Androgyny, Avant- Garde & Clueless Designers: Project Runway All Stars
Androgyny
is a term derived from the
words ανήρ,
ανδρ- (anér, andr-, meaning man) and γυνή (gyné, meaning woman), referring to the combination of masculine and feminine characteristics.
Avant-garde
(French pronunciation: [avɑ̃ɡaʁd] ); from French, "advance guard" or "vanguard" [1] ) is a French term used in English as a noun or adjective to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics.
[Thanks Wikipedia!]
Project Runway All Stars get a clue! Their challenge was to design and create androgynous and avant-garde looks. Obviously the All Stars haven't heard of designers
Ann Demeulemeester
or
Rick Owens
or they would have understood the aesthetic being asked of them! Well, at least they are entertaining. And to be fair, some of the designers got it, kinda.
After a visit to Mood and about a day of construction,
Georgina Chapman
visits the work room to deliver a manly twist. Suddenly, and much to their horror, the designers found themselves creating a companion look for male models. I won't lie to you, it was a fun episode made sweeter by all the mancandy.
Lets breakdown all the looks:
Althea did well. She wasn't on top or bottom. Safe is good. The layering contributes to level of androgyny by eliminating masculine/feminine shape. I'm not too crazy about the loose fitting trousers and the leather treatments, looks cheap. The male model does not need to be wearing lipstick!
Golden boy, Anthony Ryan, once again had the judges worshiping him. This week, I won't argue it too much because he
did
have one of the best designs. Personally, I'd like to see the train on the male model's shirt go away. Anthony could have used that fabric to give him sleeves. A number of the designers went sleeveless for the men. What was up with that??
OMFG Casanova, I don't even know what to say. Perhaps International Male is hiring???
Ivy nailed it... IF this were the Cirque du Soleil challenge. This is awful! I can't get past the ridiculous face painting to even speak about this intelligently.
I'm torn with Joshua's. I love the male model's look. It's modern, edgy and [somewhat] meets the challenge requirements. The female, however, just doesn't do it. "Different" doesn't make something avant-garde. Luckily Joshua was safe. I like him on the show.
Uli gave us a rock / punk look that mostly worked. I actually loved both pieces, including the styling. The only issue I have is that Uli's designs were a little too costumey.
Laura Kathleen gave us another OMFG moment. Or is this more of a WTF? In full disclosure, she made it known that this was a very difficult challenge for her because her work is so far from androgyny and the avant-garde. BUT that's an excuse! C'mon Laura Kathleen, that just doesn't fly OR justify OR forgive the disaster and embarrassment you sent down the runway!
I love the over-size houndstooth but I would have preferred it stay on the bolt of fabric. Kayne, this was a fail. I can't get past the ruffled collar. The female model looks like a jester. And I haven't decided if the male model embraces androgyny or if he's just really really gay.