S01.E06: Opposing Forces

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Quote

In front of the oldest temple in Tokyo, Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn give the remaining six designers a futuristic assignment - create two looks based on the concept of opposing forces. They will then showcase their looks in an immersive, digital fashion experience. The pressure of the competition threatens to derail one designer, while another takes a risky step outside of their comfort zone.

Original air date: 4/10/20

[TV Glotzer]

Those fucking digital backgrounds.  What is this show really about?  Don’t tell me it’s fashion.

If you didn’t already despise Amazon this show will push you over the edge. 

[Linderhill]

ugh, Sander's outfit looked so much better on the show than on Amazon.  He's really plucking my nerves on how special he thinks he is.  

[leighdear]

How did Rinat think "Judi-Budi" was going to work out?  I thought both looks were horrible and her win last week was a fluke.  Total bullshit dragging her personal "guards up" crap onto the judging area.  Glad she's gone.  And her ripped, shredded sweater & jeans outfit looked stupid. 

Glad they finally called Ji on her reliance of everything being an off-shoot of the traditional Korean Hanbok dress.  Every Korean designer I've ever seen does the exact same thing. Nothing original or innovative, just all riffs on the same dress.

Sander better watch his snotty little self.  That hissy fit at the beginning almost turned into a FU to the judges, but I think Tim pulled him back and made him re-think his mini tantrum.

I honestly don't think this show is going to elevate a single person on it into a global, known brand.  I think regardless of who they give the win to (Because I don't think any are exceptionally talented enough to DESERVE it), none of these folks are that level.

I think Heidi, Tim and this show desperately want to produce the next Christian Siriano.  Not gonna happen.  Ever. 

Edited April 10, 2020 by leighdear

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sander had a shitty attitude about doing an accessible look. Accessible doesn't mean you have to do a cheap boring unstructured stupid garbage t-shirt but he was so insistent that in order to satisfy the judges, that's what he had to do. That's what I call an extreme failure of imagination. His claim that t-shirts are the only things that sell is a load of shit. Lots of non t-shirt items of clothing are sold every single day, you pretentious blowhard. Whenever people rail against being normal, I just roll my eyes. Yes, you're special and so different from the normies.

 

[dbell1]

I’m getting bored with the show. Barely paid attention to anything until the runway.  And that was boring too. Brown and yellow won tonight? Sure. Makes as much sense as anything else happening. 

[mjc570]

I thought the only interesting thing on this episode was the animated thing in the front row at the show, who showed more animation than any of the designers.

Glad Ji went, her stuff was pretty one-note.  Rinat was pretty lucky here, so was Esther although I think her past wins helped her.  I was surprised Sander won, he doesn't seem all that creative beyond the t-shirt cut out.  I think Jonny's 2 outfits were beautiful and very well-made, both were very accessible.  I also like Megan, her white sit was so well-done.   

[Straycat80]

At this point I’m hate watching this show. It is boring. And no one seems happy. Sanders was mad and all snarky attitude until he won of course. Esther, Rinat and Ji were crying. Even the judges and Tim don’t seem happy. I thought the animated judge was dumb. 

[nb360]

3 hours ago, mjc570 said:

Glad Ji went, her stuff was pretty one-note.  Rinat was pretty lucky here

Hmm... I thought Ji was safe and Rinat was gone.

[buttersister]

What a hot mess. I’ve only bought brand name underwear on Amazon, this will not connect me to their, uh, fashion. Ha, does this stuff have Amazon labels?

Rinat was booted (don’t worry, Ji is right behind her). JewBu is real, but a look inspired by Hasidim was not going to be high fashion—and the Buddhist piece was meh, too. Sorry, Rinat. 
 
Sander! That hissy fit isn’t going to be rewarded with $1 million. He won because the producers like the See The Light story and Amazon could sell those outfits. Nice work, Johnny. It’s still you and Esther in the finale.

[SemiCharmedLife]

14 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Sander had a shitty attitude about doing an accessible look. Accessible doesn't mean you have to do a cheap boring unstructured stupid garbage t-shirt but he was so insistent that in order to satisfy the judges, that's what he had to do. That's what I call an extreme failure of imagination. His claim that t-shirts are the only things that sell is a load of shit. Lots of non t-shirt items of clothing are sold every single day, you pretentious blowhard. Whenever people rail against being normal, I just roll my eyes. Yes, you're special and so different from the normies.

