As much as I hate it when designers say they were inspired by a Japanese aesthetic, at least with Carmen's you can actually tell.
We just added a slide show, darlings!
Enjoy!
XO
T&L
and furthermore...
- I wonder when designers found out about this challenge and what their budget was. Did they bring with or create during Fashion Week? Does Bravo now own the clothes and can we bid on them?
- Don't the girls feet look huge in those shoes?
-- d'wind
Note to Christian. "Crazy prints" is not a theme.
I haven't watched the whole thing but I think its a little unfair to let the finalists in this. Shouldn't it be a second chance for the ones that didn't get to prove their worth, and not just a chance to possibly make another 10 grand?
The Best:
4) Chris
3) Steven
2) Rami
1) Kevin, I thought, had the coolest, most fashion forward collection and only proves my point that he SHOULD have been in the finals!
The Worst:
4) Kit
3) Ricky
2) Carmen
1) Christian had the worst collection. The prints and colors were HEDIOUS! Not to mention each model looked 50 pounds heavier. Maybe that's why he sticks to black all of the time?
I'm voting for Steven and his gorgeous dresses! Other notes:
- I liked Jillian's first two dresses, but the high-waisted pants were not nice at all.
- Kit's third outfit was way cute.
- Elisa wins the weirdest commentary award.
- Loved the fabric used on Jack's first outfit, but the dress...not so much.
- After watching Ricky's hats all season I nearly fell off my chair when I saw them on ALL his models. LOL!
I think I am losing my mind... can someone post a link to where you cast your votes? I've watched the collections but can't find the page for the voting. Thanks.
Dear T&L -
You darlings think of everything, thanks for the slide show! but I'm too knackered to look again this evening.
The one downside of PR on Wednesday nights is... late-to-bed on Wednesday night, which makes the early rising and the crush of the relentless work day all the earlier, crushing and relentless!
All the (sleepy) best,
NDC
Can anyone catch what word Carmen uses for "the female version of Samurai"? Every time I listen I hear "gunjaisai" or "kujaisai" or something like that. But surely that cannot be, for no such word exists in the Japanese language. She wouldn't have just randomly made something up... would she?
I went through the slide show twice now. Whole lotta fug. I agree with whoever said Christian "phoned it in." Totally.
So did Jillian, I think.
Also? Carmen? I lauged out loud. You gotta be kidding me.
I cannot believe I'm going to say this but I think I liked Elise's the best, except for that "rollzee rollzee in zee hay" first dress.
OMG. If I see another freakin plaid outfit I'm going to jump off a building.
SERIOUSLY.
ENOUGH WITH THE PLAID!!!
Jillian's collection was fabulous, though. She gets my vote.
Well..... not that it will make any difference, as I don't have time to vote a million times, but I would vote for Elisa's group as my favorite. The first dress, not so much, but I really liked the second two. Why? Not sure. But they made an impression.
Next would be Chris, then Steven's oooo, Dior New Look!), then, to my surprise, Marion. Maybe all of these were *too* black/white for me to lerv.
On the bottom end, in no particular order - Christian,
Jack, Rami.
Because nasty is more fun: Christian, darling sweety pie, calling something fabulous doesn't make it so, ick; Rami, me no likey lilac and he insisted on putting it on a strawberry blonde model - AGAIN; Jack, perhaps taking a page from the late, not-lamented 80s, with the high collar/puffy sleeves, I just didn't like it.
Whoever talked about the blind comparisons, it would have been sweet, but we ALL would have recognized Ricky's in an instant with those caps - argh!
mm I actually voted Kit on this one.
I was thinking about voting Kevin, but when I thought about it, his collection was very obvious- I liked the elements that he used, not the way he executed them.
My second choice was puppet girl though :]
Random thoughts:
First, I agree with whoever said that it should have been a blind show (so no one knew who did what.) That would have been more interesting.
As for the collections:
Marions: Looked just liike what he said his inspiration was. Costumely/old movie.
Chris: Look #1, No. Just No. The other two were red carpet, though the third made the model look a bit like a cornucopia.
Both Carmen & Jack had much better showings at that preview show. Though that purple blouse in Carmen's second look was gorgeous.
Elisa: 1st, ??? Second, young & interesting. Third, great.
Jillian: Fabulous! She, again, demonstrates that she has the eye for what women career women will want to buy.
Rami: The coat in look 2 was gorgeous!
Kit: I loved the first 2 looks, hated the 3rd.
Princess: Surprisingly bad. And what was happening with the pattern around the crotch on those skinny pants? She looks like she needs an ointment.
Steve: Very Bette Davis.
Not sure who I'll vote for.
--GothamTomato
Anonymous said...
I think I am losing my mind... can someone post a link to where you cast your votes? I've watched the collections but can't find the page for the voting. Thanks.
Click on "bravotv.com" in the post or click here.
XO
T&L
I forgot to mention Ricky: Those hats MUST have been an attempt at humor that misfired. I loved that last dress though.
--GothamTomato
I would buy Jillian's black dress right this minute if I could.
I loved Rami's and Kits. So hard to choose.
Some of these collections are hideous. Ricky's collection is FUGLY and what's up with the hats???
for me, ricky wins for best sense of humor. those hats...! bless him.
but design-wise, elisa kicked everyone's asses. her 2nd & 3rd dresses were divine. and her commentary just made it all the more entertaining. she may be kooky, but she certainly puts a great deal of thought into her work.
also loved chris's final look, despite the fact that marcia couldn't walk in it. when you look that gorgeous, you don't need to walk. you let the party come to you...
marion's 2nd garment was lovely (minus the bow), as was jillian's. steven's 2nd & 3rd looks were also great. the exaggerated blouse from carmen's 2nd look was the best part of her collection, though that's not really saying much. the skirt on kit's first model was cute. i like the sparkles. and kevin's first dress was pretty hot.
as for christian - wow! that was the ugliest crap i've seen in a long time. for his sake, i hope he never touches another print in his life.
the other big disappointment for me was jack. i just didn't see anything special about any of his garments. he may have been fun on the show, but please, don't bother coming back. stick to menswear.
i'd also like to add that i hope, after this season, we never see another puffy shirt. EVER!
I loved Jack's. I really hope he comes back next year.
First: love you all, when I've needed a laugh I come here first! TLo & minions, you are the best!
My two top thoughts were "Where can I buy Rami's 2nd look coat?" and "I wish I were tall & thin so I could wear Chris' dresses!"
Wandy
Will you guys be offering your fabulous opinions on these collections ?
Disappointed that Sweet P didn't participate.
Not so disappointed that Victorya didn't.
My vote goes for Kit. Loved the first look and the third (even the plaid).
Christian ROCKS!!! He's going to win...AGAIN!
Oh my god this blog is so FIERCE and I'm so screwed now... I'm gonna have to read the entire blog.
and what the hell, you have 10 votes left for today? okaaaaaay don't have that much time, also some really random person/person's email popped up into the info boxes...
Thank GOD you have to be 14-years-old or older to vote. LOL.
The finalists shouldn't have been allowed to compete. That's not fair.
Jiminy-Cricket!! WTF with those necklines?
May I please have a show of hands from my fellow-chicks here...
1) How many of you wear HUGE fluffy flounces and poofs at your neck?
2) How often do you do this/for what occasion?
Once...once...I had to wear such-a-thing as a wedding cake-server-girl, funnily enough it was for two gay mates of mine and everyone HAD to be over the top...I got styled like a poodle. hahaha!
