S18.E14: Finale, Part 2

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

TBA

Original air date: 3/12/20

[Straycat80]

All four are going to fashion week. Please stop crying Geoffrey. 

[terrymct]

A win by Geoffrey wasn’t as bad as Gretchen or Anya, but it was right down there.  

[Nordly Beaumont]

I hate public proposals.

Nancy's good at picking fabric, that's for sure. But the designs were kind of nothing.

Didn't like most of Geoffrey's but I don't mind him winning since I didn't like most of anything going down the runway.

[Suzysite]

I'm just glad Sergio and his political statements didn't win.

[Straycat80]

I’m stunned Geoffrey won. I liked him but I guess I have no idea what fashion is. Who knew that giant puffer jackets and flappy sleeve looking things hanging all over the place would be winning looks. 
At least Victoria and Sergio didn’t win. 

[Pixilicious]

The judges have lost their minds...I felt his looks were the weakest and his final model looked like a gigantic tick!  Apparently the judges think that ugly, shapeless and puffy designs are fashion forward...i could make crap like that lol

[Nordly Beaumont]

I loved Geoffrey's mom "He just couldn't dress up." It felt like his mentor was a bit underwhelmed.

[AwesomO4000]

Didn't see that coming.

Not sure that I agree with Geoffrey winning - like @Straycat80, I guess I don't know what fashion is - but it was a surprise anyway.

I'm still thinking "Wait: what?"

[TexasGal]

18 minutes ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

I hate public proposals.

 

I do too.  I was glad that Sergio’s mom seemed to like his fiancée though and was happy to see them engaged.

[BlackberryJam]

On rewatch, I enjoyed Geoffrey’s work so much more...probably because I wasn’t judging, but just appreciating. Those jackets were metal mesh? And they still looked that puffy. That’s some solid construction. 

Victoria can open a nice little shop somewhere and sell to reality tv show people. Nancy got some incredible fabrics and then did little to design things. A few of her dresses were gorgeous, but so much was dark and muddy. Sergio’s dresses were classic, well made and had nothing to do with glaciers.

[AwesomO4000]

5 minutes ago, Pixilicious said:

I felt his looks were the weakest and his final model looked like a gigantic tick! 

Hee, actually I would have found that interesting (I'm an Entomologist - it needed more "legs" to be a tick).

I was thinking Oompa Loompa who got semi-flattened.

[Archery]

Geoffrey’s Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man collection was not at all attractive. More cartoonish than anything else. And, omg, the tears. So over him, whining about if he doesn’t win he’ll have to get a job. Boo hoo. 
 

I couldn’t get into Nancy’s fabric—it looked scratchy and stiff. It must have a different quality in real life. 
 

I ended up not liking Sergio or Victoria as characters, but each of them had some beautiful, wearable pieces. V’s white sweater dress was great and made me wish I had nice shoulders, or even just one. Sergio’s grey/silver reflective thing was stunning.

i did enjoy the season as a whole: Christian’s tough, snarky love; the way they gave them extra help; the mix of model body types. There were a good 20-25 really fabulous looks throughout the season. 

Edited March 13, 2020 by Archery
More thoughts

[sempervivum]

I'm neither elated nor enraged, so yay! I quess. 

Geoffrey certainly needs the win more than the other 3 (sorry, Mr. Victoria- back to your truck!)

I have to admit Vic's last minute dress was the best thing on the runway.

[Cotypubby]

Geoffrey!! I am so thrilled for him. I was rooting for him since the very first episode!

[Kira53]

Noooooooooooo!

It makes me not want to watch next year because that was the worst 10 pieces of clothing that I could ever imagine. I see no future for this man. Besides needing incredible Psychotherapy who would ever wear these on the red carpet or anywhere?  he'll get the money That's good. I think he'll go on to make costumes in Hollywood and they could say that that's a really great outcome. They showed Sebastian making a costume for a Movie and maybe that's where he's headed and he can be a successful designer from the show Because of that costume niche. First thing science fiction because it's a very very far future for any of that costume stuff. Don't know which puffer was worse although he did sort of fixed the purple one but that last male in the yellow?

