S13.E01: The Judges Decide

[Mabinogia]

it is sad that you have a better shot at guessing the winner based on personality than on design skill. I see Korina going very far in this completion. She's a heinous bitch. And that idiotic shorts guy who kept latching onto her like a bitch seeking missile. He won't go as far, but there's no way TIIC will let him go until Korina has someone else to bitch-gossip with. And yes, this show has rewarded some pretty unappealing personalities. Honestly, there are probably more winners of this show that I hate than that I like.

[terrymct]

I'm looking at the "Rate The Runway" right now, and my favorite garments were Fade's and Christine's. I also liked Char's. Those would have been my top 3, with Fade as the winner. That dress was beautiful.

After looking at Rate the Runway, I think the same thing about Fade. It was clever, interesting, and pretty. We barely saw the dress during the runway. I don't understand why it didn't get more attention.

[Mabinogia]

I would buy Fade's dress in a heartbeat and I can't wait to see what he does next. He's one of the few I'm actually excited to see what they do and hope he makes it. He might be my favorite at the moment. I hate Korina already but I actually liked her look, that long flowy red jumpsuit had visual impact. And Kini's dress would be my top three. My bottom three would be Emily's breastplate dress, Hernan's (who? Wouldn't even know who he was if I wasn't looking at Rate the Runway right now) uninspired dress (the one made out of the same as Sandhya's but with less interesting detail and Jefferson's loosing look, and as much as I liked Jefferson, he'd probably be my choice to go. So the judges got something right. LOL

[kanona29]

I really liked Shandaya going into the first runway, but let's be real...Her model looked like she tripped head first into a big bucket of red Koolaid and then threw the whole garment straight in the trash afterwards! Should not have won. I don't care how good the story is behind a garment if it's not even a little bit attractive and looked as though it came right out of the trash bin..Koolaid stains and all.

I hope her looks improve because I did initially really like her and her audition pieces.

Char is by far my favorite right now. She seems to really love being there and so far has a pleasant and positive vibe about her. Her garment came out 100x better than I thought it would and felt she was the most deserving of the win.

[Gumby]

Well, I'll say it: I loved the high-waisted 1930s-style tap shorts. The hem was wonky but I can't believe how reviled it was by the panel.

 

I also loved Sandaya's dress, but I'm weird. Seemed strange though how pedestrian her bedroom decor was (or what was portrayed as the home, with her husband in the background; maybe their hotel or parents' place. Oh, and that her own outfit seemed so dull. Am I am I missing something?

Edited July 27, 2014 by Gumby

[threebluestars]

Red Robin? Mary Kay?

 

"Help, I'm sinking!" cried Project Runway

[Day2Day]

Contestants/Designers... I'd really start to worry if one of the challenges consists of a "Cruise-wear" competition. Especially if they want you to cruise around Manhattan on The Circle Line.   Suggestion: wear your life vest.

[PinkSprinkles]

Designers grab a lifevest! 

[Gumby]

 

I realize Tim isn't an expert on these things but I need him to learn that vaginas are on the INSiDE. Unless a garment incorporates a speculum, we are not going to be seeing anyone's vagina.

THANNNNNK YOU! Major pet peeve. I blame Howard Stern for launching this common misuse by always using 'vagina' in place of the accurate 'vulva'. I personally prefer, "mound of Venus". And while an English friend charmingly called it her 'mini' - I suppose that would be confusing on the runway.

 

While I'm on the line: Another one that's killing me with kids-these-days is blending wary with leery of: "I'm weary of her".  

Edited July 27, 2014 by Gumby

[RealityCowgirl]

I realize Tim isn't an expert on these things but I need him to learn that vaginas are on the INSiDE. Unless a garment incorporates a speculum, we are not going to be seeing anyone's vagina.

.

One of those too-common things that drives me insane - especially when perpetrated by someone who has one.

Pretty sure we covered that in the "miracle of girlhood" filmstrip in fourth or fifth grade. Granted, Tim probably didn't get to sit in on that particular experience; but still...

You get that wrong, you look like a moron.

Edited July 27, 2014 by RealityCowgirl

[candall]

 I personally prefer, "mound of Venus". .  

This cracked me up, Gumby!  I'm getting a visual.  It's green.

[GreyBunny]

I thought Char should have won. 

