See I think this is the fundamental conundrum for me. Are they seeking an avant-garde runway designer, or a creative, commercially successful designer for that area between off-the-rack and couture? There seems to be a fair amount of vagueness about this for me. In previous seasons, I was feeling like the final winner would be the one with the designs most unrelatable from my viewpoint.
Were they pressured to add larger models? Did they do so willingly? Hard to say.
^This^. If the judges are deferring to her due to her EP status, then the whole concept is out the window, IMO. She was a model. She's probably never sewn a button.