S13.E09: American Girl Doll

[tobeannounced]

My initial impression of the Sandhya fabric cutting kerfuffel was that Sandhya wanted some of the same fabric as Whatshername and was saving the clerk time by letting her know to cut her a piece too before she put it away, but I wasn't watching that closely.  I also think if it had been anyone else but Sandhya, she wouldn't have thought twice about it.

Edited September 21, 2014 by tobeannounced

[sleepyjean]

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 suspect that in her regular life, Sandhya is generally well liked and doesn't have many problems with people. I'm sure no one is more shocked than Sandhya that she is this season's Designer Nobody Likes. I bet she never saw that coming. And by the time she did, it was too late to do anything about it, even if she had wanted to. Which she didn't. Because that would require some awareness of her contribution to the situation.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

Mom and I both hated Kinis, apparently were alone in this. It didn't look fun or childlike to me. It looked like a 12 year old trying to grow up too fast. Did not care for it at all.

 

 

 

My 9 yr old said "Kini's is nice, but I wouldn't want to wear it. It looks scratchy."

 

 

And yes, the dolls have pretty elaborate attire, accessories, etc that aren't at all realistic for anything but the girls who are from wealthy backgrounds. For Addie, a former slave, and Kit, living in the great depression with an unemployed father, it gets down right ludicrous.  It's definitely a glowing view of history.  And honestly, that was the case even for the original, Pleasant Company dolls and books.

What ARE the odds.  Kini had the doll that has JUST been recommissioned, as of August 2014.

http://americangirl.wikia.com/wiki/Samantha_Parkington

Honestly I preferred the doll's outfit to Kini's.  Also found it more than a little gross how much more excited the judges were to imagine a 9 year old girl with a platinum card than any of the other girls.

 

Sean's character doll had a mother that ran a 1971 San Francisco thrift shop.  !!!!!!!  Truly the possibilites would be endless there, especially with fabrics.   The Mercedes Benz peace sign just finished him for me.  Heidi was absolutely correct in calling it a McCall's pattern - Simplicity was usually more stylish.

 

I think Emily's mistake was not designing more for her model.  That would have been a perfect outfit for a specific little girl, and she was right that an aspiring actress, like the Rebecca doll character, would go for a strongly dramatic look, including the illusion veil.  But clearly her little model hated her outfit and I think that's one of the main reasons Emily was on the bottom.  Probably her own daughter would have really gone for her look, but she wasn't designing for her daughter.

Edited September 22, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[Kromm]

Thank goodness we FINALLY got the reveal that Tim has been seeing clown suits, right along with many of us, all along while the judges have been giving Sandhya tongue baths.

 

I also love how she claims to the Talking Head session that she's got thick skin, when we saw her complain on camera, within a single episode, about being bullied.

 

Meanwhile, in the other corner, we have Korina.  I'm at the point of thinking she and Sandhya deserve each other.  One's passive-aggressive to the max, and the other the bitchy barely-under-her breath version of aggressive-aggressive.  There's no winner here IMO.  No "sides" where I feel I have to choose one and champion the other.  Occasionally I've actually even felt sorry for Korina, but it's hard to maintain that.  Yes, she's probably being asked sharp questions about ALL of her fellow sewing hamsters and they're cherry-picking it to make it sound like she's obsessed with Sandhya.  But even if she has to speak, you'd think she'd have caught on to the possibility that she should mostly just be ignoring this annoying fruit loop. I DID think it was hilarious that as great as Korina's outfit actually was, the viewers are SO over her that she came in last by quite a gigantic margin in the insta-poll over who should win.

 

Getting back to Sanhya, I think the way she took tonight's critique is the real Sandhya poking through.  She can mouth platitudes all she wants, and the show certainly had an easy time peddling the idea that everyone was ganging up on this poor misunderstood genius for awhile, but this is just the sequel to the same personality we saw complaining about being bullied almost from the moment she got there.

 

The most frustrating part was hearing the judges (sans Heidi--who was actually the sane one here) make excuses for her.  I wish they'd cut to a shot of Tim.  He's such a nice guy but maybe we might have actually caught a shot of him rolling his eyes.  But I guess since she went home anyway, that doesn't matter.