 

That outfit Shandaya created looked like a bloody rag that got torn apart by a dog.  Something with an unfinished hem shouldn't have been in the top three, much less won.  I would have sent her home as I thought that was the worst outfit.

[Haberdasher]

I really loved Fade's dress. If only we could have seen more of it in the workroom.

 

So far I like Fade, Char, and Samantha. I'm hoping we'll have a season that's relatively free of the neuortic messes that plagued the first half of season 12, but the previews aren't looking good.

[aradia22]

I have been so bored with Project Runway for the past few seasons. Yeah, it's disappointing that they haven't been able to really find great designers and usher them to success but it's not the American Idol/The Voice thing for me (You know how American Idol has cred because they discovered Kelly Clarkson and Carrie Underwood but The Voice can't make one of their winners a household name.) For me the issue is that the actual show is boring. The episodes are boring. There's so much product placement. I hate the judges. But that new episode was hanging out on hulu and I couldn't help myself. 

 

They found some crazies and some talented people! At least I hope they're crazies and talented people! We shall see. Yes, God damn it. I'm in for another season.

 

First elimination thoughts...

Tim whose muse was a middle aged lesbian gave me Daniel (moustache Daniel) vibes. At least he admitted it.

I love that they found another German for Heidi. You know they do it on purpose so she can speak to them in German. 

I liked Mitchell's prints. Yeah, they're more Tahari/TJMaxx than Alexander McQueen but I thought they looked nice. But he's definitely giving me Joshua vibes with that outfit.

Nzinga brought some nice work but it wasn't that remarkable. You can call it Vionnet and Chanel but if you can throw in some shoulder pads and wear it on Dynasty, there might be a problem. They could have easily taken a chance on her but they weren't feeling like it.

I wasn't wowed by what Emmanuel showed but then again we only saw it for a few seconds and I think I was distracted by the mentions of the Jenners and Rihanna. 

 

Oh, it's Amanda. I guess that's fine. I think Alexander had the most untapped potential. If it was Ken, I might have cut a biatch. Or stopped watching which I guess to the producers is worse.

 

Wonderful, another one day challenge. Why am I not surprised? They better have more two and three day challenges this season. 

[RealityGal]

 

Oh, it's Amanda. I guess that's fine. I think Alexander had the most untapped potential. If it was Ken, I might have cut a biatch. Or stopped watching which I guess to the producers is worse.

 

Wonderful, another one day challenge. Why am I not surprised? They better have more two and three day challenges this season. 

 

I agree with you about Alexander.  He had a sense of drama in his clothing that I enjoyed, sometimes his application of drama to his clothing resulted in an utter fail, but sometimes it resulted in beautiful clothing.

 

I hope they do have more two and three day challenges.  I have no idea why they do one day challenges.  I want to see beautiful clothes walking down the runway, the runway show is my clothing porn.  One day challenges don't produce the most beautiful clothes.  And you can still have drama in a two or three day challenge.

[aradia22]

I know English is not her first language but "me and my husband." *cringe* I hope she's not another Patricia. I mean, the American Indian starving artist is angling to get some of that but Sandhya seems to be the one who is interested in being creative and using different techniques... to produce super tacky garments. I was just waiting for "fabric manipulation."

 

Oh, Angela. I can't remember the last shy Asian girl but I'm sure there must have been at least one. They couldn't all be Chloe and Ivy and Ping. Remember Ping, guys? Ugh. I'm ashamed of myself. Why have I devoted so much of my life to this franchise?

 

Guys, you're not selling the makeup. The Mary Kay makeup they are applying to the models' faces looks gross. Seriously, it's amazing they look even half way presentable on the runway.

 

Runway breakdown... (Thoughts before watching the judging)

Sandhya: Did she dye the fabric to give it the orange tint at the top? I liked that. However, the zipper thing was garbage. A pointless embellishment that served no purpose in terms of aesthetics, silhouette, or function. And the placement of the pattern was not great. It wasn't the trainwreck I was expecting from the comments from the other designers.

Angela: Hate the design. Random shape for the top. Pointless cutouts in the pants. Why? However, it doesn't look that badly made. These kinds of garments usually look really poorly constructed. Yeah, the back of the pants were wonky but the front of the look was decent. It's totally possible Project Runway has just given me low standards for what the contestants will produce.

