S13.E03: Welcome to the Future

[izabella]

I feel like none of the designers except MItchell gave any real thought to what conditions might be like on earth in 20 years. For example, I can't believe how many designers used leather.

 

I noticed that, too, and had the same thought.  Will we be wearing lots of leather 20 years from now?  We wear it today, and we wore it 20 years ago.  I guess it's timeless in that sense, but leather is resource and labor intensive so I'd like to think we'd be getting away from that.

 

Still, that doesn't mean neoprene!  Or does it?

[PrincessSteel]

The 'future of fashion' challenges have been universally disappointing, and this ep was no exception. A few of the designers hinted at some thought process about how looks might evolve and why, but I don't recall any of those explanations making it to the runway in any interesting way.

 

The judges' close-up review appears to be an excuse for Zac to get super handsy with the models.

 

The evolution of Heidi as a judge has been an interesting arc across several seasons. At this point she could rest on her producerial laurels and just phone it in (Nina!) but she provides something thoughtful in every ep. I do miss her heavier accent and occasional mangling of English from very early seasons, though.

 

I so want to continue to love Tim, but it is an uphill battle. He seems tired and bitter. Sigh. Maybe he just needs a vacation.

 

Hanging in for this show is like being in high school and continuing to pine after the guy who keeps breaking your heart because he was so nice to you THAT ONE TIME...

[GaT]

As far as I know they are not allowed to glue the clothes to the model's skin. Olivier from Season 9 tried to do this and Tim reminded him it was against the rules. Michael Costello (Season 8) was called out by Ivy for using tape on his model, but he insisted it was for the model's chest (probably to keep her breasts in place if the garment had no bra) and was not to stick her to the clothes. Tim never pushed the issue or commented on it because the challenge in question had been over for almost 4 episodes at that point so I have no idea if a designer is allowed to tape a model in or not. 

Thanks, that must be what I was thinking of.

 

I understand WHY Sandhya won. She did something different, something that hasn't been seen a thousand times before, and she was also able to articulate a vision for what she was doing that sort of made sense. However, to me, her designs are much better in the idea than in the execution. Take that 3D detail off that pink dress, and what you are left with is a very basic design. Add the 3D detail back in, and then it becomes, did she use that detail in a way that made sense? And for me, that's where her design became muddled. As others have noted, you wouldn't want those tubes running down your back in reality, because you couldn't sit in a chair. But beyond that, do the two lines running down the front of the dress do anything to enhance the model's figure or to draw the eye to some focal point in the design? I don't think so. I wish she had just used that feature around the top of the dress in some way, and maybe down the center of the front. Visually, that would have made more sense to me. (And then I would have tacked it down all the way down, instead of leaving it loose so that the model could pull the dress up to put her hands in her pockets. That was a weird extraneous detail)

They should really specifically say that's what they're looking for if that's how they're going to judge things. How many times have we heard something get slammed for not being wearable? Sandhya's dress was not really wearable (and how would you clean the thing?) or even flattering. If they want "ideas" then that's what they should tell the designers, but if they want wearable clothes, they need to stop giving the win to the wacky shit.

Edited August 8, 2014 by yeswedo
removed dup text

[xyzzy]

I just don't understand Sandhya. I have the same confused feeling about her work that I had when the judges wet their panties over Jeffrey Sebelia's yellow plaid couture dress umpteen seasons ago. Even her portfolio mystifies me. Lots of weird shoulder treatments that go against the grain of the rest of the piece and about 234232544 simple silhouette A-line or maxi dresses with big color blocks interrupted by weird big prints. Designers like Christian Siriano I get. His stuff on the show was rarely straight-up wearable or commercial, but I could see where his designs could translate and inform the rack. Sandya's portfolio already is wearable and commercial--but it's also boring and it has all been done to death. Her jackets look like something Martika would have worn in the Toy Soldiers video. The prints do all of the work on her dresses. Take away the print and you've got something you could sew after a week in home economics class.

 

I think she won this challenge because she had the only vision of the future that includes bold color and developed a "story" that appealed to the judges. In the future, women will not need to feel powerful by echoing or assuming traditionally male fashion cues in their own looks. Take away the story and I don't think the design stands on its own at all.

[Beden]

 

She was also talking back to the judges on the runway (albeit in a friendly way) like they were nuts to criticize her design.

I'd just like to remind Amanda that, while she's been there before, she lost and was sent home.

 

I don't like the obsequious kowtowing some designers do.  I don't respect Nina's opinion in th slightest--why should the designers?

There's no law which says they have to. However, like her or not, respect her or not, Nina is in a position to affect their careers...stupid is as stupid does.

[alrightythen]

Loved Fade's the most.  Now THAT I would wear.  His designs, so far, look tasteful and creative at the same time.

 

I get that the judges like Sandyha's POV, but whether that really shows in her designs is subjective.  The judges were always tongue-bathing Patricia for her POV too, and most of her designs struck me the same way.  Sandyha's dress had snake hanging off it, and some awkward ribbon in the back so the model could sit down, and the judges praised her practicality.  Really?  Call me shallow, but I watch the show for eye-pleasing clothes and designer creativity.  I'm just not that wowed by deep, meaningful weirdness.  Also, I remember when the judges would give a designer credit for making separates or pants vs. a simple dress.  That doesn't seem to matter this season.  Disappointed so far, but I'll keep watching.

 

And to the poster who mentioned Zac Posen always touching the models - YES! 

[Oldernowiser]

The judges seem unusually susceptible to a glib back story, which Sandyha does quite well. She's quite articulate and gives good speech--again, reminds me of Anya.

I'm all on board with the idea of women in the future not worrying so much about sex appeal in their clothing--but it kinda negates her shtick when she has the model wearing 5-inch stilettos.

[PepperMonkey]

Self-hating narcissist is the best description of Angela I've heard, lo, these many days! It seemed like she was a constant nervous wreck BECAUSE she was failing and either she's never failed at anything or she's never been TOLD she was a failure at anything. Her family could have been indulging her, but they weren't doing her any favours. It seemed she became more and more desperate to succeed while simultanously thinking "How they can NOT think I'm wonderful????"

