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| Dapper Dan grew up poor in Harlem and still lives and works there. He took the bling that was unaffordable and mutated fashion to make urban lux streetwear. He's a legend in fashion. |
No trip to Mood this episode. Instead, the workroom was loaded up with lux fabrics for the designers to use. They have until midnight to work, with the Runway show the next morning. "Dap" will visit the workroom and give design feedback on the morning of the Runway, but he won't be a judge.
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| Rakan Shams Aldeen made a street look based on the farmer's wives outfits from his native Syria. It totally didn't work for me. |
"Look at the community in which you live," was Dapper Dan's recommendation. That recommendation pushed the designers to look at their neighborhoods, current and past, as well as what is popular and upcoming in societal pathways. One designer, Lela Orr, wanted to do something based on the recycling triangle and the color green. Kovid, our India designer wanted loose-fitting harem pants and a shirt reflecting the Latin community that accepted him as well as the Indian community he grew up in.
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| Jamall Osterholm had visions of quilting and floral prints in a modern-day armour-styled dress. No. ... Just no. The dress was totally unfinished - no hem, the sleeves still rough-cut, and the print he chose? Totally 1950's tea party. Bad choices, bad style. |
The designers were all over the place with this challenge. The fabrics might have been lux, but some of the designs seem pushed and a bit tortured and not streetwear at all. But ... it's difficult to look into the future - in fact, it's next to impossible. So maybe something that's looking like a disaster in the workshop will walk the Runway and be on-trend.
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| Kovid Kapoor came up with this mish-mash of styles and fabrics that just didn't mesh. He was all over the place in the workroom, and despaired of managing a successful design. He was right to despair. |
Additionally, the challenge is a "Flash Sale" challenge, i.e., the designers will photograph their looks on the street and the general public will be able to vote for their winning design which will be sold on-line. The very first challenge, won by Tessa, was a "Flash Sale" challenge.
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| Garo Sparo came up with these pleated pants and top cinched by an easily adjustable corset made of sweatshirt-type material which carried through into the truncated neck. My husband liked this look the best, and I actually thought it was pretty nice too. Of course, it doesn't hurt that Mimi is my favorite model. |
As always, there are designers who step up to the plate, and designers who float. This is a competition, and those who think they are floating will drown - no question. I'm getting more and more impressed by Hester, even though she still drives me a bit crazy. Her visions are clear, fashion forward, and inclusive. She might have big ideas that don't totally translate to time frames, but she does a great head to toe look, and that's super important.
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| Venny Etienne made his model Asia shine in this fitted dress with mesh sleeves and panels of different fabric types. His dress was based upon sneakers he had wanted as a child but couldn't afford to own. I liked this look a lot and Asia looked fierce. |
"Streetwear transforms people," Dapper Dan said as the designers and models line up for the Runway show. Although there were a few designs he wasn't crazy about, there were several designs or aspects of designs that he really loved. It's going to be an interesting Runway, since it wasn't just a challenge for designing Streetwear, it was also a challenge for time management. Those who could handle the pressure and apportion their time the best would probably do the best on the Runway too.
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| OMG, I loved this look. Bishme Cromartie pur together something that borderlined on fast food waitress with this magnificent jacket that celebrated his personal heritage. He had his initials on the front and the street where he grew up in Baltimore, Maryland on the back. This could be customized in so many different ways. |
My Runway opinions: my personal favorite on the Runway was Bishme's look. Since I'm writing this before the judging actually occurs, we'll see if he at least gets into the top three. Jamall's look, on the other hand, is a train wreck. Venny did really beautifully and I could see his audience and that the fashion would be sellable. Rahan just played it safe, staying with his Syrian roots but not pushing them into modern-day fashion. Garo's pleated pants and sweatshirt fabric corset was very chic and my hubby's favorite look, whereas Kovid pulled together an assortment of looks and fabrics that didn't seem to go together at all. So, you've seen the photos above, what do you think? (If you want to see photos of all of the designs, here's a link for you.)
SPOILER BELOW - STOP HERE IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN THE EPISODE YET!
The winner - Bishmi, with Garo in second place and Venny in third. Going home - Kovid. It was his third time in the bottom looks, so it was time. Jamall got lucky - very lucky, and the judges agreed with me - yes, Rahan played it safe. So, the designers are down one more and next week we'll push again and see who makes the cut. I'm still feeling under the weather, so I'll take another hour or so of sleep and brush off the gym for day 3! Have a wonderful Friday and I'll be back tomorrow.
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