S01.E10: The Finale

[Athena]

Quote

The ultimate: Create a dream collection of 10 looks in only three days. After a gauntlet of challenges and emotions, who will be named Next in Fashion?

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

I cried at Minju's wedding dress reveal.

Between Minju and Daniel there was no competition.  I think that the judges were attracted to Daniel.  LOL.  Like in PR Season 2.  I don't get what is supposed to be so great about him!

[GoldaVining]

Yay Minju! I like Daniel's collection and I like Minju's collection but I LOVE Minju's wedding dress/final piece/showstopper. I think Daniel picked the wrong look for his final piece and it wasn't true to his brand. His fabulous rowing outfit from the activewear challenge was more of a showstopper and more representative of his brand. I know he couldn't do that look again for the finale but he clearly has it in him to do something amazing. Daniel's final piece looked like one of the 80s prom dresses from my senior year in high school. A few girls had rich parents who really flashed out for prom at my school. Not me, I sewed my prom dress myself and it cost me 11 bucks. Ha! But I still like it. I realize Daniel wasn't even born at the time of my prom but I can say with authority that we don't need any more shiny 80s prom dresses.

I loved this show and my only real gripe is the timeline of the finale. Ten looks in 3 days? This show is a real opportunity for these designers to show the world what they can do -- never mind the cash prize and the online sales, but the Netflix exposure of their name and brand too -- so why rush the design and construction into 3 days? That is bananas. Why wouldn't they want to give the designers enough time to do great work? Obviously this is a reality show but for these designers, this is also their name, their brand, their business, their reputation. I would hate to have to show rushed, incomplete, ill-conceived or just not my best work to the world. I think they each had to have a couple throw away looks just to get to 10. If TPTB said ten looks in ten days it would still be a hard push and a great challenge....but 3? Come on. Maybe it was editing shenanigans and they had a lot more than 3 days in reality?

Edited February 1, 2020 by GoldaVining
clarity

[loki310]

Oh man. I had such high hopes for this show, but so much bugged me.

Judges

I love Tan and Alexa, but they were so stilted as judges. If I had to hear them as someone how they felt about something, I was going to scream.

• How do you feel being in the final 2?
• How do you feel about having your parents here?
• How do you feel about your daughter being in the final 2?
• How do you feel about what your parents said?

There's got to be a better way of crafting a show narrative. This isn't a therapy session and I got so tired of them prodding contestants about their feelings. Let it happen organically.

"Good night" is the send off? How lame. Not even trying to make an effort. Their "tips" were equally lame. 

The non-designer guest judges were suspect. Instagram judges? Stylists? That one black stylist with the Netflix show  couldn't even pronounce porter correctly (he rhymed it with voter - major cringe).

 

Contest

They stayed into teams until there were just four teams left??? So insane, especially when you had talented designers leave because their teammate second guessed something they were doing or forced them to compromise on a fabric or design that they didn't want to do. So instead of innovative designers, you get a self-selected group of people who are agreeable. That one Italian guy couldn't even sew! He just bossed around his partner... How does *that* guy make it to the final 8? So crazy. Not to mention that some teams had a prior relationship which totally put them at an advantage over teams that just met for this show. I hated hated how so many challenges were team-based. 

And then when they finally abandoned the teams, they send two people home after each challenge. The fuck? Does this show have the most minimal budget on Netflix?

 

Runway

The stylized runway was so annoying.  I want to see the clothes. I don't colored lights, fireballs, moving graphics, etc. Just show me the damn clothes.

And you know what else you can get rid of? That stage director counting off "1... 2... 3... go". Fine - do that at the beginning. Do you have to intersperse that throughout the show??? Totally took me out of it. 

 

Contestants

They give the designers 3 days to do 10 looks for the finale? Insanity. You don't have any time to mull things over - it's just go go go. I thought that was so unfair. Why so short? Does Tan have to get back to filming season 9 of Queer Eye?

I thought overall the contestants were so strong. That's why so much of the show bugged me. Let them show their individual designs! Minju was my favorite from the beginning and I was happy that she won.  Daniel's collection was better that I thought it would be. I thought any of the final 4 could have done a good show.

 

 

[Straycat80]

It probably wasn’t fair that I kept comparing this show to Project Runway. But I did prefer this show to the other. Episodes were only an hour long vs 90 minutes, no commercials, the designers were nice and supportive to each other and no stupid drama, well, aside from Carli losing her shit when getting stressed. I didn’t mind the judges being nice to the contestants even when they didn’t like their designs. I also didn’t mind the flashy runway show but I didn’t like hearing the judges critiques while watching the show. Shut up, look at the clothes, talk later, which they did anyway. 

I wish it hadn’t been teams. Some good designers went home because their partner screwed up. The style tips from Tan and Alexa were silly, they should cut those out. And give the poor finalists more than three days to do a ten look show! That was crazy! 
I am not a fan of menswear but I did like the few women’s looks Daniel did. He is talented and I’m sure he’ll continue to do well. I hated so much of what Minju did in many of the episodes but she knocked it out of the park for the finale. Aside from the raffia in the hair and shoes, I loved all her looks, the wedding dress was breathtaking. 

[Evie]

I liked Daniel's collection and disliked Minju's. Just not a fan of volume, volume, volume. I hated the wedding dress.

Overall, I did enjoy the series and would watch another season.

