This week's challenge had several dimensions to it (no pun intended. Just kidding, totally intended.) The designers were to draw inspiration from iconic New York City bridges to create an Avant-Garde look. In addition, they got the opportunity to incorporate 3D printed pieces into their design, and the winner of the challenge would win a Cube 3D printer! The only designer who has used 3D printing in the past on Project Runway is Justin LeBlanc, who has created multiple collections of 3D printed pieces over the years. It was really exciting to see other designers expand their horizons to this new medium, and I'm glad PR jumped on the 3D bandwagon. This phase of Project Runway is always SO HARD to judge because literally everyone is good. Even the designs on the bottom are pretty great, and since there are only five designers left I'm just going to comment on all of them, rating them from my most favorite to least favorite. 1. Edmond Newton Edmond's look fit all the criteria of the challenge. Avant-Garde is all about creating something new that we haven't seen before, and this look accomplished that. He played upon the "x" shapes in the bridge in the bodice and in his 3D printed pieces, he incorporated a sculptural shape into the skirt while maintaining clean lines, and he even created a printed textile within the mesh he used. It's nothing like anything he's made before, but it still has Edmond written all over it. Literally written all over it, because he put his name into his 3D printed pieces! Just genius. 2. Candice Cuoco I won't lie, I was a little worried about this in the work room; after Candice's street walker moment from last week, a red satin gown could have gone really cheap, really fast. But it didn't!! It was BEAUTIFUL!! I don't know if I've ever seen a more well-made gown on this show. The only real inspiration from the bridges was the repeated triangle shape, and it was a pretty wearable gown which didn't exactly fit the Avant-Garde challenge, so I get why she didn't win. That said, her use of the 3D printing was probably the best of the bunch, and guest judge Mel B chose her gown to wear to an event, so at the end of the day, she really was a winner! 3. Kelly Dempsey While I was disappointed with Kelly's use of the 3D printing and I was concerned with her fabric choice, she really did pull out a great look here. She went very literal in representing the sturdy shape of the bridge and the cable ties that hold it all together, and it turned out way better than I expected. Her styling was impeccable, and while it wouldn't have been my top choice for the win, I can see what the judges saw in it. Definitely one of the best looks she's made all season. 4. Ashley Nell Tipton I understand where the judges were coming from when they said this was two looks that didn't go together, and I think Ashley's original design before Tim's critique was a little better. She struggled with the 3D printing aspect of it and in the end it wasn't the most successful. For Ashley, though, this was a very dramatic and "out-there" look. She is a ready-to-wear designer by nature and I liked her interpretation of what Avant-Garde means to her. 5. Merline Labissiere This is not a bad dress by any means, and it was nice to see a more refined version of Merline. Unfortunately, it wasn't Avant-Garde, it wasn't identifiably inspired by the bridges, and her use of the 3D printing use wasn't that great. For a designer that has a background in architecture, this could have been a great challenge for her, and she just didn't work to her best potential. I understand why she went home. So congratulations, Kelly! I thought it was pretty hilarious that she pointed out that she doesn't even have a 2D printer, so the 3D printer was a major win for her. If she makes it to fashion week, I'll be interested in seeing if she incorporates more 3D work into her designs! ---
All photos from mylifetime.com ---
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This week was the Sally Beauty challenge, also known as the "real women makeover" challenge. Any time the designers have to create looks for women who don't have model bodies, you know something is about to go down. This season, to add an extra special wrinkle, the designers were creating looks for Project Runway crew members. Which meant the judges were extra invested in the results. Oof. There are only 6 designers left, which means EVERYONE IS JUDGED THIS WEEK! My Top Three 1. Merline Labissiere
