S13.E09: American Girl Doll

[Julia]

I have no idea. The seventies I remember started out with Partridge Family-type bells and tunics, veered to peasant and (synthetic) Organically Grown sweaters and ended up with qiana and Halston's disco pant suits. I firmly believe we kept the seventies revival for as long as we did because the only clothes the club kids and hipsters could find in thrift stores that were too ugly to sell for premium prices were from the seventies.

Edited September 20, 2014 by Julia

[twilightzone]

Is Sean Kelly gay?

[One Tough Cookie]

Emily:  This could have been nice.   I think one of the major problems was the waistline of the skirt.  It looked like the skirt was up at about mid chest.  That threw off the proportions.   Keep the top, make the skirt out of one of the colors that's in the bright flecks in the top.  I'd even out the skirt's length but keep the petticoat layers.  Could have been saved.

 

 

 

For me, the primary problem with Emily' s design was her choice of colors--they were to dark and dreary to put on a child {IMHO}.  Also, I thought the skirt was uneven and out of proportion.

Edited September 20, 2014 by One More Time

[Linderhill]

 

with a secret stash of American Girl dolls and accessories that takes up roughly the square footage of my entire house. He was positively gleeful, gushing over the ins and outs of the American Girl canon.

Probably not so secret of a collection.  Many designers are doll collectors.  Bob Mackie is a big Barbie doll enthusiast.  I'm sure that Zac could relate to that dolls story and background.

[auntlada]

Although I love Kini's dress, I don't think it looks too adult. I know little girls who would love to have a dress like that for a party dress. I don't think it is just a smaller version of an adult dress because it would not look good in an adult size without a lot of reworking. I love the print, but for a full adult dress, I think it would be too much. And the peplum would not look good on most adults.

 

The coat, on the other hand, would look good in any size, I think. Of course, there's not necessarily so much difference in big and small coats.

[zxy556575]

Having just seen a whole bunch of kids, no way. They want to look cool and they want to look un babyish but they do NOT want to look like their mothers or other grown ups...

 

Aw. Times have changed, but when I was in elementary school in the 50s, my mother would occasionally have a seamstress make custom clothes for her and twice had dresses sewn for me that matched hers. Swanking around in those dresses with my mom was heaven for me!! I felt super cool and soignee.

[potatoradio]

I grew up with Baby Alive and Rub a Dub Dolly (nope, not making those names up) as the coveted dolls, so I have zero frame of reference for American Girl dolls and stories. As I was listening to their stories, I remembered the Sunfire book series I used to read as a teen, though. YA historical romances with the main character's name as the title. Amanda finds twue wuv within her covered wagon circle. Elizabeth not only survives the Salem witch trials, but finds a husband! Susannah was a "Gone with the Wind" knockoff. I wonder if that series could be revived as a sequel to the American Girl stories when they get all hormonal and interested in romance....nah, that series should stay buried in half price basements and page 1009 on Amazon.

 

I am A-OK, with Kini winning even if it isn't original and even if it is a bit stuffy,  just because I'm so happy to see craftsmanship get its due praise after suffering through lavish praise for pretty prints and zero skill on a previous season *cough* anya *cough*

 

Hey, Sandya? Instead of thinking so hard about what would help your hurt feelings, why don't you wake up and smell the fashion world (or any creative world...or the business world...or, just, the real world) where people just aren't always going to like your work just because YOU shat it out. 

 

I wanted to like Amanda more when she talked about her mom's homemade Cabbage Patch dolls, but her affected, poseur tone just killed that opportunity.

 

I completely empathized with Korinna's discomfort and unfamiliarity with kids. It is not easy, especially as a woman, to feel that way and not to pretend otherwise. 

 

 

[lucindabelle]

Well to each his own., it's true that there are some mother daughter outfits hat look great... I was speaking more generally. I guess it boils down to I just didn't like Kinis really though I agree it was well made.

I personally would wear a lot of the things kids wear and it's a deep sadness that they don't make light up sneakers for grown women,

Although I have to say the matching hat and jacket in that still scream child to me, an adult would look silly in them.

Edited September 20, 2014 by lucindabelle

[PrincessSteel]

Now we know why Zac became a designer (and why he man-handles the models during the up close portion of the judging)...he is playing dress up with life sized dolls. Even though many of the kids seemed to be modeling pros, I was glad that Zac handled the garments instead of the girls for this challenge.

[TudorQueen]

I liked Sandhya as a designer (and even, to different degrees, as a personality) throughout, but while I was sorry to see her go - especially while Alexander is still there - I couldn't argue with the judges' decision this time. Her design wasn't at all age appropriate, was lacking in her trademark whimsy, and looked dull. 

 

Thrilled to see Char in the top three - I think for her, that was nearly victory enough, justifying Tim's faith in her - and Korina could claim a personal victory in being (properly, IMO) praised for her dress, given how certain she was up to the last seconds before the runway that she would not be able to finish it. I thought that she and Char sent out charming, interesting dresses that their models clearly enjoyed showing. And Kini's showed a ton of workmanship and design, finished beautifully, and, again, his model was enjoying every minute in it.

 

Sean's was dull and cliched, but none of us thought he'd be sent home for it. I actually loved Emily's sweater, but thought the crinolined, uneven, bulky skirt was a mistake from conception on.

[ub40fan]

My mother sewed most of my clothes while I was growing up and she was good! I had really fashionable clothes in great fabrics. I was 13 in 1965 and she made me the coolest jumpsuit...actually several of them and I always got compliments. They were shorts, though, for summer, cuz we had to wear dresses to school, and they zipped up the front. A zipper in the back makes no sense.

