Round Two of Fashion Feud Seattle 2011 started off in a bit of a blur of mystery as bargoers looked on wondering what was happening, unaware that in just under an hour an intense competition would begin where instant creativity was taken to a whole new level. Held at the beautiful Citrus lounge, on the other side of the stage those there for round two could be seen eagerly awaiting the introduction of the designers and the judges. Those being of course Justin Bartle and Morgan Carson who whip together unique garments in just an hour with judges Melinie Matkin and Patricia Wolf making the final decision. The audience also voted, otherwise there could have been a tie, and there’s no such thing as ties.
It started off with 7Salon working on the model’s hair and Swink Style Bar doing their makeup. This lasted about an hour: Personally I would have worn Justin’s model’s hair out the door in a heart beat-but then I’m partial to the over-exaggerated fauxhawk. Not an unusual amount of time for hair and makeup, though as the competition continued and the garments evolved so did the details in their hair and makeup.
Three yards from Mood Fabrics in NYC: Half of an orange print and the other of a solid black, was given to the contestants. Both Morgan and Justin started off with a one shoulder drape of the orange print fabric– would they create a similar garment? Not at all.
Justin works on fitting the blouse. Courtesy of FABTURN
From Justin we saw a high level of expertise in his draping; quickly turning the the single shoulder into a draped wrap added a flowing and the fluid connectivity in the blouse portion of the dress by reversing the fabric to create a much-needed contrast.
While Justin continue draping, Morgan was pleating her one-shoulder bust; using torn 3″-4″ strips of fabric and alternating the right and wrong sides of the pattern to create depth and dimension while the pleating and ruching created a structured feel to the top.
Running back and forth from the model to her machine Morgan quickly sewed her the strips and pleats into place creating a pattern that jumped off the model. For ease of fit she sewed in elastic to secure the top to the model under the arm and on the back of the top. A look that begged the question, “where is this going?” But there was conviction and determination in the actions of Morgan and she moved on with raw confidence in it’s unfinished look.
Though Justin could be seen using his borrowed Pfaff machine (his personal machine is a Juki), the majority of his garment looked to be stitched by hand– which stuck to his statement of design that emphasized the importance of couture fashion.
Morgan adds some pleating to her dress. Courtesy of FABTURN
As they announced 30 minute mark both designers were furiously working to finish their tops and start attaching and designing the aspects of the skirt potions of their garments.
So, who won? Did they finish the garments on time? Were the audience votes counted and announced? Photos & details are just hours away.below.
With the clock ticking down relentlessly; both designers could be seen working feverishly pinning and sewing to complete the dresses and prepare for the judging that would happen sooner than anyone expected.
Anxiety and pressure were rising in the room, as the audience got up from their booths to walk up to the stage between sips of cocktails and bites of pesto chicken to get a better look at what Morgan and Justin had decided to do with the bottom portion of their dresses.
As the dj continued to pump out a high bmp (beat per minute), that for some would drive the creativity and others, like Morgan, feel the music adds to the level of stress due to the “unce unce unce” background noise. But the audience, music, constant flash from photographers and even the judges seem to have no detrimental effect to the work these two designers were creating.
Finished Garments: Justin's draping can be seen on the right. FABTURN
As the clock ticked down to zero, both designers completed their similarly colored garments–but that is where any resemblances stopped. While Justin created a short length natural waistline skirt that created a wave-like body, Morgan was gathering an empire waist ruche that was knee-length with rose-like bunches center front creating a peek-a-boo feel just above and between the knees.
After the models completed their walk through the venue the audience voted via applause. Yea, I said that right. Applause. It turns out my biggest complaint from the flier– that they were going to use an app from Fashism that is only available on the iPhone didn’t even happen. It leaves a question of why? But that can be answered later, I’m sure.
In the end they declared Morgan Carson winner of Round Two and she will move on to the final round on May 18th.
- The finished looks (Justin’s left, Morgan’s right) with event organizer, Joan Kelly who
- made the event possible. FABTURN
My closing thoughts: I felt both tops were absolutely beautiful, though Morgan’s felt unfinished with the elastic strips showing: I would have liked to see them covered or decorated in a way that felt more complete. Justin’s blouse drape from behind was breathtaking but the print on same print overcrowded the elegant simplistic overlapped drape in the front . In both cases whatcha gonna do? You work with what you got and they both turned out well tailored designs.
The finished garments, Justin's left and Morgan's right. Courtesy of FABTURN
As for the skirts, Justin’s skirt moved beautifully when the model walked but the waistband was a bit too busy for me while she stood still. The model’s slip also took away from the skirt, because no matter how close the slip color was to the model’s skin tone, it wasn’t enough to “disappear”. On the other hand like the judges said, Morgan’s skirt was beautifully constructed and appealing in all of the details. The structured aspect of the dress added to the soft details in the drape in the front and movement found in the back.
Disclosure: I was not invited by either designer to this event, though having been invited to a future event by Morgan Carson, it was through a search on her that I discovered this event. I also sat at a table with her friends and associates. I was able to speak with both designers about the event and there’s more to come on that next time.
All photos were graciously supplied by FabTurn, to see more photos and learn more about the designers and the Fashion Feud events visit their website.
