Friday, September 19, 2008

Ooh, sleepover at Parson's!

So I have to admit that while most people would probably find the idea of giving recent college grads a makeover is a pretty stupid challenge. I think this episode failed the potential, but I do think potential was there.

Maybe I only find it interesting because I was in that spot once. It wasn't that many years ago when I was thrown to the wolves of the world with a bachelor's and a hope that I could get a job. But I had majored in film and photography and minored in art history, so really, I shouldn't have expected much.

But it is a time that's really interesting for women and their style. They have to discover how to fit in and look professional while still being themselves and having their own style. It's kind of fascinating in a way.

I could just find it interesting because I'm currently in my first few weeks of graduate school and I'm back to trying to reinvent myself again.

BUT, I think they failed utterly at the fact that the mothers were involved. They were unnecessary, they had no purpose dramatically. I'm in a screenwriting class right now and she keeps telling us about how if it isn't an integral part of the story, then the detail shouldn't be there. Is it vitally important that the main character has blue eyes? No? Then chuck it.

So, is it important to the dramatic arc of the episodes that the mothers are there at all? Absolutely not. The clients ran about the same chance of being demanding and difficult as the prom challenge, and so you didn't need the mothers there. The mothers only came to TWO meetings out of what, four? Then they watched the runway show and went away without a word!

If the mothers had at least joined them on the runway to talk about what they thought of the makeover then I would have given it a go. But they didn't, so they shouldn't be there.

It occurs to me that using a screenwriting argument to debate the merits of the challenge on an "unscripted" show could be it's own post, what with the WGA and all. I'll avoid that post and get back to the fun part: MAKEOVERS!

Or not, since most of the girls looked so very much the same as before. Blah de blah.



Jerrell very clearly won this challenge. He took the girl who said she liked androgyny and tomboyish looks and made her look stylish without being overtly feminine. He made her look professional without making her look old, and just in general I'm a fan. The only problem I really have is that along with this "head to toe" makeover they should have done more with the hair. I'm going to refrain from critiquing the girl's hair because no 22 year old needs an anonymous blogger saying she had a bad hair day on national television, but I wanted to see DIFFERENT looks, and this girl's hair didn't really look different.

They got rid of the different colors and made it one solid, and that's about it.

That said, it's still absolutely the best garment of the show, it's actually so far and above the rest it deserves a win with a gold star or something. Absolutely an earned win.



I have no problem with Joe making an interview suit instead of something that screams "graphic designer." Mostly because what in the world screams graphic designer? Bold prints? I don't know. But the thing is, I'm a filmmaker and I'm pretty sure that I should still just wear something professional to job interviews. I'm still supposed to own a suit. There was a bit of a speech at orientation about "dressing like a filmmaker" but I never did figure out what that meant, so I think Joe's idea wasn't bad.

I think Joe's execution has so many flaws I can't actually go over them all. The skirt is the wrong length, it comes up too high above her waist. The jacket is tailored badly, and the shirt...I can barely look at the shirt. It doesn't fit her, it's terrible. It also is far too low cut to go with the rest of the look, I'm so confused by it.

Also, it should be worth noting that pocket squares are not, by default, outdated and terrible. I bet they can be pulled off with quite a bit of style if done right. This isn't it, by far, but still. Don't laugh just because it's a pocket square.

All in all, Joe just fell apart here. I expected to not care when he got eliminated, but somehow I actually got a little upset about it. Not fair, Project Runway!



Dear Kenley,

Please go home. You obviously don't want to be here, so just leave already.

No love,
Me.

That's all I'm going to say about Kenley's miserable attitude other than where has this been the whole time? I know there's editing tricks and stuff, but it's really confusing! Maybe it's always been there, but it's still just obnoxious! I so wish she had gone home last week.

The dress itself...I actually don't like it. I think it's boring, I think it's cliched, and I think it screams "Look at me, I'm so desperate to be different just like all those other people!" Just watching the girl and Kenley snicker on the runway was like watching a bad high school clique or something. What does that have to do with the dress? Because it feels like a costume, like the girl is putting on an entire costume instead of being a person.

I hate the belt. The vest and dress, with a thinner belt, could work for me I guess. But I agree with Tim that the tulle shouldn't have been showing. I also think that this wasn't remotely a makeover, but then almost nobody really did that.

Maybe I'm just too sour-faced about Kenley in general, but I just don't like it. I think that it was only in the top because when you only have six designers it's either top or bottom. In any other week this would have been the middle, IMHO.



Brace yourselves.

I don't like this at all. I think the jacket would look great on somebody with a different build, but this makes her look like she's so wide and so short. There's just so much not to like about what it does to her body. The dress might be fun and nice under that jacket but when you put them together it makes her a block.

I like the idea of the jacket, I wonder what it would look like on Korto's regular model. I also wonder what it would look like on Korto, I think I'd like it.

But this outfit? I'm just not really a fan of it at all.



Leanne...oh, poor Leanne. While there wasn't much drama or difficulty in the long run, why did you make this dress? Fresh off of three phenomenal garments you make THIS? I realize the girl is an elementary school teacher, but so was my sister and she didn't wear things like this.

The idea might have been sound, I guess. But the jacket is just off in so many ways, including the fit. And the top was just not as well made as I'm used to for Leanne. It made me sad to see, and if she had been one of the bottom two I would have cried.

I just don't know how this garment existed. After so many amazing things and then she makes this? It reminds me more of Jennifer than Leanne.



Okay, that jacket is bad, I'll give you that in a heartbeat. But at least the dress itself is very cute. Maybe it's not a professional work attire kind of thing, but at least it's cute. The jacket...the jacket is just kind of wrong. But it's so much better than Joe's. As much as I'm confused by how long Suede has lasted, this wasn't an elimination dress.

I do have to say that it makes me kind of grumpy how they kept saying "she doesn't look like a photographer!" What exactly does a photographer wear, hm? I get the whole thing about pants because she's hauling equipment and running around to get a good shot, but there are so few professions that have a dress code and photography is not one of them. I was one for a while, I just wore business casual.

Side note!

I checked out Joe's collection since I now knew he was a decoy, since I don't actually look at them before the show. There were a few good pieces (I love the first denim skirt) but for the most part I was so perplexed. The second corset top with the zippers? That looked so cheap.

What really bugged me was his insistence in the Western theme he had going on with the turquoise jewelery. Okay, my mom loves turquoise jewelery, and it can be really beautiful. But it has to be paired properly and wore the right way, just like anything else. Almost nothing in his show fit that description.

Though I am amused that I looked through the pictures yesterday with a co-worker and we couldn't figure out why he went all western and then this morning's Style section in the Express was all about how the Western look is back. Well, you get two points for physic power, Joe.