Anyway, maybe it's because I live in such a warm climate, but the neck-strangling Badda-Poofs! and I just aren't friends. bah and humbug. ;)
I'm still not sure who I'm going to vote for. Maybe if I run down my thoughts here, I'll have a better idea.
Marion: the concept was interesting, the execution was not. None of the dresses was at all flattering.
Carmen: again, I liked her idea of feminizing the samurai, but it didn't quite come off, though the influence was clear. The best piece was the short kimono-inspired jacket in her third look.
Christian: oh, dear god. The dress in the first look was rather cute, but lose the leggings! The second look was way too big on top. And the third, oh, lord, the third. I looked at it and thought, "what the hell is that on her crotch?"
Chris: the first look was a bit too lingerie for my taste, the second was utterly gorgeous, the third, who could tell? I liked the silhouette, but that's all I could see. The images don't allow me to judge - either in the video or the stills. What a shame.
Elisa: #1 was kinda cute (though the choice of shoes left something to be desired). Looks 2 & 3 were stunning (bad shoes for #3, though). I liked her collection a lot.
Jack: Nope. The jacket in look #2 was cute, that's it. #1 - that type of sleeve is very unflattering, and the collar didn't help. The belt was totally out of place with the print. #3: this had the beginnings of something, but needed work. Again, a bad choice of sleeve, and the top was too blousy.
Jillian: another contender. #1 had "Jillian" written all over it. I loved the fabric, and the cut, but thought it should be a tad longer in the skirt. #2 - loved this! She's right - it's a bit of an older look, but still chic and sexy. I would wear it in a hot minute. #3 was just okay.
Kevin: liked the first look. The second, well, it's too weird to have a leather corset-style garment paired with a white puffy blouse. It looks like someone's mother saw the leather garment and said, "you are not leaving the house like that!", so she put on the blouse to hide her girls until she got to the party, where she'll take it off. #3 was cute, but not particularly exciting.
Kit: hated #1. #2, once again, because it's so much black, it was really hard to see details, but it doesn't look very flattering, particularly with those stockings. #3 is cute, though.
Rami - hmm, I liked them okay in the video, but looking at the stills, I'm not so sure. The skirt in #1 would, I think, be more flattering if it had fallen straight down from that horizontal seam, rather than being draped. Blouse looked nice, though. I'd like to see the jacket in #2 open. It seems to bulk her up a bit too much. #3 - I'm not such a fan of baby doll dresses on grown women.
Steven: also a contender, and, the more I look at this collection, the better I like it. Anonymous at 7:15 said she(?) was reminded of Grace Kelly, and that is exactly what came to my mind, as well. (And, yes, I thought I saw a flash of red petticoat, too.)
Ricky: I'm not sure if wanted to tell him to "lose the hats!" or laugh at the humor of it. I do think they detracted a bit from the looks, at least #s 1 & 3, which had some good points. #1 was a great fit, and I liked the pleating. #3 moved like a dream! #2, however, looked like she'd borrowed the hat from her last trick of the evening.
So, where does this leave me? Elisa, Jillian, or Steven, I expect. I'm leaning toward Steven, if only because his really seemed like a collection, with a single, cohesive point of view. But I'm not voting yet. Need to think on this.
Sorry about the lengthy ramble!
Elisa - cohesive commentary and respect for her audience...the last one was stunning and the story combined with the dress was a visual lullaby... and her models could walk freely. She has all the votes I could enter.
Jillian’s first look was sweet – but the other two lacked the passion of Elisa’s
HATED the covered mouth on Carmen's - and was put off by her attitude
Chris' first look I would wear in a heartbeat but the last two models could barely move...
Christian's prints?? Please...
Ricky's hats were a big FU -
Stephen's dresses with petticoats were Stepford Wives scary...
Rami’s third look makes little girls of grown up women.
Marion – depressing…Jack - forgettable…Kevin’s first look and the second of Kit – do not like jumper effects after the age of eight.
There is such hubris in writing all of this…do I really think anyone cares? – ah well – it was fun to be judge for a second!
Carmen's was just ridiculous and it just aggrevated me. I have to say, I loved Jillian's floral dress, but as far as an entire collection, I loved Stephen's and surprisingly, Merion's.
Hey Lilithcat,
...found myself nodding in agreement with many of your comments.
I'm undecided as well...I was surprised at how much I liked Inter-planet-Janet's. (Elisa's)
back to have another look at the slide show...btw Thanks for that TLO! <3
Okay, I'm really stunned. I love Steven's. I hadn't seen enough of his work to get his vibe, but now I get it and I like it -- a lot. I really liked Elisa's second and third looks -- the first one did not grab me at all. I really liked Chris's looks, but I find it somewhat amusing that you'd have to be a toothpick to wear them successfully.
I didn't like Christian's, Rami's or Jillian's.
I thought that, for the purposes of this type of contest, the logistics were poor.
I'd first rather have seen each collection, in a well lit environment, and with each model turning around slowly so I could get an idea of the fabric texture and detail. Then do the runway walk.
As it was, those who created solid black garments, or those who relied on the viewer's appreciation of fine detailing, were at a disadvantage, IMHO.
Against the black background, and with the type of resolution most of us get on a PC, it was harder to really assess some of those garments.
That said, I liked Elisa's orange/rust gown and Jillian's first outfit. I liked parts of Carmen's collection as well.
Also on the plus side, I really like the idea of the designers all having an oppt'y to show what they can do, given the chance to design a small collection. And I like that there's the cash prize as well.
I am not a Rami fan but I loved his pieces. Geez, can't we like a color other than black, black, black!!!all the time!!?? That jacket was gorgeous and I would buy it in a heartbeat. Whoever said his looks were matronly--if you mean not like a hooker/teenybopper--than yeah they were.
Of all the people to channel- Angela S3 girls have a bagina Kessler. That print pant Christian sent out- purely inspired by the watermelon pussypants she wore.
There are some amazing designs in there. And I was surprised to find myself voting not for one of the people I thought I'd vote for...but for Elisa. It was a close one. But her designs had a cohesion and an underlying theme that made sense to me. Points off for Christian's "stuff I had fun with" as an organizing principle, for example.
Man, Marion's first dress, with the plaid shoulder straps? I covet that dress.
And a few of the designers with high-waisted pants lost me because the lines just looked kind of weird.
I, too, wish this had been a blind test. I think I'd still have fast-forwarded through Carmen's equestrian/burka things.
Kevin, Rami and Steven's were the only good ones.
Carmen's was just hilarious. Speaking of literal inspiration, what was up with Jack's first look??
There was something very interesting about Carmen's... I'm not sure if it was bad interesting or good. Also, there were women trained as samurai. So there you go.
Wow, that was really really fun! Ok, on first glance I go for Stephen, Kevin and Rami.
Some really good looks in those collectionettes. Congrats designers! Loved the show.
tom in kc: A blind comparison would have been so much fun! I'm sure we all would have been more than pleasantly surprised over our guesses as to who did what.
Oops, I cited Marion when I meant Steven. His first dress. Black, full skirt, plaid straps or plaid on the sleeve area. Wowee.
Be careful when you vote. I'd put in about 7 votes (for Elisa) before I saw that I probably should have ticked the box that said I'm over 14. Probably the Puffysleeves Kidz won't make that mistake.
