Catching Up

Allllrighty — back from Australia, very jetlagged, and catching up on three episodes before the winner is announced tonight!! I was sort of sorry not to see any t-shirt mini challenges as I’m in need of inspiration. After washing my favorite t-shirt several times, it still smells of the koala I carried around last week for the amusement of the men in my family. It was damp and also kept trying to grab my nose. Hmmmph.

Episode 9 – was kind of bored through the sleepwear and the tarot cards. Having experienced a tarot card reading on TV as well, I think that even if you are with a reader who is truly gifted, it’s hard to get an accurate reading on camera — there’s so much going on around you and such a strong desire on the part of the reader to create a good impression that it can easily be skewed. However, it can make good foreshadowing when edited right! LOVED Reco’s look and would buy it; Anna’s too and I’m so glad she won that week — she really deserved to. The only ones I wouldn’t wear out of this episode were Merlin’s or Daniella’s, and although he was not the weakest designer of the bunch, due to that garment Merlin definitely had to go home.

Moving on to Episode 10 – I loved the draping challenge, and thought pretty much everyone but Johnny did a good job. I got really excited when I saw the Swarovski crystals and couldn’t wait to see what the designers did with them. It was really great to see some of the designers come back, and I was so happy to see Anna and Keith teamed together — I think her look was very Anna with a little bit of Keith splashed in. My favorite detail was the usage of crystal on the inside of the bow, and although I thought using the cup detail two weeks running was risky, it didn’t matter in the end. Daniella’s neckline was stunning and I’d happily wear it. I sort of wish that the skirt was a little more tailored but I don’t know how you’d do that with that fabric.  Reco’s dress was cool and sexy; I’d choose that for a day into night sort of affair, where the red carpet is in daylight so you can see through the dress. I was really disappointed by James-Paul’s, but he’s a great designer overall so I think this was his week to try something and fall on his face. It was too princess-y for my taste, which was really surprising as I wouldn’t have thought he’d ever go that way. I have to say that I actually would wear Johnny’s dress, but once I saw the Lanvin dress he’d referred to, plus his sulky, cover-your-tracks, blame it on Angel sort of behavior, I knew he had to go. Come on, even my five-year-old rarely acts out that much when I catch him red-handed. And finally, it’s safe to talk about the finale show! As we filmed it several weeks ago, Merlin and Johnny created collections too so as not to give away the last two eliminations. I loved Merlin’s fabulous attitude — his collection was costumey and completely over the top but in a fun way.  I was surprised to see Reco’s collection that day, but of course only saw the lead-up of his fitting trouble last night when watching the episode. It was unexpected that his collection fell as flat as it did — I really loved the teal coat but that was about it. My guess would be that it was easier for him to concentrate during the season when he was living and breathing work, and perhaps when he went home to create his looks life got in the way? Anna’s collection was fantastic, and I actually didn’t get the disparity Fern and Isaac mentioned. While the people in the painting she used for inspiration are actually all naked, the colors are quite varied, and I thought each one of her looks evoked the feel of the painting. I also think that it’s possible to go too far and have every look within a collection be too similar, so the judges’ concern didn’t worry me too much. I loved both Daniella and James-Paul’s collections although they seemed similar — I think that was a coincidence. The chain mail detail really wowed me; I’d happily wear most of her looks. Since I was out of the country during the voting period I was not able to vote, but if I had I would have voted for James-Paul. I’m not sure whether America will agree with me — some people may have thought it was too avant-garde but I thought his designs were innovative and exciting.  All three of these guys should be able to go on to commercial success; for that matter, every contestant can. Can’t wait until tonight when the winner is announced!