[terrymct]

Yabbut we saw Sandhya melt down several times because people were being mean to her.  Healthy competition shouldn't cause her to feel mistreated.  

 

 

I don't think Project Runway is necessarily healthy competition.  You have people under pressure, then you make them live together in close quarters and film them even in down time. 

 

Contrast that with Face Off.  The contestants have a deadline, but do have enough time to make the kind of masks, etc, that they want.  We have no idea where they are living and they're not filmed away from the contest.  They treat each other civilly during the contest and even help each other out.   Either the make up effects people are a LOT more stable than fashion designers...OR...the fishbowl of P.R. pushes you to the point where you are tired, stressed, and can act out.

[Kromm]

I don't think Project Runway is necessarily healthy competition.  You have people under pressure, then you make them live together in close quarters and film them even in down time. 

 

Contrast that with Face Off.  The contestants have a deadline, but do have enough time to make the kind of masks, etc, that they want.  We have no idea where they are living and they're not filmed away from the contest.  They treat each other civilly during the contest and even help each other out.   Either the make up effects people are a LOT more stable than fashion designers...OR...the fishbowl of P.R. pushes you to the point where you are tired, stressed, and can act out.

It's Option C (the one you haven't mentioned).

 

The producers of one show encourage the bad behavior and the producers of the other show do not.  And it's complex.  The shows who encourage it not only push people into certain positions with leading questions and suggestions, they also (as apparently both Fade and Korina both have defied their Non-Disclosure agreements a bit to imply) craft the footage selection and editing to give us the worst possible view.  And they also often cast for crazy/unstable (whereas SyFy is clearly casting for actual talent first and personality second).

 

I suppose on top of all of that, a wanna-be fashion designer can be a total lone wolf.  You don't even need a human model, since you can do all but the final steps on a mannequin,  A makeup artist needs to interact with actual people for most of their process.

[Beden]

 

And yes, the dolls have pretty elaborate attire, accessories, etc that aren't at all realistic for anything but the girls who are from wealthy backgrounds. For Addie, a former slave, and Kit, living in the great depression with an unemployed father, it gets down right ludicrous.  It's definitely a glowing view of history.  And honestly, that was the case even for the original, Pleasant Company dolls and books.

True, but dolls designed to be played with are, almost by definition, a fantasy meant to encourage imaginative play, role playing, dress up and all of that. I suspect that selling slave rags or depression hand me downs,  while historically accurate, wouldn't sell all that well and while there would certainly be a lesson to be learned from the dust bowl, who wants to play 'dead crops, let's pack up the Joad's car 'cause better times a'comin'? The dolls--original and those sold now--are aimed at children (and their parents) who are generally at least reasonably well off. The dolls currently sell in the $115 range for just a basic doll, the outfits are in the $25-$60 range--these aren't your basic cheap Barbies. I know some families who allow their kids one doll, period. I also families who have bought their kids the entire line; either way, they're rarely a throwaway gift.

 

As for Kini's garment; I like it. Granted the dress didn't really fit under the coat (which was a beauty) but I can see the dress being a special going to a wedding or Christmas party thing.

[AZChristian]

My initial impression of the Sandhya fabric cutting kerfuffel was that Sandhya wanted some of the same fabric as Whatshername and was saving the clerk time by letting her know to cut her a piece too before she put it away, but I wasn't watching that closely.  I also think if it had been anyone else but Sandhya, she wouldn't have thought twice about it.

 

If I remember correctly, she was plopping down a different bolt of fabric and saying, "I also want 1 1/4 of this" . . . no "Excuse me" . . . no "When you get done with that."  Even when Korina(?) commented about Sandhya's interruption, S didn't affirm that she was butting in.  I just wish the clerk had said, "I'll be with you in a minute, ma'am" to let her know that she was NOT listening to Sandhya, but focusing on the customer she was with.

 

There's a sense of entitlement that Sandhya gives off.  It's what I find offputting about her.  Oh, and her ugly designs.

[dialyn]

 

Contrast that with Face Off.  The contestants have a deadline, but do have enough time to make the kind of masks, etc, that they want.  We have no idea where they are living and they're not filmed away from the contest.

