S13.E04: A Suitable Twist

[yeswedo]

 

The designers must re-purpose a selection of vintage men's suits to create looks for modern women.

 

[ShellSeeker]

Can't wait to see who gets the 70's leisure suit!

[Surrealist]

Can't wait to see who gets the 70's leisure suit!

You know who could make that work really well? Fade.

[leighdear]

I bet in East Germany, they probably wore 70's clothes well into the 90's.  I want to see Fade really shine tonight. 

[MrsClaus]

I am waiting patiently to hear everyone's thoughts on tonight's show. I am in the middle of a campground with no cable, internet other than my phone and no satellite.

[Julia]

I'm kind of agog to see how Sandhya is going to take a man's suit and turn it into something that rejects a man's suit.

Although I suspect that since she's got immunity it won't be the judges' favorite.

[Resalyn]

Hernan just REALLY irritates me. On the bright side, Amanda annoys me less this week... a little.

[Surrealist]

Hernan is way too bitchy without possessing the requisite talent to get away with it.

[leighdear]

So is Amanda going to send fringy stuff down the runway every week now?  I really can't stand her smirk.  Sometimes Korinna reminds me of Julia Roberts with that incredibly wide mouth.  And that is NOT a compliment. 

[Straycat80]

Well, we don't have to hear Hernan say 'beeches' every other sentence anymore.

[larapu2000]

I almost gasped when Kini's look came down the runway, it was so fantastic.  And it loses to Amanda's 1960's fringe nightmare?  Ugh.  I loved Alexander's design, too, the length on that dress was just perfection.  Fade once again goes unappreciated.

 

Can we just talk about the obsession with midriffs?  What the eff, fashion?

[DHDancer]

How did Amanda win that with an incredibly unoriginal ugly dress?????  That was Mr Hawaiian's (Kini) to win IMO.  I give up, judges.  I'm glad Sean was safe -- that was a mess but I think he has so much more to show.  Hernan: grow up -- that decision I had no problem with..

Edited August 15, 2014 by DHDancer

[terrymct]

Hernan was the right choice to go home. Damn, dude, poor taste, poor skills, and a tad delusional to boot.

I disagree with the judges on the top three. I think it should have been Kini, Sandhya, and Fade. Kini's tailoring was great given the time limitation. Sandhya and Fade both produced beautiful, eye catching outfits that looked well made. Amanda's dress should have been safe, not the winner. It was fine, but as the judges said you can find dresses like that in many vintage stores. The placement of the fringe was very good, but is she going to dangle stuff off out fits now that she won on two dangly outfits?

[DHDancer]

I almost gasped when Kini's look came down the runway, it was so fantastic.  And it loses to Amanda's 1960's fringe nightmare?  Ugh.  I loved Alexander's design, too, the length on that dress was just perfection.  Fade once again goes unappreciated.

 

Can we just talk about the obsession with midriffs?  What the eff, fashion?

 

Yeah, I agree, and the inability to put a BACK in anything -- huh???  People complain about unwearable fashion yet they aren't complaining about these outfits that are totally unwearable by anyone over the age of 20 or any day where the temp is below 85.  And don't get me started on the slutty short short skirts.

[Sapphire]

Ugh, Hernan is such a vile person -- I hated all those "excuses" he made on the runway and was super glad Zach called him out on basically lying.  I'm sure you all caught him calling Sandhya a bitch during the runway show; she gave him the finger and said "Don't ever talk to me like that again."  Now she won't have to worry about his vulgarity.

 

Speaking of Sandhya, I normally like her stuff but tonight was a miss for me.  Tim was right in that it was very junior.

 

I abhor Amanda, as a person and as a designer.  Her fringe dress looked like a high school home ec project and I cannot believe it lost to the super slick, elegant design by Kini.  RIDICULOUS.  Did it win because Heidi wanted to wear that atrocity?  I also cannot stand Amanda's smug personality.  

 

My favorite was Kini's and I also liked Fade's, although I don't think it qualified as high fashion.

[Rhetorica]

My musings: 

The Red Robin guy was the best guest peddler they've had. HE WAS EXCITED! I thought Sandhya was very gracious picking the suits. 

Amanda is tiring. Why did she select that fabric? The suit already had a gawd awful print! And she won! 

I have Sean's deconstructed dress! But it's  better constructed. Did you notice Kinni's had slut slits! Hernan is a whiney baby. I'm glad he's gone. I'm tired of Nina bringing catch phrases to throw at the contestants. 