2. Edmond Newton
3. Ashley Nell Tipton This dress wasn't all that great, and because Ashley is a plus-size designer I expected better from her. That said, I understand her not wanting to create the same shape she usually does and to get in trouble for that, and I think she got all designed out. I really didn't mind the print like the judges did, and I think if she had moved the waist up three inches and kept the peplum solid, it would have been an okay piece. Not the best, but definitely not the worst! My Bottom Three 1. Candice Cuoco Good. Lord. I don't know how Candice went from "the client's favorite color is blue, so I'll create my signature style with pops of blue" to "I'll make an 80s street walker dress and throw everything but the kitchen sink on top of it." Seriously. No woman in her right mind would ever leave the house in this unless it was Halloween. Candice should know better, and she's done better. I'm over it. 2. Swapnil Shinde I understand to a degree why they sent Swapnil home for this. He had been on the judge's cut list for weeks, and in the end his model wasn't happy with the finished look. THAT SAID. His model was incredibly difficult. She never fully expressed to Swapnil what she wanted (other than long sleeves and covered legs) and when she didn't like something she couldn't tell him why. He had no direction at all, and with no direction and a few hours to whip something together that she might not totally hate, this was a fair attempt. 3. Kelly Dempsey I seriously can't believe this look won. IT WON. A pair of purple pleather overalls won the design challenge. Seriously. What. Even. I get that the client is really into overalls and tank tops. But pleather?? It's not practical, it's not comfortable, it's not cute. No. No. So. After Tim's explosive blowup and one of the better designers getting sent home, I don't know where things will go with the top five. We're in the home stretch!! ---
All photos from www.mylifetime.com --- (For those unfamiliar, every year Project Runway has a sponsor that provides accessories (shoes, bags, jewelry) for the designer's looks. This year's sponsor is JustFab, and for this challenge the designers had to create a ready-to-wear look to be reproduced and sold at justfab.com. The designs had to fit in with JustFab's "style profiles," and Candice, being the winner from last week's challenge, got to choose the profile for each designer. The judges were in SO much disagreement over which looks they liked and disliked that there were no top and bottom scores until the very end, when a winner and loser had to be determined. Fortunately, I'm more decisive than Heidi, Nina, and Zac. My Top Three 1. Edmond Newton (Bombshell) WOOO! This. Look. Was. Perfect. Edmond hit this challenge out of the park. He totally mastered his "bombshell" profile, his styling was flawless, and he absolutely deserved the win. He created a dress that every woman would want to wear and that JustFab would have no problem selling. Well, well done. 2. Kelly Dempsey (Trendsetter) The judges were in major disagreement over this look, and I can understand why. It's not something everyone is going to like, but for the "trendsetter" design profile, I totally think it works. Her combination of prints was really well accomplished, her vest (while, granted, a little Muppet-y) added a healthy dose of chic-ness to an otherwise very sporty look, and her styling was impeccable. The judges are always looking for designers who aren't cramped inside a box, and Kelly is anything but within a box. I think it was a win. 3. Ashley Nell Tipton (Girl Next Door) Ashley's look definitely fit the "girl-next-door profile", but she struggled with defending herself and really showing her work to its potential. The top was fitted beautifully and had cute detailing in the back, but her model never took the jacket off so the judges didn't know about it. HAVE CONFIDENCE, ASH!!! The fabric choice was love it or hate it, but the overall look could have been really sellable to the JustFab customer...if only she had SOLD IT. Honorable Mention: Merline Labissiere (Femme Nouveau) I got where the judges were coming from with Merline's look. "Femme Nouveau" is supposed to be modern, but flirty and feminine. Merline went modern and sporty. Even though she had some construction problems, I did really enjoy the dress, and it's something I'd probably wear. It simply didn't suit the challenge. My