S01.E04: Streetwear

[Ms Blue Jay]

Episode 4:  Streetwear

Welp!

Farai and Kiki have really worn out their welcome with me now!

I think it's so funny for the "Streetwear" challenge, they made the runway look like the complete opposite of a street.  They did all this decor and made up the runway so much - but it didn't fit the challenge whatsoever.

Edited January 30, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Athena]

Quote

Urban reality meets next-level fantasy in a streetwear round. Just be careful not to trip on those great expectations in front of Kerby Jean-Raymond.

 

[anniebird]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Episode 4:  Streetwear

 

I think it's so funny for the "Streetwear" challenge, they made the runway look like the complete opposite of a street.  They did all this decor and made up the runway so much - but it didn't fit the challenge whatsoever.

I think they switched the runways for this and the underwear challenge.

Edited January 30, 2020 by anniebird

[GoldaVining]

3 hours ago, anniebird said:

I think they switched the runways for this and the underwear challenge.

I think you are right! That makes so much more sense now.

Oh Angel and Minju I love you! I love their streetwear looks. I want to buy both of them. The green on the guy and the white on the girl both looked so so so cool. It doesn't sound that great on paper (giant plastic poncho!) but when I saw it I was amazed. Perfection.

Also perfection was the girl's streetwear look by Angelo and Charles (I think those are their names -- the Uncle Muscles Canadian guy and the very romantic dude who can draw but can't sew). That grey hoodie/poncho thing should be for sale tonight. $$$ Cashish!

Angel and Minju and Angelo and Charles are my favs overall (not just this episode). I also enjoy Daniel, the British gent from Chester.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

12 hours ago, anniebird said:

I think they switched the runways for this and the underwear challenge.

But why would they do that?

[anniebird]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

But why would they do that?

I was kind of joking when I said that but isn't that what it looked like? 

[BusyOctober]

Ferai and Kiki should’ve gone home. They have been in the bottom 3 times and every single thing they sent down the runway had one thing in common re. judges comments....”too much going on”.  Both ladies, but Kiki mostly, need to learn to edit. 
 

 

[leighdear]

Wow, something new & completely different from Angel & Minju.......Loose, flowing and long.  

Kiki is past her prime & should have been long gone.  If I have to hear ONE MORE TIME that she was the FUBU designer at 19, I'm going to scream.  Who cares woman, you are cranky and done!  She's got a nasty case of entitlement, like she deserves more than anybody else.  HATE that.  

And those cat ears she wears are incredibly juvenile and stupid.  Idiot.

Edited January 30, 2020 by leighdear

[Straycat80]

Oh Kiki and Farsi I was rooting for you two but again, I didn’t like their designs. Maybe I just don’t understand street wear. 
I thought Angel/Minju and Claire/Adolph designs looked like rain wear.  I can’t believe Angel and Minju won over Angelo and Charles. 
 

[GoldaVining]

Yeah, no disrespect to Kiki and her obvious past design credits, but this is NEXT in Fashion and maybe if you are now a middle-aged lady you can take one second to listen to the younger person in your pair for the Street Challenge? Kiki was very dismissive and disrespectful to her partner's ideas or concerns.

[leighdear]

FUBU of 20+ years ago was just oversized T's, sweats, jeans & hats emblazoned with a gigantic FUBU logo.  There was no style to the clothing, just colorful separates that fit different sizes.  The Backstreet Boys wore them a LOT. 

To me, Kiki's boasting was just annoying & meaningless.  There is no style in a logo ballcap.  

As Daymond John reminds us EVERY week on Shark Tank, he & his buddies started FUBU in his mom's basement because he couldn't find hats & T-shirts he liked.  He was no Alexander McQueen.  

Edited January 31, 2020 by leighdear

[MerBearStare]

I've been enjoying this series, but the end of this episode really turned me off. Why TF did the guest judge dramatically walk off? Your job here is to judge, so judge.

I'm going to put the rest in spoilers since it happened at the beginning of the next episode. (And if it belongs in the thread for the next episode, please let me know.)