I loled at Elisa's story behind her outfits, and though I hate the first look, the other two dresses are gorgeous. I also liked Chris', though I'm iffy on the 3rd look. She looks drowned in black velvet. The last one that I'm semi-fond of is Jack's, though I hate the collar on the first one! I wish he would have done it differently, or else he would definitely had had my vote!
Anyone else think that Christian might have thrown this challenge, though? I mean, I'm fairly sure he won the whole thing, so to win this too would be rather greedy. Maybe he made his outfits hideous on purpose. I mean--there's not even puffy sleeves! He mustn't have been trying.
Oh, and as to all of you that say Christian won fan favorite because of pre-teens--you are so wrong. I was watching a group of sixth grade girls a week or so ago, and I got into a talk about Project Runway with one of them. Did she bring up Christian? Hells no. Rather... "I'M SO IN LOVE WITH RAMI!"
Remember. Pre-teen girls. Hormones. Rami is remarkably built. Think about it.
Anonymous 10:15 said, "Anyone else think that Christian might have thrown this challenge, though? I mean, I'm fairly sure he won the whole thing, so to win this too would be rather greedy. Maybe he made his outfits hideous on purpose. I mean--there's not even puffy sleeves! He mustn't have been trying."
First of all, that arrogant, egotistical little brat epitomimzes the word "greedy". He can't stand it when even a crumb of praise is given to someone else.
Secondly, take another look at his third outfit. Those sleeves sure look puffy to me!
Steven would have kicked ass on the prom challenge!
I'm so torn between Elisa's and Kit's. The "healer" dress I covet. And all of Kit's stuff was so wearable---basic, yet quite unique.
I liked Ricky's red dress, Jack's print dress, and Jillian's pants/vest combo. I liked elements of Carmen's collection.
Kit's third look was very reminiscient of a spinster librarian. No one under 60 would wear that gigantic plaid monstrosity.
Rami's color choice was a mistake. That's the exact shade of the grape in the Fruit of the Loom commercials.
I hate those puffy high-necks and would not vote for any collection that had them on general principle.
Frankly, Elisa and Steven were the best. I split my votes between them.
Wow, hated Rami's (Sam looked like she was pregnant from neckline to hips in that last look).
Kit's was meh....
And Ricky, OMG, what was that material!? And those hats! WTF?
I'm thinking I'm voting for Marion 'cause I felt his were more "fashion".
BTW, anonymous was right. Teenage girls didn't vote for Christian, it was the early 20 somethings that came of age on facebook & myspace. MOst are incredibly narcistist still, even in college. So naturally they're gonna vote for someone like them. I have a 19 & 22 year old. I know them, and their friends.
I'm not sure which collection to vote for-- how does one determine the lesser of 12 evils?
Okay, that was harsh. Most designers had at least one interesting/wearable outfit, even if the collections as a whole were disappointing.
Spiral Jacobs said...
Kit's third look was very reminiscient of a spinster librarian. No one under 60 would wear that gigantic plaid monstrosity.
Listen dear - I'm OVER 60 and I wouldn't be BURIED in it...
Just sayin'...as the children say...
What happened to Sweet P, VictorYa, and Simone?
I have to say, I really liked Steven's the best, which surprised me. I liked all 3 of his pieces. After that, I liked Elisa, Jillian, and Kit's stuff (2 looks out of 3).
No one had three amazing looks and voted for Chris, Rami, and Elisa.
Steven's were nice, but boring.
I like Carmen's for something different, but can't vote for her after last night's display. Maybe one for for Marion, too.
Jillian's voice just drives me crazy. I want to like her and do, but monotone.
Thank y'all for your blog!!
Wow, well as a group, we are certainly all over the place! I am shocked by how many people favor Elisa. I like that 2nd dress, but that's about it. That first one was ridiculous.
Note to future PR designers: we can't tell the detailing of a piece when it's black. Not your fault that PR keeps the lighting so dark, but details get lost.
Anyway, I too was surprised by how much I liked Marion's collection - and how disappointed I was by Jack's. I wanted him to present well and win something, but I don't think it's to be.
So, top 4 for me were Jillian, Marion, Rami (gets kudos for using SOME color!), and Steven, though I do agree with some of the criticisms of each made by others. None are perfect. I'm leaning toward Jillian, though, because #1 I just generally liked it as a whole, #2, she talked about meeting the needs of women in general rather than making "what I like to wear", which I thought was lame, and #3, she came up with beautiful clothes while having to make an entire other collection for the finale.
To me, the worst were Ricky, Kit, Carmen (except maybe #3) and Elisa (except maybe #2).
I do hope at some point we'll be provided with an explanation for the no-shows, especially Sweet P.
Ok, back to work for me!
Carmen: Ninja Bitches!
Steven: Park Avenue funeral, 1965
Ricky: Maytag Repairhookers
"Secondly, take another look at his third outfit. Those sleeves sure look puffy to me!"
1 out of 3 had puffy sleeves. You have to give me credit, that's still strange for Christian.
I actually like Marion's as far as being interesting and not derivative of a million things I've already seen.
I think Carmen was designing for the update of the film "Last Samurai," to be set in the 23rd century. Really not crazy about anyone else's.
While I'm happy to see Christian outside his usual black and white, the stuff he picked was really fug.
I think Kevin has been seeing a dominatrix. And Steven was watching Back to the Future.
Christian's collection is the best! Most of them are pretty bad.
Loved Elisa "healer" dress (I need it, NOW), but wasn't crazy about her other two looks. I thought all three of Steven's looks were elegant and very wearable, and I'm partial to full, swingy skirts, so he had me there. My favorite has to be Kit's. Fun, wearable, young, I loved all three pieces and especially the button detailing on the first look. Liking her collection so much really surprised me, because I was not a fan of most of her looks on the show.
"Anna said...
For the most part, I like 2 pieces in a collection, but not the third. It seems like it's hard to be cohesive without being repetitive with so few looks.
I have no idea who to vote for. No one really caught my attention (in a good way)"
I feel the same way. I like a few pieces but nobody's whole collection. Tough decision : -)
When is the last day to vote?
None of the designers had 3 looks that I liked. As individual pieces I liked Rami's jacket, Steven's strapless dress and Elisa's rust dress (although is was very reminiscent of the blue dress she did for the first challenge, minus the train of fabric poo).
Bettie said...
When is the last day to vote?
Hi Bettie,
According to the press release we posted here, Bravo will air the challenge from February 21 through March 6.
XO
T&L
Thoughts while watching the video:
- Wow, Marion, way to sell the outfits. "Ummm... it has rhinestones on it." *headdesk*
- CHRIST ALMIGHTY, Carmen's first piece literally scares me (although the fur part is interesting). "Derivative", darling, not "direct copy"
- Is it just me, or did Christian kind of phone it in? Not that I'd blame him, it's not like he didn't have more important things to do. Still, not very impressive.
- Chris = 90's. The bottom fabric on the 2nd piece is lovely, though.
- "Mistress of Tenderness" almost sounds like a masochistic dominatrix. Her last two are STUNNING, though - go Puppet Girl!
- Jack, bb, what the hell? The accessories are fug.
- Jillian: I'm impressed they found a model with some tits, or that first model is wearing a helluva pushup bra. Overall, v. cute, esp. love the last one.
- Kevin's and Kit's collections were... not my taste. Shame.
- WOW. I loved Rami's collection! And barely any draping! I covet his 3rd dress.
