Project Runway – The Best of the Rest

Posted on October 29, 2014 by SMM

Project Runway season 13 has come to an end, with Sean Kelly being the winner. NYFW is where the finalists show their final collections, MBFW at Lincoln Center to be precise. Fashion Week happens a little before the finale airs. In order to maintain secrecy, other designers will too present collections so that the finalists will remain unknown. As I’m sure many of you have already done, I am now perusing the other designers’ presentations and of course ready to discuss! So here is what I call “The Best of the Rest”!

Korina for sure had my fave collection amongst the fellow eliminated designers. I’m still holding onto such a grudge that she was eliminated early and unfairly. I think she could have done great work in the last challenge, thus securing a spot for herself in the finale. I really dig the vibe and attitude her looks are giving off. The pieces exude such confidence and have the capability of being worn by either chic fashionistas or bad-ass women who dare to be feminine and sexy.

Based on the finalists we saw, I think the judges would have given great feedback to Korina. She clearly demonstrated she was far more than just an “ethnic” designer as Nina so annoyingly dubbed her. I think she showed a greater range than one other finalist for sure. And I also think she wouldn’t have needed quite as much direction as at least 2 of the finalists. She had a clear concept here and stuck to it. She’s demonstrated such growth this season within her own aesthetic.

Korina is another contestant this season who did have a clear vision, a focused aesthetic. And because of this, and what was created at hand, I think she could have done well in the finale. I saw growth from her, right at the same level or pace as that of Amanda or Sean. Too bad the judges were sippin’ on some crazy kool-aid and made the poor choice in sending Korina home before she had the chance to present as a finalist! And as crazy as the judges & I were about Amanda’s jewelry, I am the same level of love-fest craziness for Korina’s booties, which I’m pretty sure she had a hand in creating! I know they are not from Aldo and they fit too perfectly with her looks to not be a part of her design-work.

This look above is one of my faves. Honestly there are too many faves to pick just one! But this one represents so well what Korina’s collection is about. She works well with leather. Her jackets or outwear are TTDF! She works well with texture, mixing of various fabrics. She can do more than just dresses, her separate pieces are divine, such a great fit. She also had a great use of color, bold red, sunshine yellow, soft teal, and royal blue. All of the colors worked well together and were paired nicely with basics in black and white.

Other great facets to her collection, the color-blocking, excellent fits, and good proportions. Other finale collection pieces certainly had some execution issues, but I didn’t see that with Korina’s looks. Poor fit and execution should not be issues a PR finalist has. And really, by that point, a designer’s clear voice should be heard. And we have all of this with Korina!

There is always a question about what cohesion means. Generally it’s a multitude of things, but cohesion shouldn’t mean 1 fabric throughout a collection or the same colors. There should be more. And with Korina, we have connective colors, similar vibes, ultimately having the same girl wanting all of the pieces. I see that here. There can also be a story. Unsure of Korinas’ since we didn’t hear her thoughts, but there are still other cohesive points to discuss. There is color-blocking, patterns, styling, and more. This was more than I saw from another finalist!

To Korina, great job. I want your pieces and will keep an eye out. I would proudly don any of these looks. I know we will see more from you in the future and I can’t wait!

fäde’s collection was too quite impressive overall. I don’t think his intricate work with prints was truly able to flourish during his time on the show. He is really about pushing the creative bounds, being innovative with his print work. And more often than not, a day or less is just not a sufficient amount of time to really develop this type of work.

Now this is the way to incorporate words or phrases into looks! For the runway, you can’t just stick a word on a boring top and expect that to cut it. Is it wrong to make a sweatshirt or basic tee with words and put it down the runway? Absolutely not! Wildfox, Desigual, and other brands do it all the time. But the point is to still be exciting; you still must amp it up somehow. And fäde did just that!

He of course is a master with prints, but really showed he could work well with his great use of color. It was the perfect idea of a graphic print work to incorporate a teal or burnt orange, and just play around with those colors – various shades, mixing textures, etc.

He also showed a great deal of versatility. He not only made some stunning dresses, but really worked well with separates too – jackets, shorts, pants, and more!

When you can tell a model is having genuine fun rockin’ a look, I think that speaks volumes! So either these girls can add “great actress” to their resume, or they were authentically having a fun time!

These are just a few of my fave looks, but really I had so many to choose from so you will have to forgive my lack of ability to pick only 2 or 3!

fäde also gets shout-outs for Philip B. hair, a little chic yet messy distressed hair-do; it really worked with the streetwear vibe, but also Mary Kay for beauty – very clean, natural make-up look, spot on with the bronzed cheek!

Alexander had some great looks, but my main issue was cohesion. I remember when Tim told Sean during the finale, part 1, that his collection seemed like it was divided; there were 2 different presentations. I think I saw this with Alexander’s 10 looks. I saw pieces that were more sportswear-oriented and then ones of a more refined, elegant level. I’m just not sure I got the connective thread, except that both were still executed in a simplistically minimal manner.

This is not to say I didn’t like the various pieces, but I’m still not sure Alexander has developed a clear vision for where he wants to go as a designer. I’m not sure if he would be ready to make a brand for himself. But I have no doubts he can get there and I would look forward to seeing his development and growth as a designer!

I think this was a decent start for Alexander though. Over time, I’m sure he can work with a great foundation in the basics he already has at his disposal, and just work with developing some “Alexander” signatures to add to his pieces.

It was great seeing the versatility though, lots of separates and beautiful dresses. I’m interested to see where Alexander can go from here for sure!

Next up, Emily, who too was cut right before the finale, barely missing her chance at being a finalist. I think she is another designer this season who had a clear voice, a clear vision. I think with her final collection we saw her aesthetic, but with a bit more sophistication; it had a more luxe feel or quality to the various pieces.

Emily made use of some great work with sheer pieces. This stunning turtleneck sheer top above was immaculate! I don’t think the judges showed much love for Emily over the season. But I wonder how they would have reacted to her work, but turned up a notch as she did with this presentation.

The vibe was somewhat luxurious, but still youthful and chic street. There was a wide range for her type of girl to choose from — shorts, great tops, day dresses, or even some more elegant night-time looks.

A lot of her fabric choices caught my eye, especially the sheer printed tops. I would love to know if she screen-printed her own design on them, but definitely would be intrigued to learn more!

There was a little flare with her show, some volume, some structure in the pieces. So that was great to see RTW, but also with a little dramatic umpf.

Upon my first few glances for Sandhya’s looks, I was quite confused. This was a different side of her work as a designer with more understated looks. Sort of as with Alexander’s more basic vibe, I’m not sure I was over the moon about Sandhya’s more simplistic looks. I think they were executed just fine, but I wasn’t sure how much I was seeing Sandhya in them or that they stood out, being memorable. This was just such a new facet of her work so it was a bit perplexing, nonetheless intriguing.