Spoiler

I HATED that they made the contestants wait until the next day to find out who was going home. Don't make the bottom teams twist in the wind like that. I HATED that Tan started crying (though he may have been tired after a long day, which, I've been there). Like you feel bad? Imagine how the bottom teams feel right now. Then they just don't eliminate anyone? Next time get an odd number of judges. I don't know why I'm so annoyed by this, but I am.

On a lighter note, Alexa's outfit and hairstyle on runway day were straight out of the mid-90's. Like I'm pretty certain I saw a very similar outfit in a 1994 YM (and I'm not even joking about that).

Edited February 1, 2020 by MerBearStare

[leocadia]

I must not be a fan of streetwear because I didn't really like any of the designs this week.  I guess if I had to pick a favorite it would be between Angelo and Charles and Marco and Ashton.  To be honest, I thought the Angel/Minju top look was very similar to the Claire/Adolph bottom look.  They all looked like trash bag ponchos to me, lol.  The execution on Angel/Minju's was cleaner but I didn't like the style of any of them.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, MerBearStare said:

 

  Reveal spoiler

I HATED that they made the contestants wait until the next day to find out who was going home. Don't make the bottom teams twist in the wind like that. I HATED that Tan started crying (though he may have been tired after a long day, which, I've been there). Like you feel bad? Imagine how the bottom teams feel right now. Then they just don't eliminate anyone? Next time get an odd number of judges. I don't know why I'm so annoyed by this, but I am.

On a lighter note, Alexa's outfit and hairstyle on runway day were straight out of the mid-90's. Like I'm pretty certain I saw a very similar outfit in a 1994 YM (and I'm not even joking about that).

Yeah, her Versace outfit?  It was mid 90's.  I think she admitted it flat out.  I'm not sure what's wrong with that?

For me, she's way too skinny.  I feel very uncomfortable and I can't even look at her.   It's not natural either, because there are pictures of her online in her younger days.

Edited February 1, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[MerBearStare]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Yeah, her Versace outfit?  It was mid 90's.  I think she admitted it flat out.  I'm not sure what's wrong with that?

Nothing wrong with it at all; I love 90's fashion. I was just surprised by how it actually looked like it was from the mid-90's, as opposed to clothing now that just seems inspired by the mid-90's, like the Wild Fable line at Target. But if she said it was literally from the mid-90's, which I missed, that would explain that.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Here's a 90s ad featuring similar outfits from that season:

https://www.image.ie/fashion/alexa-chung-outfit-172373

Edited February 2, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[Jets4274]

Being a black woman myself, I'm the first to want to see other people of color, in particular black women, thrive and grow in whatever fields they so choose as long as they have the ability and drive.  But what sometimes works against us is to bring up race at times when it's not the reason decisions aren't going our way. 

Spoiler

As Farai got ready to speak to the judges when she and Kiki made the bottom two, I already knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth.  This is a competition show. Their fashions were poorly constructed and frumpy as they were in the other episodes, so they should have gracefully bowed out when being eliminated, which I'm sure they were going to be.  The black judge who walked out was prepared to oust them but was guilted into not supporting the decision.  I call BS on all of it.

And I can't trust the fashion sense of anyone who wears cat ears like Kiki.

[hula-la]

Thanks to everyone for letting me know what happened at the end of the show. My toilet decided that right then was a great time to almost overflow, so my rush to grab towels means I missed it.

[politichick]

On 2/1/2020 at 7:52 PM, Jets4274 said:

Being a black woman myself, I'm the first to want to see other people of color, in particular black women, thrive and grow in whatever fields they so choose as long as they have the ability and drive.  But what sometimes works against us is to bring up race at times when it's not the reason decisions aren't going our way. 

  Reveal spoiler

As Farai got ready to speak to the judges when she and Kiki made the bottom two, I already knew what she was going to say before she opened her mouth.  This is a competition show. Their fashions were poorly constructed and frumpy as they were in the other episodes, so they should have gracefully bowed out when being eliminated, which I'm sure they were going to be.  The black judge who walked out was prepared to oust them but was guilted into not supporting the decision.  I call BS on all of it.