[angelita100]

I will miss Sandhya.  She's at least interesting and I wanted to see a collection from her.  While many don't see what the judges saw in her..I don't get Amanda.  I didn't get her the first time she was there and don't get her now. 

 

Kini for the win..He should have at least 4 wins by now.  He's  been robbed a few times.

[tobeannounced]

I just watched Road to the Runway.  I find it's more interesting after I've gotten to "know" the designers better.  I was really surprised that Sandhya had only been in the US for a year, if I heard it right.  I kind of get the idea that maybe she's feeling her oats and testing out her independence since she's commented so many times on being put in a "girl" box in her country.  Maybe that's why she seems a bit over the top.  Who knows?  I also really liked her designs.  They looked nothing like what she's done on the show.

 

I could not believe how Tim gushed over Alexander on RTTR, wondering if Alexander knew how exceptional his designs were and how Tim had hardly ever been more excited by a young designer (paraphrasing).  I never would have guessed that would have been possible from seeing what he's done on Season 13.

[Glade]

I could not beleive that Sandyha thought a modern preteen would want to be sent down the runway in atrocious, cheaply made toddler pajamas complete with a snap back for diaper changes!  No reference at all to sailing.  It reminds me of her horrible yellow bridesmaid dresses in the wedding challenge a few episodes back--so out of touch and lacking taste.  And her argumentative attitude on the runway just said everything--she is so arrogant, obnoxious, self-centered and dense.  I'm so glad that she's gone, it looked for a second that they were realy going to send Emily home, which would be horrible--aside from the no-waist feature, I thought her sweater and dress were gorgeous.  I think Alexander belonged in the bottom, not safe--his design look cheap and ill-fitting, but I wouldn't want him gone before Sandyha. But I really liked Korina's outfit this episode, and she seemed much more personally likeable too. 

 

I hope that sometime backstage/off camera Tim would own up to the fact that he was totally wrong in shooting down Sean and Char's fringe, which the judges loved when the latter put aside his advice.  Maybe he gave a longer defense of Sean's outfit that didn't make it to the show, but he was so wrong. 

Edited September 20, 2014 by Glade

[RealityGal]

Having just seen a whole bunch of kids, , no way. They want to look cool and they want to look un babyish but they do NOT want to look like their mothers or other grown ups, nor do they want to be grown ups, particularly... Tons of books and plays and other popular things that are all about being a Kid. Including very popular review "how to eat like a child," with subtitle about not being a grown up.

So again: that historically children dressed in same colors patterns as adults- meaningless. Which the American girl line knows very well, or they wouldn't bother with their new line.

Yes, of course there's some relation between kids and grown up clothes, but that doesn't make them the same.

That's why when we see certain designers with that aesthetic we often say it's for child like adults, as is much of Betsy Johnson, for example.

Kids clothes tend to be, just like their toys, more graphic and brighter. To say they are just the same, in my view, just disregards soooooo much information, child education systems, etc. It's like saying kids want the same interior design in their rooms as adults when this is empirically untrue,

Yes there are many clothes very very similar for all ages.. A quick visit to a kids department shows this, little girls from 9-12 all wear jeans, t shirts, etc. But then there are subtle differences too. And it's the designers job to understand those and nail it. Things appropriate for a 5 year old, like an adorable poufy faux fur skirt with little top I saw yesterday at Saks, look ridiculous in larger sizes.

I also was irritated beyond belief by kini using the word flirty to describe a dress for a 10 year old. Ugh.

Still think Corina should have won but agreed it wasn't really finished, in whch case I'd have given the win to char. Both of he hose things were cool enough. To make me want to wear something like hem, but in more adult tones or styles. Kinis with tis cut out and checkerboard coat just did not appeal to me at all.

The challenge was for girls 9-12 so if it only works for the upper age range, it does not work. I agree with those who also just didn't like the dress or thought it made the child look pregnant.

we will have to agree to disagree, because I think plenty of kids in that age range that would love Kini's outfit, I would have loved Kini's outfit at that age, and I would still love Kini's outfit today.  And I think if there had been a problem with being age inappropriate the American Girl executive would have certainly pointed it out.  She had no problem being vocal about other outfits she didn't like.  But I guess that's why fashion is most often subjective and not objective.

 

I think children in the 9-12 age range are reading both Twilight and the Hunger Games series, which both present very adult situations.  So I don't think that's as cut and dry an issue either.  And from what I've read the "how to be a child" book/review was mostly aimed at adults, not children, so I'm not sure it offers much insight into how a 9-12 year old wants to dress, even if it implores the reader to not be a grown up.

 

I don't necessarily remember wanting to dress exactly like my mom per se but I did play dress up in her closet with some of her dresses and other pieces that I loved.  I don't think the frame of reference however, should be ones mother because I don't think that dress was a typical "mom" dress, since most mothers I know of children in that age range dress day to day for comfort.  I don't think kids want to wear Not Your Daughters jeans and a soccer mom cardigan, but I do think that if there is a more glamorous, grown up image they often want to adopt that.

 

Way, way, way back in the day....when such things were still cool, my dad bought my mom a full mink coat, and my goodness, when I was a kid I used to love that thing, and I would put it on every chance I would get, same with my moms prettier dresses, and always her collection of real/costume jewelry.  If someone had told me that I could get some of those dresses in my size, I would have been very pleased, but those dresses were not my mom's everyday clothing.  My older sister was an "adult" and I always wanted to wear her stuff, especially when western wear/fringe was the thing.  Ditto with one of my aunts who was very stylish for the time.  

