Kimberley Locke wore a Christian Siriano original upon her return to the American Idol stage last night and we have opinions.
Actually, we're a little torn. It's not a style that we respond particularly well to. On the other hand, there are aspects of this dress that put us more firmly in the "Christian has a future" camp than ever before. For one, it's nice to see that he can design a flattering dress for a slightly larger woman. For another, the colors are gorgeous. All that black in his previous work gave us doubts, but he really does have a wonderful color sense.
And look! Nary a puffy sleeve or ruffle in sight! The overall look is a little too slap dash and deconstructed for us to completely get behind it, but we're pleased to see that he can get out of that over-the-top couture style he's demonstrated in the past.
AND before you bitches completely rip this dress to shreds, you should know something:
"Own the Christian Siriano dress worn by Kimberley Locke during her live “American Idol” performance when she sang her new single “Fall.” The dress was inspired by romantic and ethereal goddess couture and was made from silk crepe satin and iridescent silk chiffon. Ms. Locke and Mr. Siriano donated the dress to support charity.proceeds from the auction benefit Camp Heartland, a national camping and care program for children impacted by HIV/AIDS."
Fierce.
Also, the Siriano PR train keeps rolling along as Entertainment Tonight gets in on the action:
[Photos: F Micelotta/WireImage]
172 comments:
OUT!
After a segment where somewhat focused on her weight loss, he made her look bigger! Perhaps she didn't need all those fabric scraps attached to her.
Oops, pardon my obvious grammar mistakes.
Out -- A darker color would have been more flattering
The dress didn't flatter her. It would have work better on a different body type. I thought it emphaized her hips too much.
But I agree it was great to see something without ruffles or a jacket
Frank
First, the material Christian used to make this dress with is absolutely gorgeous. Colors-LOVE. The colors really compliment her skin tone, and it's nice to see Christian show so much versatility, because with versatility, one can LEARN.
I do agree with you TLO. It is a little too deconstructed for my taste, also. However, I think Kimberley looks absolutely stunning. BTW, if you watch the video, Christian DOES state that he didn't have a lot of time and he was worried, but I have to give him a job well done. BRAVO
Mixed feelings on this one. I'd say half in/half out.
It's kind of hard to tell the exact color palette in that lighting. I'm not fond of those drapey panels over the skirt, but I like the half-hipyoke.
That top pic makes it appear that the dress moves beautifully, a big plus in my book, though of course one would need a video to know for sure.
Yeah, on the whole, get rid of the raggy-looking panels and she'd be in.
As to the whole "hippy" thing: I, for one, see nothing wrong with her hips. She has a lovely figure! Unlike most models, who have no figures at all.
(Oh, and it's nice the proceeds were donated to charity. But who gets the money is irrelevant to the question of whether it's a good dress or not!)
i am an idol fan & watched the show last night. would never have guessed christian designed the dress. i think kimberly is a pretty girl & thought she looked great last night.
for once a dress that you could own/win that could be worn by normal girls!
It looks more like a Jeffery dress than Christian. I don't think it's very flattering and it kind of reminds me of the Miss Universe challenge last season.
In. Modern, hip. Maybe not the most flattering on her, but she still looked really good and the color was great on her. PPS was on Late Late Whatever It's Called with Craig What's His Name (comes on after Letterman) last night. Same act, different venue.
The dress is okay, I would have thought he would spend more time on it since it is his first non Project Runway attire.
OK. I'm sure he made that dress in 5 minutes, but it's not perfect enough for him to have said yes. I know he's hot right now, but he needs to sometimes say no. Getting a reputation for putting out a less-than-perfect dress just to say he did isn't my idea of high fashion.
Loved the colors, but agree that it wasn't the most flattering, and looked like it was slapped together at the last minute.
OK. I'm sure he made that dress in 5 minutes, but it's not perfect enough for him to have said yes. I know he's hot right now, but he needs to sometimes say no. Getting a reputation for putting out a less-than-perfect dress just to say he did isn't my idea of high fashion.
Loved the colors, but agree that it wasn't the most flattering, and looked like it was slapped together at the last minute.
NOPE! Every is trying to be nice. I say that THE EMPEROR HAS NO CLOTHES! Christian can not do normal woman stuff regularly. I personally would have preferred to see Jillian or Rami!
Out. I don't think the dress flattered either her shape or her coloring enough. It isn't ugly. It just isn't very "wow".
Hmmm...that drop waist, and that questionably positioned sash only make her look wider. And Locke isn't HUGE by any means! Christian, Christian, Christian, when will you learn to LOVE a woman's body?
Totally in!
Last night when watching American Idol, I commented on how much I liked her dress and how good she looked in it. I didn't know until just now that it was a Christian dress, so my opinion wasn't biased about the dress. I loved it then and I love it now. It's fantastic.
Out- the corset was puckery and poorly fit. It gave her four boobs and they were squared off!
I did like the color.
All I can say is "meh."
Which, for this opinionated bitch, speaks volumes!
The color is awesome and the fit on her is superb. I love it.
A flattering dress for a slightly larger woman?
Not in this fatshionista's opinion. The corset top did not fit her breasts properly, and the drop waist only emphasized the largest part of her hips.
Try again Christian.