And I can't trust the fashion sense of anyone who wears cat ears like Kiki.

I agree. Kiki was very entitled for a woman who has no taste, cannot edit her work and has poor construction skills. I did not like a single thing that they made. Her partner, whom she treated very disrespectfully, needs a new mentor.

Love Dragon Princess but not their street wear outfit and can't believe they won!

[Cheezwiz]

On 2/1/2020 at 1:39 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

For me, she's way too skinny.  I feel very uncomfortable and I can't even look at her.   It's not natural either, because there are pictures of her online in her younger days.

I have heard her name bandied about in media for years, but I have no idea who Alexa Chung is, or why she's supposed to be famous. I'm assuming former model, current fasion/entertainment gadfly? My mouth dropped open when I saw her strolling in a short skirt the first episode. To me, her legs look like pipe-cleaners, and I can't fathom how they support the rest of her (admittedly tiny) body. Unnatural and painful to look at.

I do like her as host with Tan, I just wince sometimes when I look at her. It's like she literally disappears when she turns sideways.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah I mean,  look at her compared to the 90s supermodels.  It's really frightening.  

Here's Alexa at a younger age.  Easier to look at.

Edited February 4, 2020 by Ms Blue Jay

[GaT]

I think it's bullshit to use the race card in this case, the designs are bad. They're overdone & dated, & the color of the designer's skin doesn't have a damn thing to do with it. 

[Guest]

On 2/4/2020 at 12:44 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Yeah I mean,  look at her compared to the 90s supermodels.  It's really frightening.  

Here's Alexa at a younger age.  Easier to look at.

I have no idea how or why Alexa Chung became a thing -- she's fairly ordinary looking and doesn't even have much of a personality. But I am struggling watching her on this show because it looks like any one of her spindly limbs could snap at any second. She needs to worry less about other people's sartorial choices and more about seeking help for very obvious eating disorder. 

[Ilovepie]

I cannot believe Angel and Minju won for those rain ponchos! The guy saying "I can see this as a dress, a jacket, a fill-in-the blank whatever", well no, that's not what they designed! They made two gigantic ponchos! It's pretty funny, but the two times they have won were the two times I hated what they made.

I liked the L.A. guys the best this challenge. It looked very luxe (especially compared to what they usually make) and the pieces could be mixed and matched. I thought their styling was great too.

I think it's idiotic to end this show on a cliff hanger when all you have to do is wait 10 seconds for the next episode to start. Not a lot of drama to wring from it........

[roctavia]

I don't get Angel and Minju, they are nice and get along great, but their designs just don't make sense to me most of the time, just too much wide drapy fabric, like putting sacks on their models... 

I liked the hoodie/belt pair the best, but I also liked the tan/grey looks. 

I don't get why the decision was so hard in this case... if they were so split on Ferai and Kiki then you put them in the middle and eliminate someone else, but I agree with the judges who didn't like those looks. I'm sure there was editing monkeys to up the drama, but this episode was a really bad look on Kiki with how she bowled over her partner all the time.... and then still didn't come up with great designs.  I do hate the drop crotch thing, though the overalls at least didn't look like the poopy pants drop crotch that tends to happen. 

The trash bag looks were bad too, so I get why they were in the bottom. 

I like that they have changed things enough with this show so it doesn't feel like a project runway ripoff, but the team thing seems a little unfair in some ways- some of the partners don't know each other at all and butt heads a bunch and then there are other teams that have been working together for years.... I do like that cost doesn't matter and they just get access to a bunch of great fabrics and can just focus on making cool outfits.

[snarktini]

I was in Kiki and Ferai's corner on this one! Purely based on the fashion, I didn't think they were the worst look, not even close. And I really felt for the guest judge's conflict.  I put the opinion of the specialist guest judge --  the expert in streetwear -- above those of the recurring stylist and the hosts. If he felt that strongly that they should not go home, then they should not go home. His vote should carry more weight.

Didn't get all the ponchos. I hated the blue trash poncho especially.