 

I agree with you and I kept thinking that he should just do the looks he wants to do and not have a fit.  The judges won't give him the win if one of the looks is not accessible for Amazon to reproduce.  That would be his choice.  If he doesn't want to compromise, he just won't get the win.  The judges were just reminding him that his garment has to be able to be reproduced and sold, as part of the contest.  

[leighdear]

11 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I thought the only interesting thing on this episode was the animated thing in the front row at the show, who showed more animation than any of the designers.

And they did that with an animated Betty Boop on PR ages ago.  Nothing innovative here folks, move along....

I hate Esther's stupid, almost Village-People-Leather-Guy black hat SO incredibly much.  I'm sure she feels it's her signature piece, but it's ridiculous.  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I hated the digital projections because the colors and designs kept me from seeing what the clothes actually looked like until the models got to the very front of the stage.

I liked Jonny's houndstooth dress (although from the side angle, it looked like there was a lot of bulky layering). I wasn't as crazy about the accessible look on the male model but I still liked it.

Ji Won's first look was more striking because o the contrast with the turquoise and white (as well as the large graphics), but design wise, the garment was a hanbok. The accessible dress was too plain. I also hated the mullet skirt.

Rinat's accessible look was messy verging on sloppy. I also didn't like the diarrhea color of the jacket or the mustard shorts. The runway look had potential. I liked the bluish color of the top but I didn't like the shininess. The skirt looked like she started to do some interesting draping and then ran out of time. It did look better than the skirt that Tim said looked like it got knotted up in the dryer.

Megan silver runway look definitely had impact but it reminded me of a foil cupcake liner. The white suit was fine but nothing special.

Sander's accessible look was ugly. The runway look was better but I only liked the top portion, particularly the back. HATED the styling. Why would you want greasy stringy hair hanging all over the model's face?

Esther's accessible look was good from the knee up, but I hated the see through panels on the legs. I hope she knows that the problem with her runway look was not the color but the cheap looking fabric she chose. It looked like she cut up a bunch of those translucent kiddie umbrellas to make her look.

[Lady of nod]

Last weeks garments were much more fun. I though this week was a miss and a mess.

I'm in the minority here but I'm glad Sander won.

[MartyQui]

Two things...it always surprises me when the judges don’t know fabric or fashion.  Joseph Altazurra called the large scale houndstooth a plaid...it’s not.

I’ve been to that temple in Tokyo and one of the coolest things are the burners in front, where you can use the smoke to say a prayer and bless yourself.  I would have done air/smoke for one look, and water (from Shinto) for the other.  I thought their ideas were uninspired.

[TexasGal]

54 minutes ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

 

Rinat's accessible look was messy verging on sloppy. I also didn't like the diarrhea color of the jacket or the mustard shorts. The runway look had potential. I liked the bluish color of the top but I didn't like the shininess. The skirt looked like she started to do some interesting draping and then ran out of time. It did look better than the skirt that Tim said looked like it got knotted up in the dryer.

I didn’t understand Rinat’s concept.  She kept saying the Buddhist inspired look was going to be like sunshine so I thought she was going to riff on the robed look somehow.  What did that mustard short have to do with sunshine?

[tljgator]

1 hour ago, leighdear said:

I hate Esther's stupid, almost Village-People-Leather-Guy black hat SO incredibly much.  I'm sure she feels it's her signature piece, but it's ridiculous.

Don't get me wrong, I hate that hat, too...but what was with going swimming still wearing the 20 pounds of "gold" jewelry she had shoveled on as part of her nod to "embracing color"? So odd.

[raven]

14 hours ago, mjc570 said:

I think Jonny's 2 outfits were beautiful and very well-made, both were very accessible.  I also like Megan, her white sit was so well-done.   

I think Jonny and Megan are the stealth front runners.  Esther's aesthetic is not accessible to everyone and I don't think the show wants to build around her unless she makes a huge adaptation, style wise.

Sander was a brat.  Too bad he won.