But later with her collection, the more DIY side of Sandhya came back. I understand the desire to go avant garde, to create a bit more show-y pieces. As we saw from our 4 finalists, this was not their direction and it made sense based on their aesthetic. But for Sandhya, going with this more dramatic flare route made sense. I still feel her looks read very DIY though and not high fashion.

There were a few looks though where I might have thought differently or could have changed my mind if I had seen them in person. And these are looks I wouldn’t mind getting a more up close and personal visit with to better gauge my reaction! Let me be Zac Posen, who always made sure to get really up close and personal when doing his final judge’s critique! Actually, I really commend him for caring. He judged from his seat, but when it came time to really study the looks up close, he was right there, looking so closely. Other judges tended to hang back some, their prerogative, but I was glad to see Zac with genuine care or concern!

All in all, I’m still not the biggest Sandhya fan, but I did see some improvements with her work since she had more time. I think she still needs a bit more time to work out some kinks though!

Until next time ………….. but stay tuned as I will also be blogging about PRAS!!

And the PR Season 13 Finalists Are…..

Posted on October 12, 2014 by SMM

Well, no need for a drum roll on this decision since it was fairly obvious who the judges were sending to MBFW. In fact, the only real surprise was that the judges truly thought Char deserved yet another chance to prove herself, but I’ll discuss that topic in just a bit. Let’s first see what the challenges were this week that set the stage for which designers would make it to fashion week.

The designers had to face 2 challenges in order to make it to the finale. Tim, alongside Brian Bolain, Corporate Marketing Manager for Lexus, delivered the first set of challenge details. The designers got to ride around in a brand new Lexus, driver in tow, to hit the streets of NYC in order to find their inspiration. They were to create a street chic look that could be worn everyday of the week. The look had to be fashionable and progressive. The designers were taking in all of the city sights, the people, the architecture, graffiti, and more! Tim said this would be a 2-day challenge and he would meet them later at Mood to shop with their $200 budget. I think it was fairly obvious at that point there was more to the story here. Come on, 2 days for a street inspired look, no one was being fooled here!

So sure enough, as the designers made their way back to the workroom for day 2, they were greeted with more challenge details. They walked into the workroom to see 5 eliminated looks. Tim soon came in with the infamous button bag and more details. Each designer was to choose a losing look and reposition it to make it a winning look. Tim was clear — these 2 challenges were separate so there was no need for cohesion between the looks. They were also given an additional $100 Mood budget to purchase supplementary fabrics. Emily’s button was drawn first and she chose Samantha’s navy blue evening gown (from the Chopard challenge). Next up was Char, who chose Korina’s most recently eliminated look from the storage bidding wars challenge. Amanda then chose fäde‘s rain-way look. Kini selected Mitchell’s red carpet challenge dress, leaving Sean with no choice but Sandhya’s onesie from the American Girl doll challenge.

With only 1 day left and still 2 looks to complete, Tim also said the designers would have helpers to finish up their work. He said the helpers were there to only assist, not collaborate! And the assistants were none other than the creators of the losing looks just chosen. This is of course brings us to the drama of the episode where a very frustrated and upset Korina was not ready to be back in the workroom, let alone assist Char in her attempt to still make it to fashion week. I do wonder if another designer had chosen Korina’s look if she could have managed to stay. But she still very much had sour grapes and yes, a major attitude. However, regardless of her outward emotions, her elimination was a much harsher one than other designers and quite unprecedented with PR history.

She was eliminated on a group challenge where no bottom group was chosen. She was then pitted against the very designer she was being asked to assist this week. A designer who has been given way more chances to prove herself to the judges this season, yet she still somehow manages to be the recipient of even more PR lives; she’s like a PR catwoman! But really Char should be thankful Korina bowed out. Did she really want someone’s help who didn’t want to be there? So Char worked with Alexander, whose look BTW was not amongst the losing looks graveyard — I wonder why!?! If you went in order of elimination, his look should have been there.

It was soon time for model fittings and Tim-time. Tim reminded the designers the looks needed to stand out. Sean was having some major struggles trying to find a way to re-work Sandhya’s look. Understandable — way too much bubblegum pink! Emily was also struggling a bit on the re-worked look. She said her mind and heart wasn’t in it. She was way to wrapped up in her street inspired look with a hoodie she had been dying to make all season.

The guest judge this week was Shay Mitchell, the super-talented star of ABC Family’s hit drama Pretty Little Liars. Shay was a great choice for this week’s guest judge spot, with helping to decide which designers would go to fashion week. She always looks great on the red carpet and certainly made the rounds herself at NYFW — she was all over the place!

The judges didn’t name a winning designer this week. I’m not sure if the order they announced who was going to fashion week was indicative of anything. But for almost every designer who made it, the judges seemed to love one look, while not really being a fan of the other. Even though I feel it’s been almost meant to be for a Kini/Sean/Amanda finale, I do think each designer is very worthy of their final 3 spot. And no I didn’t forget to mention Char, I just don’t agree she was deserving of yet another chance to present as a finalist. She is for sure going to need a lot of more of her magical mist to beat any of the other 3 designers. And if she does, it would only be out of luck that Sean, Kini, or Amanda slip up and lose it for themselves. Even if you could pick a best look between her 2 dresses this week, it would in no way even compare to Sean, Amanda, or Kini’s best looks this week. But what would PR be this season without 1 hopefully last illogical decision. We better not see any of that on the finale! Ooooo, and also, what would this last runway have been without another popular trend on the season, more fringe! And with that, let’s discuss Sean’s looks first.

So Sean definitely hit a homerun this week with his street-inspired look, but I would label his re-worked garment as a total miss, 3 strikes and he’s out! Well not really out because his street chic look was totally amazing! It would be hard to imagine such a stark white look lasting an entire day on the streets of NYC, but you would certainly turn heads in this look. You could dress it up, dress it down, wear it to brunch, or a rockin’ rooftop soirée. The fit was great. And I loved the cutouts and ladylike collar.

And I think it was Nina who commended Sean for his job well done with hair & make-up. I actually want to give Sean a shout-out for his Aldo nude sandal heels, perfection, and more specifically for the Mary Kay beauty look — love the bold plum lip!

However, I can’t believe no judge bothered to comment on the miss for the accessories and beauty look here. If Nina wants to call out Amanda, I’m not sure what was blinding her vision in reprimanding Sean a bit for his choices with this look. This separates look was not great, but really nothing was redeemable here, the boots, the hair, or the make-up. Sean has worked wonders with fringe before, but the magic just wasn’t present this time. Sandhya couldn’t make this ghastly baby pink work and neither could Sean. But lucky for him, each designer seemed to have one miss this week so the judges were in a bit more of a forgiving mood.