Without having seen how it actually moved, I don't feel as if I can definitively auf it, but in these photos it does feel as if it's missing some volume on top to balance it out. Not big poufs, just...something around the shoulder/upper arm area. And I think if you're going to go in a ragged-edge, deconstructed direction, you almost need to go even further with it. But I agree -- Princess is attempting to show some range at just the right time.
Modern; yes. Hip; no. Ethereal; yes. In; no. Out; yes.
Kimberley is a beautiful girl and looked stunning. Christian is an amazingly talented and truly gifted designer, but I feel that this was probably not his best work. I didn't mind so much the bodice, although the dress did give her a bit if a paunchy tummy. But, everything below the hip area was just wrong. Way too much going on. He should've just kept it simple and not layered the panels. In short, Christian's done worse and he's done far, far, far better.
Hmmm...I love the color, but the shape makes her boobs look kind-of squished and lumpy. It looks like a prom dress.
BTW, the season of Idol that Kimberly was on was one of the only seasons I watched, and I thought she should have won.
--GothamTomato
I think it's very pretty and just slightly overwhelming. Remove one or two elements and she would be wearing the dress instead of the dress wearing her.
Looks like Austin Scarlet and Uli had a dress-baby.
I have to say the dress is really not to my style but I love it. Just not for Ms. Locke. (The colors are GREAT for her though.) I think the problem isn't the dress itself, but that it should have been worn by someone with a different shape.
It's odd, the dress looks slightly different in the video clip - for instance, the peachy colored strip that comes down from the neckline looks wider and placed differently. I actually like the video clip version much better. But overall, I think it was a pretty dress, and rather scaled down for Christian.
Looks like that other prom dress he made.
OUT like Outta Space.
Emma P.
Gotta agree with notameangirl... beautiful dress, wrong body type. I know the haters will probably say this means Christian can't design for big girls, but what people don't see is that he doesn't have to design for big girls. He wants to do high fashion & couture, and let's face it, high fashion & couture are not meant for big girls.
Kimberly obviously loved the dress, so at least he pleased the client.
sorry...looks like a shmatteh bridesmaide dress...
I do think it is commendable for Christian to be making charitable donations at this stage in his life and career. I do not however, love this dress.
I think the various elements of the dress are at war with each other and I see many problems with the fit, workmanship, and patternmaking. Also the various colors do not seem to complement each other (but that could be the weird lighting). One thing he needs to learn is that if someone is paying for a custom made gown, they do not want one that was made in a day. It is a craft that takes time. It is not a race like on Project Runway.
I checked the auction and the dress is listed as a size 6!
(Mostly out.) While I loved the color, the miriad of streamers and layers just looked sloppy. Not well constructed at all.
----StkrShock
Kimberly is fat and Christian's design is just FUGLY.
Oh something I forgot to mention. I was suepirsed by the dress in another way. I thought it was too formal for the occasion but then I read the inspiration for the gown and let it go.
Frank
It's HIDEOUS!!! She should have asked Rami to design a dress for her.
I'm on the border, guess I'll have to count as a "shoulder shrug."
Well coordinated colors, but I hate the gray/taupe thing and these colors didn't work with the woman's skin. I do congratulate him on fitting a dress on a larger woman, the shape was pretty nice. Maybe a little "mature" for her? Do I see a Rami influence in the inexplicable left-boob slash? That cracked me up.
Out. I hate to even say it but I think if she wanted deconstructed she should have hired Jeffrey. Better yet, she should have hired Uli. I'm just not a Christian believer; I don't think he has any range and should just stick to couture stuff and enjoy his 15 minutes (although doesn't it already seem like 30??)
Love the colours but it empahsises her hips way too much, and the horizontal line between the corset and skirt shortens her torso.
lilithcat @ 9:48 is right, it really is irrelevant that the dress is being sold for charity in regards to whether it's in or not. Oh, TLo, it's beginning to smell a little like you're trying to keep your Bravo bread a little too buttered so you don't get auf-ed from their fabulous parties...
Tonya said...
Kimberly is fat
That was rude and uncalled for Tonya. Kimberly has more talent in her little finger than most. How rude.
She should have asked Rami to design a dress for her
Rami didn't win, and they don't usually ask the losers to design gowns for people. They promote the winner. Get it?
Out. The drapey panels don't meet at the hips, which makes her look wider, and the way they gather at the seam with the horizontal sash puts poof where there should never ever be.
I do like the color on her though and the corset top.
my first reaction to the dress was puke, but seeing it in the video...it actually flows quite well and it flatters her...
the colors are ferosh...
the dress does not look like something christian siriano did in PR...
Besides being sort of fugly, it just plain didn't fit. It was all squashed at the chest. And that bump out at the hipline - where the skirt attached to the drop waist - was a big don't. The length seemed off - did she switch to taller heels at the last minute?
I had no idea that Christian designed the dress, but I sat their ripping it to shreds last night while Ed watched Idol (which I can't stand).
I thought it looked like a fairy princess gown that got run through a car wash.
Tonya Harding on Tlo's blog - who could imagine !
you people are freaks for calling a size 6 woman fat. and the best thing I can say about the dress is that when I saw it I thought, "wow, that looks nothing like a PPS dress to me" whatever that means
I'm hugely impressed he designed for a woman who wasn't a zero.
