S18.E06: There Is Only One You

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

In this week’s challenge, the designers are given a chance to think about their family history and channel those stories and emotions into a look of their choosing. The stakes are high in this one day challenge, as the designers need to face and embrace who they are in order to succeed. Luckily for the designers, there’s a surprise early on that will help boost their chances for success in this Flash Sale Challenge!

Original air date: 1/16/20

[nb360]

I hope this Chesley focus does not mean bad news for her...

[Ashforth]

Just now, nb360 said:

I hope this Chesley focus does not mean bad news for her...

I think the same could be said for several of the designers. This is the most interesting challenge so far, I wish they had two days.

In shallow news, my God, Delvin is a beautiful man. I'm standing by to congratulate or comfort him in a special way. Delvin! Call me. 😍

[heckkitty]

Sergio is SUCH an ass. Even when he’s making a cool, important statement, he’s too special to be bothered by Christian.  Grr.  oh&also cant do his own embroidery 🙄

Edited January 17, 2020 by heckkitty

[TexasGal]

Ummm, hi guest judge. /shallow

Pre-runway, I’d guess the featured ladies are ok and the featured guys are not.

Did Karlie think it was still an 80’s challenge with that blue eyeshadow?

[heckkitty]

7 minutes ago, TexasGal said:

Ummm, hi guest judge. /shallow

Pre-runway, I’d guess the featured ladies are ok and the featured guys are not.

Did Karlie think it was still an 80’s challenge with that blue eyeshadow?

Post-runway, you have to be right. 

[Straycat80]

This is ridiculous with these judges. Victoria can do no wrong in their eyes. I don’t get it. 

[TexasGal]

Nina’s expression when Sergio dropped his statement embroidery story is me.   

[nb360]

Am I being too cynical (shout out to the "Pilot Erasable Pen" commercial)?... but is Sergio pretend-crying?

[SailorGirl]

27 minutes ago, heckkitty said:

Sergio is SUCH an ass. Even when he’s making a cool, important statement, he’s too special to be bothered by Christian.  Grr.  oh&also cant do his own embroidery 🙄

Seriously. I feel like that weeping was an act because he knew he hadn't gotten the names done right or well and he's trying to get the sympathy save. I feel like this might be a setup for Christian to give him the hail mary save . . . better not be!

I've got nothing on this one because I thought the one with the white hat and the one with the patchwork were going to be top two and they were just safe. 

I have no words about Victoria. She should have been in the bottom. 

[raven]

8 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

I have no words about Victoria. She should have been in the bottom. 

So much this!!!  I started off annoyed with her when at the beginning of the ep she says "I feel bad that I've been winning".  Ugh.  Still, the other designers mostly seem to like her.  And I really dislike the blue alien outfit.

I would have put Marquise or Nancy in the top, in that order.  Marquise especially seemed to really put some thought into his look, which was really cute.

I think Chelsey is the clear winner.   I'm anxious for Delvin and Shavi because I like them both.  Maybe if one is cut, Christian will use his save.

[KFC]

13 minutes ago, Straycat80 said:

This is ridiculous with these judges. Victoria can do no wrong in their eyes. I don’t get it. 

Normally I find it just bitter grapes when one contestant bitches about another one receiving constant praise. But when Brittany was backstage going off on the judges' hardon for Victoria all I could think was "YES! YES! YES!"

[nb360]

7 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

I've got nothing on this one because I thought the one with the white hat and the one with the patchwork were going to be top two and they were just safe. 

 

I love this! It reminded me of the challenge, I think from last season, when the designers had to design "street wear" and one of the guests was Dapper Dan. This look would have won that challenge. 

[heckkitty]

I feel a Christian save coming on. I just hope it’s Delvin & not Sergio. 

[CherryMalotte]

I could understand where Sergio was coming from with the design and the names of the children in the garment - if it was any other designer but him.   

[raven]

Oh Shavi :(((  I hate when designers I like cry.  Don't cry, Shavi!

[TVForever]

Well-deserved win for Chelsea! It's a great look that I can see many types of women wearing.

