73 replies to this topic

[TWoP Nikita]

From Zap2it:

The designers are tasked with creating an outfit for the Broadway musical Godspell.

[CrumbyButtons]

Correct bottom two, correct one sent home. The descriptions were "oppulant" "conspicuous consumption" "eccentric" and Kara and Mila come up with outfits that (if you dumped the silly furs) you could wear to date night at the Olive Garden. Kara is a good designer for what she does, but she's never been a PR All-Star to me.

Hated Austin's dumpy skirt (not helped by his model's dumpy walk).

Jerrell's looked like something Joan Crawford could have worn if she played a teacher in an old movie. I was okay with him being in the middle (even tho I don't like him or his designs) he did do a lot of work and had a well finished outfit.

Edited by CrumbyButtons, Feb 16, 2012 @ 10:04 PM.

[Phebe Marie]

Mondo did a great job making separates which the other actors could dress the character in on stage. My only disappointment was not to see a clip of the Godspell performance with the actress wearing Mondo's terrific design.

As much as I liked Michael's outfit, I couldn't picture how the cast could dress her in the design on stage. What would her foundation garment be? A bathing suit?

[Lamb18]

This was an enjoyable challenge and the right person won! I was worried about Mondo last week but he got back into his groove. When his model came on the runway she looked so gorgeous and the outfit was just so right for the stage and the specific part! That character will really be recognizable on stage. Costumes have to help make the characters identifiable since a lot of the audience will not be close enough to distinguish between actors based on facial features. I'm so glad he won. Also his costume tied to the time period--it looked like a costume for a Biblical rich character. It wasn't strictly a period costume, but it was referential enough to the New Testament era but really modern. Michael's was more generic and didn't tie into the actual play as well. Austin's didn't either as much. I liked the peacock theme in Mondo's, too.

The right person went home. However, I thought Jerell should have been on the bottom and Kenley safe. Jerell's looked so matronly! Kara's at least looked a little more youthful.

I'm enjoying Kenley this season. She's more pleasant and less abrasive this time than she was in her season.

Isn't this Mondo's costume?
Godspell website

[plasticfish]

When Mondo's look came down the runway the room went silent as we all marveled at what I think is the most incredible look in the show. Truly unbelievable. Any other time Austin would have won, but the fates had other plans this week.

[mauras]

Kara was past her sell-by date (much as I love her and consider her a talented designer, she's never been well suited to the constraints of the challenges), but I don't think this should have been the outfit that sent her home. Some of the designers really didn't grasp the "she's rich" part of the challenge, and Mila was the worst offender there. Her outfit wasn't terrible (nothing tonight was truly terrible), but it wasn't opulent or even very ostentatious. It was just kind of tired-looking. i'd have sent her home. (Then again, I wouldn't have put Mila on All Stars to begin with.)

Loved Mondo's--it was true to his esthetic but also fit the terms of the challenge really well. But I loved Austin's too, and would have had a really hard time choosing between the two, as the judges seemed to.

And speaking of the judges, it's been a recurring theme this season, but I so appreciate that they can disagree with each other without sniping, and especially that there are nuances to their comments--the top three get some criticism, the bottom three aren't pilloried as the worst designs in the history of the world. It's so refreshing after years of Michael and Nina alternately gushing and acting personally affronted by the designs. Now if only they could fix Angela...

[CrumbyButtons]

And speaking of the judges, it's been a recurring theme this season, but I so appreciate that they can disagree with each other without sniping, and especially that there are nuances to their comments--the top three get some criticism, the bottom three aren't pilloried as the worst designs in the history of the world

I so agree with this. It's simply not possible for four judges to all love the same things for the same reasons or all hate the same things for the same reasons. I like that these judges have their own opinions. And that they find something they like enough about the bottom three that sometimes I'm not entirely sure if an outfit is on the bottom.

ETA: The whole "Starlett - Scarlett" debate between Isaac and Austin sure turned out to be nothing, didn't it?

Edited by CrumbyButtons, Feb 16, 2012 @ 10:53 PM.