Alexander: Not loving it but it's weirdly compelling. I like that he just ran with his terrible fabrics. A tent dress doesn't show the best construction skills but hey, whatevs it's episode 1. 

Sean: Well, that's a thing. It's not bad. It's not amazing either. I feel like with a few tweaks it could be more impressive. So far, Sean is the only one I've got my eye on for going further in the competition based on some degree of skill.

Carrie: I loved her audition pieces so it's nice to see that she didn't fall apart during the first challenge while still managing to construct something somewhat complex. Also, Mitchell snarked at her she automatically got extra likability points. A little short and definitely for a certain body type but design-wise, it's solid. Add Carrie to the list of people I sort of like at this point.

Samantha: It's not amazing but it's definitely one of the most wearable pieces on the runway this week and the construction seems to be solid. Adding Samantha to the list.

Mitchell: Nope, I really don't understand why he sewed the blouse into the shorts and why there are apparently armpit ruffles. It's not atrocious but if you're going to snark, you've got to bring it. Construction was a big old meh.

Kini: Kini, this is lovely! Very wearable. I hope he's not the guy who only makes boring cocktail dresses and he's more of a Dmitri than a... all the dudes who make boring cocktail dresses... and Laura. But right now, this looks beautifully constructed.

Jefferson: I'm not really sold on it but it's not terrible? Not sure who is going to wear it. I have some issues here and there. This is one I need to stare at for a few minutes.

Emily: I don't like bodices that move separate from the models when they walked but I'm definitely intrigued by the design. Like pile!

Hernan: So... a boring dress with a little off the shoulder sleeve thing? What? You don't get to snark either. I was going to say the placement of the pattern was better until I got a better look. Nope. The back is a little more interesting but then there's asymmetrical and there's just wonky. Asymmetrical has to look really purposeful and intentional.

Korina: Not bad. I think the big wow is the color and the amount of fabric because it brings a movement and a drama the cocktail dresses are just not going to have. That doesn't mean it's a great (or unique) design or that it's particularly well constructed. I can't tell. That's what happens when something is very voluminous on the bottom and cut very simply. She's overconfident but for this design, she goes on the list.

Kristine: Not loving the color combination but the construction seems fine. I think I would have liked the top better with something different on the bottom.

Amanda: It was nice. Simple. But nice. Does it warrant her coming back? Not really. But at least she's not Ken.

Fade: You know, I liked this. The tacky necklace threw me off at first but I liked the way he played with a fairly classic silhouette but just made it a little more interesting. It was very tasteful. 

Char: Cute. Not amazing but cute.

 

Likes (in no particular order): Sean, Carrie, Samantha, Kini, Emily, Korina, Kristine, Amanda, Fade, Char

Ranking the likes: 1. Kini 2. Char 3. Amanda 4. Fade 5. Sean 6. Samantha 7. Carrie 8. Korina 9. Emily 10. Kristine

 

As I was making notes on the runway I thought about 7 times... surely we're done now. There can't be any more of them. Let's eliminate them quickly please. There's no way I can be bothered to care for as long as this season is going to be.

[aradia22]

Even though I hate the kid who says "basic" all the time, I kind of wish Nina had been referring to that kind of "basic" when she was talking to Mitchell. Oh, how I would have laughed. But Nina never does anything to make me happy.

 

Getting a closer look at Sandhya's dress I still hate it but I wish she'd run more with the fraying and less with the stupid zippers. I think with the dye and the fraying she could have had something interesting going on.

 

Getting a closer look at Jefferson's outfit, I agree with Heidi. Gasp! I don't think the pleating detail in the top does anything. I do like the pairing of black and white with lavender. I do like the seaming in the waist. Still not sure what's going on with the shorts. Hilarious that so many of the other designers liked it. Do they just have bad taste or were they voting for someone they thought they could beat?

 

I wish Zac had said his "I don't think this would get you into design school" comment to Mitchell's face. Oh, how I would have laughed. But Zac makes me happy in other ways. 

[ThatBadgerChick]

So disappointed that Nzinga got auf'ed before the first challenge. I think it would have been so interesting to see how she worked hijab into all of the challenges. If nothing else, we would have seen some stuff we've never seen come down that runway before, instead of the same old tired crap season after season.

