Project Runway Blogging: Season 5 - Episode 2
The challenge: The Models are the Clients, Enviro-Friendly Fabrics Only
It's nice that Project Runway is highlighting eco-friendly fabrics. There are quite a lot of them around, some of them new, like recycled materials, some of them tried, true, and terrific. The Greeks and Romans did wonderful things with linen and still influence designers today (just take a look at the Met's recent Costume Institute installation, "Goddess"). Where would Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters be without muslin? And the Victorians and Edwardians really knew how to rock plain, old cotton...
So the models (who are also doing the buying, sans designers, at Mood) scamper for yardage and trimmings. The designers are a bit scared. I was a little too, wondering if some of them might not succumb to their internal model chronometers, which makes a terribly lot of them terribly late for shoots, or so the reputation goes. Someone should invent a Model Tardis.
The fabrics and models arrive. The designers grumble, smile, or make do. Fast forward to the runway.
Keith Bryce / Runa: I'm not sure if the silhouette is interesting or lazy. The color is wonderful on Runa, but what's with the...how can one put it deliacately? Pubo-hem? (Note: a hootchy-hem is technically about three inches longer). As the gown got its close-up, it less resembled a gown than drapery at a bridal banquet hall. The lower half of the garment overpowered everything else, by its weight and bulkiness. Still, Runa wore it very well.
Terri Stevens / Xaviera: Great match of model and designer. The ruffles had just enough tension for structure, and Stevens let them relax and drape the body beautifully. No necklace. This dress doesn't need one. The back was elegant as well. It's a neat trick to pull off something that looks both casual and elegant, and Stevens did it.
Wesley Nault / Alyssa: What's lamentable here (among many things) is that Nault's model actually came back with a winning color palette: bronzy brown with a pale pistachio green. That combo suggests woods, nature -- a lot of what this challenge is about. But Nault expressed some sort of allergy to pistachio and ditched all the yardage, which perhaps explained his pubo-hem. The dress looked a bit like he ran out of fabric, it wasn't a very flattering fit or shape, the back (with its gapping, streetcorner-girl cutout) looked like either an adventure in bad taste or expressionistic amnesia, and that frou-frou bow at the neckline belonged on some other unflattering dress.
Jerell Scott / Nicole: More pubo-hem. I swear there's always a swath of designers who subconsciously mock women. They don't know they're doing it, really. And they also can't help themselves. Liked the high, beaded collar and the fringe and the overlay of pattern running down the skirt's sides (from afar; close up it didn't look integrated into the design, and was a distraction). Dislike: the streetcorner-girl chest cutout, which for some strange reason strikes me as very Logan's Run.
Jennifer Diederich / Alex: I mostly loved this. The palette of pale pumpkin and subway gray was refreshing, smart, youthful, and interesting. The material, and the competent use of it, lent this dress both gravity and airiness. It had movement and breath. Overall it worked, and Alex looked like Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada, after her Runway transformation. (And no pubo-hem!)
Daniel Feld / Elena: Gorgeous dress. Well done. Feld is right when he says that it's evocative of Audrey Hepburn. It was an updated, very chic version of the classic cocktail dress that came out of the '50s and '60s. The bodice was pieced together simply, but not boringly. Love the asymmetrical hemline. Loved the flow.
Joe Faris / Topacio: Maybe not Logan's Run, but perhaps more like a modern Buck Rogers. It takes a deft eye not to make a cut out look cheap or silly (or distracting), and Faris' eye was wandering somewhere else. There was nothing especially innovative or interesting going on here, except for the enviro-friendly fabric.
Suede / Tia: Interesting, original. Love the use of red and cream. Warning: all that piecing would probably look bulky on anyone wider than, say, a breadstick. So, be forewarned. The skirt seemed a little silly, in comparison to the top, and the back view looked kludgy.
