Peanut Provocateur

Sorry, Jeffreyphiles. We hated this one.

Y'know, it really says something about Jeffrey that when he thinks "Romantic, provocative," he thinks of the St. Pauli Girl.

It's to his credit that he consistently makes the attempt to work outside his expectations. That can't be said of any of the other designers this season. The problem is, he doesn't do well outside of his comfort zone, which forces the question, Is he to be commended for shaking things up or condemned for not realizing his limitations?

The jet-setter outfit? The couture dress? They worked because Jeffrey took those challenges and molded his style and strengths to them. Simply declaring "I'm going to shake things up" isn't enough of a design statement. In fact, it's not a statement at all; it's a reaction.

He's got a very strong aesthetic and when he's working within the boundaries of that aesthetic, he's capable of producing some really interesting stuff. Thing is, Jeffrey doing "romantic" is about as good a fit as Laura doing "hip-hop" or Uli doing business wear.

And, well...this is a bit nasty, but Jeffrey always seems to make expensive fabrics look cheap.

"I made a dress like this once before and people almost cried when they saw it."

Well, we can certainly understand that.

As with so much of Jeffrey's stuff, this just looks rough and unfinished. Yes, it could be said that this is his style, but another question that has to be asked at this point is, can he just not sew?

Uli made a dress in less than a day, Laura made an incredibly intricate, hand-beaded dress in two days. This was a relatively simple dress, so there's just no excuse for pulling a Libretti and whipping out the glue gun.

Awwww. They are totally going to be voted cutest couple by the Prom Committee. They're like those old "Love is..." tchotchkes. "Love is...wearing a poorly fitted skirt with bugs on it."