One Man's Trash...

I spend a lot of time writing deranged emails to people that are often supplemented by pictures either of oddities or things I like. There's more of the latter than the former here, but I was weeding out my "My Pictures" folder and thought I would share. These are pictures that make me happy.
This is me with a magnolia tree in front of the Department of Commerce building where I used to work in Washington, DC. I like it not (obviously) because it's such a fabulous picture of me but rather because it's one of me being happy in a city I love with possibly my favorite flower in the world. Everyone please cross their fingers for my Sweet Bay Magnolia that Mom found for me, which is currently experiencing it's first in-ground winter.
This is a picture of a model from one of John Galliano's shows...I believe from his own label rather than Dior. I just love that anyone in the world has a brain that could produce this look.

And you KNOW I've contemplated putting rhinestones on my lipstick, so why you would even ASK is beyond me.
This is me, my sis and my Mom in Cortona, Italy. I just like the family togetherness of it all, and the side of me not looking totally weird is always a plus.

One of many coveted necklaces from Subversive Jewelry. I have no idea why this particular one is saved on my computer, since I usually am found drooling over the Sunken Treasure necklaces the guy makes, but isn't it gorgeous? I have dedicated sincere thought to finding a way to wear this on my wedding day.
A pair of Akademiks boots I bought recently to fend off the winter in style (changing in and out of galoshes in class = fail). I love the look of them and moreover it's the first pair of 9 and a half's I've fit since before puberty.
"Berg" from Jessica Simpson, which only goes UP to 9 and a half. Yet another reason to kind of hate J.Simp.
Give me an excitingly cut pump any day.

A totally out of my price range bag from Smythson (what ISN'T out of price range at that joint...on the other hand, mmmmm bespoke stationery.).

In Which Josie Succumbs To Packaging and Yummy Smells

Okay, so I have a new place for everyone to check out immediately. It's called Fruits & Passion, and for those in the Central MA area, there is one in the newly-extra-fabulous Natick Mall. A while back, some soap and matching lotion appeared in my parents' kitchen, and it smelled so good. It also didn't dry out my hands after I used it, which is a huge thumbs up. The scent was sanguinelli orange (fancy talk for blood orange?) and fennel...thank goodness there are people out there doing things like putting together sanguinelli orange and fennel and naming OPI nail polishes, because I could never be that awesome. My heart was already won with the non-drying nature of the soap and the soft lotion, but on top of that, it comes in this fabulous little ceramic holder.
So great, right? You can imagine how psyched I was to receive the set in Lime Zest and Cypress from Santa in my stocking this year. But here's the cool part..."cucina" is "kitchen" in Italian, and that's exactly what these sets are designed for. Both the soap and lotion include all kinds of terrific natural stuff that promotes cell regeneration and healing of small cuts and burns, and have loads of super-moisturizey stuff as well to prevent drying from frequent hand washing. And I mention it smells AMAZING, right? You can snag yourself one of these little sets for $32 in Sanguinelli Orange & Fennel, Lime Zest & Cypress, Fig & Fresh Herbs like you see in this picture, and Zucchini Flower & Truffle.

But Santa did not stop with soap and lotion! No no, he also brought me some totally fantastic hand butter in olive. Let's just say for the record that these people really GET packaging. The cream inside is terrific...I have tried any number of body and hand butters, because my skin is basically in a perpetual state of falling off, and they always seem to be too goopy or not easily dissolved or worst of all, that grody oily, slimy kind. This one is nice and dense, but barely takes more rubbing than a regular hand lotion to work into your skin. The olive one I got is "fragrance-free" which means of course that they didn't TRY to make it smell like anything. It's got a very light scent like (duh) olive oil. You can get your hands on this cream in avocado, olive, cocoa, monoi, moringa, sesame or shea for $9 for a container that fits into your hand but lasts forever.

Worcester, City on the Move Towards Damn Good Dining

So now that all that epic PR catching up is done, I can write about the fabulous dinner I had yesterday at semi-new restaurant Bocado, on Winter St. in Worcester. I went out with a friend from work, and we had a total blast.

Some light background...I was out of Worcester during the beginning of what I would call it's most progressive cultural phase, which is continuing today (although we'll see how that goes with Connie "I just let my dog chew on my head when I need a haircut" Lukes in office), so when I left, there were some good restaurants, but they were all of the same kind of generic type, without a lot of variance in the cuisine...all American and Italian stuff, with a smattering of teensy (though delicious) Mediterranean spots and the usual chains and delivery joints. And then I moved to DC.

