I know...behind, right? I am only just now getting a chance to look through the last shows.
My thoughts on the penultimate show results:
Austin--The color of Austin's piece is lovely. The fabric, though, is going to be incredibly wrinkly. For a full swing coat, you don't want something that is going to be crushed, do you? I like an interesting collar, but my eyes just kept going back to the fabric.
Michael--He always seems to pull out a kimono sleeve, low-back maxi. I'm bored with that. It's not at all interesting or new. His "new thing" was print. These judges were all over this look, but I was irritated that it was the same old/same old, and too long to boot.
Mondo--Mondo's look was fun, I suppose. It was a little too sacklike for me. You can tell it's a Mondo, which I appreciate, and it is interesting. You can tell it's an original.
Kenley--I liked the sleeve on Kenley's dress, and it's nice and simple. She's right that many women can wear the dress. The neckline was a little too modest, though. Not frumpy, but modest. I agreed with the judges about the missing keyhole. It needed something to lift it a bit.
I would have sent Michael home. I would rather see a full collection from Kenley than from Michael, and that kind of made my decision for me. However, I did not get my way.
My thoughts on the finals:
Five looks in four days? And then the sixth look? Why? What's the point? They will get frantic and overwhelmed no matter what. It's kind of like horror movies. I prefer suspense films to gore. This finale challenge is gore. Not enough subtlety to it. It's really too bad. I wish they'd used their all-stars in a more starlike way.
Below, my thoughts, with the rating from the mylifetime website (out of 5) reported in parentheses.
Austin--
Pink jodhpur jumpsuit and black spangled jacket. I do like the jacket a lot. I'd totally wear that. I like the fabric of the jumpsuit, but jiminy. Those pants are nuts. (2.17)
Black lace dress. Loved this, crazy side floof and all. I'd wear that at a party. (3.71)
Pink top and black skirt. The little tulle bunch idea was cute, and I thought the idea of the top was a good one, but the set didn't look well made, which is unusual for Austin. The skirt sort of looked cheap on the runway. (2.78)
Pink floral gown. This is pretty Austinish. I quite like the draping of the top, but the big floof in the middle over the mermaid was not a good idea. I would have loved to see the floof become longer and just be the skirt. Like, aid eighteen inches to that, keeping the angle, and cut the rest off. That would be awesome. (2.44)
Black shiny jumpsuit. No. Just no. Except for the jabot. (2.84)
Wedding dress. What can you say? The man is a wedding dress designer. It's too floofy for me, but I like the magnolia petaling and I like the slight hint of dark he gave it. (4.55)
Thoughts: I really love the lace dress and really hate the jumpsuit. They are at literal opposites of my spectrum of love vs. loathing. The story Austin concocted...well, I'm still thinking about it, but mainly in a wincing way.
Michael--
Snake print jumpsuit. If there is going to be a jumpsuit, it really needs to be fluid, and this one is. But still. It's a jumpsuit. (3)
Black and white zebra dress. No. No no no. Too much hoochie. (3.55).
Black and gray zebra dress. It's a decent dress, but I am really not into this aesthetic. I know people who are, and I do prefer this to the above, but it doesn't look interesting. (3.23)
Romper. Or is it shirt and shorts? I can't tell. This reminds me of things that starlets wear when they want attention but end up looking like they tried too hard to look like they didn't try. In fact, I often feel that's Michael's actual aesthetic. (3.44)
Zebra long pants and top. I actually kind of like this. I like the way it clings and moves at the same time. I thought it was a dress, but it's separates. (3.62)
White dress. Again, Michael puts together a perfectly valid drapey dress. This is usually the kind of thing I love. Why do I not love it? (3.5)
Thoughts: Not enough range here. It does have a resort feel, which is what he wanted, but it does not have any energy or excitement. Altogether too languid. Even the Serengetti has color sometimes. Like when the lions dig into the zebra. That's the adventure I wanted.
Mondo--
Polka dot blouse, skirt. Love the skirt, love the blouse, love the ink blot bag. This is like what happens when you take Mondo and make him into things I would wear. I would not wear my hair like a big poof with the pieces, and I may not wear them together, but I do like the pieces. (3.78)
Black and white dots dress. I wasn't into this. The rounded shoulder that stopped shy of the shoulder, and the scale of the neckline and buttons just were not working for me. (3.37)
Wavy blouse and leggings. Wasn't into this either. It went a little too far into the therapy theme, looking like an institution smock. (3.44)
Checkered pants, jacket, T-shirt. Okay. I'm not into the different covered sleeves, but I love the ink blot top, I love the pants, and the jacket is cute, in the front. Not so into the back. The outfit was kind of wacky in the right way. I was into it. (3.53)
Ink blot dress. Here, I was kind of into the red sleeve, because it wasn't too much. It was just one jarring element in an otherwise straightforward dress, and eye-catching for fun. I actually kind of want this dress, even though it's not the sort of thing I ever have call to wear. (4.32)
Colored dress. I heard Mondo say shock therapy right when I was looking at this dress online, and it made total sense. It did say shock therapy. The shiny dots! I love it. This is the type of thing I would wear even if I didn't really have call to do so, like if I were going to the theater and wanted to be eyecatching. I loved the styling, too, right down to the disco ball bag and shoes. Some of the judges felt this look didn't fit in, and I couldn't disagree more. (4.19)
Thoughts: Like a poet, Mondo worked his angst into his work. It didn't feel tortured (it could have gone a little more in that direction), but it did have a bit of a sting to it. It was fun without being ridiculous.
Final thoughts: I'm glad Mondo won. His collection was the strongest and had the most engaging concept. I haven't always been a Mondo fan, but it seemed obvious that he has tempered his ideas with maturity without losing his vivacity. I wish he didn't have meltdowns and self-esteem collapses quite so much, but I hope the opportunities headed his way will help him find ways to deal with those that improve on his work.
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