S14.E07: Haute Tech Couture

[akr]

I would have liked Edmond's so much better without the shoulder pads and all that faux fringe hanging down her arms, but I guess he wanted to use more of the unconventional materials so I guess I should give him credit for that? I liked that he used the parts to make a shiny pattern on the dress that contrasted with the matte of his fabric. Was his skirt just painted muslin? The major issue I have with his design is that if the black material is just painted muslin, there was too much of it. I also hated all that criss crossed wire in the back. I didn't like the way it looked but it also seemed like he pulled them too tight and it was cutting into the model's skin.

The black material was all mousepads that he'd stitched together. He pretty much had the base of the dress done when Tim came through and you can get a good look at it at that point. He hadn't added all the keys yet. 

Edited September 18, 2015 by akr

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Often during the season, I have this concern but it's even more magnified during the unconventional challenges - how long between the time that everyone leaves the workroom for the runway show and when the judges are done examining the garments up close? The reason I ask is that you know that these poor models can't sit down in between. I remember that the girl who appeared in Michael Jackson's "Dirty Diana" video was told she couldn't sit down because they didn't want her to stretch out her dress, so when she got tired they had her lean against a wall.

 

I hated Swapnil's design. It looked like he was trying to do something avant garde but he ended up just putting a mess of wires in his poor model's face. And that skirt was SO short. I know that often the dresses and skirts on the runway are much shorter than they would be in real life but that girl was about a centimeter from showing butt cheek. On a shallow note, his constant smoking totally turned me off too. Blech.

 

I would have liked Edmond's so much better without the shoulder pads and all that faux fringe hanging down her arms, but I guess he wanted to use more of the unconventional materials so I guess I should give him credit for that? I liked that he used the parts to make a shiny pattern on the dress that contrasted with the matte of his fabric. Was his skirt just painted muslin? The major issue I have with his design is that if the black material is just painted muslin, there was too much of it. I also hated all that criss crossed wire in the back. I didn't like the way it looked but it also seemed like he pulled them too tight and it was cutting into the model's skin.

 

While I understand the judges criticizing his design a little when they examined it up close because some of it was starting to fall off, at the same time I always feel like come on, you know that you essentially gave the designers a challenge where they were supposed to glue shit onto muslin so don't act surprised/shocked/offended when some of it starts to fall off.

 

Lindsey's had a nice silhouette and the keys gave it an interesting shine/texture on the runway. I also liked that she used the CD sleeves for the skirt. The biggest pro about Lindsey's design is that it looked like a real dress and there was no visible muslin. I know my bar is set pretty low these days, but those are two major things in an unconventional challenge for me.

 

I liked the way Candice used her wires better than Swapnil did, but I HATED the white eye boobs. While I'm glad that she didn't have visible muslin, covering every millimeter of the base with wire made for a very stiff dress for her poor model. It also reminded me of the licorice dress someone made in a previous season for the candy unconventional materials challenge.

 

I liked that Laurie added paint to her mousepads to create a pattern/texture on the skirt but overall I hated her look. It didn't look like a real outfit which is a huge issue for me on the unconventional materials challenges.

 

I liked Kelly's dress. It was a good use of her unconventional materials. I know some people don't like the "glue shit to muslin" approach, but at least she put thought into how she would take her materials apart and she used them in a way that didn't make it obvious what her dress was made of. And what I really liked is that she was able to cover an entire dress with just those two tubes. When she picked them up at the dumpster site, I thought she would need to use other materials to complete her dress.

 

I hated Merline's dress but I do have two positive things to say about her this week: (1) after all these weeks of hearing her talk about how architectural her designs are, this was the first design that actually looked somewhat architectural (2) I liked that she said since she had immunity, she was just going to go crazy and do something she really liked this week without worrying about if she would be eliminated.

 

Joseph's aesthetic is so mumsy madame that he somehow thought this dress was sexy. First of all, the top was horrible. I hated the two huge rounded shapes and then the pointless plunge in the middle (compare it to the deep V on the front of Edmond's which was sexy). The whole thing looked almost as stiff as Candice's, but it shouldn't have since he used soft flexible mouse pads for most of the dress. If he was going to do fringe with the wires, he should have added it to the entire hem, not just right in the middle, which looked terrible. When you talk about gluing the materials to muslin, Joseph's was about as boring as it gets. He just took entire mouse pads and glued them on top of the muslin. It was nice of Laurie to give him her blue mouse pads though.

