Realistic But Not Extreme

January 02, 2008

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Kudos to whoever thought of this challenge: realistic but not extreme, inventive but relatable, and models who really seemed to love walking down the runway! I gasped when I heard the amount of weight that some of these women had lost… 169lbs! AMAZING! Granted, it was still a very difficult task for the designers to cover so many basis, while still being relatively confined, but I thought that there were some really fun pieces… let’s get started!

Christian
Though I hear that people are griping about him designing the same jacket twice in the first few episodes, I really thought that it was a great match for this challenge. He toned it down and made the proportions much more approachable, and used the contrast of matte/shine to bring some visual interest to the jacket. Everything seemed to fit her very well, and though, as a rule, I despise Capri jeans on woman, I feel that it is modern enough to keep her looking hip, but still like a woman (as opposed to those creepy older women who wear their daughters clothes thinking they look sexy… I actually once saw a woman wearing a t-shirt that said “I’m easy”…while walking with her 5yr old daughter. I vomited.).

Steven
Obviously there was more against Steven than his design (construction issues were quite evident), but I’m a bit torn about the original wedding dress. It’s tricky because the challenge was to create something for their “everyday life”, and lord knows that a thousand and one ideas came to mind when I first saw the dress – cause honestly – even that was salvageable, but how to make that much beading appropriate for everyday was the hardest part. I know someone like Laura Bennett would scoff in my face and pronounce something fabulous like “Darling I change diapers in couture!” but still, that’s a lot of white and a lot of beading for daytime. Even if he made it into a chic cocktail number, though he may have gotten flack for it not being “everyday” appropriate, I think it still would’ve saved him from the chopping block.

Chris
I thought that the color combo of the navy and cerulean blue are lovely, but I know that these women would all benefit from a bit of structure in their outfits. I’m obviously aware of the constraints Chris was in, but perhaps pairing the skirt with a wide belt from the overly-blatant product placement wall it would’ve given the well-needed balance to the outfit. Granted, the shoes and choker were all wrong, but at least he’s back with a second chance, which is a hell of a lot more than most designers get. I guess we’ll have to postpone out hot coco date for at least another week!

Elisa
Now here is the structure I was talking about… unfortunately the design is a bit haggard. Volume is a great thing when on the right body, and I guarantee that women, who have spent their adult lives in clothing that “tents” their body, really want to show off all of their hard work off. Make the hem less choppy, lob off the back tail of the red jacket, and some more interesting design details throughout would’ve made this look work for her client. Oh, and calf-length black leather boots are extremely difficult for most people to wear as it visually chops their legs off… and it kinda screams “the mall” to me.

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