- Steven looks very 50's. Not that that's a BAD thing, but not very original either. Liked the red petticoat under the 2nd's skirt.
- GOD DAMN YOU RICKY AND YOUR UGLY HATS. OMG. They would have been perfectly cute WITHOUT THE GODDAMN HATS. Although props to him for doing that - I have a feeling it was meant as a "F*** You Haters" touch, haha.
That said, I think I'm voting Rami. I wish I had the spine to just vote for my favorite, but I want to vote based on actual design. =)
If Christian had submitted these three looks at his audition, he never would have made it onto PR. That was a whole lotta fugly.
Marion = a little funky and different. Loved the last one.
Carmen = East meets North and nobody wins.
Christian = it's a fierce...headache maker. Nooo! Especially the last one. Color can be your friend, but in solids, Princess, solids. Or go back to your first PR garment and work with patterned neutrals. You did a great job that time.
Chris = classic, elegant, but still fresh, not at all stuffy. I love the first two, like the last one.
Elisa = Still has that unfinished look. Still sort of whispers amateur. The rust colored middle gown reminds me of, well, rhymes with Mulva.
Jack = classic lines, nicely constructed, but no thanks. It's almost too stuffy or just somehow not "right".
Jillian = wearable, marketable, and each outfit has a little zest to it.
Kevin = classic shapes and pattern mixed with attitude.
Kit = Simple, sweet, and very wearable. Everything looks clean and fresh.
Rami = Willy Wonka called and he wants his coat back. Too much color, too much...frou frou...or something.
Steven = tailored, crisp, chic. Lovely all the way around.
Ricky = Liked the first and last, didn't absolutely hate the middle garment, but the hats must go. Quirky as they were, no thanks.
Marion was very surprising in his showing. I feel like he might have been the only one to have put a lot of effort into his collection. The collection was cohesive in terms of silhouette, color, and style--and the style was good. It's too bad that he was eliminated so early in the show, but then again, I get the feeling all of those feathers would have taken him forever and there would have been no way for him to do all of that in the day allotted by the show.
Carmen's was hideous. Her sense of color is pretty tragic as almost all of the colors were the same value so everything molded into one huge glob of "mud." I liked the yellow lining in the jacket, but that was about it. It was boring, no wow factor, too costume-like [it's difficult to imagine a boring costume-like collection but it works for Carmen], and too literal. How many female samurai are alive? And how many of them are watching Project Runway?
I disliked Steven's. It was old and boring and I don't think it was particularly flattering. The skirts were just so huge and too long. It was mainly the length that made it old-fashioned for me--calf-length dresses = stump legs. Plus, the dresses were boring.
Christian's was funky and I get the feeling that he had a lot of fun with this. Okay, so it might be a little of an eye-rape to look at his outfits all together, but taken apart, they would make for wonderful pieces. Also, I think the collection was cohesive in spirit. Is it just me, or is Christian the only one who appears to have had any real fun?
Jack's collection looked cheap. I think it was the overcompensating-print--you know, the ones you see in Wal-Mart to detract from the cheap/illegal labor that went into constructing the garment. So that might have been a little harsh, but I feel like it's true. I don't feel any sophistication coming from Jack's work. The first dress was a mess of too much going on. The second was pure catalog with annoying kitsch border and all. The third might have been cute if it didn't have the god awful print belt and the little border. I get the feeling that it wasn't bold and it wasn't understatedly sophisticated. It was some kind of pastel puke.
I would have loved Jillian's more if it had been more cohesive. I liked 1 and 3--eyes moved well throughout the outfit, good composition, etc. 2 needed to lose the belt but there is something else missing that I can't quite express. I think it might be 'fun.'
Kevin was okay...but a leather one piece? I think the one problem I have is it just wasn't enough. The materials he used warranted something bolder and more toward the avant-garde [leather + plaid + Victoriana]. I think the disparity between material and outcome is disappointing.
Kit's was ill-matched. She said she liked mixing and matching but this was more of a disaster than anything. The first outfit was a daytime top combination plus a super flashy skirt. It just didn't work because the flashy skirt carried far too much value for some boring knit-wear with very weak value. There's a way to do soft and hard but this isn't it. As an effect, the eye is drawn to the bottom and the model seems bottom heavy. The dress was great. What came after was hideous. I threw up a little in my mouth when I saw it. It looked like it might be some sort of Harry Potter costume leftover: witchy cape, schoolgirl skirt... Why, it's Hermione after a good fly around Hogwarts! That black thing is too much contrast and the value competes with the interest of the skirt.
Rami: Wow, look at the structure of those clothes. Where has this been all season? Nina would have loved you more! That jacket is to die for.
We can finally see Ricky + lingerie but it just a bit "Blue Angel" only not in a good way... It's a little: Hey honey, I can see you sing cabaret and probably like to sleep around. I am surprised by how much more refined it is than his usual, but I'm getting the feeling that he might not have the taste needed for non-lingerie design.
Chris: Not flattering, especially the third one.
Elisa: Not cohesive as a collection, but not bad so much as not that interesting. Comfortable-looking, sure. But I'm not sure if it's elegant or sophisticated.
After a second look, I do like Elisa's white gown more, but still don't love it.
Jillian's first garment is too short. That's been said more than once this season, hasn't it? Yes.
Chris' third outfit is better than the second, although I love the fabric on the bottom of the second garment very much.
Okay, back to work to me.
Marion's looked like what I wore to go clubbing in the early 80s. I only really liked Kit's - hip and wearable.
Elisa's puppet attire and models scared me. Truly scared me. I even zoomed in on one of her models to see if she was actually making a face at the camera or if that was her normal expression. Elisa definitely found some unique and individual models to walk for her.
Otherwise, I'm at a draw. Just about everyone had something I like and didn't like. So, I voted for my love, Sissy Bear. Easy as that.
marion's was generally the most pleasing to my eyes. my overall favorite look out of every single designer's collection was rami's first look (i'd wear that in a second), but i really hated his second and third. jillian's was nice as well. i loved chris's last dress. and christian? i'm a huge fan, but his collection here was so NOT fierce.
Gosh, I'm torn, I love five designers in total and I wouldn't mind any of them winning.
+ Elisa = When that orange dress came out, I went, "oshiz, that's PRETTY" out loud.
+ Steven = Ugh, it's just my style. I don't know, his collection just made me smile.
+ Kevin = I'd wear all three. :)
+ Kit = Cute, cute, cute.
+ MARION = Too soon, honey. Next season, I'm going to pick favorites AFTER episode 2. His aesthetic is just awesome. And if I were a fashion designer, I'd be looking up to him.
- Christian = FUG. Dx I hope he doesn't win that this time.
- Jack = LOLWUT?
- Ricky = THOSE HATS MUST GO.
Aaaaand, where's Victorya? O.o
And, Christian...
I don't think I've ever heard the words "paisley" and "leggings" in the same sentence before.
Elisa gets my vote--her second two dresses are stunning--with Jillian a close second--mostly because of her second dress. It was really nice to see her add a little length to her hemline.
You know, I've been really tired of seeing nothing but black and cream from Christian. But maybe he needs a very gradual move into color. With this mini-collection, he jumped right into the pool and sunk.
*gloria said...
(Spiral Jacobs said...Kit's third look was very reminiscient of a spinster librarian. No one under 60 would wear that gigantic plaid monstrosity.)