I wonder if he called her fat during the fittings?
A big OUT. I don't think that either the color or the shape of the dress work for Kimberly. The bodice is just a mess. The fit is not good. The layers on the skirt look ridiculous. I think it looks like a 10-year old girl pinned a bunch of fabric scraps together in an effort to make a fairy princess dress for Barbie.
After watching the American Idol video, I really think the dress makes her look heavier than she is. The other footage of her on the show doesn't make her look heavy at all, but all that puckery-ness and layers, as well as smooshing her upper-body endowments--doesn't seem to work. The necklines on her other clothes shown on that episode show off her figure. This dress does not.
out!
"Actually, we're a little torn."
Yeah, that's what the dress was thinking.
The dress was beautiful, but not so much on her. While she was standing still, it was very nice, but in motion? Noooo.
How about Princess on my Craig's show last night? How adorable were they? THAT'S the real story (at least to me).
In my opinion, this piece is a little too beauty pageant evening gown competition for me. This silhouette is seen constantly on the beauty pageant stage.
the biggest issue I have with this dress is that it's not made for a singer. I can't see how she can breathe, and it showed in her performance. I get that he's a designer and is coming at it from that perspective, but from a functionality perspective it fails.
~Sarah
edited for coherency.
I love the idea and the charity. I don't care as much for the dress. The puckered princess seams drive me batty, but he even admitted that he didn't have much time, and to do a good seam in that kind of fabric requires that you take your time and do a ton of pressing. So I'm going to cut PP some slack on this one. And good on him for being willing to do a tough assignment for a good cause on short notice!
She's not fat by any means.
But the cut of the dress carries the eyes straight to her hips. It's just a lot of stuff coming down, wrapped around.
I have less issues with the color. Those are great colors --just not so great against that particular background and also in still shots with the stage lighting like this, things tend to look a bit differently.
Pure FUG. He took a woman with a lovely figure and made her look like a cow in dirty, tattered rags. It puts me even more in the "Christian can't dress real people" camp than ever before. If he sticks to editorial stuff that only automatons like Mrs. Beckham can wear, he'll have a career. If not, he won't last five years.
OUT!
I hate the vagina curtains.
but overall at least it's sorta in the vein of something I could wear.
I love the top of this dress, but the bottom should have been either more deconstructed or less... i feel like it was a dress trying to be edgy without the risk of actually doing so.
but i love pps, and am always behind him. though i dont if im ready to put him above jay just yet.
Out, sad to say.
It looked like she was wearing a bustle in the back!
In the clip where he's talking about it, the fit up top was SO much better.
Don't know what happened between that and the show, but her boobs were in major danger of spilling out at any minute.
That being said, I thought the dress was beautiful, just not on her.
BTW- every one is talking about how she is a large woman- the site says that the dress is a size 6. Large for a model perhaps, but not for a regular person...
-Eileen
K's figure is just like mine--I'm a 6 Petite too--and I just want to point out that the drop waist is NOT emphasizing the widest part of her hips. The widest part of her hips is BENEATH the drop waist, very cleverly camouflaged by the flowy skirt. The dress is actually very well designed to make it look as though she is no wider than the bodice.
The dress had some flaws, but I really do think that Christian was paying attention to the body type of his client. Apart from the sort of odd decolletage, I think it's quite flattering on her. Love the color.
One day you're in, one day you're out. That looks like one of the out days for Christian. He really needs to work on how to dress regular and large size women. He designs for stick figures.
I'm with you Joan, PPS on Craig last night is the story of the day. Hilarious!
I must be perma-damaged when it comes to liking anything even remotely drappey looking. I didnt like this much, but am over the moon that they donated it to charity. Good work PPS!
Out.
Not flattering cut. Color was almost but not quite.
Could be an in on someone else, but, since it was made for this girl.....
Just watched the Idol clip on Blogging Project Runway and I have to say it does look better in motion. Bill, you're right about the length! That's just weird.
Christian's appearance on the Late Late show is there too.
Ew to both the dress and the fact that the two of you watch American Idol. Sadly, my respect for you has officially drowned in tears of disappointment.
Re. Christian's penchant for couture, allez! allez! allez!
Eh, I think the colors are a little drab for American Idol
Ew to both the dress and the fact that the two of you watch American Idol
There is nothing wrong with American Idol. Let me get this straight, you think you are above AI, but you watch Project Runway? A reality show is a reality show and if you look down upon them, then you should look down on all of them. Snob.
Enh. I kind of hate it. The weird split in the middle of the skirt looks almost vulvic. The whole thing is pretty much the opposite of fierce. It almost looks like Christian just didn't know what to do with Kimberley.
Loved Kim on her original season, though. She was my favorite and I thought she should have won, but her first album sucked :(. Hopefully this one will be better.
Well, i guess I appreciate that he did something quite different, but I think the dress is awful. :(
Oh, by the way, there is a differemce between AI & PR. On PR, people have to have an actual skill. On AI, I'm sorry to say, they don't. Which isn't to say that some of the singers aren't skilled at their craft, but it doesn't seem to be a requirement. Additionally, PR does give some credit for originality, whereas from what I've seen on AI, it's quite the opposite.
