Ripping the Collections: Jillian, Part 1

It's Baby's turn!


We haven't tried to hide the fact that we loved Jillian's collection the best. It seems to us that in a competition like Project Runway, the final winner should demonstrate not only a strong point of view and a sense of innovation, but also the ability to get their clothes on racks in stores, and more importantly, on the bodies of consumers. Retailability and wearability are just as important as a strong editorial sense. Clearly, the judges don't agree with us on that one as they tend to more often choose strong points of view over clothes that women actually want to wear and buy. That's fine. There are plenty of ways to look at fashion and their view isn't wrong in that sense, just different from our own. Jillian showed a sportswear-themed collection full of items and elements that looked new and fresh to our eyes but at the same time, looked like clothes that a lot of women would love to own.

If you didn't know anything about the 3 finalists and didn't know who showed what, it would be fairly easy to peg this collection as the one designed by a woman. Not only for its chic femininity, but also for its near-perfect styling and accessories. The hair was long and bouncy and the makeup classic and pretty.

Let's start the show.

Love it. A very strong opening look. That coat is simply gorgeous. We love the lapel treatment and the head scarf. The fabric is beautiful and the accessories are perfect. Love the belt and the boots with this look. We don't actually love the hat. Laura Bennett recently teased us by saying we always criticize hats, which came as a surprise to us. We love hats. We just aren't huge fans of women wearing fedoras because we think any irony or surprise such a look might generate is long in the past. This look definitely needs a hat, but we're just not crazy about this hat.

We are, on the other hand, crazy about her gladiator-helmet knit caps. Very fresh, kind of witty and just plain cute. It's definitely a look only a younger girl could pull off, but then again, that seems to be the clientele she's aiming for with this collection.

That skirt is to-die-for. In fact, the whole look is. The scarf, the belt, the shoes, even the barely-seen sweater underneath. Just a fresh, chic, feminine look overall. Beautifully rendered, too. One of our favorites.

Another favorite. That's three very strong, statement-making looks in a row that don't look repetitive. Love the sweater. We wouldn't normally love the equestrian-themed pants but the whole look comes together very nicely.

*clunk*

It's our least favorite look. Not just because it's, to be blunt, not very attractive, but also because it feels like this model walked in from another show. Following up three sporty, knitwear-heavy, perfectly accessorized looks with a gold lame cocktail dress equalled a big WTF? from us.

We will say that the pleating is flawless, though.

She doesn't do it as often as Rami does, but every once in a while Jillian overworks something. This look shows a slight hint of that. The jacket is simple and classic, but those things on the sleeves and the pointy shoulders kind of detract from that. We're also not sure what she was attempting with that skirt but we don't like the way the hem hits unevenly.

The dustmop reference has already been made, but sometimes, you gotta watch the show with a straight man to get a new take. Ours said her sleeves looked like white cheddar cheese curls and after we stopped laughing, we had to agree.

Despite that, we actually liked both the top and the skirt. We just didn't think they worked well together (that sweater would look great with a pair of skinny black jeans) and neither of them looked right with this collection.

[Photos: WireImage/Getty Images/Elle.com - Slideshow: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]


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