[avecsans]

I loved Michael's outfit but I agreed with Mondo winning. His outfit was beautiful and much more dramatic and theatrical than any of the others. I thought his model's hair and makeup were perfect for the challenge. I hated Austin's outfit. It was too full on the bottom and too scanty on the top and wtf was that giant mushroom on the model's head?

I wasn't surprised that Kara was out because she was crying during at least one of her talking heads. She deserved to go. That giant silver bow was hideous and the red skirt was very poorly made. I kind of liked Kenley's coat but I hated the skirt. Mila and Jerrell each made ugly outfits, but what else is new?

I enjoyed Austin's dignified smack down of Isaac's mispronunciation of his name. Does Isaac do that on purpose, or is he just a clueless asshole? Georgina may be my favorite reality judge. Her comments are always cogent and thoughtful. If she doesn't like something, she explains why and doesn't have to make snarky one-liners a la Michael Kors.

[heebiejeebie]

Following the mess of last week I figured my best bet was to just tune in to catch the runway and the judging. And Mondo made a come back with what was clearly the top design of the challenge. So I thought it would work. Nope. Not really. While I did like Mondo's design, the rest left me a little puzzled.

Jerrel steals one of Nancy Reagan's outfits and sends it down the runway...and is safe?!

Kenley sends a model down the runway that is supposed to look rich but instead looks like a dumpster diving behind Joanne Fabrics with a rusty needle and palsy. And stays?

Mila's also does a dumpster diver look only her model apparently raided Phyllis Diller's cast offs not good enough for Good Will. And stays?

And Austin Scarlet's potato in convection oven exploding mid baking? Top three? And close to Mondo's making the judging hard? What the hell?

Costello's easy second place dress was even a little too derivative. I feel I've seen that style done to death and there was nothing really fresh about it. I've even seen the use of an acid tone material with the patterned fabric for a top but not sure where.

Overall, Mondo was the only one to produce a design worthy of being on television other than draped in a loose wrinkled mess; emphasizing that Alex Chung lives pushed up under someone's sofa.

[Cyranetta]

The one thing that really surprised me is that there was very little discussion about how the costumes would work on stage -- how the actor could dance, kneel, climb (in a pencil skirt, really Joanna?); how the costumer would show catch the stage light and show up against the backdrop.

The only flaw I saw in Mondo's from a stagecraft point of view was that it was long enough to cause potential problems. Besides being maybe the single most beautiful garment he's created in two seasons for my tastes, I could see that it would really respond well to stage lights.

Michael's also would have probably done well onstage (well, except for the actor having to come out topless before being dressed by the cast).

I'm not sure how well black fabric comes across on stage in a production like Godspell, which was my main problem with Austin's.

I found Jerrell's flat-out boring, Kenley's odd and not in a good theatrical way, Mila's confused and the bow in Kara's killed it for me.

[liese]

I don't think one of the designers had ever heard of Godspell before. Kenley came closest to the basic idea of the costume when she mentioned "thrift store".
Mondo's outfit was gorgeous. Unless they are doing an "upscale" version of Godspell I don't think any of the designs would work.

[Sophist]

I absolutely adore Sutton Foster and think she is not only insanely talented but the most adorable thing ever.

And I think Mondo's robe is actually my favorite piece in the competition to date.

[Ketzel]

Is English Angela's second language, too? I could understand if Heidi came out with, "You will receive your Broadway debut as a designer," but a native speaker of English should know that one doesn't "receive" a debut, one "makes" a debut.

Not surprised the person "receiving" the debut turned out to be Mondo, his design was stunning, but I thought Austin's look was more suited to the role and the stage.

Edited by Ketzel, Feb 17, 2012 @ 12:14 AM.

[Zazreil]

For all that I think that Mondo's costume was the most beautiful thing on the runway tonight, the win should have gone to Austin. I have seen GodSpell several times and the thing that I remember about it is that except for Judas and Jesus the cast is constantly changing their look, swapping in and out pieces of their costumes. Also the dancing is energetic. Even with this production not going the full clown look of the original, the designers were told that the actress was going to be dressed on stage. A lot of the separates did not look easy to swap in and out of or to dance in, including Mondo's beautiful dress. On the other hand I could easily see Austin's leotard being mixed seemlessly with any other costume piece the actress would wear and being east to don and even humorous to choreograph around. Plus the lack of feathers might give it more staying power through the performances and dancing. Even professionally made ballroom and Latin dance dresses on the competitive circuit, shed and need constant maintenance. Dancing is hell on beading and feather work. If that is Mondo's jacket in the link so kindly posted, then it just emphasizes that as beautiful as it was, it was not the right choice as it is not being worn with the original dress.

