DAYOUNG
At BG she picked what I thought was a safe print; but she picked it because it seemed traditional far away, but up close it was not; we never really learned what it was though, so I’m sticking to her explanation.
During her meeting with Ashley, Dayoung explains her backwards mullet coat design—the party is up front y’all—and Ashley dubs it “badass” and “chic.” Maybe Dayoung will win this week, or maybe …
Day Two she wakes up feeling cold and out of sorts—like a well or a fountain she told the EMTs—and she struggles. It may be nerves, and the balls to the wall challenges, but it also may be that Dayoung doesn’t really seem to eat much. Still, she soldiers on, and when she shows the look to Christian, his one critique is that since she shows a lot of coats, make this a standout with an exaggerated sleeve.
Dayoung’s energy is completely depleted and again she is struggling. Victoria, who finished early because she’s a winner, helps Dayoung get a finished look for the runway.
WHAT SHE SAID
I feel really happy…I have a lot of ideas.
WHAT I SAID
I do love her Asian aesthetic, and love that the coat is in a sold purple to break up the print.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Nina loved the look, and loves the silhouette, and how it worked with the print; she called it minimal but modern. Karlie appreciated the more-is-more approach with the details of bowties and pops of green in the cuffs, but Brandon thinks the bowtie is too much and that the dress under the coat was really an afterthought. Ashley loved the way the solid fabric of the coat played off the print and loved the movement of the look.
MARQUISE
God, Marquise is a handsome man; and when the designtestants, as they are apt to do, did a runway walk contest between themselves, his was fierce and touch and masculine and got my motor running. But then why did he pick such a drab print in that sea of over-the-top color? And why, once again, was he going to make a bomber coat? And why, when he was doing pull-ups in the penthouse, did he leave his shirt on?
He first chose some gun-metal gray sequined fabric to pair with his print, but then felt it didn’t and switched it up to a skirt …in.the.same.print. …and a white top with bejeweled Ashley Longshore bees [wasps] pinned to it.
Christian is not happy because the shirt fabric has no stretch and self-taught Marquis is having trouble with the darts to make the top sit right on his model.
Marquise tells her not to open the coat too much so the judges can’t see the top, and I shout at the TV:
“Marquise! The judges are gonna ask the model to take off her coat! And I’m gonna ask you, again, to take off your shirt.”
Nobody listens.
WHAT HE SAID
I’m feeling pretty nervous about the fit of the darts.
WHAT I SAID
It’s the print, y’all. I get it that they are killer birds, but it reads drab …oversized drab.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Nina doesn’t see Marquise in the design because Ashley’s print is all there is; she calls the coat a “heavy tent,” and wants the model to take it off. Damn you, Nina, and your perfect eye. Brandon thinks “the darting is unfortunate. When Elaine suggests Marquise “wasn’t that bad” Brandon offers her his glasses. Ashley thought it was cute, but nothing like the original idea. Karlie liked the bees ... wasps.
VICTORIA
She hates prints. We know this because she said it 4,000 times during the show, even telling the print designer, Ashley Longshore, that she hated prints and flowers … while choosing a flowered print.
At Mood, Victoria hides from Christian because she hates her print and doesn’t want him to see what else she’s buying. The idea she presented to Ashley was a very oversized cargo pant in the print; Ashley loves the structure of the look but wonders why the whole top is white. Uh … because Victoria hates prints.
Christian thinks Victoria needs to incorporate the print more into her piece, and even shows her some cools ways to do so, but she still whines about prints and about how she’s always in the top. He walks away muttering:
“I don’t know what we accomplished, but good luck.”
Victoria gave up on this challenge in the basement at Bergdorf’s. And as she fits her model and slinks a length of what appears to be bicycle chain around the waist, Christian is even more worried. With good reason.
WHAT SHE SAID
I’m trying to look calm, but I know I didn’t do enough to succeed.
WHAT I SAID
It’s the same top every week, but this she paired with pants! In a print!
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Brandon asks if she finished early, and she says, ‘Yes.’ He then adds, ‘You thought you were done?’ And he finishes her off with, “You can really, really kill it with the hardware, or you can kill it with the hardware.” Karlie then drops the bomb—“You’re in the bottom”—and questions the use of so much white. Ashley thinks it’s cool, but it’s “not your banger of a thing you have inside of you” and not the pant Victoria showed in her sketch; she thought it was “a bad waitress at a really cheesy restaurant at South Beach.” Nina is “disappointed” because Victoria didn’t even try, and she says she didn’t recognize the look as Victoria’s; Brandon is stunned—“Another bandage cutout top, you didn’t recognize it?” Elaine thought the styling was all over the place with the single weird earring and chain-link belt; she thought this was the worst look; she also pointed out that this was the second week in arrow where Victoria basically ignored the challenge and did what she wanted.