[MerBearStare]

HOW THE FUCK WAS VICTORIA IN THE TOP?!?! To quote Mugatu, "I FEEL LIKE I'M TAKING CRAZY PILLS!" (I'll stop yelling now.) That outfit was ugly as hell and if Tim was here he would say that the judges were smoking crack with this one. They've got some serious groupthink going on with her.

I haven't warmed up to Victoria and I found it especially off-putting when she said she felt guilty about always being in the top. It felt like fishing for validation and compliments, which is not the thing to do when you're consistently (and, I would say, inexplicably) in the top. 

I LOVED Chelsey's look. So happy she won.

Sad to see Shavi go. He looked so heartbroken when Karlie said his name. 

I didn't care for Sergio's idea. It's one thing to do something with your own history, but using someone else's tragedy felt exploitative to me. 

I'm always a sucker for calls with loved ones on competition shows, so I teared up a little when the designers teared up talking to their parents, especially Dayoung.

[Ellaria]

Well, that didn’t go as I imagined. I liked Brittany, Nancy and Marquis’ looks a lot. Chelsea had a great look and was a deserving winner. Loved that jacket. 

That blue stretchy space suit that Victoria designed was odd and unwearable. Yes, it fit her model well but who would ever, ever wear that.

Very sorry to see Shavi go. He was one of my favorites. That dress was a risk, however. And meanwhile, Sergio and his massive ego sticks around. I don’t know what they see in his work. 

[WaltersHair]

I seriously would have quit the season if Delvin had gone home.

Sergio, girl take some acting lessons before you try to win with the tears.

Brittany is right. They are obsessed with Victoria and I, on a very shallow note, think it's because she looks the part.

Loved the winning look.

One question though. Had the Korean look won, would it be 'cultural appropriation'?

 

[heckkitty]

I’m glad Chelsey won. Shavi seems so sweet; I’m sad to see him go. I thought they’d boot Delvin over him. 

[charming]

Awww I’m sorry Shavi was eliminated. He seemed genuinely sweet. It just wasn’t his challenge. You made your grandmother proud.

I was anxious about Delvin. He’s usually so confident about his work. I’m a little surprised he was never told that his Father was half Mexican until that phone call. Glad he was safe and free to be Dr. Couture again!

[Nidratime]

I absolutely hated the winning look, with the huge initials and name on the back. Who's going to buy that? I wish the lady from South Korea had won.

I am also absolutely thrilled the woman who made the blue outfit didn't because it didn't make any sense in regards to the challenge.

 

[Straycat80]

Poor Shavi, I liked him. Maybe if they would give the designers more than one day for these challenges they could show better constructed garments. 
 

I knew Chelsea would win, that jacket will definitely sell in a flash sale. And it was cute too. Glad someone else won other than ‘I feel guilty for winning’ Victoria. I liked Dayoung’s jacket too. These two really got the challenge. 
 

I like how kind Nancy is to all the designers, she’s like the caring Mom of the group. 

[charming]

Oh man I’m so relieved to know I wasn’t the only one who thought Sergio was fake crying on stage. I thought for sure I was going to hell alone. Ha.

[Ashforth]

2 minutes ago, WaltersHair said:

One question though. Had the Korean look won, would it be 'cultural appropriation'?

No, because Dayoung is Korean. If another designer had created it despite having no connection at all to Asian culture, I suppose one could make that argument. 

[IvyCeltress]

Definitely classy exit. You will be missed.

 

Devin might have been safe if he had done the dressmakers marks on the entire corset and maybe an elaborate ballgown skirt.

Sergio no words.  Don't those fancy machines do embroidery?  The odds the Christian would save him are nil unless production leans on him.

[nb360]

3 minutes ago, IvyCeltress said:

Sergio no words.  Don't those fancy machines do embroidery?  The odds the Christian would save him are nil unless production leans on him.

Also, when Christian asked how he was able to embroider so fast, Sergio did not acknowledge the work the models did to help him out (or at least that wasn't shown).

