As much of urbanized America readies itself for Project Runway Season 5 (the Bravo TV show has been doing very well in the ratings game), let my review of one PR episode tide you over (haha). No, I like the show, but I can’t really relate to 90 percent of its content, as they all make womenswear. But Episode 3 of Season 4 brought about the first ever menswear challenge for all the designers, and it turned out to be an interesting show. And I mean this positively and negatively.
Recap: The designers—and there were still plenty of them—were tasked to make an outfit for Tiki Barber, an NFL player and
Today Show host. Like many football players, he’s top heavy and—according to him—owner of some serious derriere. Many of the designers haven’t made men’s clothing all their designing careers, and have, not surprisingly, found it difficult to accomplish this challenge.
Now, as much as I loved the idea—menswear is my forte, and it’s nice all of the contestants send down men’s clothes down at PR—there’s one thing that doesn’t work well here. And that one thing is so pivotal that it ruins the intention of the show.
That one thing, ladies and gents, is Mr. Tiki Barber himself.
Don’t get me wrong, nothing is wrong with the guy (and his wife, man, was smoking hot!) but he was a really bad choice for a Project Runway client, because he doesn’t fit into the show’s scope and milieu. Sure PR has done unconventional—at least in the fashion sense—episodes in the past, calling to mind having their moms model for them, women who’ve lost weight, teenagers headed for their prom, but to do something as radical as having the designers do menswear, they should’ve at least stuck into the fashion spectrum. Go have Tiki guest in the next installment of the menswear challenge.
Heidi said it herself, commenting on Kevin’s outfit: “David Beckham would wear that, but not Tiki.” Exactly why I think this episode blows. Tiki was all about what’s prim and proper (and quite frankly, boring, but that’s Mr. Barber for you) and you can absolutely see this on the winner. Give the designers someone like David Beckham, Jake Gyllenhaal, Kanye West, heck, anyone who has shown that they’re into fashion one way or another!
With this in mind, I’m reviewing the clothes without the pretext of having to design for Tiki Barber, because a lot of them sent down some pretty interesting—and editorial-worthy—pieces.
If I may quote from Heidi once more,
Let’s start the show!
Carmen: She lost this challenge I think only because she didn’t finish. The styling was particularly interesting as it showed a very bohemian, artsy man, and there’s an audience for these types of dressers. The crotch was way too low as pointed by Michael Kors, but the jacket seems fine had Carmen finished it, and the shirt fabric she just draped gave the illusion of a nice scarf, and it’s a good accessory right there.
If I may betray what I said about not referencing Tiki, it’s funny how they bashed Carmen on the fact that the jacket’s short, exposing Mr. Barber’s ass for everyone to see. Uh, don’t women like to see that?
Chris: Yes, it’s boring, but he designed for the client. But since I’m not critiquing with the client in mind, I can say this: It’s boring. Black on black on black is always a safe option, and safe options are never cool for me.
It did have one saving grace, though. When the model walked down the runway with those awesome sunglasses, man, I though he was in a Parisian fashion show. Chris made very good styling choices—slick-back hair, aviator style shades, narrow-toe loafers—that complemented the outfit.
Christian: One of the strongest looks. Christian’s obviously talented, I just didn’t expect him to do very well in this challenge. The lapel of the blazer might be too high, ergo, wrongly made, but it still is a wearable blazer—I would not be surprised if SoHo types would wear this. The undershirt also is made well even though it’s only a cotton T-shirt, and the pants draped well.
Elisa: Well done and styled, but again, it’s not for Tiki. I particularly like the vest and its un-even bottom. The pants are a little too baggy though, and it doesn’t sync with the shirt and vest, but nonetheless, executed nicely.
Jack: Striped shirt and striped pants. That’s about everything that’s going on in Jack’s creation. Don’t get me wrong, it’s nice, but I could hear Nina Garcia muttering behind Tiki’s back: “I can’t believe I let this bitch talk me into making this boring outfit win.”
Now, this is exactly what menswear should be, which explains the win: It’s tailored, it fits real well, and it addresses the concerns of the 5’9” footballer. But since when was fashion ever stuck in stone when it comes to rules?
Jillian: Could some please tell me why this didn’t win, apart from the godawful shoes? (Jillian, you’re extremely talented, but I wonder why you would ruin a perfectly awesome outfit with the worst possible choice of footwear.) Oh yeah, it’s because it’s for the
Today Show, and not Bryant Park. Sigh. Did anybody notice that she put the most effort out of all the designers this episode for the simple fact that she made 4 pieces? That’s 4 things she made a pattern of, sewed together with precision only an experienced designer could do (as Michael would say, it’s impeccable), and fits her model so perfectly.
But I'm beginning to dislike the collar. Put the damn things inside the jacket for god's sake.
This outfit, out of all of Jillian’s work, is my favorite. Biased, fine, but just look at it. It has Jillian stamped all over it: She makes preppy clothes with just the right dose of hip. Even though she didn’t win PR, it wouldn’t surprise me if she’d go places.
Kevin: He
should’ve tucked the shirt. That’s all I can say. Another strong contender for the win, the shirt color is amazing, despite what Heidi said, the texture on the vest and the trousers are phenomenal, and it’s very edgy. I’d wear this in a heartbeat. But I’d tuck the shirt.
Kit: This is what suburban dads would look like if they dress up, or are in church. Minus the cliché look of the entire thing, you can totally take everything and wear them individually. Michael Kors was right to compliment her on choosing fleece as the fabric for the blazer, a cotton jacket would immediately register as “ho-hum.” Kit’s a stylist, and she knows her shit dressing up people for TV, and here’s a great example of it.
Rami: I like this very much, but I wouldn’t wear it. It has a bit of a Macy’s or JC Penny catalog written all over it. It’s not a bad thing
per se, but I personally despise catalog looks. It would totally appeal to the 30-somethings looking for something to wear for a weekend expedition where T-shirt and jeans would not cut it.
Oh, and on the snide remark to Jack that he made his pants without the help of a pattern? Who’s laughing now? Next time, STFU, dumbass.
Ricky: Bleh. Between Carmen and this hideous piece of shit, I’d take the former any day. Ricky won by a technicality: That Carmen sent cloth, not clothing.
Steven: Excellent output. Crotch is too low, but minus that, a strong showing. The model even looked like this was what he was wearing coming in to Parson’s. (I don’t know, he looked pretty British to me.) I’m a big fan of well-thought-out layering, and Steven definitely showed how to pile on the clothes without looking frumpy or
suman-esque. (Non-Filipinos,
suman is a sticky rice snack shaped like pop-tarts. They’re usually eaten by themselves or with a generous sprinkling of sugar.)
Sweet P: Hate this. The pants ride him too high, the shirt’s a mess, and the tie wasn’t even tied properly. If Sweet P fixed the model’s tie, the judges might not have paid too much attention to the fact that the collar’s unfinished. But she instead sent a freaking long tie and cared nothing for the world if they made every menswear stylist cry.
Oh, and the shirt and trousers intersected so obviously that the model looks like he has a beer belly while having a 29-inch waist. That's not even
freaking possible, man.
Victorya: The second one, next to Kevin, that I would wear in a heartbeat. I particularly like the white jacket. (I’m not sure if it was done blazer- or blouson-style. Maybe it was a hybrid.) I didn’t get Victorya when she said she didn’t like what she did, but she might’ve won this challenge had she presented this look for someone else.
This demonstrates one of the most fundamental rules of fashion: To always add something interesting.
Images: BravoTV.com