 

I remember when I was like 9 and trying to go out one time, and I put on a really, really long tee shirt pulled over one shoulder, and a belt.  Why? Because I wanted to dress like Madonna.  My parents were super confused and just thought I had forgotten my pants.  

 

So, based on my experience, both as a child in that age range, and seeing children in that age range, I do think that they often want to dress like adults.  But it sounds like your experience has been very different.

 

I thought that Kini's dress was perfect for a girl in that age range going to a tea, or to a Christmas party.  I think it could have worked for a 10-11 year old which is mid range, so I think he succeeded in the challenge.

Edited September 20, 2014 by RealityGal

[WicketyWack]

OMG, when she said that there's a lot of similarities between Native American culture and the culture of New Mexico!  Yeah, no freaking duh.

 

This particular "aha" moment of Korina's had me speechless. Sharp as a bag of marbles, that one.

 

I had to laugh when Kini was wondering "how do they get the dolls' hair to curl?" because I could picture him trying to style his Troll Dolls' hair as a kid and getting nowhere. Poor Kini, he probably didn't have access to the trove of American Girl dolls that Zac Posen clearly did. 

 

I gotta say, I just don't get the Amanda haaaaaate and even though Sandhya's outfits bothered the hell out of me, she (as a person) did not. At Mood, I didn't view the exchange between she and Korina as her stepping in front of Korina in line. I just rewatched it and here's what I saw:

 

- Korina is standing at the table getting her fabric cut

- Sandhya approaches the table, where she has already placed her pink fabric, and asks how much it costs and then tells the associate she wants 1.5 yards. During that exchange, the associate is folding Korina's fabric and does not stop doing what she's doing as she's talking to Sandhya. Korina then tells Sandhya, "I'm not finished cutting yet."

- Sandhya says, "Yeah, I'll just tell her and go." She then says to the associate, "I'll come back for it" and then leaves as the associate reaches for Korina's second bolt of fabric to start cutting it.

 

So she did not interrupt Korina's time with the associate for more than maybe a few seconds at most. As Korina pointed out, they only have 30 minutes at Mood and she's being smart to give the associate instructions to cut her fabric while she goes to do something else. I don't see this as being rude or selfish, and if someone can't deal with being "interrupted" for a few seconds at most, who's the special snowflake here? 

 

The way I see it, the other designers (and lots of viewers) don't like Sandhya because she's constantly on top with looks they find baffling (and I do too). I think people are attributing personality traits to her that aren't there because they're annoyed at the judges' love for her. I've found her to be mostly a very pleasant person, with some maybe tin-ear social miscues due to culture, as people have pointed out upthread. But to me those are not enough to justify the level of HAAAAATE that people have felt for Sandhya as a person. I've found her nice, and pleasant and cheerful, with dumb designs that I can't understand. And I was very glad Tim finally fessed up to not being able to understand them either.

 

Onto the clothes:

 

Sandhya: the auf was justified; that was all kinds of fug.

Kini: cute, and lurved the dress, but I found the coat on top of the dress to be kinda shapeless.

Emily: oooh lawd, girl, have you not watched Project Runway before? You do NOT boast about this challenge being yours to win because blah blah blah is your specialty. I thought her sweater was kinda cute (though obviously itched the model) and her skirt started out looking interesting but then she layered about 600 ill-proportioned petticoats under it and her model ended up looking boxy and big.

Char: I thought the fringed vest was too literal to the doll's outfit and kind of a copout, but the dress underneath was cute.

Sean: Disaster. He should be thanking his lucky stars that Sandhya had an even worse jumpsuit. He should have said the oopsie peace sign on the back of the kid's vest was a Mercedes-Benz symbol, you know, for Fashion Week.

Korina: Should've been the winner, except on closer inspection, was clearly a sewing rush job.

Amanda: Meh 

Alexander: Not a great mix of prints and the exposed zipper up the kid's butt made me hostile.

I am 90% sure that Elena won not because of the charity thing but because at that time people were supposed to vote by tweeting #TeamElena and so thousands of Vampire Diaries fans were unknowingly voting for her every week.  I love Elena more than anything, but it's like when Pat Buchanan got all those votes in Florida in 2000.  Those were not her votes.

 

 

I didn't know about this! I think it had to be a mix of the two. She was giving half her winnings to World Wildlife Federation or some other big global animal charity and I do remember seeing tweets, message board topics, and other social media posts with people urging animal activists to vote for Elena even though they didn't watch Project Runway (and some didn't even know what it was). I would love to know what's making Alexander win week after week. It's inexplicable.

 

 

 

 

 

[TudorQueen]

WicketyWack, thanks for laying out the whole Sandhya/Korina Mood encounter so clearly and fairly. It matches what I saw, and I was bewildered by the whole 'how dare Sandhya!' reaction. I enjoyed your entire post, actually, but that really stood out for me.

[theatremouse]

So she did not interrupt Korina's time with the associate for more than maybe a few seconds at most. As Korina pointed out, they only have 30 minutes at Mood and she's being smart to give the associate instructions to cut her fabric while she goes to do something else. I don't see this as being rude or selfish, and if someone can't deal with being "interrupted" for a few seconds at most, who's the special snowflake here?

I don't think it's about the amount of time she took when she interrupted. To me, what she did read more like if I'm at a table at a restaurant, and the server is taking my order, and she were at another table in the server's section and came over while I'm ordering to say to the server "BTW, we're going to want dessert, and here's all the desserts we specifically want. Write that down. Ok, thanks? Bye." It is smart to give the associate instructions for what you want while you go do something else. But it's also rude to do so when said associate is in the middle of assisting someone else. Personally, I think interrupting in general, however brief, is rude, unless you have some urgent situation. "We're all being timed here" isn't an urgent situation. "I need medical attention" or "the ceiling's leaking" or something like that is an urgent situation.

