S02.E10: The Finale

[Marigold66]

I didn't see a topic for the last episode.  I just had to come here to see what everyone thought of the winner.  I was not expecting 

Spoiler

Nigel

to win.

[QQQQ]

I totally agreed with the decision. And Deontre should have been eliminated about 9 rounds earlier.

[Marigold66]

29 minutes ago, QQQQ said:

I totally agreed with the decision. And Deontre should have been eliminated about 9 rounds earlier.

 Interesting!  I don't even know if I needed to spoil the winner in my comments but I'm assuming if someone checks this thread out, they'll know the winner will likely be revealed.  I thought Bao had it in the bag.  She made such beautifully constructed pieces but I guess it wasn't innovative enough.  I loved Nigel as a person but maybe I'm just not a fan of patchwork?  I just didn't see the "wow" factor.  

[QQQQ]

It's been a week since I watched the finale, but I thought Bao's pieces were ok but each looked fairly similar. And Deontre's models looked like they were pulling puffy trash bags down the runway. I thought Nigel's pieces were beautiful and I usually don't like patches or the colors he chose, so that says something 😅 Wish James had made it to the finale.

Edited March 14, 2023 by QQQQ

[Gloriosa]

I thought for sure Deontre was going to win, but Nigel was my favorite.  All through the season, everything he wore was interesting.  He's his own best model, and I think his clothes were the most wearable for the general public as well as being creative.

[Wicked]

I think Nigel was the right winner, I would have given Deontre second place. I thought Bao's looks were awful.  The fabric looked cheap to me and the designs were nothing new.  Going into the episode I thought she had the best chance to win so I was very surprised when my expectations were so far off from what actually happened

 

[Blueboxes]

I agreed with picking Nigel. He grew the most and his collection would appeal to a lot of customers. I loved Bao but she just didn't have a lot of range. The designs she wore throughout the competition were sexy but still not trashy. However, I felt her collection veered towards looking cheap. Deontre needs more experience, I think he would gain from working for an established design house - hopefully this show helps him land a job in fashion. 

My pick for the person I wished had been in the finale was Desyree. Not a James fan, his execution was terrible - although it would've been interesting to see what he could do with a team of competent sewers.

[TVbitch]

Early on I figured Nigel was gonna win, and I liked his collection best of the three, but patchwork is not exactly groundbreaking. The winner of the first season of streatwear competition "The Hype" was a patchwork designer. Nigel's incorporation of different textures and fabric manipulations was special though. 

I loved Bao's finale look. It was the only showstopper for me.

I can't believe how the judges went on about Deontre's puffer fabric having sheen and shine. Have they never gone camping?! 

[Straycat80]

Honestly I wasn’t blown away by any of these designers. I thought at first Deontre would win but then he kind of started to go downhill. I thought Bao was ok, a lot of cut outs but you could see a maturity in her work that was missing with the other two designers. Not surprised Nigel won, patchwork is not new, but I guess that’s what the judges thought was ‘fresh’ and ‘innovating’. 

[Glade]

They waited until the last episode to finally advise Bao to maybe not rely solely on her sexy cutouts in every look, but just blankly nodded when Deontre announced his plan to rehash his lame oversized puffer jackets from episode 1; there were so many challenges he should have gone home in, and puffers are not the next big thing.  I wish James and Megan got to make final collections instead.  But Nigel's collection was really cool, I love his innovative designs and he does model his style expertly so I'm glad he won. 

Edited March 14, 2023 by Glade

[pasdetrois]

There were a lot of sexy cut-outs and stretch banded bodices at the Oscars. Occasionally I thought "Pnina Tornai!" as I watched Bao's designs. Her aesthetic isn't "fresh."

I believe production picks the winner, perhaps even before the show, based on demographics and how cheaply it can be produced for the masses.

Edited March 14, 2023 by pasdetrois

[Ms Blue Jay]

This season was garbage compared to Season 1.  The quality of designers and judging was a major step down.  I feel like NiF is trying to go for Gen Z - the contestants seemed 10-15 years younger than S1's and it showed.

I'm fine with Nigel, and I would have been just as fine with Deontre.

Bao is a sewer to me.  I don't get the gushing over her designs.  It's tight and sexy that's it.  That's not what I'm interested in, that's not pushing the boundaries, that's not new.  Some of us already lived through the 80s.  I do not get it at all.

The judging really suffered.  I'm fine with Alexa leaving, but having nobody on the panel who's even remotely a designer makes the quality of the judging so poor.

[pasdetrois]

Not one intelligent thought or comment from any of the commentators. Occasionally Gigi would sound like she was paying a little bit of attention, but then all of them were back to the drivel. "Very fresh." "It slays." And the always popular "It's iconic." We tried counting how many times these witless gems were uttered and couldn't keep up. When five or six of them get on a roll together...

 

[TVbitch]

Don't forget the ever popular... "I would wear that."

As Heidi taught us on PR, that is the absolute pinnacle of informed fashion critique. 

[pasdetrois]

8 minutes ago, TVbitch said:

Don't forget the ever popular... "I would wear that."

That's a hall-of-famer right there.

[Madding crowd]

I really liked Nigel’s collection and thought it was cohesive and modern. Bao’s dresses were pretty but nothing new. Deontre’s outfits looked mostly like people wearing a comforter as a backpack. I don’t even see how these designs could be made wearable unless they were smaller comforter backpacks. I prefer Heidi and Tim to Tan and Gigi; I got tired of the Rachel Zoe type comments ( I die!!!  I live!! ).

[nb360]

I would love Laverne Cox as one of the judges. I wish the contestants had a wide range of ages.