[BlackberryJam]

Delvin is running so hard from his past that he was clearly going to struggle with this one. He's a guy who wants to move forward without looking back. I can't really blame him for that.

I felt really terrible for Geoffrey. His family is just not supportive.

What the fuck did Victoria make? That was hideous. Well made sure but hideous.

[Angeleyes]

It felt like Sergio picked this design as a strategy. He probably thought that no way could they kick him off for this one and maybe just maybe he could be in the top out of some sort of guilt vote. I’m glad they set him straight and I wish they’d had the guts to send him home. 
 

Ugh, Victoria. They just gave her the green light to ignore all future challenges and do whatever she wants. 
 

I’m glad Chelsey finally got some recognition. She’s had some great designs this season. I figured hers would be the most manufacturable amongst the designs. 
 

So sad for Shavi. I though the color of his fabric was pretty and I actually liked what he had in mind for the dress. He just chose the wrong fabric for the execution. One day challenges bring mistakes like this. 
 

I’m glad Delvin was in danger. He reminds me a lot of Christian in his season in that he’s young and at times a bit of a brat, he’s usually fast, and he’s got a lot of raw talent. He needs to keep pushing and growing. 

[Cotypubby]

I can’t with Sergio. His whole thing this episode felt really exploitative. It did not feel natural at all, it was like he was using the story of the kids to prop up himself as a designer and it came across really icky. Like he thought the judges wouldn’t be able to auf him because that would be like they were against the kids or something. His tears felt fake as well. Gross. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by Cotypubby

[dbell1]

Brittany sure seems to think she’s amazing. But, nope.

Sergio last week was all about the “40 something women” he designs for. But wait, now he’s a designer out to enlighten the mindless masses with cheap model labor and some bs story.

Does Victoria have compromising photos of the judges? Or is she the new Anya or Wretchen? I don’t get it. 

Once again, it came down to fabric choice. Wrong man went home. Sergio should have gone for that mess.

I loved Chelsea’s design. Make that customizable and even I’d buy it

[Ladyrain]

I loved Nancy's design.   She should have at least been in the top three.   How could the blue thing have been chosen over this??   Well, at least Nancy was safe and Victoria didn't win.   Small victories.

[breezy424]

Color me ignorant because I don't think Victoria's outfit was bottom three, no less top three.  It was ugly but apparently the judges love her.

I loved Sergio's message but unfortunately that dress was ugly.  He really needs a reality check.

I really liked Nancy's and Marques's looks and Dayoung's looks along with Chelsay.  My spelling is probably all screwed up.

IMO this was a very difficult challenge.   I come from different heritages along with American and would find it very difficult to pick one and picking multiples would turn out a mess.

Edited January 17, 2020 by breezy424

[IndyMischa]

1 hour ago, Straycat80 said:

This is ridiculous with these judges. Victoria can do no wrong in their eyes. I don’t get it. 

Totally agree, but if this had been a different challenge (something futuristic, maybe), it would have been by far my favorite look from her. Her usual (ruffled skirt + fucked up jacket + surprise! cutouts) shtick is what I really, severely don't get. 

53 minutes ago, SailorGirl said:

I've got nothing on this one because I thought the one with the white hat and the one with the patchwork were going to be top two and they were just safe. 

Brittany (white hat) screwed herself over with the super literal "country girl" styling imo. 

33 minutes ago, Nidratime said:

I absolutely hated the winning look, with the huge initials and name on the back. Who's going to buy that? 

Presumably, they'll tone down those details for the flash sale version. I like Chesley though, so I'm okay with her win. (Even though I personally despise that "volume and proportion," or as I call it, "f'ing circus tent." #getoffmylawn) 

30 minutes ago, charming said:

Oh man I’m so relieved to know I wasn’t the only one who thought Sergio was fake crying on stage. I thought for sure I was going to hell alone. Ha.

I'm torn on this. He's definitely the guy who *would* bring the tears (and the super drama political statement) to save himself. But he's also so far up his own ass, he looks out through his mouth. So who knows? 