Anonymous said...
Ew to both the dress and the fact that the two of you watch American Idol. Sadly, my respect for you has officially drowned in tears of disappointment.
Where did they say they watched American Idol?
IF the dress had fit properly -- larger cup size, better length, better proportioned for her proportions -- it might have worked. But it didn't fit properly. The lovely fabrics can't make up for bad fit.
I look forward to seeing the next Christian designs...
--Sally in North Bend
Singing isn't a skill? If that were the case everyone would be singers. No, you must have talent to be on their, and if you don't know that, you obviously don't watch it.
Most of those performers are enormously talented and I think it's rude that a no one is trying to take that away from them and minimize the hard work these people do to be at the talent level to be in a national competition. Thousands and thousands of people audition and the top twelve obviously have something going on or they would not be there. Ask Kelly Clarkson or Carrie Underwood if they think this competition doesn't require any skill. I am sure they could hope to live in Brooklyn one day and be as successful as you.
Modification of vote!
I wrote my note about a "larger woman" before reading that it's a size 6 - geez, if the fit is making her look like a large woman, that dress has to be OUT!
and now a couple of notes:
I just lerve me some Craig Ferguson. He's cute and the accent is fab. I just can't stay awake that late, I'll have to start DVRing, sigh....
gorgeous things, like your new pic with Tim!
honesty.not.pc. - "vagina curtains"? heeee!
There is nothing wrong with American Idol. Let me get this straight, you think you are above AI, but you watch Project Runway? A reality show is a reality show and if you look down upon them, then you should look down on all of them. Snob.
Bravo @ you, anonymous.
Though I think there are some reality shows that are vastly more exploitative and icky than others. American Idol and Project Runway are on pretty much on the same tier as far as that goes, though.
As for this dress? I'm not feeling it. It's possible it could have worked better in motion, though. I think video is called for.
anonymous 2:09, you sound like a disappointed (or perhaps current!) contestant.
I think this blog doesn't appreciate personal attacks, please go away.
Sorry for serial posting.
Sorry if it seemed I was saying singing isn't a skill. It most certainly is. I was saying I don't think AI encourages skilled singing, even if some of the contestants are very good. And Brooklyn, by the way, is a very happening place. But let's not fight. Let's talk clothes instead.
I don't HATE the dress but I don't love it. More and more, at least to me, it looks like Christian's range is very limited. I'm curious to see what he's going to do for his next collection.
By the way, Brooklyn is FABULOUS!
i applaud christian for stepping out of his comfort zone (size 0, puffy sleeves, etc.), but i have to say i wasn't "wowed" by this dress. i agree with tlo on the colors -- gorgeous! it just looked too tight up top and just made her look big. i'm shocked to hear that it's a size 6!
i will give him a pass because he is actually trying to do something for a real woman and making a donation to charity -- both commendable. i think that with more experience with the "real woman" thing he will get a handle on it and only get better...
TLO,
Until today, I had never, ever been to the BPR site. I looked today because some were mentioning it. I have to say, your blog is waaaay better and more interesting. Not that there is anything wrong with the other one, it's just that you all do such a fabulous job and I wanted to say thank you.
~seth
I was saying I don't think AI encourages skilled singing, even if some of the contestants are very good.
Hmm I don't know if this really puts it below Project Runway, though. The PR judges are clearly looking for a "package" much the same way the American Idol judges are, and as such, the judging can seem equally random. And boy oh boy have we seen some "unskilled" contestants on PR.
It might be a fair argument to make that there is a difference in that PR has judge-based eliminations while AI has audience voting, which seems like it should give the edge to PR in classiness. But damn, Nina Garcia can be every bit as fickle as a teenage girl with a speed-dial, don't you think?
another laura said...
anonymous 2:09, you sound like a disappointed (or perhaps current!) contestant.
I think this blog doesn't appreciate personal attacks, please go away.
But it's ok to make attacks if you are another laura? You kinda contradicted yourself in that post. You made an attack and condemned it all in the same breath.
hopefully no one else said this already (my attention span's too short to read all the postings), but this dress reminded me of a long version of santino's barbie dress. just sayin'.
I don't remember Santino's dress, that was so long ago.
I think TV is what makes people look bigger. Kimberly is only a size 6, and some were saying she is fat, which she isn't. I didn't think she looked fat last night, I thought she looked great. I liked the dress too.
"Nina Garcia can be every bit as fickle as a teenage girl with a speed-dial, don't you think?"
Thanks tehkou for the laugh! you hit that proverbial nail on the head!
In. It's kind of a big deal.
Why is everyone going on about the "fat" thing? As far as I can tell, ONE person said she was fat.
OUT on every level. If this were judged on the three C's, cut, color, craftsmanship, this diamond would be worthless.
IN. The dress is gorgeous and she looks beautiful in it. I don;t understand the Christian hate these days.
Maybe only one person said it outright, but several others sure did insinute it without saying it.
OUT.OUT.OUT. Her boobs are stretched soooo tight! They look like they're going to explode any minute! Evacuate the area!
So not fierce!
It looks like one of Santino's creations for PR.
Was she fugged yet? It is going to happen.
We're sorry Princess, you are OUT. Please leave the runway. Auf wiedersehen!!