My live notes from the runway: 

Korina good 

Char ok

Fade cool

*Alexander  Win

*Mitchell sucked

Sandhya cute

*Sean cool

*Kristine ok 

*Amanda meh 

*Kini best

Emily cute 

[Surrealist]

So is Amanda going to send fringy stuff down the runway every week now? I really can't stand her smirk.

Thank you! The same thing was going through my head. All Amanda does is fringe. We get it. You think you're a hippie, even though you missed that decade by a long shot.

I didn't watch Amanda's season, but she comes across as phony. I hope she doesn't end up as a finalist. She's so smug.

[Lamb18]

I liked Sandiyha's best this week.  She really worked that yellow and I liked the little patchwork of different colors, including the purple.  I wish I could have seen more of it.  The most I saw of it was on the runway and it went so fast.  I think she transformed it really well.

 

I thought Mitchell should have been on the bottom with his plastic-wrapped dress.  Amanda's suit brought back memories since that was a hot prom look for guys in the 70s.  Actually that's the one I would have picked.  I'm glad Hernan is gone.  He focused too much energy in crabbing about how awful his suit was and how mean Sandiyha was to assign it to him instead of being figuring out how to work creatively with it.  It was white - not like it was corduroy or leisure or plaid.  Kini's was nice, too, but I do agree about it being seen before.

 

I think Fade should have been on the top, too.  His outfit did not look like it came from an ugly suit.  I liked Amanda's better once it was on the model but I still didn't care for it that much.  I don't know if it's because it's not my style or if it really was kind of ugly.

 

I noticed Sandiyha not saying good-bye to Hernan, but I think she felt he was too hostile toward her.  I really think she did try to match up suits to people in a favorable way.  4 episodes: Sandiyha 2, Amanda 2.

[Straycat80]

I don't understand the judges Amanda love. She hangs shit from her designs and they go crazy. I don't get it.

Kini should have won.

How is Mitchell always getting by as safe ? That blue vinyl dress was awful!

[TiredMe]

I have noticed that first three episodes the winner has been Nina's pick. So when she said Amanda I knew she would win. I liked her dress but I loved Kini's.

I agreed with the bottom 3 and the bootee so no complaints here.

I love Mitchell and his look made me giggle. He just entertains me.

I liked the red suit outfit. Chars blue top and black skirt was hideous.

Edited August 15, 2014 by TiredMe

[Passing Strange]

Has this show lost so much of its credibility that the only person they could get to be a judge was a "Youtube sensation" whose commentary consisted of picking another judge and rephrasing what s/he said?

 

And, after that win, that's the nicest thing I have to say about this episode.

[ThatsDarling]

I have noticed that first three episodes the winner has been Nina's pick. So when she said Amanda I knew she would win. I liked her dress but I loved Kini's.

In the first episode, Nina seemed to prefer Amanda and Char to Sandhya, noting their far superior construction. It seems to me that Zac is the most influential judge after Heidi, so I was surprised that Kini didn't win.

 

I think Amanda is getting set up for a major downfall. Watch her keep doing her thing and the judges' suddenly decide that they hate it (see their overreaction to her problematic but not terrible look last week). 

 

This is the first garment of Sandhya's that I kind of liked. I also appreciated Korrina's look, though I agree with Zac (for once) that the motorcycle jacket has been done to death. I would wear it (™ vapid guest judge), but it's hardly a fresh or creative look for a design competition. 

Edited August 15, 2014 by ThatsDarling

[larapu2000]

I liked Zac's "gag me with a spoon" attitude about the motorcycle jacket.  

[Linderhill]

I'm still trying to figure out what the judges are seeing that I'm missing.  That fringed monstrosity was in no way better than Kini's dress.  Especially the way the top was fitted.  The fringe made it look better than it was but it certainly wasn't all that great.  I thought that the suit was supposed to be an integral part of the new design.  It certainly was in KIni's design but Amande just tried to cover it up.  I'm still surprised that she didn't try to dye it black.

[Lamb18]

Question for Angela Sum if you happen to read this thread:

Which suit would you have chosen?  Why would you have chosen that one and what would you have made?  I'm very curious to hear your point of view.

[Midnight Cheese]

I thought Fade had the best look, and played with the patterns in a more successful way than Kini lined up the pinstripes -- he did much more with less, and created something beautiful.  I also thought Sandhya was playing with a little Magritte or something - the mustaches and mustache cutouts seemed so witty, and I loved how much color she brought into things.  I don't think it was anywhere near junior.  Kini, Alexander, Samantha, Char, Emily and Amanda also put forward good attempts. 