Actually we have seen glances of the Face Off contestants living together in a house and hanging out together.  I get the impression they have more space than the Project Runway contestants who seem squeezed into hotel rooms. 

 

I suppose on top of all of that, a wanna-be fashion designer can be a total lone wolf.  You don't even need a human model, since you can do all but the final steps on a mannequin,  A makeup artist needs to interact with actual people for most of their process.

 

That is a good point.  Overall, the Face Off contestants act like people who realize they may have to work professionlly with the other people in the room at some time in the future, while the Project Runway folk seem to think that they will be able to work alone in their own special part of the world and so they don't have to be considerate of anyone else.

 

What I am trying to remember, so I don't get emotionally caught up in the drama (such as it is) that I really don't know any of these people but I'm reacting to a sampling of behavior picked out by someone else for me to view.  The only one who isn't getting a pass is Tim because I don't believe he is such a nice man.  After seeing him encourage and engage in bullying, my good opinion of him was eroded, and now it feels as if every eye roll and snarky remark contributes to my growing feeling that Project Runway is less about discovering new designers than it is to make fun of people struggling with ridiculous challenges.  At least on "Face Off," the challenges may be odd but no one makes fun of an artist who is making a sincere effort and they give fairly honest critiques of those who make a mess of their designs. Personally I think the "Face Off" contestants are more realistic about their designs...they usually acknowledge something has gone wrong while the "Project Runway" contestant seem somewhat more determined to defend an idea that didn't turn out well. On the other hand "Face Off" contestants have three days to develop their ideas. That has to make a difference.

Edited September 22, 2014 by dialyn

[tobeannounced]

If I remember correctly, she was plopping down a different bolt of fabric and saying, "I also want 1 1/4 of this" . . . no "Excuse me" . . . no "When you get done with that."  Even when Korina(?) commented about Sandhya's interruption, S didn't affirm that she was butting in.  I just wish the clerk had said, "I'll be with you in a minute, ma'am" to let her know that she was NOT listening to Sandhya, but focusing on the customer she was with.

 

There's a sense of entitlement that Sandhya gives off.  It's what I find offputting about her.  Oh, and her ugly designs.

I'm pretty sure Sandhya was walking by and saw the bolt of fabric on the table.

[roctavia]

I'm pretty sure Sandhya was walking by and saw the bolt of fabric on the table.

 

 

I thought she brought up some of that awful pink and that's what she was getting cut... she didn't use any colors similar to the colors that Korinna was using... and you see her hand the associate person the fabric she wanted, which was not the fabric already being cut.

[treestar13]

 

I'm pretty sure Sandhya was walking by and saw the bolt of fabric on the table.

 

Yes, she did.  I rewatched (you can tell I have nothing to do) and she walked by, rolled out a bolt of pink fabric that was on the table and asked, how much is this?  The woman says $12.  Sandhya says,  Can I please have 1 1/2 yards of this?  Kornia says, I am not finished  cutting yet.  Sandhya says, Yeah, I'll just tell her and go, then, I need 1 1/2 yards, starts to walk away and says I'll come back for it.

 

It really WAS rude.  I thought Kornia could have really gone off on her but she didn't.

 

BTW, in rewatching, I noticed that Emily's original sketch was much better than what she actually did, and Sean had chosen a royal blue and white paisly fabric which he didn't use and really should have.

Edited September 22, 2014 by treestar13

[AZChristian]

Treestar - I did the same thing, and saw the same thing.  Sandhya was disrespectful, as her attitude was "I don't care if you're here; this is what I want."

[Julia]

Yes, she did.  I rewatched (you can tell I have nothing to do) and she walked by, rolled out a bolt of pink fabric that was on the table and asked, how much is this?  The woman says $12.  Sandhya says,  Can I please have 1 1/2 yards of this?  Kornia says, I am not finished  cutting yet.  Sandhya says, Yeah, I'll just tell her and go, then, I need 1 1/2 yards, starts to walk away and says I'll come back for it.

 

It really WAS rude.  I thought Kornia could have really gone off on her but she didn't.

 

BTW, in rewatching, I noticed that Emily's original sketch was much better than what she actually did, and Sean had chosen a royal blue and white paisly fabric which he didn't use and really should have.

