Project Runway Season 5, Episode 1

Woohoo! Runway is back! I feel like the Runway gods changed the time slot to 9:00 just for me. Staying up to 11:00 these days just isn’t happening.

So, on to the show. Challenge – eh. I’d prefer something new, but I’d rather revisit interesting challenges from the past than have a crappy new challenge. Still, I don’t care too much for the challenges with wacky materials because I don’t think they show the designers’ abilities in real-world situations. I know the list of challenges for the whole season has been posted online, but I am avoiding the spoilers because I like the surprise each episode.

I know that Tim made a big deal about so many people using tablecloths, but that didn’t really backfire on anyone. Still, it was disappointing to see so many people take a safe and easy route.

• Kenley: not a bad dress – hard to tell how well it moved. Looked like the top could have been fitted better.
• Terri: boring skirt, which detracted from the creative use of material on the top. The design didn’t bowl me over, but I thought she did a nice job of using an unconventional material to make something wearable.
• Suede: terrible name AND refers to himself in the 3rd person – 2 strikes. Strike 3 is that ugly, tacky, cheap-ass dress. Hope you go home early, Suede.
• Emily: I thought the embellishment looked like an Easter basket, but the overall look wasn’t too bad.
• Leanne: for a tablecloth dress, it was pretty stiff and seemed bulky – adding all that candy made it harder to wear and move in.
• Jennifer: I just thought this was boring. It looked like it was well-executed, but it needed some color or something to make it stand out.
• Jerell: this dress just looked like a costume to me – not as over-the-top as some of the things from seasons past, but really something you’d see in a dance recital.
• Keith: nothing innovative here. He took the easy route. He can certainly construct a garment, but I hope to see more creativity.
• Wesley: I think some of the detail in this dress gets lost because it’s all one color. Nothing really exciting here, but some nice use of materials in the detailing.
• Joe: I really didn’t like this – he stretched a little in his use of materials, but it reminded me of a cheap and tacky theme restaurant.
• Korto: my favorite of all the tablecloths. She constructed and styled the garment really nicely. Clothes made out of real food gross me out, but I liked her use of color a lot.
• Daniel: great use of materials, boring style. He has potential, though.
• Blayne: oh, lord, the hideousness! Yes, it was more creative than a lot of the other garments, but he didn’t pull it off. I hope we don’t have another Vincent on our hands. Being kooky isn’t enough.
• Jerry: I hated this outfit, although I suspect he would have had better luck if he had used more colorful materials. As it was, it looked like a hazmat suit gone wrong, and he didn’t help himself styling it with rubber gloves.
• Kelli: although I didn’t love the coffee filter bust, I really liked this garment overall. Very nice use of materials – loved the way she made the skirt fabric. Reminded me of Jeffrey’s trompe l’oeil newspaper dress from Season 3.
• Stella: I probably would have sent her home over Jerry – I thought his design was more innovative, even though it was a failure. She lacked creativity in both her design and her choice of materials, and the dress looked like she threw it together in 5 minutes. Totally amateur.

All in all I think there are a few interesting people to watch, but I really hope they get some good challenges that allow them to show their own perspective and not just the ability to MacGyver garments out of paper clips and chewing gum.

Project Runway Season 4, Finale: Jillian

Jillian had some of my favorite pieces in the finale. I liked her collection a lot, but there were some definite misses. I didn’t think her collection was as cohesive or successful as Christian’s when viewed as a whole, but if her entire collection had been as strong as her strongest pieces, she probably would have won.

This was the first look of Jillian’s that I really liked. I love the knit jacket; it has a good amount of interesting detail without being overdone. I like the pairing with the camel/gold trousers. And I have to give Jillian props for her styling again – I really loved what she did with the hats in this collection. HATED IT. First, it looks like lingerie, which isn’t necessarily bad, but it also reminds me of something Ricky would design. Jillian, I expect better from you. It’s also reminiscent of the dress she made to go under the black jacket in the museum challenge, but far less successful. In the museum challenge, the gold lame was balanced and offset by the jacket. With nothing to tone it down, this dress just looks tacky. And I really hate the bust detail. What the hell was she thinking on those sleeves? It’s such a home-sewn look. The point at the top of the sleeve is weirdly spacey, and the combination of oversleeve and fabric just scream “bridesmaid” so the overall effect is scifi bridesmaid. So, so, so awful. And yet without that detail, the look is very ordinary and I don’t see any design sensibility at all. I LOVED this look – one of Jillian’s best. Wearable, stylish, different without being too over-the-top. It’s funny to me that Tim Gunn was concerned by this look, because I really thought it was so strong. I even like the hat on the model that I didn’t like on Jillian – it works with this outfit and since it completely covers the model’s hair it’s not so overwhelming. But the star is really the sweater. Okay, Jillian clearly loves the ruffled coat look and has made it her metier (see photos below). I loved the version she did when she worked with Victorya, and I’m not unhappy about seeing a shorter version of the style, but I’m not sure this interpretation adds much: it’s got the scifi sleeve caps and armor-holes in the arms, but both of those additions would best be left out. All in all, I’d rather have seen something totally new.This is another look I really liked. The sweater is fantastic and wearable. Jillian had several pieces that could go ready-to-wear with no translation, and this is one of them. I really disliked this. Way too literal an interpretation of the armor idea. This didn’t work for me, either. The styling on the top seemed dated, and the skirt was just wrong – I didn’t like the way it moved, and it seemed like it would just always be in the way. Plus, it doesn’t connect to any of the other designs. This was another look I really liked. I love the color and the draping around the neckline and sleeves is just gorgeous. I like this short version and think it could also work as a long gown. Lovely. Meh. More succesful than the short, gold version. But I don’t love it. Still looks like a Ricky design to me.