Edited September 20, 2014 by theatremouse

[AZChristian]

I personally would wear a lot of the things kids wear and it's a deep sadness that they don't make light up sneakers for grown women,

 

 

Depends on your shoe size.  If you wear a 6.5 women's shoe, for example, a 4.5 girls' shoe would fit you.  And the Twinkle Toes DO come in a 4.5.  Trust me, I know.  I'm 67 and have a pair in my closet.  I'm quite the hit on cruise ships while line dancing. 

[WicketyWack]

theatremouse, to me that still isn't the same type of interruption. To me, a restaurant analogy would be: the waitress is serving your drinks before she goes on to take your order. Someone stops by and says, "We're going to want two cheesecakes for dessert, thanks" while she's still distributing your drinks. It wouldn't exactly be polite, but if that person had a show to catch or something and time was an issue, I wouldn't hold it against the person. I certainly wouldn't accuse her of "hogging" the waitress' time, as Korina did with Sandhya.

[RealityGal]

 

- Korina is standing at the table getting her fabric cut

- Sandhya approaches the table, where she has already placed her pink fabric, and asks how much it costs and then tells the associate she wants 1.5 yards. During that exchange, the associate is folding Korina's fabric and does not stop doing what she's doing as she's talking to Sandhya. Korina then tells Sandhya, "I'm not finished cutting yet."

- Sandhya says, "Yeah, I'll just tell her and go." She then says to the associate, "I'll come back for it" and then leaves as the associate reaches for Korina's second bolt of fabric to start cutting it.

 

So she did not interrupt Korina's time with the associate for more than maybe a few seconds at most. As Korina pointed out, they only have 30 minutes at Mood and she's being smart to give the associate instructions to cut her fabric while she goes to do something else. I don't see this as being rude or selfish, and if someone can't deal with being "interrupted" for a few seconds at most, who's the special snowflake here? 

 

The way I see it, the other designers (and lots of viewers) don't like Sandhya because she's constantly on top with looks they find baffling (and I do too). I think people are attributing personality traits to her that aren't there because they're annoyed at the judges' love for her. I've found her to be mostly a very pleasant person, with some maybe tin-ear social miscues due to culture, as people have pointed out upthread. But to me those are not enough to justify the level of HAAAAATE that people have felt for Sandhya as a person. I've found her nice, and pleasant and cheerful, with dumb designs that I can't understand. And I was very glad Tim finally fessed up to not being able to understand them either.

 

 

Here is why I thought Sandaya was rude.  They are giving a 30 minute time limit, which given the set up at mood must be tough.  Even if she only interrupted for a few seconds, that is still a few seconds of time that the associate has to shift her attention from the task at hand to whatever Sandaya is saying.  Even actively ignoring someone takes effort.  I remember when I worked for an insurance company, and they said that the best thing to do was to complete one task and then go to another, because there was always a certain amount of time required to shift your attention from x thing, to y thing, and then back from y thing, to x thing.  So in that small amount of time, Sandaya cut in front and took up the associates attention.  Right in, what appeared to be the middle of her just cutting the fabric for Korina.  If, in her attempts to listen to Sandaya she made a mistake in cutting the fabric, it would have cut even further into Korina's time.  And if, the associate was in the middle of cutting Korina's fabric, just wait a few seconds until she is done cutting and then give her the order.  

 

I mean, since a few seconds is nothing, why can't Sandaya wait a few seconds?  Why should the person who has already waited in line and now has the attention of the associate have to wait for you to spit out an order?  Even if its a few seconds, then Sandaya should wait those few seconds since it wasn't her turn.

 

I personally don't think its a tin ear issue, because she is awful quick to take offense to things.  When I've encountered people with a tin ear, they generally don't think they are causing offense by their social miscues and culture, but their culture also makes them tone deaf to the same type of thing that they say, but don't mean to cause offense by.  I don't think anyone has directly said anything mean to her, which means she is picking up on the subtle rudeness of tone, but amazingly, she can't seem to recognize the own subtle rudeness of her own tone.  It sounds a little unbelievable to me.

[slothgirl]

Right, she should have ignored the whole designing for a 9-year-old thing, and just sent one of her "adult" designs down the runway. It would have been perfect!

 

This. When she is to design for an adult, she sends childish clothes down the runway. When she is supposed to design for a child, she sends down infant-wear. If she were asked to design for a toddler, she'd be wondering how to dress an embryo.

[One Tough Cookie]

I personally would wear a lot of the things kids wear and it's a deep sadness that they don't make light up sneakers for grown women,

 

 

My late father in law once bought a pair of sneakers that lit up without realizing it until someone called him out in Shop Rite! Apparently they were kids shoe in size ginormous!

[slothgirl]

If one goes back into the history books, children are often dressed as a minature adults. This isn't new to our century. 

I agree. Kini's looked like a child in an upper class family that is required to be controlled and dignified all the time (ie: not a child). These dolls have specific stories; they aren't just modern kids picking out their own clothes. Kids were usually clothed by the adults in charge of them until recently. Kids getting to choose their own clothes to "express themselves" is a relatively new thing in human culture.

 

Traditionally, children weren't supposed to express themselves. They were supposed to reflect the "expression" of their elders. (mini adults) and represent the family in a way that didn't bring embarrasment or shame. No one cared who the child was at heart. They cared how the child behaved. In a very wealthy family, the parents might not even have been aware of how the child spent "playtime", leaving most of the day to day "parenting" to nannies.

