S18.E13: Finale, Part 1

[jcbrown]

I laughed when they asked Victoria about her color palate and why she chose that uninspired beige and she said she also had cream. I know she also said she had a kiwi green but when she named cream being what brought color to her collection, I thought it was funny. That's not a language barrier, IMHO, it's a taste barrier.

[tinderbox]

I wasn’t impressed with any of the four mini collections....especially Geoffrey’s.  

[SuprSuprElevated]

Can we seriously believe that Sergio would be the one to utilize a CFDA mentorship?  I mean, c'mon now.  Neither he nor Victoria was having any of it when Christian and others tried to direct them anwhere but where they had already gone.  

 

[dleighg]

10 hours ago, Totale said:

An anvil came my way with "who deserves to show..." on it.  They all know they are going to show in decoy mode if nothing else, right?  They're competing to be on the last episode (a worthwhile prize!), not to be seen at Fashion Week.

so get the $ and all the create a collection? I mean, they must, right? Does anyone know if there's potential to be "noticed" at the PR show itself?

[DiamondGirl]

19 hours ago, AZChristian said:

Really.  The thong showing?  And that's FASHION?  Where I come from, we call that a faux pas.

I don’t see anywhere in my comment where I said it was FASHION.  I wasn’t complimenting the ensemble in any way.

[cinsays]

9 hours ago, Jsage said:

I could be wrong but I think all four will get to show collections and that there was never really a question of that not happening. My reasoning is mainly Christian encouraging Geoffrey to show two looks that he knew weren’t very strong so that he could get feedback from the judges. That’s an extremely risky strategy for Christian to suggest so definitively if someone really was going to get cut. 

I hope you are right because I want to see everyone's collections and I hope Geoffrey decides to drop the puffy coats completely, or at least have something attractive underneath and have the model take the jacket off when she/he walks the runway

[gibasi]

Personally I don't like logos on anything I wear. I put up with it on my Nike and athletic  tee shirts and shoes but if I had my way I wouldn't have a logo on anything.

[AZChristian]

1 hour ago, DiamondGirl said:

I don’t see anywhere in my comment where I said it was FASHION.  I wasn’t complimenting the ensemble in any way.

Sorry . . . My comment wasn't directed at you.  It was directed at the concept that Sergio would call the visible thong fashion.  Nothing negative toward you intended.

[hookedontv]

10 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

 

I was cringing, watching Karlie in the workroom explaining the surprise. I wonder if she could still talk if she was wearing a cranial halo and handcuffs or a straitjacket.

 

Exactly! Karlie is the worst! I know I keep repeating myself, but for Pete’s sake, all the awkward hand sweeps, jabbing gestures, hand waves. And the head tilts, cocked heads, big dramatic eyes. 
 

Does she never watch herself? I took a presentation course decades ago for work where they filmed me presenting a report. never realized it but I swayed my body and never knew what to do with my hands. It was awful to watch myself, but a few pointers and I was much improved! 
 

[Texasmom1970]

Did the CFDA guy really tell Victoria the crocheted hats could be her thing! No, just no. Her collection looked like a boring safari explorer collection.

Geoffrey - one thing I can say at least his was not dull. It was odd but at least pushing normal boundaries. And he is a confident man to wear that hat at judging.

Sergio - loved the finale dress; not the other two. And what the hell was going on in his tub. All I could think was the original “Invasion of the Bodysnatchers.”

Nancy - love her finale dress with the cowl that was everything to me. And at least her collection she has clear message she is trying to say. Lookin at you Sergio.

Christian you keep on twirling and dancing. You and Swatch are my favorite part of the show now.

[Ashforth]

On 3/6/2020 at 11:24 AM, mightysparrow said:

Victoria's got big hair.  I love the fact that she wears her hair the way it grows out of her head.  Maybe it's because I'm a Black woman and have been told my whole life that my hair wasn't good enough. 

The problem with the Nancy's model hair is that she looked like she was a back up singer for Bon Jovi.