[leighdear]

I wonder if they were thinking of the cost of Nzinga's garments as being prohibitive through the course of the show.  Most contestants eventually throw together something the size of 2 cotton balls and a Kleenex, but Nzinga's garments would consistently need to use large amounts of yardage.  Of course, there's always challenges where the designers get to make a ball gown, or something like that, but those are the exceptions rather than the rules.  

 

Just curious....

[Julia]

I think it was an unfortunate choice. A great deal of the wealth in the world these days is in the hands of countries with public modesty issues (the arab world, China, Pakistan, Singapore...). You'd think the US would want women from those countries to feel as if they're a market we're interested in.

 

Especially when you consider that with a very few exceptions, Michelle's designs were about as revealing as a series of dun-colored muumuus.

[leighdear]

 

You'd think the US would want women from those countries to feel as if they're a market we're interested in.

Hell, more than 50% of the women in America aren't even the market this show is interested in!  Regardless of your disposable income, if you are over 40 and weigh more than 120 pounds (Unless you're in Hollywood), this show doesn't care what you want.  Oh, they'll throw out a "real woman challenge" bone every season, but it's done by necessity, not preference.  

[aradia22]

 

Hell, more than 50% of the women in America aren't even the market this show is interested in!  Regardless of your disposable income, if you are over 40 and weigh more than 120 pounds (Unless you're in Hollywood), this show doesn't care what you want.  Oh, they'll throw out a "real woman challenge" bone every season, but it's done by necessity, not preference.

We could chop that number by more than 50% if we take into consideration just what Heidi and Nina think. I fit squarely into the coveted younger demographic and with a few exceptions, most of what they consider young and edgy is dreck to me (and has been for years).

[Calamity Jane]

After looking at all the designs again on Rate the Runway, I like Fade's the best for sure.  Char's was pretty and eye-catching, but the sleeves and the potential for that top to flip up in a breeze bring it down for me.  I noticed that Sandhya and Fade were the only two to set real sleeves, so points there (Anya).  

[leighdear]

Agree about sleeves.  Many of the contestants couldn't set in proper fitted sleeves if they were held at gunpoint. I'm not impressed with color blocking, halters, cap sleeves, etc.  They are too often lazy shortcuts.  Give me some precise knife-pleating, tulip hems, welt pockets and THEN I'm impressed....*LOL*

 

I know, not fair when they typically have about 14 minutes to make a Couture garment....*sigh*

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I was so torn. I didn't like Sandhya's fugly sofa dress, but the fact that Korina was so pissed about it winning made it all worthwhile.

 

So I watched the casting special and thought "hmmm, looks like there's a decent amount of potential talent; should be a good season."

And then the regular show started.  And that hope for a good season starts to pretty quickly start to die.  Because here come all the idiotic producer shenanigans we've had to put up with the last several years

I had the same reaction. I skipped Under the Gunn, so I was really ready for this season of PR and I was optimistic after the casting special. Then I watched this episode and it was like the same old shit.

 

And Tim, my respect for you has lessened every year, but stop talking about brazilians and vaginas.

I love Tim Gunn, but that whole conversation he had with the designer annoyed me. Do you really think a woman's vagina is on her hip bone? Or that most women (and not just regular women but women who are models) let their pubic hair grow long enough to show all the way over on their hip bones? Gah. Even back in the 80s before Brazilians became de rigeur, I doubt very few women had pubic hair that was fro-ed out to that extent.

 

I actually loved that outfit. The side slits on the pants gave it a sexy edge without actually showing very much skin (take note, Heidi!) and I liked the blue top for being unusual without being downright weird. To me, that outfit was the definition of edgy but still wearable.

Every since the brown Gretchen season, judging has seemed to live in opposite land half the time.

Yup, that was the season when PR lost all credibility for me. I get that styling is a part of a runway show but the clothes themselves should be the focus. Gretchen's clothes were butt ugly AND unoriginal so there was no redeeming quality for me.

Face Off has spoiled me due to the total absence of drama on that show.

Between Face Off and the Great British Sewing Bee, I have been so spoiled with drama free competitive reality that just this episode of PR had me sighing and rolling my eyes.

[Calamity Jane]

I thought Angela's side-slit pants were far from the worst on the runway.  Mitchell's outfit was horrible, and it looked even worse on Rate the Runway.  Just didn't get their hating so much on Angela's outfit.  And I thought Jefferson's high-waisted shorts might have looked better with a different top, or perhaps as full-length pants?  They looked better to me than, again, Mitchell's creation, which I thought looked cheap.  

