So impressions! This week the challenge was swimwear. But it wasn't just sew a bikini together. Oh no. A) It was the first team challenge! And B) The designers have to come up with a companion piece that is avaunt garde.
Besides seeing Tim Gunn standing on a beach in flip flops and a blazer (the man has really white feet people!)the real show was when the fireworks started to fly early. Here's how the teams were divided.
Gordana Gehlhausen and Nicolas Putvinski
Epperson and Qristyl Frazier
Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman and Mitchell Hall
Johnny Sakalis and Irina Shabayeva
Carol Hannah Whitfeild and Shirin Askari
Christopher Straub and Logan Neitzel
Althea Harper and Louise Black
I think that's everyone...okay...into the pool! Pun intended...
For the most part, everyone worked really well together...except...Epperson and Qristyl. Qristyl was suppose to be team leader, but she let Epperson boss her around. If I were teamed with Epperson, I would sit him down, thank him for his input and his skill but refuse to sew another seam until he started acting like a teammate and not a senior designer. I would. Then Tim would come in and talk to us and then maybe Epperson would lighten up and Tim would leave saying his trademark line, 'Make it work!' Obviously the point of this whole challenge was 'Make it work...together..." Christopher and Logan is a perfect example of teamwork. They're designes worked well together and you got a sense of sharing ideas. There was no 'I' in that team. Teamwork is so vital to a design firm to become and stay successful. But you also still have to remember that for every team, there is a team captain that you must submit yourself, your work and your ideals to. That's what separates the designers from the seamstresses.
Now this week, the winning designs were by Ra'mon and Mitchell. But the winner of the challenge was Ra'mon. Why? Because he did most of the work. (And they can only have one winner a week anyway).
For the most part, I love the swimwear, but I don't see what's very avaunt garde about the second look. (I think Christopher and Logan should have won for that alone!) But it does correspond to the first piece very well. So here is what I would have submitted to the challenge. 
I love the old Hollywood glam of the swimsuit, but I would design my avaunt garde as a organza hoody inspired by seaweed to add to the drama. The hoody came in because Nicholas snubbed hoodies after talking to the surfer girls, but I understand how it gets cold in the morning for a die hard beach comber and this would be for the fashionista wanting to go to the beach early in the morning.
Normally, this would be the part where I would happily announce 'Make it Work Corner!' But this week posed a problem. The designer sent home, was Mitchell! And he was the team captain of the winning designs! So, I can't improve on Ramon's designs, for they truly were his designs. Mitchell's lack of sewing prowess came back to bit him in the butt. I watched his audition tape and his casting session, and from what I've seen, there were a few strong pieces but relatively few( And one pair of suspicious and familiar and sloppy shorts). But I understand how he cannot have a lot of completed pieces. Real life makes it hard to find time to sew. I myself have tons of designs in the old portfolio, but few concrete garments to show for it. It's why I started this blog. In hopes of motivating me to start sewing more portfolio pieces. So Mitchell, while I can't come up with a design to 'Make it Work' for you, I will advise you to keep sewing so that someday, you will 'Make it Work'. Maybe we both will.
(PS, I would choose Ra'mon as my partner so he would have someone who would pull their own weight!)
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