Wow, only four designers left? When did this happen, and where was I?! This season has flown by! So for this, the final challenge before the final three designers are chosen, they are sent to L.A. Surprisingly, this is not even the best part of the challenge. The winner will not only get to go to Fashion Week, but will also win 100 free nights at any Best Western Hotel around the world! As a fashion designer just starting out, the value of this win is huge! I am seriously jealous. In addition, the designers will receive $400 to spend at Mood to make their red carpet look.
This whole challenge is very reminiscent of my final challenge before Fashion Week. We were the only season based in L.A. and for our final challenge, we were taken to the Getty museum, which has a breathtaking view of the city, as our inspiration for a glamorous look. I can remember that as great of a challenge this was, I was completely overwhelmed and feeling exhausted from the entirety of the season. I have an inkling that Edmond is feeling somewhat similar. It just seems that he has no confidence in any of his designs or energy to break out of his funk.
The next morning Candice continues her picking on Ashley (Remember the bullying from a few episodes ago?!) and states that “ready to wear” does not belong on the runway. While maybe not as dramatic as red carpet looks, clearly she is not well schooled in the history of American fashion and has never been to a Michael Kors or Tommy Hilfiger show. RTW is the backbone of American fashion. Luckily, Ashley is not catching on to Candice’s energy and feels very confident in herself this challenge.
I have to admit that after Tim’s critiques I am not feeling too excited for this runway. I find it disconcerting that Kelly’s look seems like it has the most potential!
I am the most concerned about Ashley. Though I do love her fabric, she seems to have a lot of construction issues with her bodice. I am also not a fan of Edmond’s rainbow sequin fabric. I think Candice has really done that silhouette, not to mention her use of black, just too, too many times.
When they return to New York, l continue to be concerned. I am seeing a lot of fit and construction issues during the fittings. I’m hoping they can pull everything together in time to make an exciting runway show.
Ashley – I thought that the color looked great on the model, and there were some interesting shapes on the bodice to recommend it. Unfortunately, I did not find this dress to be incredibly unique or interesting. I was really disappointed that she did not play more with the direction of the sequins and the interesting contrast that it could have made. I also thought that the dress was not made well. The seams were not lying flat (No excuse with the top notch Rowenta irons! She could have just covered the sequins with a towel or cloth and pressed) and the bodice did not have great structure.
Kelly – Wow, it has taken me a while to admit this…but, I really think Kelly has taken the lead in this design competition. She has really grown. I love this look. I think the pantsuit is creative and daring, and the fabric that she created is beautiful. This is a very hard piece to fit and I am impressed that she has been able to create the textile, as well make a well-constructed garment. Credit where credit is due.
Candice – Yawwnnn, I mean really?! This is the final piece that you want to show the judges before you are selected for Fashion Week? The dress was the most basic silhouette that a designer could construct. The sequin mesh was beautiful, but placed in very predicable places, and the color was boring. If Candice wanted to do a well fitting simplistic dress, then I think she should have picked a color with more of a pop. Maybe it’s me, but a young ambitious fashion designer to progress to the next level goes this simple? Ugh, no fighting spirit.
Edmond – I was also disappointed in his look as well. I thought the fabric looked very juvenile. Rainbow sequins?! Really?! The silhouette appeared juvenile as well. It did not look particularly well-constructed. I do not have much more to say about this look. I was really hoping that Edmond would pull through with a better design.
Overall, I was not incredibly impressed with the runway this week. However as I stated earlier, I can empathize with the designers and their level of exhaustion and stress. While I do sympathize with the exhaustion level, I do find these competitors lack of a “pushing it” very disappointing.
No surprise, Kelly wins the challenge and moves forward to Fashion Week along with Candice and Ashley. Unfortunately, Edmond is sent home. I was hoping that Tim Gunn would come in and use his save, but the way the episode ended, I can’t help but hope that it is a bit of a “to be continued…” There is still time for the save. Either way Edmond was a class act, congratulating the other designers even after the judges made him endure watching all the celebrations before telling him he was kicked off.