As a woman with baby fine, stick straight hair (who was traumatized in my adolescence by Farrah Fawcett being the ultimate hair goal), I have always been envious of women with bountiful hair. To some degree I think I can relate Black women being socially pressured to straighten their hair to my feeling that I am inadequate because no matter how many perms and products and manipulation, my hair will never make the grade. And don't even get me started with gray hair being unacceptable.

On 3/6/2020 at 1:59 PM, dleighg said:

That first outfit of Geoffrey, from the back, looked like she had a giant larvae attached to her back. I think the male model looked better with no shirt. The way he did it looked like he had a ratty old tank top on. (not gonna call it by it's very un PC name)

That tank top was revolting. Did we even see the sweater of arms that Elaine raved about?

On 3/6/2020 at 2:40 PM, RoxiP said:

And if Sergio is from Austin, Texas why was he designing in New York?

He has been sold by the show as living in Austin, where I live. So yeah, wtf that he and his partner live in NYC?

On 3/7/2020 at 10:32 AM, DiamondGirl said:

They gushed over Victoria because they say everyone loves separates, which I guess makes sense.

Sergio’s first look was a 70s socialite in a peignoir with a martini in a Beverly Hills mansion from a Columbo episode.

Columbo! OMG so true. It also gave me a Pnina Tornai stripper fairy vibe - BUT, it was pretty, unlike Victoria's strangely blah offerings. And are the exposed corset and thong really 1950's? Nina's critiques of Sergio while she fawned all over Victoria have bothered me this season.

In fact, this season has really bothered me, and the final four are boring and each subpar in some way.

Edited March 8, 2020 by Ashforth

[DangerousMinds]

4 hours ago, gibasi said:

Personally I don't like logos on anything I wear. I put up with it on my Nike and athletic  tee shirts and shoes but if I had my way I wouldn't have a logo on anything.

Same here 

[retired watcher]

On 3/5/2020 at 11:35 PM, Nordly Beaumont said:

As long as she paid her mother (or whoever) a fair price, she's fine. Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll had pieces crocheted and knitted for him (and paid the workers a fair price for that so he was okay). If the other designers think you got free help you can get called out - as happened to Kara Saun and Jeffrey Sebelia - they were found (or in Jeffrey's case accused) to have gotten favors and had their receipts audited and had to change their shows because of it.

 

I think they can use any accessories they want, not just ones they made. The clothes have to be made by them.

[BlackberryJam]

Kara Saun from S1 got dinged for gifted shoes. Daniel V made his own, slightly hideous, purses. I think they have to either pay for the accessories or make them.

[Jodithgrace]

Re: Logos  What I always say is that if you want me to advertise your brand, you have to pay ME. I am not going to pay YOU for the privilege. I'm looking at YOU, Michael Kors!

I did like Sergio's furry dress. That's the only piece that really stood out for me. I can't begin to predict who will be out, because the judges seem to be judging from outer space, and I live here on earth. LOL

[hookedontv]

7 hours ago, Texasmom1970 said:

Christian you keep on twirling and dancing. You and Swatch are my favorite part of the show now.

💯% agree! 

[seacliffsal]

I know that the focus of the show and our discussion is the new looks created by the contestants, but what about Brandon Maxwell's new look?  I keep going back and forth about what I think about it-I had gotten used to his previous look and thought it was his trademark look.  Not sure what I think about the new look, but will get used to it as we continue to see it.

[AZChristian]

7 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I know that the focus of the show and our discussion is the new looks created by the contestants, but what about Brandon Maxwell's new look?  I keep going back and forth about what I think about it-I had gotten used to his previous look and thought it was his trademark look.  Not sure what I think about the new look, but will get used to it as we continue to see it.

Confession . . . I just FF'd to the runway, and didn't even see Brandon.  What did he do that makes him look different?

UPDATE:  I just pulled it up on Bravo.com.  Is it his darker hair and less-obvious glasses??

