Project Runway review: Luxury streetwear brings chic confidence

In this week’s Project Runway review, luxury streetwear is part story-of-the-past and looking-to-the-future. Which designer captured that fashion moment?

Luxury streetwear is more than just a label. This week’s Project Runway review proves that for fashion to move forward, sometimes it needs to be rooted in a personal connection. Still, these designers cannot become overwhelmed by the pressure of the competition — as one designer succumbed to the pressure another designer rose to the occasion.

As this week’s episode opened, the designers were introduced to another fashion icon, Dapper Dan. The fashion legend is known for the concept logomania. He proposed that the logo can be as much of a status symbol as a luxurious fabric.

Dapper Dan told the designers that this week’s challenge will be to create a luxurious streetwear look that not only tells a story about today but also about tomorrow. It needs to be in the moment while still looking ahead. That dichotomy is quite difficult.

This week’s challenge had a couple of unusual aspects. First, the designers did not go to Mood to shop. All fabrics used in the challenge were provided to them. It was unclear if a fabric was exclusive to one designer. Given the final runway, it didn’t appear that any designers used the same fabric.

Second, this week’s challenge was a one-day challenge. That time constraint really seemed to overwhelm the designers. While the casual observer might think that 12 hours is plenty of time to conceive and construct a garment, in reality, it is a huge hurdle.

Some designers seemed to accept the time pressure and work with it. In some ways, this challenge was a test to see if the designers could adapt. An ambitious design might not be the best fit for this week’s challenge.

Given the time parameters, this week’s Project Runway episode was a reminder that this show is a competition. While no designer wants to lose their design integrity, the competition is about presenting the best look for that moment. Wouldn’t it be better to present a properly finished look than one which is criticized for being poorly constructed?

Lastly, this week’s episode was a flash-sale challenge. Like the first episode of this Project Runway season, the designers needed to take pictures of their finished looks. These stylized pictures are on Project Runway’s Instagram story for fans to vote on. The fan favorite will be available for purchase on Bravo’s website.

Thinking about the Insta-stories aspect, the designers need to be smart about their luxury streetwear design. In this case, the look needs to appeal to the buying consumer. Just because a designer is infatuated with a look, method, or perspective, it doesn’t mean that the public will be.

Some designers seem to get the styling/selling/visual appeal aspect. A quick scan of the Insta-stories shows some images have a huge impact. Those pictures might not necessarily be the same as the top look. Still, the visual is something that might last longer than what the judges considered a top look.

Looking at this week’s three top designers, the choices were instantly clear. This week’s top designers were Venny, Garo, and Bishme. While each luxury streetwear look was quite different, the commonality was authenticity.

Garo had a very fashion-forward look. With his skill of corset making, the corseted waist was the perfect offset to the voluminous pant. It kept with his aesthetic yet worked within the confines of the challenge. As his model walked the runway, there was an air of confidence and swagger. More importantly, it didn’t compromise on a sense of femininity.

Another top look, Venny’s design excelled because he channeled a personal aspect into the look, his love of sneakers. The nod to sneaker elements was subtle and restrained, which helped it succeed. More importantly, the shape was sophisticated. It hugged every curve in the right way. In a way, it was the most authentic look.

Winning this week’s challenge was Bishme. After floating in the middle, this designed nailed all aspects to the challenge. From the personal logo to the paying homage to Dapper Dan’s legacy, it was clear that he would win the challenge. Specifically, this look worked because the design said something and meant something. While it was very chic, it elevated the community it was trying to reach. So many women could see themselves in this look.

Similar to last week’s survival chic challenge, Bishme’s look answered the challenge best. It incorporated a logo, it had a nod to the past and it spoke to the future. Again, it appears that the designer who best responds to the confines of the challenge is being rewarded.

The opposite happened with the bottom three designers. All three looks were an expression of what the designers wanted to do, not what they were asked to do. In truth, more than one designer should have gone home.

Rakan was in the bottom, again. This week’s look seemed to reference a genie in a bottle costume. Was anyone else waiting for the model to nod her head and disappear? Overall, his look appeared cheap, had no luxurious aspect and definitely didn’t reference streetwear.

While Rakan said this look was a reference to a Syrian farmer, it was clear that he didn’t want to adapt to the direction of the challenge. Similar to other episodes, he wasn’t going to change or compromise.

Although those convictions are good in his own business, Project Runway is a competition. In a way, some challenges are testing how well a designer adapts. Rakan does not want to adapt.

Another bottom look, Jamall’s Elizabethan referenced puffer dress was confusing. While Jamall’s use of the puffer style can be quite dramatic, this time-restrained challenge wasn’t appropriate for it. There was no way he could properly finish this look.

Truthfully, Jamall’s look was doomed from the start. Christian commented that the contrasting fabrics were “interesting.” Everyone knows that “interesting” is a polite way of saying what are you thinking. During the judging, the comments were more direct. From “no one would ever want to wear this” look to “a woman would have no confidence in this look,” it was clear that this design was a disaster.

Lastly, the third bottom look was Kovid’s confusing design. While he is a conceptional designer, this look received the ultimate runway criticism from Nina. It was suburban. It was abundantly clear that Kovid completely missed the mark. From the clash of colors to the mix of styles, this look was a walking disaster.

Overall, it was becoming quite clear that Project Runway and its pressure was becoming too much for Kovid. Last week’s unconventional materials challenge was equally as confusing. Overall, this competition was not the right platform for his talents.

The designer sent home this week was Kovid. While he has creative ideas, this competition space wasn’t a good fit for him.

Next week’s Project Runway episode has the designers creating a powerful female video game character. Wonder which designer will be on the leaderboard next week?

Which luxury streetwear look got your vote on this week’s Project Runway? Did the right designer go home this week?