She looks great, c'mon guys. She lost 40 pounds. She looks amazing.
" tripletmom96 said...
i applaud christian for stepping out of his comfort zone (size 0, puffy sleeves, etc.), but i have to say i wasn't "wowed" by this dress. i agree with tlo on the colors -- gorgeous! it just looked too tight up top and just made her look big."
I think that's pretty much it. It's not an ugly dress. I also agree with whoever said that it looked better during fitting.
HOT. TRANNY. MESS. Princess gets a taste of his own medicine.
OUT
It looks like a couple evil stepsisters tore apart the real dress and sent Kimberly to the ball in rags.
pinkprincess said, I don;t understand the Christian hate these days.
What I don't understand is where you get the idea that not liking this dress (or the way it looks on Ms. Locke) or not caring for Christian's designs generally means that people "hate" him. Don't you think that's a tad bit of a stretch? It is possible to dislike a person's body of work without "hating" the person.
I am so surprised that Christian designed that dress! I was watching that and kept thinking how awful she looked, and she is a very pretty woman. The dress plus the hair were so unflattering, IMO. Definitely out!
There is something weird about the top. It's like her boobs just are not were they are suppose to be. Like they didn't fit in the dress.
Did anyone see Christian on bravo's 'make me a supermodel'
"anon said: She looks great, c'mon guys. She lost 40 pounds. She looks amazing."
Yes, she looks great: It's the dress that looks bad (and cheap).
What is it with PR designers and breasts? They're like Clinton & Obama: They should be working in concert, but instead they are fighting each other in a bizarre way that makes them both look diminished and distorted. Same goes for the designers and the breasts they are assigned to dress. I don't get what the problem is.
Kimberly's just lucky she didn't turn up on a red crapet in that thing. She would have ended up on every worst dressed list.
--GothamTomato
jen, you're quite right, how silly of me! The impassioned defense of American Idol made me lose my head.
In the first picture, where everyone is commenting that her boobs look wrong, that is a shadow that is making them look square, not the dress.
That dress is like a black tie event with Barbarella.
Did anyone else get a "Avant-Garde Rami Dress" vibe from this?
That was the firstthing I thought. After that it was, "Poor Kimberly". I love KLo, but this was definitely not the dress for her.
Kudos to Princess for the charitable donation but this dress is out. It's as if he took a standard-issue prom or bridesmaid's dress (color and all) and threw a bunch of wickety-wack on it in a misguided attempt to be avant garde. It's horribly unflattering and doesn't work on any level.
Princess had better hope Ms. Beckham keeps him on retainer or that he can launch a line of skinny jeans before they go out of style because I still see no commercial viability to his work. But he's a tv personality now so maybe he doesn't care.
I didn't see the dress in motion but based on the photos, this dress is just not flattering.
I agree with Kanani that the horizontal hip seam draws your eye straight to her hips. And the "vulvic" layers (loved that reference) draws your eyes there again. The focus for this dress should have been up top, but the bodice doesn't fit and rather than featuring the girls squishes them into some kind of quadraboob. That plus the deconstructed layers makes the dress very Santinoesque.
The color palette is nice, but not necessarily under that lighting. Shiny fabric is so unforgiving and combined with the lighter colors shows every little imperfection in construction.
This dress may have been for charity and constructed in a hurry, but it was also designed specifically for this woman and it doesn't look good on her. There's no excuse for that.
I want to like it....there's just something off about it. Maybe if there wasn't that strange drop-waist thing going on, or if those ruffles on the skirt weren't there?
But the colors are gorgeous and I love the detailing on the bodice.
IN!!! I LOVE THE DRESS! THE COLOR IS BEAUTIFUL AND SHE LOOKS STUNNING IN IT!! CHRISTIAN IS SO TALENTED!!
I saw her performance on AI and thought she looked good. The gown held up well during the performance and flowed nicely when she was moving.
I kinda was thinking that Christian was channeling several of the past designers though. VYa for the tight bodice, Santino & Kayne for the design concept, Uli for colors and Rami for that little drapey thing across the front.
The colors and fabrics are lovely, but the skimpy sash across the bodice looks like it's squishing her boobs. The bodice as a whole is not giving her the support she needs up there. Maybe this is a foundation garment issue, but still, Christian should have been able to look at that fit, see the problem, and create a solution.
Sorry, but that's not at all flattering. What the heck is the bodice doing to her torso? Her boobs look like they're suffering horribly, and she looks otherwise misshapen. And the color...what color?
Christian is not a dressmaker. He should stick to what he does best - skinny pants and jackets.
another laura said...
jen, you're quite right, how silly of me! The impassioned defense of American Idol made me lose my head.
4:18 PM
Way to be a hippocrite and a smart alec.
What is it with PR designers and breasts? They're like Clinton & Obama: They should be working in concert, but instead they are fighting each other in a bizarre way that makes them both look diminished and distorted.
Best. Political. Analysis. Evah!
D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R. It didn't even FIT HER. What’s with the wonky boning - I saw piece that broke free of it's channel and it was ready to pop right out of her bodice like straw coming out of a wrapper and her boobs were mashed down onto her torso but busting out on top like a muffin. He should be ashamed of himself for that kind of work.
