This was a fun episode. And I was almost happy with the results.
The circus was definitely a good choice for an “inspiration” challenge. There were so many different ways that the designers could play with the imagery. Most of the garments were a little too “costumey” for my taste, but it was a good effort all around.
I’m interested in going back and reviewing the Bryant Park shows now that we (almost) know who the final 3 is.
As far as the two who are in–well, who can argue? Emilio and Seth Aaron were obviously tops in this group. I favor Seth Aaron for the win, of course, but given the judge’s infatuation with Emilio…well, who knows. I’d better go look at those collections again.
I don’t mind the run-off thing, but I was pretty surprised that they included Jay in the final 4. He was an early favorite of mine, but he’s so inconsistent. And I question his choice of model. IMHO Brittany has a horrible walk. Mila, on the other hand, is TOO inconsistent. No doubt she’s talented, but she bores me.
I really liked Anthony, but he seems inconsistent. His dress last week was beautiful, but the one this week didn’t look like he put much thought or work into it. When you compare his dress to the other designers this week, he had to go. They all made much more complicated pieces.
I love Seth Aaron and Emilio. I like Jay, but he makes some strange things sometimes. Mila does not appeal to me in the least.
Even though Anthony isn’t in the Final 4, he is still the clear winner of the season. His dress was worn by Heidi Klum on the cover of Marie Clare, and Jessica Alba wants to wear another of his gowns. How much more notice can you get? Anthony may not be America’s Next Great Fashion Designer, but he will make a good living designing gowns for beautiful women. Anthony is my favorite designer from all 7 seasons.
That said, I also enjoyed last night’s challenge and yes, all the designs (except Anthony’s which had nothing to do with the circus) were costumes. I like Seth Aaron, but he kinda does the same thing over and over. Mila bores the heck out of me. Emilio will win the grand prize.
I was thinking this morning, are these people really designers, or just dressmakers? And are there really any designs left in the world, or has everything been done and people are just rehashing? When I say designs, I mean stuff that real people would wear, not just runway/magazine models.
Anthony: I laughed for a good five minutes at the grief Michael Kors and Heidi gave him. He seems like a nice and amusing person but he clearly did not even remotely meet the parameters of the challenge. That was one ugly dress he put out there.
Mila: I hated the color combinations she choose and the finished garment was ugly.
Jay: I actually liked the top and some of what else he’s done. I would have eliminated Mila rather than declaring it a tie. I thought he was clearly better than she was. But I wish he’d shut off the waterworks. I hate to see grown men cry let alone as often he does.
Seth Aaron: that was one ugly garment but I like him very much overall. He’s clearly a good designer and a nice person. I hope he wins.
Emilio: The only non-ugly thing out there. Very pretty dress from a rather irritating person. I always get the impression he’s not just disdainful of his competitors and Tim Gunn but of the audience as well. Not an easy person to root for even with his obvious talent.
Actually, I thought that was a very interesting, different and innovative “Inspiration” challange. I just finished watching season four, and the inspiration was the Met. If you can’t find inspiration at the Met, there’s something wrong with you. Other seasons have had other meuseums and botanical gardens. I thought the circus was actually something different and interesting that I hadn’t seen on the show before.
So true–Tim pointed that out. (And hugged him, and seemed genuinely happy for him–that was a sweet, sweet moment.)
Anthony kind of reminds me of Chris March, who also was eliminated but got to come back when someone leaves. And also a great big cuddly teddy bear!
Speaking of Jay and crying, I think Austin Scarlett cried more. He cried when he had to choose which of his team members was the weak link. Then when that woman was sent home, he wept and wept. He was my favorite designer and all around personality from season one, but MAN, he was a crier. Totally off topic, but am rewatching season one now, and isn’t it so different? It just feels like a different show. The outfits are so costumey and even the really good designers are producing stuff that is so…meh.
Anthony had the lamest dress, and had gotten kicked off before. Had to go.
Emilio had the best dress. He’s in.
Seth Aaron had a horribly ugly dress that was nonetheless creative and well made. They weren’t going to let him go.
Jay and Mila had fairly comparable histories, with Mila being both a little more consistent and also a little boring. Jay’s jacket was nice, his pants were well made but a little boring. Mila’s dress had more to it, but it was like Seth Aaron’s horribly ugly. A tie with a dress off was the best solution here.
Yeah, it’s nice when you’re okay with the judge’s decisions.
But really, I think the only thing that was up in the air this episode was the question of whether Jay or Mila was going to make it. In this final challenge, the judges openly and unequivocally use the designers’ past work to decide who they want to send to fashion week, so Emilio and Seth Aaron were in and Anthony was out no matter what they did. Which made for kind of a boring episode, but what are you gonna do?
I remember when Emmett “I’m A Menswear Designer” from Season 2 made his dress for the Barbie challenge, Tim wrote ecstatically about it in his blog because someone did something with a full sleeve, and that was incredibly rare for the show. Everyone made sleeveless or strapless dresses for the first couple of seasons. Now, it’s typical for designers to make three-piece outfits with impressive tailoring. I think the caliber of craftsmanship has definitely risen dramatically since then.