[dleighg]

I really liked Nigel's collection. Bao's was pretty, but really is only appropriate for one kind of customer. Much as the judges said that the dress on the (one) plus-size model would "flatter any woman," I have to disagree. My belly isn't as big as hers, and there's no way in hell I'd wear that dress. Meanwhile, Nigel's stuff would suit men, women, skinny, not skinny, etc. Anyone who wants something a little funky. I absolutely loved that colorful floral "lace" over the other fabrics.

(They also didn't show the obvious help Bao's finale dress would have needed for the u-turn on the runway!)

Edited March 17, 2023 by dleighg

[dleighg]

On 3/11/2023 at 10:25 PM, QQQQ said:

And Deontre's models looked like they were pulling puffy trash bags down the runway

Exactly

[violet and green]

I thought the fix was in for Deontre to win, starting from episode one. So my face at the winner's announcement was like James's. Nigel had really sweet parents, dedication to his patchwork, and a good work ethic, so I am glad for the fellow. Hard to mass-produce though.

That whole season was not a patch on season one. Booting the rare few contestants who could actually sew and construct and do finishing early on was a weird choice. I kept wishing Nina Garcia would teleport in and give her opinions. She'd have said more than "I live!" or "Fire!"

[dleighg]

52 minutes ago, violet and green said:

She'd have said more than "I live!" or "Fire!"

I just complained on the Top Chef thread that "Fire" seems to be a new catch phrase in reality-TV-world.

[violet and green]

4 minutes ago, dleighg said:

I just complained on the Top Chef thread that "Fire" seems to be a new catch phrase in reality-TV-world.

Maybe they can adapt it: "I live! I die!! I on fire!!!"

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 3/17/2023 at 2:20 PM, dleighg said:

I really liked Nigel's collection. Bao's was pretty, but really is only appropriate for one kind of customer. Much as the judges said that the dress on the (one) plus-size model would "flatter any woman," I have to disagree. My belly isn't as big as hers, and there's no way in hell I'd wear that dress. Meanwhile, Nigel's stuff would suit men, women, skinny, not skinny, etc. Anyone who wants something a little funky. I absolutely loved that colorful floral "lace" over the other fabrics.

This is one of the major problems I had with Bao's designs, thank you.

On 3/18/2023 at 4:55 AM, violet and green said:

That whole season was not a patch on season one. Booting the rare few contestants who could actually sew and construct and do finishing early on was a weird choice. I kept wishing Nina Garcia would teleport in and give her opinions. She'd have said more than "I live!" or "Fire!"

Yup, like James and Godoy.  That was a very stupid decision.

[RoxiP]

I actually liked Bao's runway best because I thought her dresses looked polished (with the exception of the dress on the plus-sized model - the category I would fit in) and I loved the glamor, but I'm not surprised that Nigel won although quite honestly I have already lived through the 70s with the denim and patchwork phase - but was out shopping for clothes this weekend and all of the clothes in the store were yellow and orange and brown - so I guess the 70s are back in style again...LOL!  

[eelpout]

On 3/18/2023 at 2:48 AM, dleighg said:

I just complained on the Top Chef thread that "Fire" seems to be a new catch phrase in reality-TV-world.

I reason it's rooted in anti-Boomer thinking because we say "cool" all the time. 🙃

This show can disappear for me and I wouldn't miss it.

[j4lambert]

According to the final results table, Bao and Deontre were considered the runners-up, but Bao placed third because she lost on a tiebreaker for second in the final challenge.

[RoxiP]

Since I'm kind of a competition show junkie and these shows don't show women (and men) making fools over themselves, screaming curses at one another, and they actually have to have some modicum of talent - I hope they stick around.  There are enough exploitive shows on (some of which I used to watch all the time until I got disgusted with myself) that a few "crafty" types are kind of easier on the eyes (and the ears) to watch.

[Klaw]

Judging by the comments, it just goes to show how subjective fashion is. I thought to myself "Nigel's is the ugliest collection, so he will win." Damned if I wasn't proved right. While I will give him that his pieces were well constructed and the collection was cohesive, I found most of the clothing stuff I would throw back in the bin if I was out thrifting. Just no - so not my thing. Deontre's collection was just meh to me, although more fun than Nigel's - the royal blue suit and crop top were "fire" as the kids say and I liked the silver pants. He overdoes the puffer thing but Nigel and his patchwork thing is overdone IMO so whatever. I actually preferred Bao's collection. I like fashion that looks pretty and glamorous, so sue me. I thought the silver dress was beautifully made and the jump suit was cool and sexy.

I do think the right people made it to the finale. 

I prefer Gigi to the other one from S1 (don't even remember her name) - i too think they need a Michael Kors/designer type as a judge. Stylists are fine, I guess, but they're not designers and it would have been fun to get some feed back from an actual designer.  

I do like that the designers all seem like nice people and we don't have a lot of people acting like assholes or being all "I'm not here to make friends." I do wish we could minimise  some of the "gimmicky" stuff like using weeds or having impossible time limits and focus on the clothes and fashion but I guess that wouldn't make for good TV.

Tan's pink gloves looked dumb af. 

[Cora Casey]

It's refreshing to enjoy competition shows that showcase genuine talent without resorting to sensationalism or drama. Craft-oriented shows indeed offer a different and more positive viewing experience compared to some of the more exploitative ones. It's great to have options that celebrate skill and creativity rather than focusing on unnecessary conflicts.

Regarding the final results table, it's always interesting to see how the competition unfolds. It's a bittersweet moment when talented individuals like Bao and Deontre end up as runners-up, especially with the added twist of a tiebreaker. Appreciating the nuances of each contestant's work, like Bao's polished runway and her ability to bring glamour, adds depth to the viewing experience.