Her design was not the worst on the runway last night, but I was ready for her to go.

Sadly, I can't get behind anyone yet this season. Usually, by this time, I have a clear couple of favourites, or at least one. I kind of like Sandhya; I'm liking Mitchell more than I thought I would; I likeISH both Emily and Christine. I don't hate Amanda. I'm way more disappointed in Char than I want to be. Fade is interesting to me, but we don't get much back story on him, really. We're three shows in and I don't care who goes home next week, even if it's Sandhya.

I

[Lnmop]

Because they're in a contest in which Nina is a judge.  In this event, Amanda is NOT their equal.  They're judges and she's a contestant.

I'd just like to remind Amanda that, while she's been there before, she lost and was sent home.

There's no law which says they have to. However, like her or not, respect her or not, Nina is in a position to affect their careers...stupid is as stupid does.

This sums up my reaction to Amanda perfectly.

[PinkSprinkles]

The judges seem unusually susceptible to a glib back story, which Sandyha does quite well. She's quite articulate and gives good speech--again, reminds me of Anya.

 

Whoa now. Sandyha has up to this point sewed her own clothes and not used her charm to gather a clique to bail her out when she runs into a problem. If anything, Sandyha is more like Michael Costello- the designer who wins challenges, is constantly called a "bad" designer, and is thrown under the bus at every available opportunity despite being a likable human being. 

[AwesomO4000]

I understand why Sandyha won the challenge. The other two people in the top created clothes that are more on trend for now than twenty years from now plus Sandyha was the only one with a clear narrative about her look. Her win made sense given the challenge and hers was the only garment that embraced the spirit of the futuristic challenge. I was very happy for her and I look forward to what else she will bring to the table. It's been a LONG time since we have had a designer with a POV as distinct as Sandhya's.

 Warning: Only my opinion here...

 

But this is where I become confused. Sandhya does have a distinct point of view, but for me her clothes don't necessarily tell that story. For example on the runway, I thought she was saying that in the future she envisioned that women would be more confident and that they could wear whatever they wanted, not things inspired by what men wear. But I'm not sure how that translates into what her design was: a woman wearing something that is impractical - in that she can't sit down comfortably on a chair and wouldn't be able to clean it easily - and doesn't really flatter her body. When I want to feel confident, I wear something comfortable and practical that looks great - and yes that does exist. For me that is generally one of a few pairs of jeans that I own that fit great. The kind of jeans that people tell me "you've lost weight" when in actuality I have gained a few pounds (and no, I'm not making that up. These jeans are amazing, cost me about $12 a pair, and are well-made to boot. And people really do tell me that when I wear them and my husband adores them.)

 

Now it might be against what Sandhya was saying in that jeans are based on what a man would wear, but - and for me this is a big but - these are feminine jeans, made to fit a woman, and enhance what she has without being confining. And I guess that's where Sandhya and I are on a disconnect. I don't think a woman has to have something entirely different from a man so she can feel confident. I think a woman should be able to wear something similar to what a man wears if that's what she wants to wear and it makes her feel good and confident. I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. Sandhya might be trying to do something different, but it's not really - for me - getting her message across.

 

She is saying that she's trying to show a woman's confidence and strength, but her first dress looked to me like an attack victim. If I just saw that coming down the runway without knowing her vision, I personally would not have guessed "empowered woman." With her future-inspired dress, I could just as easily explain that dress with "In the future men don't want to have their wives' bodies shown off as too flattering to other men, but they want to be able to find them in a crowd, so their dresses have large, eye-catching metallic, accents so it'll be easier to spot them in a crowd or from a distance. Doesn't matter if they are impractical as long as the men can see them and keep an eye on their wives." (that to me explains the design choices just as well as "women would wear this in the future because they are more confident.")

 

For me it's like the poster above commenting on the "warrior women" thing, but the outfits end up being high slitted and showing cleavage (I'd give credit if I could find that post again.) I think I understand the message Sandhya's trying to tell me (I admit that I could be wrong here also), but as of yet, I'm not seeing that message translated clearly in her clothing. If anything I'm seeing the opposite - which if that's what she's trying to do... talk about women's confidence and independence, but actually show that this isn't possible in our society and so women are doomed to just pretend and/or think they are empowered but are actually not... well then that's brilliant, but so damn depressing that's not a message I want from fashion either. So either way, there is a big disconnect for me somewhere. Either between what Sandhya's message is and what her designs are showing me or what Sandhya's message actually is because it would be depressing.

 

If anyone's outfit for me matched their story, it was Mitchell. He said the water level would be rising, so he made a wetsuit type outfit. I could completely imagine that being a future outfit where some people live/stay on vacation platform-resort things out on the ocean and might want to go for a swim at a moment's notice for exercise. ; ) (I know, but the judges would totally have bought that story.) And the lines not lining up perfectly were fine for me, because I liked the effect and I thought that he did it on purpose (I'll have to check the "rate the runway" photos to confirm.) Also I imagine I could totally rock that jumpsuit even if I'm nowhere near a size 0 and I'm short, because the lines of it looked fab to me. I'd look awful in Sandhya's design. I'd look awful in the white outfit with the neoprene coat also - the way the layers fell across the bust would look strange on me, since I wouldn't have enough bust to fill it out properly. It looked odd for me on the model at certain angles as it was. The jumpsuit thing also in the top 3 - I think I could wear that too.

[KimberStormer]

However, like her or not, respect her or not, Nina is in a position to affect their careers...stupid is as stupid does.

 

I guess this is why I should never go on Reality TV.  I would be like Courtney Yates on Survivor (except less funny), talking back to Jeff and rolling her eyes at the whole thing.  Or Sugar, cracking herself up at the absurdity of wading hip-deep through the muck to get a stupid little statue for immunity.  I don't actually believe Nina is in a position to affect anyone's career but a Marie Claire intern's.  However this is all off-topic I suppose!

