Steven:
"My life seems to be full of contradictions these days, so I wanted to convey that through the "Sew Not Over" line. I wanted to make cute, fun cocktail dresses that were full of their own contradictions. Instead of bright colors, I used black. And instead of using typical evening fabrics, I used black wool cashmere I bought in Paris over Thanksgiving. I liked the idea of the juxtaposition of these elements with a silhouette that's so familiar -- just reinterpreted in different materials."
Peggy Sue Got Married meets Mad Men. While these are very pretty dresses, they look like period costumes to us, especially the first two. There's no updating or reinterpreting; they're just pretty much exact replicas of dresses our grandmothers wore. The third not so much. Not coincidentally, that one's our favorite.
Ricky:
"My look for the online challenge … it's all kinda sorta built around this lace. I want the girl just to slip in naked and it's perfect."
Click here to watch the video, kittens!
[Photos: Bravotv.com]
85 comments:
HATE. THE. HATS. No no no.
Steven's dresses are for these gals as they attempt to snag rich husbands in NY.
And Ricky's outfits are for this lovely lady from TLo's Musical Mondays! Don't forget your tap shoes!!
Yes to everything you said. Wish I had that fabric Steven wasted on those dresses for a couple of projects that I'm working on.
Dated or not, I covet the Steven dresses. And that "black wool cashmere from Paris" detail? Makes me covet even more! Does anybody know if these dresses will be put up for bid online?
I liked how Ricky's third dress moved -- serious swing action on the bottom of the skirt -- but the hats and gloves did push the presentation over the edge into kitsch.
I don't care about "dated"; Steven's dresses are just plain. These are dresses we expect to see in the first few weeks of challenges when the mediocrities and whackjobs are still being eliminated and the rest can stay in by playing it safe--nothing really to them.
Ricky just had to add the hats, doesn't he? I think his first and third are rather pretty and charming, but he feels compelled to remind the audience why we hated him so much. He needs a collaborator to save him from his own instincts.
I think I'd like Steven much more than Ricky as a person, but oddly enough, Ricky's a designer (albeit one with issues) and Steven is not.
That's a big negatorio to both collections! While the fabrics used by Steven are oh-so-yummy, the designs are, to say the very LEAST, ummmm, dated.
Ricky batted zero, period.
----StkrShock
Dimples' dresses look like anything Lucy & Ethel would have been wearing, though the second one looks, at least, like Lucy could wear it out to the club to meet Ricky.
But as for our Ricky; to quote that great American philosopher, mentioned above, 'Ay-yi-yi-yi-yi!'.
With that styling, those dresses look like Fredrick's of Hollywood meets F Troop.
Both miss here.
--GothamTomato
I really like Ricky's third dress, ignoring the accessories. I wanted to like Steven's dresses, but as others have said, they've been done before.
Ever since reading the "TackyTown" thing, I can't stop thinking "Won't you take me to/TackyTown!" I think it's the lack of sleep talking...
Oh gosh, both of those collections are awful. Ricky's hats are beyond awful. They're awful when he wears them, but to put them on models is just cringe worthy. Steven's third dress is OK, but he should have left off the shoulder strap - it takes away from the lace shoulder on the other side. Yuck to it all.
Enough with the damn hats! Geez, he makes me want to commit a hate crime!
Bill, honey, Ann Miller wouldn't be caught DEAD in that Hooker Wear!
Steven: Said it before, but I like to say it, so I'll say it again:
If Douglas Sirk movies were being shot now, then Steven could be the costumer. He's a dressmaker, not a designer.
I didn't think Steven embarassed himself but it didn't grab me
Ricky's I didn't think were the worst although the 2nd one was too costumey. The accessories did kill the looks though. Might have been able to excuse the hats as an inside joke but those gloves....oh boy!
btw why did you skip Kit and Rami? Or did I miss a post? :p
Frank
The problem with Ricky's #2 is that it looks like she took the hat of her last john. I actually liked #s 1 & 3, particularly the way #3 moved - that was a thing of beauty to behold.