2 hours ago, tljgator said:

but what was with going swimming still wearing the 20 pounds of "gold" jewelry she had shoveled on as part of her nod to "embracing color"?

It was hilarious at any rate.   I'm thinking why are we seeing this? Does anyone care?

[Keywestclubkid]

Why was the designer that went on a show to help him and his brand become more commercial and grow bitch the entire time about making a more commercial look? What the what?? 

Edited April 11, 2020 by Keywestclubkid

[gorgy]

I'm glad Amazon releases two episodes a week because I'm not sure I'd last a whole 10 or 12 weeks of this. The sum is less than the parts it seems.

• I tried, but I really don't care for any of the designers on a personal level or really in a fashion sense, either. As a whole, the looks created all come off so dowdy (R.I.P. Wendy Pepper), but that maybe just the trends of today. There are probably some descent pieces, but the misses outnumber the hits by a large margin. This show reminds me more of something that was NBC years ago (I think Nicole Richie was a judge on that, too) and all the looks were immediately available at Macy's or something like that. Each designer had a team and maybe a mentor. I forget the exact details, but I don't think that show was particularly successful either. The line between clothing as fashion or commodity lays a lot of pitfalls. If Amazon is trying to become the new HSN with branded designers, this isn't the best format for them.
• The judging panel is not good. The only one that offered useful critique was Nicole Richie, and she's replaced with an influencer(what a worthless existence that is) who clearly is in over her head, because other than saying she likes or doesn't like something, there is no feedback. Her stating that if she likes it, then all 17 million of her followers would as well, and in that moment, I realized how out of touch I am. I did enjoy that Naomi Campbell seems quite over the whole thing when on multiple occasions the one male judge in a neutral tone (that came off as stern) would ask Naomi if she liked whatever schmatta was going down the stairs, and she'd give off a "Yeah" or "I hate it" while frumped down in her chair. Heidi trying to be the charismatic lead with this group is not working at all. Also, the only energy this show has is Heidi going off to different places absent of anything to do with fashion. The juxtaposition between these skits and the rest of the show seem like a waste of time. That cartoon thing was just annoying.
• I hate to say it, but Tim is practically worthless. He mostly just stands back, looks contemplative, and then the designers continue to do whatever it is they were going to do anyway.
• I'd criticize the production, but what would I bitch about next week 

 

 

 

[Calamity Jane]

I’m trying to figure out if Tim’s guidance has become almost meaningless and unhelpful over the years, or if it always was, and I just overlooked it because Tim was so likable. After two seasons of Christian’s far more specific and actually useful advice on PR, especially this past season, I guess I got used to something more substantive than Tim’s “Think hard about that” and other vague comments. I always thought Heidi and Tim were the magic of PR, but turns out I was wrong. I greatly prefer the original to this silly show, $1,000,000 prize and all. Soooo disappointed!

[SemiCharmedLife]

6 hours ago, tljgator said:

Don't get me wrong, I hate that hat, too...but what was with going swimming still wearing the 20 pounds of "gold" jewelry she had shoveled on as part of her nod to "embracing color"? So odd.

Her jewelry probably weighed more than she did.  I'm glad she didn't drown!

[TVbitch]

Less Heidi is more. 

 

 

[violet and green]

I found it hard to take the new judge seriously, as I was thinking, 'social media influencer, oh great, celebrity internet narcissist', but then her own outfits were so hideous. Carine Roitfeld must be rolling in her bed grinding her teeth - they replaced me with this.... this.... influencer.

After last week (can't be bothered writing two posts, heh) I am gunning for Jonny, who has shown he gets what is being asked for him and is willing to adapt. Since when did a televised design contest feature so heavily so many unwilling to adapt their style - PR has one or two per season, apparently incapable of so doing, but this is ridiculous - and for a million dollars. I think these lowlifes imagine just being on the show will do wonders for their brand and they don't need to lower themselves to do what's needed to win, and be cogs in Amazon's design wheel.

 

 

[DangerousMinds]

How are they “lowlifes?” 

[violet and green]

1 hour ago, DangerousMinds said:

How are they “lowlifes?” 

