S18.E05: She's Sew Unusual

[Ashforth]

6 hours ago, heckkitty said:

insert obligatory Sergio sucks statement here. 

🤣I live in Austin and so want Sergio to redeem himself. I loved the bell dress. But Good Lord, Sergio, could you be more of a dick? I get it that Tyler is a hard act to follow in terms of dickishness, but you, Sergio, could back off a bit instead of ramping it up to follow in his jerk footsteps.

[Vermicious Knid]

Stilettos with lace ankle socks were Madonna, not Cyndi. Who won? Well Madonna had more sales and a higher profile but as the introduction stated, Cyndi has three-fourths of an EGOT. If they refilm Kinky Boots as a musical and she writes a new song she could get that Oscar. She also made a shitload of money off Celine Dion's cover of I Drove All Night.

Christian was very annoying this episode. His responses were so flippant, this may not mean anything to him but it does to the designers. He just wants his soundbites. I find him lacking in compassion or empathy.

[phoenix780]

I really wish at least one contestant had a more pleasant, less somber personal connection to Cyndi Lauper. I appreciate Geoffrey's story, I identify with it, and I also wish an episode about 80's fashion had a little more fun and joyfulness in it, as though there's a freedom in the kind of self-expression they said her style represented. 

Sergio is a pretty decent villain, I fully expect him to last until Top 3 or 4. I'm fascinated that he stood up on stage and declared that his fashion aesthetic is whatever people pay for. He has the kind of arrogance that makes me wonder if he's bankrolled by someone, and an insincerity that makes me conclude he's a conman.

Delvin reminds me of the season 2 winner of RuPaul's Drag Race: extremely capable, not super engaging. Because he reminds me of a reality show winner, I'm assuming he'll win this one, too.

Edited January 13, 2020 by phoenix780

[Tikichick]

I do despise how the show in general seems to disparage the fashion sense of anyone over a certain age, as if youthful exuberance and enthusiasm is the only taste worthy of celebrating and strutting down a runway or showcasing in editorials.  It also directs many of the contestants to immediately disregard contestants over a certain age, which production then highlights with creative editing.

I actually liked Nancy's look.  I would have understood her team's attitude a bit more if editing had focused on the fact that she was just drifting along on her whims as far as what she was making, with nothing down on paper and no guidance as to her thoughts for her team.  She needed to give them a key word or two along the way at least to give them any insight into her thought process.  When they had absolutely nothing to rely on from her they fell into the trap of ageism being the thing to worry about.  

I enjoyed Nancy's, Shavi's and Geoffrey's looks and I was very happy for his well-deserved win.  As far as black not being representative of the times, I thought possibly the toning down of the color palette was a modern choice for the 80s aesthetic.     

[RedbirdNelly]

I do hate how on a team challenge, you can be one of the best and get no recognition. Same with possibly being saved (despite being the worst) if you are on the winning. I would have liked to have seen discussion of Shavi's design.

I also was torn on Nancy. It was hard to tell (because I have to keep in mind editing) exactly what was going on and maybe the answer is that no one was entirely in the right or wrong. I am pulling for Nancy, but will fault her for giving her team nothing to work with. It was a team challenge so just saying "my process is to have no idea what I'm doing" is not helpful and you can expect a hostile reaction when you keep sticking to that.  A team challenge requires some bending of your usual process. Give them some info to work with--i.e. right now I'm thinking. . .or at least it won't be XYZ but I'm considering A, B and C. Something.

[DEL901]

I thought that Cyndi did great as a judge.  Thoughtful comments and nice words of encouragement for the loser.  

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

But punk wasn't 80s, that much I remember.

Sure it was. But it wasn't a thing that garnered attention for being "new and different" by that point. The focus from the outside was probably on other music through the '80s (Michael Jackson, Madonna, NKotB, etc., and later, hair bands) but punk was there for those who dug it. I feel like, on this show, they were confusing "punk" with what family sitcoms of the '80s thought punk was. I'm still friends with the punk "kids" from back then--they're all parents now.

Edited January 13, 2020 by TattleTeeny

[Gothish520]

Cyndi Lauper's aesthetic to me always seemed to be a combination of punk and New Wave.

Producer-driven drama and editing or no, Nancy came off a bit arrogant and very whiny. I'm just about over her. It's nice that she switched careers so late in life, good for her, yadda yadda, but that doesn't mean everything she does and says is gold. If she felt marginalized she could've made her feelings known in a calm manner with her teammates, one by one if necessary.