Honestly, the kids need to take a class with Susan Khalje. I’ve made boned bodice gowns that look 100% better than that thing.
If Kayne had made that gown we would have seen true couture work.
Hutchlover said, Did anyone else get a "Avant-Garde Rami Dress" vibe from this?
Another Laura said, Do I see a Rami influence in the inexplicable left-boob slash?
Yes! I thought it was much more Rami-esque than Christianish. But let's give the kid a break. From what we're reading, he's had to come up with (and sew?) a zillion designs since he won.
From what we're reading, he's had to come up with (and sew?) a zillion designs since he won.
Perhaps he, or his handlers, need to learn to say "no", and to choose his commissions with a bit more discretion and consideration.
If he is taking on so much work that he cannot turn out good product, I have to question his business sense. It's no good being seen all over if what is seen does not make people sit up and take notice in a good way.
Discretion and consideration? He needs the money. I definitely think Christian is the kind of kid who will go weeks without sleep and say yes to every offer if it means he'll have enough money to launch his line by the end of the year.
Also, you make it sound like everyone unanimously hated it. There's a bunch of "in"s here, and I'm sure many people watching the show liked the dress. Kimberly liked the dress, and she's the one who wore it.
OK, I love Kimberly Locke, and I certainly hope the dress brings in tons of money at auction, but, wow, what an ugly frock. I confess to not being a Christian Siriano fan to start with, but this dress is uninspired and the bodice fits horribly. It is entirely unflattering, in a bad prom dress kind of way, and is just completely the wrong color for Kim's beautiful skin tone. It couldn't be a bigger OUT.
--SAM
Um, wow, fellow commenters. Crazy much?
Do you guys really think she looks like a COW in this?... I think a lot of you are looking too hard...and if you hadn't known it was Christian's, or if it hadn't have stood out a little, you wouldn't have found any fault with it at all...
I think it flowed well... I think it was quite pretty... it might have looked a bit better if a few things were done differently... but overall, I thought the dress looked gorgeous, if, like others said, a bit rushed. And that fabric looked AMAZING on stage.
i liked the dress. and i'm sorry, everyone, ruffles falling away from the waist do not equate 'looks like a vagina'.
Gotham Tomato said:
Kimberly's just lucky she didn't turn up on a red crapet in that thing.
LOL!
GT, Whether you meant the double entendre or not, that's hilarious!
And meaningful.
Emma P.
Come on - as a similar-sized woman myself - this is hard! You'll never look "thin" but you don't necessarily feel the need to hide it either. Queen Latifiah seems to be at this stage too.
I would have worn this dress and I'm at the same 'on the fence' should I or shouldn't I hesitation...
You can't change the shape underneath, not even Christian - but he can make her happier and more confident - which is what this dress would have done for me. Maybe her tummy is puffy, maybe she is wide - you can't change that with a dress! You can just make it look pretty.
The colors look like sheer panty hose. Not my favorite, but I love Christian.
out. it doesn't flatter her body in the slightest and the color is something rami might have come up with - boring!
I like Christian but he never should have made this dress. Did it flatter her figure? No. Good color on her? No. Would I wear it? Yet a third no.
I know Christian's been offered every opportunity under the sun but it would be far wiser to turn down a few offers then to send out another dress like this...
OUT. The cut was not flattering to her figure, the color did nothing for her beautiful skin and the dress looked like it could have been bought off the rack at any "prom dress store".
Pretty dress, but not for her. Oddly enough, I'm reading Tim Gunn's book right now, and he stresses the importance of knowing what's suitable for your body type. Hysterical footnote on Mrs. Gunn's closets. Must read.
farce
at first, i winced. then i watched the video, and looked some more at the pictures, and it's grown on me. i could - actually, the dress and Kimberley - could do without the sashy thing around the middle, but on the whole, i LIKE it.
that sort of murky lilac-grey color seems quite chic at the moment, and i'm liking it. i think she looks good - not fru-fru princess, not skanky ho, but classy and lovely. it's great colors for early spring - melting snow and early crocus.
i like the dress a whole heck of a lot, and i love seeing something from Christian besides his skinny legs and Ruffle-upagus tops.
and i loved him on Craig Ferguson's show! he knows the scoop, i think, and he is (as he should!) working it while he can.
Dress looks great! The color is gorgeous and the look is different from what we're used to.
It also give the idea that Kimberly is curvy, beautiful and this dress shows it in the best way possible.
It's good to see lighter color dresses and not dark ones for girls that aren't a size 2.
I'm sorry, but this is bad. I could find something similar at Macy's for $40.
Kimberley looked fantastic! That color was gorgeous against her skin. The dress was very pretty and flirty. I love the way it shimmered and moved on stage.
IN!!!
It reminds me of one of those quick change dresses. You know the one where she pulls strings and the top falls down to make another look. The skirt looked like it appeared from somewhere else!
Out, out, out. I said "Eewww!" to the picture before I looked down enought to see it was a chicken dress. So my prejudice is merely confirmed, not visited upon.
I can't believe I'm going to "weigh" in on the "fat" conversation, but somebody needs to talk sensibly.
Regular women know that if our arms are a little pudgy (Kim's are) that we can have a size six waist (Kim does) and still look chubby because the human eye goes to the neck and arms IF THEY ARE EXPOSED.