If you've been to DC, you know...in Adams Morgan and Dupont Circle ALONE, you can find anything you could possibly want - super fabulous seafood, Cuban, Ethiopian (eternal, ETERNAL thanks to Frank-Kay, Hey Ho, for introducing me to this food), GREAT Italian, GREAT fusion, fantastic Japanese, delicious Indian, awesome Tex-Mex, TRUE Mexican...you name it, you got it. I gained roughly a million pounds and loved every minute (perhaps not so much enjoying now, but there you go). Totally different from The Old Worcester, but little did I know that meanwhile, back at the ranch, Worcester was on a major upswing. Now, Shrewsbury Street is bangin', Winter Street and the Canal District is developing like crazy (as I walked to Bocado last night, I could see construction of a restaurant-y looking type going on in the basement of that same building), and the overall cultural vibe of Worcester has really been developing (or maybe just breaking into the public awareness more) in leaps and bounds.

Bocado is a tapas bar with a great atmosphere. Tapas is a Spanish "thing" and features small portions that are meant to be shared. For example, we ordered the "Bocado Experience for Two" which includes two charcuteria y queso (light meats and cheeses), five tapas, a fabulous, huge dose of paella with seafood and saffron rice, and churros with chocolate sauce. There is also a little pre-order dish of long, thin, crispy breadsticks with a tomato-y, cheesy, spicy dip. The whole thing cost $75, which is a huge value for the sheer volume of food you got.

The decor is really beautiful, all in reds and chocolate and blackboards. You walk into the bar, and go up some stairs to the dining area, where you're seated (in our case) at a beautiful brown leather curving bench with squooshy pillows. The light comes from several sources and is kept low, but my personal favorite light source was the beautiful red glass chandeliers hanging in the room. Great atmosphere, good vibe. Our waiter was constantly apologizing for taking too long, but in reality, his timing was perfect for my taste - I hate when waiters hover over you and are in your face every thirty seconds. It worked out perfectly and he was really helpful and friendly.

For our Charcuteria y Queso, we ordered the queso de cabra con miel (fried goat cheese with honey and almonds) and the idiazabal (a sharp, mildly smoky cheese made from sheep's milk). Both were really wonderful, and were served with some fabulous, soft bread. The queso de cabra was so smooth and flavorful, and the fried outer coating had just the right amount of honey and was a perfect contrast to the texture and flavor of the soft cheese. The idiazabal was also delicious...I felt it was similar to parmesan in texture and SORT of in taste, but much smoother and not as sharp.

My dining partner does not eat meat except for seafood, so I was going to take FULL advantage of being out with a pro-seafood person (Speed does not do seafood). So, for our tapas, we ordered atun de bocado (raw tuna with lemon basil crema, sweet potato chips and chili avocado), trio de marisco (a seafood sampler of crab and corn salad, house smoked salmon and marinated mussels), calamares con ajo y limon (fried calamari with garlic, lemon, parsley, and orange horseradish cream), bola de arroz frito con mozzarella (mozzarella stuffed crispy rice balls with basil aioli) and empanadas con cangrejo (baked cran and vegetable filled savory pastries). Whew! All of these had fantastic flavor and were perfectly cooked. The bola were particularly unique and delicious.

The paella was enormous, and since we had dessert coming, we didn't eat too-too much of it, but it was delicious and I plan on enjoying it for lunch shortly. We were right to wait for the churros, too, because they were perfectly done...crispy and soft in equal measure, with delicious cinnamon coating, and a light, smooth chocolate sauce.

It was a great night, and I highly recommend it! GO WORCESTER! GO BOCADO!

Almost Up to Date PR Recap: Ep 7

I am going to start with a question I asked The Lucy but we didn't really get into because we were too anxious to eviscerate some of these dresses/people...are prom dresses short now? I wasn't one of the girls who was driving in to Boston and scouring the internet for dresses...there was a Saks Fifth Avenue OUTLET in Worcester at the time so I just went there and picked up a $450 dress for $35 (oh my god I miss that place...it was like heaven), but my sister did the shopping around and as a result I got to see some of the ABOMINATIONS that these children were being allowed to go to prom in. I made my peace with things like this by repeating "some people are just skanky" over and over while rocking:
Oh. My. God. Average age at prom: 17. SEVENTEEN! So whatever, some people are just skanky. But I didn't know (not having had to concern myself with prom for what, 6 years...six years?! Holy shit.) that short was the new thing...I think a full half of the girls in this challenge wanted short dresses. Isn't prom an excuse to have some of your first long evening gown type dresses that most of us rarely get to wear in our everyday lives? This is probably a case of me being an old woman from the motherland again, but it just seems so weird to me. I mean, they're cute dresses, and lord knows I love me some kicky short action, but...prom? Really? Okay.

