And Models of the Runway too!
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I really enjoyed this episode. I loved how specific the parameters of the assignment were. The challenge came from designing for a unique use rather than from odd materials or non-model clients.
And what a prize! Oh my goodness! You know how they are always saying that such and such a challenge is unprecedented and the biggest ever or whatever? This time they exceeded expectations by a mile.
I really look askance at designers who don’t “get” a challenge when the challenge is to design a garment for a specific type of event or whatever. When they design something that is really unsuitable, it really lowers my opinion of them as designers.
I get that in the context of the show that sometimes they come out not-quite-right for whatever and they have just have to go with what they have. (I think that this happened to Mila last night) But in so many cases, the designers show a major lack of understanding of what sorts of garments are suitable for what sorts of occasions. It’s one thing to take an unusual approach, like Seth Aaron’s pantsuit. It’s another thing to design something that’s just inappropriate.
I was reading the comments on TWoP last night, and someone posited that some of the designers may not be familiar with Marie Claire’s cover conventions, readership, and fashion identity. Dude! That’s like going on Survivor without knowing how to build a fire! To go on the show without being familiar with Nina Garcia’s work, likes, and prejudices is insane. It’s just basic research. Especially as she seems to be the tie-breaker judge. Don’t they have cover blow-ups in the workroom anyway?
The top: It was great to see Anthony win. I agree that it was the right choice for Heidi on a cover. Ben’s was excellent too, and it makes me want to see more of his work. I wonder if he’s a contender who’s been flying under the radar. Emilio’s was just kind of blah. He probably ended up in the top 3 by process of elimination.
The middle: Lots of strong work here. I absolutely loved Jay’s dress, though it wasn’t really suitable for a cover, as everything interesting is on the bottom half. I have to wonder if as he was working, he realized that it just wasn’t going to work out as a cover look so he just figured that he should make it as fabulous as possible anyway. Seems like a good strategy to me. It took guts for Amy to use a print even though she was advised against it. Jesse’s design was blah and the fit and execution were atrocious. The color was nice, though. I don’t think he’s long for the show. Seth Aaron’s was fantastic. It should definitely have been in the top 3 instead of Emilio’s. It may not be a usual cover look, but it was too fabulous to ignore. He needs a better model. I liked Jonathan’s romper, and think it was stronger than Emilios also. It was a daring design, too. Very different. He’s one to watch. Maya’s was sort of interesting. She’s also one to watch.
The bottom: Mila’s was a disaster. The construction was terrible and I’m so over the color-blocking. But I don’t think think the garment reflects poorly on her as a designer. I think it was just one of those things that didn’t work out. Janeane’s was awful. She’s cannon fodder. But her garment was a heck of a lot better than Anna’s. What the holy hell was she thinking? Not only was the look totally inappropriate for Marie Claire, it was even more inappropriate for Heidi. I don’t think Heidi would wear that…in any context whatsoever. There’s no doubt that she was the right auf.
I wonder–is Heidi going to wear the dress that Anthony actually made on the show or is it going to be a copy? Doing a copy would only make sense. I wonder if they went and bought the rest of that fabric at Mood. If they do use a copy, I wonder if they’ll have Anthony actually make it or if they’ll have a professional seamstress make it? Maybe it depends on his sewing skills. Actually, for Anthony’s sake, I hope they DO use a copy, because I’d hate to have quickie work showcased like that. There have to be execution problems that can be overlooked on the runway but would be really obvious on a magazine cover.
This seems to be a remarkably strong group of designers. There are only a few who seem to be auf-bait. Jesse and Janeane won’t last long and Anthony seems inconsistent. I don’t think Emilio is that good overall, and doesn’t seem to bring a lot of creativity to the table. Other than that, the other 8 seem pretty good.
Maybe I’ll get around to yakking about the models in another post.
p.s. Does anybody else have trouble with the Lifetime website just not working correctly? To much fancy interactive crap and not enough plain functionality.