Season 4: Episode 6 “Eye Candy”
I’m so jealous! How much fun would ransacking a Hershey’s candy store be? I’m betting a whole lot!
I know a lot of people hate these “unique” material challenges, but I always think they are a lot of fun and it’s interesting to see how the designers work and use the materials. They are also the episodes that tend to have some of the most memorable garments from each season (Austin’s corn-husk dress, Daniel V’s flower dress).
Thanks to BPR for pulling the photos together!
Ricky: Out of all the garments Ricky has designed so far, this one is definitely one of my favorites. Usually I would say the silver is a little tacky… but since it’s made out of candy stuff, I don’t really think that’s an appropriate thing to criticize. I really like how he mimicked a heresy kisses shape (I’m assuming it was intentional) and the bodice is interesting and fits really well. The skirt is cute and fun and I think the bubble shape is appropriate for this challenge.
Kit: I love Kit’s “Rolo” belt and it totally makes this outfit work for me. Without the belt, I think the outfit is well made, but a bit “expected.” There’s nothing too original about a basic bodice and skirt with the logos placed on top, but then you add the belt and the overall styling and the whole feeling of the looks comes to life.
Elisa (OUT): I was really beginning to like Elisa and I love that she was the “wacky” designer of the group, but didn’t have an ounce of meanness or bad drama and that she even took criticism from the judges in a positive way. Sadly though, I have to agree with the judges on this decision. Similar to Chris, I think we all expected Elisa to create something crazy, fun and inventive with the unique materials, so it was a bit sad to see a boring brown dress in the end. I like how she was trying to play with layering colors up on the bust, but it just didn’t work out too well. I can’t tell if the hem is supposed to be asymmetrical or just off and I don’t know what to say about the silver “swimmies,” other than I think that’s the best name Christian could have given them! I’m sad Elisa is out… she was a lot of fun to watch and had some great garments along the way.
Kevin: Kevin’s outfit was definitely the most wearable and sophisticated of the group. If you ever had to wear something made from a candy store, then this is probably the way to go. I’m a bit surprised it didn’t end up in the top 3. I might have put it up there instead of Jillian’s, but of course they had to talk about hers. I loved the little silver ruffle on the bottom of the skirt and the flair of the sleeves is fun. The whole thing fits really well and looks more expensive then it was. Did he end up using Reese Pieces for the buttons? They’re really cute.
Christian: Christian’s dress is well done and fits great, but I wish he had been a little more creative with the shape of the dress. He could have played a lot more with texture of the Reese’s wrappers and created some really fun, unique shapes (especially since he was finished so early). I like how he was able to take a candy wrapper and turn it into a very wearable, chic (haha… I totally spelled that “sheik” at first and couldn’t figure out what was wrong) cocktail dress.
Chris: I really liked that Chris made a conscious effort NOT to go over the top and costumey with this challenge. We all know (and the judges knew) that he could do something crazy, so it was a intelligent choice to make something sophisticated, wearable and not at all what the judges were expecting of him. Keeping that in mind, I think some of the other designers might have been labeled simple or possibly boring with this dress, but Chris was able to keep it clean without getting in trouble. I also really like how he played with the logos to create a texture/pattern instead of just using the logos as they were.
Sweet P: I agree with the judges that Sweet P’s was simple and a bit boring, but I’m glad she wasn’t out. I would have been really interested to see more of what she started with; I like the concept of trying to create a pattern out of the various materials. As it is, there’s not much to comment on since this was obviously the last ditch effort to have something finished on the runway. I do like the curved seaming on the bodice and think that’s an interesting twist to a basic shape.
Rami (WINNER): I loved Rami’s dress! I think his model should be some sort of candy super hero! The overall shape is really nice and fits beautifully, but it’s all those crazy details that really make this the winner. There’s so many details and layers and everything was constructed so perfectly, I can’t even being to understand how he created it. I think this was a great combination of candy store materials and fashion, exactly what I expect the judges wanted. I try to come up with some constructive criticism for every design, but I can’t really find anything wrong with Rami’s design.
Jillian: I give Jillian total credit for working with the actual candy, instead of just cutting up fabric scraps from the other merchandise, but when looking at the finished design, I’m just not into it. I can see all the hard work and effort put into the bodice, but it was so stiff and moved awkwardly on the runway. The skirt also doesn’t look like it had much thought into the actual “design,” it’s a basic skirt with layers of candy stitched onto it. Again, I LOVE that she actually tried working to real candy instead of taking the easier way out and for that alone, I think she should have stayed in, but I’m not sure I would have put her in the top 3.
Victorya: I like where Victorya was going with this dress, but overall I think the choice to layer the silver and white didn’t work so well. I’m not sure if all silver would have been better, but the way it is, just makes me think those layers are sewn inside out. I know the judges didn’t like all the asymmetrical ruffles, but I kind of like them along with the layered skirt. Too bad it wasn’t in a more solid color so it wouldn’t compete with all the ruffles. I did agree with them about the way Victorya had the model walk… I imagine the dress would have a whole different feeling if the model had a cute flirty walk instead of being an “ice princess.” Just shows you how much impact models can have on a garment.