[Ketzel]

I don't think it's Mondo's costume in the picture. The actress seems to be wearing an orange top with a green skirt, not Mondo's dress, and her jacket is more like a feathered stole than the smoking jacket with sleeves and beaded trim that Mondo made.

[CatsWithAxes]

Funny how much more boring the competition now seems with Rami gone. Even the designers were like WTF? about his leaving. Watching this episode, I spent a lot of time wondering whether I even cared what was going to happen.

Other than Jerell's, I didn't really hate any of the outfits. Kara's and Mila's probably did fall the most short of what the challenge required, but Jerell's was still hands down the worst, IMO. Personally I'll take Kara's simplistic but clear "underdesigning" over Jerell's conceptless, overwrought garbage any day. That gray thing his model wore tonight was just atrocious. And he's coming off as an insufferable human being to boot. I'm so sick of his ugly-ass designs getting a pass, and his ugly-ass personality clouding my TV screen. He can't leave soon enough for me. (Funny how this season is just the opposite of season 5. Back then I was defending Jerell and - like just about everyone else - ragging on Kenley. This season Kenley seems really sweet, and I'm liking her work much more.)

Mila's comments about Kenley and Kara haven't bugged me too much in the past, but in this episode she really came off like a sour pickle. I don't think I've ever seen a more perfunctory hug than the one she gave Kara as she was leaving the runway.

The one thing that really surprised me is that there was very little discussion about how the costumes would work on stage -- how the actor could dance, kneel, climb (in a pencil skirt, really Joanna?); how the costumer would show catch the stage light and show up against the backdrop.

Exactly. I thought any of the looks could work in "Godspell" really, depending on the director's vision and the overall design concept, so without more specific guidelines, picking the one that best fulfilled the challenge would be something of a crapshoot. I think Mondo's and Austin's deserved top 2 for beauty, creativity, and overall visual impact, and I would have been happy with either one winning.

I absolutely adore Sutton Foster and think she is not only insanely talented but the most adorable thing ever.

I'm honestly not crazy about her (I know she's talented but I'm just not really a fan), and I didn't think she contributed much of anything to the discussions at all. I have no idea why she was there. An ad for her show ("Anything Goes") did run during the commercial break though.

Edited by CatsWithAxes, Feb 17, 2012 @ 2:16 AM.

[Maddingcrowd]

Mondo's look was beautiful but it didn't look any easier to layer on than Michael's. Yes, Michael's woman would have to come out in a leotard and then add the skirt and blouse, but so would Mondo's since his outfit consisted of a dress and robe. I don't think any of the outfits actually fit the theme of layering pieces.

I really hated Austin's look and it didn't look like a rich lady or much like Godspell to me. Kenley's coat was OK but they didn't say "do a thrift store challenge" and thrift store doesn't spell rich to me. Mila had the worst outfit though and deserved to go. Her skirt was especially hideous.

[pomme de divan]

Love love loved Mondo's ensemble.
I also loved the Bieber cut he was sporting.

Mila shooting daggers at the guest judge: priceless.

I actually liked Kenley's look. Please kill me now.

[Mystery]

I didn't understand the judging tonight at all, except that I did think Mondo's was the best. At the beginning the designers were told that the character's costume should look like she pulled different things out of a closet and the cast dresses her. Jerell, Austin and Michael all had what I would have called "outfits," not separate pieces just thrown together. Kenley's I can see didn't look "rich," but at least she followed the direction about putting together a collection of clothes that weren't bought all at once.

And why was Mizrahi talking about Austin's outfit as if women would be going out to buy it at a store? This was a costume for a Broadway show!

