Clearing the Decks

Okay, let's wrap this up.

Hate it. Next!

Oh, fine.

Nothing about this really speaks to the whole '40s spy, Marlene Dietrich thing but then again, we'd lay odds that Blayne has absolutely no idea who Dietrich was.

We like the coat quite a bit taken on its own. For this outfit and this challenge, not so much.

We hate the knickers too but only because he chose a poor fabric for them and because they just don't go with the whole theme.

But y'know, Blayne isn't the joke we all assumed at the start of the season. He definitely has a youthful point of view and some skill as a designer. We just think he suffers from a kind of designer immaturity. No understanding of how to put a look together or how to draw on reference points.

On the one hand, we can applaud Jerrell's attempt to really fit this into an existing collection. The cinched waist with the belt and the layered looks is very much of a piece with DVF's collection.

On the other hand, that belt is the wrong color and the layered pieces look a little too bulky and sloppy.

Plus, the skirt's too short. And we hate the hat. Despite that, not a bad effort.

Oh, for God's sake.

We don't know WHAT the hell's going on here. We're happy to see him break away from that party dress silhouette he was falling back on too much, but this isn't exactly an improvement.

We like that print but we don't think he utilized it well at all.

And that vest is totally wrong. Neither the fabric nor the shape goes with that dress.

The skirt's too full up top...

...and too long on the bottom. Just an all-around strange look from a strange designer.

[Photos: Barbara Nitke/Bravo - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]

Donna Summer and Veronica Lodge

NEWSFLASH: TERRI MAKES ANOTHER PAIR OF PANTS!

Certainly, if you do something well and you're in a competition, it makes sense to return to that well often.

And it helps if you're thin enough to try them on for fit

But kittens, we are getting so tired of the TerriPants. Especially when they're always the same pair of high-waisted, flared leg pants.

The coat is nice - but she's made quite a few of those, too.

And the fabric for that blouse is kind of ugly. Yes, we know it came from DVF but she didn't HAVE to pick it.

Face it, if this came down the runway and you had to guess who the designer was that made it, you'd all guess correctly. Terri's good, but because she keeps returning to the same silhouette and the same basic 3 pieces, it makes us question how good she is.

We admit it. We've been a little mean to mean girl.

Well, she kind of softened our hard gay hearts this week. Her crying jags were utterly real and kind of sweet and charming.

Unfortunately, the dress was kind of bleh. Pretty, but nothing spectacular.

First off, the fabric choice. It is a nice print, but we're not sure we'd want to see an entire dress made out of this print. It's a bit overwhelming.

There's just nothing to get really excited about with this dress. It's pretty, but that's about it.

Yeah.

That's about it.

We can understand wanting to keep things simple and make one killer piece but this wasn't really killer. Not bad enough to raise the judges' ire, but not good enough for a win, either.

Well, that's not true. One judge seemed a little irate.

"That's it? This so-called 'dress?' You thought you could get away with this kind of laziness? A good German girl could have clothed an entire family in the time it took you to make this thing! I am disgusted."

"I like the dress."

'It's actually made beautifully."

"Very simple, but very chic, very wearable, sellable."

"Don't pay attention to Heidi. She's feeling a little German today."

"Stupid lazy American cow."


[Photos: Barbara Nitke/Bravo - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot]

Korto and Joe

Darlings, before we get to Korto's dress, let's put on our Lois Lane pillbox hats or our Nancy Drew sweaters and do a little sleuthing, shall we?

Some people online have made the point that a dress very similar to Korto's appeared in DVF's Amex commercial and some have even surmised that Diane may have been "inspired" by Korto's design. The dress in question:

While there are some similarities, it really comes down to the fact that Korto used the same fabric in her design. Besides, the point is moot because the DVF dress walked down the runways in February, 4 months before Korto ever set eyes on DVF or her fabric.

What REALLY reminds us of Korto's dress are these looks from DVF's Resort 2009 collection:

As you can see, the black and white fabric paired with the bold yellow really call to mind Korto's dress. But once again, these looks walked the runway before S4 S5. Similar designs, but that's not really unheard of in the trend-driven world of fashion.

Now, on to the ripping.

Kittens, this was gorgeous, no two ways about it.

Girl knows her shit. The proportions, the use of color, the construction - all letter perfect.

We absolutely loved the shape of this jacket. Granted, Korto could rightfully claim the Princess Puffysleeves tiara at this point, since she returns to that voluminous well again and again, but we can't say we mind. The volume of the sleeves is offset by the tight, cropped bodice on the jacket. We love the little tied sash holding the whole thing together, too.

We hesitate to say this because the dress itself is so beautiful, but the jacket really makes the look here. Without it, this would look like a fairly basic DVF-style gown - not that there's anything wrong with that.

Although we have to say, that hint of yellow under the split skirt was pretty masterful.

Really, the only thing we didn't like was the yellow up near the top. Tim was right. It looks like bra straps. Besides, what with the halter top on the dress and the wide collar on the jacket (not to mention the big sleeves) there were enough elements going on up around her neck and shoulders that the yellow only served as a distraction.

Still, it was gorgeous and could have easily taken its place in a DVF collection. Unfortunately, Leanne also produced a worthy frock and it was really a tossup as to which was better.

Then there was the decidedly NON-gorgeous entry:

Jesus, this was AWFUL.

First, take a look once again at the collection from which they were supposed to be drawing inspiration. There is NOTHING in that collection that looks like this.

Leanne and Korto received such high marks because they acted as if they were junior designers at DVF and came up with something that fits seamlessly into her existing collection. This just doesn't.

And the colors on this thing were vomit-inducing. And the proportions! Skirt too short, top too tight, weird vest/hood thing too big and overwhelming. Take each element on their own and you can see the problems. Put them all together on one outfit and ALL you see are the problems.

Joe sez: "It's a very polished look. So much so that it might get lost amongst the crap that's going down the runway."

Really, Joe? Really? Designers constantly talk smack about each other but that comment borders on the delusional.

It's most definitely NOT a polished look. It looks sloppy and mismatched.

LOOK AT THAT.

THAT'S polished?

Joe also sez: "I truly think that this represents me as a designer."

Honey, think about what you're saying here.


[Photos: Barbara Nitke/Bravo/Style.com - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot]