We never knew that designing and creating menswear was so difficult. Apparently, it’s easier to create an intricate ball gown than a casual and attractive male suit. Almost all of the designers had difficulty with the challenge this week which was to fashion a look for former football player Tiki Barber. He’s now a correspondent on the Today show and wants something stylish. He and his lovely wife, Ginny, know what looks good on him and tried to share that with the designers.

Unfortunately, few of them seemed to get the message. Notable exceptions were Kevin Christiana, the self-proclaimed straight guy in the bunch. His purple shirt had Heidi saying “Nein.” She would not want her hubby Seal to wear that look. However, Tiki noted that it was nicely styled and could work. Kit Scarbo created TV-friendly clothing. We thought it should’ve won the day because it was well put together and the Navy fleece on the jacket was a nice touch. 

However, the nod went to Jack Mackenroth, who has designed menswear before. Jack actually used his own shorts – a move we definitely applaud because, well – we’re human after all and he’s cute – to create a pattern for Tiki’s pants. The fabrics he chose were beautiful and eye-catching. He opted for two well-made pieces instead of three that weren’t as perfectly constructed. We appreciated his editorial sensibility. He didn’t bite off more than he could chew…

Unlike Ricky, Carmen and Sweet Pea. These three were definitely the stinkers of the bunch. Ricky created a dull and ‘boring suit’ that had no flair or real color. He also didn’t finish and left pins in the work to keep it in place. Apparently, the judges have fantastic eyesight because they could see these little things from like 30 yards away. Honestly – we thought the suit was okay. Not great but not as bad as the judges thought it was.

Now Sweet Pea’s shirt was designed for a man of Frankenstein-like proportions with really short arms. The neck was a horrific mess. She knew it and didn’t deny it which was probably her saving grace. Sweet Pea was shocked actually when Heidi told her that she could go back and join the other designers. We weren’t because we know she has more to show and her pants were well-made.

However, the same could not be said for Carmen. Carmen had trouble from the get-go. Menswear is not her forte. We get that, but it didn’t seem to be the forte of anyone else. When Ginny Barber expressed concern with the design not being something Tiki would enjoy, Carmen didn’t take her opinion into account because, as she said, “I didn’t buy enough fabric.” With a budget of $150, she should’ve been able to buy more and, as Tim always says, “Make it work.”

Her time management was poor as she couldn’t even construct a shirt. The model walked down the runway with a swatch of fabric rolled around his neck. It was embarrassing. We did, however, think she should’ve scored some points for her crotch area. My goodness! It was created for a man of porn-er-iffic proportions. Instead, she got knocked down for that as well. We won’t even discuss her jacket because…it was a hot mess.

Carmen knew she screwed up and was devastated by her showing. She cried when Heidi auf’d her but we think she knew it was coming. We know that Carmen’s work wasn’t representative of her as a designer, but it was still unfortunate that she had to go out like that.

What’s your take? Did Carmen deserve to be auf’d? Do you think menswear is harder than women’s gear?