Okay, back to our regularly scheduled dissection of the Olympus Fashion Week show.
Cat can't believe she found herself rooting for Jeffrey to win. All through the season she wanted him "aufed" because he was an arrogant, pompous ass. She wanted to like his designs more than she ever did, mainly because she fell in love with his neck tattoo on episode one. But then in the two episodes preceding the runway show, Jeffrey proved that he was a "softie." And his sob story moved her heart.
Then Jeffrey's collection wowed everyone as being both edgy and elegant. It wasn't all deconstruction and boundary pushing just for the sake of boundary pushing. The pieces were beautiful and well-constructed, as exciting and an unexpected as Michael's were bland and disappointing. (That's hard to say since Cat was a Michael girl all season long.) It was like the two suddenly had a Vulcan mindmeld performed on them. Michael tried to "make it work," but the truth is the stuff he did in two days on the show was far superior. There just wasn't much interesting, although Cat did love the orange satin minidress even if the fit was odd and she couldn't wear it in a million years. Something about that color.
And Laura, while Cat doesn't like her personally and thinks she's a one-note, the note she hits is a good one. Though she did break two cardinal rules of The Cat's Pajamas: formal shorts (ugg!) and pants under a formal dress (double ugg!). Plus there were those giant rooster-like shoulder pads on the long black dress. It was like the worst of the '80s came back, skinned a bird and threw it on a floor-length dress just to punish the fashion world for stealing back the skinny pant. Cat can just see Tim Gunn standing there with his arched eyebrow saying, "Laura, I'm concerned."
Uli was the big astonishment, however. Who knew she could do understated yet elegant, something that doesn't just scream beach with a capital Miami. Apparently her legions of fans out there, but Cat just didn't see it coming. Congrats to you, Ms. Uli. The Cat's Pajamas would have been equally proud if your collection had been the winner.
Here's the best -- and worst -- of the final four:
Jeffrey Sebelia
Cat really likes this piece for being youthful but not too predictably punk rock from Jeffrey. And it's great with the leather pants. Certainly more L.A. than N.Y., but you could wear it in Denver, too.
*********************** Laura Bennett
The neckline on this dress is just gorgeous. It's sexy and flattering. The whole thing could be worn anywhere. When this came down the runway, Cat thought that maybe Laura had come to win. But then ...
...out came the formal shorts. And to make matters worse, the clothes are posessed and are trying to strangle the poor girl. That's Cat's only explanation for the explosion of netting at her neck.
And we all know how Cat feels about pants under formal dresses. Just don't do it. The whole outfit would have been very modern if Laura had just taken off the lace overskirt. Great black skinny pants and that top (another beautiful neckline) -- perfect.
And here is the attack of the roosters:
*********************** Michael Knight
Love the orange, but satin is a hard fabric. It creases and doesn't hold up as daywear. It's a lot like linen that way. Still, Cat can't get over the color.
If only he'd gone more in this direction. Another lovely neckline with a flattering fit and drape.
*********************** Ulrike Herzner
A sexy outfit for day ... and so unlike everything Uli made on the show. The bone clasp is a nice touch, and the fact that she used it as a link throughout her collection makes it a very sophisticated element.
Love the keyhole right at the clevage. It's provocative without being slutty. (And again, note the clasp.)
This bathing suit/dress got a roar from the cowd. It's an ingenious design that deals with the problem of how to go from the beach to dinner without changing. Not exactly a problem here in Denver, but apparently there's a real need in Miami.
