S09.E07: Duggar Girls Go Glam

[Fuzzysox]

I sure hope that Jessa picks out a high heeled pump that has toe cleavage as her bridal shoes!!!!!!!

 

Still sheeved on Jill not wearing shoes to her wedding in church of all places. Don't they have a rule at that church no shirt, no shoes, no service??

Edited October 2, 2014 by Fuzzysox

[GEML]

In a lot of ways, I don't think people like us are the target audience for a lot of the stuff. After all, we aren't very "encouraged" by them, are we ? ;)

[floridamom]

Ok, how stupid is Anna? How stupid do they think WE are? Hasn't Anna EVER noticed a fresh produce department at her local supermarket? Gee, they sell fresh carrots and apples there too. She doesn't have to drive to a separate "farmers market" to get fresh vegetables and fruit, does she?

I, also thought the same thing here...once again how stupid are we? Why would anyone invite a total stranger to her home after one brief conversation at a farmers' market? So this lady was there actually purchasing fresh food, so Anna thought she was some nutrition expert? Everyone knows that this family doesn't interact with the general public in the first place, and to invite one of "those" to your own home? Never would happen.

I am also revolted by Jim Bob's sin against the "thou shalt not steal" commandment here...By having those carpet installation professionals take the time to "train" his boys in their profession only so that he doesn't have to pay for carpet installing in the future is robbing those guys of their own livelihood. How cheap, tacky, classless, selfish and inconsiderate of him. I don't know why those guys didn't tell him to pack sand and "NO'. How did they take on the liability of those kids using their equipment and possibly hurting themselves in the process. Jim Bob would have sued the pants off of those guys as it would be more free money for him.

I am losing my concept of what this show is supposed to be about here...with all the "out of sequence" timeline patching being done, and YES, I agree the mobile was a stupid decision. A baby gift is NOT a wedding gift. TLC has hired some 3rd rate producers, writers and editors. Sorry, Mr. Jim, (the sound guy) but I don't know what you are doing there at his point.

[zenme]

When I was watching the Smuggars making the mobile I kept wondering how Jill would feel if she couldn't have a child. It was an inappropriate gift--even for a Duggar.

Edited October 2, 2014 by zenme

[Fuzzysox]

ITA Boob is a user. He wants everyone to "train" his boys then they strip future work for the craftsman. He is completely classless. Why doesn't he just go to YouTube to learn the skill he wants? Wouldn't that count as homefooling at the table of the holy homefoolingskooling?

[3 is enough]

My husband is Italian, and brides often receive baby clothing at their showers.  I never understood or condoned that practice, but evidently it is a "thing".  So the Duggars are not alone.

 

The howlers can not possibly learn how to lay carpet by watching it being installed one time.  I call BS on that one.  

[GEML]

I figured all of the stuff mentioned above was producer driven and everyone above was paid for their time, including the farmer's market person and the carpet installers. And I think the mobile was made much more recently in real time and the talking heads were done to make it a "wedding present".

[andromeda331]

When I was watching the Smuggars making the mobile I kept wondering how Jill would feel if she couldn't have a child.

 

 

That was my first thought too. I'd be hesitate to buy or make anything to give to a woman that was for a baby before she was pregnant even if they were trying to have a baby until after they were pregnant. She might not be able to get pregnant or she might have trouble getting pregnant. I hope it really was made after Jill was pregnant and not as a wedding gift.

[Barb23]

I agree with the rest of you with the Anna & Josh filler. Anna could find many "healthy" recipes on line or in a cookbook. Previous episodes showed Anna cutting up apples for the kiddos & now the Farmers Market is a new novelty item. (By the way, even tho Steve,the trainer, said the Farmers Market was around the corner, it was at least an hours away. The Market was in Olde Town Alexandria in Virginia & they live in Maryland. I live in Maryland too but closer to Baltimore. My husband worked in DC for years & my son goes to college there so they know the area well.) My husband said there is a nice farmers market closer to them in DC so don't know why TLC picked the further one. Or as others have said, Anna can just visit the produce section at the store.

