Week 9 | longterm2

Panel - Week 9

Final 8. After you finish reading this panel, we will be at the final 7. The 7 people who survive this panel are the 7 people who will be travelling to our international destination! I've teased this idea for about a week now, so now I will reveal where we're going...

In season one, the final 6 got the privilege to travel to Sapporo, in northern Japan! This season we will be going somewhere entirely different. Instead of a densely-populated Asian country, we will be going to a sparsely-populated northern region of a European country.

The final 7 will be travelling to.......... Saint Petersburg, Russia!

Saint Petersburg is the second largest city in Russia with a population of approximately 4 million. So in a North American perspective, that's about the size of Vancouver or Philadelphia, so it is a big city. The fashion industry in Russia is one of the fastest growing industries in Europe. When you look passed all of the stereotypical "Russian winter clothes" tasks people use in their PRs, you'll uncover some really neat fashion trends. A popular type of fashion is Avant Garde inspired by paint and patterns; really bold, strident colours that mesh and don't clash. Then there's of course the modern market, streetwear that is designed to withstand the chilly weather without being over-dressed or ashaming to wear. It's a really broad spectrum and I think we're going to have a lot of fun designing here!

As for this week, I noticed that the quality of the outfits took another plummit similar to Week 4 and 5. I assume it was because this week was simplistic, so you guys struggled with being unique without going overboard. A lot of you just failed to stay within the guidelines of the task, and it was frustrating to judge. But as standard, there is a best and a worst and everyone else in between.

So alas, it's time to see who sashays the hallways, and who is getting stuffed inside a locker full of shaving cream.

Kayllah

Outfit: Que the sad trombone. If I expected anyone to nail this task, it was you, but this outfit is heinous! I specifically said in the task's explanation, "Try not to look too old, too young, or too trashy." and you managed to pull off all 3 at once which I didn't think was possible. This outfit doesn't have ONE key element that I wanted: vibrance, youthfulness, modern textures, wth? The word MODERN doesn't mean GHETTO or GRUNGE, those are subgenres that I specifically said to NOT do! The all-blue canvas had potential for minor success, but the parts that totally numb me completely are the dog tags and fishnets. I really like you as a contestant but you've been going downhill for the past 3 weeks, and this might actually be your last photograph in this competition.

Photo: Your modelling was better than last week, but your outfit is so drab and off-putting that there's really no way you could've posed to make you the star. Heck, the friggin' bench in the background captures my attention easier than you!

Kara

Outfit: I'm about to flip a fucking gasket because we're literally TWO photos in, and I am already feeling like this week is going to be underwhelming. While I appreciate that you actually incorporated vibrance into your outfit, the whole thing is just a disaster. The outfit itself looks overly heavy and over-dressed in fabrics to the point where I can't possibly imagine a highschool student even considering wearing this. The colours are good, but I don't like the ombre thing you got going on between the pink and green. It's just not practical in a modern fashion standpoint. I appreciate the risk you took with the camo pants, but they're super ugly and you're NOT rocking them at all. The only thing I like about this outfit is the blue coat, because it offers a bit of eye relief after witnessing the deathmatch of colours being faught on your front.

Photo: You know how some schools have specific classrooms for special-ed/retarded kids? Well you look like a sped kid who wandered out of class and is giggling her ass off, twitching as she walks down the hallway waiting for her nurse to come retrieve her. This is not a fashion shot at all. The purpose of this photoshoot was to look natural, in a teenager's natural habitat while naturally selling the clothes, and you're doing none of that. Your modelling in general was pretty disappointing; you should've gotten close to me but you practically avoided me like the plague.

Bri

Outfit: I had a feeling you'd do well! I can always count on Bri to keep it real and design something in the guidelines and being creative without too off-base or ridiculous. The outfit itself is really great. It is totally Seventeen, and I could see teenagers today wanting to buy it. The bottom half is stunning; those white heels are giving me life! The top half has fantastic textures, but I maybe would've edited the colours a bit. It looks almost too gentle and candy-coated if you get my drift. Notwithstanding that, the outfit is really good and you're selling the whole photo once again. I'm gonna quote what I said to Valentina on Week 6 and apply it to you when I said "You couldn't lose if you tried!" because these past weeks you've been totally unstoppable. There has never been a challenge that was too much for you.

Photo: The photo is simple but that's why I like it. It's cute, chic, and young. Although I can't give you credit for the walking idea since I mentioned it, you still carried yourself well on set and were very creative. When we got in, you asked if you could pose near the tables because the colours complimented your outfit. I was very impressed by how you studied the shoot and tried your best to make the photo as marketable as possible. Very nicely done.

Allanah

Outfit: I'm just over-the-moon confused by this. Don't get me wrong, I really do like this outfit. It makes me think of Noise Rock, sort of like Lorde (her fashion sense, not her music!) but that's not entirely what I wanted. While I agree that this outfit DOES look modern and could probably be sold to students, it doesn't really obey this task's criteria. I could NOT see this in a Seventeen Magazine ad. I could NOT see this as a true representation of key words suchs as vibrance and light. The actual outfit is fine; nothing wrong with it. The problem is in the root cause.

Photo: The pose is sort of contradictory to your look. I wished you got closer to me on set. The photo, like the outfit, is fine... there's just not much creative juices flowing in the department which the task had asked. I'm sorry if I sound like I'm repeating myself but I honestly have nothing interesting or helpful to say. I have no rubric to judge this outfit.

Savon

Outfit: It's actually quite nice. I do feel the large grey belt sort of warps the proportions, but overall this looks modern and youthful. It definitely isn't your strongest outfit, but it is one of the few outfits of this week that actually followed the directions of the task. I really liked the pink coat and how it contrasts against the creme shirt. The additional design you put on is neat, and the overall hue is pleasant to look at. I am not a fan of the grey heels-- they seem a little too Office-Chic for me, but everything else is a good effort.

Photo: The pose is a bit weird. I was robbed for options when selecting your best photo because you only had 3 frames and you ruined 2 of them by being too far away from me. Overall it's a good photo, although the pose is a bit unusual.

Jade

Outfit: I love it. I think this is the first time in this entire competition where simplistic beauty is PERFECTED by using contrasting clothing pieces. That sweater against the pink skirt? I can't tell whether it is absolute crafted designer genius, or if you just got lucky. Either way this is a flawless outfit. It nails every key element I asked for, all while appealing to a younger demographic. This is without a doubt your best performance yet, and so far, the only person this week who truly understood this task.

Photo: It's so cute and cheesy, I love it! You look so demure and it goes great with the outfit's tone. You modelled well, my only complaint would be that I wished you got a little closer to me because in this photo we don't look like we're interacting. Besides that, your performance this week was a near 100%.