Topic: Project Runway Canada II
The theme of this week's challenge is "hope Springs Eternal" in which the intrepid designers must design a day to evening spring dress for the Winners clothing chain to be featured as part of their "welcome to Spring" promotion. The dress must be an "it" dress, a fashion must-have that women will want after a long cold winter.
Day to evening is, at the best of times, difficult. it can, at other times; be well nigh impossible. It's a lot to ask of one single dress, to be appropriate for the office and then sashay off for cocktails and dinner in the evening. You either end up with too day, or too evening. It's easier if you are allowed a second piece such as a jacket, but in this challenge it's one piece only. Add to the challenge that a first burst of spring must be bright without being loud and springy without being summer. And because this is Winners, the dress must suit wide variety of shapes and sizes, not too out there and solidly commercial.
Whew! All that in one little dress? That's a pretty tall order! I think I would choose a floral not too bold, classic and subtle. Florals are HUGE this spring and summer. A floral will brighten up an early spring late winter day worn with a jacket, and a change of accessories will take it to evening. A nice challis will work in both moods. Also, combining a solid with a floral trim would work, possibly having more of the floral visible for evening. A tie scarf for the day that hides a lower neckline in the day can be turned into a belt for evening, opening up the neckline and adding a bold splash of colour. Yeah...that's what I would do!
And now that the show has recapped last week's episode and we're through with the designer's musings in the designer's mansion, it's off to the runway. Iman is once again in Gaultier jeans, a red leather biker jacket and a pink and gold bollywood inspired tunic top. It's quite striking and she pulls it off effortlessly. I love bollywood inspired style, it's so happy and cheerful!
Models are selected and Jeff takes Kim's model. If anything says NEENER NEENER! it's stealing a designer's model. The designers are told this is the last time for immunity. She tells the designers to meet Brian at Winners.
Winners is owned by The US company TJMaxx and it is essentially the same retail concept, high fashion, lower prices. Why pay for the fancy setting of a department store when you can get the same for less in a big store that resembles K-mart? Winners describes the customer as a savvy shopper, fashionable and smart. They meet the PR person for Winners who gives them the challenge.
The title of the Challenge is "Hope Springs Eternal." we are still hoping for spring around here, it's been brutally cold, the coldest it's been all winter! They need to make a day to evening dress and they are given one day, 100$ and 30 minutes in the fabric store.
Maybe i would do a maxi-dress, maxis were the rage in summer and didn't show any signs of going out in the fall. Or maybe a cute little bias cut floral dress that's fun and flirty.
In the fabric store: Jason picks green satin and Brian warns him against it. Remember poor Margarita and her stretch satin betraying her? Genevieve is picking out sequins by the yard and clashing colours. Jessica is going St Patrick's Day green. What? no florals? Spring is about florals! Yet not one designer picks a springy floral!
Here's a Little dress sketch that I did while watching commercials. The main parts would be solid, the inserted godets in the skirt would be floral, the empire band would be floral, and possibly the sleeves. I would also add a scarf in the floral. The floral would have the colour of the main dress in it. I think this would work for both day and evening, I would wear it for either.
I can imagine that the time limit of sketching and shopping could lead to giant brain cramps, where you don't see ANYTHING, or worse, where you get your brain stuck in one spot and you spin your wheels on the same idea. It it's a bad idea, you can sabotage your design right from the fabric selection onward! It looks like maybe Jason is doing that with his snaps and satin.
So the designers arrive in their retro-riffic studio. Have I mentioned how much I love the studio? And things begin to turn ugly. Not the dresses, but the designers themselves become ugly. The snipping into each other is quite vexing and is detracting from the enjoyment I usually get from this show. A little of Teh Drah-mah is okay, but this is no fun to watch. It's beyond nasty. brain arrives with the models for a quick fitting and an early critique.
Jason: picked green satin, still wants metal snaps, and Brian is concerned, he want the construction to be impeccable. This is Brian's theme for the day. I wonder what construction flaws we aren't seeing?
Genevieve: He's concerned that's it's too evening and not enough day. She's convinced she's more than enough day, and all women love three inch bands of sequins on spaghetti strapped dresses.
Jessica: He likes hers and tells her no to overdo it. Her craftsmanship must be impeccable, again I think television is hiding some construction quality issues. She still bugs the heck out of me, there's something about her that comes across as disingenuous.
Kim: seems more concerned with Jeff than with herself. I understand what she's doing, and she's playing it extra safe. Which is a brilliant strategic move on her part. She certainly doesn't want to draw any attention to herself this time.
