Linda's Take: We saw a lot of creativity tonight, along with some fit problems, which isn't surprising considering the materials the contestants had to work with. The frontrunners were Laura and Michael. In Laura's case, her coat was ambitious and succeeded in expressing her design aesthetic, while Michael's coffee-filter dress was both lovely and innovative. Malan's and Kayne's designs were also well-executed and looked like real garments. Uli's bottom seam was obviously a mistake, but the dress fit well, and the yellow embellishments worked. Given all those strong showings, I was shocked that Keith won because, frankly, his dress was a copout (also, having worked as a designer for many years, I find it very hard to believe that was the first dress he'd ever created...). Meanwhile, Jeffrey's torn and tattered Les Miserables dress was just hideous (it's not easy to make a 90-pound model look like a heffer, but if the garment doesn't fit anywhere, believe me, it will). In Alison's case, it's great to drape through the body, but that draping really needs to end someplace; it's just not flattering to drape right to the hemline. But Stacey's was the worst of the lot. When I went to design school, there were lots of students who could create beautiful sketches, but if you have no sense of garment construction and you can't cut, sew, or make patterns, you're not a designer. I was happy to see Stacey go.
Scorecard: Laura 4.5; Michael 4.5; Malan 4; Kayne 4; Uli 4; Katherine 3.5; Bradley 3.5: Angela 3; Jeffrey 3; Robert 3; Keith 3; Vincent 3; Alison 2; Bonnie 2; Stacey 0.5.
Danielle’s Take: The new season got off to a start that both over- and underwhelmed me. To be sure, there were some standouts: The "I Can't Believe It's Not Couture" awards go to Laura (who MacGyvered a duvet cover, a rug, and a chandelier into something a lot of people would pay thousands for--bravo) and Malan (he's got just the kind of pretention that I like, plus he looks like the spawn of Robert Palmer and one of those slick-haired chicks from the Powerstation videos). Kayne gets a round of applause for the best use of rubber since Barbed Wire. No doubt Michael has redefined the saying "Coffee, tea or me" with his breezy coffee-filter confection. Uli's number was eye-poppingly pleasing, and I was really surprised to find myself liking Angela's piece, except that I could have done without the flowers. As for the others, it was a case of too much (Jeffrey, Robert), too little (Keith--beautiful, yes; interesting, no), or too poufy (Bradley, Katherine). Alison's dress was adorable, but it was so goddamn short that I'd be afraid of suffering a tootie-exposing wardrobe malfunction if I wore it, and Bonnie and Stacey seemed to have forgotten that while real women have boobs, models don't. But the real "what the hell was he thinking" outfit came courtesy of Vincent. Will somebody please give the man his meds? Of course, the fact that he's so completely off his nut is probably the reason he didn't get Auf'd.
Scorecard: Malan 4.75; Laura 4.5; Keith 4.33; Michael 4.25; Uli 4; Robert 3.75; Kayne 3.66; Angela 3.5; Jeffrey 3.33; Alison 3.25; Katherine 3; Bonnie 2.5; Bradley 2.25; Stacey 1.5; Vincent 0.
Amy’s Take: Oh, where to begin? Although it was short on innovation, Keith's dress was long on wearablility and style (the buttons were especially adorable), and since Michael Kors and crew aren't deducting points for lack of creativity, I suppose I won't either. Ahem. Michael's dress was darling and should've made the final three, while Angela and Robert both executed well; the trouble was in their lack of editing. Angela's coat would've looked far more sophisticated and in keeping with her taste level were it not for the addition of the paillettes, while Robert could've done without the neckline trim (the bows were embellishment enough). Vincent and Angela didn't know when to say when, either--Angela should've lost the dangling flowers, and Vincent should've left the hat in the workroom (then again, I thought Chloe's Garden Party bathing cap from last season looked equally absurd). Katherine's design had some issues too, but I responded well to the concept, while Bonnie's dress was just a hot mess. A close call, but ultimately, Stacey deserved the Auf. The fitted midriff was acceptable, but the V-neck was so modest that it made the upper bodice look frumpy. She would've been better off shooting that V straight down to the waist, using less fabric for the skirt, and focusing on creating a liner of some sort rather than the knickers. As it was, her dress looked very amateur--like something out of a high-school home economics class.
Scorecard: Keith 4.5; Michael 4.25; Robert 4; Laura 4; Katherine 3.5; Malan 3.5; Kayne 3.25; Uli 3; Jeffrey 3; Bradley 2.5; Angela 2.5; Bonnie 2.5; Alison 2.5; Vincent 1.75; Stacey 1.

Judges Total Tally: Laura 13; Michael 13; Malan 12.25; Keith 11.83; Uli 11; Kayne 10.91; Robert 10.75; Katherine 10; Jeffrey 9.33; Angela 9; Bradley 8.25; Alison 7.75; Bonnie 7; Vincent 4.75; Stacey 3.

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