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Task #2
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Snawl
ZOETIC
If you've read last panel and seen the rankings, then it should come as no surprise that this next task is a double elimination. You've all been aptly warned. Bring your A-game or be left behind.
For Task #2, you will design a runway outfit inspired by the aesthetic known as Dieselpunk!
What is Dieselpunk? Dieselpunk is so similar to steampunk that the two often get conflated for each other, but there is a difference. While steampunk relates to steam powered technology of Britain in the late 19th century, dieselpunk relates to the gas guzzling, thick metal constructed, built-to-last industrial machines of mid-20th century America and the Soviet Union. Think air polluting, Cold War escalating, transportation centric, "nuclear family" evoking metal technology.
This aesthetic is famously found in video games such as BioShock, Red Alert, Atomic Heart, and Wolfenstein to name a few.
If you're still stumped, just google dieselpunk. It paints a vivid picture.
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Your due date for this task is Saturday, Feb. 10th at 8:00pm EST (1:00am GMT)
As per usual, relay any questions you have about the task to me, I'll do my best to clear it up.
Good luck!
Panel #2
Hello everybody, welcome back to panel for the 2nd time.
Very quickly on in this task, many of you expressed concerns with its difficulty. I didn't consider Dieselpunk to be a tricky concept to learn, but after hearing some grievances, I now know I probably should have saved this task for later on in the game. Ahh well, you all submitted on time anyway so well done. Unlike last week, this week we'll be seeing an elimination - two in fact. I solemnly promise that going forward, there will be no more non-eliminations given out. Every week will see a minimum of one person leaving. You all know by now to bring your efforts and originality to panel every week - and even then, that may not guarantee safety. This is an extremely competitive game.
For our first guest judge of Season 9, I'm bringing someone who I feel was born to judge this task. Not only is he a previous Snawlterm winner who has survived the situation you are in, but his iconic winning collection titled Fialka! is very visually adjacent to Dieselpunk, and even has its inspiration in the same time period. Please welcome fellow designer and long-time friend of mine, Zoetic (Slur)! Zoetic has been presented these outfits unlabelled; he does not know who designed what. He also has not seen my critiques. How fun!
Time to judge these outfits.
Snawl: This outfit is easily the best of the three you submitted to us this week, but it is far from being the most Dieselpunk adjacent. I can imagine DP with the knight's top and shoes, however, the hood, scarf, and green highlights push this outfit further into cyberpunk for me. The scarf honestly look like a mistake, the way it just flops over the solid metal body of the armour. The dress/waist region is nice, I like the mini explosion of layers. Sadly, knowing you submitted 3 outfits this week and this was genuinely your "best" has me worried for your future in this game, and your ability to achieve success. Everyone is designing with such tenacity this season.
Zoetic: The colors here are interesting and I don’t really see this combination often at all, which I appreciate. Using the green piping on the hood and the top, and then the blue piping on the skirt helps to make this design feel cohesive and actualized. Though, I’m having a really hard time not seeing this as a sci-fi knight costume rather than a high-end fashion piece. I think a large part of this is your item choices and the way you presented them; I think that top is interesting and could be very successful in other contexts, but here it doesn’t look anything but a knight costume to me.
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Cass (Cassandra.Goth)
Snawl: This outfit took a bit to grow on me, but grow on me it has! I am just floored by how you made your own overalls with... an Egyptian necklace and gym shorts!? Not only that, but you didn't waste the chain either, instead continuing the effect with the inmate top. The red, filthy, industrial work boots are such an immersion-building touch as well. You look like a high-fashion prisoner being lead to their cell, a la Lady Gaga in the Telephone music video. Normally I dislike that giant overcoat in long-terms because of how it limits the canvas, but this outfit takes advantage of that limit so smartly. Excellent work, Chris!
Zoetic: I really appreciate the use of the chains, that was definitely a risk and I applaud it. In the past, I've tried to use these items but always ultimately ended up choosing something else. I’m not sure if I am in love with the color palette, it seems a bit cartoonish to me. Though, using these colors to convey dieselpunk is quite interesting, where a lot of your competitors opted for murkier and moodier colors. Overall a solid design.