Edited March 13, 2020 by Kira53
rushed spelling

[hoosiermom]

Thanks to you all posting who the winner was, I can now watch the show. Was not going to waste my time if Victoria or Sergio won.

[roctavia]

Geoffrey's stuff is definitely different/avant-garde and I would guess that was part of why he was the winner... He also had some great looks throughout the season even if everything he did wasn't great, so i'm fine with the win for him. 

Nancy's collection seemed like the fabric was doing most of the work for a lot of her outfits, they were cool looking fabrics but not a lot of design to them. 

Victoria did have some good pieces too, but it was a lot of khaki that didn't work for me... and the crochet/ branding stuff also was not great. Her last dress was really nice though. 

Sergio's stuff looked well made, but all of the fringe just made look so old, it made me think of drapes and doilies and grandma's house. 

This season was fine, still better than lifetime... and worth watching more seasons, but I always get a little bored by the finale... i just want to see the runway and don't care about the designers enough to care about the home visits and stuff like I did when the show first started.

Edited March 13, 2020 by roctavia

[AntManBee]

I am happy with a Geoffrey win.  I thought all the Zaldy inclusion was a little odd, especially if he wasn't the winner. 

Nina, on Watch What Happens, noted that Serena was pro Sergio.  Also, I got the vibe from WWH that Nina doesn't think too highly of Brandon. 

[Rhetorica]

I just figured out why I like Sergio. He reminds me of my little boy cat, Nick!!!!

And FFS...PUFFY COATS!!!!!!????

 

[CherryMalotte]

Word to Geoffrey - love ya dude, I appreciated the collection as a whole.  Please take some of your winnings and get some anti-anxiety meds.  The super econo size.  

 

Edited March 13, 2020 by CherryMalotte

[SuprSuprElevated]

I could cherry pick a few looks from Victoria & Sergio that I really liked.  I didn't care for much of anything from either Nancy or Geoffrey.  

Overall, meh.

I'm not going to take the time to post all of the looks here, but this link will take you directly to them:   complete-collections

[bencr]

Anxiety and shyness can be very disabling and I'm glad to see Geoffrey deal with them, albeit at times he seems to really struggle. I was not annoyed by his emotions in the least.

[hula-la]

On 3/12/2020 at 7:58 PM, sempervivum said:

I'm neither elated nor enraged, so yay! I quess. 

Geoffrey certainly needs the win more than the other 3 (sorry, Mr. Victoria- back to your truck!)

I have to admit Vic's last minute dress was the best thing on the runway.

About to start a 2- week Spring Break, and since I’m staying at home, I’m seriously considering trying to make a version of her dress. It was hands down the best thing on the runway.

I was shocked that Geoffrey won, but he is a good choice as he’ll take advantage of the mentorship offered to him. Unlike others, I liked the puffy coats. They may not be wearable, but they were fun to watch and put a much needed smile on my face. 

Edited March 16, 2020 by hula-la
Grammar

[Callaphera]

A warning shot of what's to come in fashion: the... puffer coat? And random sleeves dangling off of you like you're a clothing octopus? 

At least it wasn't Victoria's khaki on khaki on crochet that won. 

[violet and green]

56 minutes ago, Pixilicious said:

I felt his looks were the weakest and his final model looked like a gigantic tick! 

Can't stop laughing at this!

Oh, man. I am silently fuming that those editors effectively gave the outcome away last week showing Chelsey losing her mind over something. (Watching her sour face during the runway, it was clear she was not over being evicted over Victoria!) After the shows and the judges comments, I figured it was probably between V and G, and there is Chelsey, with her preview overreaction of joy, so it must be Geoffrey and lo....

Serena and I chose Sergio for the win - she seemed so sweet consoling him, and I hope she orders some of his looks for special events, and he ends up with a good result from going on the show. I really wish he'd just pulled back from the excessive fringing.

But, still, giant puffer coats won! I was really hoping that last guy would drop to the ground and spin in his.