I loved that once again Mondo really knew who he was designing for-- a woman who was using separate bits of her life, her father's smoking jacket, little things that she had acquired from around the world, to put together a rich-looking costume. I liked the smile on Sutton's face when she walked the model walk back up the runway.

I actually liked Kenley's look. Please kill me now.

I did, too. Though maybe not as much as Kenley did. I wonder if she even knew she was in the bottom three, until she was actually standing on the stage in the bottom three?

Edited by Mystery, Feb 17, 2012 @ 5:19 AM.

[pasdetrois]

With Mondo's design, I felt like I was seeing beautiful design from PR of old. I loved the spotted flamey strips of fabric emerging from the cuffs. But he just seems so enervated this season.

So is Austin getting annoyed about the sewing machines over and over again because he sets one up, steps away, then someone else wanders in and replaces Austin's thread with his/her own? Or I suppose some of the machines have different capabilities?

[JodithGrace]

I have no doubts that the winning design will be remade to fit the stage production..velcro added, for example, to make it easy to get in and out of, and the skirt length adjusted, etc. But I do think that Mondo captured the look perfectly. Even the model's Mrs. Lovett hairdo worked. Glad to see Mondo get his mojo back.

I think Kara's been "dead designer walking," for a while now. So not knowing her from previous seasons, I was glad to see her go.

[bluegirl547]

Is English Angela's second language, too? I could understand if Heidi came out with, "You will receive your Broadway debut as a designer," but a native speaker of English should know that one doesn't "receive" a debut, one "makes" a debut.

Homegirl is from Oklahoma. She does have a strange affect.

[stephf13]

I really liked Kenley's jacket this week, and her skirt. However, I did not like the two together, and I did not like them for this challenge. Something about the shape of the jacket (while I loved it) reminded me of an 1800s London prostitute. If she had been designing for "Jack the Ripper: The Musical," she would have been spot-on.

[bodielovesbetty]

But I do think that Mondo captured the look perfectly. Even the model's Mrs. Lovett hairdo worked. Glad to see Mondo get his mojo back.

I agree that Mondo's outfit was perfect for the role, and beautiful as a design in itself. But he really needs to stop whining, when and if he's ever criticized again. I was saying back to the TV, "Then LEAVE!" (after each time of his complaining about his "grilling" on the runway or how stress he was). I really liked his outfit, but I'm liking him less and less each week.

Maybe I'm a hard-hearted bitch, but this is the second time these people have been on this show. They know what to expect. Their tears don't move me at all; well, my eyeballs move when they roll. YMMV.

[wootan]

I loved Kenley's jacket SOOO much, I just wish she paired it with a solid colored skirt. It would have looked so much more gorgeous that way. I hated the top half of Austin's dress. Mondo's was Okay but I didn't think it looked particularly 'rich'. The right person was sent packing.

[OakGoblinfly]

I liked Kenley’s jacket … right up to the point she added the feather trim …. That just cheapened the entire look … she should have added lace, fur, sparkly trim …. Not those cheap looking sad little feathers.

I did not like the top or the skirt at all.

[Texas Gal]

For some reason Kenley's look made me think Cruella deVille. Maybe it was the trim. Awful.

I really thought Mila's hooker wear would get her booted. Also awful.

Both Mondo's and Austin's were breathtaking.

[siamesecat2965]

I really liked Kenley's jacket this week, and her skirt. However, I did not like the two together, and I did not like them for this challenge. Something about the shape of the jacket (while I loved it) reminded me of an 1800s London prostitute. If she had been designing for "Jack the Ripper: The Musical," she would have been spot-on.

Yes! I kept trying to think of what her's reminded me of and this is it!

This week was so much better; I picked the top and bottom two and was happy Mondo won. Loved his outfit. I'm going to see Godspell next month so I'll be on the lookout for the costume.

[wyndham]

I thought Mondo's design was stunning-regardless of who/what it was designed for!

Does he have a line of clothing or does he work with/for a famous designer? Talent like that should be rewarded.

[Ketzel]

I was assuming that the guest judge for this challenge would be the costume designer for Godspell. Or, maybe, the director. Why would an actress, however talented and famous, who wasn't even playing the role being designed for, be the right person to help make a costume decision? *baffled*