Chris (doglover)
Snawl: Dieselpunk is one of "those tasks" where it's so easy to get lost in and forget you're in a fashion competition. This outfit masterfully avoided that, because frankly it doesn't get more high-fashion than this! The black, gray, & baby blue palette is easy but well executed, and it allows the brass browns/gold on the top to stand out so much more clearly. The head accessory looks complicated but it's actually just two items used very wisely while taking angles into consideration. The straps from the animal harness is brilliant too. I thought I was the only one who knew about the genius of pairing the cyberpunk wings with an outward gown but apparently not. This is a fierce, intimidating, but also very inviting & wearable art piece and I can't praise it enough. Zechariah is here to slay!
Zoetic: I think this is a beautiful and well thought-out design, I am in love with the details on display. The tiny slivers of blue on the top, the copper interviewing throughout the neck, the solid panels of black… It’s incredibly statuesque and high-fashion. I’m so tired of that robo-wing back piece, but I really can’t fault it here. No elements here are really fighting for attention more than the others; instead, they all play together beautifully, making a cohesive design.
zechariah (herbymainsted)
Snawl: I adored this outfit at first, but now I'm not too fond of it compared to the rest. First thing's first, your grasp on this task is strong; you understood Dieselpunk as well as anybody else. This is demonstrated in your smart use of curves, the advantage of the side pose, and the white highlights running sporadically through your upper canvas. Your lower half specifically is really nice, I love the heels and the repeating black & grey vertical line cutting through the clothes. However, the top half - for me - begins to fall into costume zone a bit. The backpack and the decal of the Japanese flag on your shoulder make you look like a Cold War ambulance personnel, and I'm not quite sure I know how to fix it. Perhaps a different jacket? Nixing the backpack entirely? I don't know. It's a tough call and I'm just left wishing this was a bit more runway ready. Thanks, Joey.
Zoetic: I like this. The way in which you were able to coordinate that red with the gray accents at certain parts was done very well. I would caution about going too costumey and watch your styling; I don't think the Elvis haircut was entirely necessary. However, I can imagine a look similar to this on a high-fashion runway and I would be interested to see an entire collection baked on this one look!
joey (jozinga)
Snawl: You asked for outfit advice by showing me several prototypes. I selected the one which I believed had the most personality, as well as a minimal beauty to it. I really wish you submitted it as is, instead of deleting the white undergarment and adding the additional accessories. For me, they demolish the minimal beauty entirely. The original pair of earrings had cohesion with your top's textures, but this pair just looks superfluous. The scarf/ascot adds unneeded sharp texture to an outfit that, in my opinion, doesn't evoke that tone at all. I do like the long gray blouse though, and it is texturally cohesive with the jacket. This outfit isn't completely ruined, but the magic that made it special is mostly gone.
Zoetic: I really appreciate that you took a very commercial route for this task, which a lot of you competitors did not. You have some very interesting elements here and I think your use of layering with different textures and graphics is quite nice. The texture of the scarf is similar to that of the belt, and the grid-like pattern of the jacket mimics the checkered skirt. I think I would have liked to see the dark green somewhere else on the outfit to tie it all in, but I understand why you did it like this. Though, using the green as the secondary color of the scarf just makes it look muddy and it doesn’t stand out enough to look like an intentional part of your design. There is still something off about this for me, I think your color choices here are just really hard to work with in this context.
skye (squeeling)
Snawl: This is gorgeous. So few items yet it's not minimal or plain, it just goes to show how picking your items wisely can be as important as any textural effect or colour palette. This is like a high-fashion deconstruction of late WWII Russian trench warfare attire. I love the double belt because it looks like it's desperately holding the overwhelming jacket to your body. The shoes & pant legs give that metallic, possibly futuristic edge that is so in line with Dieselpunk. I don't really have much else to say. You designed with your brain and it worked. Well done Jared!
Zoetic: I find this design to be very well thought-out, and it evokes Dieselpunk perfectly. The sliver of skin on the chest in juxtaposition to the extremely elaborate and oversized coat plays out perfectly. The gold embellishments on the coat are the cherry on top. The way that you were able to use items to build onto the coat, making it more and more elaborate is very nice and well done. Very good work!
jared (fierce.needles)
Snawl: Your idea of a bisected diesel engine serving as inspiration is actually creative as hell, and it's the type of risk-taking, Avant Garde adjacent intuition I love to see in my long-terms.