 

The judges seem unusually susceptible to a glib back story, which Sandyha does quite well. She's quite articulate and gives good speech--again, reminds me of Anya.

 

This has been true since the beginning--Rob was a master of sweet-talking the judges into liking a mediocre design with some patter and a smile.  Actually, I think this skill has more relevance to the job of a designer than sewing skills, sad as that may be.  At least a particular kind of designer.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I wasn't crazy about Sandhya's dress, but it was the only one that I could envision as a 'futuristic' design. All of the others, good or not, didn't look much more future than next spring's collection. I honestly expected more 'out there' kind of stuff.

This is what I didn't get.  Very few of them even seemed able to come up with some kind of rationale for their designs based on speculation about the future (Sandhya as you said, plus Mitchell and Sean), much less actually design something they believed to be futuristic.  Agreed with Tom and Lorenzo that the rest of the entries mostly just looked like clothes as opposed to fashion, also that the future of fashion challenge from season one had more interesting designs.

But I wasn't that crazy about her design either - I thought it just kind of stood out in a weak field.  I would have preferred it to be either shorter or floor-length.  I wonder how Sandhya is going to fare as the competition continues.

 

Self-hating narcissist is the best description of Angela I've heard, lo, these many days! It seemed like she was a constant nervous wreck BECAUSE she was failing and either she's never failed at anything or she's never been TOLD she was a failure at anything. Her family could have been indulging her, but they weren't doing her any favours.

I doubt if she was over-praised by her parents.  I got way more of the vibe of someone who'd been terrorized by a pair of Tiger Parents - meaning she was rarely or never praised by them, just expected to excel.  Thus her need to get the best grade from teacher in all her outside activities, and the passive-aggression that I think is often the result of parental bullying.

ETA:

 

I just don't understand Sandhya. I have the same confused feeling about her work that I had when the judges wet their panties over Jeffrey Sebelia's yellow plaid couture dress umpteen seasons ago.

Oh, I LOVED Jeffrey's yellow couture dress!  It was the only thing he ever did that I really did like.

Edited August 8, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[AwesomO4000]

Whoa now. Sandyha has up to this point sewed her own clothes and not used her charm to gather a clique to bail her out when she runs into a problem. If anything, Sandyha is more like Michael Costello- the designer who wins challenges, is constantly called a "bad" designer, and is thrown under the bus at every available opportunity despite being a likable human being. 

 

In terms of personality I agree. However for some reason - maybe partly because of what I explained above about Sandhya's point of view - I connected more with Michale Costello and I generally thought his designs were beautiful and flattered his models' figures. He also seemed to genuinely adore his models and making them look great (and they seemed to really like him back). So I guess for me, Sandhya is probably more of a designer per se in that her vision seems to be the most important thing whether or not that translates into something wearable and/or beautiful. With Michael - and I may be reading waaay too much into this I admit - I seemed to get the impression that making the model look good was just as important to him as his "vision" (maybe more so) and this translated into his designs and how they accentuated his models' bodies. The other designer's criticized him for not being able to sew or design, but what I mostly remember is that when his models walked down the runway, they looked great and they would usually walk for him like they loved what he made for them to wear (and that he was generally encouraging them and being nice to them didn't hurt.)

[Fellaway]

Since this is the third time he's worked with this model he should have her measurements and be familiar with her chest.

 

Are they using the same models every week?  I really don't know, as I pay little attention to their faces on the runway.  If they are using the same models every week, how can it be an anonymous runway?

 

I, too, remember a thing from an early Bravo Season, about using double-sided tape being a no-no.  Apparently, that's changed on Lifetime.

 

As to Tim's "that should be euthanized" quip, having seen a few eps of Under the Gunn, I've come to think this is who Tim really is and the nice, nurturing Tim in seasons past is just a role he plays on TV.  Unfortunately, his slip is starting to show.

[Kitty Redstone]

These jeans are amazing, cost me about $12 a pair, and are well-made to boot.

 

Please, do tell.  I'd love a good pair of well fitting, inexpensive jeans!

 

As for Sandhya, I agree with some others that she had a great story for the judges but I didn't understand how that fit her dress.  Take away the tube thing detail and you have a too-long, insipid-colored dress.  But whatever.  She's seems like a nice person.  Plus, I don't like how some of the others have treated/are treating her, so if her winning means them losing then I'm ok with that.  I'm not even thinking about how sad that is for a show that is supposed to be about fashion. 

 

I also agree that Tim may not be the nice guy he appeared to be in the first few seasons of PR.  That is also sad.

[izabella]

Agreed with Tom and Lorenzo that the rest of the entries mostly just looked like clothes as opposed to fashion, also that the future of fashion challenge from season one had more interesting designs.

 

A lot of the "designs" were barely clothes, certainly not the kind people would wear. 

 

Past seasons also had mostly 2-day challenges, so it's not at all surprising that they're sending more crap down the runway these days.

[panthergirl13]

I worked peripherally with 'fashion industry people' (also known as Garmentos in NYC) and can tell you that I found them to be the bitchiest, nastiest, meanest individuals on the planet. The first time I laid eyes on Nina Garcia I thought, "Oh shit, I *know* that woman."  I couldn't get out fast enough. Of course, YMMV.

[Julia]

My company was in a building with a number of Conde Nast publications. I've heard that their employees are known as nasties. I'm not surprised.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Julia

[SSAHotchner]

Are they using the same models every week?  I really don't know, as I pay little attention to their faces on the runway.  If they are using the same models every week, how can it be an anonymous runway?

 

I, too, remember a thing from an early Bravo Season, about using double-sided tape being a no-no.  Apparently, that's changed on Lifetime.

 

As to Tim's "that should be euthanized" quip, having seen a few eps of Under the Gunn, I've come to think this is who Tim really is and the nice, nurturing Tim in seasons past is just a role he plays on TV.  Unfortunately, his slip is starting to show.