* Listen dear - I'm OVER 60 and I wouldn't be BURIED in it...
Just sayin'...as the children say...*
Gloria...you're my new FAVORITE person. Thanks for the BIG laugh :) Sally
Here's how I brake it down. For me, I think 1-5 could all make plausible winners, if we're JUST discussing fashion alone.
1)Rami- I wish your clothes on the show, or in your final collection, were anywhere near as cohesive and fun as what you showed here. You were the obvious winner and, FYI, I'll work any street corner I have to, to have the coat in #2. Just say the word, Daddy.
2) Kit- I think you took Christian's Masculine/Feminine concept and actually made it plausible for the real world. Coat #3 gave me the biggest surprise out of everyone's collections, and the more I looked at it, the more I realized how genius and strong it was.
3)Elisa- All your clothes were well made and looked fantastic, but they weren't really a collection, marionette tie-ins or no. To be familiar with the marionettes means following your previous stories, which is self-referential and, in the goldfish-memory world of fashion, a mistake. Hoodie #2 is a killer, killer dress, and one of the highlights of this whole show.
4)Carmen- Rest assured that even though I hate you, I can separate a persona from their work. Your work was wildly playful and used some really great color theory (which, thank god someone did. Have any of these designers heard of Goethe?) and your Japanese inspired work did make you stand out without making you look like a Weeaboo. Points lost for having the subtly of a sledgehammer by giving your model a samurai sword that you probably bought at an outlet mall.
5)Kevin- The plaid pants were hot. Please sell the plaid pants. Please for the love of god sell the plaid pants. You uh... did have other looks in your collection, #1 is incredibly wearable and cute and #2 is sort of... androgynous pop star.
6) Jillian- I ate at a restaurant in Canada and the girl that served us was wearing #3. Seriously. That was the biggest shock of the collection to me, and it had nothing to do with your, uh, "concepts". #2 is a great look, but overall I was surprised how simple this collection was, an, uh, no coats?
7) Marion- I kind of feel like that you have one color pallet and one concept in you at all time- Neutral, and feathery. I may be Crow, but you're not tricking me with glued feathers on black lace. That said, I liked #3 a whole lot in the photos, it's really sinister and powerful, so.. uh, I guess you tricked me with glued feathers on black lace. DAMN YOU.
8) Steven- I kind of feel like your a problem solver more then a fashion designer. There wasn't anything wrong with your all black, tube dress collection. But... there isn't really a lot there at all to talk about, actually.
9) Ricky- Corsets kind of slid around the body, and I'm still kind of convinced you make a better bottom then you do a fashion designer. Your inclusion of your own hats managed to be both self-deprecating (Which I think was your intention) and self-congratulatory (which I doubt was your intention) and, thus, masturbatory.
10) Jack- Your entire concept was "OMG look at this ugly f!#$ing print" and I would like to be the first person to say: Congrats! You made clothes out of an ugly f$!#ing print.
11) Chris- It was just.. really simple and disappointing. Doesn't look like you really wanted to do this.
12) Christian- Thank you for making skinny Angela pants. I don't buy that you were "having fun" so much as "blowing off the challenge". You are put at the end because you most obviously called this one in out of all the designers.
The only two collections I feel I liked consistently were Elisa's and Jillian's (although I think before Elisa's auf I just don't remember the designers well enough, so oh well), even if some looks were stronger than others. I really liked Jillian's first look, and I think everyone preferred Elisa's 2nd and 3rd to her first, but honestly if you took the gold thing away I think the first could be pretty great, and I kind of adore the kiss marks running along it.
Also, Elisa had the best story/statement, and the latter actually came off as genuine and non-pretentious ("I delight to bring allegory to the arena of fashion", whaaaaaat.)
You know what's funny? I spelled break brake. And you know why? I just say "Text Message Break Up". I... I just...
FINALLY!
Imperfection from Christian!
About freaking time!
I hated his collection out of all of them. Wow. Probably worse than 90% out the outfits made this entire season.
As for the best,
I am torn between Rami and Elisa.
My vote would be for Elisa, I think.
They have a restraint and uniqueness about them. The commentary made them seem weird, but standing alone they look fabulous!
OMG, Steven! A red petticoat, what a saucy touch.
Lovely dresses.
I wish we had had a chance to see more of Marion, I loved his 3 outfits here.
So:
Marion
Steven
Carman (don't judge me, that 2nd top is beautiful)
Kit
Chris' is alright, although I really do think he made this collection along with this fashion week collection, so I could understand if he was just "whatever" about this whole thing.
I'm just still mad he didn't get the fan favorite award. :(
Did anyone else think Stephen's collectionette was a nod to Christian Louboutin?
Sorry, guess it's Steven with a "v". He seems so much more like a "ph" guy.
I started watching this video expecting something superfierce from Christian and also expecting my vote to go to him. I am a devoted Christian lover and I thought her was amazing from day one...but then I saw this collection...and wow. It was just a mass of fug.
I was pleasantly surprised by Marion. I completely forgot he was on the show but I really did like his collection. I have to say I'm between Elisa or Jillian though.
And Ricky? I would have liked the collection probably if he didn't use the hats. I hate the hats. So much.
It was great to see what all the people who got eliminated pretty early on could do when they were just playing for their own pleasure and not sweating under insane challenges with ridiculous deadlines.
I loved Marion's entire collection; wanted to dislike Steven's for being New Look derivative (plus, the bodices on #s 1 and 2 looked a little bunchy), but I am a total whore for a full black skirt with blood-red crinolines, so there you go; was underwhelmed by Chris' collection -- except for loving the third dress, which was, yes, another asymmetric big shoulder, but this time refined into something that's still striking but actually wearable in the real world; was shocked to find myself kind of liking the tops on Carmen's second and third outfits; liked Rami's collection well enough, especially the fact that it wasn't all draped to death; and swooned over Elisa's, especially the rust dress (but my husband wants to see me in Jillian's second dress).
And now, I'm off to vote for the puppet girl!
Agreeing with most of you that I was disappointed with these. There were pretty pieces here and there but nothing consistent. I also agree that maybe Christian was trying to let someone else win, because his looks were just awful! Take those horrid tights off that third girl, PLEASE! I was very surprised that my favorite is Kit. I wanted to like Jack's but ugh. Jillian was probably my second favorite but there were other flashes of brilliance several places I didn't expect it. Then when I went to vote I found I could vote ten times in one DAY!! So I got to vote for Kit several times and then spread my other votes around to individual looks I liked. I also wish no one knew to whom the looks belonged for fairness sake.
Like All 3: Kevin (I voted for him), Elisa, Marion, Chris
Hate All 3: Christian, Carmen, Ricky
Liked 2, Hated 1: Rami, Jack
Liked 1, Hated 2: Steven, Kit
In my opinion Rami's collection was nice and well executed, but I don't know, I felt like something was lacking. Jillian had two great pieces and then the third outfit splattered across the runway like an off-off-off Broadway Victor Victoria cabaret costume. Whorish menswear? Who knew? Chris's collection surprised me, a real departure, super glamorous, but the first dress looked like a S&M Kimono made by Linens and Things. As much as I loved the second dress it didn't seem to do anything for the ta-tas. Then again, it could be the model- breasts are only a requirement for Victoria Secret shows. While everyone seems to be on the Elisa train, that second dress just killed the collection (despite the beautiful final dress)- the GAP called, and they're not having it. What pills was Carmen taking when she designed the first look? I think those pills need to be provided with the outfit for the viewing audience.
