The Fashion Show, week 3 winner, Andrew 'the Underwear Designer' aka 'Panty-Christ'

By the end of the elimination challenge this week, for me, there were four contenders for the winning position. Andrew, Anna, James-Paul and Reco who all turned out garments each with their own element to make them a week three winner.

The challenge was for the teams to design an outerwear garment for each season, the twist was the coat/jacket had to have a special function to it. Some of the contestants thought the challenge to be a little silly, as Keith put it
“I don’t need my coat to be a refrigerator.” Though the challenge did bring out some great design ideas, showing us who has the talent to be in the show.

So my favorites from the challenge this week, and I have to admit sometimes I feel like I am on a love hate rollercoaster ride! Lets see who stays consistent in my TV Fashion Show love affair …

THIS WEEK:
Andrew designing for spring, in team Hidden Surprises, was week 3 winner as you can see from the above title and he deserved it. The idea behind his dual function was for the outerwear piece to start off at thigh length, added button snaps meant the folded up fabric could be dropped to a more dramatic floor length when needed. When shortened a bubble hem is created and a hidden detachable hood comes out of the side creating a look straight out of a fairy tale fantasy. As soon as it came down that runway I wanted it, the look is glamorous and wearable. The adjustable length makes this coat versatile, whatever your mood you can change this design up to suit it. With all these hidden functions and changeable lengths to hide the coat still looks lean and figure flattering – a must have coat for any woman!

If you hurry you can buy the winning coat, sure to be a top seller, at BravoShop.com priced at $249.

Andrew, an underwear designer has his own brand “Andrew Christian” which he started in 1997. Selling in Kitson, Patricia Fields and Fred Segal he admits to being a perfectionist. Known to throw an entire rack of samples across the room if not up to standard, though we haven’t witnessed this side on the show yet he has said “Don’t be caught off guard by my cute smile, I’m a bitch.” Wanting to take on the world of women’s fashion, to flatter the female body and make women feel good about themselves Andrew is going to be an interesting contestant to watch. His aim: to have a retrospective of his work at the MET one day … I better hurry and purchase his coat from tonight!

My other three favorites that I must mention are:
Anna designing for the fall season; also on the Hidden Surprises team. Visually and technically her coat was ready to buy off the runway. Made in an expensive looking tweed material, sewn loose to create a trendy bubble affect but fitted in exactly the right place at the hem and cuffs. Her hidden surprise in the coat did not impress the judge’s too much, gloves coming out of the pockets and a scarf rolled up inside the design. Though the coat looked so comfortable and was the judge’s runner up, proving Anna is one to watch out for, she was the runner up last week too. Designer Norma Kamali noted Anna’s coat “looked worthwhile and very, very expensive.”

That was the similarity between both Anna and Andrew’s designs, they thought about the finished overall look. Both were well made, they used great fabrics making the coats look luxurious.

James-Paul, who was week one winner, designed for winter under the theme Jet Set. The idea for the team was to create outerwear their customer could travel in. James-Paul didn’t realize it at the time but his design of a sleeping bag coat ended up being a homage to the guest judge Norma Kamali, the original sleeping bag coat designer! The design was certainly cozy looking, and with the amount of quilting the design had James-Paul’s expertise at sewing meant the look still flattered the female shape. The designers own take on his coat,
“When you’re super drunk, you can’t go home, you can just sleep on it.” A must have for all those cocktail nights out! Probably the highlight for James-Paul was Norma Kamali complementing him on the design, and to his credit he stayed very humble which is a great quality to see in someone who works within fashion!

Reco who designed for winter, on the Futuristic team was actually the team leader this week. His thought for the theme was ‘modern day excursion to Mars’ – a bizarre idea but it actually worked. I liked the way his design showed the futuristic theme through the color layout and the way he thought about the technical aspect. Reco actually took on a lot of the beginning, drawing out the patterns for some other members of his team’s designs freehand. Though I think any team leader should be prepared to take on extra work as they are leading the team. And as much as other contestants dislike his over confident manner at least he does work to match that attitude. I don’t think anyone could truly fault him this week, as his skills in the studio and the way he oversaw the team were better than most others. His personal design was a ski jumpsuit in white and bold red. Quilted all over the design could have gone horribly wrong but he knew exactly what he was doing and made the jumpsuit look effortless to wear. It looked cozy, cute yet sexy and made me want to ski! The dual function was great too, the hood/back feature came off to become a wrap and he even included a pocket within the wrap to hold a flask!! Genius! Though his team did end up being the loosing team the judges announced his was their favorite look. Norma Kamali called it saleable. And in today’s economy that is important!

So again someone had to leave and this week the judges chose Markus. They thought his design to not have the workmanship they desired and some did not understand the design concept. Though it is not all doom and gloom as Markus holds the title as Fashion Director at the fashion magazine Nolcha. Not a bad day job!

I know many people have criticized some of the contestants for saying they don’t feel comfortable on the show or that they cannot do the technical work but I feel it refreshing to hear the truth. Just like in the real world everyone has days when they are unsure or they feel like they don’t belong and fashion can be a very confidence knocking world. This competition will weed out the best, just like in the workplace sometimes people pass the initial interview and get into the job but they are soon found out!

Favorite quote from tonight’s show: Merlin talking about the way the other contestant’s look at his team, “They underestimate our power, and that’s the big mistake.”
Why does everyone else seem to dislike Team Bolero/Little People/Jet Set team so much? For the most part they stay out of the catfights, work hard and don’t really say much. They turn out good work as a group and have some real talent amongst them. Time will tell who the winner is … and I cannot wait!

If you could have a dual functioning coat made for you what would it do? Personally I would like my coat to turn into a pair of Christian Louboutin shoes … is that asking for too much?