 

I really liked Ashley's. I loved that the polaroids created structure and that she used them as a print (although when she was scraping them in the workroom, I briefly wondered about what kind of chemicals she might be touching/breathing/scattering around the workroom. And pockets! I know dresses with pockets are nothing new but I still love them. I liked the shape and silhouette of her dress and I thought it was fun. I appreciate that she was able to make the top look so fitted even though she was using those stiff polaroids.

Edited September 18, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[Aulty]

wow, loosing Jake and Joseph ...  Christmas has come early this year.

Paula was pretty lame as a guest judge.

 

Didn't Ashley do a similar top for the Mary Kay challenge already? apart from the Polaroids I was not impressed. Kelly's I liked and I think her personality is a breath of fresh air for this format. Why Joseph was in the top is beyond me.

[anonymiss]

I was happy to see Candice land in the middle where she clearly belonged. Her dress wasn't nearly as interesting as she thought. I swear Elana made that same dress ten times already.

Yes! Everything about Candice's aesthetic belongs in the middle-of-the-road category. I agree w/ those who are tired of seeing her harsh (and ultra cliched) look in her talking heads. Elana did it waaay better.

 

Sigh. Lindsay lives to bore another day.

Lindsay according to Lindsay: "My brain doesn't work unconventionally." "I"m kinda 'meh' today."

Lindsay according to Heidi et al.: "Boring." "No imagination."

She might be the most basic "designer" we've ever had on the show. The talent pool must be severely depleted.

 

Swapnil's was stunning and fit for an art exhibition, but it did look like he was resting on his talent and put in the nominal effort.

 

I'd wear Ashley's in a heartbeat. (And girl, I feel you, but stop those tears!)

Edited September 18, 2015 by anonymiss

[NowVoyager]

I thought Ashley should have won. The shape of the dress was just stunning & it fit like a dream. I was waiting for Zac Posen to ask the model to do a little twirl. The silver dress was well made, but I feel like I've seen it before.

[LennieBriscoe]

Now we now that Swapnil will not win. TPTB saved the smoking revelation until this week, which also showed him slacking off. "Did you run out of time?" Heh. Not quite yet. ;-)

 

I'm not liking this season's challenges much. I thought the Hallmark store one was enough of an Unconventional Challenge; didn't need the Techno-Trash one.

 

I don't know if Ashley should have won, but at least her skirt wasn't a straight and simple design.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When Jake left at the beginning of the episode, I was afraid that this would turn into a non-elimination episode so I'm glad that Joseph was still cut at the end but now I am dreading the inevitable non-elimination week that will occur in the next few weeks. Plus we still have the Tim Gunn save which means this season will last a million more weeks.

 

There should have been nine designers next week, which I'm guessing means there may have been another team challenge scheduled (with three teams of three designers each). I wonder if that means the producers were scrambling to figure out what to do next week. Or maybe they're saving the next team challenge for when they are down to eight designers. I wish they would just get rid of team challenges altogether, but I know that will never happen.

Edited September 18, 2015 by ElectricBoogaloo

[BW Manilowe]

I was surprised this was still an Elimination Week after Jake dropped out--& I sympathize on the dog euthanasia. Does next week look like another team/pairs challenge? 'Cause I'm wondering if that's why they also cut Joseph, instead of leaving it at Jake dropping out on his own (like they usually probably would've). What I'm getting at, if it's not clear, is... Is there a reason they'd want 8 designers next week, instead of 9? If Jake hadn't left, unless Heidi & the Judges "aufed" 2 people, they would've been at 9 designers next week--an uneven number for teams/pairs. So I'm wondering.

[pasdetrois]

I can't watch this show anymore without seeing the obvious producer manipulation. They aren't even trying to hide it any more. I think production is setting this up for a win between Swapnil and Ashley.

 

 

We've seen zero evidence of this storyline before, or the judges doing anything but loving Swapnil. Where did it come from?