Geoffrey, sweet guy, but those yellow liverish shadows under his eyes in the final confessional, the about to pop a vein bright red - man is not long for this world, if he doesn't take some care of his health and mental/emotional reactions.

[Lemons]

Geoffrey’s show was awful.  Nothing original or innovative,yuck. 
 

I thought it was going to be Victoria, Sergio, Nancy, Geoffrey. 

[Lemons]

1 hour ago, terrymct said:

A win by Geoffrey wasn’t as bad as Gretchen or Anya, but it was right down there.  

Anya was a one trick pony but at least it was a pretty look that women would buy and look good in. I don’t see people on the subway knocking each other over with their puffer coats anytime soon.  

[mightysparrow]

I made myself watch the runway shows.  What a sad season this was.

The best received parts of Nancy's shows were the differently-abled models Nancy used who were fiercer than the clothes they were wearing.  I think Nancy using these women to make her clothes look better actually bit her in the bit.

Victoria's collection was incoherent.  There was no through line. A few of her pieces like the pink suit dress and that gorgeous White dress were great but the rest was dreadful.

Speaking of 'biting yourself in the butt', Sergio sure as shit did.  I think his collection was the best but all the bullshit he's been shoveling for the whole season (and his 'borrowing') kept him from winning.  The looks on Nina and Elaine's face made it clear that they didn't like Sergio and even if he had redefined fashion in the 21st century, there was NO FUCKING WAY they were going to let him win this thing.

I thought Geoffrey's collection was 'interesting' but I don't know how wearable it was.  That last puffiest puffer jacket made me laugh out loud.  I guess I can understand why they picked Geoffrey but I think they're throwing away their money and their mentorship.  I don't think Geoffrey has it in him to follow through.  In the end he'll come up with some excuse, cry a lot and go back to making club kids clothes in latex.

 

[Lady of nod]

21 minutes ago, Callaphera said:

A warning shot of what's to come in fashion: the... puffer coat? And random sleeves dangling off of you like you're a clothing octopus? 

At least it wasn't Victoria's khaki on khaki on crochet that won. 

Seriously - if this is a warning shot of fashion to come just shoot me now. I just cannot believe that this mess won. I can't think of who would want to wear these clothes. Nina ? Karly? I think not.

The fact that they chose this over Sergio is just mind boggling to me. Especially after the glowing reviews they gave him - although I kind of knew that they were just fucking with us. Love him or hate him, his collection was so beautiful - the color story, the fit the finishes. Just exquisite. What a joke this show has become.

[Sharpie66]

I did like more individual looks from Victoria than anyone else (that stunning white sweater dress, the pink long coat, the pink dress with cutouts), but for overall winner, I really couldn’t care enough about any of them. And this is coming from a Nancy fan, but she just didn’t have any standouts. Sergio’s looks were extremely polished, but not winners, and WTF was that from Geoffrey? Overall, nobody is going to make a name for themselves in the industry, going by these collections.

[Lemons]

4 minutes ago, Lady of nod said:

Seriously - if this is a warning shot of fashion to come just shoot me now. I just cannot believe that this mess won. I can't think of who would want to wear these clothes. Nina ? Karly? I think not.

The fact that they chose this over Sergio is just mind boggling to me. Especially after the glowing reviews they gave him - although I kind of knew that they were just fucking with us. Love him or hate him, his collection was so beautiful - the color story, the fit the finishes. Just exquisite. What a joke this show has become.

Sergio’s dresses were stunning.  When he said that his client is older they always say “but she wants to look young”.  I’m so sick of hearing that.  Not every 50 year old wants to dress like JLo. What is wrong with a sixty year old in a classic beautifully tailored dress without her boobs hanging out? The word “sexy” never enters my mind when I shop.  

[Samwise979]

Awe I actually got teary eyed. I'm glad he won, I think he's the one that will benefit from it most. 

I'm loathe to admit I liked Sergio's and Victoria's shows the most. 