In choosing a best street chic look, it would be a tie between Amanda and Sean. But if I had to choose a best overall designer for the week, judging both of the looks combined, I would pick Amanda. So first, let me do a love-fest over this color-blocked maxi. I mean it is totally to die for. It was very much Amanda. The colors she chose were brilliant. With other maxidresses there is a great deal to choose from with bright summery colors & prints. Amanda was smart to put a different spin on the color choices. I also think she did a great job with the placement of the colors, the cutout, and the draping of the back. I agree with the judges in that the look was sexy, but in a subtle way. I don’t think the accessory and beauty choices were worthy of a Nina reprimand, but as I said earlier, if she is going to be so snippy about one designer, she needs to do the same for all!

But I do love this maxi, beauty & accessories aside. I could see it clearly on the streets of NYC and not only would it turn heads, I think it would stop traffic! Amanda, you can make one for me and send it my way ASAP! I will find a NYC event to rock this look at for sure!

So I believe Heidi said this look was a little too much like what a club hostess would wear, but I guess still wearable at least. It was a bit too short, but I’m happy she decided to somehow still maintain fäde‘s work with his electric lines. It was a bit underwhelming compared to the 1st dress, but most of the re-worked looks fell by the wayside this week. I think it was because the designers had so much time to find inspiration with their street chic looks. They were all feeling so inspired for that 1st day of work. It was understandable they couldn’t all of a sudden find just as much passion, on top of less time to create, for an entire 2nd look. But just as with Sean, Amanda did so well with her other look, and in the judges’ eyes, all was forgiven!

Kini too was comparable in his work for the week, 1 standout and another that was so-so. However his standout look was from the re-worked challenge. He clearly did the best job in repositioning a losing look into a winning look!

Kini reworking Mitchell’s “very red” red carpet look into this boldly glam asymmetrical gown was sheer genius. And yes, that is pun intended since Kini made such a great choice in adding the detail of a sheer asymmetrical sleeve. The point of the original challenge was to create a red carpet look for Heidi and she would have totally been a best dressed in this number. Just as with all of Kini’s work, it was so well-made, very high quality. It was luxuriously superb and I’m always amazed by what Kini can do in such a short amount of time.

Also, Aldo accessories shout-out for this gorgeous nude clutch — love!!

Kini didn’t receive such high praise for his street chic look though. The problem with this look was editing. The pieces didn’t work together as a whole, but were certainly wearable as individual pieces. The judges, especially Heidi, went bananas over this navy trenchcoat. But paired with this structured denim skirt, it was all a bit too much. Shout-out though on all other counts, Aldo accessories, perfectly coordinating black heels & gold bracelets, Philip B. hair, gorgeous wavy hair, & Mary Kay beauty, with a natural, fresh make-up look.

Just as Amanda/Kini/Sean making the finale came as no surprise, neither did Emily’s elimination. You could see it coming all episode long, whether it was from her extreme love & desire to create this hoodie, or her admitted disregard for her re-worked look. The judges were not a fan of either look. Mary Kay beauty shout-out though — simple, natural makeup look

The judges also couldn’t come to any agreement over a look that Emily was truly passionate about. While Heidi seemed fine with the hoodie, Zac was clearly not a fan at all, thinking it was homeless-like. I think Emily found a great print here for the undergarments, but they were too PJ-like when used for both the top & bottom. I think maybe pairing this top with some jeans or leather leggings, it could have worked or been more acceptable for the judges. As far as the grey hoodie though, I mean this is what you would see for sure on the streets of NYC. I’m not sure if it would standout amongst the other pieces of outerwear gracing the streets of NY, but at least Emily stuck to who she was as a designer. And at least at this point, we knew who she was as a designer.

On the other hand, you could not see Emily at all in this re-worked look. And the problem was, Emily’s heart just wasn’t in it and she even said so herself. Adding an asymmetrical sleeve and a printed shortened skirt was not enough here. It all just read as too commercial, which is definitely not how I would label Emily’s work. Her designs are always a bit more unique, more one-of-a-kind. Aldo shout-out though, great choice of nude sandal heels. But with no judges in her corner this left Emily going home. Although if someone can explain to me how Emily wasn’t just as deserving of one 2nd chance, since Char was given like 4, please, go ahead, I’m listening!

According to my chart for how the season has gone, both of these ladies have had 2 high points, but 0 wins. They have had equal the same amount of bottom looks though. The only differences actually work against Char in that she was eliminated and had to save herself with a 1-hour “Save Me” challenge. I’m not seeing what Char has done that was so redeemable. At best, let them each have made their collection and had a face-off to see who would get the final 4th spot if the judges so desperately needed or wanted 4 finalists. I would be just as intrigued to see what Emily would come up with, as the judges are to see what Char will do with even more time!

So I admit, Sandhya got a very harsh critique from me over this season, but it was in part due to the unexplained, illogical judges’ love-fest over her work. Unfortunately, Char will now get some of that same harshness because the judges have been making “0” sense since last week! My comments in no way mean that Char wasn’t deserving of her time on the show or even the Tim Gunn save. I’ve loved many of her looks this season, but her work last week should have sent her home over Korina, and her looks this week, were not deserving of yet another chance in giving her a spot at NYFW. My whole point is to demonstrate the lack of logic with the judges’ decisions. In fact, I think she only got another chance from the judges so they could feel justified in sending Korina home over Char the week before.

Let’s start with the street chic look, which to me read total hoochie. She described this look as Soho?? Hardly! In fact, I’m not sure I would reference NYC in this look at all. The judges thought there was vision here, but yet again, as with many of Char’s looks, poor execution. They were 100% right in that there was too many petals on the skirt. They thought it needed editing, but I’m not quite sure what could have been done to save this look. All of the other designers found such clear vision and inspiration for their street chic looks. And even with Emily being eliminated, she clearly had a passion for what she was creating. I didn’t see that with Char. They all had a day and so I don’t understand why the judges gave such leniency to Char.

What’s even sadder is the complete disconnect between how Char attempted to re-work Korina’s look. I still don’t think Korina’s look was elimination-worthy. But for Char having not only so much fabric, but so many fabric options, and to then come up with a sad, simple black dress, really! Unlike her street chic look, I’m not sure what great idea would have developed with more time. But just like her under-developed street-inspired look, she yet again had execution issues.

And so just to reiterate, I don’t see how an entire competition has not been enough time for her. She’s had the same time constraints like every other designer and why she is deserving of any leniency is beyond me. The other eliminated designers I’m sure had great ideas that could have used more time to flourish. I’m sure somehow she won’t come in 4th place, but I wonder if another designer will lose it for themselves, or if the judges will attempt to justify their decision in sending her to fashion week. Can’t wait to see!