Bottom Three 1. Candice Cuoco (Trendsetter) I really couldn't hate this look any more. Candace has been all over the road for me all season, but particularly after last week's high point, this was particularly disappointing. Her profile was "trendsetter." What trend is this setting?! The trend of grandma-esque built-in scarf lapels? The trend of pleather dust ruffles around one's butt? Sorry, but I don't see any of those trends taking off. In addition, the challenge was to create a look that could be reproduced and sold to a mass market. This can accomplish neither. If she hadn't had immunity, I don't know where she would have ended up. 2. Laurie Underwood (Modern Classic) Laurie's concept fit within the "modern classic" realm. That said, her top was poorly made and not remotely able to be reproduced, and after her boob issues from last week's challenge, she shouldn't have gone with a braless look again. It really wasn't up to par with the other designs in the group, and I understand why she was sent home. 3. Swapnil Shinde (Bombshell) This really wasn't a bad dress overall. If Swapnil hadn't been determined to made a sculptural cover-up and if he hadn't included the metallic butt-flap, he might have fared better. I don't really know why he struggled with making a bombshell dress, since that's what he makes on the regular, but the judges are picking up that he isn't working to his full potential, which is bad news for him. Better luck next week, Swapnil! The disappointing aspect of this challenge is that the reproduced version of Edmond's dress that's available online is...awful. The neckline is wonkey, the ruching is concentrated on the hips and the butt instead of allover, the hemline is too long. It's now a cheap, tacky dress instead of the beautiful bombshell Edmond created, and if I were him I wouldn't want my name on it. This has happened before to Mondo and Anthony Ryan when their looks got reproduced, and I'd really like Project Runway to do better on that front. ---
All photos from www.mylifetime.com and www.justfab.com --- This week the designers got to see the Broadway production of Finding Neverland, which became their inspiration for the challenge. They were able to create absolutely anything based on this inspiration, which is the most freedom the designers have had all season! My Top Three: 1. Candice Cuoco This look had so many good things going for it, and after last week's tech-y disaster, I was really impressed with her effort. The coat had great movement with so many ethereal layers, and to contrast the softness of the coat with her signature leather pieces underneath. Well deserving of the win! 2. Edmond Newton The judges were divided on whether they liked the vest (I, personally, am a fan,) but there was no question that his pants and top were flawless. His styling was brilliant, and he pulled off a fantastical, futuristic Tinkerbell. 3. Merline Labissiere I was pretty sad that this look was only safe. As Tim Gunn always says, the success of the look is determined at Mood, and Merline probably had the best fabric choice of the bunch. I want to see this on the Queen of the Night in Mozart's Magic Flute. So gorgeous. My Bottom Three: 1. Laurie Underwood I saw the photos of this look before watching the episode, and it definitely photographs better than it was in person. Good grief. Her top was COMPLETELY sheer, the only reason her butt wasn't out on the runway was because she added a panel at the last minute, and there were just too many ideas going on at once. I guess, in the judges eyes, too many ideas was better than not enough, but this look was just a rough time. 2. Lindsey Creel I didn't think this was all that terrible, and I would probably wear it if I needed a pretty gown. But I'm a normal person who doesn't need superbly fancy clothing, and I can understand that in a fashion design competition, it's a little boring in comparison to the other designers. The judges have disliked her style for some time and it's not surprising that she went home. 3. Ashley Nell Tipton This look wasn't all that bad, and the idea was definitely good in concept. The top had some fit and proportion issues, and her draping wasn't very successful. All in all, she struggled with the fabric and it showed. Special shout out to the EVER GORGEOUS guest judge, Coco Rocha. I've been in love with her forever and I always love when she's on. Even here, in a totally candid shot, she's flawless. UMPH.
