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TASK 8 OLYMPIC FASHION
Welcome to the eight panel of LidlTerm S3!
Only 6 of you remain. I am proud of each and every one of you in my own special way. I've gone through a very strange, scary and physically exhausting time lately and so it makes me grateful that I get to do this with you all.
This week, we are going from one sports related task to another. The designers were asked to create an outfit inspired by an Olympic Games poster from past times. I find that Olympic Games posters are very peculiar: they're often about pride, honor and cultural ties - but many times they're also about celebrating life and international unity. I won't deny that the Olympic Games have a partially dark and unfortunate history, and still to this day corruption likely occurs in Olympic Games related events. Despite all that, I still love the Olympic Games - the first LidlTerm task ever was related to the Olympic Games! Let's see which designer got the gold medal this week.
Rome 1959 (campaign poster)
snawl
You showed us a couple of times in Season 2 that you could deliver great compositions of avant garde facial accessories, this time you solidified that it’s an actual talent of yours. The 1959 Rome poster looks like the most ancient one and it is quite frankly the one that feels the furthest from your usual design aesthetic - you’ve achieved a tremendous design by challenging yourself this way. You portray the fire in the poster fantastically: not just because of the sleeve but also by the fact that the stone/metal textures look warm rather than cold and stiff which earthy/stone materials easily can. The poster that you chose is a campaign poster, it means that it was used to promote Rome as a potential host city for the 1960 Olympic Games - its purpose was to get Italians excited about the idea of hosting it and making them support it, and people’s support is one crucial factor for being handed the hosting rights. I’m mentioning this because your design represents that: there is a joy and an excitement to it, a spark even. It’s optimistic. Italians are very proud of their history and I enjoy the fact that I see so much of Rome and the era of Julius Caesar in it. I like that you slightly tweaked the feathered cowl with a tattoo to make it slightly more original. A monumental and majestic design of yours, great job.
Rome 1960
uhu
Well holy shit - that necklace is incredible. Top tier design work. The zero-tattoo has been utilized creatively (and not so creatively) many times throughout the years but the way you used it takes the cake. The poster you chose, although I love it, is a bit of a mystery to me. The white overlayered dress feels very timeless and I’d say that the jacket along with the black boots was a smart choice to portray the heavier aspects of the poster: you walk a fine line here between light and darkness. I think you could’ve gone with cooler hair and glasses - it just doesn’t look perfect when the outfit deserves it. I would’ve wanted something more summer-y, carefree and breezy to really hone in on the 1960’s Italian vibe. I love the symbolism in this: the poster portrays a king and dependence (the wolf giving milk) - here we have a design with a chokehold on the designer as well as a jacket-corset that looks a bit tight, with the contrast of a flowy white dress. It’s quite honestly amazing how you just kept getting better and better from task 1 - keep having fun because it always shows in your work when you’ve enjoyed the design process.
Tokyo 1964
razzing
Although this is a literal interpretation of the poster, the execution is very creative. This is an absolute wow-moment from you. The poster has this intriguing and unsettling darkness to it, it is almost horror-movie material, and that is brilliantly mirrored in your creation. The way you’re able to portray the divided water in motion as well as the darkness that divides it is just icredible. Water is an amazing source of inspiration: it can be rendered as light (alydaman’s winning S2 collection) and it can be rendered as heavy - you managed to create a gown that represents how heavy water can feel, a gown that is avant garde, experimental and editorial all at the same time. I mean what else can I say? It’s perfect. It’s a work of art. Your design and styling insticts have become so refined as well: there is no styling choice here that drags the look down - a pair of earrings would’ve been a bit much as there is so many details in the gown. This is one of my favorite looks this season, absolutely breathtaking.
Los Angeles 1984
FIERCE.NEEDLES
The top is ridiculously commercial, I’m sure tons of people who saw Emily in Paris (not me) fantasized about wearing this in France while having a love story play out. The beret isn’t what makes it French-looking: it’s the juvenile and the romantic aura to the top. Beneath the jacket is a really interesting graphical print that you’ve come up with and I wish I could see more of it! The fact that the legs of the poster was an inspiration to you is entertaining (in a good way) - I just don’t think that the shrivelled bottom is working here. I appreciate the risk, that it is conceptual and that it is something we haven’t seen before but unfortunately it’s not matching the top very well. I will give you props for one thing though: those high heels are almost impossible to make look good for PR and the avant garde belt/skirt/shorts(?) are a perfect match for them, a clever choice from you. Your poster has a sexy, relaxed summer vibe to it and I don’t really equate that description to your design, yours is a bit more serious and stiff which is unfortunate. One thing that I've loved about you as a contestant this season is that each panel I feel like I get to know something brand new about you as a designer and I hope I get to see more from you in the semi-final. Thank you Jared!
Sydney 2000
cinthia
There are 3 things I love about this
1. The skirt. Oh my god. I love avant garde layered skirts. It looks like a clothing item that is liquid.
2. The different shades of blue. You didn’t just slap on the same shade of blue on every part, instead there are transitions and you play with shades on this one - just like the poster does! Just fabulous. The coral blue shoes are surprisingly great.
3. The fact that you managed to portray the movement that is in the poster in a literal way, without it being cliché. The Sydney 2000 poster encaptures a certain celebration of life and health and I find that your design feels very refreshing and yet uplifting despite the heavy blues you used.
I don’t really have any negative critiques to give you. I’m glad you didn’t overdo it with some big hair, a hat or earrings. This design is like a sportier version of Enya’s song Carribean Blue. Well done once again Cinthia!
Rio De Janeiro 2016
gnge
This is the summer dress that the coolest girl at the party wears while snorting cocaine on the balcony. I love that it is flirty, care-free and that there's a lot of flowingness to it, despite it being a mini-dress. The shoes are the best part of the look, I love a lavender symphony and they're simply gorgeous. I believe the problem with this look is that your model is carrying it - she is very cool, but the dress just isn't. It's a bunch of straps and fabric. I can see what the concept was but it's just not as fabulous as it should be. It also comes across as a bit too sweet and juvenile. The gold accessories are chic however and I adore the overall concept that you went with. The Brazil poster is quite dynamic and there is a lot of energy to your look, which I appreciate.
verdict
This is without a doubt the best top 4 I've ever seen in a panel - which is why it is a top 4 this week and not a top 3. Well done to Snawl, Cinthia and Uhu - you all get an Olympic medal in fashion this week. Be proud of your work and keep it up!
Congratulations Razzing, you are the winner of this task. Your design this week is one of your best pieces ever, it is truly divine and one for the longterm history book. You will not receive immunity next week, instead you will be given a different advantage. More about that on the semi-final page!
The bottom two consists of
- Fierce.Needles
- gnge
razzing's decision
- They both are amazing designers and this is a hard decision, but the person I feel deserves to continue the competition is… Fierce.Needles. His outfits got better and better and I don’t think he used a retro during the competition. Which I applaud tremendously. I would save him for that reason alone. I therefore eliminate gnge
(Filip proceeds to laugh as Fierce.Needles actually did use retro items this week)
gnge - you had a bit of an unfortunate run on S1 and S2 and I had been so eager to see you do a season in which you wouldn't get inside of your head and trip yourself up - and I finally got what I wanted. To say that you have been an incredible contestant would be an understatement. You've kept your fellow competitors on their toes week after week and you just happened to get so damn unlucky this panel. I am a huge fan of your designs and you have a heart of gold - thank you for everything!
The semi-final task is now available!
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