Project Runway Goes Super Cute this Week

Posted on September 21, 2014 by SMM

Yep! So much about this week’s episode of Project Runway was just down right super cute — the American Doll theme, the designers working with kids, the kids being the models and thus, getting all made-up & rockin’ the runway! Well……almost everything was super cute, minus some designer tensions and the norm judges’ critiques — not quite as warm & fuzzy!

Tim Gunn & Heather Northrop, Senior Design Manager of the American Girl Doll brand (also one of this week’s guest judges), delivered the challenge instructions for the week. The designers had to create age-appropriate looks for younger models, again, young girls (ages 9-12 I believe was the range). American Girl has been freshening & expanding their brand via fashion with “BeForever” — taking from signature classic doll looks, and creating modern, wearable styles for girls today. Each designer would be paired with a BeForever character to create a young, modern look for children to wear.

The designers had 30 minutes to sketch and learn about their doll’s character and life story. They could read the doll’s attached storybook, glance around at displays in the American Girl store, and even ask questions to their young models. For this 1-day challenge, American Girl provided fabrics the designers could use. But a Mood trip was also still an option, with a $150 budget on hand.

Sandhya was certainly a focal point of this week’s episode, generally not a good sign with how PR likes to foreshadow results with their editing magic. So first, we saw a little tension at Mood between Sandhya & Korina due to Sandhya interrupting Korina’s time with a Mood employee. We also saw Tim & Sandhya disagreeing quite a bit during his consult, leaving Tim to say that he often doesn’t get what she does, but the judges seem to like it, so I will leave you be. And then as the designers were back to the Gotham apartments, Sandhya was frustrated over other designers not understanding her point of view or aesthetic. Many viewers are on the same page as the designers though! But I think what Emily had said during her confessional was spot on. It’s hard not to take things personally when it involves your work, your designs, something which is of course, so personal to the creator. On the other hand, when the judges critiques make zero sense as to how someone landed in the top 3 or won a challenge, questions are going to arise and confusion will clearly surface.

Kini was experiencing an early designer’s block, but Speedy Kini was soon back and stronger than ever as he completed several different looks before settling on the separates he chose for the runway.

Tim & Char were also on different pages this week during his consult. He wanted her to ditch the fringe, but she decided to keep it with the look. Heck, even her doll’s look had some fringe and with this season also being a season of many fringe looks, why not right! It definitely worked in her favor as she snagged a top 3 spot!

Emily was another bit of a focal point during this week’s episode. She has her own children’s clothing line. This should have been her challenge right! Wrong! She actually landed in the bottom 3, more details later!

The morning of the runway came and a few were still in busy bee mode. Joining American Doll design manager Heather, was Mad Men actress Elizabeth Moss.

The top this week was pretty clear cut, not much disagreement in my opinion. As mentioned earlier, Char did not take Tim’s advice in ditching her fringe. Char’s look definitely deserved a top 3 nod! Many looks this week seemed more on the mature side for kids, but Chars’ was very age appropriate. She chose bold colors, but they were super fun and also going with my title for this post, Super Cute! The fringe vest was clearly part of her doll, Kaya’s story.

This look was a modern take for Kaya, sticking true to her ancestry, story, and roots, but clearly youthful and updated. She stuck to the challenge and deserves the great compliments received from the judges and viewers!

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Shout-out also for Philip B. hair — chic side braid, complete with a bow matching her tan fringe vest.

Korina worked on a modern look for Josefina. I’m very happy she landed a top 3 spot with her super cool, super cute, graphic, and fun tiered look. It was so well deserved! I’m not sure if she finished her tiered patches exactly the way she wanted to. I know she was working up to the very last second. And so I think if she had a bit more time she could have won this week. But hey, top 3, not too shabby at all!

Just as Char did, Korina too was spot on with the challenge. She really stuck to Josefina’s story and created a modern look. It was very touching that she included the color yellow, which was integral to her doll’s story — I believe it was related to the loss of her mother, and so Josefina always integrated yellow into her wardrobe somehow. Shout-out also for Philip B. Hair, the pigtail braids were perfect for the character. And, a shout-out to Aldo, I’m assuming this was their red hat, but nonetheless, it was perfect for the challenge.

Rounding out the top 3, and this week’s winner, was Speedy Kini! Kini’s look was a bit mature for a 9-12 year old, but young girls love to, on occasion, get a little dressed up. There is no harm in a child having a look or 2 in their wardrobe that is not for the everyday, but for a very special event or moment. Kini’s plaid dress and coat were so well made and the dress really had some nice touches/details — the cutouts, the volume, etc.!

I think it’s important to remember that this look was supposed to have a connection with the Samantha character. And with that in mind, I believe he did create a modern look based off of the doll’s character and story. Shout-outs to Philip B. hair for this wavy do and Aldo Shoes for the perfectly coordinated black flats.

Sean has been riding a top 3 & winning look stride for the past few weeks, but this time around, he narrowly escaped being in the bottom 2. I think a couple of judges had more to say about Emily’s look so this was his saving grace! Generally, a look that is too basic is almost always in jeopardy of going home, but again, Sean overcame that hurdle as well. But that was his biggest issue, this look was just a bit too bland. It does look super comfy, but I think Nina was spot on in her critique. Julie was in the era of the 70s, a time where use of color was so prominent, and this look was all blue, full pun intended!

There was an updated market with boho chic that Sean could have taken with his design direction, but this print, the lack of color used, was a missed opportunity.

Emily’s resulting bottom 3 placement, well really bottom 2, was the surprise, for me, this week. I did think with her already having experience in making children’s clothes, having her line and all, that she would have not been in jeopardy of going home. In fact, when it came down to her & Sandhya, I was for sure she would end up going because the judges seemed to be so enamored with Sandhya. Had this happened, surprising feelings would have been in addition to unfair, shocking, and much more heat-filled emotions!

Speaking to Emily’s look specifically, there were aspects I liked, but also, some I didn’t. The knit top and the netted face mask were the latter! I don’t think she needed the face piece since her tulle voluminous skirt was enough of a show element. The younger model clearly was not a fan of it either! The knit top also seemed very dated — not much of a modern feel for Rebecca. I did enjoy the luminescent tulle skirt though. In fact, I thought this skirt was very fun and playful! I think paired with a different top, the direction might have been more accepted by the judges. But with this top, the judges thoughts on the look being a little frumpy, too dark of colors, kind of made some sense. I’m still not sure she deserved such harsh critiques and a bottom 2 placement, but hopefully she can bounce back strong!