That's a good point about the judges being able to identify the designer by the model. I never thought of that. What I did think of was that it seemed they went out of their way to point out that the runway was anonymous, but it didn't ring true. And I still can't believe that Sandhya won the two challenges she won. I challenge Heidi and Nina to wear those designs in public. I can't imagine any woman wanting to wear what Sandhya has turned out.

[beaker73]

Are they using the same models every week? I really don't know, as I pay little attention to their faces on the runway. If they are using the same models every week, how can it be an anonymous runway?

I was wondering that as well when Alexander said something about his models breasts were larger than he was used to. I forget the exact wording, but the way he said it made me wonder if they changed models week to week. Except--the winning model gets a spread in MC so I guess that doesn't make sense.

Edited August 9, 2014 by yeswedo
added quote tags

[ThatsDarling]

If they are using the same models every week, how can it be an anonymous runway?

It's not; the judges are full of crap. 

Edited August 9, 2014 by ThatsDarling

[katiepotatey]

Kristine should've had the win. I like that she stuck with the floating arm bands idea, even though Tim seemed skeptical about them during his critique. Sometimes ignoring Tim can bite you in the ass, but this was definitely not one of those times. I would LOVE to have that coat.

 

I like the comparison of Sandhya's "embellishments" to vacuum hoses. Although, at least vacuums have those little clips that keep the hoses attached. Her dress could have used those. I thought it was very costumey, like what someone would wear to a sci-fi or future themed party.

 

I'm so glad someone else (forget who) brought up Angela's weird "my feet are thin" response when someone called her out for stomping around. Super weird. I agree that hers was not the worst (that would go to Sean or Hernan), but even though Heidi constantly reminds us that "in fashion, one day you're in and one day you're out", the show has a history of auf-ing people who have been consistently in the bottom over someone who's in the bottom for the first time. Her skirt was way too short though if she was going for a business suit. I would not be able to wear anything near that short to work!

 

I hated Mitchell's on the runway, but after a second look I think it was smart and interesting. I wish he hadn't been in the middle so he could've explained his global warming, everything-is-a-beach-in-the-future reasoning. Some people have pointed out that the lines didn't match up... I think that the difference in the striping on the front accentuated that. The top had an extra line of black.

[Rhondinella]

So, Samantha is someone who just wandered into the studio off the street this week, right?  You cannot convince me otherwise.

[Oholibamah]

If I'm not mistaken, the model Alisar (wearing Sandhya's look this week) won the fifth cycle of Germany's Next Top Model... hosted by Heidi Klum. I wonder if she pulled some strings to get her involved.

 

 

 

I noticed that Heidi told Amanda that she was lucky to have immunity because they didn't like her look at all.  I agreed with Heidi on that.

 

Amanda's was easily bottom 4 or bottom 5 - the existing bottom 3, Amanda + Hernan - but I really don't think it was bad enough for a call out. The bottom 3 was exceptionally weak this episode, and I can't imagine Amanda's ending up there, Immunity or not.

 

To me Angela's wasn't nearly as bad as Sean's or Alexander's. That said, she's been slammed by the judges twice thus far and was already giving the judges doubts in the Casting episode - her days were numbered and was a deserved boot.

 

 

 

but as a designer talking to another designer. And she's always flabbergasted when they don't like something because how could they NOT like something she'd designed? CRAZY!

 

Throughout Season 11 Amanda was a simpering mess on the runway and always seemed in a state of shock when they liked her looks. I think this new assertive Amanda is her conscious attempt to project confidence and intention on the runway and through her clothes. Taking criticism like a champ is tough - some are overly apologetic, others overly defensive, and some overly emotional like Carrie last week. I think Amanda did a stellar job responding to the (IMO, mostly undeserved) call-out for her mediocre outfit.

 

 

 

Her win made sense given the challenge and hers was the only garment that embraced the spirit of the futuristic challenge.

 

I might be delusional, but I didn't really get "Futuristic", and by proxy, "Avant Garde" from this challenge. When they set a challenge in 2080 like in Season 1, fine. But I just can't imagine anybody wearing metal tubes over a basic pastel pink sheath dress in twenty years. Hell, I will only be in my mid-40s by that time. To me Kristine and Emily nailed the challenge by showing the natural progression that trends like jumpsuits, hoodies, hard/soft juxtaposition, and straps could conceivably take over the next two decades. I saw the stipulation of having the designers draw inspiration from 1994 as indication to remember that fashion is cyclical and draw from past trends when predicting the future.

 

And even if I mistook the challenge, I still was nonplussed by Sandhya's design. She cooked up a unique, fashion-forward, interesting design detail and a way to incorporate leather... and paired it with a hideous, basic, swine-toned sheath dress. I am all for breaking boundaries and trying new things, but for me Sandhya is 2/2 in sending something absolutely hideous down the runway and claiming it's "experimentation". While I was fine with it in episode one (Amanda/Char's designs were strong but nothing special) this week Emily and Kristine absolutely nailed it and lost to a subpar design.

 

I can't help but feel that the judges are setting Sandya up for the fall.

 

In other news, I absolutely love that women have taken all the top spots on the runway thus far, despite thinking that Fade deserves some credit.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Oholibamah

[Bluegirl547]

In reference to the comments regarding not being able to sit down in Sandhya's dress, the tubing was made out of leather strips. If you sat down, they would most likely flatten and then pop back into shape when you stood up.

[stafford]

I'm not going to blame Mary Kay but I absolutely hate the styling and makeup this year. Designers need to stay away from the accessories wall. Adding a cheap necklace or hoop earrings makes everything look like it was styled by J C Penny's.

[AwesomO4000]

Please, do tell.  I'd love a good pair of well fitting, inexpensive jeans!

 

I answered over in "The Accessory Wall" thread, because apparently I can't aswer stuff with just a few sentences, and I didn't want to go too off topic here.