 

I agree, that is what happened (I looked it up too. I'm waiting for files to process. ~9 minutes, if anyone's equally aimless).

 

Which makes me wonder - and I'm not all that inclined to give Sandhya the benefit of the doubt at this point - but it takes me aback that the exact bolt of ridiculous pepto-pink fabric Sandhya chose to use for her onesie happened to be sitting on that table when she wandered by. Honestly, who else would want it? Then, when they went back for Korinna's reaction shot, Sandhya's fabric was nowhere to be seen. 

 

If I had to guess, It seems more likely that in the course of dragging bolts of fabric she wasn't going to use off the shelves she found the unfortunate pink and dropped it off at a table when she couldn't find an associate, and that read to her as she got there first. Even so, I interpret the spoiled brat rudeness to Korinna as spoiled brat rudeness.

Edited September 22, 2014 by Julia

[ratgirlagogo]

 

I suspect that selling slave rags or depression hand me downs,  while historically accurate, wouldn't sell all that well and while there would certainly be a lesson to be learned from the dust bowl, who wants to play 'dead crops, let's pack up the Joad's car 'cause better times a'comin'?

Yes, of course they've always kind of wanted to have it both ways with the American Girl series.  To combine the educational part with the fantasy part.  On the other hand the daughter of one of my friends had the Molly doll (the WW2 one) and for her birthday that first year I was assigned the Red Cross accessory kit  - which included a pair of crutches, a camp bed and bandages (for the bargain price of about $45 if I recall correctly) as my designated AG gift.  I was shocked that her parents wanted me to give her such a depressing gift, but that was what she wanted and she loved it.  It made me remember when Pollyanna was "glad" to get a crutch for a Christmas present, because it reminded her of how awful it would be if she really needed it. 

Edited September 22, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[Julia]

My daughter had Mollly, and her basic outfit was pretty plain.

 

I can kind of see the logic of having the depression doll have a fantasy outfit. That was definitely an era of white telephone movies with extravagant clothes. Peoples' fantasy clothes did seem to have a lot of bias cut satin and ostrich feathers back then. 

[frogprof]

Really thought Tim would 'fess up during judging to having told Char to auf the fringe, but he didn't. Tim, I am disappoint.

[lucindabelle]

Tim has really lost all his integrity, hasn't he. He went from everyone's favorite uncle to someone nobody can trust.

[Calamity Jane]

I don't think people are ever going to see each other's point of view on Sandhya or on Amanda -- there's so much open to various interpretations.  I was thinking about people from eastern Asia I have known who always smiled through embarrassment or humiliation and said it was their culture to do so.  I don't know if that was behind the strange smile on Sandhya's face whenever she didn't like the input she was getting, but I suppose it's a possibility.  It certainly made her reactions baffling to me as a viewer, and I was predisposed to like her because her designs were so off the wall I was enjoying how they shook everybody else up.  

 

As for Amanda, I still like her sense of humor and think she would be a fun person to hang out with.  Again, though, her comments are open to interpretation either way.  I just read her as wry and self-deprecating, not arrogant or self-entitled.  Same with Sandhya, I guess.  Clearly many don't agree, and I can see why that is.  

 

Meanwhile, what a fun episode this one was!  My daughter loved her American Girls doll (Kirsten) and taught herself to sew things for her when she was 10.  Great designs on the show, and the right person went home.  

[Kromm]

Really thought Tim would 'fess up during judging to having told Char to auf the fringe, but he didn't. Tim, I am disappoint.

We don't exactly see those judging sessions intact.  He may well have done so and it was cut for time.  Or cut from some assistant producer/editor's instinct to save Tim's rep (then again they didn't have to leave in the bit where he told her to nix the fringe in the first place).  Then again, this is the same episode where we saw Tim actually getting to a point where he told a contestant (and through observation, us) that he hasn't been getting at all why the judges have been ruling the way they are on her outfits.  So we can also interpret that as possibly implying to other rulings about other contestants and outfits, like this one with the fringe.  Or we can just go with the kindest explanation.  That Char found a way to implement fringe that looked a lot more modern than how Tim envisioned it.  Again, us not hearing him admit that doesn't mean he didn't say it--we see a few minutes out of several hours of shooting.