Edited March 8, 2020 by AZChristian

[little black cloud]

23 hours ago, ichbin said:

The only thing making [Nancy's] third look at all interesting was the fact the model was in a wheelchair. The outfit itself was kind of horrendous.  Why did it look like the model was wearing a breastplate?

You know, I wonder, actually, if that's the shape of the model's body. I think I noticed earlier in the episode, when Nancy first met her, that she had a barrel-shaped torso. Wouldn't be unheard of on a person with a disability requiring a wheelchair...

[AZChristian]

1 minute ago, little black cloud said:

You know, I wonder, actually, if that's the shape of the model's body. I think I noticed earlier in the episode, when Nancy first met her, that she had a barrel-shaped torso. Wouldn't be unheard of on a person with a disability requiring a wheelchair...

Folks in wheelchairs sometimes have braces or "safety harnesses" on.  My thought was that she was wearing a brace.

[nb360]

8 hours ago, Ashforth said:

[Sergio] has been sold by the show as living in Austin, where I live. So yeah, wtf that he and his partner live in NYC?

 

I'm really curious about this. His Texas background was repeatedly referenced during the season. I wonder if that background was another "narrative" -- perhaps true but embellished -- that he told because he thought it would look good.

(On the other hand, he would not be the first reality show contestant to do so, it's just interesting to me)

[carrps]

56 minutes ago, seacliffsal said:

I know that the focus of the show and our discussion is the new looks created by the contestants, but what about Brandon Maxwell's new look?  I keep going back and forth about what I think about it-I had gotten used to his previous look and thought it was his trademark look.  Not sure what I think about the new look, but will get used to it as we continue to see it.

I thought he looked younger and couldn't decided if it was the new glasses or something else.

Also, I hate logos, too. Especially stupid ones, like Victoria's.

[Ashforth]

48 minutes ago, nb360 said:

I'm really curious about this. His Texas background was repeatedly referenced during the season. I wonder if that background was another "narrative" -- perhaps true but embellished -- that he told because he thought it would look good.

(On the other hand, he would not be the first reality show contestant to do so, it's just interesting to me)

His childhood in Texas and the things surrounding it are just as powerful if he no longer lives here (for example, his talking head that he decided early on to be be overly confident instead of cowering to bigots was instructive to me in explaining why he is so relentlessly "khaki" LOL). I place responsibility on the producers and not the contestants for the narratives.

[Jobiska]

On 3/6/2020 at 7:07 PM, heavysnaxx said:

I was like, "DUDE, how does your cat having his own bathroom square with your sustainability obsession?!"

Maybe his cat has a delicate digestion and he's sustaining his and his partner's sense of smell.  😁

[theatremouse]

5 minutes ago, Ashforth said:

His childhood in Texas and the things surrounding it are just as powerful if he no longer lives here

That's true but usually on this show, at least as far as I recall, the city/state they usually list in the text on screen for a given contestant is usually where they currently reside, not where they grew up. So if his residence was NY the entire time he was participating in the show, it is a little weird they'd show him as from Austin. Although you're not wrong, that's likely a producer's call, not his.

[Ashforth]

2 minutes ago, theatremouse said:

That's true but usually on this show, at least as far as I recall, the city/state they usually list in the text on screen for a given contestant is usually where they currently reside, not where they grew up. So if his residence was NY the entire time he was participating in the show, it is a little weird they'd show him as from Austin. Although you're not wrong, that's likely a producer's call, not his.

Totally agree. I suspect that it was intended to set up an "Austin v. Austin" with him and Brittany.

[ichbin]

1 hour ago, little black cloud said:

You know, I wonder, actually, if that's the shape of the model's body. I think I noticed earlier in the episode, when Nancy first met her, that she had a barrel-shaped torso. Wouldn't be unheard of on a person with a disability requiring a wheelchair...

 

1 hour ago, AZChristian said:

Folks in wheelchairs sometimes have braces or "safety harnesses" on.  My thought was that she was wearing a brace.

I've read that the model is Bri Scalesse.  Photo's of her in other shows make it appear otherwise.  Having seen the pictures of Bri in a wedding dress with a fitted top makes me think that Nancy had made a very stiff, boned bodice that was too long for the model, making it kind of sit up too high and away from her body.  Just a bad design with a poor fit that I guess we're supposed to overlook because it was an inclusive garment.  

[little black cloud]

Fascinating! Thanks.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

14 hours ago, Ashforth said:

As a woman with baby fine, stick straight hair (who was traumatized in my adolescence by Farrah Fawcett being the ultimate hair goal), I have always been envious of women with bountiful hair. To some degree I think I can relate Black women being socially pressured to straighten their hair to my feeling that I am inadequate because no matter how many perms and products and manipulation, my hair will never make the grade. And don't even get me started with gray hair being unacceptable.

I have stick straight hair but it has a thick texture. My hair refuses to hold a curl or do anything but stay completely straight, and because it's thick I can't do any kind of updo (high ponytail, french twist, etc) because the weight of my hair starts to pull the updo down so it creeps slowly down my head until I finally give up and take it down completely. Whenever I tell people that my hair won't hold a curl, they always say I just need to find a good hairdresser who knows what they're doing but THEY ARE WRONG. Short of a perm (which I'm not interested in), my hair won't stay curled no matter how much product is used or what kind of product is used. For that reason, I always love seeing big hair like Victoria's (although I do feel bad for anyone who sits behind her at a movie theater) or naturally curly hair. One of my high school friends had perfect Rafaelite curls. I just loved staring at her hair because it was so gorgeous.

Although I find Victoria's designs boring, repetitive, non-innovative/fashion forward, etc. I do love looking at her hair every week!

[Diane Mars]

Unpopular opinion here but... I surprisingly really liked Victoria and her beiges !

[dmeets]

On ‎3‎/‎6‎/‎2020 at 9:16 AM, Samwise979 said:

Victoria: what is this word, cocky?

Geoff: it means you're confident. 

Sergio: no, it's a bit different than confident. 

Victoria: well, people call you cocky (points to Sergio) so, what does this mean? 

Five second pause. 

Sergio: it means you think you're better than everyone else. 

😂😂😂

I've got a hunch Victoria knew exactly what she was doing with that exchange. I just don't buy her constant "what is zis word mean?"

[terrymct]

On 3/5/2020 at 10:39 PM, sempervivum said:

Didn't seem like the judges really liked anybody's stuff.

Sick of Geoffrey's whimpering, and it's really discordant with his Mad Max personal style.

 

I agreed with the judges for the most part.  

Victoria's work didn't improve with the application of both time and money.  Why is she worried about her label before refining her style?  Why put your brand name right across the model's crotch?   Her range is really limited and I feel sorry for her husband, giving up his soccer career to drive a truck and support her career.

Sergio, oh bless his heart.  The best piece was his third look, the geometric gown in the shades of grey.  I wonder why this dress isn't blue, though, if it's supposed to be about melting water.   The middle look COULD have been wonderful.  I love the top, especially the sleeves.  From the waist down, it was a hot mess.  Why not pair that top with some skinny pants?  It could be stunning.   This lingerie look was well made, as always, but ill advised in just about every way they it could be.  More than anything, it looked like a badly done homage to naughty 1940's pegnoirs.

Geoffrey is a fool.  He made the conscious decision to work on the Disney project without planning out how he's create his collection.  His home visit with Christian, Geoffrey should have been embarrassed.  Now he's wandering around on the verge of tears.  Suck it up, you did this to yourself.  Figure it out.   There were some neat ideas here and there in his collection that could have been wonderful if he'd put the time and effort into it.  As it stands, his outfits look like something alien ambassadors or love interests would wear in science fiction TV shows.