[Bees]

I think if the color was different, Sandhya's dress wouldn't look so bad. Maybe a black or a navy blue would do wonders. I mean she wasn't my pick for the win (I preferred Emily's personally) but I get why the praise. 

 

I just couldn't get behind Kristine's dress. The jacket was fantastic but that dress just bugged me for some reason.

[Fellaway]

It's not; the judges are full of crap.

 

Hee!  Yes, there is that.  And even if they do switch up the models, it's not like the judges can't see the designers' reactions across the runway as the models go by.

 

Except--the winning model gets a spread in MC so I guess that doesn't make sense.

 

I've never really understood the models' side of the competition.  I'm pretty sure in the past a few models have won who've only been with that designer for a couple weeks, so, yay, for them.  I guess.

 

I think Amanda did a stellar job responding to the (IMO, mostly undeserved) call-out for her mediocre outfit.

 

I think she did, too, better than others from past seasons would've or did, but I do think she's full of herself this season.  Maybe winning the vote to get back in the competition gave her a false sense of being beloved by the audience.

[Lnmop]

 

 Throughout Season 11 Amanda was a simpering mess on the runway and always seemed in a state of shock when they liked her looks. I think this new assertive Amanda is her conscious attempt to project confidence and intention on the runway and through her clothes.

Perhaps, but her "fake it till you make it" demeanor is just off-putting to me. Her constant references to her work as "warrior", saying "I'd wear that" and ALWAYS believing she'll be in the top three might be bravado, and it might be an effort to convince herself that she has a POV. Either way, I'd just like her to wipe that smirk off her face.

[Kromm]

Zacky accidentally gave away the game to us viewers. I'm shocked the editors left his comment in.

 

At the very least he recognized Sandhya's aesthetic and knew it was by her.  I bet Nina did too (possibly not Heidi or the guest judge though).  

 

While I suppose the actual finishing was pretty good, I just found it kind of weirdly cliched and kind of kooky looking. The judges rewarded this "put shiny crap on it" cliche of future outfits because they recognized where it came from and maybe even that there's this big everyone vs. Sandhya storyline going on (don't for a moment think that production doesn't review those Talking Heads fairly quickly and know when something like that is happening).  

 

Also, I'm sorry, but "Strong Woman" is such an undefined cliched descriptive phrase. It means nothing without further context, and nether anything said by Sandhya nor by the outfit gave it that context.

Here's the issue.  Korina is clearly playing the Mean Girl role.  What having a Hamster doing that does is allows the show to posit her opposite, her "victim" as this hero that's so easy to rally around.  I just don't trust it,  My eyes and senses tell me Sandhya's designing crap.  It might be well sewed crap, but it's crap.  Not that Korina is her opposite in this necessarily. At best Korina's stuff is middle of the road, perhaps slightly on the high side of mediocre, but not by much. The fact that she's on an extended tear trying to grab screentime is only exacerbating the situation. You could tell from the candid in the break room when Sandhya comes back and says she won that Korina is genuinely befuddled (not angry, I think--she genuinely looks confused), but mentioning it constantly in the Talking Heads is far more self-aware.

Edited August 9, 2014 by Kromm

[slensam]

I actually don't mind Korina...yet. Maybe because I've seen much worse like Gretchen or Helen or Asha on the Gunn show. It's quite possible that she might become more of a villain. Why does there always have to be a villain? Can't they all get along? I'm an utopian.

Edited August 9, 2014 by slensam

[vibeology]

Sandhya's look was not a winner to my eyes, but I liked it. It used colour, shape, and metals where everyone else's clothes were so dark and drab. I think the cut of the sheath wasn't flattering enough to earn a win, but it deserved to be safe and maybe even top three. At least she's doing her thing and her thing is new and interesting. Outside of these challenges and with more than a day to sew, I bet her looks are colourful and interesting in a great way.

 

Angela's idea wasn't too bad but I think she needed a week to get that look to the point of being properly polished. The skirt was too short if she was going for office wear and every seam needed work. She has no sense of scope of time and that was a big problem. Still, there was so much worse out there that I would have sent home. Hernan's hideous outfit, Korina's strange cream pant disaster, Alexander's potato sack and Sean's wrinkled mess were all so much worse. Angela went home because of the design room stuff not because of her look.

 

The one judge who said that she didn't like when Emily referenced Ewoks because her look was warrior-esque pissed me off. the Ewoks were warriors.  Watch Jedi again and tell me those weren't brave warriors defending their home from the Empire. (I have a thing  about people who diss Ewoks.) As for Emily's look. It was very good but surprisingly, I agree with Nina. The model worked the look and elevated it beyond jumpsuit and hood. I liked the hood and the back detail on the jumpsuit was nice, but its a jumpsuit. I hate jumpsuits. Doesn't everyone outside of the fashion world? They're impractical. You have to undress to pee, who wants to do that?

 

Kristine's look made me happy. I'm glad she referenced Clueless, because that white dress is very "It's a dress!" "Says who?" "Calvin Klein." I liked the dress, I liked the coat but I didn't like them together and the styling was awful. 

 

fäde deserved a spot in the top three to me. His look was cool, chic, sporty and something I would wear today and maybe in the future. It was one of the few looks with colour even if that colour is a little muted. I like that we have someone making sportswear instead of always trying to create high fashion. fäde has a place in the fashion world that some of these other contestants never will.

 

I want to praise a whole batch of these designers. Even though I found most of the looks bland and dark, there were lots of separates, lots of pants and very few crazy crotches. fäde, Char, Mitchell and Kini all made pants in one day that I thought could sell right now. Amanda and Korina not so much. Amanda's whole look was a disaster. She was very lucky to have immunity; not that she'd have gone home, but bottom three would have been appropriate. 

 

The very last point I need to make is how hot was Emily in the picture from 1994. Like that picture should be in a magazine. She was fiercer than most of the models on this show. That picture could actually inspire amazing fashion. 

