Project Runway Junior - Step It Up From Day to Night

We were back to individual designs in last night's Project Runway Junior. The designers were each given a  designer FitBit (bracelets or pendants in metallic finishes) and told to design an outfit that could go from work to after-work playtime, accessorized with their FitBit. Instead of a trip to Mood, there was a Mini-Mood (a closet of fabric) set up for the young designers to choose from. They had 45 minutes to design and choose their fabrics for this one-day challenge. Several designers looked for neoprene fabric because they wanted the stretch. I don't know the appeal of neoprene - it's one of my least favorite fabrics. Give me silks, satins and chiffons, I like lux.

All ten designers succeeded in making outfits, and they shared opinions and even fabric between them, so the kids are actually getting along better that the adults often do. A'Kai, Molly, Chris and Teiler were declared safe leaving six in the top and bottom. One would go home after the judging.

(SPOILERS BELOW!)

I liked the print and the colors Allie chose for her
day to night outfit. It was really cute and something
I could see a lot of people wearing. 

First up was Allie who made this cute back-wrapped dress with cigarette pants. The main critique was that the top lining could have matched the pants, but in general, it was well received and she was in the top three.

The fabrics really don't come through in the photo, but
it was quite shimmery. If Cartier had designed the dress
to be more appropriate for work as well as for play, she
would have scored higher. 

Next was Cartier showing a simple shift dress with fringing on the top covered by a two-sided vest - black for day and gold shimmer for night. The judges felt the dress was too simple, but loved the vest. They also felt that it didn't meet the challenge criteria - that the outfit would be unlikely to be worn to work because it was very short and quite shimmery. She was also criticized because it wasn't an innovative look, being a simple design that could be purchased at many stores. Cartier was in the bottom three.

Chelsea designed in neoprene (ick) with this crazy
jumpsuit with a bandeau-style top. Yes, it was
fashion forward, but I really didn't like it very much. 

Chelsea invented a story for her girl that was, at the least, quite "out there" but fun. Her girl is the CEO of a spy company who, after working for the day, left to meet some business executives at an art gallery exhibition. The judges loved the look (neoprene - of course) and felt it demonstrated a strong sense of design. They also adored the backstory. She was in the top three.

Rene used his "trademark" cage of fabric down the
sides of the skirt as well as the sleeves of the
jacket. I thought it was actually rather cute, but then
I am closer to his demographic than the more
youthful designs. 

Rene followed Chelsea and stated that his "girl" was over 60 years old, had a face lift and nip-and-tuck. He used the same "cage" design down the sides that he has used before, but here it just didn't work well. The judges declared it "dated" and that the technique didn't add any "value" to the look.

Hawwaa mixed patterns and solids to make a really
cute multi-purpose dress. I really loved it, DH wasn't
very impressed, though. I think this was the first challenge
where she really allowed her playful side to come out
and it was refreshing to see. 

Hawwaa showed her style this week, declaring that her girl owned her own boutique. The judges loved the playfulness and the fabric placement, they also loved that the skirt panels were able to be switched from one look to another to allow for different day and night looks. I thought it was a really cute look. Maybe Hawwaa is finally showing herself as a competent designer after all!

Izzy used fabrics that were quite unusual for her, and it
showed in a design that was uninspired,  but cute and
well made. She didn't wow the judges with this one,
but I think it would be popular as an in-store design in
many traditional stores. It was cute, but not fashion forward. 

Izzy had a SoHo girl in mind with her bi-color dress, and the judges acknowledged that it was very well made, but they were underimpressed with the actual design. That was as good as it got for my favorite little "sprout" girl. She was in the bottom three. (Want to know more about wearing sprouts? Follow the link to an article from the NY Times and be in the know).

Who won and lost? Chelsea with her neoprene spy outfit won, and Rene with his caged look for the 60+ woman was sent home. He went out in style, though, with a cartwheel and split on the runway. So now we are nine. Who will go home next week? Have a wonderful Friday, stay warm, and I'll be back tomorrow!