Andrew MacLaine

Oh, my.  I've not had ANY time to make anything this week!  This challenge was technically a One Day challenge, but unfortunately, I only had time to work on this dress in three-hour spurts, and it unfortunately shows!

Well, disclaimer aside, for those of you who don't know, this week, the designers were given the task to make cocktail party outfits out of burlap sacks.  It was very interesting that I did indeed have burlap in my stash of fabrics!  I got it as part of a lot that I bought from very cheap at a garage sale.  It was already this red color, I didn't dye it.  I just KNEW this burlap would come in handy some day, and it did!

First of all, I wanted to make sure that I used the stiffness of burlap to my advantage and not fight against its nature and pretend it was a giving fabric.  That is why I knew I wanted to make something that defied gravity.  Those of you that know me well are probably aware that I often curse gravity, especially when it makes this fall just to torment me.  So I was more than willing to make something that said, "HA!  Take That, gravity!"  I think that the collar is exciting.

But what was most exciting about when I was designing this dress is something that you might not have noticed yet.  On one side, it's a bolero jacket, but on the other side, Oh!  It's part of the dress!  It's only a jacket on ONE SIDE!  That's INSANE!!! No one has ever done that before and it's AWESOME!  Forget that this particular dress isn't all that wonderful, if I did an idea like this half jacket again with a real fabric with a different design for the rest of the dress (most likely something simpler without the huge stand-up collar, but with a longer, more elegant skirt), I could have a serious moment!  Yeah!

So, yeah, I was pretty frustrated making this thing.  The outcome is "okay".  Definitely not something that I am going to keep.  But it's also a reminder that when it comes to the TV challenges, I must follow the formula.  As this is only the second episode, I only needed to make something pleasant and well-made to stay in the game (note many of the safe designers as well as the challenge winner made either simple fitted sleeveless shift dresses or plain bodices with dirndl skirts).  Pushing too hard and getting too artsy puts you in danger of being placed into the "strange/misunderstood" position, and those are the ones that get sent away early in the game.  Only get bold and edgy when the judges start to complain that the designs are boring.

Oh, by the way, though.  Raine was very happy that she got to go to the industry party this time around, as she lost out last season to Leonora.  See how happy she is?  Well, she's not smiling, but that's only because burlap is itchy...