Episode 310 (9/13)
Recap The designers are told they will have two surprise guests. A twist is revealed, when previously auf'd designers Angela and Vincent appear. In this Challenge, any designer that won a previous Challenge is brought back to compete again. (Keith would have come back, but was ineligible.) Designers are asked to design a cocktail dress in a black and white palette, and they must use all of the fabric that they purchase. In the end, three designers are eliminated from the Runway. Tim's Take Five designers remain. Heidi announces that the designers will learn about their challenge, not on the Runway, but at a party hosted by L’Oreal Paris. Heidi adds that she has, “invited some very special guests and they will be an important part of this challenge.” What the #$&#? Heidi and the designers meet at a chic and much-talked-about club, the Pink Elephant. There, Heidi reveals the surprise guests: Angela and Vincent. What the #$&#, again? During the formation of the season three challenges, it had been decided that the designers who won challenges, but had been eliminated, would return for challenge ten. Those designers are Angela, Vincent, and Keith -- but Keith is ineligible to return, as we know. All seven of the designers will compete to be the winner of this challenge. Three designers will be eliminated. The only way that either Angela or Vincent can remain is to win. This challenge is to design a cocktail party outfit using only black and white fabric -- black AND white, not either or. Given that the designers all share this palette, this challenge is about the design and silhouette of the garment and the make-up and styling of the model. And the designers will each use their last model. The designers are given 15 minutes to sketch, after which we go shopping with a budget of $100. There is one tiny wrinkle that impacts them all both practically and conceptually: They must use ALL of their fabric in their design -- every scrap. Zac Posen is our guest judge.
Laura wins! Laura’s win was much-deserved. She used black lace over white fabric to create a baby doll dress with a square neckline. She embellished the look with a sprinkling of crystals and black feathers on the skirt. She described it as being “very Josephine Baker,” and it was, indeed. It was young, it was modern, and it was sophisticated. That latter is expected of her, but “young and modern” secured her win. Congratulations, Laura!
Kayne is OUT. How did Kayne not understand the critical importance of using black AND white fabrics? I was mystified. He bought a white trim that was about three-quarters-of-an-inch wide and that was it. So, he designed an all-black dress that was truly beautiful from the front -- great silhouette and proportions -- but a hot mess in the back. He incorporated the white trim into the back of the dress by weaving it through a minimalist spider web -- ugh. Had Kayne been one of my Parsons students, I would have disqualified his design prior to the Runway show. Kayne, your use of all-black gave the judges no choice.
Angela is OUT, again. Her design was pure Angela. You have to hand it to her: she has a point of view. Her black dress was a Jubilee Jumbles extravaganza of ruffles, ruching, and granny circles, god-bless-her. And if that weren’t enough, a black leather shrug cum bolero was lined in pin-tucked, off-white charmeuse. She called the top “Edwardian.” I thought it looked more like something you’d wear for a dislocated shoulder. Bye, Angela.
Vincent is OUT, again. Vincent bought too much fabric and claimed that it was MOOD’s fault. Really? I have to say that I responded well to his black top with cummerbund pleating. It had a beautiful silhouette, the proportions of the pleats were great, and it set the appropriate tone for a cocktail party. But what was with that skirt? It was entirely too short, and this factor threw off the proportional relationship to the top. And, worse still, was the stole. It was simply a way of using up his excess yardage. It looked awkward and arbitrary. Egads.
Jeffrey’s design eluded me, as did his fabric choices. He selected black and white prints that looked oddly anemic; that is, washed out and lackluster. What happened to the dramatic thinking that he just demonstrated in the couture challenge and for which he won? His mini-dress said sporty rather that cocktail, and the sloppy leggings didn’t fit either case. I was relieved for him that he scraped by.
Michael’s off the shoulder, matte jersey dress with a black, patent leather waistband with matching handbag was a total knockout. (The handbag contained his scraps of fabric.) The proportions created by the way in which the cummerbund-like waistband divided the dress were sublime. For me, Michael’s look was a strong contender for the win, again!
Uli’s concept was a cocktail outfit for a hippie beach party. Surprise! Our master-of-the-prints chose a graphic Aubrey Beardsley-like silk for this challenge. I loved the drape and shape of the bodice of the dress, but there was something odd about the sleeves. They were too long, that was certain, and the flounce at the cuff seemed so un-Uli. Was she merely trying to use up her fabric? I don’t think so, because a long quilted necklace served that purpose. It wasn’t a disaster, but it was a misstep.