If you look at Kim without first taking in her arms, she's clearly a teeny sized six. The mistake here is that she did what most of us would not, and that is she's showing her arms.
It's no crime to have pudgy arms, because if it was we'd all be in jail together. Kim looks fantastic. However, she did something that I personally wouldn't have done if I wanted to look thinner (because I too am the not-so-proud owner of pudgy arms).
I don't think that the dress played much of a roll except that it doesn't cover her still-shrinking arms.
Guiliana Dipandi could gain 100 pounds in her torso, but if she kept her stick-skinny arms, we'd all think she was still skinny.
We now return you to your regularly scheduled non-sensical commenting.
You are absolutely right, lima bean. My sister is also a six 6 but everyone thinks she's a lot smaller than that just because she has skinny arms and calves.
One last thing. When I was wandering through the clothes off their backs website, I noticed a dress for auction that the gorgeous America Ferrera wore. She is also a six 6.
The average American woman is a size 14. So why the hell is anyone calling Ferrera a big girl??!?!?!!!
Stop the madness!!!
I didn't like that dress at ALL and I had NO clue it was a Christian original when I told my husband it was hideous, he agreed! She looks bigger, the colors are ALL wrong for her and the bust is weird.
out.
Boring, redundant of other styles, she isn't the kind of figure for that many openings of layers in those areas, Christian still doesn't get what full-bodied woman's hips and ass are about, and overall, not really flattering for that figure or person. Bravo indeed.
Love how the dress is allegedly a size 6.
I don't care what size the dress is. Look what it does to Kimberly Locke's chest! For that crime, it's OUT.
I hope they raise lots of money and all that, but I trust the purchaser will find a decent tailor to 'finish' it properly before any attempt to wear that dress.
brilliant said...
You are absolutely right, lima bean. My sister is also a six 6 but everyone thinks she's a lot smaller than that just because she has skinny arms and calves.
One last thing. When I was wandering through the clothes off their backs website, I noticed a dress for auction that the gorgeous America Ferrera wore. She is also a six 6.
The average American woman is a size 14. So why the hell is anyone calling Ferrera a big girl??!?!?!!!
Stop the madness!!!
It's true the madness must stop, but..Part of the madness is the numerical size itself.
See that dress form in the upper right hand corner? She is a size "8". I got her when I was at Pratt in the early 90's and she was pretty close to the average runway model, too. The PR contestants are using size "6" dress forms, but when garments go up for auction they magically transform to size "2". I personally would like to know the good old English inch measurements of the dangburn gown and get on with it.
PS My dressform measures 36"-24"-36", Brick~da~da~da~da~ house.
I like the kid, but he's still designing for my prom - in 1982.
Bad fit, lousy material choice, not finished well - not his usual level of perfection (and ditto the 4 boobs comment made earlier.)
This one is out, imho.
I'm sorry, I just cannot get past the awful fit. To paraphrase Heidi, the boobs are just not where they are supposed to be. Christian is truly a gifted designer, I just think he has trouble designing for someone not built like a 12 year old boy.
Are we seeing the same dress ?
I love it ! IN!!!Lerve the color.
In for sure. It's not the most amazing dress ever, but it's lovely. I watched the ep and didn't know until this post that it was a CR dress. I thought "lovely dress, she looks great".
and the dress didn't overwhelm her.
It makes no difference that CS didn't have time to make the dress to his standards. If he didn't, then he shouldn't have made it.
It's nice that the dress is going to be auctioned off to live inside someone's cedar-lined closet for eternity since I don't want to see it ever again. If it can make a beautiful size 6 woman look frumpy...
The color did nothiing to set of her skin tone and the wrappy bits hit at the wrong spots and the boobs/ribs area was not finished at all. Not to mention the vagina drapes-ugh.
It could have been lovely dress, but it was overthought. Rami could have done it better.
Lovely dress, wrong woman. Kimberley Locke has CURVES (not fat) which Christian has probably never encountered before in his life.
Curvy hips don't need the emphasis of a horizontal sash AND a horizontal seam. Curvy boobs don't need to be squooshed up with bits of fabric hanging off them.
Curvy hips need to be skimmed over unobtrusively and larger boobs need support and deep necklaces and maybe even a bit of elegant Rami draping.
OUT. Her lower half looks like my mom's jabot-heavy dining room windows.
And she is a size 6? That dress adds at least 2 dress sizes to what I would have guessed. It looks like a plus-size design for some reason, like a bunch of slimming tricks were used in the design. Christian, honey, she might be 6 dress sizes bigger than you are used to dressing, but she does not need to be minimized.
That gown would look gorgeous on a smaller person. No offense to Kimberly.
I saw that...And I was blaming the dress on the legendarily talentless and tremendously tacky American Idol stylists.
The problem was not the dress.
Well a little. I don't like the chiffon overskirts.
The problem was the dress on HER.
You babies KNOW I am the queen of size positivity.
I actually thought Kim Locke looked better bigger. Younger too.
But the issue if not dress, nor her body, the issue is the FIT of the dress.
It was god-freaking-scary.
I was saying that it was so constricting and tight in the bodice that it gave her Starbucks supersized muffin-top cleavage of Operatic proportion. Think RenFair service wench...