--- All photos from www.mylifetime.com --- An unexpected turn of events occurred early in the episode; Jake Wall found out that his beloved dog needed to be put to sleep, so he chose to leave the competition. I'm sure that was one of the most difficult decisions he's ever had to make. Project Runway is a huge opportunity, but when you love an animal it would be horrible to not be able to say goodbye to them. Sending lots of love Jake's way. <3 I'm sure the designers are pretty tired of unconventional challenges by now, but this week brought on another. This challenge had the designers dumpster diving to find old technology (keyboards, floppy discs, mouse pads, metal tubes, wires, etc.) which they used to make modern designs. My Top Three: 1. Kelly Dempsey This was a clear standout. It's still insane to me that she was able to take metal tubing and make it into a gorgeous dress worthy of a modern Daisy Gatsby. If I had the body for it I'd wear it in a second! She had a great look last week, but this is definitely the best piece Kelly has made all season. I hope she keeps it up! 2. Ashley Nell Tipton We all know I'm a fan of Ashley's work, and this look was no exception to her greatness. I mean, it's a dress out of Polaroids. She used the dye inside the Polaroids to make a PATTERN. Even if this was a dress out normal fabric, the design itself is super cute and flirty. 3. Swapnil Shinde Swapnil procrastinated a fair bit on this project, and I do think it could be better and he shouldn't have used muslin for the bottom, but the WAY he used muslin for the bottom was beautiful, and the end result of the whole look was really ethereal and creative. My Bottom Three: 1. Candice Cuoco Remember Andy South's unconventional ribbon look from several seasons back? This looked like Candice was trying to do that, but didn't do it as well. Her execution is poor, and I've seen it before. And that, kids, is how you rhyme. 2. Lindsey Creel I loved the top of this look, and the effect with the keyboard pieces was really great. But the waistband, the little "bow" on the neckline and the skirt looked a little too crafty. 3. Merline Labissiere Now, Merline had immunity, and she said from the beginning that she was going to use her immunity to create something unique that she would never normally make. That she did, but it wasn't good. The design and the shape was creative, but it was just sloppy and slapped together. When muslin shows through the covering and when you don't have enough dress to cover a model's backside, it's a problem. I understand why Joseph Charles Poli was eliminated because design wise, there really wasn't much to his look. I know I haven't been a fan of his in the past, but I feel a little bad that he was sent home for this design. He really did try to push his aesthetic into something sexier, and if this look had been made out of conventional fabric it would have been pretty solid. So we say so long to both Joseph and Jake. Sometimes a contestant leaving means everyone remains safe, but not this time. WHO KNOWS what next week will bring. That sounded ominous. It's Project Runway. It's not that ominous. ---
All photos from www.mylifetime.com --- This episode was all about Heidi. She has her own line of lingerie, Heidi Klum Intimates, and the designers were to create a bra and panty set that fit into her line. Halfway through the challenge, Heidi sprung a third piece on the designers: a coordinating cover-up. So as not to make things too difficult in a one day challenge, the designers were given sample bras to use as forms. My Top Three: 1. Kelly Dempsey I thought it was a shame that this was just considered safe! The mix of lavender and lime green was really creative and sporty, and her cover-up was a cool take on a wrestler rove that coordinated beautifully with the rest of her design. 2. Merline Labissiere I understand why this look was declared a winner for Heidi's line. It was definitely a risk for Merline to create her own bra shape, but it paid off. I appreciated Nina's comments that it would look good under a white shirt for an editorial shoot, and that makes it a piece that's more versatile and can be used beyond the bedroom. 3. Ashley Nell Tipton This look was super cute. I have always loved the mix of lavender and dove grey, and Ashley made an intricately designed bra and a soft, beautiful robe. My Bottom Three: 1. Blake Patterson I can't believe Blake went from such a high point the past two weeks to this. I'm sorry, I don't care if you're gay and you "don't know what's going on under there." There's no excuse for this. The strap design had some promise, but to create an underwire and then not use any padding in the bra, and then to take a scrap of fabric and call it a cover-up was a mistake that would never get past the judges. 2. Jake Wall The judges were right on about this one. The polka dot fabric and the front t-shirt bra shape was cute, but the sexy straps didn't go with the cute factor, and the fit o the straps were poor and gave the model some unfortunate lumps and bumps. 3. Candice Cuoco This was a little all over the place. I understood the vibe Candace was going for, but the lime green on top of the bra looked sloppy and like an afterthought, and the ties that represented "garters" looked like they were cutting off the model's leg circulation. The garter belt was great, the rest not so much. So. I don't know what we're going to do without Princess Blakey, but I'm sure we'll all manage together. ---