[HunterHunted]

Sergio has a bad case of the Zac Posens (aka only designs gowns and can't stop embellishing); it's not a good thing. The fringe was awful! Fully and terribly! It also looked costume-y. This is something that has been a constant issue during Zac's 20 years in the business. Sergio's gowns are beautiful,  but Brandon sort of alluded to the fact that there are designers making fairly similar dresses.

I like Nancy's message, but Serena was correct that the silhouettes were simple and shapeless.

I liked Victoria's more than I thought I would, but it was over styled and the branding was too too much and terrible.

Geoffrey's was avant garde. I didn't love everything in it, but I always think that the winner should be the person who puts together a collection full of things I never could even conceive of. That's Geoffrey and to a lesser extent Victoria.

[Pattycake2]

Nancy’s pink dress was pretty, but I owned it, shorter, in yellow, 20 years ago.

[violet and green]

I think if Victoria had really listened to the judges, and definitely scrapped that look with Kheops plastered all over it, and had a few less of those weird tan/beige looks, and put in her lovely white or cream crocheted number, and some of the other creamy ones with subtler branding stitched in we saw last week instead, she could have won.

But you never ignore the judges' criticisms on the final runway! I remember, back when I liked Mondo, the time he kept the long sleeves on the spotty dress and Meana was furious, and he lost.

Oh, well. It was kind of an ugly season, with drummed up drama, at individual contestants' possibly lasting expense. I guess the glory days are over.

[zenithwit]

1 hour ago, BlackberryJam said:

On rewatch, I enjoyed Geoffrey’s work so much more...probably because I wasn’t judging, but just appreciating. Those jackets were metal mesh? And they still looked that puffy. That’s some solid construction. 

I think this may be a case where the garments did not translate as well on television.  From tv, his jackets just looked like super sized puffy coats but I bet the judges/audience could really see the work that went into it in person (especially with a different material like metal mesh).  

Plus, it is clear that either Geoffrey or Nancy would benefit the most from the mentorship.  Victoria and Sergio seem stuck in their aesthetics.  Geoffrey's collection was probably more fashion forward than Nancy's so maybe that played a role in the final decision?

I can see why Serena was voting for Sergio.  He did have some gorgeous pieces that could be on a red carpet  tomorrow.  Political commentary aside, I also like the ombre color story of the overall collection.  But he must have been a pain to production because the editors trolled him all season long (including the finale).

Victoria also had some nice pieces but I really didn't like any of the outfits with the logos.  And she was clearly was being trolled by the editors as well.

Overall, I'm not sure Geoffrey's aesthetic is so much red carpet but I could see it in music videos and performances (and some ready to wear).  But I really think he will benefit from the mentorship and I'm okay with him winning.

[30 Helens]

While watching this episode, part of me was hoping that Geoffrey would win, while part of me hoped that he would lose. I wanted him to win because it clearly meant so much to him, and he would probably benefit the most from the mentorship (not to mention the $). And he had stated before that this was probably his last chance; that he might be forced to do something else if he didn’t succeed here.

Which is why I also kind of hoped he would lose. Fashion is a stressful business, he clearly does not hold up well under pressure, and I think it would be so much better for his health if he did something else. But in the end, I’m very happy for him! I think he’s very talented, a nice guy albeit overly weepy, and definitely deserved the win.

My take on the collections: Victoria had some lovely stuff, notably the white sweater dress, but aside from that, nothing all that memorable.  The one over-branded look was tacky and pretentious. Make a name for yourself first, Vic, then you can flaunt it.

I liked the fabric in Nancy’s collection, but it would have been more impressive if not every single thing had been made from it. I was happy to see that she retained the Slinky cowl on the red gown, but this one looked like a belted Hefty bag:
 

Most of Sergio’s was really gorgeous, I thought. If you just put aside the political message (please), the color palette really flowed and many of the details were stunning. I am in love with this dress:

and I think this mermaid gown also looks as good as anything I’ve seen on a red carpet in recent memory:

But while his styles were lovely, I don’t think they were terribly innovative, and that’s where Geoffrey had the edge. I have never seen anything like this before, and I find it weirdly beautiful:

Is it me, or did he de-puff it a little since last week? The top and bottom halves seemed to be in better proportion tonight. Anyway, I thought it really worked, and it’s something I’ve never seen before. This also looked fresh and new to me:

Personally, I would be most inclined to wear something from Sergio’s collection (although I would hate myself for it).  But of the 4 collections, I was definitely most impressed by Geoffrey’s creativity. I’m happy the judges agreed.