Another thing that irks me is I wish Josh & Anna would get a nice table & chairs for their kitchen. I know they can afford one even if they go the buy used route. They have a kids picnic table there now but they have one of the clip on high chairs attached to it for Marcus. How is that safe hooked to a kids table? Hopefully they only put Marcus in it when the other two are sitting there to balance the weight. But we all know little kiddos don't stay seated for long. I can just picture Mac jumping up with Michael following & poor Marcus falling backwards with the table on top of him. Safety in this family means nothing.

[floridamom]

Yes, a normal person would expect Anna to find healthy recipe ideas on the internet, but remember, Anna shouldn't be allowed on the computer unless Josh is sitting next to her making sure she's not watching any porn or non-Duggar approved ideas websites... How stupid is that?

Also, their family blog states that that "lady she just ran into" has some kind of business on "mom ideas" for cooking for your family. Once again, plugging a business. What did that woman pay TLC for the exposure of herself and her business? It's just getting more ridiculous and tacky.

[GEML]

Assuming Josh and Anna still live in the same neighborhood, the actually live just over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge from Old Town Alexandria. DC proper would be further away and would be more difficult to find parking. (Someone who haas been to that same farmers market.)

[WTFFF]

I thought only the husbands had to have their internet usage monitored.  That's why the women have the password.

[charmed1]

Assuming Josh and Anna still live in the same neighborhood, the actually live just over the Woodrow Wilson Bridge from Old Town Alexandria. DC proper would be further away and would be more difficult to find parking. (Someone who haas been to that same farmers market.)

Right. From Ft. Washington, Alexandria is a hop skip and a jump away in the local lanes on 495.

[Mrsjumbo]

That mobile as a wedding present was ridiculous. Not only for the reason mentioned, but also because it looked like a 3rd grader made it! When my ds3 brings home art projects like this, I display them for a week or so, then discreetly slip them into the trash. Are Jill & Derek obligated to hang this atrocity in their nursery & hold onto it forever?

Edited October 2, 2014 by Mrsjumbo

[GEML]

LOL- I'm glad I'm not the only one who discreetly um, clears the way for new arts and crafts in my house!

[truthtalk2014]

I personally thought the salmon looked gross.  Maybe it's just me but it looked very bland.  She mentioned cooking it with peaches.  I cook salmon all the time.  There are some awesome recipes on the net.  Salmon marinated in homemade teriyaki  (a bit of soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil) gets rave reviews from people that tell me they hate salmon.  

 

And, is it just me, or did that piece of fish look really huge for their family size?  Wow!  It looked like she was feeding the Thanksgiving gang.  Why did she need that woman to help her make the simplest crap?  Anna is not that dumb.  

 

I'm really glad she is teaching the children to eat something other than tater tot casserole.  Children eat what you start feeding them.  Obviously, she has fed them a few veggies and they are not grossed out.  My kids ate veggies and fish from the beginning and never thought anything of it.  However, I knew other children that wouldn't eat crap unless it was in a fast food container.  

[nccueagle84]

Just watched the let's go bridesmaid dress shopping outing & it was 100% a BS setup! Watched it on dvr & ended up watching that scene a couple of times. To begin with the sign in the dress shop window read "closed".  Wonder how much did they get paid to be closed in the middle of the day to actual paying customers?  Especially since that dress came from Kmart  & not that bridal shop.  For those who have worked in retail before you  know the store provides uniform clothes hangers & that dress was on a black hanger while all the others in the shop were either white or the wooden brown for the wedding dresses.  Though I know there's always exceptions to the rules, typically bridesmaids dresses are 1 of 3 types of fabric: satin, chiffon, or what they call mesh.  Lace does exist but it's more high end looking. The camera panned down the dress pretty fast but thanks to pause & rewind I saw 2 things that confirmed my suspicions: The brand of the dress was metaphor which can be found at sears or kmart & if you look closely at the tag it reads something like "Members only inside deals" & "Shop your way" which is definitely Kmart slogan.  They do have a store supposedly in Springdale, Arkansas. 