And yeah, I'm totally showing you my $35 prom dress that was fabulous, not only because I loved the dress but because it is maybe my favorite picture of me EVER TAKEN (except, weirdly, my ID photo from American University. I am not even kidding. It's like Glamour Shots up in there.) and looks like some kind of perfume ad. Featuring Hillary the Beastie!Oh my god I am so hot. And also: awwwwwww.

So anyway the CHALLENGE: Design prom dresses in accordance with your client's wishes. PS - your client is a New Jersey Catholic high schooler. Enjoy.

WINNER: Victorya
LEHOO-ZEH-HER: Kevin

Putting The Lucy's comments in WHITE this time because I think they'll be a little easier to read - feedback appreciated!
I thought the bedazzling looked cheap, the boobs looked saggy, and the bubble skirt looked uneven and poorly done. More weird flat boobed stuff from Victorya. I don't get it and I don't like it. I especially don't like her shitty attitude. HAHAHAHA! We were all screaming about the cheap bedazzled piece of shit that she made. Seriously, how did she win this challenge? This dress is boring shit. And the girl looks like Jan Brady and I wish to punch her in the face.
I loved Chris's dress, would have worn it, and thought it should have won. I thought the color was beautiful and unusual, the styling was great, and it was a PROM DRESS. I'm sorry, I'm ready to accept prom dresses as being uniformly short. I could not BELIEVE this wasn't even top three. I absolutely agree that this should have been the winner. I was shocked when his name wasn't called. This dress is absolutely lovely, girly and completely age appropriate. She looked stunning and Chris deserved better.
Oh, KEVIN. The hem, the bodice, the everything. WHY. WHY WHY WHY? I was really disappointed with this one. It also was not a great color for her. WHY? I saw this dress on sale for $19.99 after the Christmas formal season. It sucked then and it sucks now.
Now this I thought was very original and pretty. The movement of the skirt was really fantastic. Jillian really gets it, and her Ralph Lauren background really suits this challenge. I liked the color choice and the hem, and I really can't praise the fabric choice of the skirt enough. Really pretty, nice work Jillian! (Speed called this "the Sharks dress" because of the teal.) I really love this dress. I love the fresh, unusual colors that she chose. It's stunning. It's also a very flattering cut. So pretty!

I was 100% sure that I was going to hate Kit's dress, but I didn't. I don't LOVE it, and Rich was right when he compared it to the chestplate on Darth Vader's outfit, but I thought it was going to be butt ugly and it's not. It's cute and it seems to fit the girl's personality, so I am okay with it, if not super-enthused. Yeah, I don't know. It seems pretty enough but I can't get past how the straps go over the bodice. It's distracting. I do like the bright colors though.
I actually think that Ricky was on to something with the detailing and the shape, but it was too short and the color was HORRIBLE! What was he thinking?! I also take extreme issue with the heels. Look, I know nude heels are in, and I am SO in for that trend, but the nude needs to either match your skin tone or go with the dress. This does neither. It's a cool-tone nude with a warm-tone dress. Fail. I thought for a second that Ricky was going to be a goner with this one. Everything about it is just so bad. I guess he's lucky that Kevin's sucked out loud. Fail indeed.
We discussed Rami's little draping extravaganza already, so the points have been made: we are anti-draped boob, and we didn't love it. I think I might love the bracelet, though...I didn't notice it before. The shoes are cute too. I like the flapper feel but I don't like the liquid boobage. It's so deforming. I hate it. The color is too muted for me too.
This is MAYBE the last thing in the world I would have expected from Sweet P, but there you go. Wow. The color was perfect for this girl, and though I do not like the hem (she should have done a french hem, I think...this really stands out, although maybe it was intended?) and I think it was a touch racy for the prom, it's fundamentally a REALLY beautiful dress. Nice (miraculous) work, Sweet P. I absolutely love this dress. I would wear this dress. The color, the cut and the overall style of this dress is so classic. Very Grecian and just very pretty. I was kind of not into the fabric though...it showed every little thing underneath and that is just not good.
Saved the...whatever for last. You know, the first part of the episode, I thought we were just watching another episode of "Christian hates fat people and/or people who don't live in a Vivienne Westwood world" but I have to say, later on, during fittings and such, I do see the personality stuff he was reacting to, and see where he was coming from. TO A POINT. He still has a jerky attitude towards normal people, but then again, he does kind of try to hide it, unlike Jeffrey who was like "OH FUCK, FATTIES" when he had to work with normal and overweight people. There were sooo many problems with this, and I think a lot of them came from Christian kind of being like "well fuck this, I'm doing what I want" but not...really doing that. If he wanted to take the doing what I want stance, he should have scrapped the weird bubbly effect and the lace on the bottom (and I think, the ruching on the bodice) and completely remade it. Yeah, she would have been a heinous wench about it, but it wouldn't have been this ugly, and everyone wins. I also think the black and brown were a poor choice, and just wash her out. You hardly even notice her pretty face and hair. This poor girl looks like a truffle. Why put a brown person in a brown dress? This girl's personality was pretty atrocious so maybe he just wanted her to look like shit (seriously, no pun intended). It's just a hot mess. I do think that Christian should have just done what he wanted instead of following her idea so closely. It was a tough situation...I would have stabbed the little brat.