 

Swapnil either believes he's going to win via a Tim Gunn save (after a "fall" and a redemption), and is twiddling his thumbs meanwhile, or he believes Ashley is going to win and is just riding out his time for the TV exposure.

 

Weird how all the Ashley drama has magically disappeared, except for the judges' little bits of encouragement to her on this last runway. There is zero animosity between Ashley and the other women being shown now, and normally that kind of tension would continue in real life.

 

I liked the top of Lindsey's dress, with the exception of the little blue bow. An entire sheath of that tiled effect would have been elegant. I understand her discouragement if she believes her storyline is to get hammered every week.

 

Wonder if Jake's dog was a rescued greyhound. They are indeed very sweet dogs. Good for him for going home.

 

Has Nina always been creative director? I thought she had a different job title at one point.

 

ETA: Why did they make the designers push the carts back to the workshop? Was it because production was too cheap or lazy to provide a truck? How far a walk was that?

Edited September 18, 2015 by pasdetrois

[RemoteControlFreak]

Laurie's dress was almost as bad as Joseph's. Surprised that she was safe.  Then again, Joseph pasted full-size mousepads on his model's butt.

 

Ashley's use of the Polaroids was very cool but the silhouette reminded me a 1930s cigarette girl dress.  It was too short and silly. I can't see a real life adult wearing that.

[terrymct]

I'm glad everyone is getting along.  I really prefer this show when they're being nice to each other and the focus is on the designs.

 

Ashley:   I loved this.  She was clever to mess around with the objects and find out that the polaroids could be modified that way.   The dress itself was pretty, flattering, and well made (given the multitude of constraints).   Far and away the best outfit in my eyes, but I did like Kelly's too.

 

Candice:  She gets points for really trying to use an unconventional material, but using wires to trace a pattern is about the most conventional unconventional thing you can do.  I didn't get the white eye-like spots over the breasts.   Not the worst, not the best, in the middle.  Blah.

 

Edmond:  Freaky and fun, he showed how mouse pads can be used and not look like mousepads.  I do have to say, however, that mouse pads are essentially neoprene which is a fairly conventional material to use for clothing.   Nicely done, but not a massive stretch.

 

Joseph:   Compare this one to Edmond's.  The mouse pads here still look like mouse pads.  The dress was weirdly unflattering too.  Joseph was long past his sell-by date and deserved to go home.   There are many Junior League ladies who will love his designs and I'm confident he has a good future in front of him.

 

Kelly:   I loved this outfit, too.  It was a little costume-y, the model could have been an extra on Buck Rogers or in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but she really took a material and transformed it so that it was unrecognizable.   I'm glad it dawned on her to put those straps on to stabilize the dress.  Deserved to win, but I'd have been happy with a win by Ashley just as much.

 

Laurie:  This was frickin ugly and fit the model poorly.  The mouse pads flapping were just plain weird and she should have listened to advice about them.  The upper part of the skirt with the cording was meh in front and horrible in back.  The top was bunching up in places and was unflattering.  Horrible job.

 

Lindsay:  This was lovely.  I liked the keys on the top, but I don't understand why she brought the silver up from the belt in the back.  Maybe it was easier to bring the sides together that way.   Standard pretty.   Lindsay did better this week, but is still on greased skids out the door.

 

Merline:  Dear lord, this was a frigging mess.  Like Candice, she did the standard non-conventional challenge thing and used cords or wires to create a pattern on muslin.   This had a poorly made Elvira look to it and the model's blue underwear were clearly visible through the gap in the back!   Bad job.

 

Swapnil:  Again with the wires or cords to create a pattern on muslin.   He tried to go avant gard but damn this was a hot mess.   I think he was saved based on his work from other weeks.

 

Jake:  I know I should be more empathetic, and I do feel for him, but my first thought was that he might be reacting slightly different if he'd been winning challenges rather than skating by toward the bottom or middle.  An exit from the pressure of competition was provided to him and he took it.   "This is the chance of a lifetime...but my dog might have to be put down."   He never said "...because the vet found that he has a disease" or "...because he was hit by a car".  The oddness of his not mentioning WHY made me think that he might be taking advantage of an early out after not doing well.   