Not a bad coat, but not one of my favorite pieces. Without the knit headpiece and the hat, it looks a little ordinary.

This isn’t a bad look, but again, kind-of basic. I think Jillian was showing her skills more as a stylist than a designer with this look.

As opposed to Rami, who should really focus on gowns, Jillian’s calling is sportswear and outerwear. I would really love to see her do a collection of knits – I know I’d buy them!

Project Runway Season 4, Finale: Rami

I’m discussing Rami’s collection first because it was my least favorite of the three finalists. To keep that in perspective, I still think this was a really strong finale, and Rami did some beautiful work. I just don’t think his collection measured up to Jillian’s or Christian’s overall.

I don’t like the panel on the skirt – it’s not flattering. The dress is so fitted around the waist and hips and then gets full down below and it just draws too much attention to hips and the crotch area.

When I saw this coming down the runway, I thought “matronly.” That color might work for something else, but it makes this suit look “mother of the bride.” I didn’t even notice the basketweave detail on the back of the jacket until the judges pointed it out after the runway show.

I still really like this one. I think it was the most successful of Rami’s more casual pieces.

She looks like a linebacker. The cut of the vest and the extra volume in the arms and shoulders make this tiny little model look really wide – imagine this look on a woman who weighs more than 90 pounds. Yikes!

This was a little more successful than the blue dress, but without the paneling at the waist more attention is drawn to the shoulders, and I think those proportions are a little odd. Her shoulders look padded.

I think this outfit could have benefited from different fabric choices. I don’t care much for this combination. The skirt seems a little over-constructed, but not as much as some of his other pieces. I think I might have really liked the blouse in another fabric.

I actually really like the blouse, but I think the pants are very unflattering. With the tight waist and tight legs, there is too much volume at the hips. Again, if you can make a 90 pound model look wide, you’re in trouble.

This one just didn’t work for me. I like the detail and drape around the neck and bust, but the fitted waist and pants were just wrong. This struck me as a good candidate for Rami to show his draping skill – if he had used the neck and bust detailing in a gown, it might have been lovely.

This is a gorgeous gown. I think it would have been better in another color. The olive is too drab for such a striking design. But I have no other complaints about this one. Beautifully conceived and executed.

The whole time this dress was on the screen, all I could think of was “what is going on down near her knee?” I don’t know what he did to the gown to get that funny little pooch of fabric, but it completely ruined the line of this dress for me. Otherwise the dress is fine, but not my favorite. The fabric combined with the style make it a little too reminiscent of an Oscar statuette.

I LOVED this gown. Gorgeous, unusual, stunning. This is the kind of thing I want to see on the red carpet at the Oscars – really beautiful dresses that are a little different and not at all boring. This look is very French. Fabulous.

I still think this dress is gorgeous, in spite of the hip detailing. What I’ve noticed from both of the last two episodes is that I really don’t notice the hip detail when the model is walking. Anyway, the construction on this gown is amazing and I think it’s very, very beautiful.

I think Rami’s gowns are his strength. I felt that he tried to take the judges’ criticisms seriously and move away from draping in his final collection, but I think he over-corrected in his separates and the construction was a bit too heavy. And wasn’t it interesting that he didn’t show the blue coat from his 3-look competition with Chris? He also didn’t show the gold coat that he showed during Tim’s visit. Apparently he had enough pieces made up that he could edit out the ones that didn’t get a good response.