[ava111]

11 hours ago, GoldaVining said:

Yay Minju! I like Daniel's collection and I like Minju's collection but I LOVE Minju's wedding dress/final piece/showstopper. I think Daniel picked the wrong look for his final piece and it wasn't true to his brand. His fabulous rowing outfit from the activewear challenge was more of a showstopper and more representative of his brand. I know he couldn't do that look again for the finale but he clearly has it in him to do something amazing. Daniel's final piece looked like one of the 80s prom dresses from my senior year in high school. A few girls had rich parents who really flashed out for prom at my school. Not me, I sewed my prom dress myself and it cost me 11 bucks. Ha! But I still like it. I realize Daniel wasn't even born at the time of my prom but I can say with authority that we don't need any more shiny 80s prom dresses.

I loved this show and my only real gripe is the timeline of the finale. Ten looks in 3 days? This show is a real opportunity for these designers to show the world what they can do -- never mind the cash prize and the online sales, but the Netflix exposure of their name and brand too -- so why rush the design and construction into 3 days? That is bananas. Why wouldn't they want to give the designers enough time to do great work? Obviously this is a reality show but for these designers, this is also their name, their brand, their business, their reputation. I would hate to have to show rushed, incomplete, ill-conceived or just not my best work to the world. I think they each had to have a couple throw away looks just to get to 10. If TPTB said ten looks in ten days it would still be a hard push and a great challenge....but 3? Come on. Maybe it was editing shenanigans and they had a lot more than 3 days in reality?

Not really even 3 full days as the runway was happening on third. It was also bulshit that they always said "you have 2 days for this" when actually the runway day was second day through the whole show. And since they rebuild the sets and dismantled the workroom each time to build the runway you really had to have the stuff mostly finished the first night. Then you had second day 5 and half hours to finish everything and you had to do all fittings in that time as you didn't met model until then. When I hear someone say "you have 2 or 3 days to finish" I will think I will have 12 hours at each day and runway will be next day.

Also didn't like the fact they really couldn't choose their own fabrics especially for final collection. That's pretty important and limiting.

Otherwise I liked there was no interpersonal drama and everyone got along even when that one team got eliminated (the Scottish woman and guy from Brooklyn) they were professional about it. It was all about clothes.

[leighdear]

Daniel wuz robbed. 

I liked the show overall and would definitely watch again, I just hated that Minju kept showing the same, same, same, same thing every challenge.  

Uniqueness please, judges!

[BusyOctober]

I really enjoyed this show!  I have watched every season of Project Runway and all it’s spin-offs.  I think Next in Fashion was a welcome take on a fashion competition show.  I liked Alexa and Tan as judges/hosts.  I liked that the other judges were credible and knowledgeable,  but didn’t behave as if they were the Fashion God’s gift to the world.  On PR the judges are mean and snarky, or they act as if a crime against humanity was committed b/c some contestant left a raw edge on a garment.  

I think the NiF designers were on the whole more talented than a lot of recent PR folks too.  I liked that there was no real ‘drah-ma’ and cattiness.  I didn’t miss seeing the apartment scenes.  Focus was on the designers and the workroom and the clothes.

The team concept worked in my opinion, and I liked that they had all the material and notions on set vs watching the crazed run through Mood every week.  The NiF weekly challenges were interesting and didn’t seem gimmicky.  Plus, no product placement BS or required use of the ticky-tacky accessories wall.

Minju  and Daniel were 2 of my favs from the start.  I cried when Minju won, and I thought her collection was amazing.  The wedding dress was just beyond.  I hope Minju’s sister backs off from holding back Minju’s creativity.  I also hope Daniel has a lot of success and gets a lot of positive attention for his business.

When is season 2??? 

 

[Michichick]

I enjoyed this season beyond what I expected. Tan and Alexa were delightful as hosts. It was impressive that they had some big-name designers as guest judges throughout the season. Somewhat disappointing that the finale judges were kind of nobodies.

I loved that they provided professionals to sew the final collections instead of doing the reality show trope of bringing back eliminated contestants to help. Since the sewing crew was specifically prohibited from giving creative advice it felt like the collections truly were the designers’ vision.* And I like that wonky home sewing didn’t have to become a factor in the judging.

*Minju is lucky Daniel could give advice, though, since he cracked the code for her on how to make her wedding dress reveal work.

[MerBearStare]

Overall I enjoyed this show, but I do wish they'd get rid of the team aspect next season. Why not just eliminate two people each episode - like they did after splitting the teams up - and let them compete individually? That way each contestant succeeds or fails on their own merits. I loved Angelo (definitely my favorite contestant) but he would have been eliminated a lot sooner had he not had a partner who could do all the sewing.

I did like that they provided fabrics and notions and could get them anything that was not already in the fabric room. These designers definitely seem more talented than the designers on Project Runway, but they also had no budget and I assume the fabric provided was good quality, so that could account for that.

[The Hound Lives]

Well I power watched the season over the past couple days and I’m surprised how much I loved it.

As someone who gave a Project Runway quite a while ago, I loved this format. I love the interaction between the hosts and the contestants. I loved the team concept early on. I loved the contestants. You would see them get bitchy here and there but nobody was downright catty. Nobody seemed to talk any shit about the other designers or their creations. I love that aspect. That’s the one thing that always bugged me about other shows like this. These contestants seemed genuinely interested in other teams/people doing well. There was a bit of ego here and there but nothing like what I would see on PR. It was always a turnoff on PR and shows like Top Chef, where contestants seemed to think that their creations equated to curing cancer. I’m not disputing their talent but some contestants could be a bit delusional about what they are actually producing. 
Tan and Alexa had good chemistry and actually seemed to like the contestants, so it is already a step up on PR. And no Nina Garcia. I don’t even know if she’s still on PR but I could never take her seriously no matter what her credentials. Might be totally shallow, but for a show all about fashion she always looked awful. If she still is on PR, someone let me know if she’s finally updated her hairstyle. 
If Netflix gives us more, I’ll be back for more.