[RealityGal]

I hope someone tells Nina that she cannot carry off that white dress with the green jacket and she should not try.

 

I liked the hooded thing, but it looked like an 80s version of the future in a movie with Grace Jones.

 

When she said she wanted to buy that outfit I was like "oh Nina, oh please....just stop"  The model can barely carry off that look.

 

I don't know -- I for one appreciated Sandhya's design.  It was different and strong, and nothing else looked like it on the runway.  She seems like a very talented designer with fresh ideas, which I love after season after season of mostly recycled ideas.  The challenge was for Marie Claire so it makes sense she had an editorial design.

 

 

I really liked Sandaya's design, and I knew for me, that I was most going to enjoy her design because she actually chose a color and because of the story behind it.  And no Korina, in the future no one wants to wear a yellow shirt and mesh overcoat, you can live alone there sister.

[RealityGal]

I'm sorry, Sandhya's designs are not fashion forward, chic, nor sexy. She made a sheath with and oxygen mask hose and the judges went crazy. Angela's was not the worst. Yes, the sewing was bad and it was short, but her design of future office wear was clear. Keep all the whiney babies and bitches PR. Keeping it classy.

 

I actually thought Angela's was the worst.  First there is the color, that pink was just awful, if you're going to "break the fashion rules" by making a pink suit, make the pink something other than pepto pink.  If you're going to advocate for color in the corporate environment I think thats GREAT.  I, for one, hate the business suit and the fact that people want to say you can only wear it in black, navy or grey.  Most business suits I have buck that trend because I hate looking like everyone else.  But don't make those bold moves in pepto pink and white!  That suit looked like a hoochie church lady suit!  

 

And why did she cut it so short?  I think in the future we should let one or two things about the business suit go, but not everything about the business suit, and a lot of women who are a little older aren't going to want a skirt cut that short, and it would have been better as a pencil skirt.  And then the white with the pink looked like it was for easter.  

 

And finally, I'm all about an interesting suit jacket.  I'm all about it, all day every day.  But if she wanted to go sleeveless she should have done a well tailored vest, and if she didn't, she should have slapped some sleeves on that, and while I think her ideas were interesting, they just weren't interesting enough to save the jacket. I feel like I've sort of seen something like it before.

 

And, the other guy...Alexander?  While his was bad, I think the judges realized that it was a rushed attempt because his first project failed, which is what I think slightly pushed him over.  But that suit is exactly what Angela intended to put on the runway, she thought that was a reasonable design, even with that awful pepto color.

[catray]

I am over the fact that's hip or trendy to envision the future as some bleak dystopian or apocalyptic world. It might be, of course, but there's nothing inovative about that. All the stuff that was sent down the runway looked like stuff we had seen before. For that reason alone I'm ok with Sandhya winning, even though I personally was not a fan of the dress. She has a distinctive point of view and even though I feel like she doesn't 100% succeed in translating her design ideas into an actual garment, she's definitely bringing something different.

Surprising myself, I really like Mitchell's wetsuit look and the reasoning behind it. I wasn't totally convinced by Fade's, but the more I look at it and read comments, the more it grows on me.

Angela's garment wasn't the most offensive thing ever sent down the runway and I think the design idea was good, but the execution was certainly lacking. The color was awful and it looked sloppily made. I'm not sure she should have been sent home, but given the tears (and the fact that the judges didn't seem to like her) I'm not really sorry she was the one booted.

[auntlada]

I am over the fact that's hip or trendy to envision the future as some bleak dystopian or apocalyptic world. It might be, of course, but there's nothing inovative about that.

 

I'd buy the dystopian or apocalyptic world more if the challenge had been to design for 200 years from now, not 20. I'm still tired of it, but it would make more sense. 20 years from now, things will have changed, but it seems unlikely they will have changed that much. Probably, the fashions will be a retread of the 70s or 80s, with something new added. Or grunge with something new added because the one judge was right, it keeps coming back, starting with before it was called grunge. I remember when grunge got big in the 90s and everyone was talking about it. I thought, "I was wearing that 10 years ago." (I'm in the middle of the country, so even if it started in Seattle in the 80s, we didn't get it until the 90s.) Flannel shirts and T-shirts and boots were just what you wore for work or comfort. They weren't fashion. I might have believed a flannel shirt-type thing for 20 years from now.

[RealityGal]

I am SOOOOO tired of Amanda's THs. "I have an advantage because I know where everything is at Mood". "In 1994 I was jamming with my brother, laying down some sweet tunes". If those are your strengths, Amanda, please go on Guy's Grocery Games and American Idol - just stay away from PR.

 

I've tried with Amanda....I've really tried, but I just can't with her.  Nice to know that with all of your many advantages you still managed to put out a shitty outfit and land on the judges shit list.  And WTF is fashion forward about her top, not to burst your bubble sweetpea, but undergarments that you can wear outside has already been done.  The corset has been around for years, and I'm guessing it will be around in another 20.

 

 

Which brings me to the "winning" design.  WTF?? I am no fashion maven but HUH?  If the goal is to be as different or weirder than everyone else, I can see other designers compromising their own aesthetic to create some Barnum & Bailey Clown Gown just to get attention from Prissy-pants Posen and Nina the Grinch Garcia. BTW Nina- read your magazine's beauty pages once in a while...perpetual frowning and scowling causes wrinkles.

 

I too am sick to death of the "Warrior" theme.  If they want to portray women as independent or fierce then why do many of the designs incorporate kick-pleats up to the coochie and plunging guess-my-cup-size necklines?  As a woman, I know we are strong and sexy in thousands of ways. Looking great and feeling confident can be accentuated by the clothes and makeup we wear.  However, I feel its BS to tell women and young girls they are valued for their strength -  but only if they have the right shoes and show enough side boob. 

 

And thats the point I think Sandaya was trying to make, which is why I appreciated her design.  All of these "warrior woman" themes assume that the strength of a woman always comes from taking on what is traditionally seen as male.  Sandaya's point of view that strength for woman will one day be more in embracing what is feminine rather than trying to embrace what is traditionally masculine was powerful to me.