Slightly Behind Schedule PR Recap: Ep 6

Okay, we're catching up here...I am also going to include the start of my dress-by-dress email to Lucy because I find it funny and thus don't care if you don't want to hear it.

"I have to tell you, I had a dream last night that I was on PR but for some reason it was being held in the art classroom from my middle school, which was in the middle of a building from Little Man Tate for some reason, and I had volunteered to be team leader (just my luck, I'm on PR and I get a stupid team challenge). So anyway, turns out I had the same design/patternmaking/sewing skills that I have now, i.e. minimal at best, so I kind of vaguely sketched some stuff and then strongly advocated a bubble skirt, and then kind of wandered around and felt guilty, and then Tim Gunn came over to see our work and they were like "oh we have made this whole thing what do you think" so my ass was saved. In any case, it was extremely weird and not as happy-making as I would imagine a PR dream to be."

So there's that.


CHALLENGE: Lay waste to the Times Square Hershey Store and make an outfit out of your booty. NO SPECIFIC INSTRUCTION to use edibles exclusively, just anything they could grab in five minutes in the Hershey store.


WINNER: Rami
LEHOO-ZEH-HER: Elisa

I loved how Chris sewed the labels together...it made such an interesting effect. It really just looked like some kind of funky print. I love the shoes and presentation, and I love the bracelet which matches the crazy made-up print perfectly! So cool! I was really happy to see Chris turn out a sophisticated, low-key-but-interesting, hot dress, PARTICULARLY after the Maritime Nightmare of the last challenge. I really liked this dress. It's like, if you didn't know this dress was made from candy labels, would you realize it right away? That's the beauty of this look. It's well made and very wearable.
This was VERY Kit to me. I like the styling MOSTLY but given the boots (which I covet) I would have liked to see a little more on top. This week I mostly liked the ones that looked LEAST like the actual source materials - Hershey's packaging isn't particularly pretty, and is very boxy, so I don't like this as much. I don't like how flat the top makes the model look, but the skirt and little belty thing are cool. Very Kit indeed. It's cute though. I didn't realize that the top was so boob constricting until you pointed it out. It's kind of boring to me though. A little expected.

Oh my god, Elisa. I knew she was screwed when they talked about her car accident, which can we just say...oh my GOD! The poor woman, jeez. While I feel sorry for her, this was just a hot mess. The swimmies, the asymmetrical hemline that's not QUITE asymmetrical enough to work, the weird bodice, the almost complete lack of styling...oy. And this was supposed to be a fairy princess look? I tell you, between this outfit and the menswear one, I know exactly what kind of fairy tale land Elisa's thinking of and it's the one with the hideous Norwegian gnomes. Oh Elisa...I miss you so. I really wish you didn't make this dress. Once again with the crack induced fairytales...and I have to say that this one must end pretty badly. This is one of the most depressing articles of clothing I've ever seen. What was she thinking? Damn you, Elisa!