All photos from mylifetime.com --- This episode was a train wreck. You may have seen me rant about it on twitter, but it was essentially an episode dedicated to proving the notion that women become catty and horrible when put in groups together. In this challenge, the designers chose their teammates and formed two groups. The groups had to compete against each other in a paintball war to "capture the fabric," but the fabric they were fighting for ended up being their supplemental fabric, and it was revealed that their main fabric needed to be their paintball-stained jumpsuits. Once they got to the workroom, the teams were given extra white sheets and more paint to work with. TEAM BOYS + MERLINE The Boys (and Merline) were the clear winners. Their unifying theme was "1950s cinched waists," and they really worked together to make every look cohesive with the next. The jumpsuits were used to their top potential and the additional textile that they created was completely stunning. They EVEN PAINTED THE SHOES. Blake's Look I, once again, have to eat my words with Blake. He didn't really participate in the paintball activity, which left him with clean white fabric to work with. The textile on the bottom half is gorgeous, and I would wear this dress in a second. Joseph's Look Joseph used the jumpsuit in it's entirety, which was really smart and successful. He shrunk the top into a jacket, cut the bottom into panels and made a skirt, and turned the sleeves into the tie around the waist. Still a little bit on the matronly side, but significantly better than his other looks. Swapnil's Look This was such a beautiful 50s style dress. While it was mostly supplemental fabric, he used the jumpsuit top as the tie around the waist and took the ties from a shoe for the corset back. Jake's Look This look was probably the most modern and fashion forward. It took inspiration from the 50s but brought it into this year, and the styling kept the model fresh and cool. Merline's Look This is very classic Merline (architectural, coat shape) but much more refined than some of the other work she's done this season. The dip-dyed fabric made this shine. Edmond's Look The judges declared this the winner, and I can understand why. To take the jumpsuit and turn it into a sexy open-backed top was completely genius. The design had an urban quality to it but the textile and styling kept it soft and feminine. It was the perfect finale to a beautiful collection! TEAM GIRLS Annnnnd here's where the train wreck happened. The girls were catty when it came to picking their team members (Ashley was picked LAST, which was a very bad move) and they had no cohesion from the start. They each came to the team with an idea of what they wanted to make and didn't care if it didn't go with what another team member wanted to make. They ruined their white sheets with Easter Egg inspired painting skills, so they were left with supplemental purple fabric to work with. The results were horrendous, as you'll see. During judging, Candace tried to save them and say they worked well together and their girl was "going to San Fransisco," which was never discussed or agreed upon. She and half the team decided to throw Ashley under the bus to save themselves, and luckily the judges were having none of it. Guest judge Kelly Osbourne called it a "Bitch Fest," and I've personally decided that should be the name of this collection. Ashley's Look Not the worst, for sure. She had originally made pants, but they ended up being too tight on the model so she had to scrap them and go with a boring purple circle skirt. The top was made from the jumpsuit material, which at least had detail and promise. Laurie's Look This look was cute enough, but it wasn't really runway worthy. The top was originally the Easter Egg fabric and had to be painted over, and the bottom was supplemental fabric, so she didn't really work with the goal of the challenge. Lindsey's Look This was probably one of the better designs of the bunch, which isn't really saying a lot. The coat (seen on in the previous picture) was made of the jumpsuit material and had a good look to it. The top and pants underneath were not awful in terms of design, but had poor fit. Candace's Look Candace talked a big talk on the runway, but this look was completely hideous. Talk about OVER WORKED. Ugh. Kelly's Look This was definitely the worst of the bunch to me. She came into the design group saying "I want to make a five panel mermaid skirt and a harness top," which had nothing to do with what anyone else wanted to make, and never would have even if the fabric was better. The skirt was made poorly and the top had to be sewn onto the model. Complete. Disaster. Amanda's Look I predicted the previous week that Amanda would not last long in the competition, and I was right. That said, I don't really think she deserved to be sent home for this look. Yeah, it's kind of boring, and the judges felt like she was "dead weight" in the competition, but she used the textile color the best out of all the designers on her team, and the movement in the skirt had decent runway impact. I didn't hate it, and I felt she should have been allowed one more chance. It would seem the judges can't decide whether their policy is "one week you're in, the next week you're out" or whether previous low points count to being eliminated. The latter sent home Amanda, and that was understandable, but still a bit of a shame. Hopefully next week we can MOVE ON from team pettiness and get back on track. ---
