challenge #5 (susie) vote for KAREN's IRELAND

Vote came down to Ireland or Greece, and I settled on KAREN KOLKMAN's IRELAND, as it caught my eye first, is imaginative, fully realized in terms of detail, and a lively interpretation of traditional Irish wear (and was also a country I wished to do and did not have time for -- knitting a traditional Aran Isles sweater in white or ivory on a very small scale).

Blue Ribbon to Karen

and

Red Ribbon to Judith.

initial reactions:

again, from the private comments, notes to myself as I look through the Runway show, I omitted any comments that are off-the-cuff negative and any comments about the work of those who don't welcome feedback.

Just including my thinking processes since I write them down as I look for a piece to vote for, as I find ways to narrow down the choices; any negative comments that come up in this context are mere excuses for winnowing it down to one vote and are not the things that strike me first; they are the things I had to nitpick out of my favorites.

Susie is a very delicate little lady and so is hard to design for, as clothes look bulky on her.

I like both of the London outfits, Debbie's the better of the two, and think that of all of the designs, the outfit for Greece was most imaginative, best kept in mind the challenge and the character and delicacy of the doll. Is Judith going to win again?

The outfit I initially responded to was Karen Kolkman's Ireland and need to revisit it after going through all of the designs.

Both of the London outfits also fit the size and character of the doll. However, in doll clothes, London's been done.

Now I am left with Greece and Ireland. The Ireland is lively and imaginative and on task, and I'm troubled by the stiffness of the fabric in the skirt. I also like the completeness of the outfit -- the pin and the bag. Now, can I give this high marks with "I'd prefer to see a lighter weight plaid in place of this one?" Sometimes we are limited in the choice of fabric we use to design a piece and say to ourselves in choosing the fabric: "Do I choose based on the fabric pattern I want in order to indicate the pattern and find one in the right weight for later production. or do I use the right weight fabric and substitute the color when it gets to production?" I think I'd give more weight to the former.

The outfit for Greece is lively, imaginative, on task, well-made, and complete: the espadrilles are an excellent touch.

I'm down to an eenie meeni miney moe here. Do I choose on the complete package? Do I give more weight to Karen's because Judith won one already, and this is popular vote and not for elimination. Yes, that is what I will do. Karen's has more work involved in it and was also the one that captivated me on first look, so that will decide my vote.

--Alison