[Mabinogia]

7 minutes ago, The Hound Lives said:

These contestants seemed genuinely interested in other teams/people doing well.

It was nice to see them consult with one another and help each other out. That Minju felt comfortable asking Daniel for advice on her veil and Daniel did not hesitate to give her a great idea and told her "quick, go do it" is the perfect example of what sets this show above PR for me. These are people who genuinely love their industry and support others in their industry. I think it might be in part because they are mostly all established designers so they aren't quite as desperate as the PR contestants and partly because of the mood the show set. 

I am liking the trend of nice competition shows and would put this up there with Making It and the king of all nice competitions, The Great British Bake Off. I hope the trend continues. I am sick of watching catty people. I like watching joyful, supportive people doing their best at something they love. This show gave me that. 

That said, I was extremely underwhelmed by Minju's wedding dress. LOVED the rest of her collection but that was just a big lace sack with a cool hood that comes off. 

[jabRI]

I liked Daniel a lot as a person, seemed like a really nice, decent guy.  But I wasn't crazy about his collection, I think for menswear there's only so  much you can do before it starts looking kind of ridiculous.  

[Mabinogia]

6 hours ago, jabRI said:

I liked Daniel a lot as a person, seemed like a really nice, decent guy.  But I wasn't crazy about his collection

I liked his collection well enough but I wasn't wowed by it. I have loved everything he made up until the collection though, and wasn't too into Minju's work up until the finale so I was quite surprised to find myself preferring her collection over his.

Maybe because I was expecting her to put out a whole collection of that wedding dress, shapeless, oversized, billowy stuff that I was quite impressed with what she did put out. The only thing of hers I didn't like was the wedding dress. And it's been two days and I really can't remember most of Daniel's collection so that's not good. I know I liked some, disliked some, didn't love or hate any. 

I think Daniel will have a very good, lasting career because he makes clothes you can wear rather than "fashion". He might not be making performance wear for Beyonce, but I think he'll do just fine selling beautifully made, tailored menswear to upper class British men and those who wish to look like they went to Eaton. lol

[Gloriosa]

I have to say, I really enjoyed the entire season, and was so impressed with the exceptional creativity of the designers they gathered.  Minju's final collection was just beautiful.  I hope there will be another season.  Alexa Chung seems very comfortable in her position, unlike some of the PR not-Heidis.  And I find Tan a treat for my eyes (somewhat superficial, but what the heck).  I expected that Marco or Ashton would be in the finale, but I was wrong about that.  Really, everyone was so good.

[zoltana]

On 2/2/2020 at 5:26 PM, MerBearStare said:

I did like that they provided fabrics and notions and could get them anything that was not already in the fabric room. These designers definitely seem more talented than the designers on Project Runway, but they also had no budget and I assume the fabric provided was good quality, so that could account for that.

During the last catwalk Daniel had a dress that was really pretty that was sheer with colored stones looking like scattered flowers.  Alexa Chung commented on how he took a hammer to $250/yard fabric and shattered the stones to make his design.  They must have an impressive budget to be able to provide that kind of fabric plus a lot of them kept making their own fabric from designs on their tablet.  

I thought Daniel would win and that Minju would be overwhelmed, but damn, she pulled out a beautiful showing.  The wedding dress was not my taste, but it's impact as a showstopper was perfect.  Daniel's stuff was nice, but I liked his illustrations and the story better than the actual finished designs.  They were both sweet as they could be and seemed genuinely happy for each other.

[dleighg]

I liked a lot of Daniel's things. I loved his "modern preppy vibe" (much like the rower's outfit that he won on in the sportswear challenge). Agree that his final showstopper left something to be desired, as did the outfit that the judges said looked thrown together.

I think the right person won.

[Cheezwiz]

I really enjoyed this finale, but agree with everyone about the insane time limit. Couldn't they have given the finalists five FULL days instead of three (which is really less than two and a half if you factor in the pre-show fittings). I'm blown away that they could produce all of those pieces even with a team of seamstresses.

I really like both Daniel and Minju, and was happy to see them together as the final two. I think I preferred some of Daniel's earlier pieces to the ones he had in his final showing, but he at least had a narrative he was following. I disagree about his show-stopper - some have commented that it looked like a prom-gown, but I thought it was absolutely stunning (I am all about evening wear). He made the right fabric choice - it looked like liquid mercury to me. And the construction on it was beautiful - the asymmetrical skirt had pleats and volume in the right places. Well done for someone who normally only does menswear.

I was surprised at how much I loved Minju's collection (minus the goofy raffia accessories - they detracted from the pieces). As one of the judges commented, she has an incredible eye for colour - I was swooning at some of the colours and fabric patterns she chose. I especially loved the cropped pink top and skirt - that fabric was divine looking whatever it was. There was also a blue patterned coat dress thingy that looked gorgeous. The only thing I really disliked in her collection was the wedding dress. I couldn't understand why the judges were all wetting themselves over it - to me it literally looked like they just haphazardly wrapped a bunch of fabric around the model bath-towel style, and then threw a cape over her head. It looked messy and half-assed to me.

Apart from that, I was personally happy to see Minju win. I think her designs are different from what we usually see on fashion runways, yet they have an accessible wearability. It was touching to see her sister express regret for being such a hard-ass, and being moved by her unfettered creativity.

Totally on board for more of seasons of this show! I really like Tan and Alexa together as hosts, they just need to cut out the following:

• The incessant 3-2-1 go! during the catwalks.
• The distracting runway effects - they actually obscure the clothing. I really wanted to get a better look at the outfits as the models walked.

What I liked best: everyone was nice and supportive to each other! Refreshing to see a lack of drama on a reality contest show!

