PR: The Town

Well, Emily is out. I'm sorry to see her go, but I won't miss the same feeling my sister had that she looks like...SOMEONE from SOMETHING. I thought I had it nailed down with Comtesse du Barry from Marie Antoinette, but that's not it either. We're not the only ones trying to figure it out...I've seen message board posts addressing the same issue.
I wasn't super-geeked about the challenge this week. I do like inspiration challenges, but I didn't feel a sense of purpose driving the process. Some designers came up with a story, and I think it would have been appropriate to demand that as part of the parameters--they've asked "who is this person?" before. All in all, it felt like another version of the cocktail dress challenge.

On to the clothes--
Blayne: I Hated the pink part of that skirt. Hated it. It looked very eighties and sloppy. I was intrigued by the top of the garment and felt that he was sort of doing what Emily wanted to do, a bit better, but the bottom half completely ruined the impression. (Tim called it elegant and sophisticated. Guess what I think of that?) Thus far he has also seemed kind of indolent to me, and I don't like that in the workroom.
Daniel: I was a little bored by Daniel's garment. It was very much in the middle--I didn't love it or hate it. It reminded me, though, of one or two of Jillian's late-season garments, which were inspired by a painting. I would have liked it better had it been, say, an evening gown challenge, with a long and sleek skirt, sort of badass elegance; I think that would have set off that twisted part of the top really well.
Emily: For once I agree with Michael Kors, this time regarding placement of that ruffle. I admired what Emily was going for, and her inspiration, but I don't think she met her goal. She also failed to listen to Tim. I did not, however, think her garment was the worst up there.
Jennifer: Oh, Jennifer. I did not agree that her garment was matronly--all you have to do is pick up a Delia's to see that faux frump is way in with the young (where are these people getting their impressions of "young and hip" anyway?). I think matronly is a fall-back word and it doesn't work here. The construction of this dress had issues, and I didn't think it was genius, but I liked the idea of it and was glad Jennifer wasn't out.
Jerell: Jerell fancied it up this week. I prefered his garment to Daniel's, but it did seem a tiny bit over the top. Despite the smallness of the top (why do people think women want to wear things that almost show their nipples and could fall off at any moment? I don't want to wear anxiety.), I liked something about this garment and haven't quite figured out what it was. Maybe it's the vague resemblance to a cancan or flamenco skirt in a sassy new color. The garment had oomph.
Joe: Once again, I'm kind of ho-hum on Joe. He hasn't really shown me anything I can really get behind, and I'm afraid he's going to get skewered one of these days if he doesn't step it up. I really don't have much to say about his garment. (Neither did Tim, who called it humdrum.)
Keith: My least favorite garment. It looked like a costume in a show, for a tap dance. Had it been more drapey, had the pieces been perhaps more tendrilly or curly, maybe. But it didn't happen, not even as an editorial piece. I wasn't as concerned as the judges about fit and the model's shape, I was more concerned about drape. I'm really not sure why Emily went home and not Keith.
Kelli: While ho-hum on the skirt, I think it was a good choice to balance out the top...I couldn't see the middle very well, so I might like it less, but I really liked the top of the top. If it were on me, I wouldn't have styled it that way, but I like that black webby sort of fabric she used. I'd like a whole top just out of that. (Tim called the look busy and overdesigned, which is probably true, but I'm seduced by that top of the top.)
Kenley: While I was glad Kenley got a win, I wish it hadn't been for this dress. It was well made, and presented a vision that strikes me as very Kenley, but I really didn't care for that print. It's the kind of thing you might see in a dress show and admire, but never conceive of wearing.
Korto: Korto's look was very wearable, but also kind of dull. I've seen similar garments in catalogs and didn't really feel the allure of anything special here.
Leanne: I really loved Leanne's skirt and want it. I was sad she didn't win, because she took exactly what was wrong with her last garment, learned from it, and put out an adorable garment this week. She was true to herself but edited appropriately. Perfect.
Stella: Boring. If I took this correctly, she basically "did what she does." Her top and pants resembled something you could get at Deb--higher quality and better made, perhaps, but not new in any way. Had she made an amazing top with those pants, I could have gone for it, but she didn't. She made a vest that you could see in any bar movie or commercial. Wearable? Yes. But mundane.
Suede: I'm tired of Suede. His garment was wearable and, unlike last week's, probably very marketable. But he seems very self-important and his third-person reference thing is wearing.
Terri: Terri had a vision, and the fact that the judges got it is great. But when they're talking about "I would want to meet this person" I have no idea what they're talking about. I liked the print she chose better than Kenley's, and I'm all about backless, but the cuffs on the garment were just silly, and I was not feeling the style as a whole.