I liked the flash of red in Steven's second look (it doesn't show in the still, unfortunately). And I like the looks - very Grace Kelly.
That second dress isn't on the border; it's standing in the middle of TackyTown Square twirling a baton and setting off fireworks.
LMAO! Nailed it!
All Steven's collection needs is a pair of slippers in one hand and a martini in other one. Sorry but I am so "over" the 50's revitalization. Nobody needs to repeat that illusion....ever.
LOL.
I'm a little bit in love with the last Steven dress, despite my deep loathing for most asymmetrical dresses.
Sorry, color me dated but I loved Steven's dresses. That is easy to understand because Dior's New Look is one of my favorites and, except for the third, these dresses don't interpret that look, they ARE that look. I didn't see it in the second photograph, but I am pretty sure that is the one with the tartan plaid underneath. Just love that unexpected touch. (I am a big sucker for anything Scottish. Well, the men and the scotch, anyway).
OK what's with Ricky's hat choice? They look like they've joined the Foreign Legion or maybe just are pin-up girls for the Legion in 1950.
Also being out of the fashion loop I don't know but is color just out right now? Given a choice everyone seems to be doing blacks or very dark.
I am ALL FOR bringing back that silouette Steven is working in. Plain, dated, whatever. It's very flattering on the bazillions of gals like me who look pretty ok from the waist up. And from the waist down, need some smoke and mirrors.
I liked Ricky's red dress too. But would give the *win* here to Steven.
tom in kc said - Bill, honey, Ann Miller wouldn't be caught DEAD in that Hooker Wear!
It was the hats and the gloves talking to me. All I could think of was the Heinz 'Great American Soup' commercial. Of course, she has no gloves and a different hat in the commercial, but that's how I remembered it. There's just something about those outfits that scream "Tap Dance!" to me. And tap = Ann Miller.
Steven's best look is so vintage...and Ricky-ticky-tacky needs to stick with lingerie.
There's something a bit Deborah Forman in "My Chauffeur" about Ricky's outfits, too.
Anyone?
"Diane said...
I am ALL FOR bringing back that silouette Steven is working in. Plain, dated, whatever. It's very flattering on the bazillions of gals like me who look pretty ok from the waist up. And from the waist down, need some smoke and mirrors."
I hear you, sister.
I was just about to comment that Ricky's dresses looked like "I Love Lucy" dresses. I see it's already been said. I so agree.
The similarity just jumps out!
I love, love, love Steven's dresses. I would wear them in a heartbeat. That said...I don't think he did anything especially creative (with the exception of the red flash and the use of cashmere). I guess I have more Donna Reed in me than I thought!
Ricky's? Gag.
Oh goody. Another label. "Dimples." How cute.
They didn't just miss. They backfired.
"Won't you take me to ... Tackytown."
Bill, please.
There's gay,
and then there's G A Y !!!
Steven's 3rd look reminds me a little of the dress Hilary Swank wore to the Oscars last week.
I loved the way Ricky's first dress moved on the runway. #2 and #3, not so much.
Steven's -- hated #1, loved #2 (red petticoat!) and #3. I think I may have actually gasped audibly when #3 walked out. It was beautiful.
Anonymous said...
Bill, please.There's gay, and then there's G A Y !!!"
And this is Project Rungay. Your point?
Okay, I'm going to go against the flow here. I actually LIKED Ricky's hats as a tongue-in-cheek comment about his personal styling. He's the only one to show ANY playfulness in accessorizing his looks. But okay, who wants to dress like Josephine the Plumber from a circa 1965 Comet cleanser commercial?
As for the dresses themselves, one and three are bad. Look two is just begging for a tray so the model can prowl around a nightclub purring "Cigars? Cigarettes?"