DELVIN
For some reason Delvin picks an exuberant print because it reminds him of his battle with depression. But then he explains to Ashley that it reminds him of all the chaotic thoughts running around in his brain; and that leads him to an oversized—what’s with the oversized theme this week—suit, with a ruffled collar. Ashley is worried that he might be taking too much on.
I’m worried he thinks of ruffles and depression together. And Christian is also worried, because one look at Delvin’s pantsuit, and he gets a “Golden Girls pajamas” vibe. But then he suggests a few tweaks; shorter coat and pant; a little snug tailoring. Bam! It’s still ruffled, but it looks more modern.
On Day Two, while Victoria tells him to add more ruffles, bigger ruffles, because she knows the Top, Chelsey thinks maybe less is better. Delvin, thankfully, listens to Chelsey and the ruffles disappear.
WHAT HE SAID
Asia looks amazing. I did the print justice by letting it shine.
WHAT I SAID
It’s still a lot of print, but it’s actually pretty cool. And there are no ruffles.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Ashley says “I looooooove what you did” with a simple design; it has joy; it sings. And best of all? Delvin smiles. Elaine loved the color and print choice and seeing him happy on the runway. Karlie admired the Delvin Double Lapel™ signature and all the “amazing details.” She says he nailed it. And he smiles. Nina thought the model looks incredible and told him that color and print are his friend. Brandon thinks tailoring is his strongest suit—he could recognize it in a sea of crap—and he should stick to that.
NANCY
Nancy picked a fabric with some “bad” words, er, “naughty” words; but the print also featured a dildo. So, Nancy opts to make a Dildo Pant and an Oversized Coat. She’s also going to add hidden pockets which might be fine but if they’re hidden how do the judges see them?
Her consult with Ashley thankfully put the kibosh on the Dildo Pant—she opts for extra baggy ones—with a reversible oversized coat that Ashley loves. But Christian doesn’t love the coat because of its size; he says it swallows the model. He points out there is a difference between oversized and just plain too big. But Nancy ignores him because she’s fresh from design school and he’s just a little whippersnapper. Or something.
Christian does like the idea of a hidden wine pocket…a hidden cell phone pocket … and a hidden dildo pocket … because, as he and Nancy sing together:
“Every coat needs a dildo pocket.”
WHAT SHE SAID
My look is very bold. It shows no fear.
WHAT I SAID
It also shows no model because it’s all coat and pants.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Ashley loves Nancy’s look, but is the first to point out that it doesn’t fit right. Elaine thinks the model “is getting swallowed up in this fabric.” They all want to see it without the big coat, and then Ashley loves the pants, and says the whole look “became chic as hell.” She then adds that, ahem, “the pants flood my basement.” But she also called it the biggest design fail because of the coat. Nina liked the pant, but when you like one piece of a three-piece ensemble, that’s not high praise.
BRITTANY
I’ll start with this: I don’t care for Brittany. This week, at Mood, while the salesperson is cutting her fabric, she says, “Hurry, hurry, hurry.” As a designer she should learn not to be a bitch to those who cut your fabrics or, you know, two yards is suddenly, inexplicably, one yard. And I also loathe her because, most weeks, she thinks she’s much better than she is, and most weeks she thinks the others are worse.
But this week … She lives for Ashley Longshore, and she lives for the butterfly print she chose. And she knows just what to do; she cut out some of the butterflies and turn them into a 3D effect on her finished look. It’s a great idea, which Christian calls “divine” and yet she turns suck up, because she embroiders some of Ashley’s best hashtags and uses them on the look as well.
Desperate thy name is Brittany.
WHAT SHE SAID
I personally feel like I nailed this challenge.
WHAT I SAID
While I feel like this is a copy of other things she’s done—Asymmetry? Check—I love the 3D butterflies.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Ashley says Brittany celebrated the print and loved The Butterfly Effect—buy it on DVD—while Elaine called it her favorite look of the night. Brandon loves the pleated skirt but thinks chiffon might have moved better. Karlie says this was the most passionate she’s seen Brittany and Nina said, “This is what a successful collaboration looks like.”
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