Based on what we've seen thus far of the collections, Nancy should be the winner of this season by a mile.   I love the liquid metal dresses.  The mauve dress was spectacular on the model.  I was surprised by the cowl.  I thought when it was on the hanger that it'd be a shoulder  thing, like she's made before.  I agree with the judges that the dress is better without it.   I also hope she leaves the wine purse out of the show.  She got to show it to the judges, it was a fun little point.  Don't put it on the runway.   I love that she designed a gown for a model in a wheelchair.  Nancy's looks were gorgeous and well made.

Overall, I'm very happy that the four finalists are nice people by and large.  Egos, sure.  Overly dramatic, for sure.  But really they're nice people.

[caitmcg]

Geoffrey said he closed his business to compete on PR. He took the Disney gig because he needed income to live on, which makes it understandable to me. He was the only one of the four who didn’t live with a partner who could help support him, materially and emotionally. 

Edited March 9, 2020 by caitmcg

[DangerousMinds]

26 minutes ago, caitmcg said:

Geoffrey said he closed his business to compete on PR. He took the Disney gig because he needed income to live on, which makes it understandable to me. He was the only one of the four who did live with a partner who could help support him, materially and emotionally. 

Yes, without that income he wouldn’t have been able to pay his rent and it would have been impossible to design anything living on the street.

[theatremouse]

1 hour ago, terrymct said:

Victoria's work didn't improve with the application of both time and money.  Why is she worried about her label before refining her style?  

Because she has an existing business and if she can advertise it directly while appearing on television, she wants to? I'm not saying it's a good idea, or good design, or in the spirit of the competition, but I see why she did it. It's not like she's been working for a different designer and this is the first chance she has to show her own stuff. Based on Christian's reaction and then the judges, I hope she gets why it was a stupid choice in context, but I do believe she went into it thinking "I can do some product placement here" without thinking that fully through.

[hoodooznoodooz]

On 3/7/2020 at 7:13 PM, novhappy said:

So I like Geoff, sensitive soul he is. But!  It’s been commented on but that YMCA outfit on the runway was hard to look it. Why the costume?  Why a 70s costume? And this....

The whole thing looks like a mistake. The collar is not even on the 2 sides. The seaming in the sleeves don’t match each othe. What in the world is going on in the front waist are I have no idea. Even the draping on the 2 sides isn’t even. It looks absolutely amateur ugly and ridiculous. The sleeves are even 2 different lengths. 

I think that the waist of the purple puffer jacket is similar to that of a varsity jacket. It has a 2-3-inch-wide stretchy band. Then he used some of the purple fabric on each side of the zipper. The fronts are so heavy and puffy that they are sagging over the waist. It might have been more successful if it were hip-length.

I don’t believe that Geoffrey is heading toward a nervous breakdown. I think he is just extremely emotional and compassionate. 

I think he is very creative and talented, but chose the wrong pieces to show. He should hire someone to manage the administrative responsibilities who could also help him edit. 

[carrps]

12 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Whenever I tell people that my hair won't hold a curl, they always say I just need to find a good hairdresser who knows what they're doing but THEY ARE WRONG. Short of a perm (which I'm not interested in), my hair won't stay curled no matter how much product is used or what kind of product is used.

Both my sisters have straight hair (my brother and I got the curly hair), but my younger sister especially has impossible to curl hair. I can still remember when we tried to give her one of those Toni home permanents (do they still make those?) when she was about 11 or 12, and it didn't last a day. LOL!

[Tabbygirl521]

3 hours ago, carrps said:

Both my sisters have straight hair (my brother and I got the curly hair), but my younger sister especially has impossible to curl hair. I can still remember when we tried to give her one of those Toni home permanents (do they still make those?) when she was about 11 or 12, and it didn't last a day. LOL!

My sister has this kind of hair too, and once when I wanted to braid it she told me not to bother; it would be like trying to braid a paintbrush. Accurate. 
 

I love big hair and would like some myself. 