 

Without knowing anything about American Girl or the dolls, I immediately knew who Kini's "doll" was supposed to represent. A modern day girl who likes that doll's story would love that outfit, even though it did look "mature". It's not my cup of tea (loved Korina's!) but he totally nailed it.

[RealityGal]

My late father in law once bought a pair of sneakers that lit up without realizing it until someone called him out in Shop Rite! Apparently they were kids shoe in size ginormous!

What kind of asshole called out an old man with light up sneakers?  That so mean!!!!

[WicketyWack]

So in that small amount of time, Sandaya cut in front and took up the associates attention.  Right in, what appeared to be the middle of her just cutting the fabric for Korina.  If, in her attempts to listen to Sandaya she made a mistake in cutting the fabric, it would have cut even further into Korina's time.  And if, the associate was in the middle of cutting Korina's fabric, just wait a few seconds until she is done cutting and then give her the order.

 

But the associate wasn't cutting the fabric -- she was standing back from the table and folding it up. For all Sandhya knew, Korina was finished with her.

 

I guess I'm reacting mostly to a post that I saw on Fade's Facebook page (yes, I'm that much of a Project Runway geek). He says: "just deleted the project runway trailer for tonights episode from my timeline, after seeing their stupid comment that came with it. it's fueling the same bullshit hate crap towards sandhya that's already going on for way too long. i'm so tired of it."

 

At that point, Korina comes on and says:

"ME TOO! I think it's disgusting that ANYONE would think we "hate" each other. The ONLY reason Sandhya Garg and I butted heads is because we are both STRONG and CONFIDENT women In a competition. I completely agree with her message. Her work is extremely innovative. It is our job to comment on how we think the judges will view each others work. For any "fan" to think that equals "hate" is a mislead, brainwashed sheep. And guess what fans! Much to your dismay we are ALL very close friends. Real life is extremely different from reality TV and I wish more people would take that into consideration!"

 

Sooo maybe this is all a ploy by the Lifetime editrix? Maybe there were 300 other examples of other designers subtly cutting into their competitors' time at Mood or elsewhere, and we are only being shown Sandhya's example because it fuels the Sandhya hate train that the show is perpetuating? I don't know. YMMV of course, but I can't throw a lot of shade to Sandhya over that small incident and certainly don't think she was "hogging" anyone's time. I do think that maybe Korina is backpedaling, but I'm not even going to throw that much shade onto her either. It's an artificially manipulated, extremely stressful situation and were I in that situation, I probably would have moments that I'd like to take back, too.

[roctavia]

I still think Sandhya was rude in Mood... and it's possible that it just sort of works that way and people are always interrupting to 'order' their fabric- though it always seemed to me like you should be there when your stuff is being cut... it just played as special snowflake I get to save time and nobody else does.

 

That said, I don't 'hate' Sandhya... I do think a lot of her looks have been terrible, despite the judges praise, so I don't like her designs... and her attitude has come across as superior which I don't enjoy watching... but a lot of designers in project runway come across that way. I don't really 'like' many of the contestants this season, since the drama is annoying in general.. but it helps that I can ffwd through everything but the design stuff and the runway.

 

I think she deserved to go this week, and have several other looks that I'd have been fine for her going home... but it's not because I hate her or dislike her as a person... I don't know her. I will say this doesn't make me interested in seeing more of her on future PR shows, but again, that can be said for a lot of designers.

[Oldernowiser]

Okay, I'm sincerely baffled here. Other than Sandhya's talking about this famous pro-women "message," where else does this supposed daring, anti-domination theme appear? Her designs all looked like Sesame Street meets Bollywood, but maybe I missed something? Do they say something subversive in Hindi script that I just didn't comprehend?

[auntlada]

I remember when I was like 9 and trying to go out one time, and I put on a really, really long tee shirt pulled over one shoulder, and a belt.  Why? Because I wanted to dress like Madonna.  My parents were super confused and just thought I had forgotten my pants.

 

I've had a very long day with a 3-year-old who refuses to use the potty at home, and this made me laugh the hardest I've laughed today. Thank you.

 

Korina: Should've been the winner, except on closer inspection, was clearly a sewing rush job.

 

Looking at it on rate the runway, I'd swear I saw a pin still in the skirt (which she could have just forgotten to take out after sewing that panel on). Some of the panels don't look sewn on very well in the close-up.

[GaT]

I, too, as a child, tried to curl my dolls hair to no avail.

 

 

It's called a boil perm :-) 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zN1IuzEX9jg

[magpye29]

I personally would wear a lot of the things kids wear and it's a deep sadness that they don't make light up sneakers for grown women,

 

Oh, I so agree with this.  I think light-up shoes are the bomb-diggity and I would be all over them.  I wear an 8-1/2 to 9, though.  They would be awesome when I'm walking at night, and I would think runners would love them, too.  I have a watch that lights up and flashes in a series of different colors, and I love pushing the button to make it do that.  I'm so covetous of all the glittery, light-up shoes the kids wear at the elementary school where I work.

 

More on topic, my mother used to make outfits for the whole family.  She would make entire outfits for herself and me and my sister, and add shirts with vests or whatever for my dad and brother.  Our outfits would all be similar, but not exactly the same. 

 

As far as the children wearing miniature adult outfits, that's been an issue historically for many years.  In fact, Louisa May Alcott railed about that in several of her books, most notably in Eight Cousins, but also in An Old-Fashioned Girl, Little Women, and Little Men among others.  She was a huge advocate of simple clothes for girls that allowed them to play and exercise as vigorously as boys did.