[Oholibamah]

I, too, thought Fade should have won the challenge. And if not him, then Char and Amanda were defensible choices - I can appreciate that Sandhya tried something new, but it just didn't get there for me. TBH, I almost wonder if she won to create drama. I am on board with the "Korina is probably a bitch" train, but I will have to wait until I actually disagree with what she's saying before I call it.

 

My favorites so far are Angie (I could watch her clumsiness all day), Amanda, Char, Christine, Kini and Fade. Sandhya seems nice, but I am concerned her special snowflake aesthetic will get old. Everybody else barely registers or seems a bit nasty.

 

I am thrilled that Amanda is back. Season 11 featured an unfortunate series of eliminations whereby my 3 favorites - Kate, Amanda and Samantha - were eliminated back-to-back. I am convinced that TPTB are righting their wrongs one season at a time and that Samantha will be back next year. Fingers crossed. That said:

 

Disliked Amanda then; really dislike her now, from her aesthetic to her voice. She is being presented, and acts, like the Queen Bee. And her pants looked to me like an old hippie design.

Amanda was more their camp follower, but she was right there with them.  When I was listening to her last night, as annoying as she was, she seemed to sort of acknowledge that.  She went along with the gang and tended to be in Michelle's shadow.

 

I never even remotely got Queen Bee from Amanda. As has been mentioned upthread, she is actually kind of mousy, awkward and unassuming and was nice to everybody even when she was getting piled on. Layana and Michelle were gossipy, but they were only actively terrible toward Kate and Patricia, and Amanda was never involved in the Patricia smacktalking and the accusation was rescinded by Kate later. So I just don't get the "Amanda is a bitch" thing. I'm open to convincing - I just need more evidence than her being friends with Michelle (who, outside confessionals, wasn't a complete monster).

 

Have to disagree.  Dom was certainly not Alexandria's BFF, but I don't believe she engaged in any bullying.  That was Helen (and Ken before her).

 

I wouldn't say she "bullied" Alexandria, and TBH I find that society has become so trigger-happy with that word that it distracts from some truly heinous stuff that goes on. That said, I do think Helen was completely out of line toward Alexandria and that Kate and Dom enabled her. But Dom is allowed to dislike Alexandria, comment on her designs, and disagree with the things she said - I never felt like she went overboard piling on her like Helen did.

 

It increasingly looks to me like his response to his childhood trauma was to become seriously overidentified with bullies.

 

I didn't see Under the Gunn, but he put the kibosh on the behavior toward Michael Costello despite not particularly liking him. So there's that.

 

Point is, this show has a history of rewarding the designers who display bad behavior

 

In a twisted way I appreciate that the show rewards who they deem the best designer and haven't attempted to whitewash their edits. I also think the majority of the winners have been fairly lowkey and likeable. Aside from Gretchen and Jeffrey (and to a lesser extent plagiarist Irina), I think all of the winners have both deserved it and were tolerable human beings.

 

I'm very tired of the designers and their "girl"...the imaginary fanatasy creature that is super thin, super young, and never ages.  Do they never want to design for women?  Amanda and Nina, I'm looking at you.  I undrstand fashion is not about reality, but I don't understand why generations of women have to be excluded because of an obsession with a single age and body type.

 

Amanda doesn't really design for a single age or body type, though. She does a lot of separates that could be worn on many body types, and her pants especially could be worn by women of any age. The best example was her Miranda Lambert dress, which was specifically designed for comfort, ease and to flatter a rounder shape. I only have a problem with a designer's "girl" when it's obviously some ethereal being who doesn't actually exist. 

[millennium]

Unless I completely misinterpreted the conversation, during the judges' final conference they decided that both Jefferson's and Mitchell's outfits were bad, but that Jefferson's was bad in a better way than Mitchell's because it showed more effort/inspiration/whatever.   Based on that conversation, I cued up my own personal laugh track and timed it for the moment when Bitchy Queen was to be sent home.

 

But then they sent the soft-spoken and more interesting Jefferson home instead.

 

What did I miss?

 

(And since I'm asking questions, I missed Seasons 11 and 12 -- what happened to Michael Kors?  I don't like this Zac Poser person.)

