This week was all about the magic and glamour of Broadway. The designers were invited to attend the musical, Finding Neverland. And from that visit, the trip, the show, the atmosphere, it was all to serve as an inspiration for each designer to create a look. The designers were joined at the theater by Tim and star of the musical, Matthew Morrison.
So with a “sky is the limit”, 1-day challenge, and a $250 budget, the designers were off to work and to Mood (which oddly enough this season, I feel as if they haven’t been to Mood that much!). Swapnil opted for a smoke/work balance this challenge. Lindsey began her work in fear as she really did not want to land in the bottom again. Merline began her work in doubt as she was drawing a complete blank. Candice came out of the gates strong however, really wanting to own her darkness, to celebrate it and feel hope.
Tim reminded the designers that at this point in the competition, it was anyone’s game, so to remember no one is safe. He urged Swapnil to aim for the win. While others he made sure to remind them to edit. Clearly, the pressure was on!
The morning of was the usual time crunch. A lot of the designers seemed like they could be in trouble! This week’s guest judge was supermodel Coco Rocha.
The top/bottom 3 breakdown made perfect sense here. And of course, by a landslide, Candice was the clear winner. Candice always impresses me with the sheer amount of pieces she can put together in such a short amount of time. And the thing is, I very rarely see any fit or quality issues with the pieces. And to top it all off, she is not just making basic, plain, boring pieces, but rather a look that is uniquely designed and truly showcasing who she is as a designer.
Kelly put out another great, stunning look. I really feel as if she has been a dark horse this season and the other designers better watch out! I’m not sure if I’m completely in love with this look, or at least the pairing of the intricate outer pieces with the LBD. But I know one thing is that it’s hard to take my eyes off of the look! This emerald, sheer, outer piece is just so exquisite. The judges seemed to be a bit split on this as well, but compared to the actual bottom this week, this was top notch!
Shout-outs — Sally Beauty, such gorgeous, wavy hair & Mary Kay, love that bold red lip!
Shout-outs — Sally Beauty, love the updo, Mary Kay, beautiful cat eye & nude lip!
The way I felt about Kelly’s look is similar to how I feel about Edmonds’. I’m not 100% in love with it, but there is still something intriguing about it. Coco was clearly not a fan, but the judges did have some positives to offer. I think the confusing part here is this outer vest — what is it, why did he make it, what is the purpose? Not sure of the answers, but the black pants and top were well made. And the look did need more than just those pieces, so I guess he thought, blob of color maybe??
Swapnil and Merline were definitely deserving of the middle, but still with okay looks. Swapnil’s look had such a disconnect for me. I didn’t love the pairing of slate grey & baby pink. And with Merline, it was very pretty, but felt more like a costume than a wearable look.
Shout-out — Sally Beauty, love the waves!!
Ashley’s look was just a mess and truly, quite disappointing. My issue with this is more so that Ashley can and has done better. But when she misses, she really misses. It’s like, why so inconsistent??
Shout-out — Lovin’ these Sally Beauty hair looks this week!
Laurie has had some highlights for me earlier on this season, but a very slow decline the past week or so. I’m just not sure what happened here. It seems as if there is no direction and the fabric choice, very mind boggling!
Another gorgeous Sally Beauty updo!
But for the judges, they saw at least some design and ideas with Laurie. On the other hand, for Lindsey, it was just not enough. Her look did have a pretty color, but there was not a lot here in terms of design. It was kind of basic. Lindsey’s aesthetic is very minimalist, which is hard to make work on PR. And if you do go the minimalist route, it has to be done so well. That was the case here. So with a few constant bottom placements, Lindsey was sadly out.
