The Fiber Factor: Challenge 5 Review

Challenge 5 was all about wearable art. The contestants had to use Art Felt and unconventional material to make a catwalk worthy piece. They then put on a fashion show for the judges were their creations were critiqued and a winner chosen.

To watch the results and see the fashion show, click here

My thoughts on each piece are below.
* Sorry if it looks a bit higgledy piggledy, but blogger seems to have a life of it's own when I'm adding lots of pictures.*
All the pictures are from the Fiber Factor website.

Tracy Purtscher - Eve to the 3rd Power

In terms of 'Wearable Art', I think this does meet the brief. However, there doesn't to seem to be much art felt, most of the focus of this garment seems to be on the unconventional material (the sound is low and my surroundings are noisy so I don't know what the material is). This is the type of thing I'd image someone wearing at an awards ceremony. The splash of colour and shaping at the back add another level to this and stop it from looking dull.


Terri Rosenthal - Lara

A very goth piece, I like the colours used in the top and the blend that she created in the skirt. Terri has also made shorts to wear underneath, which is a great extra. The outfit comes with a shoulder/caplet piece, which on the right occasion can look great but overall I think it would have been nicer if it was more like a choker and didn't cover the full shoulder


Talitha Kuomi - Omega

We've gone from goth to biker chick. I'm loving the red on the jacket, its a great shade and nicely shows off the gift wrapping cord that has been worked into the Art Felt. The whole effect is very structured, without being stiff.


Steve May - Life on Mars?

This is what I would call 'Wearable Art'. I do like the sort of animal print look and I think it goes well with the Art Felt fabric. Steve has incorporated a yoga mat into the piece but I don't really see what purpose this serves.

Rachel Henry - Gates of Dawn

From her progress video I can see where she was going. However, I personally don't like the cape. It looks like something made by a student for their final year project. I do like the top, which has a wrought iron embroidered design at the back, the colours are also great and I like the star effect along the bust. I feel this piece could be worn as a party/club outfit (without the cape).


Natalie Larson - Koyo

Overall, I like it more from the back than the front and can see this on a high fashion catwalk. The only thing that bugs me about this piece are the sleeves. If they had been cuffed they would have looked finished, when I look at this it feels like the model is in the middle of a fitting.


Meghan Navoy - Electric

This doesn't have much of a wow factor for me. I can see this being worn on the high street. The luminous colour is the only thing that I think is a little out there, but even this isn't very surprising considering what people are wearing these days. The finished look was a little misshapen at the back. If this was accentuated maybe it would have met the brief in terms of 'Wearable Art'.


Lauren Riker - Sea Gleam

Another girly creation by Lauren, I would say that this is 'Wearable Art', though not as much as some of the others. This outfit has a detachable train/tail, which turns it into a very wearable dress. The colours are my favourite out of all the designs, Lauren used CDs to add shimmer to the skirt and also added broken pieces to the train/tail to add to the mermaid look.


Katie Rempe - The Jordan Baker Special

I like the dress, but don't think that it's very 'Wearable Art'. The shrug/jacket is not to my taste and I think it would have looked nicer if the material had a bit of gloss or shimmer. Compared to some of the others, it's a bit of a letdown as the final piece to be critiqued.

John - Nike

This has to be my favourite, the first time I saw it I thought of the Snow Queen. This is 'Wearable Art', but with a touch of class. John has used tags on the back to give a scale effect. The shades are amazing, particularly on the bottom half of the dress. I can see this at the Oscars.


Jody Gordon Lucas - Nacht

As with Lauren's dress, I wouldn't say this has as much of a 'Wearable Art' factor in comparison to some of the others. Having said that, I do think it has a wow factor, particularly when the hood is up. The yellow is a great contrast to the rest of the piece and makes it stand out. The only downside is the finish, when the hood is up it doesn't sit well.


Jennette Cross - Giselle as Willis

I like the colours, however, as with Meghan's piece I don't see a wow factor. My favourite part of this is the knitted top. She has incorporated washers into the design, a nice touch, though it looks better at the front compared to the back, which has three rows of washers instead of one. I see this selling more in a high street store as opposed to something you'd expect in an artsy fashion show.

The Top Three

John, Terri and Talitha

The Winner

John Ravet