[ree1778]

 

Quote

Stilettos with lace ankle socks were Madonna, not Cyndi.

Stillettos or pumps with lace socks or lace pantyhose was just about everyone. 80's was  New Wave and bright colors. There was a whole fashion with dropped waistlines, short skirts and matching bloomer like panties underneath. There was the whole torn sweatshirt thing ,and hanging off one shoulder sweaters with stirrup pants.

There was so very much they could have done with 80's.

Loved Geoffery's and Shavi's. 

[Ashforth]

1 hour ago, ree1778 said:

There was the whole torn sweatshirt thing ,and hanging off one shoulder sweaters with stirrup pants.

Get out of my 1980's closet! Stirrup pants! With pumps! OMG. I'm not all that tall but I do have fairly long legs and the perpetually drooping crotch was the bane of my stirrup pant existence. Let's not even talk about perms.

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

 I'm not all that tall but I do have fairly long legs

Oh, with you. I'm a 5'4" chick (in a family of talls) who can rarely find long enough jeans! WTF?

[Gothish520]

3 hours ago, Ashforth said:

Get out of my 1980's closet! Stirrup pants! With pumps! OMG. I'm not all that tall but I do have fairly long legs and the perpetually drooping crotch was the bane of my stirrup pant existence. Let's not even talk about perms.

There may or may not be pictures of me from the era wearing black stirrup pants, black high heels, an oversized geometric patterned electric blue shirt cinched with a hip belt, and a perm that would make a poodle proud. Oh, and enough eyeshadow, liner, and blush to make up all the models in the next Project Runway challenge!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, ree1778 said:

There was the whole torn sweatshirt thing ,and hanging off one shoulder sweaters

The Flashdance look!

[Gothish520]

Don't forget the leg warmers!

[Shannon L.]

16 hours ago, Gothish520 said:

Oh, and enough eyeshadow, liner, and blush to make up all the models in the next Project Runway challenge!

I've been following these threads for a while, but haven't chimed in.  However, as someone who graduated high school in 1987, I had to jump in and ask:  did you have colored mascara? 

Neon.  I loved Neon.  Yeah, the 80s were bright (except, am I remembering correctly that preppies preferred pastels?).  I had most of the previously mentioned outfits myself and the perm.  I agree with the poster who said that the winning look was more Grace Jones, though, even though I really liked it.

I remember stripes and polka dots being big in the 80s, too, but having stripes in every outfit on Team Stripe were way too much.  Good for that one designer to try with the shorts, but that was a bad call.

[RoxiP]

Next thing you know we'll all be talking about our Units.

[novhappy]

On 1/13/2020 at 2:02 AM, phoenix780 said:

 

Sergio is a pretty decent villain, I fully expect him to last until Top 3 or 4. I'm fascinated that he stood up on stage and declared that his fashion aesthetic is whatever people pay for. He has the kind of arrogance that makes me wonder if he's bankrolled by someone, and an insincerity that makes me conclude he’s a conman  

His dickishness is so pronounced and his statement on the runway so ridiculous I believe the producers have promised him a top 3 or 4 if he’ll exaggerate his natural smugness into villain

 

 

Edited January 15, 2020 by novhappy

[Gothish520]

6 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

I've been following these threads for a while, but haven't chimed in.  However, as someone who graduated high school in 1987, I had to jump in and ask:  did you have colored mascara? 

But of course, royal blue!

[Lamb18]

Stripes and polka dots -- that was the Princess Diana influence. There was color, but a lot of black, like black straight-legged jeans with black high-top Reeboks. And there was a lot of bad hair on the 80s. Also in the 80s - your lipstick and lip liner two different colors.

[carrps]

4 hours ago, Lamb18 said:

 ...black high-top Reeboks. 

I had them in black. And pale pink and pale aqua. With scrunchy socks. Oh, and I have curly hair, so I didn't need a perm. 😊

Wore them with a denim mini and my cropped white leather jacket. With fringe! I know people disparage the 80s now, but I thought ... a lot of the time ... I was pretty darn cute.

[RoxiP]

We were all cute in the 80s...because we were all 40 years younger!

[Vermicious Knid]

It's not quite the same look but Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever, came out in 1983. Its...not a good movie but the hairstyles, makeup and fashion really encapsulate what was actually happening in 1983. I'm from the New York area and I remember seeing those looks walking around. 