Every single season of every single show* I am asked to explain a throwaway word - an adjective, a noun... Pluck any word out of context... It's like a sport!

Perhaps I should have said... I don't know... schmucks? But then I would have had to look it up on google to see I had the correct term and spelling.

Ningnongs? Is that popularly understood these days? Doofuses? See, schmuck. Twits? Stupidos? Blah-burgers? (made that one up) Take your pick. Clearly they are not literally idiots, any more than they are the dictionary definition of lowlives. It's just a word. Fools. That might have fit. Not totally.

But if you think about it, going on a design show and refusing to alter an iota of your 'vision' like you're Jean Paul Gaultier already is pretty contemptible. Not that I put that much thought into it!

edit to add: I am still mulling on what other word I should have used... Dills. Muppets! Eejits? Clowns! I certainly didn't mean to imply the contestants on this esteemed show were actual criminals, drug-dealers or the like. But on the other hand 'no-good dirty bums' appeals, also. 'This raft of fools' is quite nice...

*hyperbole, but close...

 

 

Edited April 12, 2020 by violet and green
further ponderings

[zenithwit]

5 hours ago, Calamity Jane said:

I’m trying to figure out if Tim’s guidance has become almost meaningless and unhelpful over the years, or if it always was, and I just overlooked it because Tim was so likable. After two seasons of Christian’s far more specific and actually useful advice on PR, especially this past season, I guess I got used to something more substantive than Tim’s “Think hard about that” and other vague comments. I always thought Heidi and Tim were the magic of PR, but turns out I was wrong. I greatly prefer the original to this silly show, $1,000,000 prize and all. Soooo disappointed!

Definitely agree that Christian's advice is better and more specific on Project Runway.  Also, Christian seems more invested in the process and it feels like he spends more time in the workroom (for example, he is almost always there to help designers during model fittings).

Overall, I actually don't hate the format of this show but I think the casting hasn't been great.  I'm personally not invested in any designers and so far none of the designs have really wowed me.  It feels like an average season of Project Runway has stronger talent than this inaugural season.

And I'm guessing we're going to see the comeuppance of Sander next week.  There's no way the editors would put in so many annoying clips without some sort of overarching game plan.  Also, if he is so anti-consumerism, why did he go on a show paid for by Amazon?

[RealReality]

Wow, I have enjoyed this show but I've never seen one episode of any show with two jump the shark moments.  Like wow. 

Because did these people just introduce a motherfucking cartoon in the front row of a fashion show? WTF?  And before you come at me about Miss Piggy and PR, that was different because Miss Piggy is a cultural icon and has been around for decades AND she was the client AND PR took like a decade to get to that point where they could get away with that.  This is the first season of making the cut.  

Second, the only way I'm less interested in the tim and Heidi segments are when they are Heidi and random Instagram "influencer" and "digital media entrepreneur".  The insistence on pretending this woman is some great voice in fashion is also jumping the shark. 

I still like the show, but what the hell?

It'll be an unpopular opinion I'm sure, but I really love sander.  But I like strong personalities and I think his beef with the judges is artistic.  He is wrong of course, but I respect where he is coming from. And he is young and idealistic.  

I didn't like either of jiwons looks.  I'm glad Esther used color....I know it's a bit on the nose, but I kinda would have been interested to see a black v. white collection from her, maybe with pops of color.  

Someone needs to tell rinat that that knot in the middle of a skirt looks weird, I think it works on some dresses but on a skirt it looks odd.  I really liked her blue skirt but that first look was a hot mess. 

Another UO, but I think it's cute that altazurra appears to have been absolutely influenced by Naomi.  A strong person is going to pull people into her orbit and I didn't disagree with a lot of what she said.  

[RealReality]

7 hours ago, gorgy said:

I'm glad Amazon releases two episodes a week because I'm not sure I'd last a whole 10 or 12 weeks of this. The sum is less than the parts it seems.