Now that I believe that,
Christian is doing all the same!
but you guys love him.
blah.
Sweet P? Simone? Victorya?
Were they just like "Screw the man, we're not going to be your puppets anymore!" ?
Maybe it's just me, but I'm a little amused by all the praise for Steven's collection. Sure, I love dresses like that, and I'd wear them.... But I can get them at Hot Topic.
Hot Topic =/= High fashion
No matter how much my coworkers wished it did.
Love Rami's looks. That white blouse is beautiful! Love the jacket and Sam's dress alos. It's very young and pretty.
I like Jacks too. Very pretty and well made. Kit's is cute too.
Elisa's! Also, nice!
Rami continues to impress me. All 3 are executed wonderfully and could sell nationally tomorrow.
Jack and Jillian's are also marketable and quite cute.
Christian is certainly not shining in ready to wear. I think he's going to struggle.
I think I might be the only one who didn't mind Christian's collection, although none of those pieces were my favorite compared to the work he did during the show.
I was pleasantly surprised by Rami's collection and I loved that third babydoll dress he made and that purple jacket.
I also really liked Kit's clothes and I would wear them right off the model. :)
I was really disappointed in Jack's collection. Ew. And I usually love Jack and his pieces, but these were not good looking at all.
I HATED those damn hats on Ricky's models. God. At first I thought he was going for a sailor theme, but then I recognized the hats and blah.....
....and I forgot to mention Marion! I loved his collection and now I'm sad he left the show so soon. Yay for Marion!
What was with Carmen and the ninja/mukluk look. Fug!
My favorite piece (by a landslide!) is Elisa's orange hoodie dress. That is ADORABLE!
I was surprised by the looks that many of the designers sent out. many of them I liked a lot, even though I expected not to. I was really surprised by how much I liked Rami's Looks, especially the last two. I really have preferred the looks of other designers during the season. i really wanted to like a "favorite" more, but ultimately I I really like the garments Rami made.
Blind voting for collection A, B, C, etc. would have been a great idea.
I doubt anyone reads this far down in the comments section, but I'd be wary of voting online just yet.
I went to vote, and someone else's name and email address were already pre-populated in the fields. No one else uses my computer, so it's Bravotv.com's fault -- something has happened that people's confidential information is being displayed to others using the site. Anyhoo, just a warning. Until they get the bugs ironed out, you might be safer waiting to vote.
I liked Chris's stuff...so spent my 10 votes on him. My poor sissy bear has gotten screwed out of everything else, avante garde and fan favortie, so why should I stand by and let him get screwed out of this one too?
LMAO
You know something though? Everybody who thinks they liked these collections, hold on a sec. They were fine, I mean, they were okay. But just think back to Jay McCarroll's Bryant Park show, the raw power and WOW of that first look coming down the runway.
It just seems like none of these things really measures up.
Anne
wow! why couldn't we see things like this during the actual show?!?!!
i HATE those high ruffle collars that go all the way around the neck and swallow up the face. HATE. THEM.
Didn't like Jack's collection, didn't like Christian's, hated Carmen's. Rami's was just OK. Jillian's was a mix. LOVED Stephen's, though the dresses were very samey. Loved Chris's - what was wrong with his models' walks, though?!?!!! Liked Elisa's, especially that rust colored dress. Made me wish I could wear long lean clothing! Marion's was a lovely surprise, as was Ricky's - I loved the movement of that last red dress (and the fact that he described the top as "fitted like a nightie" - aw!). Kit's was also pretty good, but that last vesty thing just looked frumpy to me.
this is tough. I'm not sure how i could choose to vote.....but this makes me feel very disappointed in Marion's and Stephen's early aufs. Such fabulous, classic, gorgeous gowns! I LOVED the red crinoline under Stephen's second black dress!
pretty clothes - it's what I wanted to see all season long!
Chris was all right. I didn't like Christian's. Rami's was good, that coat was fantastic. Elisa's I liked as well. The rest? eh.
The best collections were Steven's, Chris' and Marion's. Rami and Jillian had some good pieces, but as a whole collection just didn't make it.
Ricky's and Carmen's collections turned my stomach. Blech. The others, well, they were okay.
There was much to love here. Elisa's had a distinct point of view. I love Ricky's red dress --it's really great. I like that Christian really played with color, and I can really see the Westwood influence.
Ste-phen!
Ste-phen!
Ste-phen!
I LOVED Stephen's gorgeous retro dresses. To me they put everything else by all other designers to shame.
Go Stephen!
On female Samurai:
http://www2.una.edu/Takeuchi/DrT_Jpn_Culture_files/Nihon_to_files/Female_samurai.htm
Ricky used hats, who'd a thunk it??
Nobody knocked it out of the park, IMO, but the two I liked best overall were Elisa and Chris, with Rami not too far behind. Chris did hobble skirts, which is a style, not a design mistake -- unless you just hate it and consider it a mistake no matter what designer puts it on the runway as the Next Big Thing. This is the second time I've seen Chris reference Edwardian and post-Edwardian styles. Interesting. He's a student of fashion history, I'd guess. History before 1950, I mean.
Elisa can create some amazing clothes, but her styling choices are not the best. Wrong shoes across the board.
I found I liked something to like in many collections:
Rami - that #2 jacket. Where can I buy that?
Kevin - #1 dress. Plaid that actually looked good.
Marion #3 - I'd never wear it, but a compelling look and provocative silhouette.
Carmen - #2 top. A great shape.
Jillian - #2 dress. Nice take the the LBD.
Kit's stuff was meh to me. Steven's 50s retro -- I'd forgotten how stumpy that hem length makes a woman's legs look. I'm also old enough to remember the first go round of that look. Circle skirts are a PITA. Jack's, Ricky's and Christian's collections were oh-my-god-no.
I really liked Kit's. I was aesthetically pleased with all 3 looks, not just 2. I liked all of Steven's too, but his maybe were a little plain. However, I LOVED the dress with the ruffle underneath. I would so buy that in an instant.
Jillian's was good, except I wasn't ecstatic about the last pant look. Marion's was nice, except a little too cabaret for me. I liked the dress with the palm print though. Again, like others have said, I was ok with 2 of the looks but never completely settled with the whole collection.
Elisa did have two amazing dresses but the barmaid one was just silly. Would make a great halloween costume though.
Anne said, But just think back to Jay McCarroll's Bryant Park show, the raw power and WOW of that first look coming down the runway.
I have never understood the love for that collection. It struck me then, and strikes me now, as though he sent the models dumpster-diving for cast-offs.
I gotta say, while Carmen was not in my faves on this I disagree with those who thought it was total fug.
I love her tunic in #2. I think the wine/plum color is beautiful, but just didn't come off well here, maybe because of the black leggings, etc.
hephastion, thank you for the link. I didn't know that Samurai was actually considered a gender-specific term. But I am pretty sure "onna bugeisha" was not the term Carmen used for her collection.
I think it's amazing how much peoples' opinions differ when there's no "guiding opinion" offered. Except for the apparently universal consensus that Christian's was terrible.
But hey, the boy said he was just having fun. I expect his wild experimentation with pattern and color will lead to him to use it more practically in his other outfits. Some people have to run before they can walk.
I honestly don't think I'd have been able to match up all the designers if this had been a blind challenge (but admittedly I'm not as hip to this stuff as most of the rest of you).