And Squinty McDimpleson... feh. Nice but boring. Did he and Kevin fight over the same bolt of black and white plaid at Mood? I would still like to sit around, have cocktails and dish with him, though.
Thanks for the Minnie Mouse reference, it's dead on. And I do hate the red, it's like "pay attention to this dress! it's hideous!!!"
Kinda like the Stevens though, as costume-y as they are, it's still quite pleasing to the eye.
Ricky's 3rd dress looks cute enough, but when you look closely (and at the runway show video) it seems there's some kind of sheer body-stocking-ish fabric making a sort of corset.
What the hell is that? And why?
Anonymous said...Bill, please.
There's gay,
and then there's G A Y !!!
Well, thank you, Anon! I'm as G A Y as a Mexican Tablecloth.
It is bliss!!
Ricky's second dress is the denim Levi's one done in black and white. Kinda. It seems like its that short! I bought the dress and let me tell ya, that shit is
T-I-N-Y!
If Steven could single-handedly bring back the tight bodice, full skirt look of the 50s, I think it would be great. Judy Holliday in "Bells are Ringing." Elizabeth Taylor in "A Place in the Sun." Ooooh. But, as it is, all those dresses need is a poodle on a leash sewn on the front.
And all Ricky's need are some taste. Don't even get me started about those damn hats!
I don't hate hats, in general. In fact, I love hats. I just don't like Ricky's hat with these dresses. I kinda like Ricky's 1st and 2nd looks--they have a very Latin sensibility to them. The middle look OTOH is pretty bad.
Steven's dresses are very pretty and very retro and very boringly black. Would a little color kill him?
You know what? I like the hats.
Stubenville said it well, so I am just going to quote this:
I actually LIKED Ricky's hats as a tongue-in-cheek comment about his personal styling. He's the only one to show ANY playfulness in accessorizing his looks.
Neither of them did bad dresses. Ricky's are better than you all are giving him credit for.
When I initially saw them, I really thought that Steven missed out on the prom challenge! For prom gowns, I thought his three dresses (especially #3) kicked butt over the dreck that the contestants brought to the table for that challenge.
I did like the way Ricky's red dress moved (dodging tomatoes).
I thought Ricky's hats were funny, although ugly. I hope he knew when he did that he was throwing away any chance at a win in this thing.
Ricky's first dress and Steven's last dress were both very nice, particularly Ricky's first. The others were boring or tacky.
I like Steven's first & third and Ricky's third. Yeah, the hats are soooo distracting, but after a 3rd or 4th look, they weren't that bad.
(Not counting Ricky's 2nd! Talk about a hooker in Paris in 1950s!)
But other than Ricky's choice of materials, there's really nothing new or stylish about any of these looks.
"Stubenville said...
Okay, I'm going to go against the flow here. I actually LIKED Ricky's hats as a tongue-in-cheek comment about his personal styling. He's the only one to show ANY playfulness in accessorizing his looks."
You know, I have to agree with you there. The difference between these looks, and the preview show is, by the time they did this, the show had been on & all the designers must have known the public reaction to them. So Ricky knew about the hat chatter (not to mention the crying chatter).
In that way, he's shown a great sense of humor about it all. (But the hat does make you forget that the third dress is fabulous).
--GothamTomato
I wish Ricky would've fixed that lower 1/4 on the first dress. It looks like a lampshade that's just hanging on.
Steven's dresses aren't fun. Stodgy. I think both need help with accessories and Ricky's "trademark" hats distract from the clothes.
Bill --I loved Ann Miller. Distract the hall monitors with this. She's wearing Chris's jacket and a Ricky-like dress.
You are completely wrong about Steven's dresses. They're beautiful, the plaid makes it fun and current, the silhouettes flatter most women, and you can't find dresses like these anywhere anymore -- bring them back!
Steven gets my vote for the SNO win. Go, Dimples!
"That second dress isn't on the border; it's standing in the middle of TackyTown Square twirling a baton and setting off fireworks."