Kenley Collins / Shannone: Alas for Collins, Daniel V did this collar in season two, and in a similar color. And, 'tho he's not the only one to have done that sort of treatment, in the Project Runway universe, it was very memorable, and closely identified with him. I cannot help but think that this hindered her in the judging. Nice dress, 'though. Smart, sophisticated. Could be a dress you'd see on the street today, or in the future (but not in Logan's Run. thankfully).
Kelli Martin / Germaine: The porportions on this ensemble are a bit blocky, but this is camoflauged by the hyper-attenuated proportions of the model. Try imagining this piece on someone within the generally fit and averagely proportioned population. Not a pretty sight. And it wasn't that charming on Germaine either. Loved the color palette, loved the way the fabric was bent, molded and pressed. Hated the pubo-hem. Even the hems on the original Star Trek series were longer than that.
Leanne Marshall / Karalyn: Please, for the love of Kors, stop it with the pubo-hems. This dress suffers from some of the same ailments that plagued Nault's design. The dress appears heavy and thick, the effect of which is worsened by the non-existent modesty. Not a good look for anyone, not even Karalyn.
Stella B. Zotis / Kendall: Kudos to Zotis for working far afield from her metier. The laced sleeve and skirt sides, and the asymmetrical design bridge the gap between her biker-chic impulses and the preferences of the model and the nature of the challenge. About half those points are taken away however for the pubo-hem.
Blayne Walsh / Polina: Overdone, with a slight lack of taste. The worst crime of all, not very flattering.
Emily Brandle / Leslie: The use of the braiding, repeated on the back, was interesting. This was a bare back done elegantly, despite the square footage of skin showing. It really needed to be balanced by more skirt, 'tho, especially in the front. Pubo-hems seem to be the horrific compulsion this season that no one can resist.
Korto Momolu / Katarina: Interesting concept. Turn the dress inside-out. But it wound up looking too literal. Like the dress really was inside out. And it was bulky and non-flattering to boot.
Judges' Pick: Suede
Judges' Wiedersehen: Wesley Nault
My Pick: Jennifer Diederich or Kenley Collins
My Wiedersehen: Wesley Nault or Jerrell Scott
It's nice that Project Runway is highlighting eco-friendly fabrics. There are quite a lot of them around, some of them new, like recycled materials, some of them tried, true, and terrific. The Greeks and Romans did wonderful things with linen and still influence designers today (just take a look at the Met's recent Costume Institute installation, "Goddess"). Where would Elizabeth Bennet and her sisters be without muslin? And the Victorians and Edwardians really knew how to rock plain, old cotton...
So the models (who are also doing the buying, sans designers, at Mood) scamper for yardage and trimmings. The designers are a bit scared. I was a little too, wondering if some of them might not succumb to their internal model chronometers, which makes a terribly lot of them terribly late for shoots, or so the reputation goes. Someone should invent a Model Tardis.
The fabrics and models arrive. The designers grumble, smile, or make do. Fast forward to the runway.
Keith Bryce / Runa: I'm not sure if the silhouette is interesting or lazy. The color is wonderful on Runa, but what's with the...how can one put it deliacately? Pubo-hem? (Note: a hootchy-hem is technically about three inches longer). As the gown got its close-up, it less resembled a gown than drapery at a bridal banquet hall. The lower half of the garment overpowered everything else, by its weight and bulkiness. Still, Runa wore it very well.
Terri Stevens / Xaviera: Great match of model and designer. The ruffles had just enough tension for structure, and Stevens let them relax and drape the body beautifully. No necklace. This dress doesn't need one. The back was elegant as well. It's a neat trick to pull off something that looks both casual and elegant, and Stevens did it.
Wesley Nault / Alyssa: What's lamentable here (among many things) is that Nault's model actually came back with a winning color palette: bronzy brown with a pale pistachio green. That combo suggests woods, nature -- a lot of what this challenge is about. But Nault expressed some sort of allergy to pistachio and ditched all the yardage, which perhaps explained his pubo-hem. The dress looked a bit like he ran out of fabric, it wasn't a very flattering fit or shape, the back (with its gapping, streetcorner-girl cutout) looked like either an adventure in bad taste or expressionistic amnesia, and that frou-frou bow at the neckline belonged on some other unflattering dress.