This left Sandhya rounding out the bottom 3 and going home this week. Honestly, when I saw this look, I clearly thought it was worthy of elimination. But after last week, and her crazy clown-like ensemble being in the top 3, I really didn’t know what the judges would think. Because they finally seemed to be on the same page as me, I can’t say I wasn’t 100% pleased with this decision. I’ve not been a fan of many of Sandhya’s looks this season. But my frustration and overzealous confusion arose because the judges seemed to love her looks, yet never clearly explained why.

And I get a designer going out on a look they love, but clearly Sandhya was not having any critique this week. First she bypassed Tim’s comments and then, she clearly disagreed with everything the judges had to say. I know a ton of girls in the age range of 9-12 and I can’t think of any who would want to wear this, making them appear much more baby-like. Taking a more costume-y look like Emilys’ or a more mature look like Kinis’, girls would want to wear those because they get to dress up a bit, pretend they are a bit older. But Sandhya’s look for Caroline really did look like a child’s onesie. I don’t think she got what age appropriate meant for a child. Yes, a look can still be fun and playful. But what a child might wear at the age of 3, is not something children would want to wear at 10. Many of Sandhya’s looks this season have lacked sophistication, this one included. I’m glad the judges were finally able to see this and that they made the right decision with her elimination. Creativity and risk-taking are always appreciated in my book. But the end result, or a designer’s overall portfolio of work, should have some sense of high fashion and/or sophistication, not just DIY looks with way too many elements going on.

Question, so now that the designers don’t have immunity anymore, will there at least be something in store for the winning looks each week?? For example, this week, will Kini’s look actually be sold thru American Girl — did I miss that announcement?!?

PR Designers — Goin’ to the Chapel and……

Posted on August 30, 2014 by SMM

Well that’s about it — no traditional wedding details for this week or these Project Runway designers! This week the challenge instructions began with very much a wedding-like set-up, complete with Tim Gunn and this week’s guest judge Dita Von Teese walking down the aisle. It was then that the designers learned for this week, they had to create an unconventional wedding dress. They were to throw out traditional wedding dress rules (white gowns!) and create an alternative wedding look. It was a “no rules” challenge, but the designers were reminded the look shouldn’t be a costume; it had to be believable for a bride. This was a very intriguing challenge for me as I just put together an entire posting about if another traditional wedding rule should be tossed to the side — should you, as a wedding guest, wear white to a wedding?!?

But that wasn’t it for the challenge! This week, the designers also learned they were going to work in a team of 2, with a mission to create a corresponding reception look. With it only being a 1-day challenge a team of 2 could certainly be needed, but of course for every designer I’m sure it wasn’t wanted! I was happy the button bag was back to make the decisions this week and not having a designer just make the pairings. But of course, if it was acceptable for Sandhya to have a magic wand over a weekly challenge, why not let Sean have a go at it this week??

This week’s pairings were fäde/Emily, Alexander/Samantha, Kini/Sean, Sandhya/Char, and Korina/Amanda. It seemed as though most of the groups were setting sail in Paradise, except for one — Korina/Amanda. Now I’m not sure where all of the drama came from this week with these 2 talented ladies, but I say, as Joey from Full House would — “Cut it Out”!

We later saw that Char was in on the tension as well. All we know is Korina “told” Amanda she was phony, Char agreed, and really just a bunch of hearsay ensued. It’s not an unbelievable story as we all know women on competitive reality shows are often catty and tend to not get along. But PR never bothered to elaborate or show any background to this drama — THANKS PR! The ladies have seemed fine up until this point so I’m hoping the drama blows over! I want the ladies back this way!! —

Luckily for Amanda this week, it was Super-fäde to the rescue. I enjoyed seeing how compassionate and sweet he was to Amanda. So at least there was a positive amongst the unnecessary drama! Getting back to the actual PR design competition, the designers were next off to Mood to make use of their $400 budget.

The workroom time was full of expected happenings this week — Tim-time words of wisdom and caution; questions on compatibility of a given group’s looks; and of course, as we approached the morning of the runway, there was a whole lot of running around. So many looks were nowhere near being finished! In fact, as Tim gave his final warning calls, a few designers were still fast away at sewing — CRAZY! Of course, “Speedy Kini” was present & accounted for this week so his look was not one experiencing such craziness, but he definitely had to come to the rescue for Sean’s look!

I was really concerned as to how this runway was going to turn out — Korina being so unsure of her design, and both Sandhya and Char barely finishing their super totally major full-on solid bold yellow looks! Joining the judging team of Nina/Heidi/Zac was already-mentioned Dita Von Teese and super-famous fashion blogger/designer Chiara Ferragni of The Blonde Salad. So what did the judges have to say this week??

This week not only was traditional wedding attire thrown to the side, but so was the traditional top 3/bottom 3 categories for the designers’ looks. Basically what I saw was 1 safe look, 1 clear winning team, 1 clear bottom team, and 2 teams where the judges weren’t all on the same page. We saw that Korina kept changing her design this week, she was sewing until the last minute, she & Amanda weren’t always on the same page, and there was a point where we were left to wonder if there would be pants for the model to wear down the runway! With all of that said, it was Korina/Amanda who were left safe. I’m sure they both felt such a huge sigh of relief!

Coming in more towards the middle of the pack this week was Team Emily/fäde. Emily’s look, as seen above, was the one of this duo where the judges had more disagreement. Nina thought it was over-the-top goth, as did Chiara, but she at least thought it was editorial. Heidi didn’t mind it as an alt. bridal look. Surprisingly Dita was not a fan at all! I thought it might have been a bit over-the-top, maybe a little too much going on with the lace and cut-outs. But for a bride who wanted a darker ceremony, I think there was a market for this type of look. We all saw 27 Dresses right!

The judges were a bit more fond of fäde‘s look. And I have to say I totally was team fäde this week!

Heidi wanted more cleavage and Nina wanted more length, which were very differing critiques. But I was focused on just how amazing his innovative self-created pattern was this week. The lace and paint details were just so stunning, very eye-catching. The major problem for this team though was that the looks were not harmonious. I would not see the same woman wearing Emily’s look for her wedding and fäde‘s dress for the reception.

Team Alexander/Samantha were the next pairing, more so in the bottom 2, but there were some positives with Samantha’s critique. My positives are towards her look details this week — love the black platform Aldo shoes, luscious waves from Philip B. hair, & bold beauty look (dramatic eye, nude lip) from Mary Kay. Nina was not a fan of all of the embellishments, but this look should never have been considered for elimination and I’m happy it wasn’t. I’m not sure why the judges were throwing shade at the bottom portion of her dress, something about how it looked as if wine had been spilled on it. If I recall, a winning look this season looked as if it was an old-stained piece of drapery, yet a barely recognizable 2 shades of burgundy gets called out — Okay judges! Samantha’s dress was definitely wearable as a reception ensemble and I very much saw the connection to her partner’s look.

