On the universal language of fashion - Project Runway Korea S1E3

Man, it's nice to be in school and actually feel like you're really getting stuff done. I don't know if it's the best ever, but I'm getting things out of the way for critique on Thursday and Friday and it feels good. Ten days or so of total confusion and architects' block out of the way and I'm ready to get with the program.



I can't stop listening to this song either. Probably listened to it 30 times today already. The beat's really good for my concentration. Doesn't stress me out but keeps me working at a steady pace.

So yeah, Project Runway Korea! This time it was about creating a city look out of fabric from the interior of cars. Or inspired by the interiors of cars? Not sure, but it had something to do with a massive product placement. Their fabric was stashed in the trunk anyway. The designers worked in teams of two, which should prove interesting. Woo-kyung and Sang-euk seem to be at the start of something that I can only hope to be an epic tale of romance, they seem so happy to work together.

Aww! The happy!

They'd make the cutest couple in the world too, they're both adorable. Especially Woo-kyung. I love her little bear hat, it's so cute!

Seriously, how cute is Woo-kyung?

And then the twist, which I'm kinda unsure of what it was. I think it started out as a collaboration on one look, but then Korean Tim Gunn came into the workroom and held up two fingers, so I'm guessing a second look to go with the first one. Gotta love watching things in a completely foreign language. So on to the runway!

Trinity from the Matrix, if Trinity ever wore colour.

Congratulations to Yong-seop and Jae-woong for the well-deserved win/high. I think the red one belonged to Yong-seop, and it was my favourite of the two, and quite possibly in general. Super cool. I wasn't really sure on the turquoise detailing on the pants, but it worked out well in contrast with all that red and turned out really cool. Totally want that jacket. Jae-woong's was cool too, not that I get the weird butt-flap on the pants, but the cropped jacket was cool and the fit was superb. Nicely done, gentlemen.

Bromance.

Hips are all the rage, apparently.

This was an interesting mix - Cho-rong's kinda edgy and cool dress (albeit a little weird and almost 19th century-with-a-cyber-twist-looking), and Jae-min's crazy romper. I love a good romper and I like when proportions are played with, but come on Jae-min, it looks like she has a diaper butt. I felt it had serious potential, but it ended up looking really juvenile. Like preschool juvenile. I'm so confused with you, you seem so charming but I can't tell if you're good or bad. You keep moving up and down through the ranks like a yo-yo. Some consistency would be nice.

A cocktail dress and a raincoat for jogging?

I really like the lines in Jae-eun's dress here. The subtle colour blocking really works well with the look. That being said I don't like the top part of it. It's like her boobs are let out into this huge mess of fabric and it's just confusing really. The jacket is well-tailored, but it makes the whole thing look a little 80's power-suit. Not bad or anything, but right in the middle. The exaggerated shapes are so fun in this season, I like that people are playing with that concept a lot. So far I've found that you get to see a lot more interesting silhouettes on Project Runway Korea in comparison to the regular Project Runway. I don't know if it's always a hit, but it opens up the possibility for more interesting fashion. With all the hate I feel like giving regular Project Runway lately, this installment feels more like actual fashion. Take note. I'm not really feeling Hye-jung's though. It's kinda sci-fi/fantasy cosplay meets rain-wear.

My adorkable dream team.

Not big on the boob-things on Sang-euk's outfit. She looks a little like she has four tits. The execution's nice though, and the general idea isn't bad. Comparing the two I've got to say that I like Woo-kyung's better (even if she did the weird bra-thing as well). It looks so relaxed and cool. The pants are to die for too. So comfy-looking! Where do I sign up to get a pair?

Unfortunate.

Ohh boy. This was unfortunate. The idea was pretty cool, and the colour palette was modern, but it turned out sloppy-looking. The execution leaves something to be desired in a pretty serious way. Myung-shin's look was definitely better though. I thought the pants were cool, but that vest/jacket thing was just so poorly constructed. Seung-hee's just kinda looked like a bag, so that bottom spot was kinda deserved. There really is such a thing as too relaxed a fit. Step it up.

More cocktail dress/jogging wear combinations.

I'm not sure if I agree with the judges decision to send both of them home actually. Not knowing any Korean at all makes it harder to understand their reasoning, but I though that Myung-shin's and Seung-hee's was worse, actually. I'm sure that Ye-in's cape wasn't for everyone, but I thought it was kinda cool, and while her purple dress had some fit issues I didn't think it was that bad. Hong-bum's looks a lot like relax-wear or jogging clothes, and while I don't know if being refined was part of the challenge, it looks a little too much like something I'd put on while walking around at home on a lazy Sunday. Apart from the capri pants of course, they're totally insane-looking.

I actually thought that Hong-bum would go far after the first challenge, and I'm a little bit surprised at this turn of events. Not that I'll miss him terribly or anything, but it's so interesting to see the differences between American Project Runway and Project Runway Korea. On the American version they'd boot Myung-shin and Seung-hee for sure for not having garments that looked polished, but here it's anyone's game. I get the feeling that it's really more about making sure that your point of view is understood more than maybe the actual finished garment, which is refreshing. It makes the competition really about the design process, and I think that might open up for a more interesting final runway. We're nowhere near there yet, but I'm keeping my eye on the designers and I'm really looking forward to coming episodes to see what they can crank out.