 

I was WTF'ing when Angela replied to whomever said that they knew when Angela was coming into the room as she had such a heavy footstep.  She was all "it's my sandals, my feet are thin and delicate".  Sweetie, I can go up the stairs and not make a sound like a ninja, my nine year old and three year sound like elephants going up.  It's not the "thinness of the feet" it's walking like you are plowing a field that makes the noise.  So glad she's gone, she reminds me of so many women who claim to be demure, shy and a doormat but are so fucking passive aggressive they are the ones with the best desk, best lighting, etc as there is a layer of selfish bitchy steel right underneath that very thin skin.

Totally agree about Angela.  She seemed to magically stop with the water works once she knew her ride on the show was over and any more manipulation wouldn't do her any good.  And she was sure to mention on the way out that her collection would have "blown everyone else's out of the water" at Fashion Week.  I guess the meek mouse can talk shit too!  I have no idea if she basis that solid assessment on her ability to superglue paper snowflakes to a dress and be on the bottom or her inability to sew and be on the bottom, but whatever....guess we'll never know will we Angela.

 

 

Angela's piece had issues, but Alexander's piece looked like a burlap sack. The color was drab, and the styling was too basic. I understood that he had to start over, but he couldn't have come up with anything else that did not look like a burlap sack?

This is what happens when you only give people a day, IMO.  With a two day challenge if you fuck up you really have some time to redeem a look, or come up with something new and really execute.  On one day challenges you have what seems like a few hours after the model leaves.  You have to be a sewing/design rock star to come up with a winner under those conditions.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 

And on another note, who the hell was the guest judge?  

 

Dear Lifetime - I really don't care if you have someone hosting a new show, and trust me, her little "performance" doesn't encourage me to watch her show.  And you do yourself a disservice by only telling us that the guest judge is some chick I've never heard of, who hosts a show I've never heard of, and may or may not have some authority in fashion.  She was a bigger bitch that Julie Bowen.  I hate that she wanted to pile onto Angela.  Geez, the girl was already being told her outfit sucked, do you really need to add in a dig about how some airline is looking for new uniforms?

[RealityGal]

 

I watched about 15 minutes of Amanda de Cadenet's show, & it really sucked. What is she doing as a judge?

Can you please tell me who the hell she is?  I refuse to watch her show because to me she was a total bitch as a guest judge, and she can calm down with all her self importance and bad attitude since I've never heard of her.  I don't know how her appearance on PR was supposed to tempt me to watch her show because I could do without her attitude.

[Julia]

She's a british celebutante/TV presenter who did some really effective networking when she was married to a rock star and leveraged it into a career of knowing famous people and being married to another rock star.

[Rhetorica]

I actually thought Angela's was the worst. First there is the color, that pink was just awful, if you're going to "break the fashion rules" by making a pink suit, make the pink something other than pepto pink. If you're going to advocate for color in the corporate environment I think thats GREAT. I, for one, hate the business suit and the fact that people want to say you can only wear it in black, navy or grey. Most business suits I have buck that trend because I hate looking like everyone else. But don't make those bold moves in pepto pink and white! That suit looked like a hoochie church lady suit!

And why did she cut it so short? I think in the future we should let one or two things about the business suit go, but not everything about the business suit, and a lot of women who are a little older aren't going to want a skirt cut that short, and it would have been better as a pencil skirt. And then the white with the pink looked like it was for easter.

And finally, I'm all about an interesting suit jacket. I'm all about it, all day every day. But if she wanted to go sleeveless she should have done a well tailored vest, and if she didn't, she should have slapped some sleeves on that, and while I think her ideas were interesting, they just weren't interesting enough to save the jacket. I feel like I've sort of seen something like it before.

And, the other guy...Alexander? While his was bad, I think the judges realized that it was a rushed attempt because his first project failed, which is what I think slightly pushed him over. But that suit is exactly what Angela intended to put on the runway, she thought that was a reasonable design, even with that awful pepto color.

We aren't disagreeing that much. I've already said the sewing was bad and it was too short. But her vision for future office wear was clear. As far as the color, the winning design was also Pepto pink. I'm not saying the other guy...Alexander? should have gone. I did think Hernan's training bra dress was awful but Sean's was the worst, especially his sewing skills. Of course YMMV.

I just hate TBTB keep personalities that bring the drama instead of the design. 

[RealityGal]

We aren't disagreeing that much. I've already said the sewing was bad and it was too short. But her vision for future office wear was clear. As far as the color, the winning design was also Pepto pink. I'm not saying the other guy...Alexander? should have gone. I did think Hernan's training bra dress was awful but Sean's was the worst, especially his sewing skills. Of course YMMV.

I just hate TBTB keep personalities that bring the drama instead of the design. 

I just looked at the photos and yes, Sandaya's was the same shade of pink.  I guess it just seemed more vibrant against the gold and metallics. 

 

Her vision for future office wear seemed to be what she was putting out on the runway.  Color in the office, not so drab, not so restrictive.  But to me, part of her vision is in the execution of that idea.  How you choose to express that vision I guess.

 

Okay, Sean's was awful, oh geez, I'm looking at it on Rate the Runway, and its pretty fucking awful.  However, I think with his, if he had chosen a different fabric and fitted it different, and not put his model in that ridiculous hat and socks with heels.  But I think the colors were fine, and the basic idea was okay.  I think even done 100% right, Seans would have only landed him in the middle.

 

So basically, I think he and Angela both had awful fit and sewing issues, reasonable ideas/vision.  The tipping factor may have been the color and the fact that the jersey turtleneck dress underneath was okay.  I feel like if both had been 100% of the sewing and fit issues, Angela may still have gone home for the color combination and how the white in front sort of looks like a mans tie.  But M totally V's :)

 

See, this is what happens when you only give people a fucking day Project Runway!  I think if they wanted to keep someone for drama, they should have kept Angela, because she seems like she was annoying everyone.  But I agree that overall I hate the idea of creating these situations and keeping certain people for drama instead of making the conditions right for people to succeed and create beautiful clothing.