Recap The designers are told they will have two surprise guests. A twist is revealed, when previously auf'd designers Angela and Vincent appear. In this Challenge, any designer that won a previous Challenge is brought back to compete again. (Keith would have come back, but was ineligible.) Designers are asked to design a cocktail dress in a black and white palette, and they must use all of the fabric that they purchase. In the end, three designers are eliminated from the Runway. Tim's Take Five designers remain. Heidi announces that the designers will learn about their challenge, not on the Runway, but at a party hosted by L’Oreal Paris. Heidi adds that she has, “invited some very special guests and they will be an important part of this challenge.” What the #$&#? Heidi and the designers meet at a chic and much-talked-about club, the Pink Elephant. There, Heidi reveals the surprise guests: Angela and Vincent. What the #$&#, again? During the formation of the season three challenges, it had been decided that the designers who won challenges, but had been eliminated, would return for challenge ten. Those designers are Angela, Vincent, and Keith -- but Keith is ineligible to return, as we know. All seven of the designers will compete to be the winner of this challenge. Three designers will be eliminated. The only way that either Angela or Vincent can remain is to win. This challenge is to design a cocktail party outfit using only black and white fabric -- black AND white, not either or. Given that the designers all share this palette, this challenge is about the design and silhouette of the garment and the make-up and styling of the model. And the designers will each use their last model. The designers are given 15 minutes to sketch, after which we go shopping with a budget of $100. There is one tiny wrinkle that impacts them all both practically and conceptually: They must use ALL of their fabric in their design -- every scrap. Zac Posen is our guest judge.
Laura wins! Laura’s win was much-deserved. She used black lace over white fabric to create a baby doll dress with a square neckline. She embellished the look with a sprinkling of crystals and black feathers on the skirt. She described it as being “very Josephine Baker,” and it was, indeed. It was young, it was modern, and it was sophisticated. That latter is expected of her, but “young and modern” secured her win. Congratulations, Laura!
Kayne is OUT. How did Kayne not understand the critical importance of using black AND white fabrics? I was mystified. He bought a white trim that was about three-quarters-of-an-inch wide and that was it. So, he designed an all-black dress that was truly beautiful from the front -- great silhouette and proportions -- but a hot mess in the back. He incorporated the white trim into the back of the dress by weaving it through a minimalist spider web -- ugh. Had Kayne been one of my Parsons students, I would have disqualified his design prior to the Runway show. Kayne, your use of all-black gave the judges no choice.
Angela is OUT, again. Her design was pure Angela. You have to hand it to her: she has a point of view. Her black dress was a Jubilee Jumbles extravaganza of ruffles, ruching, and granny circles, god-bless-her. And if that weren’t enough, a black leather shrug cum bolero was lined in pin-tucked, off-white charmeuse. She called the top “Edwardian.” I thought it looked more like something you’d wear for a dislocated shoulder. Bye, Angela.
Vincent is OUT, again. Vincent bought too much fabric and claimed that it was MOOD’s fault. Really? I have to say that I responded well to his black top with cummerbund pleating. It had a beautiful silhouette, the proportions of the pleats were great, and it set the appropriate tone for a cocktail party. But what was with that skirt? It was entirely too short, and this factor threw off the proportional relationship to the top. And, worse still, was the stole. It was simply a way of using up his excess yardage. It looked awkward and arbitrary. Egads.
Jeffrey’s design eluded me, as did his fabric choices. He selected black and white prints that looked oddly anemic; that is, washed out and lackluster. What happened to the dramatic thinking that he just demonstrated in the couture challenge and for which he won? His mini-dress said sporty rather that cocktail, and the sloppy leggings didn’t fit either case. I was relieved for him that he scraped by.
Michael’s off the shoulder, matte jersey dress with a black, patent leather waistband with matching handbag was a total knockout. (The handbag contained his scraps of fabric.) The proportions created by the way in which the cummerbund-like waistband divided the dress were sublime. For me, Michael’s look was a strong contender for the win, again!
Uli’s concept was a cocktail outfit for a hippie beach party. Surprise! Our master-of-the-prints chose a graphic Aubrey Beardsley-like silk for this challenge. I loved the drape and shape of the bodice of the dress, but there was something odd about the sleeves. They were too long, that was certain, and the flounce at the cuff seemed so un-Uli. Was she merely trying to use up her fabric? I don’t think so, because a long quilted necklace served that purpose. It wasn’t a disaster, but it was a misstep.
Designer: Kayne OUT
Designer: Laura WINS
Designer: Jeffrey
Designer: Angela
Designer: Vincent
Designer: Uli