I am very happy you dropped the muted green and instead added more silver. The seemingly random strip of red on your chest gives the impression of a runaway wire. The curlers in your hair to serve as pipes & pistons is amazing, and I am in love with how you coloured that accessory brown to give it the impression that it's your hair. The princess top "breaks up" with that vest from this angle which further reinforces the metallic illusion. Then there are the controversial burnt orange boots, which I think are a stroke of genius. My only critique of this outfit is that the handbag and strap are pretty standard for sideways posed outfits - a bit more originality could have propelled this outfit into the top tier of the week. Regardless, you did amazing this task, well done.
Zoetic: I find this look to be deceivingly simple, but when you pick it apart I can tell that you put A LOT of thought into every aspect of this design. My favorite detail is the mesh panel on the side bodice. The red and green wires weaving throughout the body are also beautiful. I quite like the headpiece, but I kinda wish it was the same color of gray that you used in the rest of the design. I’m not sure if I love the shoes. Overall I really appreciate this design and I’m excited to see more from you!
Chan (chan.)
Snawl: You convey Dieselpunk well, and your final product looks like it belongs on a runway... yet, I'm not too fond of it. For me the biggest issue with this outfit is the lack of a spectacle. By far the most interesting part are the splotches of colour on the undershirt. Everything else about this outfit comes across as very standard. Even if it nails Dieselpunk to a tee, I still need something else to chew on. I was shocked when you said you were "taking a risk" with the head accessory because for me, that is easily the most commonly used edgy head accessory of all time. You had the knowledge & creativity to design something truly outstanding, but instead submitted something that struggles to retain my attention. Sorry, Sarah.
Zoetic: I appreciate a lot of the elements here, but the finished product ultimately falls a little bit flat for me. I like the colors, they evoke dieselpunk quite nicely. I really like the texture you created on the top, it’s beautiful. I think my biggest issue is with the proportions and some of the item choices; that coat with those pants is giving orchestrator or train conductor. Everything with the colors is a bit too matchy matchy. The headpiece also feels like somewhat of an afterthought.
sarah (sparkle)
Zoetic: I’m enjoying the different patterns displayed on the bodice, and the way that you used that harsh strap to diagonally cut the patterns into multiple panels. Those details work perfectly for your design and I find it to evoke dieselpunk in a different way than a lot of your competitors. Your posing and use of movement really helped your design here in my eyes. I’m not loving the fuzzy elements of your design, I think you could have used something else and it would have taken your design to a whole new level. I do like the way that the cape looks like it’s connected to the skirt; however, the fur here is just not giving me dieselpunk.
Snawl: This is astonishing. I don't think I could have designed better if I tried. By building a backstory, you harnessed your CC roots and channeled your creativity into designing something that could be on both a modern 2024 runway, as well as on a billboard in a '50s Orwellian dystopic Soviet city state. Lavish, opulent, tastefully tasteless! I love the gold and green contrast, and how you manage to use such gentle fabrics like the fur cape and make them Dieselpunk. Using the handbag's strap to cut out the ugly tree trunk of that chest icon is next level thinking. Even the shoes have that pretentious pseudo-futuristic appeal that I would expect the bride of a dictator to wear. The more I stare at this outfit, the deeper I fall in love with it. It's clear to me that you took my feedback from last week's panel to heart because this is quite possibly the best thing I've seen you design, ever.
Necole (necole1101:)
Snawl: I'm normally a huge sucker for contrast, but this outfit has so many contrasting elements that it looks less like a finished product and more like a random assortment of items that were then painted accordingly. I like the use of the blue top and the ringed belt, they work well together against the metallic skirt. But then the industrial work boots completely dwarf the skirt and make the entire bottom half look disproportionate and cartoony. I don't mind the head accessories, they're not ruining anything but they don't blow me away. My least favourite part of this outfit is easily the overcoat; the pixel artist who made it neglected to add shading or texture to the top half. That's of course not your fault per se, but you still chose to use the item so I have to fault it. The bland, flat, barren nothingness on the top really sticks out to the point where this outfit looks like it was designed by two separate people who weren't seeing eye to eye.
