Monday, September 07, 2009

PR: Team + "Avant Garde" = Yuck

Add this past week's episode to my least favorite PRs. Not only did it involve teams, but it also involved avant garde, the results of which episodes have always been sketchy. Bleh. After it was over, I asked myself if I had learned anything, agreed with the results, or enjoyed more than one or two designs, and the answer was no. Sad.

Althea and Louise: Good synergy on this team, and their looks were reasonably polished. I quite liked their black dress with the frilly train (surprise, surprise), though admittedly I didn't really get the "surf" out of it, and it didn't strike me as AG. Really, I think this was the only dress I'd like to wear. My feelings about bubble skirts have been previously documented, though the effect was minimized in their red dress...overall, I thought this team did well.
Christopher and Logan: The drabness of the greyish shirt with the goldish pants was simultaneously odd and dull. When their AG look came down the runway, I could see its relationship to the first look, but didn't care for it...except the back, which was tidier and more interesting. Some of the comments on the website coincide with this view, so I'm not alone. Ultimately, the first outfit was so dull I was turned off for this team. Since I have had this reaction to both of these designers before, I have concerns about them.
Irina and Johnny: As above with the drabness of the shirt from Christopher's design, the drabness of the skirt for Irina's bothered me. I liked the slouch top, but actually disliked the colors of their macrame focal point, which the judges raved about. Paired with the skirt...it just didn't seem to come together well. Regarding their AG look, I totally agreed with Irina's self-criticism--good idea, mess in construction. Granted, they didn't have much time, but I would have enjoyed this look much more if it had been more polished.
Mitchell and Ra'Mon: I've taken to writing notes while I watch the runway, and for this team, I wrote, "Yuck." I didn't like either of their looks and am appalled that they won. Or that Ra'Mon did (it was time for Mitchell to go, as I noted last week). The chiffon dress, though it had nice coloring, was not at all innovative (it seemed to be just ombre fabric in a simple design that was untidy in construction...I could be wrong about the fabric, but still), and I HATED the neoprene AG dress. I liked that it got some painting, but even that seemed random and slapdash. It was like a giant sneezed and they put it on the model. In the words of Yoda, Ra'Mon, "Control, control--you must learn control!"
Nicolas and Gordana: I am in agreement that the macrame of the top was a unique feature. The top looked pretty cool; while the judges dissed their white pants, though, I liked them. They looked comfy and totally appropriate to the challenge. The AG garment? I hated it as much as I hated the neoprene. I think I know what he was going for, but it was outdated at best and hideous at worst. It had absolutely no relevance to the challenge or to its sister garment.
Qristyl and Epperson: The judges liked the top of the palm tree dress, and I liked it, too...the dress seemed wearable, but ultimately not that interesting. On the other garment--again with the attachment or growth, as in Qristyl's first dress. There was nothing Avant Garde about either of these outfits. And how disappointed was I in how these two related to each other? I actually have sympathy for Qristyl because she seemed to fall into that trap that women often do--she's trying to assert herself with someone overbearing by nature (even if quietly so) and used to being in charge, and then gets picked on for poor leadership because she can't rein him in. Yet, if she had asserted herself more, she would have gotten labeled a nightmarish bitch that has...poor leadership. Obviously, the interactions are edited down, but ultimately this was a Kobayashi Maru.
Shirin and Carol Hannah: The AG dress (long, blues) was a little too much drapey-drapey, but I "got" it. I liked their regular look, which seemed very practical. It wasn't thrilling, and I think it drew too heavily from the currently popular maxi dress trend, but it was a respectable garment. I didn't see much relationship between these two garments (wasn't that part of the challenge) but it was better than some.

So--I might conceivably wear Shirin and Carol Hannah's swim garment, or Louise and Althea's "AG" look. Everything else pretty much gets a fail. Sorry, designers. Better luck next week. I was also wondering about the aspect of Garnier challenge. Sure, they had a "consultation" with the hair dressers, but they kind of have that every week, and it seemed to take just about one minute out of the whole show. What was the point? It ended up looking like sloppy advertising rather than sleek part of the show, and "by the way have you tried our product?" Disappointing all the way around.
In other TV news, new Supernatural this week...and next week, new Fringe at the same time. Why? WHY?

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