Project Runway Season 4, Finale

Surprised? Me neither. I was pretty well convinced that Christian would pull off the win (although both Rami and Jillian had it in them to pull off an upset). Overall it was a strong finale. All 3 designers had looks I loved – I have to agree with the judges that Jillian had some fantastic knits. Rami’s gowns were beautiful. Christian’s collection was just SO Christian, and really cohesive. Anyway, I have to work early in the morning, so I’ll save my outfit-by-outfit analysis for the weekend. But I will say that the finale was much more satisfying than I thought it might be mid-way through the season.

Project Runway Season 4, Episode 13

You know, after seeing three looks from both Rami and Chris, I was a little ambivalent about who should go on. I really liked elements of both collections, and thought they both missed on some points. However, based on the additional looks we saw during Tim’s visits I’d lean slightly more towards Rami. Having said that, I’m going to miss seeing Chris’s collection on next week’s show, because I’m sure it would be interesting if nothing else. I know he and Sweet P both got to show at Bryant Park, so I’m going to look at those collections online after the finale – hurray for the Internet!

• Rami: I didn’t care much for the coat – it was just overdone. The dress underneath looked pretty, but simple. I loved the second look, though. I thought his final dress was very pretty, but you could kind-of tell it was designed on a mannequin instead of a human – it looked rather unwieldy coming down the runway. I confess I didn’t even notice the hip detail until the judges pointed it out, but looking at pictures I think that Michael Kors was right and it really widens the hips. I was happy to see some different techniques from Rami and I’m sure his collection will be very accomplished technically, but I don’t know if it will wow me.
• Chris: okay, put aside the human hair thing for a minute. If I didn’t know it was human hair I’d never guess. From Tim’s visit it was looking like he overused it, but in the looks he showed on the runway it seemed to work reasonably well – not that I’d want to wear something that hairy, no matter what it’s actually made of. The first look was interesting, but I think had a little too much going on. The proportions weren’t quite right, but it was definitely creative without being too far out there. His second look was a very simple style, but the way he used the trim punched it up a lot. The third dress showed a pretty interesting use of materials (other than human hair), but it was really obvious the model couldn’t walk in it. Overall I think Chris did a good job of using his theatricality without getting too campy.

Oh, and a couple of other things:

1. I’m dying to trim Heidi’s bangs.
2. What the heck was Jillian wearing on her head?

Project Runway Season 4, Sew-not-over online challenge

If the boring reunion episode didn’t satisfy your Project Runway jones for this week, head on over to the Bravo website for the Sew-not-over online challenge. 12 of this season’s designers (including all 4 finalists) did a 3-look collection and are competing for a $10,000 prize. Not sure why Victorya, Sweet P and Simone didn’t participate, but it’s a nice bonus to see these mini-collections.

• Rami: kudos to Rami for not draping 3 dresses. I didn’t love his looks, but he did show more range which I was VERY happy to see. The 3rd look (dress) was probably my favorite – didn’t like the jacket in the 2nd look at all.
• Jillian: her looks were well-executed, but not very cohesive as a collection and pretty forgettable over all. I hope this is not an indication of what we will see from her in the final (I have studiously avoided looking at any of the pics from fashion week online – it’s killing me!).
• Kevin: meh. The first look was cute but simple, and I didn’t care much for the 2nd and 3rd looks.
• Jack: he made 3 cute, wearable looks. I like most of what he did, but I don’t love any of it. There’s no sense of a design point of view, nothing to identify the designer at all. Very off-the-rack.
• Carmen: her 3 looks were cohesive, but I thought the 1st (the ninja look) was pretty awful. What is Carmen’s obsession with the genie pants? Her other two looks were better – she could have punched up the colors a bit. Still, it was one of the more interesting and ambitious collections, so I give her props for that.
• Marion: I thought Marion did a remarkably good collection, and I’m wishing he didn’t get auf’d so early in the season as it looks like he might have produced something really interesting. I didn’t love everything about it, but it had a strong, unified aesthetic, and I freaking LOVED the feather skirt in his 3rd look – definitely my favorite single piece from this challenge.
• Elisa: for someone so kooky, she put out a really boring collection. There was no unity in her designs, and she didn’t use the opportunity to show anything new. Meh.
• Ricky: didn’t care much for his collection, but OH LORDY I can’t believe he sent his models out in those stupid hats. Yeesh! The proportions on the first look were really unflattering. The second look was just trashy.
• Christian: his collection definitely had some of his signature elements, but overall it was a softer and far more colorful collection than I was expecting. It was interesting, and I’m wondering if part of my negative reaction towards this collection had to do with the super skinny models in super tight, wildly patterned leggings. Leggings on someone so skinny just look a little wrong, and when you draw attention to them with so much color and pattern I think it emphasizes the wrongness. I wanted to stuff those girls with pasta and bagels.
• Kit: I think Kit found a good balance between wearability and aesthetic. I really like her collection a lot. Her looks were definitely accessible without being ordinary. I loved the black skirt and sweater combo, and her LBD was really cute, with a lot of visual interest.
• Steven: well, I guess Steven is a good dressmaker, but I’m not sure about his design abilities – he didn’t show anything that hasn’t been seen a gazillion times before. Pretty dresses, but a really boring collection.
• Chris: hated the first look – terrible, unflattering proportions. The second look struck me as Chris trying to be Laura Bennet. The third look was a toned-down version of both the avant garde challenge and the art challenge – he really likes that asymmetrical proportion, I guess. I think I don’t like Chris toned down – I’d rather he fail spectacularly than fail by being boring.

