PR: The Beginning of the End

In a magnificent effort to avoid the crap going on in my personal life, here is my input on the last two PRs. I know you were waiting, you patient public, you.

So, the nature challenge was scary, but also uplifting in a way, because it was pure inspiration. I did have a problem with some of the judging comments.
Jerell: Once again, the top of his dress is too short. I wish he'd figure that out. I found his design intriguing, and loved that sort of swish of color underneath, but the construction issues were really distracting. Things were just puckering at the bottom, and I really don't think that should be happening at this stage.
Kenley: To be honest, I think she would have been better off if she'd gotten off the snake reference and compared it to, say, a tiger lily...the sort of spotted petals some of them have might have been more compelling. I didn't mind the shape, though it reminded me a bit of a Barbie, but it was just a bit garish all together. It did feel costumey, which was one comment I agreed with.
Korto: I couldn't see eye to eye with the judges on this one. I really liked her dress. I might have liked to see some more fiery color in there, to match her flower, but I thought the dress was genuinely pretty and flattering, and not cliche at all.
Leanne: This dress was not my personal aesthetic, and I admit I was afraid she might go home because of the back of the dress. Tim did not mind that fabric back there, but I could understand the judges' concern with it. It seemed sort of stuck on. That being said, the rest of Leanne's construction is always immaculate, and she achieved a sort of confection without being saccharine about it.
As for the judges' cop-out, well, I don't care that much about it this year. No one had a slam dunk in this challenge, and based on the results of this week alone, I wouldn't have wanted to make that decision either. One could have made a case for any of them, and that's no one to determine who gets a whole lot of money.

On to the next, as Jay and Grant would say.
I did not realize that part of the finale challenge was a bridal gown--must have missed something of the parameters on my video tape. I like that, though. It's realistic, since so many collections have such a gown, and it was interesting to watch how the collection's vision was laced through the gown. And, while the designers were pissed, I loved that they then had to make a bridesmaid dress. Having been a bridesmaid twice, both times in pretty gowns, I can testify to the good thinking behind that challenge.
And--hear me out on this--I think the right three people are in the finale. I know Kenley is unpopular, but she definitely has a distinct point of view and I'm excited to see how her collection moves down the runway. I also love that she painted her fabrics. My bet is that I like the collection better in motion than in the still photos.
As for the gowns themselves:
Jerell's was simply too messy. I could see what he was after with the front, but the back was tragic. It looked like he'd clipped it the way they do when it's too big in the shop, when they're trying to see how it will look when it's altered. I really loved the color of his bridesmaid dress a lot, and actually liked the shape to it. I'm still not clear on why the judges disliked it so much. Something isn't translating.
Kenley's wedding dress was, as Kors pointed out I think, a fantasy, and I liked it for that. It showed gumption and drama. I dislike bubble skirts with a passion, though, and I don't think any bridesmaid on the planet would wear a dress that short. At least I hope not. I think the judges sort of forgot the wearability component of the challenge there.
I actually liked the pleating at the shoulders of Korto's gown, though I do think the fabric was a bit voluminuos for what she wished to do with the middle. I did agree with the judges that there were some relationship problems between the gown and the bridesmaid dress, but I think they made the right decision between her and Jerell--that's how strongly I felt about the back of that bridal gown. And, on a personal note, I was really touched by what she said about the other designers in this show.
While I personally would not wear the wedding dress, I think Leanne was the most successful in pairing two garments together. I really liked the bridesmaid dress and I think both garments fit in really well with her collection. She really seems to have control now of her architecturally inclined design elements.

So, the finale approaches. Should be good times. While I realize this may be a forlorn hope, I do kind of wish it could be personal dramaless, and focused on the fashion. I want it to be down to Leanne and Korto, as I mentioned before, but I really think this will be a chacun a son gout finale, and that excites me.