The judges had far more to say about Alexander’s bridal piece. They were not fans of it at all! It was dubbed as being over-designed, with way too much going on — all the lace, all the embellishments. For me, I wasn’t a total fan, but nowhere near the judges’ issues. I think less embellishments, maybe more spread out (to lessen the heavy feel of the bodice), and of course, let’s take out the obvious seam on the lower portion then this look might have been more acceptable. Alexander too gets a Mary Kay makeup shout-out since both he & Samantha made use of a bold eye and nude lip. I also loved his chic up-do courtesy of Philip B. hair. But none of the judges negativity even compared to that of the clear bottom team this week — Sandhya/Char.

The judges dubbed this team’s look as Big Bird and Tweety bird, quite fitting with the massive amounts of yellow used. Yellow is not as difficult of a color to use as everyone made it seem. In fact, Amber Tamblyn had a lovely yellow wedding look and we see yellow as a needed pop of color on red carpets all the time.

I could easily see women wanting yellow as an alt. wedding dress, but the problem with this team’s looks this week was not the color, it was the designs and resulting executions. Sandhya spent a great deal of time on a braided bodice and it really did look as if she tried to drape a bed-sheet for the bottom portion. If she wanted to work with a more detailed bodice, she perhaps shouldn’t have tried to execute a draped bottom, which is something she said she was unfamiliar with doing. PR is all about 1-day challenges, so get fancy with the top, keep the bottom simple or vice versa. But trying to put so much detailing into the top and taking on a new design technique for the bottom clearly spells out DISASTER! Sandhya can take this lesson and move on as Char was the one who was left eliminated this week.

I’m not sure what was going on with Char this week. I think Sandhya took a stronger hand with the design & shopping process this time since with her last group challenge she didn’t maintain herself as a designer in her group. So for this group challenge, I think it was Char who lost herself. The up-close judges viewing/critique certainly displayed a lot more that was wrong with this look. Char claimed to have run out of time, but Nina questioned where all her time went. Char just didn’t have a clear vision or concept, and it resulted in a poorly executed look, which we saw was a glaring issue for so many in last week’s challenge.

This left 1 group clearly being in the top this week — Kini/Sean. But it wasn’t without some strong judges’ opinions!

Sean’s look was great this week and he ended up with the win. But what really brought the judges to fully loving this look was the chic, sophisticated white top, which Kini made!! As great as Sean’s pants were, I thought it in no way compared to Kini’s immaculately designed bridal look. As Dita said, I would wear Kini’s look as a bride, but for Sean’s look, I could wear it on a Tuesday. But for Sean, lovely curled up-do by Philip B. hair and perfectly coordinated black sandal heels from Aldo. The guys worked well together, with Kini swooping in to save the day! And if this resulting look was Sean’s design concept then I think it very much worked as part of the team’s overall story and was deserving of some recognition. But it was just such a shame that Kini missed out on a win, Again!

This week’s decision was just another example of the judges not making sense with their logic. Both looks had great movement and were very chic. But Kini really kept the challenge in mind and was the only one to fully execute the harder of the 2 looks — the bridal garment!! It was important that Nina mentioned should Kini get the win because he deserved it or because he’s due for a win, was it just his turn? And I’m happy Heidi stood firm in that this look was fully deserving in it’s own right of the win. We saw at least 3 decent reception looks this week from Samantha, Amanda, and fäde. On the other hand, we only saw 1 fully believable bridal look. I thought that would have meant something. Kini’s look had flair, drama, and would certainly make any bride be the center of attention, even though not wearing white. I do not think it was over-designed or over-the-top. I really wish Kini was given his earned win this week!

Similarly to Sean’s hair look, Kini also gets a Philip B. hair shout-out. I also enjoyed his Mary Kay beauty look — it was very fresh, natural feeling.

Next week — “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend”!! Can’t wait!!

Poor Heidi! — Places to Go, But Ahhhhh, Nothing to Wear!

Posted on August 24, 2014 by SMM

So what’s the solution?? Duh! Just make it a PR challenge! This week, with the 2014 Emmy season quickly approaching, Heidi was in need of something to wear for the Creative Arts Emmy’s red carpet. She instructed the designers to keep with their POV, but to also keep her sense of style in mind. She wanted the unexpected, a fearless fashion forward look that would not put her on anyone’s worst dressed list! Lucky for Heidi she had 12 eager beaver designers ready and rearing! Well maybe not all 12 as we later saw!

Prior Heidi Klum Red Carpet Look — 2014 CFDA Awards — On My Best Dressed List!

A few of the designers were quick to worry as red carpet attire was not something they had made before. Before going to Mood with their $250 budget, Tim stopped in with some important reminders — Heidi has worn it all, solids, prints, varied necklines. And as was clearly demonstrated from Heidi’s red carpet dociet, she is not married to any particular look; her sense of style runs the gambit! Sketch-time still revealed many designers’ mix of emotions, but it was time for Mood so the designers could get started on this 1-day challenge!

Tim was still there at Mood to hand out more reminders, such as be careful with fabric choices and to get what you need now! How ironic right?!? It seemed as if the designers heeded to this warning, spending nearly all of their $250 budget! The designers were soon back to the workroom with Korina off to investigate what the other designers were doing. Many designers were soon flocking over to Kini’s work area as #SpeedyKini was still present and accounted for in the workroom!!

Tim-time was of course joined with the client this week, Heidi! The thunder noise effect we heard in the background, the looks of terror, all appropriate! And here are just a few of the words of wisdom from Heidi — “Don’t bore”; “I need the cleavage”‘ “I want the sex appeal”; “Don’t be Dynasty”‘ “No nap for Kini today”; “Let’s show some skin”; “Wake the babies up”; & “No tears”! Needless to say — a lot of “Make it Work” moments!

The designer struggles were very apparent, so Tim & Heidi came back to the workroom with some new challenge instructions. She offered the designers a chance to go back to Mood with an additional $100. Only seven designers went back, but it was Sandhya who knew that left 5 designers with a spare $100. So on top of close to $250 already spent, she now added another $432. Smart move, but as we later saw, it wasn’t a great pay off as she didn’t even make top 3 this week! Kind of interesting that designers who worked with nearly half of her budget somehow still landed in the top 3! As for the other designers who returned to Mood many were in the same boat, scared, having to start over, with time running out!

Emily brought up an interesting point in that this return trip to Mood, an additional budget, did seemingly give some designers a 2nd chance, an advantage perhaps? But the offer was made to all of the designers. As seen with the model fittings and later on with the runway, was the 2nd trip to Mood really an advantage?? The designers who ended up in the bottom this week — all Mood returnees. And many of the returnees had to start over, which didn’t leave them a whole lot of time.