Edited February 11, 2020 by snarktini

[NYGirl]

I'm trying to wrap my head around the ponchos being streetwear.  Forgive me...its probably my age (get off my lawn).  Everything they make looks the same to me.

I loved the gray hoodie with the belt and also the tan outfits.  Thats what I'd call streetwear.

The ponchos are what I'd call beach or pool wear.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I did not understand the fancy garden look for the runway when it was a streetwear challenge. Were they trying to be ironic?

I really did not like what Claire and Adolfo made. The female model looked like she was wearing a trash bag. I also hated all the little brown ties they added to both outfits. That detail gave their looks a crafty look, like something that some second graders made during a sleepover. The one thing I liked about the male model's outfit was the color blocking on the jacket but that didn't make up for how the entire outfit looked.

I was surprised at how much I liked Carli and Daniel's pieces. I really liked what the female model was wearing. I liked the black top with the white striped edging and I liked the white pants with the bold color blocking. I liked them together as an ensemble but I also liked them as separate pieces.  The male model's outfit was less interesting but it complemented the other look. While the big reveal of the male model unfurling the long pieces from the pockets was dramatic (and great for a runway show), it wasn't very practical. Like why?

Angel and Minju's models looked like they were wearing rain ponchos. That's all I've got. When we got a closer look backstage, I did like the ruching details. I give them credit for being able to do that with ripstop.

I hated the styling of Ashton and Marco's models. What was up with those stupid hats? For a pair of designers who specialize in streetwear, neither of these outfits looked very streetwear to me.

Angelo and Charles made two looks that didn't really go together. I kind of liked the female model's dress but it was close to veering into sci fi costume territory. The male model's outfit looked like something that you could already buy at the mall.

Farai and Kiki's looked like they needed editing. There was so much extra crap (the long straps, the gathered part that Farai was afraid would look like flowers).

Ugh, and it's total bull shit that they ended the episode without announcing who got cut.

 

[truthaboutluv]

Okay, a few things. I was completely surprised this was Claire and Adolpho's first time in the bottom because honestly, none of their designs have wowed me. That said, Kiki and Farai totally should have been eliminated and I think Kerby was being a brat about this. 

I get that their creative idea was probably the best in terms of what street-wear is. However, this was their third time in the bottom and it's because once again, their work was overly done with poor execution. As the saying goes, "the devil's in the details" and they keep failing at that. 

If this was the first failure of theirs, I could accept the argument for them. But as Tan said in the deliberation, this has been a constant issue and no matter how creative the idea was, the finish was simply sloppy. Also, maybe it's just me, but I wasn't that wowed by the creativity either. Then again, streetwear is not my thing when it comes to fashion. 

eta: Btw, thought it was interesting that Kerby name-checked Louis Vuitton in “stealing or copying his shit”, because since 2018, the head of menswear for Louis Vuitton has been Virgil Abloch, a black man.

Edited March 2, 2020 by truthaboutluv

[estellasmum]

That was horrible for me. The winning design looked like streetwear for cults. The bottom two looked like what happens when you want to wear your trashbags as clothes for one group, and then shiny purple poopy diaper shorts for the other. I still don't really care about these people, so I don't know anyone's name, but the lady that steamrolled the other one because she was the streetwear expert is really lucky, because I think a lot of people would have punched her after that.

[heavysnaxx]

On 2/5/2020 at 10:16 AM, Giant Misfit said:

I have no idea how or why Alexa Chung became a thing -- she's fairly ordinary looking and doesn't even have much of a personality. But I am struggling watching her on this show because it looks like any one of her spindly limbs could snap at any second. She needs to worry less about other people's sartorial choices and more about seeking help for very obvious eating disorder. 

I'm not in England but she's well enough known that I knew a bit of who she was before I watched the show. She seems really calm, intelligent, and personable, compared to, say, Heidi Klum on Making the Cut. It's her job to care about other people's sartorial choices. She has talked in the past about having a distorted body image and judgmental, unkind comments about her weight are, at best, unhelpful.

