stuck in the past

is it impossible to update jackie o?

While I'm on the topic of updating the look of fashion icons, I want to return to the Iconic Statement challenge.

It seems like definition of Jackie O's style is limited to a few years of her life. Ironically it is the period when she did not have the"O".














Even when she was alive she was fixed in the past for the sake of American's nostalgia for "Camelot."

The challenge in "Iconic Statement" (Episode 5) was for the designers was to "update" the look of a fashion icon and not to make a replica costume.













But is it possible that the judges may not have been open to the idea of updating this icon? If they can't allow her to move her out of the '60s then how can they request that her look be updated to the present time.

One complaint the judges had about Robert's suit was that it wasn't tailored enough. They insisted that Jackie O never wore anything that wasn't highly structured.

Here (right) is a photograph of Jackie O dressed in looser style clothes than the box suit that she made famous in the sixties.

And, lest we forget, her designer was Oleg Cassini after all. What about a track suit??!!



Here are two runway approaches that we can compare to Robert's attempt to update the Jackie O look.

In Fall 2005 Alexander McQueen used Jackie O as his inspiration. The look he created (right) is a costume, right down to the hair and the white gloves. There's no updating it is primarily a recreation of a look. It is an appealing look but this is not especially innovative design work.


On the other hand, this Chanel 1998 suit ( right) is a much more unstructured version of the structured, boxy, tailoring we associate with the Chanel suit. It isn't specifically addressing the Jackie O look but the endeavor is similar.

Considered in this light, Robert's updated Jackie O suit doesn't seem so off-base.

At least it wasn't deserving of the outrage heaped upon him for being so off-base.

Robert's biggest error was in taking fabric from Vincent (what was he thinking??!!!).

His first choice of Tiffany blue fabric was lovely and if he'd stuck with this his suit would have looked more youthful and made more of an impression.

Robert didn't lose this episode but it was the one when the judges really turned against him. This was the episode when Bradley was auffed -- and appropriately so. The poor guy didn't have a clue about Cher and what he made was ridiculous.








Oh, and -- following up on my repeat offenders post, what did Vincent do for that challenge?

Update Twiggy.

Right. That look is spot-on --

if Twiggy wore halloween-themed apron projects from the country crafty shoppe.

No wonder he talked about her as if he thought she was dead. She wouldn't have been caught dead in something like that.