Cute but boring, and the shoes are a weird choice. I keep feeling like Kevin has a lot of stuff to just let out of the bag but he's just not doing it. No one with facial hair that complicated is this boring. Blah. The shrug looks crochety and old to me. I just didn't like this that much. Cute but boring indeed. I really don't have much to say about this, other than the fact that the imagination here is definitely lacking.
Christian actually really nailed the simple here. Good line, cool effect from the wrappers. I think the texture is very him but the shape is very chic and pretty, even if it gets a bit clunky around the neck. I would NOT have included the weird little head patty, but whatever, that's Christian for you. I'm also a little put off by the way that this model is CLEARLY trying to end my life via mind bullets. I'd just like to mention here that watching Christian throw those PERFECTLY GOOD peanut butter cups into the trash nearly killed me. WTF, DUDE? That's one of the best candies ever and you're THROWING it away? Fuck you...but oh yeah, the dress. I actually think it looks a little sloppy. I like the shape of the dress but the greasy wrapper thing was a little scary to me. It looks kind of dirty, no? Sweet P's creation...boring boring boring. Why aren't these people having more fun with this? The challenge is to make shit out of candy! Come on! Boring and washing out the model. No thanks. Um...no. Her first idea wasn't that great either so yeah, she missed the mark with this challenge.
I am appreciating all over again how fucking cool this was. Rami knows what he's doing. The fit on this was just amazing...and he used some hard materials, too, like that vinyl-y stuff? Awesome. The skirt is super pleated which must have been a nightmare, and to use so much pattern and texture and have it be a universal "yes" is pure talent. I loved this. I loved this look too. It's so much FUN, which is the entire point of the challenge! It's completely plastic and sweet and bubbly, just as it should be.
I loved the movement on Jillian's dress. I was actually glad they didn't make her the winner just because she worked so hard, because the design of this was fine but not as fabulous as Rami's. I didn't love how stiff the bodice was but I think a lot of that was just a matter of being made of Twizzlers (duh). I wish she'd done one more layer of Twizzlers on the skirt so it all had that flapper effect, but overall the design was cool and obviously it was a monumental effort directed at really getting the spirit of the challenge. I kind of think the bodice was a little ugly on this one. I mean, I know she made it out of candy but it's kind of gross. The movement in the skirt is great though. I really appreciate the fact that she put herself out there and took a risk.
Boy, I sure was happy when the aufed Victorya for this! Oh, wait, they didn't? Did they think about her last dre...no? They don't find her wildly boring and lame? No? Okay...why? Weird shape, again with the flattening, again with the saying others' suggestions were her own independent thought...I just hate her. This is boring as hell and I think it sucks. Look at how low the right hand bodice is!! My hatred for Victorya just has no bounds. This outfit was fucking TERRIBLE. Why did she not get kicked off for this. If I had to pick between Elisa and Victorya I would have picked Vic. This sucks and I hate her.
I will say, I liked this a lot more on the runway, even if the center point of the hem kept hitching up. Then I hated myself because it's Ricky's and I hate Ricky. I liked the innovative shape and the detail of the bodice. Stupid Ricky. Ugh. I think to make up for liking it I'll accuse him of plagarism by noting that that center panel on the bodice is AWFULLY SIMILAR to Jeffrey's amazing green-and-white-striped dress from the finale. I'm mostly just being a jerk though. I really wish he would stop with the hats...it's really distracting. Other than the fact that he's a fucking faucet, I have to say that I appreciate his spirit. I think that he is a good designer but his stupid gay gogo dancer persona really overshadows him as a person. I thought this was really cute and it looks impeccably made. The bodice is suspect.

Behind Schedule PR Recap: Ep 5

CHALLENGE: Take the former-favorite plus size outfits of women who had lost a ton of weight (seriously, some of these ladies lost a small human) and turn them into the heights of fabulousity for their new slim bods.

WINNER: Christian of the Epic Hair
LEHOO-ZEH-HER: Steven

This was also the episode where Jack, whose stuff I generally found cute but not wildly "fashion-y," left the show because he had a horrendous staph infection cooking on his lip, which is extra troublesome for him as he is HIV positive. It was really sad to see him go, because I always had the feeling that he was going to uncork it and totally blow my mind, and he seemed like a genuinely cool guy. However my feelings about it got kind of confusing, because the Powers That Be decided to bring back last week's auf, the enigmatic and wonderful Chris M. It was a fair choice (unlike when freaking Angela and Vincent came back last season, which was a total drama-maximizing move), and worked out well. Word is that Jack's doing well, and Speed and I both think it's possible-to-likely that he would reaudition for next season. I hope so!