• I tried, but I really don't care for any of the designers on a personal level or really in a fashion sense, either. As a whole, the looks created all come off so dowdy (R.I.P. Wendy Pepper), but that maybe just the trends of today. There are probably some descent pieces, but the misses outnumber the hits by a large margin. This show reminds me more of something that was NBC years ago (I think Nicole Richie was a judge on that, too) and all the looks were immediately available at Macy's or something like that. Each designer had a team and maybe a mentor. I forget the exact details, but I don't think that show was particularly successful either. The line between clothing as fashion or commodity lays a lot of pitfalls. If Amazon is trying to become the new HSN with branded designers, this isn't the best format for them.
• The judging panel is not good. The only one that offered useful critique was Nicole Richie, and she's replaced with an influencer(what a worthless existence that is) who clearly is in over her head, because other than saying she likes or doesn't like something, there is no feedback. Her stating that if she likes it, then all 17 million of her followers would as well, and in that moment, I realized how out of touch I am. I did enjoy that Naomi Campbell seems quite over the whole thing when on multiple occasions the one male judge in a neutral tone (that came off as stern) would ask Naomi if she liked whatever schmatta was going down the stairs, and she'd give off a "Yeah" or "I hate it" while frumped down in her chair. Heidi trying to be the charismatic lead with this group is not working at all. Also, the only energy this show has is Heidi going off to different places absent of anything to do with fashion. The juxtaposition between these skits and the rest of the show seem like a waste of time. That cartoon thing was just annoying.
• I hate to say it, but Tim is practically worthless. He mostly just stands back, looks contemplative, and then the designers continue to do whatever it is they were going to do anyway.
• I'd criticize the production, but what would I bitch about next week 

 

 

 

Fashion star!  

That show was a hot mess, but the concept of having the clothes immediately available at the winning retailers store was pretty cool.  

The problem was either that the retailers didn't really fully buy into the concept or there were logistics issues because they would maybe sometimes be in Macy's, on a random rack somewhere, with a little sign that said fashion star.  There were always XS and S, but not M or L, which is where most women are at, so I assume they didn't make enough of certain sizes.  

I thought that copying the concept in the day and age of Amazon was pretty cool, but honestly, there hasn't been a design I'd be particularly interested in buying ...also I have no place to go.  And while I can stop the show and shop Amazon from my TV....I'm not going to do that.  On the Amazon site there isn't even a banner about the show.  

I'm disappointed they are doing one day challenges.  But so far I haven't seen a dramatic drop so maybe it doesn't matter.  

They acted like ji was the only person who hasn't won, but I don't think Megan has won either and a few times I felt she should have.  

Edited April 12, 2020 by RealReality

[Ms Blue Jay]

Wow.  I really like the show.  I wait hungrily every week for the next episodes. And I'm obsessed with Sander.

I'm obsessed with Naomi Campbell too.

The only thing - I wouldn't wear PVC on your body at all.  Making a dress out of PVC is not a good idea.  PVC causes cancer, you can Google it.

[violet and green]

It's not a terrible show, but I am just so disappointed as I was really looking forward to seeing it, I guess. It seems bizarre, with all the money poured into it, the fantastic locations, some amazing 'gets' as judges, like Carine Roitfeld and Naomi Campbell, and the extraordinary prize money, that they have so many designers with lacklustre results and who are so resistant to the notion that they might need to make the odd change to the way they usually design in order to win, and the odd concession to the commercial realities of a quick mass market production of their designs.

After Geoffrey almost blowing a vein with his passion and determination to win Project Runway, it is disconcerting to have people effectively resigning from this show - or acting as if they would rather go down with the ship rather than use any color as their trademark is black, like Esther, or as if it's too much to stomach for them to dial down the art, like Sander, or alter to any degree whatsoever their ingrained sense of their style or brand that is being clung onto and defended. You can't have your cake and eat it too. It's a design competition designed to create a global brand, that's what they keep saying. I wish we had Marquise and Shavi and Delvin and Geoffrey, for starters, designing their socks off to win, on this show.

[dleighg]

On 4/11/2020 at 2:48 AM, buttersister said:

JewBu is real, but a look inspired by Hasidim was not going to be high fashion

and how was it Hassidic to begin with? I mean there are a lot more instantly identifiable features than something that just looked like boring menswear.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

15 hours ago, Calamity Jane said:

I’m trying to figure out if Tim’s guidance has become almost meaningless and unhelpful over the years, or if it always was, and I just overlooked it because Tim was so likable. After two seasons of Christian’s far more specific and actually useful advice on PR, especially this past season, I guess I got used to something more substantive than Tim’s “Think hard about that” and other vague comments.