Awesome.
And thank you for mentioning the hats. When I looked at Ricky's collection the first time, I didn't even see the dresses. I saw the hats, and I clicked away as fast as I could. Because, as you said, no.
daniel franco where did you go said...
You are completely wrong about Steven's dresses. They're beautiful, the plaid makes it fun and current, the silhouettes flatter most women, and you can't find dresses like these anywhere anymore -- bring them back!
There's a reason why you can't find them anymore, but if you check your local vintage store I'm sure you will find several of those dresses. Good luck!
God Ricky is tacky.
Steven: Far from Heaven called and they want their costumes back.
Ricky: I guess that explains why he cries so much.
Steven's silhouettes are popular and they are back. In a recent JPeterman catalog, there was a holiday dress with a similar full skirt. I've also seen the silhouette at upscale dept. stores. Like others have said, nothing here stood out.
I really liked Steven's collection. Out of all the participants, his was my absolute favorite, which is interesting, because I didn't like his garments on the show. Right now, that kind of look is very trendy.
As for Ricky, I think Tacky Town is the proper term. The hats totally ruined an already struggling collection. Sorry Ricky!
FYI --They came up with winner for the Levi's 501 contest.
Which one of you here is the winner?
og god, the hats and gloves and little neck ribbons are HORRID. steven's- i don't care about wool fabric from paris, it's still fugly. i do kind of like rick's first two dresses, stven's last is nice too.
Oy, the hats. And more oy for the gloves. My hope is that Ricky was trying to be whimsical with those accessories, but to me they made a huge clunking sound, like a joke gone bad.
I would love to see McDimpleson's dresses close up just so I can check out the French cashmere, but his don't strike me as fashion forward.
Why is bravotv.com promoting PPS on the home page --
"Attention: Christian Fans!
Help your favorite fierce designer win $10,000
VOTE NOW"
What the hell?
oh lord, Ricky, the hats, the gloves! they look like they belong in a cheap production of Anything Goes, especially gal #2. make it stop!
While I have to agree with TLo that Steven's dresses aren't innovative, I liked them very much because I like those lines. He was in my top group for Sew Not Over. I thought though, on the runway that they showed more texture than they are in these still photos - maybe I was hallucinating!
"it's standing in the middle of TackyTown Square twirling a baton and setting off fireworks."
BEST QUOTE EVER. and so so true.
Bill, where do you find all those movie stills, etc.?
Steven needs to step into the 21st century and Ricky out of the sexy adult costume store.
I like the guys, Steve and Ricky, better than thier collections.
Sorry cuties...
Steve's just look so...I don't old movie....old something....old old.
God help me, I kind of like Ricky's third dress.
Agreed on Steven's, though I'd love to wear them. Especially the second one.
-- desertwind
loved stevens 2nd and 3rd.,, hated ricky's 1 and 2 ..kinda liked the 3rd one
Well looks like they both can sew well.
Not diggen any the black and white collections for some reason.
annie said...
oh lord, Ricky, the hats, the gloves! they look like they belong in a cheap production of Anything Goes
Annie, they even look like some of the professional productions! This is the 1987 Lincoln Center revival! Hats, gloves, the works!
(apologies to Tony Walton, the costume & scenic designer, and the former Mr. Julie Andrews)
Ditch the hats and the gloves. {shudder}
But I actually *like* Steven's dresses--the first two more than the last. I know I'm going against TLo (will lightning strike me down?) but I have liked shirtwaist type dresses since I first wore one. I own very few dresses or skirts, but they're all on that same line.
Steven is welcome to throw those into my closet post haste!
Yes: "lively discussion and strong opinions are encouraged,"
The people who want comments to stay neat and tidy should go to a 12-step program and learn to accept free-form conversation. Like someone said, you can ignore if if you want, but don't get pissed off at us if you hate it and keep reading it!!
