"Flapper Fashion Face Off"
I like face offs. They bring out a little more intensity in the competition, and I think it's a good reality check for both the judges and contestants when side-by-side comparison is forced upon them. Since one of the up and coming trends is once again looking back to the 20s (I've been seeing it crop up here and there ever since I first saw The Great Gatsby trailer months ago), the challenge felt immediately relevant for once. Each set of faced off designers had a different 20s theme as their inspiration and parameter.
Emilio & Joshua: Afternoon Garden Party
Anthony Ryan & Ivy: Social Soiree
Uli & Laura Kathleen: After Hours Speakeasy
Joshua: This was probably my favorite look ever from Joshua despite the fact that the color combo, at least from the front, looked a bit old and dowdy. He should have put that lime stripe in the front too and left all the other fussy details off. He's always shooting himself in the foot with "more is better."
Emilio (winner of face off): I did like Emilio's look better than Joshua's, at least idea-wise. It wasn't an iconic 20s silhouette, but I bought his slightly stretched argument about it being a 20s-30s transitional dress...and admittedly I was partially swayed because I absolutely adore Emilio's personality. The lace cutouts were lovely, and his vintage-inspired print was a great choice, but the length looks more calypso than vintage.
Ivy: Oh, Ivy. I was shocked that she didn't go home for the last challenge. And this week she was wide of the mark again, but managed to scrape by. Her fabric was truly beautiful, but how she made it look so heavy and cumbersome is beyond me. I actually think her beaded fabric mixed with that grey leather could have been something amazing, but she didn't actually design anything, she simply constructed an ill-proportioned, mediocre sheath.
Anthony Ryan (winner of face off): I mean, y'all should know by now how much I love this boy. I'm certainly glad he won the whole challenge, but I can't say his design was perfect. Certainly 20s, certainly well-constructed and thought out, but still not a wow. But no one was a wow, so the best of the okay sometimes takes the cake.
Uli (winner of face off): I had mixed feelings about Uli's dress. There was nothing offensive, but nothing eye-catching either. I didn't understand the shoulder wrap, but her dress moved beautifully and was well-made.
Laura Kathleen: I was absolutely shocked that LK was out. Aside from the fur vest, this was one of her best silhouettes. I loved the color and the amount and placement of the sparkle was just right. No, it was not perfect as is, and no, it wasn't the best of the challenge, and no, I don't love LK, but the design certainly wasn't go home material. Ivy and Joshua have the same problems over and over again and they keep turning up like bad pennies.
"There's No Business Like Sew Business"
This last week the designers were challenged to make a modern, sophisticated, and feminine dress for designer Elie Tehari. They also had to keep their garment at a retail price point of $500-700. (Which isn't really all that difficult if you ask me.)
The bottom two were Josh and Ivy, but the funny thing is that if Ivy had listened to her critique and swallowed her pride (like Emilio did), she would have been in the top three, because the top of the dress was pretty great. Instead she went home with her nowhere length dress that had slits that cheapened the whole look.
This also meant that Joshua had a very narrow escape. Everyone agreed that his color and base fabric choice was absolutely gorgeous, but he couldn't not add and add to it until he ruined it. The lace and exposed zipper quickly took to the look to "lady of the night," and we don't really need to go into the droopy boobs nonsense.
Uli's look was okay for me. The silhouette and execution were fantastic, but it looked a little too much like crochet, and I do not enjoy crocheted clothes. (Yes, Virginia, fabric choice is key.) I'm not exactly tired of her doing white dresses, but I would like to see her do something else, because I like Uli and want her to be in the top.
I like Emilio's color choices and silhouette. Of course, as the judges mentioned, mustard can be hard to wear, but it doesn't mean that it's unsalable. In fact, a lot of "high fashion" I see is hard to wear in some way, yet it still seems to sell.
But my wee lamb Anthony Ryan wins again! Which is okay by me. He's remarkable in his ability to create clean, sharp looks that don't all look the same, and this challenge was no exception. The neckline could use a little pattern adjustment, and I might play with the proportions of the color blocking a bit, but that's all a bit nitpicky.
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