I think the difference is that as a teacher, Tim doesn't want to just tell a designer what to do. It's kind of like being a therapist. You can point out where there's an issue so that the other person can step back and examine it and come up with a solution or an alternative on their own because you want them to go through the thought process and arrive at a conclusion, not just do what they're told. Sometimes it works, like when Rinat said she was going to do the facing of her jacket in the same print and he said to consider other options. Tim point blank said to her, "I would never tell you what to do." She ended up using a very contrasting fabric and it looked so much better.

Christian, on the other hand, comes from the perspective of being a designer who has to sell things, so he is much less hesitant to offer very specific suggestions because he wants to solve the problem and make it a sellable item. In Rinat's case, I can see him doing what he's done with other PR contestants: pawing through the other fabric at their work station and then holding up other prints and saying, "What about this? Or this? Or any of these other prints?"

[dleighg]

Because I'm a computer geek, and this is what geeks do, I watched the runway show curious as to whether the backdrop was digital screens with displayed graphics (which would be cool, and expensive), or just plain old projection. Given that the models (and Heidi and Tim) had the graphics show on their bodies, plain old projection. So to be honest, not *really* digital backgrounds. Sorry, Amazon.

[sasha206]

On 4/11/2020 at 10:22 AM, leighdear said:

And they did that with an animated Betty Boop on PR ages ago.  Nothing innovative here folks, move along....

I hate Esther's stupid, almost Village-People-Leather-Guy black hat SO incredibly much.  I'm sure she feels it's her signature piece, but it's ridiculous.  

And the crying that she has to use a fucking color.   You're one shitty designer if you have a mental breakdown over color.  I can understand better when designers don't love working with prints, and even that's obnoxious to me.  But a solid color throws you into the pit of despair?    Designing and dressing in black does not make you edgy, cool, sophisticated.  It makes you a try-hard bore.

Sander is annoying AF and I'll be glad when he's booted off, but at least he can design something interesting.   i liked his runway look, even though the color was bland.  I kind of wish someone would tell him he seems to want to be a costume designer. 

Rinat, I don't mind seeing you go.  I'm glad her mentioning her hard luck story once again got her nowhere.

JiWon, does nothing for me.  Seems very one note as well and it seems like all her designs make her model look heavy.  She should go.

Jonny,  I like most of his stuff and I think he would have the most successful, marketable brand out of all of them.  

Heidi, are we supposed to believe she doesn't know the word dichotomy?  Or are they trying to dumb her down to explain what that means to the viewing audience. Who is in charge of her wardrobe this year?  That orange sequins shapeless dress that made her look like she has saddlebags was God awful.  Looked like a Martha reject.

[Ashforth]

What happened to this not being a sewing competition?

On 4/11/2020 at 3:48 PM, gorgy said:

This show reminds me more of something that was NBC years ago (I think Nicole Richie was a judge on that, too) and all the looks were immediately available at Macy's or something like that. Each designer had a team and maybe a mentor.

That's the show I was trying to remember, in which I believe each designer had a couple of seamstresses IN THE STUDIO. It was interesting to see the seamstresses give input and practical advice to the designers, as I recall (it's been a while, so I could be wrong). I think that's more accurate as a real world collaboration between a designer and their team, instead of the MTC device of stuffing your fabric and patterns into a bag with notes for someone you never get to really communicate with. 

I'll join the apparently small group that likes Sander. I thought his little meltdown was more about how idiotic the challenges are than a full-blown ego trip. Choose your digital background! Really? WTF, Show? 

Speaking of which, the "fashion show" was, imo, an epic fail. You couldn't even see the clothes with the projection of the "backgrounds." Add the digital and "influencer" judges and smh.

But, much as in other disasters, I can't look away.

7 minutes ago, sasha206 said:

Heidi, are we supposed to believe she doesn't know the word dichotomy?

I guess it's Heidi's "word of the day" educational segment. Or Tim's. Tim seems to be so secondary in this mess, it's hard to tell.