But it sure would have made a fun game...maybe even with prizes! Next season maybe?
I agree there was no 1 collection that had 3 perfect looks. But I think you could say something similar about their preview runway show last november
Was pleasantly surprised by marion and Rami. I wished these were the daytime pieces he used in his bryant park collection. they work better.
I like the last 2 outfits of Elisa. Marcia looked radiant. the first was a little costumey but it was hampered by using Katie to model. Someone curvier would have been a better choice.
Very disappointed in Jack. The 1st outfit looked like he was trying to be editorial. Really did not come together.
Did not like Christian but I got immediately that he was trying for a fun and funky series of impressionist/modernist paintings.
Carmen's was very costumey and way over the top in presentation. Too bad becuase there are good elements and construction in them.
I don't think having the designs being anonymous would have matter for the majority of outfits. I think it would have been easy to figure out Ricky's, Elisa's Christian's, kevin's, Rami's and Kit and possible Jillian's.
I have already decided regardless of my personal feelings on the clothes, I will not be voting for the 4 finalists. I think it's unfair to include them since they are up for the big prize.
Frank
What a fun challenge and great opportunity for the designers!
I too wish it was a blind contest.
That being said I am waffling between Kit, Marion, and Carmen, for my vote. Carmen's plaid kimono (3rd look) is my fave.
I also like Jillian, Rami, and Christain's. Rami and Jillian's look like a natural progression from their fall 2008 (finale) collections into Spring of 2009, Christain's looks much more like fashion than his finale collection and I am glad he is heading away from the costume.
Christian's made my eyes bug out of my head, and I say that as someone who's consistently loved his stuff all season (with the exception of the Bitten and prom challenges -- and I didn't hate the prom dress). Eurgh. Stick with black, pumpkin.
Loved Elisa's, particularly the white dress. Gorgeous. Loved Steven's last two dresses, not so much the first one (did the straps look a bit wonky in the back to anyone else?). Those were my favorite two collections. I did not hate Carmen's -- after reading all of these comments I expected to, but I really didn't hate it at all.
I liked Ricky's first dress, but not the other two. Jack's collection did nothing for me, nor did Marion's, Jillian's, Chris', or Kit's. HATED Rami's last look but did quite like that jacket in #2. Kevin's first dress was nice but I didn't like the rest of the collection.
So I guess Elisa is my overall pick, closely followed by Steven. Go figure.
Forgot to mention earlier that Kit's third with that long vest look made me think, "Katharine Hepburn in 'Desk Set'!"
I liked Kevin and Steven's pieces, even I'm a little tired of so much black. Snaps to those designers who used color, like Ricky, Christian, and Rami.
Wow, neat idea. First impressions:
Kit has the closest thing to a collection and the 3 least offensive looks.
Jillian's stuff I liked also, except I still think her short dresses are too short.
Steven missed his career as Douglas Sirk's costumer.
Marion is much more interesting than I thought.
Carmen and Rami are both colorblind, but he's more conventional and saleable.
Chris -- I liked 2 out of 3 but that first dress is like something out of Daniel F's closet.
Elisa's were suprisingly good, but I didn't love them as much as some others here. Maybe the screenshots will change my mind.
Christian's are not as bad as some here seem to think, but I don't love them. It is a level of fun frippery he hasn't previously reached for, and I like that.
Ricky -- lingerie with skirts attached. I like that he makes fun of himself with the hats.
Oh, and I surprisingly liked Kevin's and hated Jack's. Kevin's had some wearable pieces and was cute. Jack's was derivative of Christian's and just didn't look well-tailored. I don't get it.
Rami and Kits and super cute!
I like a variety of pieces.
Think Rami's the winner here.
Skirt, blouse, pants, jacket and dress are all done very well.
When is voting over?
I just watched the fashion show and there definitely were surprises, good and bad. If I'd voted I'd have voted for Carmen's, though I thought Rami and Kit had some good looks, too. And Steven. But I was very surprised by a lot of it. And. . .I hate to say it, but I don't understand why they keep saying this season's level of designers was higher than in any previous season. I don't see that. I see the same range, weak to strong and in between; and in fact fewer designers this season who almost always created strong, memorable looks. Sorry to say.
wannabe said, "Chris -- I liked 2 out of 3 but that first dress is like something out of Daniel F's closet."
Yes! When I saw his first look, I though, "Oh, no, that's the sort of thing that got Daniel Franco aufed!"
Anne said, "But just think back to Jay McCarroll's Bryant Park show, the raw power and WOW of that first look coming down the runway."
I'm with you, Anne. There've been several consistently strong designers throughout the various seasons -- Jay, Kara Saun, Laura, Mychael, Uli (I'm talking about during the challenges) -- but no collections since Jay's have had that kind of impact. He took it to the next level. Well, I haven't watched this season's yet, so maybe I'll be surprised.
Am I the only one who DID NOT LIKE Chris's collection?
There. I've said it. Now I have to go hide.
First reactions-
Marion: HATED those shapes, the flapper-esque low on the hips loose fitting skirts. At my first glance it just looked like a disjointed mess, but will look again.
Carmen: Ended up giving her my first vote, the maroon was a bit much but I liked the DRAMA of each look and the cohesiveness.
Christian: Loved the second and third look and the color play - SO fun, but the first look lost me. It looked like a high-end mumu.
Chris: Absurd. The models couldn't walk and the ugliness of the long lace over the cocktail dress offended me. The third look gave his beautiful model a hunchback! Awful.
Elisa: First look, bizarre. Second, liked the color hated the hoodie, third - outstanding.
Jack: Mostly dull RTW without a strong pov. Blah.
Jillian: Chic, not very unified. First and second looks fab, third look didn't come through quite right.
Kevin: Leather unitard with shorts. Could have been very modern and cute. Instead was very "wtf"?? Summary - incomprehensible bc of poor fits and bad styling choices.
Kit: Loved the button sleeve sweater in the first look, not the silhouette, third look amazing!
Rami: Darling and beautiful and CONSTRUCTED, instead of just draped. He was my runner up at first glance.
Steven: Retro? Liked the third look.
Ricky: UGH. Poor fits, that horrid second look and HATS. Feh.
mercyx
Ricky! I like 2 of his looks (the 1st and 3rd, natch) but WTF with those Village People hats?
Love Steven's! Looks like he's costuming a remake of The Women.
I am in love with three different collections here, two of the collections that I loved didn't surprise me, one did.
I LOVED Kit's and Christian's. That's not a surprise to me, because I pretty much loved everything they both did all season {and I loved everything Kit wore all season}. However, I also loved Rami's! I don't like Rami, but those were GORGEOUS!
I have no idea who to vote for now!
Looks like I have minority opinions, but hey they are genuine first impressions, so what the heck....dum dum dum...
Steven's collection left me cold. I found it to be the least risky, most boring and just flat out uninspired collection of the lot. Yay, a retrospective of black dresses from the Peggy Sue Got Married era. Nothing wrong with being inspired by a certain era, but bascially just replicating it is not interesting. There was nothing there that modernized or personalized each piece.
Ricky's collection looked chip chip chip. Those dresses ranged from tacky to trampy to helll no. But the hats were a nice bit of self deprecating humor. Unless he wasn't going for self deprecating humor and really plans to market a line of hats, in which case...bwaaaaaaaaah!