So... who’s planning to watch the Heidi Klum/Tim Gunn show later this month? I’ll give it a try, but I’m definitely going to miss Christian.

[Cerulean]

I think Nancy made a mistake with the three pieces she showed the judges. They were some of the most busy in her collection. I wonder what advice they would have given her of she had made a more representative sample. 
 

My favorite piece by her was the grey/silver slinky dress in the middle. It was simple, but if had been styled slightly differently I think it would have come off as very futuristic. 
 

Also, I was amused that the judges favorite piece for Sergio was the one that someone else designed. The blue one he showed the judges would be at home on a red carpet, though. It is so beautiful. 

Edited March 13, 2020 by Cerulean

[Kaiju Ballet]

Yay, Geoffrey! It was heartwarming to see how happy his fellow castmates were, swarming him (Marquise rubbing his head!)  at his win.

If I won the lottery, of the four I'd want him to dress me. And I'd back his business and Nancy's.

 

[GaT]

Well, that was a surprise, I really didn't even consider Geoffrey could win, why do the judges like the puff the marshmallow man look so much? At least it wasn't Victoria. 

[Brookside]

59 minutes ago, 30 Helens said:

 

 I have never seen anything like this before, and I find it weirdly beautiful:

 

 

To me it looks like the prototype for the scene from Saving Nemo: "Puffer Fish Swallows Octopus."  If I remember rightly, it didn't make the final cut.

[buttersister]

Maybe Karlie’s bondage-inspired dress was a tip-off to the winner? Congrats, G. You listened to the judges and managed that chain mail like a champ. Puff work shows well on the runway. For an overly emotional procrastinator, he focuses! 

Get your freaking logo out of here! No? K. Leverage that white dress, Vic—it almost balances out the uselessness of your dear mom’s hats.

Serena, come back anytime! Enjoy your new Sergio dress. Happy for Nancy. 

[morakot]

4 hours ago, Lemons said:

I don’t see people on the subway knocking each other over with their puffer coats anytime soon.  

At least the coats will keep people 6 feet apart. 🙂

 

[jacksgirl]

Did love how there wasn't a fourth, third, second place. Did like each designer supporting the others. Love this show, but the talent level dropped off from last season a lot.

[SuprSuprElevated]

I too believe that it was the avant garde aspect of G's collection that sealed the win for him.  We know how much Neeena Gah-see-uh loooves editorial looks.  

I hope he can benefit from the CFDA mentorship, but I believe he will continue in the same vein.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

OMG, it took until a meeting a few days before showing his collection at NYFW for Sergio to realize that maybe he needs to make his clothes look younger, fresher, and more modern? As Christian said, it only took the whole season!

I was really glad that all four of the finalists were willing to listen to the judges' feedback and make adjustments to their collections.

One thing I really liked about this runway show: in ye olden days, each finalist would watch their runway show backstage on the monitor with Tim Gunn. This time, all of the finalists were with Christian to watch all of the collections which I found very sweet.

Victoria's collection was definitely an upgrade from the same cut out strappy blazer that she made all season (I really thought she was going to do ten blazers with cut outs and a million straps), but I wasn't in love with what she made. I HATED that green dress. There was not a single redeeming quality about it. I hated the crochet base. I hated the green pleather material on the front. I hated that particular shade of green. I hated how it fit the model. I hated the straps in the back. I hated how the sleeve wasn't actually a sleeve but a piece of fabric hanging off of the model, like a t-shirt that she'd held up in front of her. It was just hideous in every way. That fuchsia dress that Karlie loved was straight out of the 1996 Victoria's Secret catalog. I also hated the fuchsia pleather dress that came right after it. I still hated the cheap looking shiny jumpsuit with the hood. I liked most of the white sweater dress that she made at the last minute (I didn't like that big lumpy part of fabric on the left side). Some of the pants were nice.

