Season 4: Episode 4
Yowza… I don’t know when it happened, but my recap somehow got really long this time! Sorry! I’ll keep this intro short (Ugly trends? Teams? It makes for a good challenge, but I’m glad I didn’t have to go through it!). Before I start though, I do have one question that Tbone (from BPR) would like me to answer:
Q: “Hi Katy – one of our readers left a question for you in our Bluefly post today: “Those shoes are really cute, and so is the top. Haha – I think they’re really reaching in their interpretation of overalls though! I’ve also wondered about how they pick the accessories. Hopefully a designer like Katy will see this post and fill us in!”
A: When it comes to shoes and accessories, it’s basically a free-for-all situation. Although there wasn’t much fitting in the time that I was there, most designers started pulling different shoes and accessories as soon as they knew what the challenge was and what their fabric looked like so they would have options when the models came in. So far this season, the Bluefly wall looks MUCH more interesting and well stocked then our Macy’s wall. Personally I thought the Macy’s wall was really bad (especially the shoes!) and didn’t have much variety. Also, there weren’t any “standards” for shoe sizes. You basically grabbed the shoes you wanted and hoped that your model could walk in them (which wasn’t always the case).
A personal story about the shoes… on the episode I got kicked off on, I described my dress as simple and sporty and then got criticized by the judges for putting Amanda in heels (this didn’t make the final episode cut). I explained that I had used the most basic/cleanest style of heels on our accessory wall knowing that heels didn’t really fit the look I was going for, but the judges weren’t satisfied. They thought that I should have put her in flip-flops or cool sneakers, and suggested that since those didn’t exist on the accessory wall; I should have used my own sneakers on my model! The problem with that? Most models are aprox a size 8-9 and I wear a 6, so I’m pretty sure there was no way for Amanda to squeeze into my shoes. Anyways, that’s just a personal story on how the judges really do take into account the overall “styling” of the model and not just the clothes. ☺
Here we go (Thanks BPR for the photo montage!):
Jillian’s Team: It was a toss-up for me between Jillian and Christian’s teams for the win, but in the end I have to agree with the judges and go with Jillian’s team. I think they had the edge overall (no pun intended) because it was easier to see the original trends in their updated designs. I think Jillian’s team did the best job pulling the 3 looks together to create a cohesive collection (and I totally agree with Tim that they all looked like they came out of Jillian’s closet!) and yet had 3 very distinctive garments. The mini collection had an obvious “vintage” quality to it and the choice of denim fabric only heightened that feeling.
Jillian (WINNER): I can’t believe I’m saying this… but I loved Jillian’s overalls! Overalls are definitely a big NO in my book (unless you’re 5 years old), but she did a fantastic job giving them a modern look (yet kind of vintage… how does that work?) and had a nice fashion twist to them (loved the back!). I’m also not a big fan of sheer shirts, but I thought that was the perfect combination with the overalls and really softened up the whole feeling.
Rami: I also really liked Rami’s dress and thought it fit well into the collection. It did have a little bit of down-home country feel to it, but in a crazy way, I actually thought that worked with the 70’s vintage feeling the team was going for. I also like that Rami decided to mimic the feeling of a poodle skirt without going too literal. A traditional poodle skirt is basically a big circle of fabric and is very simple to construct, so I’m glad he went with something that was more complicated and showed off his skills better.
Kevin: As much as I hate formal shorts and think they only really work on the runway, I think Kevin did a pretty good job with them and again, in a crazy way it worked really well with the feeling of the whole collection. Also, similar to Rami, I like that Kevin didn’t go very literal and create a pair of flared pants. I though it was a unique idea to put a little of that “70’s flare” into a pair of shorts. Unfortunately, I don’t like his shirt at all. I think it’s the wrong choice in fabric and would have loved to see something in a pale blue similar to Jillian’s shirt. The shape of the top isn’t working for me either and I think something softer (again maybe mimicking Jillian’s top?) would have worked better.
Christian’s Team: I think Christian’s team also did a great job with the challenge and were definitely a close second for the win. Like I said above, I think the deciding factor must have been that it was harder to see the original trends in this collection. For example, I’m having a hard time finding pleather (my only thought is the pockets?) and fringe (the scarf?). I also really like how they kept the color palette simple in order to work in all the different stripes and prints.Kit: I love Kit’s outfit in a very “I’m running a corporation, but want to be sexy and fashionable” way. I can totally picture all the VP’s I used to work with at Target wearing this as their “power” outfit. Part of Word’s definition of a “Zoot Suit” is: “a long jacket heavily padded at the shoulders and baggy high-waisted trousers tapering to narrow bottoms.” I think Kit did a great job modernizing this with little cap sleeves and a tapered skirt to give the same shape idea to the whole outfit, but not going too literal. I also really liked her combination of patterns and thought they worked together well.