Jeff is trying to think outside the box and make a reversible dress. This is tricky, how can he show it as reversible on the runway? Jeff is a lost and confused mess already, it's obvious he's cracking under stress.
They have until one, and with two hours left to go, Jeff decides to have a nervous breakdown. He wanted to do hand cross stitches on his reversible dress, but he doesn't have time. He decides to try the zig zag on the 20U's but they are set up for straight only. Apparently he has either forgotten how to change the plates and the foot, or doesn't have access to the plates and foot. (it takes about five minutes) Um...Dude? The CG590's have a cross stitch, so do the others domestics... The domestics have over 30 decorative stitches, use them -and if you can do a hand cross, what about a hand worked saddle stitch or a plain running stitch? Those are quick and easy and any designer should be able to do them in their sleep! Or is that part of your brain also inaccessible, along with the 20U plates?
Jeff runs around in circles, holding his fabric above his head and screaming. I'm serious. He does this right into the commercial break.
Day of show, and everyone is tense. Jeff is drawing x's and gluing post it notes to his dress. Kim and Jessica have no issues with fit or construction. Adejoke is finally seen, her dress is sixties Mod inspired, but has a few puckering issues with the binding used on the armhole. She should have used bias, but it's too late now and Brian is concerned. Genevieve is far too evening and not enough day and Brian is concerned. Jason's green satin and snaps is too shiny and gimmicky and Brian is concerned. Brian seems very concerned about everything this episode.
I have some concerns too. Why no florals? Not one designer chose spring florals! Why is Jeff so stuck on his x's? Too much attention to one little thing has distracted him from the bigger picture! I have so many questions regarding the design decisions made in this episode. The skill level of this bunch seems way below even horrible weepy Megan of last season.
Time for the show, Iman is stunning in Wait for it...a wonderful purple and yellow easter feaster floral! She interpreted the theme of the challenge perfectly! The flowers are neither too big or too small, the yellow is bold, but the print isn't loud in the least! Magnificent! The judge include the PR person from Winners, the final judgement is hers.
Sunny isn't too bad, I can see him winning this, but the dress would have been prettier in a FLORAL!
Adejoke isn't too bad, but her straight line silhouette is a little stale, she needs to mix it up a bit.
Genevieve:To quote Tim Gunn"That's a whole lotta look going on" too evening, maybe if one fabric were a FLORAL it might have been more day time?
Jeff: I dunno...its a dress. what else can I say?
Jason: Very green, snaps worked, will the judges understand what he was trying to do?
Kim: not too bad, very safe, won't win and won't lose.
Jessica, Damn. i think she has the winner. Damn. I really don't like her!
So Kim is safe, and the other must defend their designs. The judges love Sunny, of course, and they love Jessica's. I don't like to one shoulder look, it not appropriate for an office, I'm not sure what they are thinking. They think Adejoke's dress was an excellent idea but suffered in the execution phase. Genevieve talks back saying she wears sequins and puff skirts to the office, Jeff lies about his cross stitching They notice Jason's dress is too tight, too evening and too gimmicky with the metal snaps. Everyone leaves the runway and exists to the green room where the claws come out and everyone becomes really really ugly. This poo-poo is impossible to watch.
The judges deliberate, don't like Jason or Jeff, so the cross stitches are a moot point, the liked sunny best but are reticent to have him win four in a row, they like Jessica's but are concerned whether it will successfully grade up to larger sizes. (it won't trust me) Genevieve was too mouthy and Adejoke would have been better served by better execution. They make up their minds and bring out everyone again.
Jeff confesses his sin of using a felt tip marker. But it's irrelevant. Jessica wins because they didn't want sunny to win a forth time. Damn! The win made the gangsta poser come back. I was hoping that was gone forever.
(Digression, if she would have used the term "Street" "Urban" "Hip-hop" or anything else that would have been fine and cool and completely appropriate. Instead she uses a word associated with crime. That's not cool. I have no problem with street or urban or hip hop culture or styles, not in the least. I enjoy all forms of culture, the farther from mainstream the better. it's the associating of gangsta and crime that's the problem.)
Sunny is second, Adejoke is third, Jason is third last. It comes down to Genevieve and Jeff. Genevieve showed some imagination and skill, Jeff didn't so Jeff doesn't measure up and he's gone. He gets all emotional, everyone hugs him and all is forgiven. Or something. And so ends a very unpleasant episode that I did NOT enjoy in the least
Next Week! The Gimmick challenge! Making a dress with POST IT NOTES!?!?! Adejoke did this in the second challenge, so it should be easy for her. Post it notes? This could be fun! And colourful.