[riverblue22]

The brand of the dress was metaphor which can be found at sears or kmart & if you look closely at the tag it reads something like "Members only inside deals" & "Shop your way" which is definitely Kmart slogan.  They do have a store supposedly in Springdale, Arkansas.

 

 

Good eye!  What a ridiculous amount of nonsense that is!  The Duggars selecting a Kmart dress at a bridal shop reminds me of the nonsense over the Kody Brown Klowns shopping for the recommitment dresses in a store with dresses that only fit princess Robyn!  And then they of course ended having them made--and they looked like Halloween costumes!  These modest Duggars and Browns do have the hardest time finding modest wear.  I  certainly don't--maybe they should come shopping with me in northern Virginia!

 

ETA:  I think it would have been easier to buy a pattern and make the dresses than do all of those alterations.  It should have been a sewing bee with some girls cutting, some sewing, and some hemming. The younger ones could have helped a bit, too.

Edited October 3, 2014 by riverblue22

[GEML]

Riverblue - I thought the same thing too!  Northern Virginia is an excellent place to shop for modest clothing.  DC does change it's styles, and the last time we changed was 1960, when Jackie Kennedy introduced everyone to clothes from places like Ann Taylor and Talbots!  ;)  For the men out there, Brooks Brothers is never out of style and covers you from neck to toe!  The Duggars would be just fine here.  There are even outlets where you can buy off season and save the difference!  Woo hoo!  I can just see Jinger giving it her trademarked two thumbs up!

[SpaghettiTuesdays]

It would have been nice to have seen Joyless with her hair half up and cascading curls instead of up in a bun.  She's the youngest, that hairstyle looked too old and fuddy duddy for her.

I disagree. I thought it was elegant and made her seem mature, in a good way.

 

Did anyone catch Jana's "I can sew, but so can a few other girls. I don't really know why I was asked and not them" or something of that nature? I cracked up.

[zenme]

How come Anna's "friend" is the one who provided the food for Anna's family?

[msblossom]

Just watched the let's go bridesmaid dress shopping outing & it was 100% a BS setup! Watched it on dvr & ended up watching that scene a couple of times. To begin with the sign in the dress shop window read "closed".  Wonder how much did they get paid to be closed in the middle of the day to actual paying customers?  Especially since that dress came from Kmart  & not that bridal shop.  For those who have worked in retail before you  know the store provides uniform clothes hangers & that dress was on a black hanger while all the others in the shop were either white or the wooden brown for the wedding dresses.  Though I know there's always exceptions to the rules, typically bridesmaids dresses are 1 of 3 types of fabric: satin, chiffon, or what they call mesh.  Lace does exist but it's more high end looking. The camera panned down the dress pretty fast but thanks to pause & rewind I saw 2 things that confirmed my suspicions: The brand of the dress was metaphor which can be found at sears or kmart & if you look closely at the tag it reads something like "Members only inside deals" & "Shop your way" which is definitely Kmart slogan.  They do have a store supposedly in Springdale, Arkansas.

Good work, Ncceagle84!! There's been so much discussion about the bridesmaid dresses -- it has been quite entertaining. But this tidbit takes the cake.

Awesome post -- 10 likes!!

[zenme]

I wonder if the family was given only X amount of dollars for Jill's wedding by TLC, and rather than meeting that budget or exceeding it, the family cheaped out and pocketed the rest of the loot.

[nccueagle84]

How come Anna's "friend" is the one who provided the food for Anna's family?

It was probably because she "the random stranger" (who really wasn't a random stranger) was the one who wanted to be seen on TLC.  That was a setup too. 

[Fuzzysox]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one that thought the bridesmaid dresses did not come from a dress store. Glad the real truth came out that they came from Sears/Kmart. No dress store that I have ever been to has that many dresses on hand for $30.

[ghoulina]

Did anyone catch Jana's "I can sew, but so can a few other girls. I don't really know why I was asked and not them" or something of that nature? I cracked up.

 

Yea, that was a total "F U" moment, considering how reserved and proper these people normally are.