[RealityGal]

Unless I completely misinterpreted the conversation, during the judges' final conference they decided that both Jefferson's and Mitchell's outfits were bad, but that Jefferson's was bad in a better way than Mitchell's because it showed more effort/inspiration/whatever.   Based on that conversation, I cued up my own personal laugh track and timed it for the moment when Bitchy Queen was to be sent home.

 

But then they sent the soft-spoken and more interesting Jefferson home instead.

 

What did I miss?

 

(And since I'm asking questions, I missed Seasons 11 and 12 -- what happened to Michael Kors?  I don't like this Zac Poser person.)

 

I miss MK too!  I don't know that a solid reason was ever given for why he left the show.  Like a child whose father just told her that he is "going to get cigarettes and will be right back" I keep sitting on the porch, waiting for MK to return.

 

I agree with others that the elimination was mostly production driven.  Mitchell Perry seems okay talking shit about the other designers, and especially Shandaya (spelling! I know!) so it fits in well with the "mean girl" drama that they want to create.  The "mean girl bully" drama also gives Tim Gunn a chance to try to salvage his reputation from Under the Gunn, in that he will step in, stop the bullying and save the day.  But after Under the Gunn, I'm not sure if that will seem genuine to me at all.  

[KimberStormer]

Just your typical reality TV fakeout.  Can't have the decision make any sense, then we'd lose viewers before the auf!

 

Give Zac a couple weeks before you decide.  He's lower-key than Michael "if I say crotch it's a joke even if there's no punchline!" Kors, but he's generally more thoughtful and supportive, and more likely to disagree with the other judges rather than presenting the appearance of perfect consensus on a bizarre decison.  I like him, but I admit I was more than tired of Michael's shtick (and boy am I tired of Nina's too.)

Edited July 30, 2014 by KimberStormer

[millennium]

The "mean girl bully" drama also gives Tim Gunn a chance to try to salvage his reputation from Under the Gunn, in that he will step in, stop the bullying and save the day.  But after Under the Gunn, I'm not sure if that will seem genuine to me at all.  

I totally missed Under The Gunn, so color me mystified when I see Uncle Tim being painted with the bully brush.   Was it that bad?

[KimberStormer]

Tim's thread has more details.

[RealityGal]

I totally missed Under The Gunn, so color me mystified when I see Uncle Tim being painted with the bully brush.   Was it that bad?

In a word.  Yes - it was that bad.  His behavior would have been bad coming from someone I was sort of "meh" about, but it was about a million times worse because I really, really, really liked Tim Gunn.  It was a little like finding out batman is just some guy with a toolbelt and a latex fetish.

[PepperMonkey]

So I know that this has been cussed, dis-cussed and gone over ad nauseum possibly, but was it Under The Gunn that tarnished PR to the point of Red Robin sponsorship OR has our much beloved PR just finally run out of steam? I'm kind of mystified because even though I'm completely over Tim and can barely stand to listen to him, I was still looking forward to season 13. The first episode didn't do anything for me and I find myself rooting for Sandhya because I really really dislike when people make someone's style into a personal attack, but I will admit I don't understand her PoV totally yet. I did not enjoy seeing Tim on my screen at all though, and hated Julie Bowen as a judge, but I don't like her acting style on Modern Family either (and she may be a perfectly nice person IRL).

Edited July 30, 2014 by PepperMonkey

[leighdear]

My take on the PR decline is two-fold.  First, is the now-obvious casting of designers that are there primarily to create drama, discourse and "liven up" the workroom as the season villain.  This came into play when they began doing the "Road to the Runway" special before the first season.  We got talking heads by those chosen, and could almost immediately see who was going to be displaying the 'tudes. No more shock & awe during the actual show, we knew exactly who to start hating. 

 

Second was introducing so many one-day challenges and telescoping their shooting time.  Probably to cut production costs, but less time means less quality designs and execution, less attention to detail, more sleep deprivation, crankier contestants and crankier viewers.  

 

Just my perspective.

