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The Fashion Show, week 4 winner, Reco ‘the Costume Designer’
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Week 4 winner, Reco
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So tonight's show had a few surprises both good and bad!
There was the Harper's Bazaar mini challenge where Olsen Haus, the Pure Vegan shoe brand, asked the contestants to design a shoe. It was so good to see Olsen Haus designs on The Fashion Show as it goes to prove not all vegan footwear equals bland or unstylish. The poor contestants though, many of whom had never designed footwear, had only 90 minutes to complete the task and it was one hot mess!
There were two contestants that stood a chance to win the mini challenge by the end of the allocated time. Keith's shoe was fun and had an individual twist to it, taking inspiration from the eco-friendly essence of Olsen Haus he played on the floral theme. However Johnny's design looked the more finished and sellable. The wedge creation, which featured an interesting front fold design, was creative whilst staying wearable. It was the clear winner from the selection and is now available on BravoShop.com to purchase.
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The other great surprise was starting from this episode all contestants will be designing individually not in teams! YAY ... finally we will get to see them without team excuses and with their own stand alone designs.
So off they skipped to Bergdorf Goodman women's shoe department ... ahhhh, heaven, bliss, and all things sweet and lovely in the world ... designer shoes GOOD designer shoes! Elimination challenge: Each contestant was told to pick one pair of shoes from the huge selection that they would have to use as inspiration to create an entire outfit. Yves Saint Laurent, Stella McCartney, Manolo Blahnik, Valentino, Alexander McQueen, Giuseppe Zanotti, Christian Louboutin, Jimmy Choo were all picked and handed over as inspiration!
I don't know whether it was working without a team or the amazing shoes that made the great design work come out of show four but I am so glad something happened as this was a great Fashion Show episode.
Reco's inspiration of Yves Saint Laurent's black lattice ankle boots created a futuristic, structured, amazingly pleated black dress. I don't know how he does it so fast but he actually had time to nap whilst everyone else was panicking! He thought about the entire look, creating a headpiece to go with the dress that tied in nicely with the YSL boots. The audience described it as "fashion forward" which perhaps is not something I would entirely agree with but the work Reco managed to get done within the time frame was exceptional.
Keith who took inspiration from Valentino's Floral Print Wedge made for me the perfect "16 Candles for 2009" dress. It was girly yet grown-up, the flowers were just the right size on the sides and front. You could see the inspiration from the shoes. I never thought I would like pink tutu material unless it was on a ballerina but Keith changed my mind.
Andrew who chose a pair of Manolo Blahnik Feather Trim heels I thought made a grown-up sexy look, the dress had a mix of office and evening wear. I loved the pleating detail, neckline depth and the different lengths in the skirt; it all came together perfectly. The audience thought it too average and boring! But as Andrew argued
"I design and I think of salability, if I don't sell I don't eat" and I partly agree. As today's economy proves fashion needs to sell to be able to keep in business.
Haven's inspiration came from Christian Louboutin's Fuchsia Fringe Ankle heels and she did them proud. A cute, young, fresh look came down the runway. Using black and grey as the backdrop colors she added a splash of fuchsia with a large pleated front panel on the shirt. I really wish they would sell some of the designs that don't make it as the winners. This would be one of my purchases!
Angel who is becoming one of my chosen key contenders, at this point, had a pair of Stella McCartney wedges as her inspiration. Now the fact that these wedges were red, blue and white meant the design could have gone 'costume' wrong! Though Angel took the right route and didn't take the inspiration too literally, she decided to do her own take on a white shirt. Not only did she make a perfectly sized white shirt that looked casual enough to relax in but also looked office smart but she also managed to make a two in one outfit! At first glance you see the shirt beautiful stitched with a scrunched up skirt made from the same material, making it seem like an oversized shirt. The grey-blue fabric on the back added another dimension giving the outfit a finished look. The surprise twist to this outfit which I thought would have given it the winning edge was if unbuttoned the length of the dress got longer but also if turned upside down it becomes another shirt outfit!! Perfect for today's fashionista. This shirt-dress needs to be sold in time for the summer! As one audience member commented "it's a great summer Hamptons dress." With so much material happening the design could have gone so horribly wrong but Angel crafted a well turned out dress because she knows how to stitch to get the best out of her designs.
Not to take anything away from Reco because his design was made from amazing talent but for me Angel's shirt-dress was different and that is what I want to see from The Fashion Show. Different, well constructed fashion pieces that stand out from the crowd.
Reco whose dress I do love as the detailing is wonderfully crafted can be purchased on BravoShop.com
The New Black Dress priced at $199.00 is sculpted of intricate pleating to flatter the figure. Fitted with a boned bodice the dress also has a bubble skirt making it the perfect future little black dress. I seriously don't know how Reco managed to do it all and NAP!
Reco: Whilst watching a Valentino fashion show on Oprah as a young kid Reco realized his interest in fashion. Moving through the ranks within the fashion industry from designing costumes for strippers to pay his way through school to dressing celebrities, Reco is approaching his tenth year as a freelance designer. Currently the owner of studio 423 Clothing Boutique of Chattanooga and the Creative Director of his line "The House of Chapple," he is sure to be a top contender.
So the shocker for me was saying goodbye to Andrew, last week's winner. It serves as a reminder how easy it can be to fall from the top to the bottom. However I am sure Andrew will move on and continue to design, he just has to remember what guest judge George Malkemus, President of Manolo Blahnik USA, said about his dress "I can see wealthy women who shop at Bergdorf's buying a dress like this."
So what do you think? Was Andrew's design too boring? Who would you have picked for the winner?
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