[truthtalk2014]

Just watched the let's go bridesmaid dress shopping outing & it was 100% a BS setup! Watched it on dvr & ended up watching that scene a couple of times. To begin with the sign in the dress shop window read "closed".  

I just went to that portion of the show and see exactly what you mean.  Great catch!  What a total staged bunch of bs.  

[luvbadtv]

I'm glad I wasn't the only one that thought the bridesmaid dresses did not come from a dress store. Glad the real truth came out that they came from Sears/Kmart. No dress store that I have ever been to has that many dresses on hand for $30.

 

And the dress quality was so cheap.  You could tell by looking at it that it wasn't something a bridal store would carry.

[Fuzzysox]

The " we shopped at a bridemaid dress store" was such a BS moment.

 

Still shocked they just didn't sew their own. One dress per Duggar girl and they would have been done in no time. Do they not have a fabric store that they could have gone to? As loud as Alyssa Bates' bridemaid dresses were at least they didn't look as cheap and tacky as Jill's.

 

And *gasp* Alyssa wore high heeled hot pink hooker shoes to her wedding. She still got married and came off a lot more classy then barefooted Jil.

http://thebatesfamily.com/alyssas-wedding/

Read the comments were Kelly says that some of the bridesmaid dresses were brought while others were hand sewn.

 

http://thebatesfamily.com/alyssas-wedding/

 

Once again the colors are loud but they look a lot more put together.

[truthtalk2014]

I think I found the dress. Let me know if you think it's the same.  It's out of stock- which explains the reason it had the deep discount tag.  

 

http://www.sears.com/metaphor-petite-s-sleeveless-lace-dress/p-016VA71900312P

 

What a bunch of liars they are!  No way the dress shop had that many copies of a Sears dress.  When I get back, I want to look up the name of the dress shop and call them to see if I can get a few of those dresses like Jill Duggar!  LOL as if. 

[luvbadtv]

I think I found the dress. Let me know if you think it's the same.  It's out of stock- which explains the reason it had the deep discount tag.  

 

http://www.sears.com/metaphor-petite-s-sleeveless-lace-dress/p-016VA71900312P

 

What a bunch of liars they are!  No way the dress shop had that many copies of a Sears dress.  When I get back, I want to look up the name of the dress shop and call them to see if I can get a few of those dresses like Jill Duggar!  LOL as if. 

Looks like it to me.  I just don't get why you would buy a cheap dress and modify it so much.  It would be much easier to find a suitable dress already made or start from scratch.  

[Chai]

I can't believe it! This family that is SO much better than the general population sure don't have a problem LYING about where their daughters bridesmaid dresses were from! We are used to them saying we buy used and save the difference. I wouldn't have minded if they said we bought them at Sears and altered them. Do they normally have to "bend the truth" for their reality show? How much is too much, where is the line drawn? Talk about living in glass houses and throwing stones...

[awaken]

I've been wondering where in the DC area they live- thanks for satisfying my curiosity!  For some reason I thought before they mentioned they were in Virginia; didn't know they were in Ft. Washington.

 

I was super annoyed by the whole farmer's market and home cooking scene.  It was like fruits and vegetables were a foreign concept to them.  Yes, I love to take my kids to the farmers market every week and we really enjoy it and learn about where food comes from, budgeting, etc.  But they are so over the top amazed- OMG a TOMATO!!  

 

I was horrified by how Josh and the kids seemed so skeptical about the "healthy" (i.e., normal) food.  By squash I thought she meant some kind of really different kind of squash...maybe spaghetti squash or a local heirloom variety from the market or something, but no, regular old yellow squash!!  And they're all going nuts about this new crazy food they're going to try, this amazing new dish that you'd need someone to come over and teach you how to make.  Cut up squash and green beans and sauté it.  What have they been eating all this time?!  Oh, "biscuits" out of a can, I guess!!    

Oh, and I was kinda glad to hear Anna inject a little bit of reality about baby-making.  That they're not dying to be pregnant or constantly have more kids, and they want to focus on enjoying the three kids they're been blessed with.  That was really refreshing to hear.  I don't know how true it is (the part about being ok with not being pregnant at the moment) but I appreciated that she would even think that way enough to say it.  

