Friday, October 16, 2009

PR: I Heart Bob Mackie

I don't know why I like Bob Mackie so much. I just do (it might be the Barbies he used to do, and his amazing work on Carol Burnett's show). The opposite is true of Christina Aguilera. I don't like her. Never have. Sure, she has pipes, but she bothers me in some indefinable way (or perhaps it's her speaking voice and her frequent tackiness).
That being said, it was her challenge, and I was actually surprised at the ineffectiveness of the garments. Even the winner (which was also my winner) was not really right for an energetic singer who dances in her show.
Althea: Clever with the fabric--it looked good and it was a creative solution. The gown, however, was completely impractical for the stage unless Aguilera was going to be seated the whole time. It might work better for a Grammy red carpet outfit or something.
Carol Hannah: My favorite, hands down. This one would also be cute for the Grammys (onstage for a slow song or for the red carpet); it probably would never work for Aguilera's stage show since it seemed like it would be difficult to move in, but I couldn't get over how nice it was to look at, and it looked like the kind of thing Aguilera would like.
Christopher: Seriously? This was like a cheap Halloween interpretation of Aguilera's old look. The judges were completely right about this travesty. See more below.
Gordana: Horrific. I still haven't figured out what is up with the top--I think there are little slashes right over the breasts or nipple areas. It's very confusing. Oh, immunity. Never have you been so required.
Irina: This look was too nightgowny. Or, alternatively, it looks like a tap costume. Styled with some pinstriped tights and a fedora, it might have been better, but it then would have been a little too Moulin Rouge or Cabaret star. I also am over Irina's attitude.
Logan: I have to be blunt--I hate this fabric choice. With the flatness of the garment (it has no silhouette whatsoever except straightness), it looks like a cheap hooker dress. I agree with the website commentor that the side view is better, but you don't look at people from the side onstage much. I mean, really, can you imagine Aguilera wearing that? I can't. The fabric itself just looks cheap. In a more expensive-looking fabric, I think this could have worked, but I just cannot get over the choice of fabric with the shape of the garment.
Nicolas: In Nicolas' favor, he clearly thought about the constraints of stagework, and the top of the garment in close up is actually very pretty. However, I don't think it was "big" enough, and also it reminded me too much of Chicago (and I came up with that independently, though Chris March actually mentions it in his blog also). I also don't think it was the right color for Aguilera. Not a winner.
Shirin: Okay, I'll go on record as saying that the judges' decision this week was whackadoo. Yes, Shirin's garment looks like a cross between a ballroom costume and a cabaret outfit. BUT, it was wearble, and I could see what she was after. It was too long, it was too fluffy, but I actually think Aguilera could pull it off. I also think that there could be a few slight alterations done to make it better.
Christopher's outfit, on the other hand, was unfixable and LAZY. It was old and not fancy enough and the judges didn't like any of it, whereas they at least liked the top of Shirin's dress. How does that add up? HOW? I'm so mad about this. And that's not even considering prior work, because I know the judges really don't that much mid-season. Christopher has had poorly executed outfits repeatedly, and this was another example of the same. Why is he still here? The same is true of Logan. The mind boggles.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Is there something wrong with me? Again, Christopher's look struck me favorably. Maybe I have spent too much time in dance clubs, at the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and daydreaming over lingerie catalogues (daydreaming about the lingerie, not the models). The outfit could have been done with more luxe, sturdier materials. And I wouldn't say it did honor to the evening gown legacy of Bob Mackie. But for some reason I liked the shapes of the pieces and the patterns made by the trimmings. It all looked precise and graphically interesting to me, whereas Shirin's dress looked sloppy and boring.

I didn't mind Logan's outfit, either. Animal prints are popular right now, and I liked the shading of the stripes he chose. Fur is right on the horizon in returning popularity, especially around the shoulder area like that. Perhaps it was a bad idea to combine two animalwear concepts with a Flintstones tunic shape, but...I still thought it was striking and pretty. Perhaps as occasional club gear, not major stage persona gear.

Irina needs some come-uppance, to put it in Little House on the Prairie terms.

-SECP

Abs said...

There is nothing wrong with you. Lots of people favor Christopher. What bothered me most about his look was not the poorly constructed corset (having worn cancan gear for so many years, I understand that garment pretty well), but that it was a replica of what Christina had already worn. It wasn't a fresh design, it was a reconstruction. Since this is a design competition, I would have chucked him even if the garment had been immaculate.
Animal print itself would have been okay, but the one that Logan chose disturbed me. I don't think he has very good fabric taste in general.
I totally agree with you about Irina.