Friday, August 28, 2009

Let's say it one more time: pregnant

So, would a drinking game for this episode be inappropriate? Because otherwise, drink every time somebody says pregnant. If you can afford that much alcohol.

While I enjoyed the challenge and thought it was rather interesting and really a challenge for the designers, was I the only one that thought that the little pillows they tied onto the models didn't even remotely resemble pregnant bellies? I could be wrong, but they seemed off. I always figured that was why those "sympathy bellies" were big things that took up the whole upper body, so it would look and feel more natural. I think with a more natural shape, Ra'mon's outfit wouldn't have been so bad. Bad, yes, but not SO bad.

I actually don't love this dress the way the judges do, even though I quite like the idea of it. My primary problem is that the top really is entirely too small. Not just because it wouldn't cover the woman's chest very well, but because it seems disproportionate. It seems to me like most women who talk about wanting to show off their "pregnancy curves" are talking about their breasts being bigger. And this wouldn't really compliment that very well.

My other problem is that at one point when the model turned around during the judges comments, you could see that the ribbon-y details on the top were ragged and frayed. If this was intentional, I don't like it. If this was unintentional, then I don't see why Althea wasn't called on that when Mitchell was (rightfully) raked over the coals for his bad craftsmanship. Maybe some of the other dresses were similarly ragged if you looked at them very close up, and maybe it as a trick of the angle. But in the end, I'm glad it didn't win, though I don't think it should have been top three either.

But my big reason for thinking it wasn't top three material is the bust. It's just not flattering, and it wouldn't be on a woman with a larger or a smaller chest.

I don't want to, but I kind of like Carol. She's quirky and kind of lovable. I don't love the jacket here, if I'm being honest, but I can see how it would fit somebody else's tastes. I love the color of the dress, and you'd think that it wouldn't work to have that swath of fabric under the belly, but it actually really does.

In the end, it's very cute and fun, and youthful. And there's not a lot of "youthful" going on in the maternity market.

This outfit is really cute, and I absolutely adore the color and fabric of the top. I would wear this if it was tailored just a little differently (for plus-sized girls rather than pregnant ones). This is also one of the few times I would ever actually like this type of hem, the whole "bubble skirt" idea usually turns me off almost instantly. But it works here, and the pleats work, and everything about it is great. I would put it in the top three.

I don't really enjoy this garment very much. The jacket is very bulky and looks uncomfortable and stiff. Then she takes it off and well, jumpsuits don't flatter many women. I have to admit, it's actually a better jumpsuit than any I've ever seen (remember the last jumpsuit of PR history, on Kara? Ugh). In the end, it actually is tailored well and does what it can to flatter the body shape. And that gorgeous cream color, all the fabric is so gorgeous this episode.

But it's still a jumpsuit. I agree with the judges, middle of the road. But it is better than quite a few things that walked the runway that night.

I like the bottom of this, with the layers and he flow. But I just don't like the straps on the halter, they don't look well made, or really well planned. It's like they are supposed to be symmetrical but got messed up.

The jacket is very cute, but I have to say that those leggings would probably not work on anyone that is sporting a real pregnant belly. I certainly don't have any first hand experience, but it seems to me that anything tight on your belly would be uncomfortable.

WHY was this dress not in the top three? This, Christopher, and Shirin should have been the top garments and there's no reason why they weren't. How absolutely and utterly gorgeous is this dress? I want it in every color. Though the beautiful blue fabric she chose is a large part of why it works, I could see it in a nice subtle pink too, or a green, even a purple. It's versatile, it's beautiful, it flows well, it would flatter a million body types, it's fun, it's flirty, it could be a day or evening outfit depending on how you styled it.

In short, it was almost the perfect answer to this challenge, and there was only one I would consider better and even THAT is hard for me to say. I don't understand even a little why Irina was overlooked AGAIN. Almost everyone agrees that her dress last week deserved recognition, if not the win. So why wasn't she praised this time?

There's really not a lot I can say about this dress. It's okay, it's interesting enough. I don't like the flower on the shoulder. But in the end, it's not that remarkable. I hope he's not trying to aim for the middle, because that never works out well.

I have the same thing to say about Logan's outfit. It's not bad. It's a different type of top for maternity (or at least, it seems that way to me). But how utterly boring is it? It's just very drab, and has nothing to make it stand out or be interesting. If it wasn't so early in the season, the judges never would have let this go without a comment.

Also, side note about the Models of the Runway: Fatma's obsession with Logan is just a little odd. Maybe he's the only straight male, I don't know, and I'm sure models get crushes on designers all the time, but she's being a little creepy about it. Or at least, the editing is making her seem that way.


On the one hand, I really love this. It's very cute, it's flirty, it's pretty and it has a lot of consideration for the woman wearing it. I love the color and the fabric, and taking the time to hand dye the lace is very ambitious.

