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Anyone watch Adele on SNL last night? Now that was a great plus size design she was wearing! It had fringe, a large exposed zipper, and still looked chic, fitted, and figure flattering. I've seen photos of her walking around in New York this week and she always looked good. One of the outfits was gauchos with a cropped top..also really nice, but probably because the crop was modest and fit well. The difference between whoever has been creating clothes for Adele and Ashley is that Adele's designers obviously want their client to look good and take a larger frame into consideration.

I took this off the DVR after the first episode this season. I just remembered it and thought I'd check here to see if I had made a mistake. After reading about what's been going on I guess no longer watching was a good call. It's too bad because the original premise had promise. I'm used to suspending a degree of disbelief when watching TV, but this show went beyond my limits.

The first thing I thought was that he probably had that in his pocket just in case they went to India and couldn't wait to pull out for the camera, so yeah, totally agree with you. God help her if they lose this because I don't think he'll ever be able to get past it. The sad thing is that it appears he is more invested in coming in first and winning prizes than being able to enjoy and appreciate the other opportunities being a contestant brings like the adventure of it all. He appears to be a unique individual...

So far this has been better than most of the last few years of the main franchise. It was a good move having this on right after the mess of a season that just ended. Most of the kids did a really great job considering this was an unconventional challenge. A talented bunch! Great casting. I just realized that Hannah Davis is from the Hannah and her horse ads for DirectTV. She's a pretty girl, but I'm not sure she was the best choice for the Heidi role.

Candice remained as insufferable as she did throughout the season. She still seems to be unofficially auditioning for a position as a learned co-host, much in the same way as Amanda Valentine did last year. It did appear to me as though Kelly and Amanda were waiting for the mean girl accusation. They seemed pissed though rather than even slightly embarrassed. I initially thought the girls were being unfair at the time the episode aired but now, after watching the rest of the season, I'm thinking there is more to the story.

No argument with you on the colors. Yikes, though, the fit and construction are even worse than I remembered. For one, I'm now noticing the turquoise bra thing under the lace crop on the first look could have used some simple darts. The models breast looks ready to come out to say hello. Both shorts have crotch pouches that look large enough to hold a wallet and lipstick...Ashley's answer to Kelly's fanny pack perhaps? The rest....well, I still cannot believe the judges thought this was the best collection presented. I would think the same thing if the models were petite, plus, or anywhere in-between.

So it appears that Laurie was engaging in a bit of shit stirring when she advised Ashley that the others were planning to throw her under the bus since she admitted that she hadn't actually overheard any plotting.

Nope, not me! I completely agree with everything in your post.

I don't think The American Baking Competition was much of a hit when it aired. Plus Paul Hollywood didn't really have the notoriety here in the US that he has in the UK. It's my guess that is the reason why it wasn't as big a deal here in the US as it was in the UK.

I think the "nastiness" you're referring to probably stems back to Paul Hollywood's past putting suspicion on whether some female contestants are getting praise from him for reasons other than their baking skills. If you're not familiar with what happened do a search for Paul Hollywood+affair. It was apparently quite the scandal.

I'm more than fine with seeing plus size models in plus size collections. I welcome it. What I don't want to see is poor construction, badly fitting garments, and designs that do not flatter plus size figures. If the finished result doesn't look good on whoever is wearing it (small, large, or whatever) what is the point of a designer collection? I thought Ashley had talent based on some of her earlier work during the season. She may very well be capable of pulling off a stellar collection, but that final presentation wasn't it. As a plus size wearer, I feel insulted that her collection was considered to be a winner because it suggests to me that the judges don't think larger women need to wear flattering clothes.

I wasn't a fan of her overall collection, but I think that her first dress, the white and red print one, was one of the best looks out of all the collections. She's got skills in design, fit, and construction. She just needs to venture out of her box more.

There are people out there designing plus size fashions that are actually wearable, modern, and made to fit and flatter a variety of curvy women. If anyone is interested do a search for videos of UK Plus Size Fashion Week. They're not all winners, but there are a lot of nice outfits.

There is definitely a part of me that agrees with you. The way other women targeted Ashley in that episode was bad and undeserved at the time. Candice's attitude overall in her talking heads was super obnoxious throughout the entire series. In the end though I want to see a good designer win regardless of how nice or not they are. I'd like that person to be nice, but I still want the designs to be the tipping point rather than personality or drama.

I watched again today to see if I had perhaps judged too harshly last night. Nope! Ashley's collection looked worse to me. Construction issues aside (seriously though, that falling hem on the first look!), the only outfit that fit properly was the purple lace mermaid one. The others though... Bad hemlines. The bra under the glued on flower horror was bunched at the bottom. The pink shorts romper fit really bad. The catsuit under the sheer long blouse had a terrible fit at the crotch. Those models were well proportioned and the fit was bad. No wonder her real person model during the competition wound up with such a bad dress. I've been up and down the scale my entire life. I would love to see more stylish designs for larger women. This win came off as gimmicky and patronizing and actually seems like more of a put down to plus size women than ignoring them. It's like here, it covers you, but we don't really think you deserve to look good.

Yes! I was thinking the same thing. Most of Ashley's collection looked like an example of what not to wear if plus sized. Like the crotch was fighting it out with the the legs for possession of the fabric. When the body fights the design like that it ruins the lines. So what is the point? Considering the rest of the season leading up to this I guess it was a fitting finale.

There were other people at the dinner who were not introduced, like one youngish guy who was wearing a baseball cap. Is it possible she was one of them?

I was suprised to hear Caroline S. make reference to Caprice in the last episode. Up until then this season it was as though those two had never existed.

More than a little put off by Denise hanging on to Josh. I understand she was grateful but it wasn't necessary to demonstrate that by attaching herself to him like a souvenir clip-on Koala.

This! I don't know why I was surprised by how unflattering her collection was to plus size women considering the clothes she chooses for herself don't exactly do her any favors. Designing well fitting and flattering clothes for plus size women is not exactly the same as just making something larger. Many plus size women carry excess weight around their middles, so why even consider a full, gathered skirt and a bare midriff? Thighs are another problem so why cover that area in peekaboo lace? Really odd choices that are usually covered in most lists giving fashion flattering hints. Seeking to look good by flattering the good bits and drawing attention away from problem areas does not mean you do not love or accept yourself.

There is no one more surprised by this than I, but I like Andy's XM/Sirius channel.

I always thought she was a poor fit in this franchise. Not entirely her fault. She's had more than enough unfortunate press as a result of being a cast member. Hope she has better success in her future endeavors.

I want to see Ashley win for no other reason than to wipe the supercilious attitude off of Candice. Her critiques are beyond annoying, particularly since everything she makes is the same Goth pin-up girl she has been doing since day 1.

I'm afraid you're probably correct. The references to Robert's "indigestion" seem pretty much the same as references to Isis acting off in the episodes leading up to the dog's death. I have enjoyed the series but the storytelling does seem to follow the same tracks over and over.

This show has taken such a rapid downhill trajectory this season. I'm still watching for the London background scenery, but in my opinion the over the top "drama" screams to me of manufacture and manipulation. If it is all real the fights are making them look pathetic. I hope the salaries they're earning were worth it because few, if any, are coming off very well at all. I wish they would just follow these women around while dining, shopping, attending events, etc. and leave out the nonsensical squabbles.