[millennium]

Here is why I thought Sandaya was rude.  They are giving a 30 minute time limit, which given the set up at mood must be tough.  Even if she only interrupted for a few seconds, that is still a few seconds of time that the associate has to shift her attention from the task at hand to whatever Sandaya is saying.  Even actively ignoring someone takes effort.  I remember when I worked for an insurance company, and they said that the best thing to do was to complete one task and then go to another, because there was always a certain amount of time required to shift your attention from x thing, to y thing, and then back from y thing, to x thing.  So in that small amount of time, Sandaya cut in front and took up the associates attention.  Right in, what appeared to be the middle of her just cutting the fabric for Korina.  If, in her attempts to listen to Sandaya she made a mistake in cutting the fabric, it would have cut even further into Korina's time.  And if, the associate was in the middle of cutting Korina's fabric, just wait a few seconds until she is done cutting and then give her the order.  

 

I mean, since a few seconds is nothing, why can't Sandaya wait a few seconds? 

 

 

 

I think Sandhya was trying to throw Korina off her game.

 

At that point, Korina's distaste for Sandhya was well established, even if it was just a perception on Sandhya's part (which she affirmed later in the show).   When I saw Sandhya encroach on Korina's space at Mood, my first thought was "she's fucking with her."

 

I don't buy a word of Korina's Facebook post.   She has the luxury of appearing charitable towards Sandhya now that Sandhya's gone.   Maybe it was just editing, but I saw Korina give Sandhya a snotty look on the runway (while Sandhya was being shredded by the judges)  that seemed to say, "Good.  Finally you're getting what you deserve."

[GaT]

Interesting video GaT. Everything from the naked barbie doll to the muscular, hairy arms, to the head dipped into the boiling water was very.....uh,interesting. Thank you, I think ;)

LOL, I collect dolls, so I'm familiar with it. You would be surprised how many guys are doll collectors. 

[slothgirl]

Zac saying Kini's look was aspirational.

 

When I heard him say that, my mind immediately went to "aspirate" in the medical sense (like drawing pus from a boil) instead of "aspire"

[NikSac]

The runway is filmed twice, once with and once without the judges. The designer reaction shots come from the walk-through without judges in attendance.

 

Thank you for explaining this!  I have always thought that made absolutely no sense. It's already pretty hard to believe that the runway is "blind" when they've got the same models most weeks (not this week obviously), but that on top of the designers talking has just made me think "WTF?" more than once. I kind of wish they'd make it more obvious in the show. The way they portray it I keep wondering if the designers are in some room behind a two way mirror where the judges can't see or hear them.

 

Do you happen to know what order they film in?  If they film the one with the judges first and the one without second it makes wayyy more sense to my why Amanda's falling apart outfit from a previous episode didn't get any comments from the judges. Maybe they didn't even see it falling apart.

[Julia]

I don't buy a word of Korina's Facebook post.   She has the luxury of appearing charitable towards Sandhya now that Sandhya's gone.   Maybe it was just editing, but I saw Korina give Sandhya a snotty look on the runway (while Sandhya was being shredded by the judges)  that seemed to say, "Good.  Finally you're getting what you deserve."

 

I missed that, but I imagine it looking something like the smirk Sandhya was wearing in past runways when the people she dislikes were getting reamed.

 

I don't think either of them is a particularly likable person, but Sandhya was clearly in the wrong here.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Julia

[NikSac]

 

I remember when I was like 9 and trying to go out one time, and I put on a really, really long tee shirt pulled over one shoulder, and a belt.  Why? Because I wanted to dress like Madonna.  My parents were super confused and just thought I had forgotten my pants. 

 

Oh my gosh I did this too. I think I took it one step further because it was actually supposed to be a sleep shirt (it was the only one I could find long enough).  I think I mixed fashions and slapped some neon rubber bracelets on with it. I went to school like that!  My parents asked me if I was sure about 20 times and I think my Mom would've turned around if I changed my mind anywhere along the way, but I was determined.

 

I had a hard time with this challenge because especially at that age kids just get some crazy fashion ideas, try crazy things, etc. I thought most of the kids kind of showed how they felt about their outfits when they walked the runway, though.

[English Teacher]

If the runway show is filmed twice, how did Sean's model get through without the dress changing color last week? And don't they keep the same models?

[NikSac]

If the runway show is filmed twice, how did Sean's model get through without the dress changing color last week? And don't they keep the same models?

 

Oh good point... hadn't even thought about that.  Did he end up making two dresses?

[Wings]

If the runway show is filmed twice, how did Sean's model get through without the dress changing color last week? And don't they keep the same models?

 

They did the first run through without the water.  They would not want the models to have wet hair on the second take.  And they may have gotten a heads up from Tim about the dress. 

[RealityCowgirl]

But the associate wasn't cutting the fabric -- she was standing back from the table and folding it up. For all Sandhya knew, Korina was finished with her.

I guess I'm reacting mostly to a post that I saw on Fade's Facebook page (yes, I'm that much of a Project Runway geek). He says: "just deleted the project runway trailer for tonights episode from my timeline, after seeing their stupid comment that came with it. it's fueling the same bullshit hate crap towards sandhya that's already going on for way too long. i'm so tired of it."