 

 

 

[Samwise979]

Overall I liked this show a lot.

The one thing I really found annoying was the cutting back and forth between the runway and the judges making comments. I felt like it went back and forth too fast - almost dizzying and since we also got the back stage critiques, we didn't really need the during the show commentary.

Speaking of the backstage critiques, I loved that part of the show. I liked that every designer got to explain their concept and got feedback.

I could do without Alexa and Tan's tips.

I loved how all the designers were nice and supportive (except that first eliminated guy and Kiki sometimes with her own partner). It was truely refreshing to see a group of people that although were competing against each other took time to help each other. I especially loved Daniel, a couple of things that stood out to me: during the first solo challenge when Carli, his previous partner, was struggling I could tell he was really worried about her. And in this episode he helped Minju solve a design problem she had on her wedding dress which was a show stopping piece that very well may have tipped the win in her favour. Yet, I doubt he regrets helping her.

As for this episode's runway, I liked both collections but I thought Daniel's was more ready to wear and Minju's was more avant-garde which I think is why she won. Anyways, really good show (runway show and the show in general).

If a second season happens (hopefully!) I'd love for them to drop the partnering OR have them all strangers OR have them all know their team mate. 

Edited February 7, 2020 by Samwise979

[Lady of nod]

17 hours ago, Samwise979 said:

Overall I liked this show a lot.

The one thing I really found annoying was the cutting back and forth between the runway and the judges making comments. I felt like it went back and forth too fast - almost dizzying and since we also got the back stage critiques, we didn't really need the during the show commentary.

Speaking of the backstage critiques, I loved that part of the show. I liked that every designer got to explain their concept and got feedback.

I could do without Alexa and Tan's tips.

I loved how all the designers were nice and supportive (except that first eliminated guy and Kiki sometimes with her own partner). It was truely refreshing to see a group of people that although were competing against each other took time to help each other. I especially loved Daniel, a couple of things that stood out to me: during the first solo challenge when Carli, his previous partner, was struggling I could tell he was really worried about her. And in this episode he helped Minju solve a design problem she had on her wedding dress which was a show stopping piece that very well may have tipped the win in her favour. Yet, I doubt he regrets helping her.

As for this episode's runway, I liked both collections but I thought Daniel's was more ready to wear and Minju's was more avant-garde which I think is why she won. Anyways, really good show (runway show and the show in general).

If a second season happens (hopefully!) I'd love for them to drop the partnering OR have them all strangers OR have them all know their team mate. 

Yes to all of this. Only adding that while I wasn't crazy about much of Minju's work during the competition, it must have grown on me because I was blown away by her collection.  That coat was everything and I actually cried when I saw the wedding dress.

[Whimsy]

18 hours ago, Samwise979 said:

Overall I liked this show a lot.

The one thing I really found annoying was the cutting back and forth between the runway and the judges making comments. I felt like it went back and forth too fast - almost dizzying and since we also got the back stage critiques, we didn't really need the during the show commentary.

Speaking of the backstage critiques, I loved that part of the show. I liked that every designer got to explain their concept and got feedback.

I could do without Alexa and Tan's tips.

I loved how all the designers were nice and supportive (except that first eliminated guy and Kiki sometimes with her own partner). It was truely refreshing to see a group of people that although were competing against each other took time to help each other. I especially loved Daniel, a couple of things that stood out to me: during the first solo challenge when Carli, his previous partner, was struggling I could tell he was really worried about her. And in this episode he helped Minju solve a design problem she had on her wedding dress which was a show stopping piece that very well may have tipped the win in her favour. Yet, I doubt he regrets helping her.

As for this episode's runway, I liked both collections but I thought Daniel's was more ready to wear and Minju's was more avant-garde which I think is why she won. Anyways, really good show (runway show and the show in general).

If a second season happens (hopefully!) I'd love for them to drop the partnering OR have them all strangers OR have them all know their team mate. 

The thing is, it doesn't look like she used Daniel's string idea at all.  I think he did push her to think about it so his help was instrumental for her.  I just was looking specifically for a string and didn't see it.  The model just sort of flung it off of her head.  

I thought that the wedding dress looked NOTHING like the sketch.  Which, is fine as part of the creative process I just wish the editors would've stopped focusing on it so much. 

[WendyM]

What a nice surprise this show was! I wasn't familiar with Alexa Chung and I've never watched Queer Eye--I enjoyed both hosts. Their "tips" weren't really tips but I thought it was a chance to see their personalities so it didn't bother me one way or another.

I haven't watched Project Runway since Heidi and Tim left and this was really terrific and better than PR's later seasons, IMO.

Yes, the "3.......2.......1.........go!" producer has to 3.............2...............1................GO! Please. Just go. And once I noticed it, it was ALL I could see.

I would have been happy with either finalist winning, that's how much I liked both their collections. Almost apples and oranges to me.

My wishes and hopes for next season (please, let there be a next season!), like others have said:

No teams, unless the teams know each other
Keep the established designers--desperation isn't fun to watch on these shows
Give the finalists more than three (2.5) days to do their collections*
Keep the hosts and their banter, keep the critiques after the runway shows

*And if this was a production budget issue and they didn't want to pay a crew for five days, then just don't film the five days. I don't need to see every stitch or decision. I spent the whole episode feeling bad for them, lol.

Will there be another season? Does anyone know?

[Lemons]

On 2/1/2020 at 11:09 AM, leighdear said:

Daniel wuz robbed. 

I liked the show overall and would definitely watch again, I just hated that Minju kept showing the same, same, same, same thing every challenge.  

Uniqueness please, judges!

