Eye Candy
Episode 6
The Challenge: Oh, the bittersweet taste of mixing candy with fashion! The designers were taken on a field trip to the Hershey store in Times Square. They were given five minutes to fill shopping bags with whatever costly items they wanted. Some opted for fabric based items such as giant candy bar pillows, while others took the edible route with peanut butter cups and Twizzlers.
I immediately thought of costume designer, Chris March. Of all the designers, he has had the most experience with non-material fabric. Chris has had a tendency to add small details to his designs (red fish tail on a navy skirt) that give the "costume" impression. This challenge could have gone either way for him. I feared the worst.
The Designers: Christian has his cute, corky moments, but he was annoying tonight. The dress he made, using brown fabric and the brown wrappers from Reese's Peanut Butter Cups as detail, was nice, but it wasn't extraordinary. He sewed a halter dress and added the wrapper detail, then acted like a five year old craving attention. I liked it when it hit the runway. The wrappers picked up the light wonderfully and it is a dress I would wear, but it didn't have enough "wow!" factor.
Chris' design looked great on the sewing machine. He folded and sewed many Hershey logos together for the torso of a brown mini dress. If we hadn't known it was the logo, it would have looked like white art-deco designs on an adorably chic dress. Nina was definitely impressed. You rarely if ever hear her applaud the designers with, "This is ready to be photographed for Elle."
Poor Jillian. She has rapidly grown into one of my favorite designers. She is so laidback, but confident. Jillian usually designs with ease and patience, but she made the mistake of stocking up on edible material. She had the right idea when she grabbed an abundance of red Twizzlers. They are the most flexible of candy and a pin could easily slip through the soft licorice. However, food is meant to be eaten not worn and she had an extremely difficult time sewing her flapper-like skirt together. The corset did turn out well material-wise, but once it was on the model I didn't like the fit. I thought the entire outfit was well thought, but it wasn't my favorite of Jillian's designs. She and Rami make such a charming pair. They remind me of Michael and Laura from last season.
The Decision: I figured Elisa would be Auf'd. Her dress looked like a little girl's Halloween costume; but that wasn't what gave her depart away. The sudden spotlight on her past was a huge hint. I'm glad she is in good health once again, but it would have been nice to hear her back story in an earlier episode. The producers always wait until the last episode [a designer appears in] to tell their story. I have always had a fondness for Elisa and I wish her the best of luck in all that she does!
Of course, Rami won! His dress was very "Hershey". Every detail amazed me. I liked it, but it wasn't my favorite. My favorite design went to Kevin. The entire outfit looked modern, sophisticated and sexy. Jillian came in second with her delicious ensemble.
Note: Did anyone else notice the slight attraction or maybe just infatuation between Rami and guest judge/designer Zac Posen? Zac Posen is adorable and has always been my favorite guest judge!