The guest judge this week was Olympic gold medalist and 4 time World Cup skiing champ Lindsey Vonn. I’m not sure of the red carpet connection on this one, but she knew what she was talking about and gave some thoughtful critiques. Now with the morning of the runway, Tim noted progress. But after the runway presentation ended Heidi was still disappointed. I agree with Heidi. There were certainly some stunning looks. But I thought the bottom clearly represented the looks where mistakes were very much obvious. However, a lot of the safe looks still didn’t translate so well with this red carpet challenge — many were kind of a yawn, a little too basic. It was kind of on point that certain designers were “safe” this week as a lot of their looks were just that — SAFE!

The bottom looks were a lot easier to sum up this week. In fact, there isn’t much need to discuss each one separately. My critiques were very much in line with what the judges had to say. These bottom looks were very basic and still not even well executed. The looks all seemed very sloppy/messy and it was clear time was a factor. The mistakes were just all so glaringly obvious from uneven hem-lines to puckering at the seams — so much looked unfinished. And all of the designers seemed to know this. For all 3 of the designers, designing red carpet attire was unfamiliar territory, and so clearly fear took over. It was of course difficult to see 2 designers go!

With all of the designers on an equal playing field in terms of being in the bottom, I’m sure the judges took into consideration their prior work. Mitchell had been in the bottom only once, but I think what had hurt him here was he had yet to have a true shining moment in the judges’ eyes. They might have been unsure with his vision, his aesthetic.

Kristine was the 2nd designer given the axe this week, which was quite contradictory with my line of thinking for Mitchell. She too had been in the bottom, just last week in fact, but unlike Mitchell, she had been in the top — twice in fact counting the group challenge. It was likely planned to have a dual elimination this season, but I’m not sure this was the right week. And the judges did note a couple of positives with the look.

Korina was the 3rd designer in the bottom and escaped elimination this week. This was her 1st bottom appearance so that was probably her saving grace this week. I did have a few positives with Korina’s overall look though — lovely side-swept do courtesy of Philip B. hair; clean, natural, fresh Mary Kay beauty make-up look; & although not shoes, still courtesy of Aldo accessories, I thought the elegant, statement-making earrings were a nice touch!

The top looks this week were certainly a breath of fresh air and I 100% agreed with the judges — FINALLY!! I think Heidi could have rocked each of these looks, but based on the great press Sean’s dress has been receiving, I’m thinking Heidi’s gut instincts were right in naming him the winner this week. Other designers this week tried to make an expensive fabric do their work, and the same could have been said for a basic fringe dress. But Sean put his own modern twist on his ombre royal blue fringe dress. The color was 100% spot-on, PHENOMENAL! Many designers made use of an open back this week and Sean’s was very much top-notch and at the top of the bunch! The judges were right in that this dress would photograph beautifully and in so many ways. This was a great comeback for Sean and I’m happy for him, very well deserved!

Kini also deserves some major props this week, keeping on the “top looks” train! I’m sure he is very much ready for a win, but without that, I’m positive a job well done for 2 weeks now will be remembered. I always gravitate to bold colors or prints when I first create a best dressed list, to see if I have any faves. So Sean’s great use of color this week likely helped in his win. But my best dressed lists never fail to include an elegant black floor-length gown(s). And I’m sure Kini’s look would have made mine! This look was so chic, so sophisticated, and very fitting for the red carpet. Another gorgeous open back as well! What I also loved was that Kini listened to Heidi, while still staying true to his design aesthetic. And I very much agree with Nina in how this dress perfectly hugged the model, such a great fit! The little critique I have is that I didn’t think the look needed the lengthy necklace, but great call with the bold smoky eye provided by Mary Kay!!

Amanda topped the highest scoring looks this week. This is definitely a look that some are going to love and others just aren’t. As we even saw with the judges, Zac was not a fan of all the beading. But what I loved about seeing this look in the top — it was a risk. It was unexpected, but as we’ve seen from other risk-taking top looks this season, IT WAS NOT DIY or arts & craft!! This was a new side of Amanda, but it was still Amanda — just her aesthetic at an amplified level. I could very much see it on Heidi and on the red carpet. Another aspect I love about Amanda is she is a designer who each week truly thinks of the overall look. I’m always a fan of the added details. And so again this week, more Shout-outs for her fishtail braid, a breath of fresh air for red carpet hair stylings, courtesy of Philip B. hair; perfect make-up look, not just a standard smoky eye, but very nice touch with a tangerine/red lip from Mary Kay; and again, no shoe Shout-out & I don’t love the earrings with this look, but very on point with Aldo accessories, the gold statement-making bracelet.

More Accessories Shout-outs:

Alexander — chic side-swept waves by Philip B. hair, perfectly coordinated silver cuff from Aldo accessories; & stunning make-up beauty look from Mary Kay, subtle smoky eye & pop of pink lips!

Samantha — more lovely curled tresses, waviness to the max, courtesy of Philip B. hair!!

PR/Ep 4 — Let’s Remix this Business!

Posted on August 17, 2014 by SMM

So this week’s episode started out as per norm — the challenge guessing game and what might be in store for the future! The one difference was by the end of the challenge reveal, I kind of wanted a burger!! I think Kini did as well!

The designers arrived at Red Robin to meet with Tim to receive their instructions for the week. Joining Tim was VP of Red Robin Brand Transformation Jason Rusk. Also joining this well-dressed duo were some not so well-dressed male models, sporting various classic and vintage tuxe styles. And yes, this includes the cheesy light blue number better known for being bad prom fashion!

This week the designers were to re-purpose and remix an array of men’s vintage suits to create a look for the modern woman. At first I think the designers were hoping this wasn’t a menswear challenge. But I think a few would have rather had that than this one! The male models’ suits were to serve as an inspiration for their look this week, but also the FABRIC!! The designers were to use the jacket and pants to transform a classic tuxe to a high fashion womenswear look. The suit fabric had to be prominent in the final look.

Now if some off-putting fabric was not enough of a twist this week, PR introduced a new spin on designers choosing what suit they would work with this week. Tim’s dreaded drawstring bag would probably be welcomed back now with open arms! Last week’s winner, Sandhya, not only got to choose first, but she then was allowed to choose each designers’ fabric. I don’t care who the winner was last week, but to me, this was a horrible idea and it certainly is not going to gain Sandhya any popularity. I do not believe any designer would have not used this opportunity for a bit of strategy. I also don’t believe based on this group of choices that anyone could predict what fabric a designer would want to use. Some of the tuxes were clearly better than others. I think PR should have just stuck with the traditional selection processes — either drawing names to see who would choose or even letting Sandhya choose the next designer to go, and so on and so forth. The drama would still remain the same as those unfortunate last few names selected would not get the luck of the draw! I question “Why this change” & “Why now”!