Very, very glad Delvin didn't get the boot this week. He's pretty, he brings the (mostly accurate) shade every week, and I absolutely love the couture lab coat. He can stay. 

[WaltersHair]

The winning coat is already up for sale. Customizable but one size fits all, which can be dicey. 

Edited January 17, 2020 by WaltersHair

[laprin]

It looks like Project Runway will not give Sergio the career boost that he doesn’t need anyway. 🙄 

I typically like Victoria’s work, but that  blue alien pantsuit was ugly and she did not meet the spirit of the challenge. Marquise and Nancy had much better designs. 

[leocadia]

52 minutes ago, Ellaria Sand said:

That blue stretchy space suit that Victoria designed was odd and unwearable. Yes, it fit her model well but who would ever, ever wear that.

Apparently, the ladies of Moldova, lol.  I also found it interesting when she explicitly said that she chose the color (early in the challenge) because it was one that was favored by Moldovans, but she then backtracked and said "No" when the judges asked her if the color had anything to do with her heritage.  Maybe there was a miscommunication, but that seemed a little sketchy.

 

[leocadia]

44 minutes ago, nb360 said:

Also, when Christian asked how he was able to embroider so fast, Sergio did not acknowledge the work the models did to help him out (or at least that wasn't shown).

I actually wondered about that.  I'm all about the Sergio shade, he seems like he would be a pill to be around, but the conversation with Christian was a little abrupt.  Christian asked how he got the embroidery done so quickly and then Sergio is shown saying basically "You do what you have to do to get it done".  It seems like there's a real possibility that he said he had the models do it, Christian questioned that and then he gave the shown response.  There are 3 possibilities:

1) The conversation happened as shown

2) Production is as annoyed by him as the audience and gave him a bad edit

3) The narrative calls for him to be a villian and they gave him a bad edit

Of course, based on what we've seen of him, I wouldn't lose any sleep over it.

[mauras]

16 minutes ago, leocadia said:

Apparently, the ladies of Moldova, lol.  I also found it interesting when she explicitly said that she chose the color (early in the challenge) because it was one that was favored by Moldovans, but she then backtracked and said "No" when the judges asked her if the color had anything to do with her heritage.  Maybe there was a miscommunication, but that seemed a little sketchy.

 

Thank you, I thought maybe I had imagined that she said that the blue was popular in Moldova earlier in the episode. It Seemed like the only acceptable reason to use that color.

I loved Chelsey's and would happily wear it, but Nancy deserved to be top three. 

[hula-la]

I love that Shavi apologized to his model that he was making her not look good on tv. He will be missed.

When Sergio talked about embroidering the children’s names on his dress, I thought of the movie, Phantom Threads. I swear  Daniel Day-Lewis’s character embroidered the names of women in the dresses that he designed.

I was super happy with the top two outfits, and would have been happy with whomever won. Conversely, I was super unhappy with the bottom two and didn’t want either to leave. 

[heckkitty]

1 hour ago, WaltersHair said:

The winning coat is already up for sale. Customizable but one size fits all, which can be dicey. 

When I looked just now they had the full size range they usually do. 

[pinguina]

I liked Dayoung (sp?) but thought it was safe. I liked what Nancy,  Marquise (?), and Brittany, as well as what Chesley did.  I thought any of those three could/should be at the top.

I'm sorry I really did not like Sergio 's. It did not seem to relate to the challenge. He took a current event and fit it to his narrative as an immigrant (I say this as a Hispanic who is outraged by the treatment of the families at the border).   I know I'm being judgemental but I thought he was a bit of a phony about it.  I guess the style of the dress could be related but it was IMO not well done .  

I did not like Victoria 's. I thought it should just be safe. I couldn't believe that the judges were gaga over it. 

[Iguana]

Good lord. Sergio really needs to get over himself and the judges really need to get over Victoria. 

[threebluestars]

Victoria's looked exactly the same as everything else she's done - the weird one arm cut out thing in every design. I'm over it.

I'm ticked Nancy is always safe - her looks always catch my eye. I loved Daeyoung's jacket/shirt so much.