As usual, me in standard text, The Lucy in blue.
This is Jillians...what is with the sudden ascendancy of lucite stripper-shoe accents? I keep seeing this around, particularly on PR, and I'm not sure how to deal with it. On the one hand, lucite, but on the other hand...these are kind of cool, no? This was the dress where the judges were making noise about the material issues, I think...I sort of agree. The challenge was to make a new outfit out of the old outfit, so to bring in all this new fabric is not really in the spirit or letter of the challenge. That being said, I think it's a cute dress and is cute on the model, and those funky little pleats add some interest, so I am willing to give this one a thumbs up BUT don't find it real fashion-y. Sort of like Jack's dress first ep...cute but not unique. Hahahaha...the shoes I wore under my wedding dress had lucite bottoms, because they were the only ones I could find that had a wedge type bottom, which I knew was very important to my comfort. They are actually everywhere, but these are kind of understated and just pretty. They don't look trashy at all, and I guess if it's done tastefully then it's ok. I don't think they look hookerish, so thumbs up. The dress is just...*sigh.* I wish that the woman she made the dress for had on a better bra. I mean, I'm sorry but no one looks good when their tits are hanging down to their waist. I also think it was total bullshit that she bailed and made an entirely new outfit. That's not very fair. And it's plain. It's pretty, but it just makes me shrug my shoulders. I've seen that dress a million times.
I would totally wear this top of Ricky's. I don't think I LOVE the jeans - what's with the weird knee-bunching action? - but overall it looks like something the model would wear, and the shoes fit well with it. Again, not fashion, but it's cute. I really like the detailing at the neck. I liked this outfit. I did think it was adorable and that it really fit her and her personality. The capris are problematic for me though. How cute would it have been if he made her some walking shorts instead?

Oh, CHRIS. I'm sorry, but...Hairspray. That is all. I know that Chris is a costume designer but if he keeps this shit up, he's going to be aufed again. It's just too over the top. Where can she wear this?
While this outfit of Christian's is cute, a.) Jeffrey has now ruined all close-fitting pants of this style for me because that child knew what he was doing in that regard, and b.) look, when is Christian going to do something else? I feel like this is a little bland, and DEFINITELY very Christian-Cliche. Seems to fit her personality though. The jacket is basically the same one that he made for the first challenge, except the sleeves aren't as poofy. I don't think the pic is doing justice for the pants, though. When she was walking down the runway I was pretty amazed by them...they actually do have a great fit. Christian is going the way of Laura and Uli...he's doing the same thing over and over again and he better change it up, because if they start picking on him for it, it's going to be hard for him to overcome.
Victorya...I thought this was bland, and I don't know whether to blame the dress, the shoes, or the hair, but this ensemble makes her look old as the hills. I think if there was some more a-line action going on here, it would be better, but it's boring, appears to have a dippy bow at the neck, and I don't think the rhinestoney buckley thing is proportionate and thus makes her look huge. All I'm going to say is that I have no idea how Victorya avoided being in the bottom for this challenge. This dress is absolutely HIDEOUS. It is the opposite of style. Whenever I have the severe misfortune of going to a local department store that all of the old ladies frequent, THIS is what I see. Absolutely disgraceful. Yes. I said it.
Elisa should have left these boots with whatever low-rent pirate she ganked them from. Yeesh. I just feel like the presentation is kind of schizoid...pirate boots, nice-but-not-dressy clothes, plus the blinged out necklace and the fouffy hair...I dunno man. That being said, the shape of the jacket is cute and interesting. Can't really see much of the dress, but it's not offensive in any way so there's that. If she didn't pair the boots with this outfit, I would have actually liked it. The jacket is very pretty, although I don't know if that little bubble bottom on the skirt is the best for her body. The boots killed this for me though. Elisa has a thing for boots, I think.
I REALLY wish Kit hadn't let her wear this little cami thing. I actually like this dress on its own, but the bright white cami really throws it off for me. The design of the bodice actually reminds me of this, which I totally love and constantly think about trying to recreate. I agree with you about the cami...that becomes the focal point instead of the rest of the dress, which is actually quiet pretty. I like the bright cantaloupe color too. And of course, I love the dress below. Pure art.

It's all about the way the crisscrossing is worked...love it. (NB - Like I need to tell you, but this is from the SS07 Dior Couture Collection I'm so obsessed with.) So, I secretly LOVED this from Kevin, even if I'm just now noticing the shoes and being a little frightened by them...what are those, gold scrunchies? This seems a little South Beachy to me, but it seems to fit her personality and she clearly thinks it rocks so I am on board. I like the detailing and the color is cute, but I think it needs to get hoisted up so it fits the girls a little better. Actually, that would pull up the hemline, too, which would solve a lot of the issues I do have with this. I kind of like this. I feel as though it's a little too much. Once again, where and how often can she wear this? If it's your favorite thing, you're probably going to want to wear it at least somewhat often, and I just don't think she can. The leggings bug me and I think it makes her hips look big and her boobs look droopy. I like the idea but...eh.
What Steven was thinking, I have no idea. This is like an escaped nun's idea of mother-of-the-bride wear. I hate it, the proportion and location of the collar is weird, and those shoes should be outlawed. They're probably made of rubber. This is just ugly on top of ugly. WHY WHY WHY?
Well, it's not draped, so good on Rami, but I don't love that it's tucked in or whatever the hell. I think it would be cute if the shirt wasn't tucked, but as presented I feel like it's a little blocky. Cute though, I like it ok. It's cute, although I don't know if high waisted is good for her. It's a little funky though and I appreciate that.

I actually like this color more than I would have expected. This seems VERY Sweet P to me, like, I could see her wearing it, and I actually kind of like it, although the boob area is a little schlumpy. Overall, pretty cute, though I'm not sure if I like the black hose and the shoe choice with it. I really like this dress. I think it's very pretty and it looks like something this chica would wear. I do, however, have to question her choice of foundation color. Is it just me, or does her face look significantly darker than the rest of her? God, I'm so distracted!

Really Freaking Late PR Recap: Episode 4

I am SO behind but hey sue me, I've been busy. Damn. Okay. As usual, Josie in standard color, The Lucy in blue. I'm listing the winner/loser pair on the top because I am trying to pump out about four of these tonight.

THE CHALLENGE! Take heinous trends of the past, update them, and give them a heinousectomy. This is a team challenge.

WINNER: Jillian
AUFED: Chris M.
Jillian...okay, this has been driving me CRAZY but I have had no time to go back and check, but I am 95% sure that someone, presumably Jillian since this is her design, was wearing this exact same shirt during judging (or model picking, I don't know, something on the runway), and I remember this because I thought it was gorgeous and wanted to own it. I have just now tasked Rich with DVRing tonight's repeat (thank you, Bravo!), so I will check tonight, but like I said, I am pretty damn sure. Now, if I am correct...what does that mean? That aside, I don't personally love this but I do think it met the challenge...it really takes some of the edge off of overalls and paired with the shirt it's very cute and feminine. Well, I think Tim was right when he said that Jillian was definitely the inspiration for the collection, because yes, she did wear the exact or nearly exact same shirt on the previous week's episode. I don't know what it means, exactly. But I do know that it's pretty and that I like it a lot. I don't love it either, but it's so much better than regular overalls could ever be.
Rami...bad hairdo (WAY too much volume on the skirt to not balance it out with some hair), but it's cute enough. I like the slight sheen of the denim, but I would have 86ed the little belty tie thing I think...or made it skinnier...yeah, Im going with the latter. I have to say that I'm not a big fan of this look. It's a boring, overdone kind of style that I've seen a lot of...didn't we just get over this tiered skirt thing? I don't know...I guess I'm just underwhelmed. The hair is really bad...she would have looked cute with some big bouncy curls.