Daniel showed the same over and over too.  He showed what was in his stores.  And that silver dress was a basic dress sold in cotton in a shorter version with a straight waist in every mall store.  

[GaT]

On 1/31/2020 at 9:26 PM, loki310 said:

And then when they finally abandoned the teams, they send two people home after each challenge. The fuck? Does this show have the most minimal budget on Netflix?

That because one of the episodes with teams didn't have an elimination, so they had 2 extra people so they eliminated one at a time by getting rid of 2 people for 2 weeks.

I'm not sure about how I feel about Minju winning. The big problem I have with "fashion" is that it doesn't always translate into clothes that are actually wearable by regular people, & I didn't think Minju's collection was as wearable as Daniels. 

 

[auntlada]

On 2/7/2020 at 1:50 PM, Whimsy said:

The thing is, it doesn't look like she used Daniel's string idea at all.  I think he did push her to think about it so his help was instrumental for her.  I just was looking specifically for a string and didn't see it.  The model just sort of flung it off of her head.  

I thought that the wedding dress looked NOTHING like the sketch.  Which, is fine as part of the creative process I just wish the editors would've stopped focusing on it so much. 

I thought that about the string idea, too, but when they showed it in slow(er) motion, it looked like the model was pulling something right before she tossed the hood thing back.

[Pallida]

While there were plenty of pieces that I just didn't "get", I thoroughly enjoyed this show showcasing fashion running the gamut of function to art. I also appreciated the intermixing of the business side of fashion - from the designers talking about being uncredited for their work to the art-business balance struggle for Minju and her sister. While neither Daniel or Minju were my favorite designers due to aesthetic preferences, I found both deserving and enjoyed seeing their different takes in the finale. 

[Ilovepie]

On 2/1/2020 at 5:02 AM, Evie said:

I liked Daniel's collection and disliked Minju's. Just not a fan of volume, volume, volume. I hated the wedding dress.

Me too @Evie, me too. I don't like looking like I'm wearing a sack, which seems to be her prime aesthetic.  I thought that wedding dress was awful - just a sack of lace. Even one of the judges said it would be good for pregnant clients. That's just what I want everyone to think when I get married - it's a maternity dress! I did like the pink crop jacket and long skirt. I actually liked that the sister felt bad for crushing Minju's creativity. Hopefully moving forward she will let her do what she wants.

[Toodleoo]

On 2/4/2020 at 5:14 PM, zoltana said:

During the last catwalk Daniel had a dress that was really pretty that was sheer with colored stones looking like scattered flowers.  Alexa Chung commented on how he took a hammer to $250/yard fabric and shattered the stones to make his design.  They must have an impressive budget to be able to provide that kind of fabric plus a lot of them kept making their own fabric from designs on their tablet.  

 

It was SIX hundred fifty dollars per yard...my jaw was on the floor. That took some courage to beat the crap out of what, $1300 of fabric?

Overall I preferred the lack of drama and the genuine camaraderie of the contestants, with the noted exceptions. Wished that Ashton could have been in the finale but Minju’s wedding dress was a MOMENT and I can’t hate that win.

They do need to find something other than Miss 3-2-1-Contact to differentiate between the designers’ runways.  You don’t have to do the PR silhouette, but *anything* other than that harried-looking lady with her banal countdowns would work. Hell, have Count von Count from Sesame Street do it. “ONE 80s paint-splattered denim, ah ah ahhhhh“

[Mabinogia]

2 hours ago, Toodleoo said:

Hell, have Count von Count from Sesame Street do it. “ONE 80s paint-splattered denim, ah ah ahhhhh“

awe, my inner child would love that. 

I don't mind the 3-2-1 lady nearly as much as the rest of you seem to. lol But I wouldn't miss her if she was gone. I think they were trying for the feel of a real fashion show and that is what would happen in a real fashion show. But maybe we don't need to see it so often. 

[MartyQui]

On 2/4/2020 at 6:14 PM, zoltana said:

Alexa Chung commented on how he took a hammer to $250/yard fabric and shattered the stones to make his design.  They must have an impressive budget to be able to provide that kind of fabric plus a lot of them kept making their own fabric from designs on their tablet.  

It was $650 a yard fabric.  I’ve drooled over it in another colorway at B&J Fabrics in NY.  I liked that they had swatches of fabric in addition to what was on display that they could get.  And I loved the printer...I’d like 3 yards of the black and white  brushed circle print that one of the teams created, thank you very much.  Overall, really enjoyed the show.

[politichick]

On 2/6/2020 at 1:47 AM, Cheezwiz said:

I really enjoyed this finale, but agree with everyone about the insane time limit. Couldn't they have given the finalists five FULL days instead of three (which is really less than two and a half if you factor in the pre-show fittings). I'm blown away that they could produce all of those pieces even with a team of seamstresses.

I really like both Daniel and Minju, and was happy to see them together as the final two. I think I preferred some of Daniel's earlier pieces to the ones he had in his final showing, but he at least had a narrative he was following. I disagree about his show-stopper - some have commented that it looked like a prom-gown, but I thought it was absolutely stunning (I am all about evening wear). He made the right fabric choice - it looked like liquid mercury to me. And the construction on it was beautiful - the asymmetrical skirt had pleats and volume in the right places. Well done for someone who normally only does menswear.

I was surprised at how much I loved Minju's collection (minus the goofy raffia accessories - they detracted from the pieces). As one of the judges commented, she has an incredible eye for colour - I was swooning at some of the colours and fabric patterns she chose. I especially loved the cropped pink top and skirt - that fabric was divine looking whatever it was. There was also a blue patterned coat dress thingy that looked gorgeous. The only thing I really disliked in her collection was the wedding dress. I couldn't understand why the judges were all wetting themselves over it - to me it literally looked like they just haphazardly wrapped a bunch of fabric around the model bath-towel style, and then threw a cape over her head. It looked messy and half-assed to me.