I hated the slicked back wet look hair of Nancy's first few models. To me, it always just ends up looking like dirty greasy hair. I'm glad that she changed the fabric of the wheelchair dress. That definitely made a difference. A few of her dresses were okay but in general, they looked a little too shapeless. It seemed like the shiny fabric was doing all the work.  Then again, Tim Gunn did always say that challenges were won and lost at Mood because fabric selection is of the utmost importance. She chose fabric that would look good on the runway and she knew how to work with it, so she gets credit for making some smart fabric choices.

When Sergio told the other designers that he was definitely going to propose to his partner, I was really afraid that he was going to do it on the runway. It was slightly less cringeworthy that he only did it backstage with all of the cameras. Ugh, I just loathe public proposals like that. Anyway, I still hated all the fringe on his various outfits as much as I did when I originally saw them last week. It just looked so extraneous. I really did not like the white dress or the light blue dress, both of which looked overly simplistic and not well fitted. The second to the last dress (the sheer silver with sequins over black underwear) was striking but that one really felt like it was the material doing all the work.

Haha, I loved that Geoffrey's mom's comment to Zaldy was, "He couldn't dress up" after he came on the runway in a tank top. I loved the sheer white top with the silver pants. To use PR talk, it looked chic and effortless. I'm glad the stylist told him to stick with the symmetric look of his collection and not to overaccessorize. I wish Geoffrey had used more color because there was a lot of black on the runway. I like wearing black but when you do black on the runway, it's often difficult to see all the details and when you do multiple pieces in black, they start to blend together. Although I wasn't a fan of the giant black jacket (the one that Christian tried on in the workroom), I give that model credit for really working it.

Honestly, I didn't like any of these four collections enough to say that one person's was strong enough to be the clear winner. No one blew me away. I didn't feel that anyone did a whole collection of innovative and fashion forward stuff.

On a shallow note, I hated what Karlie was wearing. To quote old school PR, I question your taste level. It was dated and unflattering.

Awww, I liked that they had all of this season's previous contestants when they announced the winner. In old seasons, it always seemed kind of sad and anticlimactic to have like five people clapping when they announced the winner.

[Angeleyes]

Karlie’s finale look is one of Brandon’s dresses. 
 

I’m actually glad that Geoffrey chose to do avant-garde looks for his show. Plenty of designers show art pieces in their shows that are then made more wearable for their ready to wear lines. Nina compared Geoffrey to Rick Owens who is very successful, but you could also compare the puff coats to Rei Kawakubo with Comme des Garçon. 
 

 

[Ashforth]

After reflecting on this, I realized that it makes perfect sense that the designer of the collection I thought was the worst wins the prize of mentorship.

Edited March 14, 2020 by Ashforth
to make it clear that I know Geoffrey, not the garments, will get the mentorship

[DEL901]

26 minutes ago, Angeleyes said:

Karlie’s finale look is one of Brandon’s dresses. 
 

I’m actually glad that Geoffrey chose to do avant-garde looks for his show. Plenty of designers show art pieces in their shows that are then made more wearable for their ready to wear lines. Nina compared Geoffrey to Rick Owens who is very successful, but you could also compare the puff coats to Rei Kawakubo with Comme des Garçon. 

I was pretty sure (hopeful) that Geoffrey won when the judges were whispered about how avant-garde Geoffrey's work was, but added commercial too.   Isn't that how a lot of the big shows work?  Everything pushed to the max for the show and then somewhat moderated to be wearable when they go into stores.   The other 3's clothing was more like ready-to-wear.  Even Sergio (based on his website), would just put those gowns on sale as it.  BTW, I called his collection western saloon-girl because of the fringe on most of the dresses.