[DaynaPhile]

On 2/6/2020 at 4:44 PM, Ilovepie said:

I cannot believe Angel and Minju won for those rain ponchos! The guy saying "I can see this as a dress, a jacket, a fill-in-the blank whatever"

Isn’t it obvious? They made Thneeds. And a thneed is something all people need. 

I can’t believe these two have lasted as long as they have, much less won any of the challenges. Someone is getting paid off because they are a one trick pony. Loose, billowy, gathered. Their construction is awful and they hardly seem to know what any of the categories even mean. 

[Klaw]

On 2/11/2020 at 6:10 AM, snarktini said:

I was in Kiki and Ferai's corner on this one! Purely based on the fashion, I didn't think they were the worst look, not even close. And I really felt for the guest judge's conflict.  I put the opinion of the specialist guest judge --  the expert in streetwear -- above those of the recurring stylist and the hosts. If he felt that strongly that they should not go home, then they should not go home. His vote should carry more weight.

ITA Snarktini. Look Kiki was an asshole to Ferai for sure and the judge should not have stomped away but putting that aside, there were some serious underlying issues raised by the whole discussion that I think got glossed over. Fact is, dominant culture (*white*) always always always steal and co-op aspects of African American culture and claim it as theirs. My mama used to say "black people's culture will always be cool, and we will always be hated" and it's so true. And that's what Ferai was talking about. Of course, when black people are doing it, it is denigrated or called sloppy (afro) or dirty (dreads) or slutty/tacky (showing off our curves). But as soon as a skinny white woman or white man does the exact same thing suddenly it's so cool and edgy and interesting... Like Bo Derek running around with braids or Kim Kardashian wearing corn rows or Princess Diana wearing a one sleeve gown or Elvis Presley singing a song written by a black woman and being called the "King of Rock n Roll" and on and on .... And fashion is the worst ... I am old enough to remember when flat butts and thin lips and super straight long hair were the ONLY way to be considered "beautiful" and suddenly Angelina Jolie's thick lips are celebrated and cool...  So yea, it kind of bugged me to hear Tan especially harp about "yea they were in the bottom so many times, they have a problem with execution, bla bla bla" but for the actual challenge - streetwear - they were so not the worst team and while I did not love it (I actually am not a streetwear fan), it certainly had the over the top edgy vibe down.  and as the actual successful streetwear designer was trying to explain, the lack of execution was a plus FOR THE CHALLENGE not in general and that was the only challenge he was discussing. So yea, paper bag bitch ( love how she was salty about Kiki and Ferai not being sent home when her "design inspiration" was literally that of a trash bag blowing onto your chest in the street... um what? if anyone should've gone home for the streetwear challenge, it should have been her). 

Fashion still does not appreciate beauty that strays too far from the European *white ideal*.... Kiki and Ferai may not have been the best designers but their point was valid as was the guest judge who stated he had to start his own line because he was basically ignored. So yea. 

[chaifan]

@Klaw  I'm not disagreeing with your take on white culture/artists co-opting black culture/artists.  History agrees with you.  But all that aside, I felt that Kiki & Ferai's creations were all 2-3 decades behind trend.  Their ballgown, their "suit" (which was a 2 piece outfit, not a suit), the streetwear... it all screamed 1980's to me.  Nothing looked fashion forward.  Angel & Minju were on the opposite end - most of their outfits seemed like they'd be more at home in a sci-fi movie.  But that's how runway trends most of the time anyways. 

Totally aside...  in my opinion the only people who should wear cornrows (or similar braided styles) are black women.  It's a look that I really hate on white women, the vast majority of other non-black women of color, and also on black men.  But the style looks gorgeous on so many black women. 

[Ashforth]

Well, thank you to the posters who spoiled the result of this episode for those of us who came here without watching the next one. Thank you very much.

I thought Kerby acted like a diva. He was a guest judge, not THE judge, or so I thought. And I get design theft by big brands, but it doesn't only happen to Black designers. 

Edited April 27, 2020 by Ashforth

[GreyBunny]

Except for the grey hoodie with the black belt I didn’t like any of it. The cheap plastic bags, the giant ponchos that were just sheets with holes cut in them, wasted pockets that have to hold “parachutes” for no good reason, color blocked pants that look like Vanilla Ice went skiing... I’d rather walk around naked.