 

Hernan's was awful, but I think there was an ESL issue: he did seem to have a problem putting in a full-back zipper with that material.  I think Sean's was worse, both conceptually and arguably in terms of execution.  Mitchell's also had no alibi: that mess was ugly.  I agree with those upthread who think Sandhya genuinely and kindly tried to match designers with particular suits.  For one of the first times ever on this show, I think she was trying to do right by everyone. 

[alrightythen]

Ditto on the fringe.  I did like Amanda's mix of fabrics but IMO the fringe was a distraction.  Kini should've won.  I liked Fade's too.

 

Korina is the biggest phony.  I think she wanted Christine to get annihilated and was disappointed when the others said they liked it.   

 

I was put off by all the bitching and whining about the suits.  Same as in previous seasons when people would bitch about getting the chubby girl or the ugliest wedding dress.  I had to agree with Sandhya on that one.  If you can't work with what you have, how good of a designer are you?

 

I'm going to start a drinking game for every time the judges say something looks sad.  Judges, get a thesaurus! 

[SSAHotchner]

I didn't care much for Amanda's dress, but it wasn't as ridiculous a win as her previous one, for me anyway. I'm just glad Hernan is out and that Sandhya wasn't in the top, although I preferred her outfit tonight to either of her "winning" looks. I'm too out of it tonight to recall if anything like this has been done before, but I was irritated that they let Sandhya pick the suits for all of the contestants instead of letting her pick her own and then using the button bag to let the others choose what they wanted. They really do seem to be favoring her.

[AwesomO4000]

So for a second time Amanda wins with fringe when I think a guy should have won with what I thought was a tighter design (I'm a woman, so I'm not pulling guy solidarity here). First she beat Mitchell's DVD dress and this time it was Kini's interesting and well made dress.
 

@ThatsDarling - It seems to me that Zac is the most influential judge after Heidi, so I was surprised that Kini didn't win.

 

But wasn't Zac the one who was arguing how much more "original" Amanda's design was and that it was something they hadn't seen before? ... which seems kind of silly since: wasn't he there judging 2 weeks ago when Amanda's also fringed design came down the runway and won?

 

But it looked to me like Zac was arguing for an Amanda win. I thought that it was Heidi saying that Amanda's design could be found in vintage stores. In either case, I thought Kini should've won over Amanda. It wasn't his fault that his suit might had easier fabric. He still rocked it and kept the inspiration of the suit - the pockets were such an inventive detail to leave and somehow he made it not look kitchy. (How did he not win?)

 

And speaking of Amanada. I know she's trying to be nice with her "I so thought it was going to be you [who won]" a bunch of times, but Amanda - it's not helping. I don't think Kini is going to be thinking "oh phew, Amanda thought I should win, that makes it all better." Because no it doesn't and it just makes it sound like you're trying too hard to be humble. Saying it once and maybe in a different way like "wow yours was awesome. I'm surprised you didn't win." and then shut it about that would, I think, be better

[leighdear]

Did it sound like next week is going to be a double elimination?  I thought Heidi said something like "You're out as well", or something like that.

 

It's very difficult to dye polyester or blend fabrics, so that may be why Amanda didn't just dye that hideous pink print black.  Poly is an extruded solid, not like a natural fiber (cotton, silk) that will absorb dye.  I know they now make some dyes for poly, but the darker colors don't work well at all. Very muddy.

Edited August 15, 2014 by leighdear

[Surrealist]

Did it sound like next week is going to be a double elimination? I thought Heidi said something like "You're out as well", or something like that.

I thought the same thing. Next week sounds like it will consist of a double elimination.

[rlc]

In what universe does Fade and Emily end up in the middle, and Amanda wins? Why do I keep watching this show?

Edited August 15, 2014 by rlc

[Lamb18]

In watching the rerun, Fade and Sandiyha should have been in the top.  Either would have been worthy winners.  You wouldn't know Fade's had been an ugly suit or Sandiyha's either, for that matter.  I really loved Sandiyha's.  I hope she makes it to Fashion Week. When I first saw her outfit, I thought the shape/cut and fold of the skirt were familiar but that I'd seen this on a man.  I've been reading about different countries for that past three years, and what struck me about Sandiyha's is that the skirt was referential to what a man in an Asian country might wear, but not a woman. (in that culture a woman would most likely have her legs covered.)     

[leighdear]

I'm going to start a drinking game for every time the judges say something looks sad.  Judges, get a thesaurus!

And every time Nina says Vagina.  She seems to be obsessed with that word.  She's trotted it out several times this season already.

[Madding crowd]

For once I loved Sandya's and also thought Kini's dress was great. I didn't like Amanda's at all and there was nothing original or interesting about it. The judges got it right with the bottom though and Herndon deserved to go after calling Sandyha a bitch. She had to give everyone a suit, did he expect special treatment?

