Things started out promising with the HB Quick Challenge, using templates to make cruelty free shoes. I had little expectations going in, considering the chunky template they were given. Thus, I was dutifully surprised at people actually thinking conceptually. Johnny's, Haven's, Merlin's, and Anna's were cute.
Reco blamed Andrew for coping his fringe, but neither shoe looks that great. Team Reco, who hadn't won anything yet, got the surprise win! Its Bizzaro World. Probably due to the lack of bacon in the Judge's diet.
Johnny and his wedge heel, which actually look pretty sleek, justifiably wins. Holy self-awareness, VeganShoe Woman was hip enough to note how it doesn't look very "crunchy-granola." Too bad the ones marketed by Bravo! don't look as sweet as Johnny's originals. Reco, oddly, also got the shaft on his team. Now can we find a nicer way to say cruelty free?Elimination Time and we're off to Bergdorf Goodman. I propose these two be combined for the rest of the season. While I don't live in NYC, and I'm poor, but I do fantasy shop their website. Its probably best that way too, as I'm a tactile buyer. The shoes look scrumptious. M. Mizrahi and Ms. Kelly greet the bunnies with some forced banter. M. Miz notes that every fashion lover has bought a pair of shoes without anything to wear with them. Everybody has done that, so I'd like to amend the statement a bit. Every fashion lover has impulsively spent a lot more than a reasonable amount of money on ridiculously fantastic shoes that go with nothing in particular.
The challenge is to find a "fabulous" pair of shoes, and use them as inspiration to make a corresponding outfit. Then, they are set free to Super Market Sweep through the Shoe Salon (Hello Bravo!, new game show idea), with the warning that they will be assigned a pair, should they not find their own within the five minute time frame. “All be it a fabulous pair of shoes,” assured Miz. Which get this reaction from the crowd: Reco screams over some YSLs, Haven finds her red soled Louboutins, Andrew finds some Blahniks and Angel finds nothing. So kindly, M. Miz gives her some fab Stella McCartney nautical numbers, eliciting this reaction from Angel and the rest.
Gesundheit.
The shoes were certainly not Angel's style at all, but really, those are knock out sandals. I kind of wish the rest of the guys had their shoes assigned, maybe that extra agitation was what they need to break out of the rut some of these designers have been in. However, the show was rather sly about making sure they select shoes with a TFS plaque next to them. So while we saw hundreds of shoes, how many did our sewing bunnies really get to choose from?THE fashion show
ANDREW:
THE shoes: Manolo Blahnik zebra-print d'orsay (buy here)
[ok, maybe not, but close enough]
THE look:
Certainly not the ugliest thing produced on this show, but this was definitely not ambitious enough to match the delicate Blahniks. Yes, conceptually, this was a nice outfit, jacquard looking blouse (with cutely sleeves) in gold, and a black pleated skirt that hits above the knee in front before gradually falling to the upper-calf in the back. The skirt moved well and flutters very prettily, however, the construction wasn’t exactly sublime. The bust looked a bit deflated and the pleating are not refined enough to match the simplicity of the design. The back bow was a nice touch of femininity though.ANGEL:
THE shoes: Stella McCartney nautical platform sandal (buy here)
THE look:
I had absolutely no idea what she was talking about in her interviews. Even seeing it, I’m a bit confused. Two shirts, sewn together (somewhere?), that reverses? Whatever she meant, it was cute as a button. Regardless of the tricks, the silhouette is nice, young, and fresh. The crisp white shirtdress reinvented in a way, casually thrown together. Also looks adorable with her nautical shoes, perfect for the yacht, the Hamptons or fabulous 4th of July party. I wish her model demonstrated how the shirt dress could be flipped. I am not crazy about the pleating on the back of the shirt though, the sewing looked puckery and the effect was unnecessary for a shirtdress already full of tricks.ANNA:
THE look:
A completely forgettable garment that is underwhelming coming from Anna. I had no idea what is going on around the blouse, but the pleating and cowl details were pleasantly sweet. I just cant get behind the fern that was draped over her shoulders. I liked the cut of the pants, which also have a nice looking pattern (which you'd never know from the airing of the show). The garment didn't do much for the shoes, however, except sharing some of the same color palette. Something about the whole look appeared off, but it was some good buried in there.
