Alicia Hardesty, 27, from Brandenburg, Ky. She loves mixing the look of men's wear into her women's wear. She calls it a "tomboy" look. For the first challenge, the designers were asked to make a piece that collaborates with the look they brought with them. Alicia came with a cranberry-ish jumpsuit with a hood. She followed it up with a pants and top combo. The jumpsuit works; not my cup of tea, but it is not terrible. The pants in the next look just look ill-fitted. The top is nothing special, but it was fine. She was understandably safe from elimination. She seems to be a sweet girl and I look forward to seeing what she has to offer over the next few weeks.
Gunnar Deathrage, 22, from Louisville, Ky. Oh, Gunnar has been cast as the "bitchy queen" of this season. He made it to the top 25 last season, but not onto the show. Last season he seemed to be the sweet southern guy, but they needed that attention getter so here we are. His design aesthetic is "southern lady". He is surrounded by them and chooses to design for them. This was evident in his look that he brought from home. The pencil skirt needed a tad of altering but I loved the pattern. The top with it may be a bit bold (the color) for some southern "ladies". But I liked it. The jacket I was not really able to figure out. I never saw it still long enough. For his challenge piece, it was fine. Nothing Earth-shattering, but it works. As far as him, well he will be around for a while because the producers love to have a big personality. He has the talent, but I just hope he is able to design outside of this small box.
Overall, the first runway was a bit underwhelming. I was not disappointed as it was expected from the first challenge. What I was disappointed in was the winner. Christopher Palu gets to be featured as the "sweet" guy. Then he gets the first win. His brought-from-home look was actually fun to watch move. The design concept was great. The fabric was HORRENDOUS no matter how you spin it. The judges praised him for making it look good, he did not do that. He made it bearable from a distance. His challenge dress was a nightmare. I mean, all you have to do is look at the zipper in the back. That alone takes him out of the winner's circle. The rest of it was just sloppy and boring. I would like to see more out of him and hopefully I will be more excited about his future looks.
I'm looking forward to the next episode and finding out who the real divas are. HEHE! I will continue to cover Alicia and Gunnar for as long as they are on the show. I will also cover the winning looks. If Alicia and Gunnar fail to make it to the end, I will adjust my coverage. Stay tuned!
Photos by: Barbara Nitke for mylifetime.com