It made me think of making her spokesperson for the La Leche league.
One of the MOST crucial things when dressing or making flattering clothes for women with good bodies (versus hangers with bradycardia. They are often too starved to achieve a sinus rhythm) is that you have to construct the beegeezus out of them tailoring, boning and all, and the fit has to be a feat of engineering.And strapless is NOT the best choice of neckline.
Obviously Kim did not look at herself in a mirror before she went onstage.
Now, I LOVE the charity that they are donating the money too and the fact that they are doing that.
The dress would be awesome on a C cup ( versus Kim's DD-E).
Love,
Milla
By the way anonymous who on earth said that high fashion and couture were not meant for big girls?
Galliano and Gaultier put a size 28( yes, PLUS 28) girl on the runway called Velvet D'Amour. And she is the definition of fierce.
And I am building a WHOLE label, brand and career on high fashion, couture and high end contemporary plus-size clothing.
Like Twisted Sister sang it baby.."We are not going to take it ANYMORE". And scrooo Jenny and Weight Watchers! Towanda!
Hugs,
Milla
Love PPS, hate the dress!
Not his best work and it’s kind of reminiscent of the prom dress challenge. Princess doesn’t know how to design for big girls.
Obviously Kim did not look at herself in a mirror before she went onstage.
Or she did look at herself in the mirror and just doesn't know how to be kind to her own figure. This happens all the time, with women (and men!) who like a style so much in concept that they don't really think about how it looks on them... I think Tim Gunn calls it "Hanger appeal"?
I know I am late late late but I absolutely HATED this dress. She looked like she had a Little House on the Prairie apron on and it didn't fit her well at all....not to mention the seam along the hips made her look so wide- anyone who has busted their ass to lose all that weight should MURDER the designer that puts a seam across your hips like that.
Auf.
"not to mention the seam along the hips made her look so wide"
That was EXACTLY what I wrote.
There are basic design concepts two of those are that horizontal lines and added volume BOTH add width to whatever body part you place them on.
And in this case he placed 1) the shash, 2) the seam and 3) the overskirts at her widest point on a dress that was already 3 bust cups too small.
yikes...
Hugs,
Milla
NOT feerce!
Can you say "puckery hot mess"?
WWNS (What would Nina say?)
.
The dress is a complete disaster - all around. It read that it looks like he tried to do something that Rami can do but failed at it.
I have to agree.
It's very interesting to see Christian do something different than the same thing we've seen all season and in the finale.
Makes me wonder how the heck he won. ??
That skirt looks like cheap chiffon scarves from the drug store that the 'blue-rinse' crowd wears when they leave the hair dresser. Could he possibly have made her hips look bigger?
The little Princess is using up his 15 minutes pretty fast. I am ready to move on...
"I'm not a dress maker"
Ahh....ya think??!
It's a joke that a "women's fashion designer" won PR that can't even make a dress...or show us that he could make a wearable dress.
The finale costumes he made were not wearable, this is a puckered train-wreck. He should have been auf'd in the prom challenge when he failed at that dress also.
ummmmm kevin..
christian's more talented than you'll ever be, so don't be surprised that he won. every designer has their off days, but this isn't a bad dress, even if he can do better. he did say that he had virtually no time to design it.
and just so you know, if you think fashion is just about wearability, you're sadly mistaken. his finale collection was very creative, innovative, and it WAS wearable. so go crawl in a hole and design your own "wearable" outfits if you have a problem with it. kthnx:)
Oh my goodness, some of you people are acting like this is the end of his career. So he made a bad dress...what designer hasn't?
And come on people...you never hear someone say "oh I can't buy that, I don't like the designer."
P.S. I don't see how Christians collection wasn't wearable...since when are jackets, shirts, and skinny pants not wearable? Take out the ruffles, feathers, and what not and you have a fine piece of clothing. Some pieces that Jillian and Rami designed were sooo NOT wearable for most women. So I don't see what all the bitchery is about!
"I can't see how she can breathe, and it showed in her performance."
Oh, come on, functional dressing isn't a function of haute couture.
/sarcasm
Beautiful color, could have used a chevron drape at the hips, bodice wrong.
I know Kim. She's an 8. Figures with curves are harder to fit.
Why does everyone think the industry wants skinny models in the first place?
1) Cheaper (use less fabric to dress, costs less).
2) Designers are not across the board geniuses. Not every one can construct for an actual woman's figure.
1)"I know Kim. She's an 8. Figures with curves are harder to fit".
I agree 100%. Although 8 is tiny.
I have been doing my samples in a size 18 for a 38DD bust and a 36 inch waist. Tell me about it.
And I have only been sewing for about a year and a half.
2)"Designers are not across the board geniuses. Not every one can construct for an actual woman's figure".
Then they are not designers. They are wannabes. A real designer can design for anyone. Now, I can understand being a subpar dressmaker and tailor because I am one, since I am dyscalculic and a novice stitcher.
One of the best designers is Isaac Mizrahi.
That guy can design a decent dress or pants for any kind of figure for like 2.99, and make it look pretty great. Zac Posen is pretty darn good too.
not flattering on her body. but it's great that he is making it happen for himself. not every dress can be the best.
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