Congrats to Jeffrey!
Now onto my review…Laura's line was stunning and very chic which came as no surprise. However, the mere fact that 8 of her pieces were either black or very-dark toned made the whole collection appear a bit drab to me. Her attention to detail is otherworldly but I'd love to see expand her color palette a bit. I know of several urban-dwelling sophisticates between DC & Boston who don't want to look demure when they step out after-hours, not even the 40+ set.
Uli’s collection was simply outstanding. Each item was perfectly executed from my naïve perspective and she’s never shy about using color and print through she tamed the beast a touch for the finale. The line was beautiful and the models looked beautiful sporting her rags. I’ve spent a little time in the Caribbean and am confident that her stuff would go flying off shelves between Miami and Caracas. Like Laura, she has found a niche in which she's nearly without peer. I give the edge to Uli but my vote at this point is neither here nor there.
Much has been made of Michael’s taste or lack of depending on your perspective. I’m not going to come down so hard on him though given his age relative to the other finalists, paucity of experience and background. Taste is indeed relative. There is very much a market for the pieces from his collection including some rap video. I wouldn’t dismiss out of hand the commercial viability of what he produced. Though I found a few of pieces unattractive, especially that whitish Wonder Woman knock-off, booties will be bouncing real soon in a Michael Knight creation. That is a niche that is ripe for further exploitation. My only gripe with him is that unlike the others he did not deliver a cohesive collection.
I gotta give The Neck props for pushing the envelope. I’m no fashion guru but gather that the judges did not want to see the same old-same old on the runway. He was clearly the most experimental in terms of cut and fabric. While I don’t think that he delivered the most cohesive collection either, he seems to possess both the eye for spotting trends and the business acumen to be a top flight designer. Ironically, I found him to be the least technically proficient of the four finalists before the two parts of the finale aired. No one here agrees with me but I think he’s a better designer than Santino Rice of last season. Jeffrey takes chances while maintaining a vision whereas Santino makes it all up as he goes along. I don’t equate happenstance with talent or vision. Finally, like Michael and me both, Jeffrey probably objectifies women in a way that might rub a few of the ladies on this board the wrong way. The Neck designs outfits for his models that will give him a “charge”. While I think the ladies’ lines were prettier, the fellas delivered the goods in terms of what’s HOT for me as a male.
#FactsMatter...your feelings not so much.
Updated On: 10/19/06 at 02:56 PM
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