Edited April 13, 2020 by Ashforth

[Lamb18]

On 4/11/2020 at 11:21 PM, RealReality said:

It'll be an unpopular opinion I'm sure, but I really love sander.  But I like strong personalities and I think his beef with the judges is artistic.  He is wrong of course, but I respect where he is coming from. And he is young and idealistic.

Sander is my favorite on the show. I always wonder what he's going to do next. And I feel he's approaching this with a sense of adventure and good humor even when he is upset about designing for consumers. (You can tell he hasn't had to support himself as a designer.) I started liking him when he was teamed with Sabato and instead of whining about being stuck with the old guy, embraced the opportunity and made the best of it. I sometimes wonder if he isn't trying to be Christian a bit as the sassy youngster of the competition. 

[RealReality]

13 minutes ago, Lamb18 said:

Sander is my favorite on the show. I always wonder what he's going to do next. And I feel he's approaching this with a sense of adventure and good humor even when he is upset about designing for consumers. (You can tell he hasn't had to support himself as a designer.) I started liking him when he was teamed with Sabato and instead of whining about being stuck with the old guy, embraced the opportunity and made the best of it. I sometimes wonder if he isn't trying to be Christian a bit as the sassy youngster of the competition. 

I agree with you about liking sander after he was paired with sabato and didn't complain.  If he were just a complainer that would have been his prime opportunity.  But instead he held his composure and he and sabato became close.  

[tljgator]

5 hours ago, dleighg said:

Because I'm a computer geek, and this is what geeks do, I watched the runway show curious as to whether the backdrop was digital screens with displayed graphics (which would be cool, and expensive), or just plain old projection. Given that the models (and Heidi and Tim) had the graphics show on their bodies, plain old projection. So to be honest, not *really* digital backgrounds. Sorry, Amazon.

Thank you, dleighg -- I wondered why the images kept projecting onto the models if it was a digital backdrop. Short answer, because it wasn't, lol. (They did a much better job of this on Next in Fashion on Netflix -- the runway itself seemed to have the digital image, as well as the backdrop. If you've seen that one, can you explain the difference in what they're doing, technology-wise?)

[buttersister]

It occurs to me that the influencer and cartoon were a matched set. Hey, Amazon, monetize that!

Is Megan the sleeper? I liked many of her looks early on. I guess if her backstory gets more play, we’ll find out.

[SuprSuprElevated]

On 4/11/2020 at 10:22 AM, leighdear said:

I hate Esther's stupid, almost Village-People-Leather-Guy black hat SO incredibly much.  I'm sure she feels it's her signature piece, but it's ridiculous. 

I keep thinking that it must be dirty and smelly. I suppose she could have a dozen of them to rotate into service, but nah, it's nasty.

[leighdear]

5 hours ago, Ashforth said:

What happened to this not being a sewing competition?

That's the show I was trying to remember, in which I believe each designer had a couple of seamstresses IN THE STUDIO. It was interesting to see the seamstresses give input and practical advice to the designers, as I recall (it's been a while, so I could be wrong). I think that's more accurate as a real world collaboration between a designer and their team, instead of the MTC device of stuffing your fabric and patterns into a bag with notes for someone you never get to really communicate with. 

It may have been "Fashion Star" that also had Jessica Simpson, in addition to Nicole Richie.  It was not a bad show I thought, fairly entertaining.  I watched both seasons. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_Star

 

 

[RealReality]

1 hour ago, leighdear said:

It may have been "Fashion Star" that also had Jessica Simpson, in addition to Nicole Richie.  It was not a bad show I thought, fairly entertaining.  I watched both seasons. 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fashion_Star

 

 

OMG, there were two season?  I thought it crashed and burned after one!  Yep, Jessica simpson and John varvatos doing his best impression of Michael kors and failing miserably!  There can only be one!

The fashion shows were always a bit much for my taste with the weird background dancers or drummers, or aerial ribbon dancers.   Sometimes less is really more.  

Overall though, I thought it was an interesting concept and very VERY accessible!