Zoetic: I like a lot of the elements on display here, but ultimately it became too costumey for me. The color palette is somewhat reminiscent of oxidized copper, which is nice. The theme of your outfit itself tells me that you understood the task quite well; however, everything going on north of the actual outfit is telling me otherwise. It can be fun to experiment with various head pieces, and they can sometimes be successful and add to your look, but here I think it takes away from your look. This isn’t a horrible outfit by any means, but the silhouette is just too simple to make this look a strong contender against your competitors.
peyton (peyton125)
Zoetic: I really enjoy the top-half of your look, but not so much the bottom half. Using a monotone color palette is risky, but your use of various graphics and textures made it worthwhile. The cut-outs and textures on the bodice are stunning. To me, the shoulder pads aren’t incorporated in your design enough to look like anything but shoulderpads. The nude illusion on the skirt isn’t working for me here and I feel that it cheapens your overall design. Though, your approach to dieselpunk here was quite different from that of your competitors, which I applaud.
Snawl: There is a group chat for my guest judges & myself in which I post every submission, and this outfit split the chat down the middle. Half of us liked it, half didn't. Fortunately for you, I like it a lot! The pyramid necklace has got this enticing shine to it, and your black strips of fabric underneath harken back to that shine in a very interesting way. The heels share that shimmer effect too, and I love the attitude brought to the table by the burgundy. I understand where you were going with the shoulder pads & earrings, and I'd say the effect works on me. I think it brings enough high-fashion to the presentation, and I love how the circular shoulder cuffs on the undershirt are duplicated. Sadly however, I don't think this outfit evokes Dieselpunk as strongly as many of your fellow competitors. I get your inspiration and the whole "dripping motor oil" angle you were going for, but Dieselpunk is an entire conceptual art aesthetic, not just auto mechanic related. Overall a gorgeous and striking outfit, I just wish it was more on par with the task. Thank you, Nicole.
nicole (nicrobbo95)
Snawl: Hmmmm, interesting. Your red arm makes me wince because I immediately think of something I saw on a gore website where a motorcyclist's arm was completely de-gloved in an accident, and that's all I can think of when I look at this (the bloodstained hair isn't helping!). The rest of the outfit however is nice. I enjoy the champagne coloured head accessory. I also enjoy how you used the ninja top in a way that erases enough of the sword to make it look like, well, not a sword. The bold red on the belt is nice. As for improvements, I feel like you could've conveyed Dieselpunk a bit stronger with more solid looking fabrics, maybe a smooth jacket or a rounder belt? Either way, this sci-fi approach is dreary, but in an alluring way. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm gotta go bleach my retinas and erase my memory. Thanks!
Zoetic: Your use of posing is very nice in allowing us to see the side of your model’s chest, and the details that we can see as a result are impressive. I also quite like the color palette and the way in which the outfit transitions from the dark blue to the lighter blue from top to bottom. I’m not sure if the hair and headpiece really add to your design; it sort of makes your model look like a video game character. Overall a solid design, but I’m wanting a little more.
mickey (player)
Snawl: The contrast of textures and lines on this outfit is to die for; it's giving mixed signals stronger than my previous relationship. I just love this mental image of a bulky winter puff jacket being squeezed by that retro abstract blouse thing. The dash of ice blue on the heels seems to miniscule but it's really not, it resuscitates the entire palette and stops it from being too gloomy. The earrings are hot, and in tandem with the jacket sleeves give me this otherworldly sense of posh. The magic of this outfit is how impractical it looks, this is abstract art coming down the runway and I wanna buy it and shake the hand of the designer. What would I change? Literally nothing. Stellar work!
Zoetic: This outfit looks somewhat simple at first glance, but it really is not! The way in which you were able to layer clothing items here in order to make a conceptual and well thought out garment is stunning. I find this outfit to be dieselpunk to a T, while not going too costumey or campy. Instead, it’s very high-fashion and editorial. Sticking to maily 2 colors was risky and it could have resulted in your outfit getting lost in the shuffle, but that did not happen at all here!
filip (lidl-wayne)
Snawl: For me, a huge part of the attraction I have to this outfit is the fact that so many articles look mismatched. This looks like workwear worn by a grunt aboard the Prometheus - where practicality overrules fashion. Thankfully however, there is enough cohesive value in the colours that tie the outfit back together and stop it from looking jumbled or silly. The biggest are the blue buttons on the backpack straps and how they're reincorporated on the cyberpunk pants. The use of the gray sweater for the droopy white trim is also great. I also love how the orange on the shoes doesn't match the helmet. As for negatives: I suppose this outfit could look more refined and fashion forward to be more in line with the rest this week, but the fact that it stands out in that department is the whole draw. It's risky but it paid off. Nice work.