Edited September 18, 2015 by terrymct

[Gbb]

One thing I appreciated about Swapnil was his attitude after being in the bottom. When the judges asked if he ran out of time he just said something like "There were some amazing garments made in the same amount of time, so I'm not going to use that excuse." I thought it was refreshing.

[sleepyjean]

So...Merline doesn't know "muslin" and Kelly doesn't know paillettes. Where did these "designers" come from? I can't remember their backgrounds. Are they both self-taught?

 

In my opinion, Laurie's was the hands-down worst. It looked amateurish and messy and walked horribly. Joseph's was better. I think they booted him mostly because if his track record.
 

I don't know if Ashley should have won, but at least her skirt wasn't a straight and simple design.

There was no special design to that. It was a circle skirt, which is one of the easiest things to make. Much easier than an a line skirt.

 

Weird how all the Ashley drama has magically disappeared

And remember all of the "merline is the most annoying person on earth" storyline from the first episode? Where'd that go?

 

I will admit, every time I see her in one of those dippy hats of hers, and I've counted five different ones so far, I immediately think "she left her sewing kit at home so she could bring these hats." Actually, that's not true. My first thought is to wonder how she keeps them perched on the back of her head like that. And I am beginning to wonder if she has a bald spot.

Edited September 18, 2015 by sleepyjean

[pasdetrois]

I agree that the lack of back-stabbing and fake drama is refreshing. I still hate the stupid rushed challenges and the corresponding lack of beautifully designed clothes like we saw in the first couple seasons, but the show has taken a slight step up by keeping this season free of nastiness. (The Ashley drama is the one exception; hated that entire scripted scenario, especially because I think production manipulated her into believing it was something different than it really was.)

[backgroundnoise]

I would have considered both sending him [swapnil] home and Tim giving him a second chance completely justified.

I would have considered Swapnil being eliminated over Joseph a complete travesty.  Joseph used the materials in the most conventional, boring way imaginable (and seemed completely oblivious to this) while Swapnil at least attempted to use them in an interesting fashion.  I actually really liked Swapnil's top, and after the reaction to Blake's painted muslin dress, the judge's coming down on painted muslin was hypocritical.

 

If Swapnil had been eliminated, I would have chalked it all up to producer manipulation for Tim to use the Save and not believed a word of it (that the judge's actually thought Swapnil should be gone).

 

Most of it was generally fine, but I hated those two white headlights on the breasts [on Candace's dress]. It was distracting, not badass.

Truly badass would have been to leave them as cutouts--a Frederick of Hollywood cocktail dress! 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Merline doesn't know "muslin" and Kelly doesn't know paillettes. Where did these "designers" come from? I can't remember their backgrounds. Are they both self-taught?

Kelly from the deli is definitely self taught. She mentioned it again on the runway tonight after they declared her the winner.

[LisaBLingLing]

Add me to the "Hated Candice's Look" list, please.

 

I think Ashley's skirt was so short because she didn't have enough Polaroids.  She mentioned not having enough at one point.  I won't fault her for creating the largest garment that she could!  

 

I was happy with a Kelly win.  It was her first.  When it was down to her and Ashley and Edmond, I thought - spread it around judges.  

 

Yes, the sudden criticisms of Swapnil felt out of the blue, but I figured there was no way they were getting rid of him.  Jake leaving means that when the Tim Gunn save is used, they won't have to eliminate 2 designers the next week, if they don't want to.  There are only 2 male designers left!  I don't see Edmund or Swapnil going anytime soon.  If it is a final 3 of Swapnil, Edmund, and Ashley - will that be the first time three people of color make it to fashion week?  If it isn't those three - who else really has a chance?  

 

I don't mind a season taking forever to finish, because, really, what am I going to watch when it's done?  ;-)

Edited September 18, 2015 by LisaBLingLing

[proserpina65]

I'd have given the win to Ashley, but Kelly's dress was my second favorite so I'm good with her winning.

 

As much as I love Swapnil, he deserved to go home for basically doing squat-all for that challenge.  I'm glad he didn't, but he really needs to step it up if he wants to have a chance at making Fashion Week, let alone winning this thing.