[StrictTime]

I am also on Team Sander. I think he’s hilarious and easy-going, personality-wise, and creative and artistic (and he can actually sew!) design-wise. And he’s right—he shouldn’t have to make an accessible look if he doesn’t want to. Will he win the challenge? Doubtful, but they won’t eliminate him if he makes beautiful clothes. He stands out to me as the only competitor that could have something new to say in fashion.

I love that I can 10-second fast forward through the Heidi and Tim dating segments. 
 

Next who needs to go? Probably Ji, I think she’s in over her head. And I wouldn’t be sad to see Blackhole Esther leave either.

[oldCJ]

On 4/11/2020 at 9:48 AM, buttersister said:

a look inspired by Hasidim was not going to be high fashion

Yup. There’s no way Hasidic-inspired could be high fashion. /s

1990s Gaultier would like to have a word with you. 

[pasdetrois]

This show is a mess. It's clear that it's driven by Amazon's and Heidi's crass drive to make more money.

I'm embarrassed for Tim's devolution into a goofy side-kick. I've speculated for several years now that he is becoming physically fragile, and I think he continues to accept this work because he needs the money. When PR first exploded on the scene, he explained in interviews, and I think in his own book, that he did not make decent money for years, including while at Parsons. He hasn't had a domestic partner in decades (to share expenses or perhaps provide employment benefits, such as health insurance). PR was his chance to catch up financially , and now his production company is credited by name on this series.

However he's still emotionally invested in fashion and moved by little moments when he sees inspiration. The show is not using him in the right way. I hate the way he gets shoved into the background during the critiques while the Heidis and Naomis of the world blather on.

Speaking of which, why aren't we being shown Naomi's clothes? She just sits on a stool and glowers.

Esther appears to have some deep-rooted anxieties. Combined with her rigid design aesthetic, she is unsuitable for what Amazon's trying to do.

I've wondered if Megan might be a stealth candidate - level-headed, polished, able to produce marketable fashion. I think this is between her and Jonny.

Edited April 14, 2020 by pasdetrois

[Omeletsmom]

On 4/13/2020 at 6:48 AM, dleighg said:

Because I'm a computer geek, and this is what geeks do, I watched the runway show curious as to whether the backdrop was digital screens with displayed graphics (which would be cool, and expensive), or just plain old projection. Given that the models (and Heidi and Tim) had the graphics show on their bodies, plain old projection. So to be honest, not *really* digital backgrounds. Sorry, Amazon.

I actually liked Sander's clothes better with the circuits projected on them.  I think the pattern improved the design.

For all the rest of them, all it did was hide the clothes until they were almost at the bottom.  Total fail.

[buttersister]

8 hours ago, oldCJ said:

1990s Gaultier

Yeah, 1990s me agreed with the many offended by “Chic Rabbis.” Thanks for the memory?

[leighdear]

9 hours ago, oldCJ said:

Yup. There’s no way Hasidic-inspired could be high fashion. /s

1990s Gaultier would like to have a word with you. 

I actually think the coat is stunning, but there is no way a woman with breasts over an A cup is going to be able to wear it.  And it almost looks like she has Geisha makeup on. 

I can just barely make out the word "kimono" in  the text so the Hasidim/Asia mash-up seems pretty obvious. 

[sasha206]

21 hours ago, StrictTime said:

I am also on Team Sander. I think he’s hilarious and easy-going, personality-wise, and creative and artistic (and he can actually sew!) design-wise. And he’s right—he shouldn’t have to make an accessible look if he doesn’t want to. Will he win the challenge? Doubtful, but they won’t eliminate him if he makes beautiful clothes. He stands out to me as the only competitor that could have something new to say in fashion.

I love that I can 10-second fast forward through the Heidi and Tim dating segments. 
 

Next who needs to go? Probably Ji, I think she’s in over her head. And I wouldn’t be sad to see Blackhole Esther leave either.

But the whole concept of this show is to sell their design on Amazon and I'm assuming he knew that going in.  No one is going to buy his runway stuff on a mass market level because it's not wearable.  

Call me crazy, but those whacky designs on a runway by regular designers are usually modified in some way to be accessible for purchase, right?

Because if famous designers have to have their crazy stuff modified to be accessible, seems like Sander shouldn't be complaining b/c that is a key aspect of fashion design.

Edited April 14, 2020 by sasha206