[KimberStormer]

True, but dolls designed to be played with are, almost by definition, a fantasy meant to encourage imaginative play, role playing, dress up and all of that. I suspect that selling slave rags or depression hand me downs,  while historically accurate, wouldn't sell all that well

 

 

I just want to point out that Kit does have a dress which is supposed to be made out of chicken feed bags.  As someone said above, during the Depression they made the bags with colorful patterns for just this purpose.

[WearyTraveler]

I just want to point out that Kit does have a dress which is supposed to be made out of chicken feed bags.  As someone said above, during the Depression they made the bags with colorful patterns for just this purpose.

It took me a second to realize that "Fan sold separately as part of Kit’s Party Treats" meant the object in the doll's hand and not an actual person. LOL!

[RealityGal]

Yes, of course they've always kind of wanted to have it both ways with the American Girl series.  To combine the educational part with the fantasy part.  On the other hand the daughter of one of my friends had the Molly doll (the WW2 one) and for her birthday that first year I was assigned the Red Cross accessory kit  - which included a pair of crutches, a camp bed and bandages (for the bargain price of about $45 if I recall correctly) as my designated AG gift.  I was shocked that her parents wanted me to give her such a depressing gift, but that was what she wanted and she loved it.  It made me remember when Pollyanna was "glad" to get a crutch for a Christmas present, because it reminded her of how awful it would be if she really needed it. 

 

You were assigned a gift?  I'm sure the specifics of that story must make it much better than how my mind is currently reading it.  And you were assigned a $45 gift for a child?  I just...wow, I know the backstory must make that sound better than it sounds in my head.  :)

 

It's my understanding that Alexander's alma mater, Columbia College in Chicago, is behind the voting campaign.

 

Can they please also start a campaign to ask Alexander to keep his mouth shut?  Because I am all about that campaign.  But now its all making sense, but frankly, if you're not really a fan favorite, I don't see what the point is.  I mean, fan favorite only comes with some prestige, IMO, if there is a situation in which maybe the judges didn't like you, but all the fans really did and people voted you fan favorite because they loved your design.  But, without that, its pretty much a popularity contest, so where is the joy in rigging a popularity contest? 

 

I don't think people are ever going to see each other's point of view on Sandhya or on Amanda -- there's so much open to various interpretations.  I was thinking about people from eastern Asia I have known who always smiled through embarrassment or humiliation and said it was their culture to do so.  I don't know if that was behind the strange smile on Sandhya's face whenever she didn't like the input she was getting, but I suppose it's a possibility.  It certainly made her reactions baffling to me as a viewer, and I was predisposed to like her because her designs were so off the wall I was enjoying how they shook everybody else up.  

 

As for Amanda, I still like her sense of humor and think she would be a fun person to hang out with.  Again, though, her comments are open to interpretation either way.  I just read her as wry and self-deprecating, not arrogant or self-entitled.  Same with Sandhya, I guess.  Clearly many don't agree, and I can see why that is.  

 

Meanwhile, what a fun episode this one was!  My daughter loved her American Girls doll (Kirsten) and taught herself to sew things for her when she was 10.  Great designs on the show, and the right person went home.  

 

And thats whats good about a message board, while I can be passionate, I know that its good to have both points of view on any issue.  And in fact, if anything, it makes me think through my own perspective.  And where it comes to personalities, there will be disagreement.  But what I do like about this forum is that I think most everyone handles the disagreements with respect.

 

I just want to point out that Kit does have a dress which is supposed to be made out of chicken feed bags.  As someone said above, during the Depression they made the bags with colorful patterns for just this purpose.

I think that is so freaking cool, because when they were talking about it on the documentary I was watching I thought that was just the neatest thing.  The idea of repurposing in such a creative way is so neat to me.  And then to make it even cooler was when the companies realized that this was happening and started to make the designs on the bags knowing that they would be used for clothing.  I'm not sure who had the depression era doll, but that would have been something so neat to do.

[Beden]

 

I just want to point out that Kit does have a dress which is supposed to be made out of chicken feed bags.  As someone said above, during the Depression they made the bags with colorful patterns for just this purpose.