Edited January 17, 2020 by threebluestars

[HunterHunted]

1 hour ago, nb360 said:

Am I being too cynical (shout out to the "Pilot Erasable Pen" commercial)?... but is Sergio pretend-crying?

 

1 hour ago, WaltersHair said:

Sergio, girl take some acting lessons before you try to win with the tears.

Lindsay attempting to cry; not just for making fun of Real Housewives.

The children's names could have worked if this had been a print challenge. A print made up of the children's names in cursive writing repeated over and over again, might have made a lovely textile. Their names wouldn't have seemed like such an afterthought and would have invited conversation. And frankly, he could have done much more with a printed stretch silk charmeuse.

"Meatballs and pizza and ricotta" Did they make Nancy's sister film during lunch?

1 hour ago, BlackberryJam said:

Delvin is running so hard from his past that he was clearly going to struggle with this one. He's a guy who wants to move forward without looking back. I can't really blame him for that.

He really is. On Top Chef, he'd be the chef that the judges tell to travel, explore, and ruminate about who they are and what their perspective actually is.

 

Someone on Reddit suggested that they need to give Christian a Siriano Sack instead of a Siriano Save, which would allow Christian to oust someone that needs to go. 

[Brookside]

Some of the designers have such terrible personal style, I would never have them design for me:

Brittany and her potato sack dress the first day;

Delvin and his pretentious lab coat;

And worst of all, Jeffrey's ridiculous backwards leather man bra and his awful jewelry.

 

[Arkay]

Sergio's entire experience here seems to be to promote himself and to shield himself. He never wants to hear from Christian; he doesn't want to hear from the judges. Clearly he believes himself to be superior to the show. Then everything is a shield---he coerced his model and persuaded some others to do HIS work with embroidery, but when Christian said he'd done it so quickly, his whole thing was, "yeah, I had no choice, so I did it." Then he chose a message which maybe is actually important to him, but the level of histrionics was practically daring the judges---if you auf me, you clearly want children to die. Since all the judges at least reminded him that this is a FASHION competition, maybe he shouldn't have made an ugly dress that hovered somewhere between hootchie-mama and old-fashioned. I liked when the guest judge, who said he's Latino, labeled it a comic book look from the 50s.

I did like Chelsey's look a lot, and admired the educational context, but I thought Dayoung's had the clearest cultural heritage and was beautiful, too. 

I liked Nancy's, at least from the brief moments when we get to see her work.

Poor Shavi. Sweet man, but this was a terrible outfit. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Before the judging, before I forget, I just want to say that Da'Young and Nancy's outfits were my favourites.  I thought Da'Young's was just beautiful, and I got really angry when that judge said something bitchy about it as it walked.  I thought Nancy's was actually really cool and stylish.  The top was just a nothing top, but the jacket and pants were a great idea.  Maybe it evoked fall fashion of the 90s or something I really like from my youth.

I just really like Da'Young.  Her happiness over Chelsea winning was so sweet.

I felt bad for Marquise because I could definitely see the quality of his garment but he received no critique.

Do you notice that many designers got a model that somewhat resembled them - but Shavi and Victoria didn't?   Shavi could have had Victoria's model.  Instead, Victoria gets this 6 feet tall goddess with absolutely zero body fat…… hmmmmm.

I like how I'm seeing more of Geoffrey's personality, and I'm liking it more and more.

edited now that I've seen the judging.  Well that fucking sucks.  Shavi had the best outfit last week, and now he's gone.  What a sweet man.  He was so damn loveable.  The fact that he was so emotional and neurotic that it only tripped him up in this contest just endeared him even more to me.

Edited January 17, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, WaltersHair said:

One question though. Had the Korean look won, would it be 'cultural appropriation'?

Da'Young is Korean.

2 hours ago, Ladyrain said:

I loved Nancy's design.   She should have at least been in the top three.   How could the blue thing have been chosen over this??   Well, at least Nancy was safe and Victoria didn't win.   Small victories.

Hey!  I agree.