Korto and Blayne

"It's all going to be worth it when we're in Bryant Park, honey."

Say what you will about Korto being a little brittle sometimes, the girl has EXACTLY the correct attitude for this competition.

And holy shit, ladies, but this was one STUNNING garment. We may have to put this up there with our all-time competition favorites.

Clearly, Korto's aesthetic encompasses volume. Look at her supermarket-challenge kimono-style gown and her Lipstick Jungle blouson jacket. She likes things that are tailored, but away from the body.

Admittedly, that's not a look for every woman, but Korto tends to pull it off with great style.

We love the color effect she achieved by weaving the seatbelts so they catch the light differently. We love the bell sleeves and how she layered the seatbelts for them instead of weaving them.

We also love the way she wove the belt into the coat so it cinches it, but doesn't break up the visual flow of the piece.

And we loved the trim along the hem, which gives it a perfectly polished look.

It's such a Nina-ism, but she "really thought about it." We're glad we're not judges, because trying to pick a winner when faced with this and Leanne's perfect piece, we would have been totally flummoxed. We don't mind the way the judging went, but this was clearly a MAJOR contender. Short list to BP, we'd say.

This, on the other hand, would be a lesson in how NOT to use seat belts in a dress.

Not that it's a terrible design. It's actually okay. It's just very poorly executed and as Bad Mommy put it: "When something is not well-made, you're looking at why it's not well-made, instead of looking at the idea that it's trying to be presented."

Amen, sister.

The problem is, of course, the fit on this thing. In order for this design to work, it needed to be flawless.

Clearly, that wasn't the case. There's so much puckery and nothing fits her body correctly. Although, we have to say, we don't mind the idea behind the broken mirrors. Again, could have worked if the dress had been executed better.

Honestly, the only design issue we had was the way he did the bottom. We agreed with the judges that it should have been a lot shorter, although we share the Duchess's aversion to what he called "car wash skirts." It would have been better as a tight sheath with a finished hem.

Don't get us wrong, we don't love the look in any way, but we can see where he was coming from and say "not bad."

We're shocked that we're going to say this, but we don't really mind Blayne's aesthetic. We just don't think he has the execution skills to pull it off.


More pictures:




[Photos: Barbara Nitke/Bravo - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]
[Additional Pictures: Courtesy of Lisa Gilpin/Saturn/Rethink Design]