All photos from mylifetime.com --- This felt like the first halfway normal challenge of this season. No races to get fabrics, no unconventional materials, no teams. Just a trip to Mood and off you go. FINALLY! This week the designers had to take an iconic fashion staple (i.e. the little black dress, jeans and a t-shirt, a business suit, etc.) and modernize them to their own aesthetic. This was also the Mary Kay Challenge, so the designers got a special consultation with Mary Kay to complete their look. My Top Three: 1. Swapnil Shinde This is SO GORGEOUS! A little short for practicality, but I'm in love with the draping in the front and the straps that created the open back. It's feminine and sexy and completely fits the theme of the challenge - he took a little black dress and made it new. Plus I'll always go for a tomato shoe. Umph. 2. Blake Patterson But Jordan, you HATE Blake! But Jordan, you've been saying since week one that Blake should go home! But Jordan, you have a VENDETTA AGAINST BLAKE!!! Yeah, I know. I must eat my words a teeny, tiny bit. TO BE FAIR, I still don't like Blake's personality and I don't think he'll last long in the competition, especially considering he pulled this dress out of his butt at the eleventh hour. That said, I can't argue with how great this is and I understand why the judges gave him the win. It's a beautiful blue butterfly with intricate, never-seen-before strap details. I can concede that it's a job well done. OKAY?!? Okay. 3. Candace Cuoco The fact that Candace made this look in one day absolutely kills me. There are some puckering issues with the leather dress, but that's absolutely forgivable because it's a PIPED LEATHER DRESS with a MATCHING JACKET where the PIPING LINES UP WITH THE DRESS. That's crazy town, and it's beautiful work. My Bottom Three: 1. Amanda Perna This was a total disaster. When you go to Mood for the first time and have all the fabrics of the world at your disposal, this is what you choose?! I get that she was trying to create a modern version of the classic wrap dress, but it just looks like a poorly made version of a dress I might have thought was cool in sixth grade. The choice in accessories was awful and her execution wasn't great. After being in the bottom several times in a row at this point, I'll be surprised if she lasts through next week. 2. Gabrielle Arruda From far away this doesn't look too bad, but I understand why the judges sent her home after seeing it up close. The jacket is solid, but the dress was, as I believe Zach said, the most poorly constructed dress he's ever seen. Seams were puckering, hemlines were cut like they were hacked up by children with safety scissors, and there really isn't an excuse for it at this level of competition. 3. Jake Wall When Jake initially presented his design as "the classic sports jersey, re-imagined as a dress," I knew he was in trouble. You know what is already a sports jersey re-imagined as a dress? An oversized sports jersey. Little did I know that his "re-imagination" was making a PINK SEQUINED sports jersey. It's straight up ugly, and even if it wasn't, it's too basic of a design to be at par with the rest of the designers. I was shocked that he was safe and that he wasn't in the bottom. So YOU WIN THIS ROUND, Blake. We'll see how you do next time. ---
All photos from mylifetime.com --- They certainly aren't wasting any time with making this season of Project Runway dramatic! Week two was an unconventional materials challenge, and week three was a team challenge. Good grief. This week's challenge had a lot of variables. They teamed up with a cruise line that travels to exotic destinations, so each team of designers had to use a destination as their inspiration. In addition, their look had to be a transitional piece that could go from a day at the destination port to an evening of wining and dining on the ship. Oh yeah, and they had one day to throw it together. Not complicated at all, right? My Top Two: 1. Ashley Neil Tipton and Candice Cuoco Ashley and Candice worked so well together as a team, which I didn't remotely expect given their aesthetics or personalities. They pulled off a look that was completely unique but still fit their Venice inspiration beautifully. I want every piece of this outfit - even the 70s print jacket, which I'm normally not about, but somehow and some way I WANT IT. They absolutely deserved to win this challenge, and it was great that they were able to earn a joint win! 2. Swapnil Shinde and Laurie Underwood Particularly with Swapnil's Indian background, this very easily could have gone costume-ey and wrong. But with the traditional Sari in the casual