Edited August 9, 2014 by RealityGal

[alrightythen]

I'm not defending any catty behavior, but I can understand the designers' frustrations.  So far, the 3 winning designs consisted of a dress with embellishments.  Other designers are making separates in the same amount of time and getting little if no praise or feedback.  Emily, Kristine, Samantha and Kini all made some pretty complex looking separates and all looked pretty well constructed to me.  Didn't love Char's pant color, but she made pants and an interesting top.  Sandhya made a dress which she bragged she had finished 2 hours into the challenge (because, yeah, it was basically 2 pieces sewn together), then she spent the rest of her time on her accessory (whatever that was).  Also, I think her interpretation of her designs is a bunch of hooey.  Fade could just as easily say, "the gray color of my design represents the Berlin Wall of my past, and the blue represents the sky of the future."  I mean, come on.  Interpretation is just that. 

 

I blame the judges for not recognizing the better efforts.  I'm afraid the designers will start thinking, "well, people are winning with a dress and crafty accessories, so I guess that's what the judges want" and they all start cranking out just that.  I wonder how Michael Kors would rate the same designs and how different the outcome would be to this point.  I miss him.

[Lnmop]

This is what happens when you only give people a day, IMO. With a two day challenge if you fuck up you really have some time to redeem a look, or come up with something new and really execute. On one day challenges you have what seems like a few hours after the model leaves. You have to be a sewing/design rock star to come up with a winner under those conditions.

Given how frequently the judges are ridiculing the designers, perhaps that was their intention. Either that, or their budget has been slashed so dramatically to cut back on production time that they have to rush through the challenges.

[RealityGal]

.  I wonder how Michael Kors would rate the same designs and how different the outcome would be to this point.  I miss him.

 

I miss MK too :(  

Given how frequently the judges are ridiculing the designers, perhaps that was their intention. Either that, or their budget has been slashed so dramatically to cut back on production time that they have to rush through the challenges.

And thats my beef with PR right now, because I think you are probably right to some degree.  Because its only been since they have shifted the majority of their challenges to one day challenges that they have wanted to have an up close and personal look at the losing designs.

 

I don't understand TV, so I don't understand how one less day can really effect production costs (cost of the hotel rooms and food make sense, but would that be a significant cost?)

[Kromm]

I am over the fact that's hip or trendy to envision the future as some bleak dystopian or apocalyptic world. It might be, of course, but there's nothing inovative about that. All the stuff that was sent down the runway looked like stuff we had seen before. For that reason alone I'm ok with Sandhya winning, even though I personally was not a fan of the dress. She has a distinctive point of view and even though I feel like she doesn't 100% succeed in translating her design ideas into an actual garment, she's definitely bringing something different.

Surprising myself, I really like Mitchell's wetsuit look and the reasoning behind it. I wasn't totally convinced by Fade's, but the more I look at it and read comments, the more it grows on me.

Angela's garment wasn't the most offensive thing ever sent down the runway and I think the design idea was good, but the execution was certainly lacking. The color was awful and it looked sloppily made. I'm not sure she should have been sent home, but given the tears (and the fact that the judges didn't seem to like her) I'm not really sorry she was the one booted.

Mitchell's wetsuit was fine.  It DID have a story and a rationale, and it made me despise Sandaya's look and her total lack of actual thought or originality even more. If she'd been able to craft her "it represents a strong woman" into even the most threadbare bit of actual meaning, and illustrated it in the outfit, that would be different.  But she didn't.  It was no more than a superficial "pink means a woman and tubes make it weird" thing.  Whereas Mitchell, while he might come off as a bit of a fool, had an actual thought process and followed it.  And neoprene type material looks good, even if it's not all that practical in the real world.

[Callasin]

 

- Sean's look was designed for a modern day Puritan or Calvinist minister's wife who is too stern and hardcore to own something as frivolous as an iron.

When Sean's model came down the runway I turned to my housemate and said look it's Father Guido Sarducci.

[Kromm]

I'm not defending any catty behavior, but I can understand the designers' frustrations.  So far, the 3 winning designs consisted of a dress with embellishments.  Other designers are making separates in the same amount of time and getting little if no praise or feedback.  Emily, Kristine, Samantha and Kini all made some pretty complex looking separates and all looked pretty well constructed to me.  Didn't love Char's pant color, but she made pants and an interesting top.  Sandhya made a dress which she bragged she had finished 2 hours into the challenge (because, yeah, it was basically 2 pieces sewn together), then she spent the rest of her time on her accessory (whatever that was).  Also, I think her interpretation of her designs is a bunch of hooey.  Fade could just as easily say, "the gray color of my design represents the Berlin Wall of my past, and the blue represents the sky of the future."  I mean, come on.  Interpretation is just that. 

As usual, I think it's some real justified behavior mashed up with some excessive behavior, and the edit helping along the already existing tendency for viewers to want heroes and villains.  All Sandaya had to do was say "they're picking on me", combined with a few of the more camera hungry designers giving into the production leading questions leading to catty remarks and they had their dichotomy.  

 

I mean take Korina's reaction in the last episode to Sandaya's winning.  I'm sure it lead to a ton of "I hate that mean Korina, she couldn't even congratulate Sandaya" Tweets and such, and to some degree she deserves it because she gave in so easily to the production people nudging her into giving negative Talking Heads. She wants screentime, lets face it.  But in that candid moment I saw a genuine look of confusion on her face.  Maybe these people aren't being nice about it, but I honestly think they don't understand why Sandaya is winning.  Because who COULD understand going into a contest assuming it would be able skill and having to figure out a more complex agenda, like this show has?

[Rhetorica]

I miss MK too :(

I, too, miss MK. Off topic, but I found a pair of his skinny jeans at TJMaxx for $35! So excited!