El Frodo & Ping

It's an International House of Horrors, bitches!

It's not that we think Tim is infallible. Sometimes his instincts tend too much toward the practical and conservative and sometimes he tends to forget that he can't predict what a guest judge can do to throw the decisions. What he is very good at is predicting what the three main judges will say, especially Nina. He doesn't get it right 100% of the time, but when Tim says "I'm afraid the judges will..." then it's a good idea to listen, especially when he called it exactly on your previous effort.

Model: Brittany Oldehoff

It's not that what he did was "against the rules" so much as it was against the spirit of the challenge. Most of the other designers - and all of the top 3 - went with the idea of transforming the burlap and using it in unexpected ways.

He mostly just covered it up. Yes, he used it in the bodice, but in the most basic, minimalist fashion and dyed a color that practically makes it invisible.

No, clearly the focus of the look is the skirt and it's entirely made out of ribbons, let's be honest.

Technically, he used the burlap, but he never put a moment's thought in to how to use it in an interesting way. That's really where he failed.

And as Nina pointed out, his color story so far has been surprisingly drab. We have to say we're a bit surprised. We expected over the top fantasy pieces in the Kayne mold but he's been putting together some really depressing-looking fashion. Come on, little hobbit. We know you have it in you.

People don't love Ping?

Really? How can you not?

Model: Elizaveta Melnitchenko

Okay, well there is that. That's a love-killer of a dress.

We basically said most of it in the Pam post, but here it is: she at least attempted something unusual and expressive in her design. She clearly failed on all fronts, from practical to aesthetic, but the judges will almost always reward an entry with a point of view over a bland design or a design with "taste issues." Fashion's a bitch, but that's the way it is.


So yeah. Awful design, no arguments from us.

Okay, tangent time: Look at the way Elizaveta is holding that clutch. Honey, if we were your runway directors you would be viciously slapped by our assistants when you got back behind the scrim. That is the exact opposite of "workin' it."

Moving on...
One thing we can say in its defense: she started out decently on the bodice. Not earth-shattering, but the braiding and the construction was nice.


It's just... how do you get to here from where she started? How does she not stop along the way and realize, "Oh shit. This looks awful?"

Hello?! How do you not notice that until she's out on the runway? Tim noticed it before she even made the skirt.

Let's face it: the likelihood of her being a finalist is slim, given the parameters of this show. But S6 taught us a lesson about the whacky, impractical, "character" designers: if you get rid of them too early, you have a boring season, from both a design and entertainment value point of view.

Tim Gunn's Workroom:



Extended Judging:




[Photos/Videos: myLifetime.com - Screencaps: Projectrungay.blogspot.com]



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