The designers did get to eat some tasty Red Robin cuisine while sketching, and then it was off to Mood to purchase $100 of supplemental fabric. Everyone was then back to the workroom to start this 1-day challenge. A few designers had some early on frustrations, and not just figuring out how to work with some of the horrific fabric choices! Amanda’s battle with her fabric was a bit different, a battle for health — lots of early on sneezing! We saw on UTG last season that allergic reactions to fabrics are possible!

Kristine and Korina’s issue came about because each decided to make a leather motorcycle jacket. I would be concerned about 2 similar looks walking the runway if I were on this show. Each week, not only are designers compared to every other look ever seen on PR, but also looks seen from designers outside of the PR realm. To go side by side with another designer just amplifies that situation. But the ladies decided to move on, keep working, and thought in the end, their jackets would be different enough.

During Tim time, he cautioned a few designers that their look needed to read high fashion. Alexander was concerned over his bottom placement last week, but knew he could spin it positively. And finally we learned a new nickname for Kini — “Speedy Kini.” I can’t believe he created what he did so quickly!

This week’s guest judge was recent Teen Choice Award recipient for “Female Web Sensation” and YouTube mogul Bethany Mota. As the runway began this week we also saw a workroom feud continue to spill over as the runway show progressed. Hernan seemed to take the most issue with Sandhya’s selection and so he made the point to call her out, again, “Bitch” specifically, and her response — the middle finger! I guess getting over it or being the bigger person was an unknown concept to both parties here!

So good news or bad news first?? Let’s start with the top first since good news is always better than bad news right! I am so proud of Alexander this week, just as Heidi said “from the bottom to the top”! Alexander’s suit was certainly not the worst of the bunch, classic white with black trim, but his look was still so phenomenal!! I loved it and just as Bethany offered, I would too so rock this look at an event! The look was chic. I loved the neckline, its structure. I thought even though the look showed some midriff that it would still work with more than just “size 2” women since the skirt wasn’t fitted.

Also, generally I am not a personal fan of asymmetry, but Alexander convinced me with this look so I thought that spoke volumes in my book! Also major props to every aspect of this look — perfect selection of the platform ankle-strapped black heels from Aldo; great decision for a bold cat-eye by Mary Kay; & an elegant braided up-do courtesy of Philip B. hair!!

I was 2 for 3 this week with my guesses for the top looks, Kini was of course in my top! I was disappointed for him that he didn’t get the win this week. As we’ve seen, immunity can be important in saving a designer for the next week to come. But now, a winning designer might get to play God by choosing other designers’ fate — ok, not that serious, but still selecting a designer’s fabric is pretty important! This look was so dynamic! I loved the structured shoulders & skirt. Also, the side cut-outs were 100% on point!

Kini had to make use of a not so off-putting pinstriped suit and his work was very impressive. As Nina pointed out, all the lines matched up and were so clean. I also appreciated the judges pointing out the many details of this look, such as the back pockets from the original suit, still in place on the back of this look — NICE TOUCH! I guess those up close judging critiques do pay off! Kini also made some great choices with his Aldo accessories — grey peep-toe booties & silver bracelets!

And topping off the highest scoring looks was Amanda. One reason this was an okay surprise for me was because at least 1 designer who was given a horrible suit, pink & burgundy floral, was able to turn it around. I didn’t love this look as much as the judges, but I think her creative transformation from the original suit was the added benefit that not only put her in the top 3, but also gave her the win. Going along the lines of how the judges are scoring and make decisions this season, it wasn’t so shocking! If others can win by being arsty/crafty/DIY, then Amanda winning this week shouldn’t be that surprising.

Amanda’s look was very much Amanda — 70s, boho-chic, and vintage. I’m not sure I could see Heidi in this, but I could see a Vanessa Hudgens or Nikki Reed rockin’ this look at Coachella or on the streets of LA. I give Amanda props for some great choices this week — luscious flowing waves from Philip B. hair and clean fresh make-up look by Mary Kay.

I was definitely interested to see how the bottom 3 would turn out this week. I thought several designers could have ended up there! But I can’t say that the 3 chosen were undeserving. I am glad that Kristine was the first saved though. It just made sense being that she did so well last week and it was her first time in the bottom as compared to Sean & Hernan, who were both making a 2nd appearance. One major positive, I loved Kristine’s choice to go with this sleek straight hair look with blunt bang courtesy of Philip B. hair!

But as far as the look, it was just hard to work with this off-putting burgundy tuxe. I think that jacket in almost any other color and especially another fabric would look super cool and edgy. The main issues with this look though were the pants. They just didn’t fit well at all and the use of organza was not the best of ideas!

I am still rooting for Sean, but was again surprised to find him in the bottom this week. I for sure thought he would bounce back! Hmmmm…..maybe next week! Just as with Kristine, Sean was working with not only a tough color, mustard yellow, but also a tough fabric, corduroy. Just as with his look last week, I saw some great elements and concepts, such as where he wanted to go with deconstruction. But again, the execution was not on point.

The overall end result for this look was just too basic, not very high fashion. I imagine it was Sean’s vision that ended up saving him this week over Hernan. But in terms of positives, Sean made great decisions when it came to lovely wavy tresses from Philip B. hair and a clean neutral beauty look by Mary Kay. I loved the black Aldo booties, just not for this look, but the golden jewelry accessories were very much on point!

So this means it was Hernan who was eliminated this week. I would have never guessed that someone who’s already shown at MBFW and has had celebs don his pieces would have gone home this early. I’ve seen his previous work and I’m a fan, but his design and talent was not translating on PR. I guess this show is not for every designer! So all 3 bottom looks had to make use of some pretty bad suit material. Hernan had a white polyester suit with beige/brown trim. All in all, his look was kind of basic this week. And I knew one of the judges was going to mention his use of the “V” over his model’s lady business!

And just as Tim and the judges mentioned, the vinyl fabric was not the best choice for a supplemental fabric. I still think Hernan can bounce back in the real world and I wish him the best of luck!

And there was one designer I wanted to give a shout-out to, and that is Korina! I loved her chic red (from her stark red suit!) look consisting of a peplum sleeveless leather top and slitted skirt. I thought the look had a great vibe, very edgy and cool.

But I also loved her choices for Aldo accessories, black sandal heels (great lightness to go with a more bold look) and silver bracelet. Her Mary Kay beauty look consisting of a slight smoky eye was also a great finishing touch!

AS ALWAYS, READY FOR NEXT WEEK!

Fashion Nexus

A fashion blog for anything & everything fashion, including fashion law topics

Tag Archives: Sandhya

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PR/Ep 4 — Let’s Remix this Business!

A fashion blog for anything & everything fashion, including fashion law topics

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