PR: Party Glitter

*Laugh* I popped over to Grosgrain today before I started my blog, and darned if she didn't beat me to it! You're stealing my thunder, Kathleen Frances! Just kidding. Really, it's just one more thing we have in common.
Anyway--Unconventional Materials Challenge this week. I love this challenge, but I have to admit I felt like a party store was a little too easy. There are so many fabric substitutes there; it's not like there's no room for creativity, and some designers still had difficulty re-envisioning materials (as I would probably do, to be honest), but still, it was a little less adventurous than, say, a grocery or hardware store.
Has Casanova ever seen Project Runway before? My guess is no. "I just don't see the point." Really?
Two things I noticed about the designers in general, or at least the editing--more specific questions coming from the designers toward Tim, and a more "group support" atmosphere amongst the group. Sure, there are egos and hangups, and cattiness, but I also notice that they're readier to give each other compliments and to support designs they think are great, like everyone liking Valerie's last week, or people being so impressed with Andy's this week that they wanted to help him complete his vision. I like both of these elements--they're more specific, and add dimension to the show.
Also, laughing Tim=adorable. However, is he getting "soft"? I notice he seems more blown away by everything going on. Are the garments really that much better? I can't tell.

On to the fashions:

AJ--I wrote down, "8-year-old's party dress." I hardly ever agree with Kors, but he was right that it was a child's birthday dress. It wasn't for a woman. It also didn't look whimsical to me--it looked, as Betsey said, like too little. And blaming the model's cup size? No.
Andy--Andy was my pick this week. I wondered if he still would be if I hadn't seen the process, but there again, there are balancing factors--time issues and getting help versus doing something really artistic. Carol Hannah said, "I think it has more to do with the realization that something truly amazing, innovative and creative is coming into being. There's an honor in helping that fantastic potential not be wasted because the person needs 15 more minutes." I don't always like ambitious moves, but this one was really spicy. The interplay of textures impressed me, and I really liked the look as a whole. It had the look plus the effort.
April--I wrote down, "Very pointy--this dress is scary!" At the same time, I think a contemporary rock star might wear this structural piece to the Grammy's and be satisfied. I think April is rebuilding after week 1, and she's doing a good job making her statement.
Casanova--I needed another look at this, so I was glad the judges pulled it out. I also "responded positively" to the back, but thought the front was awful. Too busy and confusing. No.
Christopher--Ah, yellow. The fit was a little loose here, but I liked the sequinny detail to give the fabric a little extra sparkle. It was definitely wearable, but perhaps a touch too simple.
Gretchen--The girl can style, boots aside--I wonder if she will be that person who can style so well as to hide her flaws, representing the "shiny things" concept. The skirt turned out well, but the jacket seemed flat to me (though I like it better in the photos), and I wondered what it concealed of the top. I have a feeling that top was not that great. I'm going to leave her attitude out of the question for now.
Ivy--I liked the concept of Ivy's piece, though the color was a bit sedate and the top was too low. It didn't help that her look came next to Michael C's, which had the same shoulder treatment, and done better. There were other looks with similar materials that were sleeker.
Kristin--I needed another look at Kristin's dress. On the runway, it looked like it had a good shape and flow. In the still photos, it looks campier, too bright and plasticky. I do, however, think this was Kristin's best look so far.
Michael C--Very sassy. Someone compared it to Hererra, which I thought was true. It was a little busy, particularly around the middle and the top ruffle of the skirt portion, but Michael used the piecing technique and one-shoulder look to better effect than Ivy.
Michael D--The look was messy, the stringy top especially. It just seemed to be a clunker up and down.
Mondo--Someone in the comments called this "Party Warrior Barbie" which I think is the best description ever. This is a more "sedate" Mondo, and one I can get behind. While I wouldn't wear it, I thought it was kind of cute and, for me, "graspable."
Peach--Peach's garment is a more successful version of what AJ was doing, except for that top--so white, too plain (if you look at the close-up picture, you can see it's actually in a fanlike pattern, but the top seemed wholly reliant on that rather than styling and fitting it also). It didn't quite "get there" but Peach did better this week.
Sarah--Oh, Sarah. And that's exactly what I wrote. Can't we all look at Sarah's dress and think of things she could have done? Like changing the leaves somehow, manipulating them to make the skirt more than just leaves? The top is almost art deco-y in the way the leaf pieces fit together. Something similar for the bottom would have worked. It's like the dress gave up halfway down. But Sarah knew this, too, and Sarah probably could have come up with 100 ways to fix it, but it didn't happen. It's sad, because Sarah seemed a little unusual to me, in a good way.
Valerie--Valerie's look reminded me of one of the garments from the car challenge, and I can't remember which one. The dress was a bit plain, but it was sleek in a way that Ivy's wasn't. A little too daring, but smartly made.

I largely agreed with the judges this week in the results. I actually couldn't predict who they'd call out for the top three, but was right on with the bottom three.
The blogverse has already called Kors out for his "360 degree turn" comment about Valerie's styling, so I will let that rest.