 

Now that The Bachelorette is over, I get to channel more of my over-thinking to THIS show!  *LOL* 

Edited July 30, 2014 by leighdear

[RealityGal]

So I know that this has been cussed, dis-cussed and gone over ad nauseum possibly, but was it Under The Gunn that tarnished PR to the point of Red Robin sponsorship OR has our much beloved PR just finally run out of steam? I'm kind of mystified because even though I'm completely over Tim and can barely stand to listen to him, I was still looking forward to season 13. The first episode didn't do anything for me and I find myself rooting for Sandhya because I really really dislike when people make someone's style into a personal attack, but I will admit I don't understand her PoV totally yet. I did not enjoy seeing Tim on my screen at all though, and hated Julie Bowen as a judge, but I don't like her acting style on Modern Family either (and she may be a perfectly nice person IRL).

 

Its hard to say, because Yoplait was a sponsor a season or two ago, and I think thats a pretty confusing sponsor.  Red Robin is even more confusing to me, because I don't generally think that the Red Robin consumer watches PR.  I can't remember where I read it, but I read somewhere that Harvey Weinstein I think or some executive producer basically said that the show would take any sponsor as long as the money was right.  I guess I just don't see what Red Robin gets out of it.  I mean are they trying to become a more elevated brand?  Are they hoping for new customers?  Because I don't think RR gets much out of the sponsorship, its entirely possible that a sponsor had dropped out because of the epic fail of UTG and so they were selling a PR sponsorship at rock bottom prices, and so Red Robin simply decided "what the hell!"

 

But I agree the sponsors have, for years, been coming down in terms of status.  We went from the BlueFly accessory wall to the Belk accessory wall last year.  I remember the makeup sponsor being laura mercier and now its mary kay.

 

I've always thought the guest judge were supposed to be their "real self" on the show.  I've never watched Modern Family, but just based on her PR appearance, I'm no fan of Julie Bowen.  I can't imagine she thought what she was doing was winning her any new fans, so I'm assuming thats her real self....

[leighdear]

I swear, if next season we get the Target Accessory Wall, I'm gone. 

 

I agree that Red Robin is kind of a weird sponsor.  I like their food, my mom & I sometimes meet there for lunch, but I just can't fathom what kind of accessory they're going to get from the winner.  Mind = Boggled. 

[Alison]

I swear, if next season we get the Target Accessory Wall, I'm gone. 

 

I agree that Red Robin is kind of a weird sponsor.  I like their food, my mom & I sometimes meet there for lunch, but I just can't fathom what kind of accessory they're going to get from the winner.  Mind = Boggled. 

The servers wear polos/button-downs with aprons and jeans. Not exactly an outfit that screams out for accessorizing. Maybe a robin-feathered fascinator?

[RealityGal]

I swear, if next season we get the Target Accessory Wall, I'm gone. 

 

I agree that Red Robin is kind of a weird sponsor.  I like their food, my mom & I sometimes meet there for lunch, but I just can't fathom what kind of accessory they're going to get from the winner.  Mind = Boggled. 

 

A target accessory wall would not come as a shock at all.  I've already decided my line in the sand is a Payless Shoe/Walmart accessory wall.  

[magpye29]

We're going to get a double dip:  Avon cosmetics and the Avon accessory wall!

[Julia]

A target accessory wall would not come as a shock at all.  I've already decided my line in the sand is a Payless Shoe/Walmart accessory wall.  

 

Ah, but what if it was a Christian Siriano for Payless wall?

[RealityGal]

We're going to get a double dip:  Avon cosmetics and the Avon accessory wall!

 

Ugh, please don't even put that into the universe!  However, thats another line I'll draw.

Ah, but what if it was a Christian Siriano for Payless wall?

Oh no, this isn't a thing is it??

 

ETA:  oh my goodness...that is a thing!

Edited July 30, 2014 by RealityGal

[PinkSprinkles]

I wish they'd do away with the accessory wall all together. I'm so tired of the judges harping about the shoes the models wear. It's not the designer's fault that they only have hideous shoes to pick from. 

[RealityGal]

I wish they'd do away with the accessory wall all together. I'm so tired of the judges harping about the shoes the models wear. It's not the designer's fault that they only have hideous shoes to pick from. 

The Belk wall just looked like a collection of sad.

[leighdear]

Ya know what would be REALLY RADICAL?  Nude heels or flats and gold stud earrings.  On every model. Every time.  No bags, no bangles, no baubles, no extraneous crap. 

 

Just clothing. 

 

It would never fly.