Zoetic: I believe that a lot of the elements here wouldn’t make sense together under most contexts, but here they work quite nicely. You have somewhat similar elements to Sarah's with the tailcoat-esque jacket and tighter pants, and I believe it’s done more successfully here. Your color palette is by far one of my favorites of this week; it’s beautiful and extremely reminiscent of dieselpunk. Imagining this look with vastly different colors seems like a hot mess, so I commend you on being able to choose colors to evoke your theme and add to the overall aesthetic of your design.
elysse (LC22)
Zoetic: Your item choices here are unconventional and interesting and they were utilized in ways that I haven’t really seen before. I really like the pop of coral on the pants that almost looks like it’s part of the patchwork design. However, something about this is really giving me lord of the rings, and not so much dieselpunk. I think this is largely due to the color palette mixed with that cape and some of your other items. Overall, I appreciate you thinking out of the box in terms of showing us items that we don’t commonly see.
Snawl: Some very interesting and thought provoking design choices on display here that do a good job at retaining my attention. The pants, Doc Franks, and belt really give that USSR imperial high-up-the-ladder aesthetic. There is great technical craftsmanship between the pre-coloured pants and the altered pride flag cape. I'm not loving the snake scarf, mainly because the side pose highlights the tongue and eyeballs. A bulkier scarf also could have hidden the sword's tsuba. As much as I love the norm grapefruit red, I think a different colour choice would've worked more in your favour to make the outfit's palette look more intimidating and less like watermelon flavoured Fruit By The Foot. Definitely a very creative and interesting take on this task, but for me, that creativity could have been restrained and honed a bit better.
Ashlyn (ramonda)
Conclusion
Week 2 is history, and I think you're all as eager as I am to put it behind us! This task was not particularly nice to you all, as some soared and others fell. However, we received no shortage of stunning outfits!
Picking a winner for this task was difficult because I feel everyone in the Top 5 could justifiably win, but I'm giving it to the one person whose outfit hasn't esccaped my mind since they've submitted, and that person is Necole (Necole1101:), well done! Rounding out this incredibly stacked Top 3 are Filip (Lidl-Wayne) & Chris (doglover), respectively.
Bottom four
This is a double elimination as you all know, so I felt it appropriate to do a Bottom 4. In no special order, the Bottom 4 are:
Sarah (Sparkle): Your outfit was on par with the task, however I feel it lacked the personality and intricate decision making I've come to expect from your otherwise stellar designs. This one just felt passable.
Peyton (Peyton125): Much like last week, I felt that you failed to bring your creative refinement to the table. I know you have it, I've seen it countless times in my short-terms. For some reason it's not translating to Season 9.
Cass (Cassandra.Goth): You struggled HARD this week, and although I enjoy the final presentation you settled on, I feel it is the most detached from Dieselpunk out of all 15 competitors this week.
Skye (Squeeling): You had a really good outfit, but you got carried away with additional accessories. I wish you trusted your intuition and let the prototype outfit shine by itself.
The two people ELIMINATED are . . . . .
(Highlight text to reveal)
Peyton & Cassandra. I am so sorry to do this to the both of you. However, after bestowing a 2nd chance to both of you last week, I really wasn't expecting to find the two of you in the bottom again. This tells me that Season 9 simply isn't your season to win. This is painful because I love & respect the two of you so much; every time I host a short-term I wait with my fingers crossed that you two walk in because you've become such powerhouses in my games. Sadly your confidence & finesse didn't come across in your two outfits here in Season 9. I hope this elimination doesn't impact the patronage of either of you in my games, they'd be a lot more dull and less memorable without you both.
Skye & Sarah, this means the two of you have survived to design another day. This was a very close elimination that almost swung the other way, so don't take these next tasks for granted. Thank you for your hard work, and good luck next week.
Congratulations to the 13 of you who've survived Week 2. Your 3rd task is already uploaded and ready to go. Good luck!