It's a cocktail party, people! Off topic conversation will ensue!!!
daniel franco where did you go said...
You are completely wrong about Steven's dresses. They're beautiful, the plaid makes it fun and current, the silhouettes flatter most women, and you can't find dresses like these anywhere anymore -- bring them back!
There's a reason why you can't find them anymore, but if you check your local vintage store I'm sure you will find several of those dresses. Good luck! (Fashionfanatic)
****
Additionally, many of the pattern companies have brought out reissues of classic patterns--including variations on the shirtwaist dress. And don't forget Ebay--I've found some great patterns there, including a box of never used patterns from the 30s-50s. (Happy birthday to me, lol.)
Daniel Franco Where Did Your Go -- wanna go shopping some time? :-D
BWARF!
now i have that song in my head.
daniel franco where did you go
(we hardly got to know ya)
daniel franco where did you go
(we'll see ya in season three)
If Ricky had lengthened the skirt on the 2nd outfit to about knee level, it might have worked. I thought the top was cute and flirty.
I'd love any of Steven's gowns for myself. I'd wear one of Ricky's (the last one).
Neither Ricky nor Steven pulled out all the stops for SNO, but that's okay. Did we really expect them to?
Here's a huge underwhelmed sigh of ennui.
I like Steven's dresses. They have a young gothy feel thats in in some cricles right now. I likey.
TLo, there's a definite mind meld between us on this one. Literal translation of the past for Steven's and tacky translation of the present for Ricky. Plus the hats. No ten grand for either of these two.
Ah, now see, I loved the skirt in Ricky`s second look, so color me tacky I guess!
Kzspot
I can't believe that's how tacky he can get! those dresses are on the top of my "ew" list.
Didn't Steven say to Tim, shortly before he was eliminated, "Black is what I do" ? Well, he's done it again. To me, his three piece collection was one big black blur.
I had very high hopes for Ricky, based on the previews before season four actually started and he turned himself into a public fountain. He's got a handsome face and his Mexican heritage, both of which I responded to very favorably. I'd hoped his work would embody those aspects of Mexican culture that have endured for thousands of years. It was way too much to expect of him and clearly this man does not handle pressure well. The third dress is pretty nice, pretty simple. The second dress is someone's nightmare after attending their first, or fiftieth, quinceanera party.
Thanks,
Dale Wittig.
Ah, now see, I loved the skirt in Ricky`s second look, so color me tacky I guess!
Kzspot
lol. you're really siding with Ricky on this one!
I actually like Steven's in a very retro way.
By the way, guys, I love your blog. It's fabulous!
Are you two going to post your views of Kit and Rami? I couldn't find them when I went back and looked, but now you seem to have moved on to analysis of the final (four/three/five).
Leighton said...
Are you two going to post your views of Kit and Rami?
Hi Leighton,
Yes, we are.
XO
T&L
I agree that Steven's are too similar to each other. But I do think that they are really pretty dresses. I am responding favorably to the red petticoat in the second look.
Ricky's are very well made and fit. But yeah, look 2 is pretty tacky. The third one is the best. The accessories (tongue in cheek they may be) distract from the overall look of the dresses.
No, no, no, no, no, no, no. To both.
Steven's New Look Revisited isn't a bad idea, but he doesn't execute it well. His two crinoline skirts are stiff and unflattering. They move as gracefully as cardboard cones. To see what a real New Look skirt can be like in motion, check out Nanette Fabray's swingin' op art crinoline skirt in the That's Entertainment number from The Band Wagon.
http://www.dvdclassik.com/V2/Critiques/thats_ent3.jpg
I'm sorry I don't know how to post a video link so you all could really see how that skirt moves.
In start contrast, Steven's third look was graceful as all heck. I loved the way it moved as she walked down the runway. Now there's a dress I'd be happy to wear.
~ no burlap ~
Ricky . . . for the last time, THROW AWAY THOSE HATS!!!!
Post a Comment