Fashion is an industry in which nice guys finish last, which is why Sebelia could win. Not only is he mean to the other designers (and even their mothers), he?s rude, arrogant and has bad taste in sunglasses.
Style loves a bad boy, and so do we. Early in the season, many viewers were hoping the judges would get rid of Sebelia, particularly after he trashed Angela?s mom and put her in an ugly dress.
But as the 36-year-old Los Angeles rocker hung on and won challenges, it started to look like he had the talent to succeed. (Warning: Rumors have circulated that he got help sewing his final collection.) The line he showed at Bryant Park during Fashion Week was full of finesse, and one could see young women falling in love with his striped, dotted and zippered Gwen Stefani-style dresses and separates.
Obsessive beader and aggressive succeeder, she gets how America likes to dress when it dresses up. Sure, Lipstick Laura comes off as an iceberg, but no other designer has a style distinct enough to bank a reputation on, and none designs the way most women want to look: sharp, simple, comfortable, clean and classy. Bennett understands that real people don?
t live on the runway. Women might have visions of Versace in their heads, but they have Liz Claiborne and Donna Karan in their closets. Men might fancy themselves rock ?
n? roll wild, but they?re actually Ralph Lauren styled.
Even guys who admire Alexander McQueen suits on David Bowie choose classic Prada for themselves. Her subdued palette, sharp corners and elegantly beaded clothes fit the bills. Plus Bennett ?
an architect ? has the maturity to make it in business. He could win because he understands that the business of fashion isn?
t about garments. It?s about storytelling.
To succeed in the rag trade, you have to move product. That means attracting and keeping customers interested in a clear, cohesive brand. And you keep customers interested by telling, and retelling, a story.
Take Ralph Lauren. He?s not the best designer in the world, but he tells wonderful stories.
Polo isn?t just a brand, it?s a story, an imaginary world populated with people the rest of us want to be and date.
In each challenge, except one, Knight sent out a model who told a story: a modern Pam Grier in hot pants and hoop earrings; a music exec in cargos and shades; an edgy, sophisticated partygoer clutching the perfect black bag.
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