Apart from that, I was personally happy to see Minju win. I think her designs are different from what we usually see on fashion runways, yet they have an accessible wearability. It was touching to see her sister express regret for being such a hard-ass, and being moved by her unfettered creativity.

Totally on board for more of seasons of this show! I really like Tan and Alexa together as hosts, they just need to cut out the following:

• The incessant 3-2-1 go! during the catwalks.
• The distracting runway effects - they actually obscure the clothing. I really wanted to get a better look at the outfits as the models walked.

What I liked best: everyone was nice and supportive to each other! Refreshing to see a lack of drama on a reality contest show!

 

 

 

Excellent post. I was very moved when Minju's sister regretted having to pull her sister back on the creativity factor because they have to make money. And I loved how Minju said she entered this contest so she could let that creativity fly free. She was one of my favorites throughout personality wise (love her pulling confetti out of her pocket at end) and I liked what her mum and sister wore, too. 

Daniel's collection was rather quotidien, but I did quite like the $250 per yard dress. Speaking of which, it was wonderful how they were provided all the great fabrics and notions and the hosts were like, if there's something else you need, just let us know.

This show is way better than Project Runway, which up until about an hour ago I had completely forgotten it had aired last night.

[scruffy73]

I didn’t watch the design process but I loved (for the most part) the collections. I loved both final looks even though I wouldn’t wear either (couldn’t?). Daniel’s was more wearable/real world. Minju’s was an “experience”. Definitely not my style but I really enjoyed watching it come down the runway as a collection.

i love Minju’s sister.

i hope next season (please!) they come as individuals and get matched on the show. I think some coming in as teams have an unfair advantage.

[lark37]

On 2/14/2020 at 3:35 PM, Ilovepie said:

Me too @Evie, me too. I don't like looking like I'm wearing a sack, which seems to be her prime aesthetic.  I thought that wedding dress was awful - just a sack of lace. Even one of the judges said it would be good for pregnant clients. That's just what I want everyone to think when I get married - it's a maternity dress! I did like the pink crop jacket and long skirt. I actually liked that the sister felt bad for crushing Minju's creativity. Hopefully moving forward she will let her do what she wants.

Actually the stylist judge, Elizabeth Stewart,  said that about a different dress in Minju's collection.  It was the one that was silvery white, had sleeves and billowed out from right under the bust. I liked the pink crop jacket too and the long blue satin coat.  I liked Daniel's collection, but the judges seemed to love Minju from the beginning.  Once I saw the final 3, I knew for sure Minju would win.  The only other designer they seemed to love as much as Minju was Angel.  Avant Garde always seems to beat out wearability.  The only exception I can think of was "Fashion Star" with Nicole Ritchie and Jessica Simpson.  If I recall correctly, the premise of that show was to get viewers to "buy" the clothes so that viewers had a say in the winning design/designer.

I hope there is a season 2.  I'm watching Project Runway season 18 as it's being aired, and there isn't a contestant on that season with anywhere near the talent of this group.  Like others here, though, I hated the team format.  It seemed so unfair that some teams knew each other and had even worked together before, and some teams were just randomly put together.  I would have liked to see more from the Scottish lady and the military guy from Brooklyn individually.  I thought they both had talent, and that they sent them home too early while giving Kiki and her partner too many chances. 

[Ilovepie]

22 hours ago, lark37 said:

I hope there is a season 2.  I'm watching Project Runway season 18 as it's being aired, and there isn't a contestant on that season with anywhere near the talent of this group. 

I agree completely. In fact, it's been difficult for me to get up the interest to watch Project Runway after watching this. It's kind of dreadful, especially since this group on PR seems devoid of much talent this season. When you see what the designers on Next in Fashion have done in the industry vs. the people on PR, it's kind of embarrassing.

I know many don't like the group challenge aspect, but I don't mind because this show is so tight in format (theme, fabric, sew, show, result) that it provides some interest that I think would be lacking. They don't spend much time on "getting to know the contestants" unlike PR, where we see them interacting and living together a little. I think at the beginning that helped identify them a little more for me. Maybe having everyone be in random teams or only teams of people who know each other would make it more fair, but I didn't mind it.

[carrps]

On 2/2/2020 at 4:19 PM, The Hound Lives said:

Tan and Alexa had good chemistry and actually seemed to like the contestants, so it is already a step up on PR. And no Nina Garcia. I don’t even know if she’s still on PR but I could never take her seriously no matter what her credentials. Might be totally shallow, but for a show all about fashion she always looked awful. If she still is on PR, someone let me know if she’s finally updated her hairstyle. 

That's a big negative, Hound. Nina's one of the worst things about PR now. Right now, she's pushed her pet (Victoria) into the finale, and Victoria probably inspired Dmitri's one-way monkey.

And Nina has the same hair style.

 

On 2/4/2020 at 3:14 PM, zoltana said:

Alexa Chung commented on how he took a hammer to $250/yard fabric and shattered the stones to make his design. 

As other have corrected, it was a 650 dollar a yard fabric. Not awfully surprised as all those beads, crystals, and shell pieces would have to be hand sewn...to netting.

[TVbitch]

Yay for Minju! Like Daniel, I thought her show was magical. She is unique and delightful. Her clothes are more modest, but I'm okay with that. I cried when her father cried. I think her win is going to lift the whole family and bring them together. 

I didn't really get what was uniquely Daniel through his collection. I didn't get his theme either. It was based on that group of party kids from an earlier time but then there were riding crops?! Nice guy though. Some of his earlier pieces I loved, but nothing in his intrigued me. 