THE look:
Girl, we get it, you like shear. I had some problems with the neckline, otherwise its pretty chic. I don’t know what M. Miz' fuse with the silver junk was. It didn’t bother me. What was bothering me is Daniella's dour use of black. Miz had a point about her shoes not necessarily going with her look, but going together nonetheless. It was a great outfit, but seems a bit repetitive from Daniella. The sewing on the bodice looked crisp, and the back appeared beautifully made, but the sheer material looks a bit puckered where its sewn to the leather bodice on the front. At first I thought the skirt was made of neoprene , then I was let down when I realized it wasn't. Take that anyway you want. Its still an excellent piece with great proportions, excellent tailoring and definite saleability.HAVEN:
THE look:
This wasn’t too bad. The hot pants are a bit severely flared, but otherwise I have no problems with the look. The bib nicely corresponded with the fridge of the shoes, while also matching the color. The back was delicate and gives a nice peek of skin. Construction wise, I wish it were a bit more precise around the blouse's hem, but the color combination and general proportions were right on.
THE look:
I’m a little down on James-Paul this week. This dress looks suspiciously like the first week’s winner, with a few extras. This one has touches of red and white at the shoulders. JP had a simple Jimmy Choo to work from, and could have gone anywhere. Its interesting he went somewhere he had been before. I don’t quite get where the dress and the shoe interact, but I have no outstanding problems with the dress, except perhaps its forgetability.JOHNNY:
THE look:
A very simple Wilma Flinstone dress, but I liked it nonetheless. The giant purple, asymmetrical ruffle that crossed over the bust (and mirrored at the dress hem) were sweet elements that lend the garment a air of youth. The overall looks is cute and perfectly suit the shoe. The dress is neither too loud for, nor looks directly inspired by the shoe, but was still clean, vibrant, and stylish enough match the Gaultiers perfectly. There were construction issues around the shoulder, and some of the seems are puckered, and overall, the dress isn't as charming as the inspiration, but it was defiantly in the right direction.KEITH:
Keith, Keith, Keith... terribly literal in the rendition of this look. The Valentino wedge shoes were a great starting point, I don’t think the dress fully encapsulates the spirit of the shoe. It’s cute, soft, and with semi structured shape. The outfit looked well made, and the petal skirt was a nice, albeit literal, touch. However, the skirt also reminds me of a bulky three dimensional Geogia O'Keefe, which reminds me of other things... Was that small pink flower in the front necessary?LIDIA:
I can see where its going, and that is a tacky Ukrainian bridal party. Despite this, there is something interesting though under the layers of poorly sewn tackiness. Seriously, with more refinement, this could have been a dramatic, striking number. Perhaps with a fuller bottom and more mesh (better developed), and amputation of those black fins on the hips. The problem was that Lidia would seriously need days to make that sort of dress. And when it’d finally be done, what would it have to do with the YSL shoes? These need a dress that either ultra sleek or over dramatically opulent, and Lidia couldn't commit to either.
