Glamatron

BravoTV’s boards are lighting up tonight because Rami Kashou, king of draping, beat Chris March, wild costume designer, in what was basically a semi-final heat.  Both had to present three looks to the judges.  The winner then would continue to the competition’s finals to compete against Christian Siriano and Jillian Lewis.

Rami won and the fans of Chris are irate.  Chris who featured a lot of black and human hair aping monkey fur is according to the fans more original.  He made a skirt out of safety pins!

And, yes, the use of materials was creative–but for those of us who spent a lot of time reading fashion history books in our youth–the looks were less original than many realize.  Every silhouette was one that had been used before–and, of course, the monkey trim was huge in the ’20s, while safety pin couture was the trademark of Stephen Sprouse in the ’80s. 

Rami’s quiet clothing is actually the more innovative–yes, we’ve seen him drape before, but, frankly, no one else drapes quite like him.  His jacket was a bit awkward, but it also had sleeves that I couldn’t automatically reference.

Originality is in the eye of the beholder–and what knowledge that beholder does and does not have.