[joanofarch4]

Tell me Jill didn't call Jana "so sweet" (in that same annoying tone) for altering the bridesmaid's dresses...

[GEML]

They did that one episode where Anna took the kids to a play place in Arlington. Based on that, it was reasonable to think that Old Town wasn't anywhere near where they were. (And that really was a ridiculous episode, what with the metro and three babies and locations - talk about a "let's make Anna look overwhelmed" there's a similar play place nearer her home and she easily would have driven.)

For those not from the area, nearly all of the shopping scenes/restaurant either take place in Old Town Alexandria Va, or National Harbor in Oxon Hill, MD.

[juneday]

I like Erin Bates wedding dress! It was classy and pretty and fit her well, while still being "modest." And I liked her shoes, too! I wouldn't have chosen the color or ones quite that height, but they weren't bad. Overall, from those pictures, her wedding looked much more "normal" and put together well. Not like she put one of her sisters to work on altering Sears dresses until they don't look right anymore.

Edited October 3, 2014 by heckyeahheartland

[riverblue22]

The Duggar girls have great vision!  I can not imagine looking at that short, cheap dress at KMart and thinking "bridesmaid dress"--it looks like a cheap cocktail dress.

[sunrisepink]

The Duggar girls have great vision!  I can not imagine looking at that short, cheap dress at KMart and thinking "bridesmaid dress"--it looks like a cheap cocktail dress.

 

I'll bet they just picked it cause it was cheap. They were pretty but a little too casual in my opinion.

[BitterApple]

It's funny that this is all coming out because when I was watching the epi I had the feeling that dress didn't come from that store. For one, I don't know any bridal boutique that stocks $30 dresses, even the low-end ones. For another, nothing about that dress said "bridesmaid" or "wedding." Not the style, not the material, nothing. To be honest, it looked like the kind of cheap crap my teenaged niece buys at Forever 21 or Charlotte Russe.

[xls]

That mobile as a wedding present was ridiculous. Not only for the reason mentioned, but also because it looked like a 3rd grader made it! When my ds3 brings home art projects like this, I display them for a week or so, then discreetly slip them into the trash. Are Jill & Derek obligated to hang this atrocity in their nursery & hold onto it forever?

Same with the dishes they painted.

[GEML]

On the other hand, Jill and Derrick will be living in a pretty decently sized house. Maybe they can just use one room for crappy crafts given by family members that are just so "previous" during this "season of life" that is so "bittersweet".

Maybe someone could paint that on a sign to hang on the wall! ;)

[Fuzzysox]

Back to the dresses. They had to have been purchased before they shot the scene since the ugly slip was in the clip. And I watched it again last night and the hanger that doesn't match all the rest of the hangers in the store is a dead give away too. Excellent detective work Truthtalk2014!

[floridamom]

I'd like to know who is cleaning Jill's house? If she is anything like her mother, when "expecting", which is constantly, she wasn't up to doing any household work, was she? Is Jill keeping those high maintenance black tile floors clean by mopping them every day herself? I hope Jana or one of the J'slaves aren't.

I think, although that home is a beautiful one, it's way too big for them and it's a lot of unnecessary work at this time.

You know what posters, as a viewer, I am insulted that either TLC, the Duggars or both of them have outright lied to their own viewers. By inventing truths, they are deceiving us out here. Why don't the just keep it true? So what if they bought the dresses somewhere else or sewed them themselves, like Anna's family did? I don't get this "falsehood" that is going on here. It was totally unnecessary to go to this "friend's" dress shop and invent a story. I don't like them even more for these stupidities. The whole Anna storyline, too, with showing up early for a turkey dinner, playgroups, public transportation, trainers showing up, farmers' markets, "new friends showing up for dinner",(haven't seen those people at all since), and fresh food cooking help. Whoever TLC has assigned to write, edit and air these programs must be high school interns.

[Chai]

Since I started reading this thread there are ads in between every couple of posts and one of them is an ad for a dress that says "we design and you modify" lol!