Well, I hope Runway continues this trend in the future – any extra fashion they can squeeze into the season is okay by me, and it was a good way to supplement a pretty lame reunion show.

Project Runway Season 4, Episode 12

Reunion show. Meh. Not too much to say about this one. Victorya needs to pull the stick out of her bum. Jillian appears to have more of a personality than was generally shown. They did a montage of Ricky crying – what a shock. Carmen needs to lighten up. Kit was kind and gracious.

I was surprised that Christian won the fan favorite – like most of the cast, I thought it would be Chris. I guess I sort-of expect people to vote for a long shot, like “I think this person has talent, but I know s/he will never win.” But last season they voted for Micheal Knight, and until I saw his collection I thought he was a strong candidate for the win, so what do I know?

Enough with the time=wasting. Bring on the fashion. Can’t wait to see the full collections!!!

Project Runway Season 4, Episode 11

Well, Runway made it back into my good graces (for now, anyway)! I really liked the challenge this week. It actually had to do with fashion – imagine that.

• Chris made a striking and gorgeous gown, and I thought it was a very well-done interpretation of the painting he chose. Yes, it was too reminiscent of the design he did with Christian. While it wouldn’t be uncommon in a fashion show to see several interpretations of the same striking element, in a competition like this one it’s more important to show range.
• Christian amazed me by making several pieces with really impeccable workmanship. I agree with his win here 100%, and I think more than any of the other designers this season he’s shown his ability to meet challenges and keep his own aesthetic at the same time. He’s definitely had some misses, but my money’s on him to produce a really cohesive collection that shows his point of view and is still interesting. His outfit was fantastic – a very clear nod to the painting, but he made it his own. Very cool.
• Rami – yawn. Based on this challenge he should have gone home along with Sweet P. Whether or not he CAN do anything besides drape is immaterial, since he obviously won’t. He was my early favorite this season, but I lost interest awhile ago. I really think he should have chosen something else for his inspiration and tried to stretch. Big mistake. I know he has skill, but I’m still kind-of pissed that he’s moving on in the competition as he shows no desire to grow.
• Sweet P’s dress was clearly the weakest this week, and that was pretty much what I expected. She does a really nice job making wearable dresses (although this week’s wasn’t that great), but I don’t think she has a strong vision as a designer.
• Jillian’s outfit didn’t bowl me over, but I liked it a lot. I thought she did a great job of interpreting her art piece and making it her own. It wasn’t as creative as Christian’s look, but very well done. I’m excited to see her collection at Bryant Park. I haven’t loved all of her pieces this season but she’s wowed me a few times, and her designs are generally more wearable than Christian’s.

Right now I’m betting that the real competition is between Christian and Jillian, and I expect Christian to take the win. Jillian could pull it off, though…

More on Project Runway Season 4, Episode 10

I was so dispirited by last night’s episode that I couldn’t summon up the energy to do an evaluation of each costume, and I’m still not going to bother. I’ve been largely uninspired by this season of Project Runway, and I’m worried that last night may prove to be the moment when the show jumped the shark. I’m sorry, but there’s just nothing about that challenge that has to do with fashion. It was stupid. How can you even pick a winner from those ridiculous costumes? What are the criteria? Again, nothing to do with fashion.

I’m not sad to see Ricky go, but he didn’t deserve it based on last night’s challenge. Yes, his costume looked like a bathing suit and the cover-up was a joke. It still wasn’t the worst outfit up there. If you’re going on the basis of the designs, I probably would have sent Rami home. The judging on this show is becoming a total joke. At least keep up the pretense that it has something to do with the clothes on the runway. I can accept that the judges and I might not see eye to eye, but some of the decisions are becoming blatantly ridiculous and I’m just frustrated.

Win me back, Runway. There’s still hope.

Project Runway Season 4, Episode 10

Project Runway, I wish I could quit you.