On the other hand, it looks an awful lot like one of my favorite nightgowns. And again, I'm not a fan of the big bunch of fabric/flower on the shoulder. I tend to not like those, because for the most part they're so decorative that they actually are irritating when you really wear them.

I like this, but Christopher and Irina's were better.

As a student in a rather creative major who hangs out with a lot of people in other creative majors, I have to say I know a lot of people like Malvin, who are very much about the concept and following some sort of high minded idea. And often it is to the detriment of the finished product, because it's almost like Michael Kor's said last week, you start to wonder, "Am I not smart enough to get this?" But in the end, you are smart enough, they're just intentionally being a little bit pretentious.

That said, he did have a concept, and he did stick to it, and he did make something that is at least wearable, even if it's not flattering. As the women pointed out, if the woman wearing it had already given birth and was carrying her baby in the sling, then it would actually be considered cute and interesting, I think.

Maybe it should have been in the bottom two, I do agree with that. But Malvin should still be there because at least he has a brain and he's unafraid to use it, take risks, and fail.

I said this last week and I will say it again: Mitchell does not deserve to be on Project Runway. He absolutely should have gone home this week and there is NO excuse for it in the end. The man apparently can't sew, can't handle a time crunch, has no idea what a woman wants, despite his own claims, and made an intensely sloppy and slobby garment that I don't think any pregnant woman would every wear, unless she was basically throwing on the equivalent of a sweatsuit so that she could grab the mail. At least Malvin had some interesting details and his was well made. This is a mess, this is so much of a mess that I wish Michael Kors had been there so he could have had a quotable quip to insult it.

When Heidi said that it looked like she made those shorts, I wanted to yell back "Me too!" Because I could have made this, and it would have looked about like this.

It's ridiculous, and I cannot even fathom why he was allowed to stay after sending this down the runway.

I'm also highly amused that the models feel the same way I do, and while Fatma's anger at being picked by Mitchell was so unprofessional that I doubt she'll stay in the competition long (well, I'd never pick her) at the same time, at least I'm not alone in my bafflement.

Also, how harsh is it that the model said that Mitchell "did the best he could?" Wow, that's so much of a Southern backhanded compliment she should have added "Bless his heart."

There's something about Nicolas' garments that just seem ill-tailored. I don't know what it is, but they don't seem like they quite fit. And they're boring and use a very dark palette for somebody who calls himself the "feather prince." It's just...dull and boring.

I love the color and fabric (again) of this dress, and I think it's very well done. I'm glad Qristyl toned it down a bit and made something classy, here's hoping she keeps on that track. But I hope she doesn't continue to just be happy being safe.

In high school, I was in color guard. If you weren't in it, basically we were the kids (all girls at my school) who spun flags and tossed them in the air during the marching band's halftime show.

I mention this, because Ra'Mon's dress looks like you should put it on a six foot pole and spin it. The swirls, the color patterns, all of it is the exact same type of thing that we would use because the patterns were big and bold, would be seen from the press box, and would create a cool effect when spun in a circle.

That is not the type of thing a person would want to WEAR.

That said, the colors are really great and compliment each other well. And I think that Heidi's observation that it was flattering from the front was spot on.

Actually, most of their comments were spot on. It did look like a bowling bag (though, really, that comment almost hit drinking game proportions too). And it was like having a big arrow pointing and saying "here is the baby."

So in the end, it was worth pointing out to him what went wrong with it, but he rightfully got to stay, since he was trying something new and maybe he didn't achieve it perfectly, but he at least made something serviceable.

Last year, I spent the entire summer and winter trying to find a new winter coat. Mine was rather old, I'd had it for three years and while it was warm and cute, it was also lavender which wasn't really that professional and didn't go with a lot of things.

My point is, I spent MONTHS trying to find the right coat, and it was really annoying because I wanted something cute, warm, and that would go with a lot of things. But something still a little fun and young looking.

I tell you this story because I managed to find a coat, and I love it. One of my favorite things was that when it arrived I found out that the coat I had ordered had this adorable pink lining. Now, I'm not a pink person, but this surprise touch of color made me really love this coat.

Which is why I wholeheartedly and undoubtedly want the coat that Shirin made in this episode. I want two of it, so that when the first wears out I have another in reserve and I don't have to go on another hunt for the perfect coat. The lining, the fit, everything about it was fabulous.

There is no question in my mind that this is the best garment that walked down that runway this week. Or last week. The color is beautiful (again) and I love the detail on the waist. I would wear this in a heartbeat. The dress is lovely, and alone it would have been a contender for the win. But when you add that lovely coat on top of it, it's an absolutely stunning effort. I really want Shirin to make this available to the public. I don't even care that it's maternity.

No comments: