Guest judge Miranda Lambert, left to right, Nina Garcia, Zac Posen and Heidi Klum.
Leather and lace and fringe and denim… in the latest episode, the designers had the opportunity to create a performance look and a red-carpet look for Grammy-winning country artist Miranda Lambert.
The episode began with Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum bringing out the button bag to sort the designers into six two-person teams. Samantha Black, with immunity from winning the Hard and Soft challenge, was allowed to pick her partner and she chose Daniel Esquivel.
The rest of the pairings were:
Richard Hallmarq and Stanley Hudson.
Patricia Michaels and Layana Aguilar.
Michelle Franklin and Mat Arthur.
Katelyn Pankoke and Tu Nakchat.
Benjamin Mach and Amanda Valentine.
Miranda Lambert sat in as a guest judge on the panel with Zac Posen, Nina Garcia, and Heidi.
The losing design
This challenge barely felt like a “team” effort. The design pairs consulted with each other, but the looks did not have to be cohesive.
Mat Arthur, who has been lacking in confidence, struggled with his design and ended up going home for a lackluster little black performance dress for Miranda.
The loser’s partner
Michelle Franklin’s design was also poorly received by the judges, who felt her styling was too ’80s and that her necklace looked like linguini.
The winning design
Miranda chose Richard Hallmarq’s fringed performance look:
All the rest
Stanley Hudson’s design:
Daniel Esquivel’s design:
Samantha Black’s design:
Amanda Valentine’s design:
Benjamin Mach’s design:
Layana Aguilar’s design:
Patricia Michael’s design:
Tu Nakchat’s design:
Katelyn Pankoke’s design:
What did you think?
Which look would you have chosen for Miranda?
Which look would you have chosen for yourself?
Almost all of the designers used black or navy. Is there another color you would have sewn for Miranda if you were one of the designers?
Do you think Patricia dodged a bullet this week? Was I the only one who thought her fringe bandolier over a floral sheath dress was questionable?
Poor Mat went home over a lack of confidence. Has Daniel, on the other hand, become too confident?
I love the one Miranda picked. Some of the designs are just out of touch for a country super star such as Miranda. Good work.
Patricia MORE than dodged a bullet - she peddled a cheesy rendition of a cocktail napkin sketch which would make any celebrity (and offending designer) tabloid fodder. The whole get-up screamed, "clunky go-go dancer".
While Richard rocked the fringe, I think several others could have won this week's contest.
I was shocked that Stanley's red carpet look was chosen, considering Miranda's comments about the volume over the hips, as well as the judge's comments about the deep v-neckline being less than perfectly executed. I think that Benjamin hit this one out of the park - his gown was so beautifully sculpted, the detail in the back interesting, yet not overdone, and just enough decoration over the bust to create some movement. Ben really deserved the win. Even Amanda's dress was a lot more down home and fun than Richard's. Yes, the chains Richard used picked up the light and would read better on stage, but I just don't think was the dress for Miranda. Patricia's look just didn't work for me. Using the cream color leather really took away from the lace sheath underneath. I did like the red dress that Katelyn came up with but didn't much care for most of the other looks. I think the right designer went home. I still don't understand why the winning looks were chosen - was it a default thing that if one half of the team was the overwhelming winner in the guest judge's eyes then the other one was a gimme?
I hated Stanley's dress with the voluminous gathered mess that would make a matchstick look fat! That's what I don't like about the teams challenge, Certain loser looks get to stay when they should have gone home.
What was Michelle thinking? A denim skirt on the red carpet? The little vest thinggy was the only cute thing she made but none of it was red carpet material ( no pun )
I don't see where that fringe snafu was any worse than Patricia's bullet holder fringe adornment though. They loved that and hated Michelles, no accounting for taste I guess.
Katelynn had a good idea with that red leather and it could have gone over big time but the dress she made out of it just didn't work with the fabric. I think Miranda lambert would have loved the red leather if it had been something fun and flirty and less formal. I did like Richard's chain dress and how easy was that to make? I saw dresses with far more work invested but lacked the rock and roll of Richards dress.
T winning look really wasn't that special; I mean, this is a design used many times over for enterainers that have similar body shapes. My favorite was Layana's dress. I loved theflow of thegown but it would not have sown up on the stage very well. Patrica really doged the bullet--that thing she sent down was just ugly! What was that necklace that Michelle had on her model? There was plenty of ugly going on that I was questioning what this group has to offer. Daniel is getting too confinent andneeded to be knocked down off his glow stick!
I would have cosen eggplant purple. It's a rich color that is oftern overlooked. A fabirc that picks up the lights, sequined for example; why was nearly everythin done in leather---that is hot under the lights! Some fabrics breather better than others. Even trims can be used to catch lights.