Hated stirrup pants, went with pegging.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Hated stirrup pants, went with pegging

In defense of stirrup pants, at least they created a long sleek line. Not everyone knew how to peg their pants properly which is how some people ended up with unflattering poofy pants in the calf area or wrinkles/pleats in the wrong place. 

[Ilovepie]

On 1/13/2020 at 1:12 PM, Gothish520 said:

Producer-driven drama and editing or no, Nancy came off a bit arrogant and very whiny. I'm just about over her. It's nice that she switched careers so late in life, good for her, yadda yadda, but that doesn't mean everything she does and says is gold. If she felt marginalized she could've made her feelings known in a calm manner with her teammates, one by one if necessary.

I think it's really difficult to know what actually went down and who was at fault because I think everyone came out looking bad. I want to side with Nancy because I like almost everything she has made but I do think she is getting a spacey neurotic edit.

Every time she says "I'm 65!!!!" I think of Molly Shannon's Sally O'Malley SNL character: "I like to kick, stretch and kick: I'M FIFTY!!!!!"

[RoxiP]

I think that they were emphasizing that Nancy came from a corporate environment where teamwork is driven by communication (or at least it is supposed to be) and numerous meetings to keep everyone on the same page.  The other designers are used to working more independently.  Personally Nancy would have driven me crazy the last show, and her passive-aggressive need to point out how the team excluded her would further alienate me from her.  I'm not really good with direct people...or people whose feelings I have to tiptoe over!

[RedbirdNelly]

22 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

It's not quite the same look but Staying Alive, the sequel to Saturday Night Fever, came out in 1983. Its...not a good movie but the hairstyles, makeup and fashion really encapsulate what was actually happening in 1983. I'm from the New York area and I remember seeing those looks walking around. 

Hated stirrup pants, went with pegging.

we didn't call it pegging--it was "tight rolling your jeans"; mandatory

[TattleTeeny]

Quote

I think that they were emphasizing that Nancy came from a corporate environment where teamwork is driven by communication (or at least it is supposed to be) and numerous meetings to keep everyone on the same page. 

I loved seeing the pre-designer photo of Nancy! Seeing how much better she looks now confirms to me that I don't need to age up my hair, clothes, etc. 

[Archer27]

On 1/10/2020 at 6:07 PM, carrps said:

Maybe it's an unpopular opinion, but I was always a bigger fan of Cyndi Lauper than Madonna. I played She's So Unusual to death. I don't think I have any Madonna CDs in my collection anymore. I have at least three of Cyndi's.

Yeah, I still have CDs! Get off my lawn!!! 😉

 

I still have CDs also! I love Cyndi Lauper and Madonna, and have their CDs. 

[WearyTraveler]

2 hours ago, Archer27 said:

I still have CDs also! I love Cyndi Lauper and Madonna, and have their CDs. 

Ha! Talk to me when you can claim to have the original "Like a Virgin" in vinyl. 😛

 

Loved the winning design!

[RedbirdNelly]

1 hour ago, WearyTraveler said:

Ha! Talk to me when you can claim to have the original "Like a Virgin" in vinyl. 😛

 

Loved the winning design!

ha! I did once own a vinyl 45 copy of Purple Rain (the single). It was made of purple plastic, of course. I regret letting that go at some point.

[StatisticalOutlier]

On 1/9/2020 at 7:50 PM, TexasGal said:

The safety pin styling is sort of generic punk I guess.

Well if they wanted it to be punk, the safety pins needed to be in the models' cheeks.

 

 

[Diane Mars]

THAT would have been dope (and even could have been mixed with the previous challenge !) :

[SuprSuprElevated]

58 minutes ago, Diane Mars said:

THAT would have been dope (and even could have been mixed with the previous challenge !) :

I love that they stood their ground and refused to dress alike. 😄

Edited January 20, 2020 by SuprSuprElevated

[halkatla]

Sergio has deserved to be on the bottom twice before but for some reason he´s always safe. I wish they´d have given Melanie a chance to do something less bland and sent Sergio home. I don´t dislike him, I dislike his designs and it´s like the judges and almost everyone there is playing along with his smugness. I don´t get that at all since he´s so proud of only making super old-lady clothes. Good on him for getting paid but that style does not belong on project runway.

I adore Victoria but I don´t like the asymmetry style that she is so fond of. She is one of the better designers, I get it, but it´s just a look that gets pretty boring very quickly, and is "easy".

My favorites are Nancy and Delvin, I hope they continue to rise.

Edited February 9, 2020 by halkatla