Chris's first look was the worst. design. in. the. whole. show. I simply can not fathom why once upon a time anyone ever thought a short tight dress paired with a long sheer-ish overlay is a good idea, because that concept is just ew in any incarnation. I liked the silhouette of the last gown, but not so much the velvety fabric. At least I thought it was velvet, so hard to tell in the little video.
Rami's collection..didn't care for the color palette at all. However, I .floved the white blouse and kinda covet the coat, but only if I imagine it in another color.
*deep breath* Yeah, so I thought Christian's prints were playful and agree with whoever called the collection fun and funky. I dug looks one and three, not sure what I think about number wo. I think the leggings/tights are kinda rad. Not something to wear every day, and I'd personally mix and match the prints with solids, but still, kinda rad. So shoot me.
Kit's first and second looks were both interesting, and Kit's last piece made me think Sherlock Holmes but I liked it. Elisa's last two pieces were probably my favorite from any designer, though I'm not sure what I think of the barmaid dress. Kevin's stuff had a bit of an edgy rock vibe that I was feeling but the plaid worked better in the dress than the pants.
So yeah, Kit, Elisa, Kevin, Christian, and Rami are my top five, though I'm undecided in which order right now. Steven, Ricky, and Chris are my bottom three.
Who have I forgotten?
Marion...I haven't seen a lot of his stuff, but I think he leans towards the shabby chic? Not bad at all. I like look two. Christian did feathers better.
I know Jillian has a broad target market, but I am definitely not ever going to be in it. There was nothing really wrong with her collection. It just wasn't the type of thing that would ever get me excited.
Carmen...the cropped kimono was inspired. The ninja sword with the Mortal Kombat look was scary.
Elisa's garments are amazing — evocative, artistic and, most importantly, pretty!
Ricky - good sport about crying
Christian- Yea, yea, he's talented but arrogance is wearing thin.
Carmen = hormonal preteen
Victorya = to quote Sweet P, I am "bored by (Victorya's) negativity
Kit - class act for defusing hormonal preteen with kindness
Jillian - she DOES have a personality
Jack - gets better every time, PLEASE COME BACK NEXT SEASON
Rami - seems more human than previously depicted
Sweet P - charming
Elisa - truly a cosmic presence, but what is tied around her neck?
Chris - WAS ROBBED!!!
Steve - Cute
Marian - Creeps me out a little
Kevin - He's straight. We get it.
Simone - (crickets chirping)
Heidi- She BANGS!
Michael Kors - loved how he owned up to diaper pants
Nina - an honest voice in the industry
I didn't really like any of them. I think some of them just didn't care. And by that, I mean Christian. I heart the princess but, that scared me.
Christian's mini collection was horrible..
God, do I agree with everyone who asked for this to be a blind comparison — THAT would have been MUCH more interesting and fun. Less of a personality contest and more about the clothes (I know, I know, in the "real world of fashion" — a bit of an oxymoron if you think about it, is fashion real? — personality has a lot to do with being a successful designer, but wouldn't it be nice to have one of the challenges be purely about the clothes?). Bravo, pleeeeease act on this.
Luckily, I watched the slide show first and didn't notice the names at the bottom, so not only did I get to see them on the white background first (yay!), but it was a bit anonymous. (of course, after seeing the walk down the runway, it changed my opinion on a couple by the gorgeous way they flowed and details not seen from straight on). And was there any mention of time or budget to develop these?
anyhow, now that I've dealt with procedure, let's move to opinion:
Marion - didn't like the colors, didn't like the silouettes, #3 was passable for Joan Rivers.
Carmen - I liked this much more than I should. I found the criss cross on #1 was attractive (I tried to ignore the harem pants); I really, really loved the top on #2 and wasn't as appalled by the "shorts" part as I thought I'd be; and #3 was sharp. And she used color - yay!
Chris - pass on #1 and #2, but I truly loved the 3/4 sillouette on #3 when it walked down the runway.
Christian - well, I liked the fabric and the cut of the actual dress on #1 (which I am surprised by as I normally would pass on that sort of a collar, but here it works) and then despised everything else he did. #1 leggings were awful; truly hated #2; and passionately HATED #3. I'm not a prude, but my first thought was to cover up young children's eyes with the pattern of the fabric on the pants. They look like something a porn star would wear to an awards show. He should have to pay Bravo $10k for putting them on the runway.
To summarize, I didn't like those pants.
Elisa - meh, not nearly as blown away as the rest of you, but I loved the color the second dress appeared on my monitor. On my monitor it was an orangy-red, like the inside of a nice ripe blood orange. The third dress was pretty, except I disliked the train/tail attached to her wrist. It was a bit affected.
Jack - I think #2 is actually a dress I inherited from my aunt, from the late 1950's. Since it is a fav of mine, I like #2. #1 and #3, not so much. Once again, at least someone broke out with some color in their pallette.
Jillian - Loved #1 and #2, didn't like #3 and was disappointed it was a little too disjointed to be more of a collection. Liked her intro with color, thought it worked nice the touch of color in #2, then she dissolved colorwise with #3.
Kevin - I liked it (she said a bit embarrassed). I thought it worked well as a collection — individual, yet connected.
Kit - I expected Kit to blow me away, so her mini collection was a bit blah, but it was still a strong selection I thought. I loved her little details. I REALLY liked #3 and I'm not sure why. A combo of the sillouette and it just has a certain charm about it, accomplishing both staid and fun at the same time. One of those treasures you'd find in your aunt's attic.
Rami - the coat was fabulous (but I'd change the belt), everything else, meh.
Steven - First off, personality-wise, I think I'd enjoy hanging around with Stephen more than the others. He is genuinely funny, it sounded like he has a great balanced sense of humor, and he does seem to be insightful about design. Now I'll say bad things about his collection. I see where he was coming from and, well, it has been done before . . . and done before better with a twist of charactor. These are very, very, very pretty. But they are a straightforward bland interpretation without any sort of editting. They've been done before. Repetitive, but attractive. And a bit repetitive. Liked top of #2 the best, the repeating of the notch in both front and back was a nice touch. Glad I saw it moving, I'd have missed that in the slide show shots.
Ricky - Liked #1 it really was kinda cute, especially the skirt. Hated #2, it seemed to make fun of her body. And I simply LOVED the way the skirt on #3 moved. I thought the top of the dress was a bit scary looking, like it was going to slide off her body, but damn, that skirt was very flirty and I think a woman with great calves in that skirt, well, THAT is power.
Votewise, I'm flipping between Kevin & Kit. Others had nice pieces, but even with just three pieces, I thought these were the strongest collections.
- Donna in Seattle
PS - Wow, I was a bit chatty today, especially for the lurker I am deep down in my heart.
Methinks that Christian's fugly funky frightful frocks were a fiercely flippant faux fashion farce. Personally, I was amused. You want to see something other than black? Fine. In your face.
Oh, by the way, not that I'm comparing the two in any other way, shape, or form; but I seem to recall that one of our favorite redheads (and my personal heroine) used nothing but black, white, cream, and gold all season and throughout her runway show. She was, as I recall, frequently berated by many for her refusal to infuse color into her design.
We really liked Elisa's best. We heard Jack in an interview a while back saying that Elisa's designs were poorly sewn and that they looked better on screen than they did in person. Well ok. So, we are asked to base our opinions on what reads well on screen, and her looked best to us. She showed 3 dresses/gowns each distinctly different from the other. Very versatile, very nice.
Post a Comment