Didn't know that--I had a boy who wasn't into dolls unless they were Power Rangers. His name is male/female friendly and he was in a huff at about 7 when he was somehow added to AG's mailing list, getting catalogs a couple of times a year. But good for the AG folks.

 

I'd also add that patchwork quilts were originally simply re-purposing fabric back when it was extremely expensive to buy or had to be made at home. Often the parts of a worn out garment were worth more than the whole; eventually quilts became a true art form but they started out as recycling. Even now I recycle the burlap bags my fire starters for my wood stove come in into gift bags for bottles of wine...quite nice, if I say so myself.

[sarasue59]

Going to the comment that FINALLY Tim fessed up that he had been seeing clown suits all along when he looked at Sandhya's garments, I would bet you anything that if she had been the eventual winner, he would have said that he had believed in her genius all along, lol.  I do think that his comments were tailored to the eventual outcome of the show, the aufing of Sandhya.

[discoprincess]

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.

 

  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.  

I would have liked to see Tim say something to Char when he came backstage after the judging was over. 

 

I think Alexander is a mediocre designer who somehow manages to keep squeaking by by slipping under the radar (except to whomever keeps voting him as "fan favorite"!). 

 

While I don't "get" Amanda either, her designs have something more to them (more potential, more depth, more creativity) than Alexander's. 

 

 

 

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.

I can see a girl wearing Kini's dress and coat to see the Christmas Show at Rockefeller Center. 

 

It's called a boil perm :-) 

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

I used to put gel or hair pomade on my dolls hair and then braid it, or maybe wrap segments around bobby pins. 

 

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.

I think in previous seasons, someone (maybe Michael Kors?) woukd have called Sandhya's work "costumey" which of course is an insult. That said, the remainder of the group doesn't really excite me. 

 

 

BTW, in rewatching, I noticed that Emily's original sketch was much better than what she actually did

Yes. I also felt that way about Sandhya's design from the previous challenge. I wonder why these designers couldn't quite realize their vision. 

 

So..why was this not a two-day challenge? If this were a two-day challenge, Korina's little "tiles" on her skirt would have looked more polished. (Maybe that was a factor in not selecting Korina for the win.) 

[KimberStormer]



I'm not sure who had the depression era doll, but that would have been something so neat to do.

 

It was Alexander and that's part of why I was so mad about his design this week.  Charitably, I can see where he was going with the prints.  (Although they might have been AG prints...)  But given that he had the early 30s, in my opinion one of the great eras of fashion, and this sort of recycling/deconstructive thing to work with in Kit's story...it's just super-frustrating that he came up with what looks like little more than a napkin around her neck and an exposed zipper up the butt.

[Calamity Jane]

I truly hated that zipper up the back of those pants.  To me, that was the very worst thing on the runway, worse than Sandhya's strange garment, whatever it was.  

[izabella]

I truly hated that zipper up the back of those pants.  To me, that was the very worst thing on the runway, worse than Sandhya's strange garment, whatever it was.  

 

Those pants were also way too tight on that poor child.  The pockets wouldn't even lay flat because they were so tight.

[gibasi]

I think that Sean is playing the game strategically and to win.  I don't think he has shown us his design aesthetic so to speak at all.  Think about it.  After Amanda won with all the fringe the next episode he designed the winning dress for Heidi that was all fringe.  Now he is all about the fringe.

 

In the American Girl challenge he said that he thought Emily had an advantage because she designs for children and has a daughter that she designs for.  Emily specifically said that her daughter loved a Liberty print Hello Kitty dress that she had made for her daughter.  So what does Sean do?  He goes and makes something out of a Liberty print.

 

Sean is playing the game to win; not to show us his designer chops.  Or that is my take on him.

[micat]

I thought that Emily's blue and purple tulle under the gray dress evoked the image of those blue lights people sometimes put on their cars - I think they're called underbody lights. They shine light down onto the street from underneath the car.  I see them around sometimes, and can't decide whether I think they're cool or not.  I thought it was a very cool effect on Emily's dress, but the proportions were indeed very strange.