[leighdear]

I can just hear Nina: "Fassshhhhionnnn is moooore than just the clooooothing we wearrrrr.......it's the feeeeeeelllling weee get when we're styyyyyylllllled to perrrrfectionnnnnnnn.....Itssss the totalllll look"......./Nina Garcia accent, add hair flip

Edited July 31, 2014 by leighdear

[aradia22]

 

Its hard to say, because Yoplait was a sponsor a season or two ago, and I think thats a pretty confusing sponsor.

Yoplait makes some sense. It's a product marketed primarily to women who are Lifetime's main audience. And whether or not it's totally accurate, yogurt is thought of as a healthy option so it kind of makes sense to align it with a program concerned with telling women how they should present themselves.

 

I swear, if next season we get the Target Accessory Wall, I'm gone.

That actually doesn't sound too terrible. Target tries... sort of. At least they have designer collabs. The accessories on the accessory wall in recent seasons have just been... I can't even think of an appropriate adjective to describe how clunky and tacky and cheap they look. For me Mary Kay is equivalent to all the bad accessory walls. If the makeup is actually any good I can't tell because it looks terrible on the models' skin. It all looks awful. How did they lose L'Oreal as a sponsor? Can't they get Maybelline? I'm not saying it needs to be M.A.C. but the makeup frankly looks like shite.

 

Nina Garcia accent, add hair flip

Does it flip or does it briefly rise, entertaining dreams of escaping from its owner, before limply falling back in place? What I'm saying is... girl needs to comb her hair. But she hasn't done it for 10+ seasons so why should she start now?

[candall]

I thought it was kind of funny when one of the designers told the Mary Kay makeup consultant that he wanted a "nude lip."  

 

Back in the L'Oreal days, the makeup artist would have pulled out a huge selection of creamy neutrals.  The Mary Kay person dabbed on some clear gloss and we were off to the races.

 

Maybe with the Walmart accessory wall, we'll get makeup sponsored by Vaseline Petroleum Jelly.

[aradia22]

 

Maybe with the Walmart accessory wall, we'll get makeup sponsored by Vaseline Petroleum Jelly.

I might faint from happiness if they tried to tell us about how Marilyn Monroe used Vaseline. It's something I've read here and there but I have no idea whether or not it's true. Also, we'd get to hear about all the uses for Vaseline that you never even knew about? Did you know it can be used as moisturizer... lip balm... toilet cleaner... disinfectant? Make it work! Now I'm kind of dying to see Q-tips or aluminum foil sponsor an unconventional materials challenge. Hey, if aluminum foil can sponsor Top Chef... 

[RealityGal]

. The accessories on the accessory wall in recent seasons have just been... I can't even think of an appropriate adjective to describe how clunky and tacky and cheap they look. For me Mary Kay is equivalent to all the bad accessory walls. If the makeup is actually any good I can't tell because it looks terrible on the models' skin. It all looks awful. How did they lose L'Oreal as a sponsor? Can't they get Maybelline? I'm not saying it needs to be M.A.C. but the makeup frankly looks like shite.

Does it flip or does it briefly rise, entertaining dreams of escaping from its owner, before limply falling back in place? What I'm saying is... girl needs to comb her hair. But she hasn't done it for 10+ seasons so why should she start now?

 

The word I use for the accessory wall of last year was "sadness."

 

The makeup does look pretty terrible, but I don't know if thats in how its applied or the makeup itself.  There are so many makeup brands out there to choose from, I mean I guess Mary Kay paid the most, but again, I wouldn't envision the typical MK customer as a PR viewer, but I can see where MaryKay may want to increase the number and type of customer it has and sees PR as a way to do it.  I would have thought Tom Ford, Urban Decay, NARS, Tarte, Smashbox, or Clinique would have all been good candidates, but the problem there might be that they don't want to sponsor makeup if their co-sponsors are Red Robin, and potentially Belk.

I thought it was kind of funny when one of the designers told the Mary Kay makeup consultant that he wanted a "nude lip."  

 

Back in the L'Oreal days, the makeup artist would have pulled out a huge selection of creamy neutrals.  The Mary Kay person dabbed on some clear gloss and we were off to the races.

 

Maybe with the Walmart accessory wall, we'll get makeup sponsored by Vaseline Petroleum Jelly.

 

LOL...prison makeup, melting crayons and mixing them with Vaseline.  Only available on Project Runway and MSNBC Lock Up