At that point, Korina comes on and says:

"ME TOO! I think it's disgusting that ANYONE would think we "hate" each other. The ONLY reason Sandhya Garg and I butted heads is because we are both STRONG and CONFIDENT women In a competition. I completely agree with her message. Her work is extremely innovative. It is our job to comment on how we think the judges will view each others work. For any "fan" to think that equals "hate" is a mislead, brainwashed sheep. And guess what fans! Much to your dismay we are ALL very close friends. Real life is extremely different from reality TV and I wish more people would take that into consideration!"

Sooo maybe this is all a ploy by the Lifetime editrix? Maybe there were 300 other examples of other designers subtly cutting into their competitors' time at Mood or elsewhere, and we are only being shown Sandhya's example because it fuels the Sandhya hate train that the show is perpetuating? I don't know. YMMV of course, but I can't throw a lot of shade to Sandhya over that small incident and certainly don't think she was "hogging" anyone's time. I do think that maybe Korina is backpedaling, but I'm not even going to throw that much shade onto her either. It's an artificially manipulated, extremely stressful situation and were I in that situation, I probably would have moments that I'd like to take back, too.

That's fascinating. Korina I might take with a grain of salt, but Fade's perspective is telling. (Apparently, I've fully bought into the "Korina" narrative.) It also adds a bit more credibility to Sandhya's interview on BPR, parts of which I read with greater skepticism.

Also not a Sandhya hater. I didn't always get her, but I could see how her one-day attempts would translate into something like her collection. I'm beyond desperate for creativity this season. The lack of talent in the room is bothersome. Yes, I get why she's baffling and irritating to others. I get why so many were thrilled to see her leave, for a totally auf-worthy outfit. In earlier seasons, she'd have been toast. But in this crowd, I'll miss her imagination.

Edited September 21, 2014 by RealityCowgirl

[lucindabelle]

Was in NYC yesterday looked at every child walking by. Saw a little girl with purple sweatshirt with heart on it, multicolored leggings. Little girl with blue sweatshirt, bright orange sneakers. Little girl in white tulle skirt, headband. This is the upper west side of manhattan. None of these kids were too little to have picked out their own clothing and not one was looking exactly the same as they would if adult. The kids looked chic, cool, age appropriate.

Of Course, Sesame Street, teletubbies etc are MADE by adults but they are made For children. Children at very young ages prefer primary colors... It has to do with their eye development. They like more graphics. They Iike things that sparkle. This is not some conspiracy from adults to kids looking down on them, it's child development studies and observation. It's why kids furniture and everything else is slightly tweaked. Teletubbies, Sesame Street, Dora the explorer, etc all have different age markets. Some precocious children may read adult books... I did... But that doesn't change the fact at the kids are still kids.

. I had a blue corduroy pantsuit I wore in my fifth grade picture. The only thing that marked it was a little bit of red embroidery of a cowboy on each shoulder. I loved that. Frankly, it's the kind of thing Sandhiya's girl should have worn, little tomboyish. .

But again it boils down to... I didn't like Kinis dress and was offended by the use of the word flirty. my 13 year old niece elianna might like it... .but honestly, at her age, she loves short skirts. At summer camp she liked dressing up for the boys. This kind of look seemed prissy, too, like what mom picks for the little girl. Who at that age is trying to look sexy. Elianna has a training bra that she wears all. The. Time. It has stripes, you can see it under white ts...

I remember when susan m. Wore a little dress with spaghetti straps! To her bat mitzvah. Oh, were we thrilled. So I do wonder, who's Kinis dress for? It's poufiness and basic conservatism make it a little heavy for a 9 year old... And it's a little fussy for a tween. Even the coat is a little sad. I'd wear it, but Elianna... I don't think so.

Moving on though... I wear a 7.5. Can I get light up sneaks?

Me want!!!!!!

Eta: seems I am not alone in my love for the twinkly sneakers. Why haven't designers caught on to this yet and float a few our way? I even love the toddler sneaks with stuffed animals built in. I love hello kitty clothes too. Not for the office but... Come on fashion industry! It's not only. Japanese women who like a little retro childhood stuff!

Edited September 21, 2014 by lucindabelle

[roctavia]

I do think they make the clear plastic stripper heels with lights in them.... so you can find some light up shoes in adult sizes... but not fashionable or comfortable ones :P

[sleepyjean]

This may rock a lot of you, but they do have light up sneakers for adults. Get 'em here.

 

 

But back to the show, I am among those who considers Sandhya's behavior at the fabric table rude. When I buy fabric, I stand in line, and when it's my turn, I lay my bolts on the table and ask for what I want. I don't do that while the person before me is being served. While the sales associated is laying out, cutting, and folding my fabric, she is waiting on me. It's incredibly rude for someone who was behind you in line to come up next to you, put their fabric on the table, ask for prices, and discuss their order with the associate. It's rude at the fabric store, just like it is rude at the bagel shop or the deli counter. In our prevailing American culture, that kind of behavior is considered an invasion of our space. Maybe it's different in other cultures. Now, it's possible that the sales associate asked Sandhya if she could help her. That would be a different scenario and I'd probably be fine with that. But I don't think that was the case.

Edited September 21, 2014 by sleepyjean

[RealityGal]

This may rock a lot of you, but they do have light up sneakers for adults. Get 'em here.

 

 

But back to the show, I am among those who considers Sandhya's behavior at the fabric table rude. When I buy fabric, I stand in line, and when it's my turn, I lay my bolts on the table and ask for what I want. I don't do that while the person before me is being served. While the sales associated is laying out, cutting, and folding my fabric, she is waiting on me. It's incredibly rude for someone who was behind you in line to come up next to you, put their fabric on the table, ask for prices, and discuss their order with the associate. It's rude at the fabric store, just like it is rude at the bagel shop or the deli counter. In our prevailing American culture, that kind of behavior is considered an invasion of our space. Maybe it's different in other cultures. Now, it's possible that the sales associate asked Sandhya if she could help her. That would be a different scenario and I'd probably be fine with that. But I don't think that was the case.