I agree with y'all about how to make the show better. Here's hoping! 

 

 

[carrps]

22 hours ago, TVbitch said:

I didn't really get what was uniquely Daniel through his collection. I didn't get his theme either. It was based on that group of party kids from an earlier time but then there were riding crops?! Nice guy though. Some of his earlier pieces I loved, but nothing in his intrigued me. 

Thanks! I wanted to mention this earlier. The Bright Young Things (BYT) were mostly just upper class brats who partied all the time and were mostly very shallow and not especially creative.  A lot of their pranks were pulled on hard working lower class people, so they leave a bad taste in my mouth. The real creatives from that era for the most part did not come from this set. In one of Dorothy Sayers's books (Murder Must Advertise) there's a character -- Dian De Momeray? -- who was ridiculed mercilessly by Wimsey for partying, drug-taking, and reckless disregard for other people. She was the poster girl for the BYTs.

[truthaboutluv]

On 1/30/2020 at 8:18 PM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Between Minju and Daniel there was no competition.  I think that the judges were attracted to Daniel.  LOL.  Like in PR Season 2.  I don't get what is supposed to be so great about him!

Daniel is a great craftsman. His work is always perfectly tailored and well constructed and that is very important. His stuff is also very wearable though not necessarily high fashion. And that's where Minju had him beat. His designs were good, wearable well-constructed looks.

Hers said high fashion/haute couture, which is what should win something called Next in Fashion. I knew Minju would win the moment I heard both their inspirations for their collections and saw the sketches. I just loved Minju's use of color more, the designs looked more conceptual and high fashion, etc. 

And she destroyed Daniel on the final look. I hated Daniel's final look. Speaking of the final looks, Daniel is way too nice because I was wondering why he was giving Minju advice to make hers work. 

[morakot]

The riding crop, though it could be used for other things, was paired with the outfit he based on what horse jockeys wear in races.

[Blakeston]

Daniel is adorable, and I totally have a crush on him. But I'm kind of shocked to learn that apparently he's only in his mid-20s? I would have thought he was significantly older. I think it's the bags under his eyes. (He also carries himself like a significantly older person.)

Once I saw the collections it was clear to me that Minju would win, but going into the episode I thought Daniel had it in the bag, mostly because of editing. He totally got a winner's edit, while we learned almost nothing about Minju's past or career other than that she works with her sister.

I loved Minju's collection, but count me in as someone who didn't think the wedding dress was anything special. Whereas I really, really liked Daniel's final gown. I don't see the resemblance to a '90s prom dress, either. Maybe from a distance - but the detail on top, combined with the uniquely stitched skirt made it a very distinct creation IMO.

[Ellaria]

Enjoyable finale. My favorite piece in both collections was Daniel’s smashed bead dress and coat. I understand why Minju won: her designs were intricate and unique. I prefer more tailored looks but she certainly brings a creative perspective.

Overall, I found the majority of designers on NiF to be talented and interesting. They seemed to get along and support one other which is preferable to the middle-school bickering so often on display on PR.

However, Tan and Alexa got on my nerves. There was way too much of them. Tan’s over-enunciation and feigned sincerity grew tiresome.

The show - particularly the runway - is wildly overproduced. The lights, the graphics, the annoying 3-2-1...all of it was headache-inducing.

As others have noted, three days for a 10-piece collection is ridiculous. I don’t care how many sewers they are given. Perhaps they can divert funds from the irritating effects and put them into giving more time for the finale.

Also, let’s have fewer team challenges. It went on for much too long. I would have liked to see more from some designers individually.

Edited March 21, 2020 by Ellaria Sand

[pasdetrois]

Quote

However, Tan and Alexa got on my nerves. There was way too much of them. Tan’s over-enunciation and feigned sincerity grew tiresome.

The show - particularly the runway - is wildly overproduced. The lights, the graphics, the annoying 3-2-1...all of it was headache-inducing.

As others have noted, three days for a 10-piece collection is ridiculous. I don’t care how many sewers they are given. Perhaps they can divert funds from the irritating effects and put them into giving more time for the finale.

Also, let’s have fewer team challenges. It went on for much too long. I would have liked to see more from some designers individually.

These are my perspectives too. Take out all of the useless commentary and give us more of the finale collection process. Tan gets on my last nerve - he's just ON all the time. Very precious. Alexa was required to be silly too, but she brought a bit of informed commentary to the show.

The three-day collection scenario was annoying in the extreme. I think there were at least a dozen comments from the hosts and designers about finishing on time. Stop dumbing down the show to the viewers.

I think the right person won. I would not wear Minju's fashion (I'm too old) but she truly has an innovative style. Her collection was fun to watch.

Daniel's work is beautiful and I hope his business continues to grow in response to being on the show. His pale blue silk trousers and navy sleeveless top were among my favorite looks of the season. Since the competition required a wedding dress, he was at a disadvantage. He's a menswear designer and his design vision is not for bridal.

Didn't miss sob stories or designer squabbling at. all. Didn't miss seeing their living space. I just wanna see design, dammit.

 

Edited April 1, 2020 by pasdetrois

[Sesquipedalia]

Daniel and Minju both seem like lovely people, and I really enjoyed both of their runway shows. However, I knew 15 minutes into the episode that Minju was going to win.

I was a little worried when the contestants' families showed up right after the talking head about how Minju's sister has been holding her back. It seemed like her family's presence might cause tension and throw her off. But it turned out the opposite. Her father's speech was so touching, and I was moved to see her sister tear up over how she has squelched Minju's creativity.

I can't believe no one has mentioned the pig nose yet. Thoughts?

