Project Runway: Avant-Gard

I always dread the avant-garde challenge on Project Runway. While I understand the “pushing the limits” aspect of avant-garde, I can’t seem to get behind it. To be sure the techniques and construction skills are incredible, requiring all sorts of innovation and creativity. But to what end? It feels like such a waste of time, especially when no one but Lady Gaga would ever wear it, and I’m pretty sure she has all creative control of her looks. Ultimately I do believe that fashion is art, but to reach its pinnacle, it has to be functional art. And I don’t think the judges really want avant-garde anyway. I mean, they told more than one contest that they weren’t “avant-garde enough,” but then they criticized others for not making it wearable enough. And of course, the winner’s look was probably the most layperson-wearable of the lot. But congrats to Anthony Ryan, who was long overdue for a win. He’s talented (I keep forgetting he’s colorblind!) and sweet and Southern. And I do love me some Southern.

 

Poor, poor, Josh C. He was brought back into the competition during the last challenge, only to be sent home once again. He definitely has some serious skills, but he simply has not found his point of view yet. Not only do his looks feel recycled, but he seems to pick the worst fashion to recycle. At one point Viktor called Josh C.’s look (before he edited for the runway), “Carmen Miranda meets vampire.” Which was a little mean, and a lot funny, but in reality the most accurate description of anything I’ve ever heard. The guest judge, Kenneth Cole, called the finished product "generic dominatrix," which is the best thing he said all night. (He was generally a terrible judge because he simply struggled to put together complete sentences.)

 

Oliver really did give Josh C. a run for his money, though. He uses the same washed-out and depressing color palette for every single garment. Plus he tried to glue part of it to his model so it wouldn’t “flap” while the model was walking. Get real. But Tim busted him, so Oliver put his model’s hair over the offending part of the garment as a cop-out. Hopefully he will be out soon.

 

I do have to say something about Becky’s look. I was frightened by her choice of denim for an avant-garde look. Denim? Really? But I was surprised by how her dramatic hemline really made the dress stand out in a good way. I think she really “made it work,” as it were. Not my favorite look, but she definitely made me take a second look.

 

 As to my favorite look? I did like Anthony Ryan's, but I was surprised how much I liked Laura's look. I don't feel that it's truly avant-garde, but it is dramatic, energetic, strong, and sweet all at the same time. Not an easy thing to accomplish. I can see her in the top three.