[BradandJanet]

Jill's bridesmaids' dresses had two panels of lace on the skirt, lace sleeves, and a lace insert at the neckline, in addition to the  awful lopsided white panel at the bottom. Jill or someone mentioned buying one extra dress for the fabric, but one dress wouldn't have been enough. Also, cutting a pattern for set-in sleeves and putting them in is not an easy sewing task. The person who put the white extensions on the dresses most likely didn't do the rest of the alterations unless Jana is a crack seamstress and just ran out of time. 

 

Those dresses ended up taking money and time to get to the final look--cheap and ugly. I just don't get it.

Edited October 4, 2014 by BradandJanet

[jodo]

When I was watching the Smuggars making the mobile I kept wondering how Jill would feel if she couldn't have a child. It was an inappropriate gift--even for a Duggar.

OR did they know she was already pregnant....horrors of horrors!  LOL

[mimionthebeach]

When they were discussing the alteration, Jana said they could shorten the straps to raise the neckline. This moved the waist from natural to kind of "empire" where the ugly brown belts sat just under the bust. The sleeves weren't bad but the additions layers totally ruined the flare of the skirt. I was surprised when Jana said she could do the modifications with one extra dress. I wonder if the white piece at the bottom is a fundie trend with teens who want to wear "normal" clothes and stick to the rules. We've seen a couple of these panels on Jessa's Forever 21-type skirts.

The whole dress thing is ridiculous. Going to that much trouble to alter a cheap dress.Lots of options out there that would meet their standards. It's just another attempt to flaunt the exceptionally godly Duggar modesty.

Edited October 4, 2014 by mimionthebeach

[BradandJanet]

I think that Anna's food segment was an homage to the flack Michelle took for the endless shots of meals of tater tot casserole and other processed crap. Of course, the show had to respond by filming Michelle proudly hovering over a fruit platter to show how important fresh food was in their diet. Uh, right. Fresh fruits and vegetables is almost a meme for this show and shows up as filler once in a while.

 

I wonder whose jurisdiction it is to keep a record of public criticisms that must be addressed in future episodes. 

[BradandJanet]

When they were discussing the alteration, Jana said they could shorten the straps to raise the neckline. This moved the waist from natural to kind of "empire" where the ugly brown belts sat just under the bust. The sleeves weren't bad but the additions layers totally ruined the flare of the skirt. I was surprised when Jana said she could do the modifications with one extra dress. I wonder if the white piece at the bottom is a fundie trend with teens who want to wear "normal" clothes and stick to the rules. We've seen a couple of these panels on Jessa's Forever 21-type skirts.

The whole dress thing is ridiculous. Going to that much trouble to alter a cheap dress.Lots of options out there that would meet their standards. It's just another attempt to flaunt the exceptionally godly Duggar modesty.

 

Raising the bodice of the dress would involve recutting the armholes, not so easy either. No matter how they altered these dresses, it was a job. 

 

It is ridiculous, especially in this case where showing off their modesty created unnecessary work for the already overworked girls. If Jana got stuck with the entire job, it's just a sin.

[BitterApple]

I personally thought the salmon looked gross.  Maybe it's just me but it looked very bland.  She mentioned cooking it with peaches.  I cook salmon all the time.  There are some awesome recipes on the net.  Salmon marinated in homemade teriyaki  (a bit of soy sauce, brown sugar and sesame oil) gets rave reviews from people that tell me they hate salmon.  

 

And, is it just me, or did that piece of fish look really huge for their family size?  Wow!  It looked like she was feeding the Thanksgiving gang.  Why did she need that woman to help her make the simplest crap?  Anna is not that dumb.  

 

My mom makes the salmon marinated in homemade teriyaki, and I agree it's amazing. Did Anna even put any seasonings or lemon on the fish? It looked like she just threw it into the oven as is. I actually thought it looked a little undercooked, I would have put it under the broiler for a minute or two to give it a nice browning.

 

The whole segment was ridiculous because it's not like the woman taught Anna anything she couldn't have learned on her own.