[DaynaPhile]

So hallelujah for giving each finalist a team of stitchers to actually produce the work. (And thank goodness it wasn’t the rest of the offed contestants) But honestly, I was pretty underwhelmed by both final collections. I did like the blue silky overskirt thing on one of Daniel’s looks, but other than that, meh to pretty much all of it. The wedding dress? Egads that thing was not a dress. It’s was a tube. Pulled up over her boobs, cut away at the front so she could walk, with this long train and ruffle that was essentially flung up over her back and head. Like a kid yanking the back of their winter coat hem up and over their head to pretend it’s a hood. It was absurd, and not clothing. The rest of her looks were fairly clean and crisp. Though I did not like that big striped fabric that one pair of pants were made from, and a second look had it too and it had some other weird print and then lavender binding/piping. It was a great big bag of What?

I thought Tan was giving off a major David Copperfield vibe with his outfit. 

[paramitch]

I thoroughly enjoyed the show and finale, and was happy for Daniel while agreeing that Minju's collection was far riskier and more daring. I loved it.

However -- I just don't understand why nobody ever seemed to address the fact that the majority of Minju's works reduce the body shape to that of a giant prancing egg.

I mean, as art, her wedding dress was AMAZING. I loved it and you could see its effect on the audience. As theatre.

But who would want to get married in that, really? It's not a matter of clothing different body types. You have no body wearing that thing. You are a sphere of white netting. I just didn't get it.

I appreciate that runway shows are always going to be avant garde, and that the real clothes trickle down from there. But I just do not see how Minju's work will translate. I loved 3-4 of her looks this season, and she seems wonderful as a person, I just don't see how that stuff translates to actual "I must wear this/Instagram this" fashion.

Meanwhile, I absolutely wish Daniel well. I think he'll be very successful. He's attractive, charming, talented, and articulate. And selfless enough to help Minju overcome a technical hurdle even as his competitor. 

And for me, this was far better than MAKING THE CUT on Amazon (although I will always love my darling Tim Gunn). I'd definitely watch a S2. 

 

Edited April 21, 2020 by paramitch
Fixed disappearing words

[Ashforth]

So I watched this to the end. meh.

[jabRI]

On 2/6/2020 at 8:16 PM, Samwise979 said:

If a second season happens (hopefully!) I'd love for them to drop the partnering OR have them all strangers OR have them all know their team mate. 

I thought the exact same thing!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One thing I really liked about this episode is that we finally got a decent amount of screen time devoted to the designers' design process and the construction. In the earlier episodes, most of the footage from the workroom was teams talking about fabric or arguing about what to do (which is part of the design process, I admit, but not the interesting part of it).

I also liked that both finalists clearly understood that winning meant presenting their best ideas, not beating the other person. This was about being the best they could be so they were competing against themselves, not each other.

Three days for ten looks is just insane so I'm glad that they got seamstresses to help with the workload. And as they pointed out, that's how most designers would work on a collection anyway. They normally wouldn't sew every piece themselves so having extra people to help make everything was fine with me. I just wish they had given them even two more days.

Daniel's collection looked professional and put together but I kept thinking about what Tommy Hilfiger's criteria in the previous episode: "Have I seen this before?" And unfortunately, yes, I have seen just about everything in Daniel's collection before. The big stars seemed dated (and the one on the butt wasn't good because the two bottom points weren't really visible). The pea coat looked well made but, you know, it's a pea coat. I felt bad for the model who had to wear the pig nose. On top of that, her outfit was boring from head to toe. A white blouse with white pants?

I loved the hand beaded material that he used but I don't think that smashing it with a hammer achieved much. Could anyone in the first row even notice the difference between the smashed version and the original? It just looks like a sheer beaded fabric either way. The silver showstopper dress looked like a regular old prom dress complete with the star barrettes in her hair. That striped outfit was bold but in a terrible way. I hated the maroon sailor top (which looked like it was too big on the model). Nothing was horrible but nothing was innovative or exciting. Contrary to what the judges said about how every look had a special Daniel touch, I thought these pieces looked like things you can already buy.

There were a lot of things in Minju's collection that I personally wouldn't wear but at least it didn't look like outtakes from a 90s Ralph Lauren/Calvin Klein show. And I will say that Minju knows how to put on a fashion show. Although the styling wasn't my taste (the straw shoes!), she had a very clear point of view and she chose fabric and patterns that didn't look like the same stuff that has been on the runways and the mall every season for the past 30 years (like Daniel's pea coat, his red and white rugby striped shirt).

I didn't love her wedding gown, but it was dramatic. Again, she knows how to put on a show. The other thing I liked was that her collection looked so joyful.I was pleasantly surprised to see Minju's sister tearfully admit that she has held back her creativity for the sake of the business. She seemed genuinely regretful that all of this was inside Minju and she was the one who had kept it from coming out all this time.

Daniel was so sweet and gracious to Minju after she was announced the winner. I know he must have been heartbroken not to win, but he was so kind and supportive to her.

On 4/1/2020 at 5:45 AM, pasdetrois said:

Since the competition required a wedding dress, he was at a disadvantage. He's a menswear designer and his design vision is not for bridal.

There was no requirement for a wedding gown. Their instructions were: "The only thing that we ask of you is that that final look within your collection really is a showstopping design. Save the best til last and make it count."

[RoxiP]

I thought they telegraphed a Minyu win very early in the season.  There were some of her designs that I thought looked like she just wrapped a sheet around the model and blew air in it and yet the judges raved about them whereas I thought she should have been eliminated.  However I do feel her final collection was amazing (except for the raffia - I kept thinking it looked like Shrek's ears sticking out of the side of their heads).