[Gumby]

"Has this show lost so much of its credibility that the only person they could get to be a judge was a "Youtube sensation" whose commentary consisted of picking another judge and rephrasing what s/he said?"

Well here's MY question: am I really so d that what judge was wearing is the coolest thing one can wear when one has a one-time shot on a Project Runway panel? Her entire Blossom ensemble was left over after my garage sale. And her lip color...... Just why?

[roctavia]

Well... I don't feel as punk'd this week as last... but I still think Kini should have won over Amanda... I didn't hate her dress, but I think there were others that were better. Fades was pretty awesome (at least I think I'm talking about Fade's- brown plaid/spots?) his look had that optical illusion tiny waist thing going on and was different. I still think Kini's was the best- his attention to detail and tailoring were great according to the judges, and he really put a lot of neat little extras in the design.

 

I agree for the most part with the bottom looks, though at first I thought the biker jacket look came down the runway with tall boots- which would have saved the pants. I didn't mind the jacket, but the organza on the legs was wack. But I'm glad she didn't go home. Hernan was way too whiny, so I'm very glad that he went home. His attitude was terrible. I do think Sandhya was trying to pick suits thoughtfully... but fact is somebody had to get the ugly suits... there's no way around it.

 

I'm glad Sandhya wasn't in the top again. Her look was okay, but I definitely thought it just looked "safe."  There were quite a few good looks this week, which is good... but a lot of them I was saying to myself "safe" as they walked down the runway...

 

Overall, not as mystified by the judging this week, even though I really think Kini should have won.

[Ketzel]

I thought Amanda's dress had been called out as one of the bottom three. Nothing about it said "high fashion" to me. The top was badly fitted, the neckline was boring, the piecework was reminiscent of some of the worst of the printed patchwork fabrics sold in the 70s. And the drippy fringe over the whole thing was, in my eyes, a totally random add-on that didn't relate in any way to the dress or the challenge. Bleh.

 

I actually believe that Sandhya  did her best not to sabotage any single designer, but someone had to get the blue leisure suit! And shut up, Hernan -- you didn't get the most difficult suit material to work with, you made stupid decisions, spent more time complaining than designing and lied to the judges. I said, "yes, girl!" out loud to the TV when he called Sandya a bitch and she shut him right down. I think he could not get his head around the fact that a woman he disliked had out done him in a competition. I also wondered if he was expecting Tim to use the save for him. Not that Tim seemed even remotely likely to do that.

 

Kini was robbed. I would have given him the win, with the other two top designs being Fade and Sandhya. Hernan was definitely the right auf, though.

[picklesprite]

I thought Sandhya's design was darling, and I love Fade's work. Maybe his fashion isn't high, but so it's so well-fitting and sophisticated for real women. His colors are maybe too East German Cold War drab, but that's weirdly part of their beauty, too. My third fave was Kini.

 

As for the winner, my jaw is still on the floor and tangled in fringe.

Edited August 15, 2014 by picklesprite

[izabella]

I really liked Fade's too, and I wish it had been in the top so I could have gotten a closer look at it.  It gave me a hint of Audrey Hepburn but with a cool, twist.  He's been putting out some interesting designs, but has sadly been stuck in the middle. 

 

Amanda's did not say high fashion to me.  I'm not sure what high fashion is, exactly, but that to me said costume party dress.

[picklesprite]

Amanda's did not say high fashion to me.

It said Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, 1968, and should have been worn with a wide-brimmed, floopy hat, and bare feet, with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young playing in the background and sweet smoke in the air.

[Lopethina]

Tim just stood there like a leetle beech, not admitting to the judges that he encouraged Sean to show that skirt inside out. I hope it just got edited out, but I have my doubts.

And speaking of beech, I think Sandhya's exchange with Hernan was the result of a miscommunication. On one hand, I applaud her for not taking any shit. But on the other hand, I don't think Hernan gives the word "bitch" as much strength as most do. He tacks it on the end of every sentence, like "dude." He was a whineypants, but overall I think he's a good guy.

[ThatsDarling]

But wasn't Zac the one who was arguing how much more "original" Amanda's design was and that it was something they hadn't seen before? ... which seems kind of silly since: wasn't he there judging 2 weeks ago when Amanda's also fringed design came down the runway and won?

 

But it looked to me like Zac was arguing for an Amanda win. I thought that it was Heidi saying that Amanda's design could be found in vintage stores. In either case, I thought Kini should've won over Amanda. It wasn't his fault that his suit might had easier fabric. He still rocked it and kept the inspiration of the suit - the pockets were such an inventive detail to leave and somehow he made it not look kitchy. (How did he not win?)