Merlie-Sue? We need more moments like that from Miz. Merlin’s shoes look great, but are probably the hardest to work around. Merlin, in an uninspiring twist of fate, made a rather literal rendition of the shoe in dress form. For the most part, it worked. The dress was both light, with the structure of the sheath underdress. Unfortunately, Merlin also added dramatic Judy Jetson shoulders that look out place with the rest of the garment. Otherwise, I totally dug the bodice's origami-meets-Dine-textiles look. I’d just like it a lot more without the shoulders.RECO:
THE shoes: YSL cage boots (buy here)
THE look:
Reco’s been strutting around the workroom like Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones 1981 American Tour. And to the same extent, his dress was also like the Stones after 1978 – a good show, but resting on laurels of previous work. The dress was an interesting, but derivative, shape. The bias cut strips of fabric added textural dimension to the bodice and skirt, but it was too dark to see exactly what. Reco should have spent another minute or two finishing the dress, instead of napping. The skirt hem doesn’t exactly look level all the way around. Still, the overall look is a knockout. The bias strips give a lattice effect that matches the YSL boots (which are as sick as Sade) if not a bit too literally. The catcher’s mask hat was also a nice touch. It’s a shame that there were parts of the garment that could use just a bit more tweaking. Reco could have used his time better, perhaps fixing the hem or making his own hat/catcher mask.
THE shoes: YSL cage boots (buy here)
THE look:
Reco’s been strutting around the workroom like Mick Jagger on the Rolling Stones 1981 American Tour. And to the same extent, his dress was also like the Stones after 1978 – a good show, but resting on laurels of previous work. The dress was an interesting, but derivative, shape. The bias cut strips of fabric added textural dimension to the bodice and skirt, but it was too dark to see exactly what. Reco should have spent another minute or two finishing the dress, instead of napping. The skirt hem doesn’t exactly look level all the way around. Still, the overall look is a knockout. The bias strips give a lattice effect that matches the YSL boots (which are as sick as Sade) if not a bit too literally. The catcher’s mask hat was also a nice touch. It’s a shame that there were parts of the garment that could use just a bit more tweaking. Reco could have used his time better, perhaps fixing the hem or making his own hat/catcher mask.
Fern, looking smart as always, even as she points out all your flaws.
We get it boys, it's Summer.THE losers:
Andrew and LidiaThese were the obvious losers, though I was worried we were going to see Merlie-Sue’s outfit too. Those damn shoulders! It also brought out that old argument? Which is worse? Poor execution or safe/boring design? For the judges, that answer seems to switch week to week. This time it was Andrew that the judges weren’t buying ... though I suspect the guest judge was buying more than just Andrew Christian's underwear. There was more to Lidia’s design, I sincerely believe. Though, Andrew’s would only need minor tweaking (shorter, parallel hemmed skirt, more dramatic pleating), something about the sculptural elements of Lidia’s garment appealed to me. There could be a killer dress in there, while I think the best Andrew’s could become is a nice dress. Buh-bye Andrew.
THE winners:
Reco, Daniella, AngelMaybe the editing was a bit obvious, but these were the only serious candidates for the win. In the end, I would have picked Angel, as her garment was seasonably appropriate, conceptually interesting, forward thinking, and she was assigned her shoes to boot. Plus I can see a lot of women wanting that outfit -- with the extra bonus that if you see someone else wearing it, you can flip yours over/inside out/upside down. However, since she never flipped her garment over, part of that review is based on the prospect of what it could be. Daniella is proving her worth, making it to the top of the pack again. The garment was well made and matches the shoes well, but not particularly outstanding. Reco's dress goes with Reco's shoes. Or maybe these or these or these or these. It was defiantly visually interesting, but not exactly as riveting as the audience made it out to be.
and, Haven! Her garment this week may have been middle of the pack, and she says her that Alexis Carrington is her style icon ... but this episode, all we saw was Havan as Julia Duffy as Stephanie Vanderkellen. And I loved it. A+
Never the less. Reco wins the real challenge! Now just think of how much it would have been better had he used the nap time to make himself a matching hat for such a glorious occasion.
and, Haven! Her garment this week may have been middle of the pack, and she says her that Alexis Carrington is her style icon ... but this episode, all we saw was Havan as Julia Duffy as Stephanie Vanderkellen. And I loved it. A+Never the less. Reco wins the real challenge! Now just think of how much it would have been better had he used the nap time to make himself a matching hat for such a glorious occasion.
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