Jerell Scott / Nicole: More pubo-hem. I swear there's always a swath of designers who subconsciously mock women. They don't know they're doing it, really. And they also can't help themselves. Liked the high, beaded collar and the fringe and the overlay of pattern running down the skirt's sides (from afar; close up it didn't look integrated into the design, and was a distraction). Dislike: the streetcorner-girl chest cutout, which for some strange reason strikes me as very Logan's Run.
Jennifer Diederich / Alex: I mostly loved this. The palette of pale pumpkin and subway gray was refreshing, smart, youthful, and interesting. The material, and the competent use of it, lent this dress both gravity and airiness. It had movement and breath. Overall it worked, and Alex looked like Anne Hathaway in The Devil Wears Prada, after her Runway transformation. (And no pubo-hem!)
Daniel Feld / Elena: Gorgeous dress. Well done. Feld is right when he says that it's evocative of Audrey Hepburn. It was an updated, very chic version of the classic cocktail dress that came out of the '50s and '60s. The bodice was pieced together simply, but not boringly. Love the asymmetrical hemline. Loved the flow.
Joe Faris / Topacio: Maybe not Logan's Run, but perhaps more like a modern Buck Rogers. It takes a deft eye not to make a cut out look cheap or silly (or distracting), and Faris' eye was wandering somewhere else. There was nothing especially innovative or interesting going on here, except for the enviro-friendly fabric.
Suede / Tia: Interesting, original. Love the use of red and cream. Warning: all that piecing would probably look bulky on anyone wider than, say, a breadstick. So, be forewarned. The skirt seemed a little silly, in comparison to the top, and the back view looked kludgy.
Kenley Collins / Shannone: Alas for Collins, Daniel V did this collar in season two, and in a similar color. And, 'tho he's not the only one to have done that sort of treatment, in the Project Runway universe, it was very memorable, and closely identified with him. I cannot help but think that this hindered her in the judging. Nice dress, 'though. Smart, sophisticated. Could be a dress you'd see on the street today, or in the future (but not in Logan's Run. thankfully).
Kelli Martin / Germaine: The porportions on this ensemble are a bit blocky, but this is camoflauged by the hyper-attenuated proportions of the model. Try imagining this piece on someone within the generally fit and averagely proportioned population. Not a pretty sight. And it wasn't that charming on Germaine either. Loved the color palette, loved the way the fabric was bent, molded and pressed. Hated the pubo-hem. Even the hems on the original Star Trek series were longer than that.
Leanne Marshall / Karalyn: Please, for the love of Kors, stop it with the pubo-hems. This dress suffers from some of the same ailments that plagued Nault's design. The dress appears heavy and thick, the effect of which is worsened by the non-existent modesty. Not a good look for anyone, not even Karalyn.
Stella B. Zotis / Kendall: Kudos to Zotis for working far afield from her metier. The laced sleeve and skirt sides, and the asymmetrical design bridge the gap between her biker-chic impulses and the preferences of the model and the nature of the challenge. About half those points are taken away however for the pubo-hem.
Blayne Walsh / Polina: Overdone, with a slight lack of taste. The worst crime of all, not very flattering.
Emily Brandle / Leslie: The use of the braiding, repeated on the back, was interesting. This was a bare back done elegantly, despite the square footage of skin showing. It really needed to be balanced by more skirt, 'tho, especially in the front. Pubo-hems seem to be the horrific compulsion this season that no one can resist.
Korto Momolu / Katarina: Interesting concept. Turn the dress inside-out. But it wound up looking too literal. Like the dress really was inside out. And it was bulky and non-flattering to boot.
Judges' Pick: Suede
Judges' Wiedersehen: Wesley Nault
My Pick: Jennifer Diederich or Kenley Collins
My Wiedersehen: Wesley Nault or Jerrell Scott
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