Zac liked Amanda's look, but noted that it wasn't the most imaginative and that he saw something like it on a Cavalli runway. He said Kini's was a "winning" look, but Nina thought designers on previous seasons had already produced something similar (it looked to me like a dress Viktor Luna would have made). 

 

I pay way too much attention to what these people say. 

Edited August 15, 2014 by ThatsDarling

[LotusFlower]

And speaking of beech, I think Sandhya's exchange with Hernan was the result of a miscommunication. On one hand, I applaud her for not taking any shit. But on the other hand, I don't think Hernan gives the word "bitch" as much strength as most do. He tacks it on the end of every sentence, like "dude." He was a whineypants, but overall I think he's a good guy.

He openly disliked her, and certainly treated her in a bitchy way, so I think he meant it. I liked that she told him it wasn't ok.

[HeyLookItsAng]

 

I want to see Fade really shine tonight.

And I think he really did. That ensemble was really great design! He's totally underappreciated; pairing that polka dot with the plaid was inspired.

[Bosman]

Ugh. Only in Bizarro world would Amanda's fringed patchwork mess win. The top three should have been Kini, Sandya and Fade. I would have given the win to Fade. His fit looked impeccable and his use of pattern was  really sophisticated. And where did they dig up that guest judge? She looked and sounded like she was 17. Oh, and shut up Nina.

[GaT]

Wasn't the Red Robin episode supposed to be the designers designing an accessory for them? I know we were posting about it here, are they going to have two Red Robin episodes?

 

As for the designs:

 

I liked:

Korina
Kini - should have won IMO

 

I didn't like:

Hernan – Vagina superhero HA!, not sorry he's gone, but I'll miss his perfect eyebrows

Mitchell
Sean
Kristine
Amanda
Sandyha
Emily

 

I thought was meh:

Char
Fade - the illusion waist dress was done to death this year
Samantha
Alexander

Edited August 15, 2014 by GaT

[catray]

If Hernan really wanted something to complain about, he should have traded with Sean, because that was a truly terrible suit. It's a good thing I'm not on this show, because I would have cried if I had ended up with that suit.

I don't think Sandhya was purposely trying to screw anyone; Hernan was being terrible-- and was rightly called out by the judges because it's not like he was the only one who got crappy fabric (see: Sean). If he'd sucked it up and just worked, he could have made it work. But he whined and bitched and moaned and didn't even finish the hem. Wah wahhh don't let the door hit you on the way out.

I loved Kini and Fade's dresses-- Fade should have been in the top three.

Double elimination next week-- way to spoil it, promo monkeys!

[Mrs Huffnagle]

It said Haight-Ashbury, San Francisco, 1968, and should have been worn with a wide-brimmed, floopy hat, and bare feet, with Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young playing in the background and sweet smoke in the air.

Move it north to Seattle, and it was me in 1968.  I just don't understand what the judges are smoking; Kini should have won.  I'm wondering if production has a hand in who wins.

[phoenix780]

I'm loving this season's looks for the most part.  The drama and bitching and judging...not so much.  I might start watching via another method, though, like iTunes, because I can't stand the damn polls.  I really want to know how many people actually participate in that, especially since most of them were landslides tonight.  

 

I was hoping they would ask one of the whiny designers which 3-5 of the suits they would have accepted without feeling like they were targeted by Sandhya.  I don't particularly like her, and I think she could well be a totally different person off-camera, but I have trouble believing she was trying to set people up to fail.  The challenge itself was trying to set people up to fail (or at least struggle), and I'm pretty sure all 14 of them (or however many there are) wanted the same 2-3, which means Sandhya would have to disappoint most of them.  I totally get her win last week, though, because having her pick was a great way to guarantee a little drama given her shaky relationships with other designers in other episodes. 

 

I don't know who the guest judge was but I didn't mind her, except for her unnecessary use of the word "fierce."  But maybe that's because years of ANTM and RuPaul have made me tired of that word (speaking of RuPaul, Hernan reminds me of Alexis Mateo out of drag).  

 

I wish the judges would clarify why they went with a particular winner when the conclusion we hear is "it's super close, yo."  Why did the fringe (which I actually liked) edge out the other one in the end?

 

I'm hoping that they're ignoring some of the designers right now so they can talk about growth when they start to feature them.  And so we aren't sick of them when they take center stage in the second half of the season.

 

Last thought- that brand transformation guy from Red Robin is pretty skilled.  I almost want to go there now for some bottomless fries.  If only they weren't all pegged to malls...near the lower-tier stores (at least in my area, far as I know). 

Edited August 15, 2014 by phoenix780