S01.E09: Denim

[Athena]

Quote

For the semifinals, the competition turns to a durable classic: denim. But the final four must stretch like never before to impress Tommy Hilfiger.

 

[GoldaVining]

There was definitely a high school Home Ec vibe going down that runway. I didn't love any of it. I adore both Angel and Minju but I didn't like Angel's splatter paint or Minju's blocky menswear. Ashton's looks were okay but forgettable. I liked Daniel's the best of the lot so I'm glad he won a spot in the finale. The level of workmanship and design throughout the entire competition up to the semi-final was super impressive and amazing, but this was the first time I was like, Yikes, this shit hurts my eyes.

[Straycat80]

In my opinion there’s really nothing you can do to make denim exciting. Because no matter if you splash paint on it, patch it, try to make it couture, in the end it’s still denim. I did like Daniels’ white jacket tho. 

[Cheezwiz]

On 1/31/2020 at 9:09 PM, Straycat80 said:

In my opinion there’s really nothing you can do to make denim exciting. Because no matter if you splash paint on it, patch it, try to make it couture, in the end it’s still denim. I did like Daniels’ white jacket tho.

Agreed. Denim is always a colossal snooze. It either looks utilitarian or kitschy.

I actually had a hard time seeing a lot of the designs the way the runway was lit. Really didn't care for many of the designs - especially the splatter bleach. That was giving me bad flashbacks to acid washed jeans!

To me Daniel was head and shoulders above everyone else. He really made that jacket look finished and high-end with the addition of the toggle closures, and the male and female outfits looked really cohesive together. I loved that his patchwork didn't look artsty craftsy, instead it actually resembled the theme he was going for. Rooting for him to win the whole thing - he's so talented for such a young guy, and has been nothing but pleasant to his fellow contestants.

 

 

[GaT]

Well, Ashton went & got new denim, so I guess they can go get what they want, when they want.

[dleighg]

2 hours ago, GaT said:

Well, Ashton went & got new denim, so I guess they can go get what they want, when they want.

I don't think that's what comment on the earlier episode was about-- yes I think the contestants can go get more from the *room* if they want, but if the room is "out" of a particular fabric, the producers don't run out to wherever to get more (which is definitely not what they imply with the breathless "and if you want something else, we will get it for you."

[Ilovepie]

On 1/31/2020 at 9:09 PM, Straycat80 said:

In my opinion there’s really nothing you can do to make denim exciting. Because no matter if you splash paint on it, patch it, try to make it couture, in the end it’s still denim.

I actually thought everything from this challenge was more "street wear" than anything from that challenge. I agree that denim as it's own challenge is pretty boring. I don't think there is any "Next In Fashion" for denim - it's all been done before. Daniel trying to make something sustainable is really the only "Next" there is for denim because it's so polluting to make. I loved his dress. I would wear that in a heartbeat! I hope he wins. He's so adorable and I have liked more of his stuff compared to everyone else. Also, I want his white denim jacket he was wearing with the red stitching.........

[auntlada]

For the first time on one of these kinds of shows when the judges said that a dress would look good on any woman (meaning any type of body), I believed them. I can see Daniel's dress looking good on a lot of body types, including mine, which is rare for anything the designers make on competition shows.

I'd also like someone to force Sergio from Project Runway to watch this show (with toothpicks holding up his eyelids if necessary) to show him that this is how you do designs with a message.

[Ilovepie]

7 hours ago, auntlada said:

I'd also like someone to force Sergio from Project Runway to watch this show (with toothpicks holding up his eyelids if necessary) to show him that this is how you do designs with a message.

I completely agree!

[TVbitch]

Really enjoying this show, except for the rock show lighting and graphics that make the runway hard to see. I hope next season they only eliminate one designer once they are down to individuals. It is going too fast! 

Minjou is adorable. Hate that they are having them make a collection in 3 days. That does not reveal the designer's true potential. 

[truthaboutluv]

The second Tommy Hilfiger said what Daniel did with the denim and the patchwork was like nothing he had ever seen, I knew Daniel was getting into the finale. I think editing tried to hide it a bit with all the talk about how Angel's dress was so high fashion and all that. But yeah no, when a legendary designer is saying something is like nothing he's ever seen, on a show that's supposed to be about the Next in Fashion, it was clear Daniel was in.

