Fashion and Beauty

In a critique that is certain to make you question my judgment, I love this! Fashion on a runway should not be about whether you can wear it on the street or not. If that were the case, even the model couldn't pull this off (though if anyone had a shot, it's her). Fashion is the ART to getting dressed. Just as you probably wouldn't have a Dali hanging in your living room, you probably wouldn't wear this.

I think the gold, especially the really narrow bands and having many of them criss-crossing her, really make this sizzle. It's bold and in your face, and it takes a VERY confidant woman to pull off this look. This is not an outfit that would work on someone who is not very sure of themselves. It highlights every curve, and accentuates them with the gold bands, and the colors demand your attention.

That being said, there are two very minor gripes. One, the headband is a little too much. I would have stopped at the shoulders. Two, the boot covers are not my favorite. I would have preferred gold boots, or more likely, insanely high gold stilettos.

On one hand, it looks like some stupid costume that George Lucas would have made Natalie Portman wear in "Star Wars". On the other hand, the innovation is so amazing that I'm willing to ignore that. lol

The arms and the neck are just- WOW. The way the color shifts is really pretty, and very wearable. And the interesting part that makes me want to look at the back is how it looks like a checkerboard on the left, but the pattern disappears on the right. Where does it go?? I'm dying to see the back of that so I can know whether it just fizzles out (would be interesting and futuristic) or ends at the seam (more boring, but also safer).

This patchwork coat is pretty foul. I mean seriously. Look at this guy. He looks like a nice young man. By his slacks, you can tell he has a decent job and doesn't dress like a slob. And then on his first day at work, his mother tells him, "Be sure and wear that coat I made you. All your friends will love it!" He wants to yell back, "I'm 23 and going to my first real job- I don't have friends!! And if I did, they'd laugh at me in that coat!!" But he doesn't want to hurt his mother's feelings, so he walks out the door wearing it. That's why he has the sour, pouty look on his face. ;)

I actually like this quite a bit. The paint splatters should make it look a little silly, but somehow, it ends up looking more like a Jackson Pollack painting than a mess (for all the people who hate Jackson Pollack, they are asking what's the difference). There is only one part I'm not fond of. The pants look so short here. Is it just me, or do they look like they were made for tiny little legs??

Wow. There's just not a starting point with this one, is there? Porn video actor, maybe?? Broadway actor in a play about the downtrodden youth?? No, I think we can just chalk this one up to really bad fashion mistake, the likes of which you cannot recover from.

Edited to add: my husband thinks it looks like an orange sherbet French fur trapper.

If you've EVER watched The Muppets, you know why I named it this.

Certainly, this outfit is supposed to draw its inspiration from nature. The color, the spikiness- it's supposed to be like a rare, tropical plant. Instead, it just looks silly. And sure, you'll remember it forever. Just not in a good way, I bet.

This top is certainly high on innovation. I'll give you that much. I just don't care for the combination here. The armor like front looks weird and out of place with the soft, fluttery sleeves, but if you tried to do a soft, fluttery front, I'm afraid that you would end up with a flamenco dancer's costume. Ultimately, I'm afraid that not much can be done to save this top.

This coat is quite interesting, but ultimately, it looks a bit too crafty. I love the cut of the coat, and the fringe on the bottom is extremely beautiful, and quite unlike anything I've seen before. The biggest mistake is from the fringe at the top. I also think the dress should not match the coat. That's such a cultish look, in my opinion.

There's so many little places this succeeds, but then as soon as it does, it fails again. Ultimately, it's just a mess. Let me give some examples. The pants are cute, except that they seem to have strange little points at the bottom outside edge. The right side is interesting, and I love the look of the letters on the sleeves. But the left side is bulky and fat. That type of off the shoulders neck looks nice with the letters and it helps reduce the bulkiness, but it's such a weird retro style that I can't imagine why they are trying to bring it back. The black strip down the front really works well, but the ribbon hanging off of it goes nowhere.

The outfit is just too crazy and doesn't show enough innovation, in my opinion, to justify it.

In something that's going to make you question my taste, I like this. That doesn't mean I would wear it or hope to see anyone wearing it. It's just simply that I like it.

I think this would work better as trashy lingerie. Have it in an open babydoll style, where everything below the bust is open. The bows part, and it looks like butterflies. For streetwear it's completely ridiculous, but for lingerie, it could work.

I LOVE these pants! I would sooo wear these.

I don't care as much for the top, and I especially hate that they put a long black coat over a baseball jacket. I think the baseball jacket, while kinda retro, would have looked good over this alone, but the black coat just messes up the look. What I really would have preferred with the pants is a white ribbed tank top. Keep it simple on either the top or the bottom, and then go nuts with the other for a really cool look.