Kevin...I should hate these shorts WAY more, but I feel like he made them stylish and not-so-bad. However, they are still formal shorts. Fail. The collar is a good idea but it was WAY more aggressive looking on the runway and I hated it...if the volume of the collar was actually the degree that we see here I might be more okay with it. They should stick with using that top fabric as detailing though...it's very Little House on the Prairie. I really like this outfit. I wouldn't wear it, but I like it. I kind of dig the print, seeing as it's paired with a kind of modern short. I also get a kick out of the collar. I like exaggerated fashion and I think it was all right that they took it this far. Much better than the boring dress Rami made. I think this was a really good look that is kind of wearable.
Kit...HATE these shoes with the outfit. I actually really like this...I think the prints are neat together. I would nix the scarfy thing...was this the menswear as womenswear one? I guess that would make it a tie. Whatever, I hate the tie. I really like this look too...and can't really add anything to what you've said because I agree.
Jack...dude WTF. Pinstripe too big, horribly boring grey color, weirdly drapey, pockets that look like tabs for a paper doll, and a model with a crappy toupee on her head. Plus leggings. BOO. I don't really mind the color or the pinstripe, but I have a major issue with how wide that neckline is. It's stupid looking. The pockets also suck, as do the leggings and the toupee. Thanks for making me really hate this dress more than I did originally. =)
Christian...skirt yes, shoes aww hell yes, jacket fine though not for me but holy crap what is up with that turtlenecky thing? It's making this chick look like her head is just floating above her shoulders. Fine until the shirt, Christian, fine until the shirt. The shirt is detestable and this look is completely boring.
Sweet P...way to rip off Gucci AND Kara Saun, the ORIGINAL PR Gucci Knocker-Offer, SWEET P. I actually don't hate this, though I would never wear it...it has a kind of...hipster who would own a Roomba AND the new mopping Roomba thing vibe to it. You know? Did I just talk crazy again? But you know, like if the Roomba person went to a company holiday party? I like this look, and I think it was a pretty good interpretation of the trend. It is a little Gucci, and I'd probably wear it if I didn't fear it would make my ass look fucking huge. I think it's adorable. I also think that the stress from the last week of school has made you crazy indeed.

Steven...leggings and fucking ugly shoes, plus a top that I could buy right now from at least three retailers. Combo of boring and ugly = no one wins. What the hell is this shit? Leggings need to go away, as does this terrible look.
Chris...I actually did not hate thise NEARLY as much as everyone else in the world apparently did, and I am WICKED bitter about Chris being aufed instead of Ricky who clearly cannot keep his shit in a basket OR lead a design team, AND designs boring crap. Admittedly, I don't love the neckline, but I think I would like it more if it wasn't under this jacket. The judges described it as totally costumey, and...I get that, I guess, but I don't think it's so crazy costumey that no one would ever wear it. Like...maybe if the Roomba lady went to a fancier party she would hang out with this chick, no? I actually kind of like the jacket, although I would not pair it with this dress. I also did not hate this look. It's not that costumey, not that ugly, and looks to be well made. I don't love the jacket, but I don't think it was enough to get Chris kicked off. The color choice is a little lacking, and the pattern on the jacket could have been better. My only question is, they complained about the shoulder pads but the trend was fucking shoulder pads? Was he supposed to put them on her ass instead? What the fuck?
Victorya...cool shoes cool shoes eeeeee! Apparently I am very into this whole wrappy viney shoe thing. I REALLY loved this color story, I have to say, but dude, the one thing Ricky was totally 100% right on is that this model's boobs look like crap. I'm sorry, I don't care if that's your "thing" (WHICH by the way I'm pretty sure it ISN'T since it had "power struggle retardery" written all over it BUT WHATEVER), but smooshed boobs do not look good OR make for a good design. Besides the smooshed boobs, this just doesn't turn me on. The bodice would be nice if SHAPED PROPERLY, but the skirt is very boring. Boring shit. Seriously, don't be a misogynist and let the boobs flow freely, please! It's just ugly and stupid, much like Victorya.
Elisa...yeah, Elisa kind of lost me here. Hate the rogue yellow strap, and the whole thing looks like a sack. Not fun.I like the IDEA of the cutouts...maybe if they were bigger patches of color and over the whole bodice? If I redid this concept I'd slap and empire-y waistline on it and do big cutouts all over the top, and add some shaping in the waist...and either take the one-shoulder idea over the top and get rid of the yellow strap or else make it strapless or cap sleeve with a crazy deep v neck. I actually liked this one. I thought that Elisa did a good job and I like the idea...I think if the fabric choice were different, it would have been much prettier. Given what she was given, I thought she did well. It's cute and young, which also cannot be said for the other pieces in this collection.
Ricky...LOVE the burgundy color...and that's about it. That yellow piece is really weirdly shaped and I hate it. The weird illusion netting sucks also. I don't know...I think I have said before that I totally shop by color, so this thing gives me a lot of cognitive dissonance but in the end, I don't like it. The burgundy is so great that I ALMOST can overcome the rest of it, but then I regain my senses, then remember I hate Ricky and then have a drink. This look is really schizo. The yellow is completely out of place and the sheer panel is icky. Ricky should have been kicked off this ep, although I do think that the judges gave him some extra points for having to deal with Batshit and Vera Wang.