Week 6 starts with another party! I am really getting jealous of this season! They get to party in addition to socializing with the all the judges! What other designers have been able to sip on luxurious cocktails while sketching inspirations for a cocktail dress? I mean does it get any better?! I would love to spend an afternoon like that!
The designers are given $300 and head off to Mood and get materials. $300 is a lot for one dress, so I can only imagine how gorgeous some of these dresses with be. The group heads back to the workroom. Cornelius and Nathalia get into a little argument because Cornelius doesn’t think her dress represents her well and that it is over the top. She meanwhile thinks his looks like a couch.
According to Nathalia this is just a “fake fight,” and glad they can take out their negativity on each other, not traumatizing the other designers!
The room seems torn between two extremes. On one hand there is the extremely gorgeous and inspiring looks, and on the other there are the ones looking a hot mess. So far I am loving Laurence, but am very concerned about Mah-Jing and Cornelius. After Tim’s critique many designers are forced to start completely over.
I can’t believe the designers walk into the room the next day, the day of the runway show, so unprepared. Some designers are literally starting from nothing! I start to feel stressed out for them! I have to think it is scary when Jenni’s dress has so many construction issues, and yet it is considered a front-runner. Perhaps all the judges spoke too soon when they spoke about how talented the group was this season, have the judges jinxed them?! These designers have completely surprised me before, so I am excited to see what the final pieces look like on the runway.
On to the runway:
Laurence – She executed this look perfectly. I am always so blown away by the precision and detail work she can do with difficult fabrics in such a short amount of time. It is a gorgeous, sleek and timeless dress. I think she will be in the top three.
Rik – This dress also has a great chance at being in the top three. I love that it is leather, yet still playful. It also looks completely unique from other dresses I have seen at a cocktail party. He did a great job of working with leather–and for the first time. The front is much more successful then the back. Personally, I do not care for the strap across the back or the exposed zipper.
Jenni – I do not share the same excitement for this dress that Jenni does. It is a basic, unflattering silhouette with appliqué and the appliqué does not even seem to be sewn on the dress that well.
Erin – I love the fabric that she chose for the dress and how it reflects the light. I think it would look great in a cocktail setting. I am not crazy about the feathers. It seems to be a little too much for the dress, add to that, it is something that we have seen before. She could have gotten a little more creative with their placement.
Tasha – This dress is way too simple, but I think she did a great job with the amount of time she had, having to start over. Her styling surprised me. Usually she is able to pull her looks together with her styling, but this time I thought she really dated her model. The sash around the waist and dangled earrings, I’m talking to you.
Cornelius – This dress also looked extremely dated. The silhouette looked like a bridesmaid dress, and the fabric was way too casual. I understand that he was stuck with the fabric from Mood, but I would have made it shorter and played around with creating different shapes, trying to change the print to make it more interesting. In addition, this dress looked like it should cost way less then $300.
Nathalia – I agree with her that the dress does not look great, but that she was able to pull it together. I think with the appliqué it would stand out at a cocktail party, but the actual silhouette of the dress is not that interesting and the neckline looks dated. The construction also looked subpar, especially with the wonky strap in the back.
Brik – I am not really crazy about the look of this dress. It looks very “futuristic,” but not in a good way. I do think that he did a great job with his construction, and I will say that I love the back of the dress. This would be an incredibly hard dress to pattern. I am pleasantly surprised to see this coming from Brik. I see a higher skill level then I did before.
Mah-Jing – This is the opposite of the last dress. I love the look, design and color of this dress. Unfortunately, the construction and fit is way off. I love the high front slit andappliqué at the sleeves, but it is a simple dress that really needs to fit impeccably. It didn’t…
Roberi – I am pleasantly surprised with how he pulled this look together. I was a little worried after seeing his critique with Tim. I think he utilized the print well and the fit is great. My only concern would be if this fabric choice was the best for cocktail attire.
Dexter – I don’t hate this look. It is very simple but, a tasteful way to wear fringe that I think a lot of people would be willing to try. I think it would have been more fun in a pop color rather then brown. It also looked a lot cheaper then the $300.
The judges did not agree with me about Dexter’s tasteful use of fringe, and they warned him that he was lucky to be safe. The judges did agree with me that the runway overall was a big disappointment. I think these designers are a talented group and I hope this challenge was a wake-up call to step it up.
I was really disappointed to see that Jenni won, not Rik or Laurence. I was sad to see Tasha go, but believe that she was the right choice this week to go home.