[Cheezwiz]

On 3/1/2020 at 10:32 AM, TVbitch said:

Really enjoying this show, except for the rock show lighting and graphics that make the runway hard to see. I hope next season they only eliminate one designer once they are down to individuals. It is going too fast! 

Minjou is adorable. Hate that they are having them make a collection in 3 days. That does not reveal the designer's true potential. 

Agreed on all of the above!

They really need to tone down the on-screen graphics so viewers can actually see the models walk.

And can you imagine what the designers could have created with even a few more days? Is the show that strapped for cash? I'd love to see them get a FULL week (none of this half-day of fittings on show day nonsense) or two at least!

[DaynaPhile]

Everything Angel makes is floofy and shapeless. While she herself is adorable and has such a sweet personality, I’m glad I don’t have to see her “designs” any longer. Red carpet my eye for that swath of paint splattered denim I think someone actually called a gown. Seeing Minju’s solo designs it’s clear she has the sewing chops to do this. And hooray for Daniel, he’s so adorable. 

 

But yikes...3 days for 10 looks? You’re not going to get very good quality sewing with that kind of timeline. Maybe this is why I prefer the format of the Great British Sewing Bee. It’s focus is almost 100% technical sewing skills. They should give them at least a month. 

Edited April 11, 2020 by DaynaPhile
More thoughts.

[Ashforth]

Angel's garment was showing all the goods when the model walked. I swear at one point they had to blur the crotch. But not a word was said. Hmm.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I like denim as much as the next person because jeans are versatile, but as a challenge for the semi-finals? No, thanks. I don't need people to be innovative with denim. Unfortunately in making such an effort not to do just jeans, almost everyone veered into artsy craftsy territory.

Angel's neon green paint splatters and bleach were so dated. I liked the dress she made but ugh, the bleach and paint were driving me crazy.

Ditto for Daniel's mountains. That was a home ec project if ever I saw one.

I totally agreed with Tommy Hilfiger when he said that Ashton's harness shirt was well made but too Prada.

I think of everything that went down the runway in this episode, I liked Minju's the most because she didn't fuck around with the denim to make it different. She just made very clean pieces that happened to be made with denim.

I totally cracked up at Alexis and Tan wearing Britney and Justin's matching denim outfits.

As huge a name as Tommy Hilfiger is, now all I can think of is when his daughter Ally did that reality show Rich Girls and she called him sobbing from their house in Connecticut. She was having a dramatic nervous breakdown about what she wanted to do with her life (at the ripe old age of 18 so it wasn't even a quarterlife crisis). She was going on and on about "what about this?" and "what about that?" Every sentence started with "And dad? What if...?" All of this culminated in Ally wanting a burrito and not knowing how to make one. The entire time, Tommy sat on the phone with her and patiently listened to her going on and on about nothing. I'm pretty sure he was at work at the time too.

But I did like that he subjected each piece that went down the runway to the same criteria: have I seen this before? I think it's often easier for the guest judges to be more subjective because they don't know the designers and haven't formed an opinion about them after X weeks of watching them design and interact with each other.

I liked that Ashton said if he won, he wanted to use the money to help upcoming designers because he got help when he started out too. A lot of people who are far less successful than he is don't try to give back or nurture new talent. What he said is very true - there are talented people out there and money is usually what stands in the way.

I also thought it was very sweet that Angel said her parents sacrificed a lot to make her dream come true and that she needs to take care of them now. I loved what she was wearing in the workroom too.

Edited May 22, 2020 by ElectricBoogaloo

[incandescent]

I had a laugh when one of the judges said Angel's look would work for a Met Gala and it was immediately followed up by the other judges saying it looked like a piece from a denim brand rather than a fashion house.

[Cora Casey]

Fashion is subjective, and different people have different preferences and perspectives on what they find exciting or aesthetically pleasing. It's essential to acknowledge that design and creativity can be quite diverse, and what stands out to one person might not resonate with another. Discussions like these contribute to the richness of the fashion community.