Eddie And Preston: City Of Contrasts
Jonathan Adler on why he felt bad for Eddie Ross this week.
I'm always struck by how unpretentious and sweet truly talented people are. My divine husband Simon (wasn't he j'adorable this week?) is a case in point. So are our gorgeously talented chums Ruben and Isabel Toledo, or the divine Narciso Rodriguez, or the visionary Reed and Delphine Krakoff, and, of course, my pals on the show, Margaret Russell, Todd Oldham, Kelly Wearstler and India Hicks.
All of the above are accomplished and could, I suppose, be snooty and unbearable. But, if you meet any of them at a fancy soiree or at the DMV or at your local LIQUOR STORE you'll find that they are all humble, sweet, and never shy away from of a bit of inappropriate hijinks. What do they all have in common? They are all SECURE about their TALENT. Call me crazy, but I actually felt bad for Eddie Ross this week. Yes, he acted like a complete TOOL and was very very bratty and unkind, but the most striking thing revealed in this week's episode is how INSECURE our Eddie is. Eddie, you are a talented dude, with a great future, and you have nothing to be insecure about--lose the BRATITUDE, shed the PETULANCE. RELAX and SPARKLE! But enough about Eddie's personality.
About Eddie's design this week: Oy veh! That dining room was GRUESOME. Eddie said that it was designed for a young hip couple but it felt like an old lady's final resting place. Whatevs -- he had immunity, lucky him. Less entertaining than Eddie, but also less jarring, is Preston, or Cleavage as we nicknamed him backstage. Preston is secure in his talent and just gets on with it without any whinging or posturing or snarkiness.
The result: PURE GENIUS!!!! His work was magnificent. He saves his drama for his design. NeNe on The Real Housewives of Atlanta (the best show on TV right now) says that when she walks into a room "It's like BAM, POW, NeNe's here!" That's what Preston's designs are like. Every angle is Bam, Pow, Fierce, PERFECT! Props to Preston. Nathan. His room was BONKERS. I loved it. So did my window dresser husband. It was like a wacky Barneys display. Everything about it was wrong--the scale was weird, the furniture looked like it was thrown together randomly, the color scheme was garish, nothing went with anything, and the overall effect was MAGIC. Loved it! Ondine. Kinda gnarly this week. I think one of her problems was that she had to work with all new merch and I get the feeling she's more of a vintage gal. She's at her best around merch with a bit of a patina. Oh well, it happens.
Andrea. Has she ever watched a reality show before? Of course the judges are going to be critical--that's what makes watchable television! And, didn't she realize she was going to be separated from her family for a few weeks? I felt horrible for her and her anguish was real, but I also felt bad for all the people who applied to be on the show and didn't get the opportunity that she tossed away.
Anyway, that's her choice, I get it, and it made for excellent TV. Tres dramatique! But, drama aside, I think this show will prove to be a great thing for Andrea. She's much more than Mrs. Rick Shroder--she's a great designer. I'm glad she got to strut her stuff on national TV. Watch next week for more drama from Eddie-Omarosa-Ross. It only gets more demented and hilarious!
- Jonathan Adler www.jonathanadler.com