 

Also, I know cut outs are normal now, but I thought they were a little weird in any form on a dress for a nine year old.  To be clear, I thought Kini's placement of the cut outs was totally appropriate and wouldn't have minded if the girl's whole shoulder was showing that far down, so I guess it's something about the peek-a-boo feel I usually get from cutouts that makes it feel like an odd choice for that age group. 

[lucindabelle]

Agree about the cut-outs, though I admit I probably would have liked it at that age.

But not the word "flirty." Yuck.

[Lamb18]

Some late comments:

Sean's was so dreary I thought he should have gone home. I was 12 in 1970 and don't remember anything like that in my wardrobe but I do remember it in my great-aunts' wardrobes! Throughout the decade I remember bright colors - pins, green, yellow, orange, lots of bright plaids (not the schoolgirl plaids from the 80s), florals, blue jeans, corduroys, some earth tones, next to no black or gray, halter and tube tops, short shorts, short hemlines or else maxi dresses which often were quilted or had a quilted pattern, saddle shoes including my purple and orange suede pair.  I don't remember jump suits, but I do remember body suits and bib overalls. Sandhya's was pretty bad, too, but I liked her.  Emily's was more trying on your mom's party clothes than an actual little girl outfit.  Kini's, while nice and well-made, seemed more a grownup outfit in miniature, than something truly designed for a girl. I thought Char's and Amanda's were better for that. Alexander's looked like it didn't belong to a certain period, just something cheap and contemporary.

 

Edited because my saddle shoes were suede, not plaid.

Edited September 26, 2014 by Lamb18

[lucindabelle]

I had pink and purple suede saddle shoes when I was 7 in 1974. I would so buy them again.

Please, designers, listen up and make light up shoes for kids.

You're right about the 70s. Black is an 80s thing entirely.

[windfall]

I bet the other contestants were relieved to hear that Tim also could not understand the judge's love for Sandhya's garments. I agree with the outcome and I really enjoyed some of judge's comments. It was great when Heidi pressed the girl about whether or not she really liked outfit when the designers weren't present. Zac's comment about Kini's dress being something that a girl would wear to a show felt spot on. It looked more like a special occasion dress or something one would wear when they were going out rather than something for more casual everyday situations. I'm definitely guilty of dressing rather casually when going to a Broadway show and would love to have something on a similar level to that for next time.

[BarneySays]

I would have sent Emily home, but it wsa a close call.  It was the difference between a failure of imagination and a failure of creativity.  Emily's outfit did not look at all appropriate for a little girl.  She seemed to bank on the notion that girls like to dress up.  The tulle veil was particularly egregious, I thought.  She ws either incapable of or disinterested in actually contemplating the actual challenge.  I'd be curious to know if the children's clothes she sells are similarly age inappropriate.

 

Sandhiya's outfit on the other hand was simply bad.  I wondered as I saw it come to life whether cultural differences came into play in her conception of the outfit.  Given her apparently restrictive upbringing, I wonder if her perception of an 11 year old is very different than the American one.  That might explain the seeming age inappropriateness of her design.  In the end. I find Sandhiya's failure a lesser offense than Emily's. 

[NikSac]

 

Sandhiya's outfit on the other hand was simply bad.  I wondered as I saw it come to life whether cultural differences came into play in her conception of the outfit.  Given her apparently restrictive upbringing, I wonder if her perception of an 11 year old is very different than the American one.  That might explain the seeming age inappropriateness of her design.  In the end. I find Sandhiya's failure a lesser offense than Emily's. 

 

Yeah I wasn't  a big fan of either one but I can't blame cultural differences on her straight up rudeness and clown outfits. Is there any culture where kids would like that outfit, unless they couldn't afford to get any other clothes? I was sort of hoping for another double elimination, honestly...

[Tony]

Unless 8-11 year olds in India routinely wear onesies with neck to butt snap closures and she believed that it was similar for childrenwear over here, I don't think cultural differences is to be blamed for that hideous outfit.

[hatchetgirl]

I have to agree with took during the critique "oh my gosh, these stories!". Seriously, I was dying here. I'm thinking I have a perfect doll...

" So, Tim, this is Agatha and she was born during the black plague. She recently broke out in pustules but she'll definitely pull through in the end! "

I think I peed over his reactions. Did no one tell him anything about the dolls and the books?