[BlackberryJam]

Christian discussed with Geoffrey showing those particular pieces because Christian recognized that those were the ones that needed feedback. Geoff’s other pieces were much more polished.

I don’t get anyone thinking Geoff is heading towards a breakdown. His tears seem to happen when he’s releasing emotion during deliberately provocative talking head interviews. He’s not breaking down while in the middle of a garment. In the workroom, what I notice most from him is his snarky yet hypersexualized commentary, which I find hilarious.  

Geoff is my predicted winner.

Victoria’s line is just boring. Sergio just makes pretty clothes with little original design aesthetic. Nancy’s work is muddy and dull.

[raven]

41 minutes ago, BlackberryJam said:

Geoff is my predicted winner.

I've been thinking this for a while now and still do.

The judge's feedback seemed to me to boil down to:

Victoria - very commercial, can sell, not "fashion"

Nancy - nice that you have a dream, but nope

Sergio - you can tailor but not design

Geoffrey - that may be some weird chit but you have ideas.  You are the winner!

I hope for Geoffrey and if not, than Nancy.  Nancy has some ideas but, though her range is not as narrow as Sergio's or Victoria's, she still seems to be sort of stuck in one spot, creatively.  I also liked the dress better with the cowl. 

I think it's Geoffrey for the win.  I think he is just that person who lets all his emotions hang out; he is very empathetic also.  I hope he gets whatever he needs/wants from his relationship with his father.

 

 

[answerphone]

I'm a bit tired of seeing Geoffrey tear up and start to cry. I worry about him.

Question: what exactly is that holster thing he wears in the workroom? It looks like a combination posture corrector and underarm sweat collector.

[answerphone]

I love Christian!

[dleighg]

4 hours ago, answerphone said:

Question: what exactly is that holster thing he wears in the workroom? It looks like a combination posture corrector and underarm sweat collector.

Had the same "wondering." Is it some sort of fetish-wear? (not that I know anything about that genre, LOL) 

[caitmcg]

43 minutes ago, dleighg said:

Had the same "wondering." Is it some sort of fetish-wear? (not that I know anything about that genre, LOL) 

Only if sewing is his fetish, apparently, since he ditches it when they leave the workroom. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

6 hours ago, answerphone said:

what exactly is that holster thing he wears in the workroom? It looks like a combination posture corrector and underarm sweat collector.

It's a shoulder holster with pockets. They're pretty common with burners, which is how I know about them.

[SuprSuprElevated]

1 hour ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

They're pretty common with burners

Que?

[hoodooznoodooz]

“It's a shoulder holster with pockets. They're pretty common with burners, which is how I know about them.”

23 minutes ago, SuprSuprElevated said:

Que?

Googling “burners” brings up Burning Man. I had no idea that this was a thing.

[chitowngirl]

10 hours ago, answerphone said:

Question: what exactly is that holster thing he wears in the workroom? It looks like a combination posture corrector and underarm sweat collector.

I wondered that also! Since he takes it off when they are done for the day and leaves it on his workbench, I’m thinking it’s like a fanny pack or apron to hold his “tools” to work: scissors, seam ripper, pins, etc.

autocorrect changed fanny pack to fancy pack! Ha!

Edited March 10, 2020 by chitowngirl

[terrymct]

20 hours ago, caitmcg said:

Geoffrey said he closed his business to compete on PR. He took the Disney gig because he needed income to live on, which makes it understandable to me. He was the only one of the four who didn’t live with a partner who could help support him, materially and emotionally. 

Isn't it reasonable to expect him to have thought about this before joining the show?   

[terrymct]

10 hours ago, answerphone said:

Question: what exactly is that holster thing he wears in the workroom? It looks like a combination posture corrector and underarm sweat collector.

 

It's to hold his sewing tools while he's working, like the pocketed aprons some other designers wear.  But in Geoffrey's case, he had to go with something that less functional and more fitting into a very specific, somewhat dated, style he likes to rock.    It's like the leather biker dude from the Village People decided to pursue a career in fashion.