Farai and Kiki, ugh. They should go home, it’s their third time in the bottom and their looks looked like shredded material tied on with too many straps. It was fussy and sloppy; the color was the only thing I liked. I don’t care about Kiki’s Fubu background or Farai’s speech, the only thing that should be judged is what they sent down the runway.

Kirby is a big baby. Judge like an adult or go home. If you think they’re so special hire them for your company.

[Spike4theworld]

 

I think this was edited it a way to make kiki look bad. I will take the unpopular opinion and say I don't think they deserved to go home this episode. I actually thought the street wear was decent. It wasn't great but it was reminiscent of 90s urban. At least from my neighborhood. I did agree with Farai I think fashion is limited to the big names and the ideas they find good. However, fashion is in every culture, every class, every background. When you have four people from different backgrounds judging, there is likely to be someone who understands a vision more than another one. I don't think its Diva-ish to walk off I think its frustration. Seeing a vision you relate to and admire being put down can be frustrating so I understand. This is my opinion on it anyway.

[chaifan]

On 7/10/2020 at 5:17 AM, Spike4theworld said:

 

I think this was edited it a way to make kiki look bad. I will take the unpopular opinion and say I don't think they deserved to go home this episode. I actually thought the street wear was decent. It wasn't great but it was reminiscent of 90s urban.

And that's the problem.  The show is (ok, was) Next in Fashion.  Everything Kiki and Ferai did was out of the 80's and 90's.  That was Kiki's heyday of fashion, what she's comfortable with, and it's her go-to era for inspiration.  But it's been done.  There was nothing fashion forward about their designs. 

But, I'll sort of agree with you - they didn't really deserve to go home this episode.  They deserved to go home in at least two prior ones, though.  Their time was up.

[Brookside]

On 4/12/2020 at 6:20 PM, chaifan said:

@Klaw  I'm not disagreeing with your take on white culture/artists co-opting black culture/artists.  History agrees with you.  But all that aside, I felt that Kiki & Ferai's creations were all 2-3 decades behind trend.  Their ballgown, their "suit" (which was a 2 piece outfit, not a suit), the streetwear... it all screamed 1980's to me.  Nothing looked fashion forward.  Angel & Minju were on the opposite end - most of their outfits seemed like they'd be more at home in a sci-fi movie.  But that's how runway trends most of the time anyways. 

 

https://pyermoss.com/blogs/runway/collection-3   (You have to scroll past the song.)

The guest judge's most recent collection.  Nothing particularly innovative there that would then be co-opted by some wealthy white designer. as far as  I'm concerned.  Also, in the first row, you can clearly see that Kiki's overwrought red carpet look was influenced by him, down to the color.  I don't know why he was so determined to defend her shoddy, unwearable work.

And the link below is to his Reebok collection, which has lots of items that look similar to the British pairs', which he dismissed as "dated."

https://pyermoss.com/collections/reebok-collection-3-men

[Stats Queen]

On 2/6/2020 at 6:44 PM, Ilovepie said:

cannot believe Angel and Minju won for those rain ponchos! The guy saying "I can see this as a dress, a jacket, a fill-in-the blank whatever", well no, that's not what they designed! They made two gigantic ponchos! It's pretty funny, but the two times they have won were the two times I hated what they made.

 

[Cora Casey]

It's quite amusing how the runway for the "Streetwear" challenge was transformed into something far from the streets, considering the challenge's theme. However, it's the creativity and innovation of the designers that truly shone through.

Angel and Minju's streetwear looks, with the green and white, indeed had a cool and captivating vibe. The unexpected combination of elements like the giant plastic poncho created a visual impact that worked surprisingly well.

And yes, Angelo and Charles, as well as Daniel, showcased their talents with impressive designs. It's always exciting to see standout performances from these designers, and it adds to the overall enjoyment of the show.

Fashion is all about pushing boundaries and redefining expectations, and it's clear that these designers are doing just that.