Project Runway goes to Bryant Park
I do watch things other than Project Runway, I swear. I even read books occasionally. But for now, it's the end of the summer, and this is my main source of television entertainment, and it's a nice way to get back into posting after my last few months of semi-hiatus.
Now then:
Do not read this post if you don't want to be spoiled for the Project Runway Bryant Park collections.
Start here to view all of the collections.
All six of the remaining designers did indeed show (see previous post for my carping about that), so we still don't know which of them are decoys and which are the real finalists.
Most of the contestants had a final piece in their collection that seemed wedding dress-esque, so there's speculation that they were told to make one as a final addition to what they showed. Which would be both a nice nod to fashion show tradition and a brilliant way of fucking with their heads, assuming they had to do that at the last minute.
Brief thoughts:
Joe: Mall wear. As the judges like to say, I worry about his taste level. The first piece, the brown sundress, is cute, and I like it, but is it appropriate for a runway show of this nature? I don't think so. If they were all doing sportswear collections, sure, but not here.
Kenley: I like the blue dress with the tulle skirt and the cream-colored garden print, not crazy about anything else. Some of the other pieces almost work, but they seem...unedited. I think this serves as a good point of contrast, actually: she goes to extremes that don't quite hit the mark; Jerell goes to extremes that do. I really dislike the prints she chooses, and it's nothing we haven't seen from her before.
Suede: One or two piece that I think work very well -- the short silver dress in particular -- but otherwise nothing outstanding, and I'm not crazy about the (over)use of baby blue and light pink. I liked the outfit with the long gunmetal bottom when I thought it was a skirt; I am less pleased with it as pants. I do like the use of gunmetal tulle as the underskirt to the wedding dress, although I'm pretty over that short in the front with a long train look. (Not from Suede specifically, just in general. It's been done to death.) The collection doesn't tell me much about what his underlying aesthetic is, and, like Kenley, none of it is anything we haven't seen from him before.
Leanne: Beautifully structured and it works as a cohesive collection, but I'm a little disappointed in the color palette. I see what she was going for with it, but it strikes me as a bit washed out. There's nothing here that really pops, and I think she needed a dramatic burst of color somewhere, which she could have done while still staying within the same parameters, and which would work really well with the kind of structural details she likes to play with. Still, very good nonetheless.
Jerell: Insane, but in a good way. As I said in my last episode post, I love what he does with fabric and pattern and texture, and the unexpected ways in which he mixes them, as well as the fact that he's willing to just go balls out and take some extreme risks. More often than not, they pay off for him. Like Leanne, it's a cohesive collection that really showcases what he's about as a designer. I love the metallic green and the purple dresses, and that final gown is a stunner. (And Jerell would be the one to do a wedding dress in non-traditional colors.)
Korto: Just gorgeous all around, and, like Leanne's and Jerell's, cohesive. The beads and the bright colors make a fantastic statement. I am seriously in love with both of the taupe dresses and the print with the mustard-colored waistband.
Now then:
Do not read this post if you don't want to be spoiled for the Project Runway Bryant Park collections.
Start here to view all of the collections.
All six of the remaining designers did indeed show (see previous post for my carping about that), so we still don't know which of them are decoys and which are the real finalists.
Most of the contestants had a final piece in their collection that seemed wedding dress-esque, so there's speculation that they were told to make one as a final addition to what they showed. Which would be both a nice nod to fashion show tradition and a brilliant way of fucking with their heads, assuming they had to do that at the last minute.
Brief thoughts:
Joe: Mall wear. As the judges like to say, I worry about his taste level. The first piece, the brown sundress, is cute, and I like it, but is it appropriate for a runway show of this nature? I don't think so. If they were all doing sportswear collections, sure, but not here.
Kenley: I like the blue dress with the tulle skirt and the cream-colored garden print, not crazy about anything else. Some of the other pieces almost work, but they seem...unedited. I think this serves as a good point of contrast, actually: she goes to extremes that don't quite hit the mark; Jerell goes to extremes that do. I really dislike the prints she chooses, and it's nothing we haven't seen from her before.
Suede: One or two piece that I think work very well -- the short silver dress in particular -- but otherwise nothing outstanding, and I'm not crazy about the (over)use of baby blue and light pink. I liked the outfit with the long gunmetal bottom when I thought it was a skirt; I am less pleased with it as pants. I do like the use of gunmetal tulle as the underskirt to the wedding dress, although I'm pretty over that short in the front with a long train look. (Not from Suede specifically, just in general. It's been done to death.) The collection doesn't tell me much about what his underlying aesthetic is, and, like Kenley, none of it is anything we haven't seen from him before.
Leanne: Beautifully structured and it works as a cohesive collection, but I'm a little disappointed in the color palette. I see what she was going for with it, but it strikes me as a bit washed out. There's nothing here that really pops, and I think she needed a dramatic burst of color somewhere, which she could have done while still staying within the same parameters, and which would work really well with the kind of structural details she likes to play with. Still, very good nonetheless.
Jerell: Insane, but in a good way. As I said in my last episode post, I love what he does with fabric and pattern and texture, and the unexpected ways in which he mixes them, as well as the fact that he's willing to just go balls out and take some extreme risks. More often than not, they pay off for him. Like Leanne, it's a cohesive collection that really showcases what he's about as a designer. I love the metallic green and the purple dresses, and that final gown is a stunner. (And Jerell would be the one to do a wedding dress in non-traditional colors.)
Korto: Just gorgeous all around, and, like Leanne's and Jerell's, cohesive. The beads and the bright colors make a fantastic statement. I am seriously in love with both of the taupe dresses and the print with the mustard-colored waistband.