Jack: I liked Jack’s dress, but in the mini collection, I thought it was the least successful. It felt a little too young compared to the other 2 outfits and the details are just slightly off. I really like the gray striped fabric and love the white & black pocket detailing, but it bothers me how they stick out from the hips. I’m also not sure what the black thing is on the right hand side (a brooch? Is that where the fringe is?). At first I thought the sleeves were a bit long, but I’m liking them more the longer I look at the picture. I know the baby doll shape isn’t for every woman, but for those who can pull it off, I think it’s really cute.
Christian: Christian’s look was a little too severe for me, but for the most part I liked it and thought it worked well in his team’s collection. There was a bit too much solid black and white in his look and I would have loved to see some more pattern mixing similar to Kit’s outfit. I don’t remember what the shirt looked like without the jacket, but I like the gray on the collar and how it adds some detail to the top. Finally, it’s a teeny-tiny criticism, but I think the skirt could have been maybe 2” shorter.
Chris’s Team: I think Chris’s team could have really benefited from working more closely together (especially since they seemed to really get along!) and creating one concept from the beginning instead of each designing their own look and then relying on color to pull them all together. With that said, I don’t think Chris should have been the one to leave. If the competition was based completely on each individual challenge, then I have to say that for this week, I do think Chris was the bottom and I also think he was the weakest leader. The problem is, that the judges seem to have a hard time choosing if they want to decide who is “off” based just on the current challenge or based on overall performance. There are tons of examples of this in past seasons (The first ones in my mind are Malan vs. Vincent and Alison vs. Vincent) and I think the “Chris vs. Ricky” debate is no different. While Chris hasn’t been in the top this season, I think what he’s shown has been really good and Ricky has been in the bottom numerous times. You wouldn’t fire an employee if they were late once, but you might fire them if they were consistently late right?
I’m done now… sorry for the rant. It’s just something that has always bothered me about PR.
Sweet P: I really think Sweet P did a great job with updating the “baggy sweater” trend and I’m glad the judges gave her kudos for it. I like that she kept the feel and concept of the trend, but updated the silhouette into a modern dress. At first I didn’t like the black turtleneck underneath, but it’s really growing on me and I love how the black continues down at the hem. I think the color palette that the team chose works best and looks the most modern in Sweet P’s garment.
Steven: Steven’s outfit was definitely a miss to me. I don’t think it worked well individually or in the collection and I’m not a fan of the fabrics he chose. I like the concept of a wrap dress/top to update the “dance” trend, but Steven’s is just not working for me. I think a wrap dress like Kara Janx’s would be perfect to interpret into a modern dance idea, but his shiny top with the leggings is almost too similar to the real “dance wear” that my cousin wore when we were 10 (also, can we not see anymore leggings this year on PR?).
Chris(OUT): Even though I did think Chris was the bottom this week… on the plus side, I really liked the simple elegance of his dress and in a different color/fabric, I think the judges would have responded more positively to it. The main problem (obviously) was that jacket… I totally want to give Chris credit for trying to work with the hardest trend of the challenge. I’ve been trying to think for almost a week now how I would update shoulder pads and I still have nothing! That said, I think the shape and fabric were wrong and agree with the judges that it looked old and not modern. As much as I liked his dress, a jacket is the only thing I can think of to use shoulder pads with and maybe he should have paired a jacket with something other than an evening dress (maybe a bit more casual/RTW)?
Ricky’s Team: I really liked the concept behind Ricky’s team’s collection and can totally envision all the cool things they could have done with the trends they had (especially with Ricky’s lingerie background). I also like their interpretation of “neon” colors. Obviously the team had issues working together (well…not the whole team… Elisa didn’t seem to be involved in any drama) and I think that really hurt the concept they started with.
Victorya: I like the bodice of Victorya’s garment the best out of this mini collection and you can really get a good feeling of where they trying to go with the “underwear as outerwear” trend. I don’t want to get into the dynamics between Victorya and Ricky, but I would like to give her some credit for stepping back and letting Ricky help her fit the bodice. My main problem with Victorya’s garment is that the skirt almost seems like an after thought and doesn’t look well planned out. I would have loved to see something with more body and shape to it instead of the lifeless gathered skirt.
Elisa: I’m definitely becoming a big Elisa fan (I love how she throws the judges off!), but sadly I’m not a fan of this dress. I get where she was going with the cut outs on top, but they look at bit childish and not well thought out. I also would have liked to see some more shape in the dress to work better with the color blocking and fit of the collection. I do like how she used black with little hits of the neon colors and because of this her dress helps ground the collection instead of all being bright colors.
Ricky: Once again, I really like where Ricky was trying to go with the concept, but I just don’t think it was fully realized in this dress. I feel like I’ve said this a few times this season, but I keep waiting to see more use of his lingerie background in his garments, especially in this challenge! There are some fit issues in the bodice, but I don’t think it’s as bad as the judges made it sound. Obviously he knows how to fit the body from what he adjusted with Victorya’s dress, but he must have run out of time on his garment. I’m not trying to make excuses for him and personally think between Ricky and Chris, Ricky should have gone home, but I’ll keep crossing my fingers that he’ll start pulling out some awesome work soon!
11 December, 11:04
30 November, 04:02