pattern, combined with the bright midriff top and amazing high waist pants, the look was effortless and cool and completely met all the criteria of the challenge. My Bottom Two: 1. Edmond Newton and Hanmiao Yang This look was just a train wreck from the start. Let me break it down for you: the team's inspiration is the Carribbean. Hanmiao wants to make something structured, because that's her aesthetic. Edmond informs her that it's a team challenge and the challenge is to make cruise wear for the Caribbean, so her aesthetic doesn't really matter for the sake of the challenge. She gets mad. He suggests a swimsuit. She gets mad. Tim agrees with Edmond's swimsuit idea. She gets mad. Edmond compromised with Hanmiao and allowed her to make the swimsuit. Not letting go of the structured idea, she chooses to make a swimsuit in structured fabric. As you can see, the result is awful. I'm totally fine with Hanmiao getting sent home. She deserved it! 2. Joseph Charles Poli and Merline Labissiere Based on Joseph's comments in episode 1 that he likes to "make small people feel smaller," I knew that whenever he entered a team challenge it was going to be a rough deal. Sure enough, he was partnered with eccentric Merline, whom he forced into his Lily Pulitzer box. I understand that he designs for a more mature customer, but this is the second Lily-esque look he's made, and if he had allowed Merline to put her architectural flair into it (which, I might add, would have contributed to the St. Petersburg inspiration) it could have been better. Instead it's a mumsy lavender nightmare. Ugh. So far in this season a lot of the designers have been hit-or-miss. Edmond has had a two high points and fell flat this week. Merline hit a high note week one but has been rough the past two weeks. I think Ashley and Swapnil hold the most promise so far, but only time will tell!! ---
All photos from mylifetime.com --- I can't believe they threw an unconventional challenge at the contestants in WEEK TWO. Kind of crazy, but great for TV. In this challenge the designers took over a Hallmark Signature card store, and had to use the greeting cards as their materials for their design. My Top Three: 1. Swapnil Shinde I can't even grasp how amazing this is. I was terrified when he was putting all the flowers on the skirt in the workroom (and when he described it as Alice in Wonderland on acid,) but the result was remarkable. The sheer notion that he did polka dots in the front, a chevron stripe in the back, and a mix of black-and-white with floral is insane, but the fact that he made it out of paper and it looks like something you could take right off the rack is ridiculous. Did I mention this was completed in one day? I can't even. 2. Edmond Newton Even if it wasn't my #1 favorite, I completely understand why this look won. I mean, he made a WEDDING DRESS out of Hallmark cards. The fact that the entire bodice was the "Hallmark Signature" branding was genius, and he really pushed the boundaries in making the flower and jewelry from the cards too. I want to see this in a Hallmark print ad somewhere. 3. Hanmiao Yang A vast improvement from last week. Using the simple color palette with the envelopes kept it minimalist but still graphic, and it's boxy but not unflattering. The length is perfect, and her styling with the loose ponytail and the gold sneakers was flawless. I can't get over the surprise theatrics in taking the card out of the envelope on the runway! So cute. Honorable Mention: Amanda Perna I really didn't think this deserved to be in the bottom. The skirt was a little overkill, but the top was GORGEOUS, and the whole thing was well executed. My Bottom Three: 1. Blake Patterson Especially after last week's too-much-pattern fiasco, I expected this glitter bomb to be in the bottom. The fact that it was in the top makes me furious. Yeah, he used the text of the card in the lining and in the center pieces, but beyond that it's literally a muslin pattern coated in glitter. If your criteria in judging is that it needs to made mostly of the card material, he did not meet that standard, and it proves the point from last week that he's over the top and doesn't know when to stop. I mean, how much glitter does a dress need?!? 2. Merline Labissiere The top half had promise, but she clearly ran out of time for the bottom. *I* could have made a skirt better than that. It's a mess. 3. Joseph Charles Poli Another "ran out of time for the bottom" dress. Tim said in the workroom that it looked very Kate Spade, and I agree. But last week his look was, in my opinion, very Lily Pulitzer, so I worry about his actual ability to innovate or to have a unique voice. I YET AGAIN disagree with who the judges sent home. I knew David Giampiccolo was in trouble because he didn't use much of the cards in his design, but it was still a unique, creative look and it showed a clear voice. If you're going to send someone home who used too much muslin and not enough unconventional material, send home Blake!! Yeah, I have a bit of a vendetta against Blake. I make no apologies. But congratulations, Edmond! Your bride was amazing. ---
All photos from mylifetime.com --- |
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