 

My freaking goodness.  I don't often give Nike credit because I think that they are way pretentious, and overpriced with no reason to be, but those shoes are freaking cool.  i would totally wear those, what an awesome adult version of light up shoes.

 

ITA about Sandaya too.

[Atony]

Is Sean Kelly gay?

 

Generally when a male designer on Project Runway is actually straight they make a big point of mentioning it.  I think it is safe to assume Sean is gay even though that hasn't been explicitly clarified.

Edited September 21, 2014 by Atony

[treestar13]

 

 

I guess I'm reacting mostly to a post that I saw on Fade's Facebook page (yes, I'm that much of a Project Runway geek). He says: "just deleted the project runway trailer for tonights episode from my timeline, after seeing their stupid comment that came with it. it's fueling the same bullshit hate crap towards sandhya that's already going on for way too long. i'm so tired of it."

At that point, Korina comes on and says:

"ME TOO! I think it's disgusting that ANYONE would think we "hate" each other. The ONLY reason Sandhya Garg and I butted heads is because we are both STRONG and CONFIDENT women In a competition.

 

Yabbut we saw Sandhya melt down several times because people were being mean to her.  Healthy competition shouldn't cause her to feel mistreated.  So something went wrong at least from her point of view.  While editing monkeys have a field day, we did see her saying insensitive things and she was shown to be inflexible about criticism and thought pretty highly of herself (not in a good way).  I never got it, and did not see anything worthwhile in her designs.  I thought her designs consisted of mostly very simple shapes in bright colors covered in more colorful stuff.  I saw little innovation except for bright colors and weird add-ons.

 

Tim even redeemed himself in my eyes a bit when he told her he didn't think he could help her because he didn't understand what the judges saw in her looks. He said what I was thinking.  I was a bit afraid during the judging when they started saying that Sandhya's color was so much better than Emily's and they would use that to save her.

 

Now I don't like Emily's gothy, gloomy and depressing style and was saying NO to the TV when she picked out the sweater material.  So I was pleasantly surprised when I saw her Etsy kid's clothes - so bright and cute.  So what was she thinking?  I would have been fine if she went home - I think of her as the one who keeps slipping through the cracks.

 

All-in-all, I will miss Sandhya  because I do enjoy the "love to hate" aspect of her and guiltily I admit it.

 

I loved Korina's look!  OMG did I just say that?

 

So, I am not a fan of fringe, therefore I didn't really care for Char's look-alike vest - however I think I would have liked it if it had been a different color.  I thought it clashed with the dress despite the stripes on it.  It looked thrown together to me, even though I don't like everything to be matchy matchy.  

 

Unfortunately I am in the camp that doesn't care who wins.  What a shame not to have a favorite.  No one to root for.  It takes the fun out of it.  But hell, I'll still watch.

[needschocolate]

But back to the show, I am among those who considers Sandhya's behavior at the fabric table rude. When I buy fabric, I stand in line, and when it's my turn, I lay my bolts on the table and ask for what I want. I don't do that while the person before me is being served. While the sales associated is laying out, cutting, and folding my fabric, she is waiting on me. It's incredibly rude for someone who was behind you in line to come up next to you, put their fabric on the table, ask for prices, and discuss their order with the associate.

 

I am fine with someone coming up, waiting until there is no conversation, and asking "where is the flannel?" - if there is no other employees near.   But you don't put your fabric in the way or start giving orders to the salesperson while she is dealing with someone else's fabric.  It is rude. 

 

Since they have a limited time, Mood should have a pad of paper, a pen, and some pins at the counter so they can write down the amount they need and then keep shopping.  I was going to add that they wouldn't do that since it would decrease the chance of drama occurring, but then I realized that in all these years, I don't remember anyone every having an incidence like this at the cutting tables. 

 

Drive by most any elementary school and you will see parents doing stupid, sometimes dangerously stupid, things to make sure their kid makes it to school on time -  Like stopping in the middle of the street to let their children and back-packs out of the car or having their kids jay-walk by crossing in the middle of the block.  Not only do they put their children's lives at risk, their antics hold up traffic and delay everyone else's children from getting to school on time.  They behave as though their children are the only children at the school.  I think Sandhya suffers from the same malady - she is the only who has only a day to make the outfit, she is the only one who has to get her shopping done in 30 minutes. 

 

I think their is some sort of glitch in Sandyha's wiring that makes her turn every insult into a compliment - I think she was even smiling when Tim was telling her that he doesn't see what the judges like about her designs. It was like she was thinking "Tim says the judges like my designs" or "My designs are too sophisticated for Tim!"  But somehow, she has figured out the others don't particularly care for her - maybe she has noticed that they talk and laugh with each other, but not with her.  She feels sorry for herself because she knows that she is a wonderful person, but has no friends.  I am surprised we didn't hear he speculate that the others are just jealous of her talent. 

[slothgirl]

Oh good point... hadn't even thought about that.  Did he end up making two dresses?

My guess is that either they did the walk-thru without the rain or the model wore something else for the walk-thru.

 

Or given how fake everything is on this show, they film the designer portion AFTER the one with the judging and ask the designers to ham it up.

[lucindabelle]

Oh god yes you've hit it. She feels sorry for herself for having no friends rather than questioning herself.

I know someone like that in real life. Shudder..