[joanne3482]

I did appreciate that Swapnil took ownership on the runway of his failure. Too often the others blame the challenge or blame the timeline or blame the materials but he said it was all on him and he can't blame the time because there were other seriously great looks. 

[Wootini]

Yeah, I don't know what the hell was up with Swapnil's storyline this week. They made it seem like blowing off the challenge and taking constant smoke breaks is common for him, but the previous weeks, we've seen none of that and he seemed to put effort into his designs. It would have been one thing if he'd done like Ashley with the card challenge when she just said "I don't know what to do. Fuck it, I have immunity. Whatever." But he seemed interested in what he was creating with the wire and was putting in effort, so I don't know what happened. Making a miniskirt out of muslin and painting it with silver to match the duct tape he'd been using to hold the wires together wasn't a good move. There was a germ of a good idea there, but wow, was it not executed well. 

 

I did like Ashley's quite a bit. It looked like polaroids glued to muslin, but I liked the silhouette and I was surprised the skirt had that much movement to it considering what it is. And the pattern the polaroids made was nice. However, the clear winner was Kelly, given that she did what this challenge is supposed to do: Take an unconventional material and render it unrecognizable. That model could barely move in that stiff dress, but it looked amazing, and she totally earned that win.

 

I thought they might make Swapnil bottom two just to put a scare into him, or else perhaps go all the way and eliminate him, arranging for a REAL scare before Tim uses his Tim Gunn Save ™ on him. That also would've worked since poor Jake had to self-eliminate because of his dog. (That whole sequence was just heartbreaking.) But it was down to Joseph and Lindsay. I'm glad it was Joseph who went, because while neither of them were great, Joseph's was the truly fugly dress. I wasn't crazy about the skirt on Lindsay's, but I liked the pattern she made with the computer keys.

 

Now I'm curious to see how they edit Swapnil next week...

[Grandma Saracen]

Ashley :
I like that she's being really thoughtful about what she's doing. I'm responding positively to her concept. And she won the lottery by getting Aube this week :D
Runway -  I love the skirt, and the silhouette. And it has pockets! Love what Zac had to say to her.

 

Candice:
THs were upbeat, made me like her again. enjoying her ideas. Don't love the white boobs, but like the sculptured idea.
Runway - it's cool, I wish the boobs were gray or silver instead of white.

 

Edmond:
seems up to the challenge. "these are mousepads" - TG "i know what they are". the back is lovely. Looking interesting in the workroom. Oh, no, wait, there's fringe? I like the keys around.
Runway - I don't like the fringe shoulder, but it needed something. I like the back.

 

Jake - aww, sweet doggy :'( *real tears* 

 

Joseph:
I don't hate the back. Watch out for the dangling vagina wire. Doesn't seem like he's going quite as complicated (or committed?)
Runway - poorly fitting, vagina wire, the back's not bad.

Kelly:
I love the armor idea & find myself enjoying her THs. I hope it looks good on, it seems promising. LOL at boobage. I think the straps are fine.
Runway - I kinda love it.

 

Laurie - rapping at the beginning, adorable, enthusiastic. No camera time, obviously safe.
Runway - it looks poorly made, but I like the wire bandeau of the skirt piece.

 

Lindsey - oh no, a germ thing. i don't hate her early ideas or her top. LOL at "dating the judges and it's not going well" - truth.
Runway - at least she's realistic about what she did. The judges were way harsh, Tai.

 

Merline - eeek, the shoulders. makes TG's critique a good thing from immunity. I don't like the look, but good on her for using her immunity.
Runway -  I'm not responding well to the dress or the styling.

 

Swapnil - crazy & out of the box, yay. "I'm going to make Wall-E" :) Calling out Joseph to not be M----ly. Dancing to the hammering in the workroom :) I can see where his bra from last week leads to the style of this week. "I'm very ridiculous" See, this is different than Dmitri, and I agree w/Candice. This narrative is going to bite him in the butt.
Not a good look. I feel bad for this model.

 

It was interesting to see how everyone attacked the challenge.

 

I would've been happy with either a Kelly or Ashley win.

 

Fodder in the bottom 2, no TG save this time. Joseph, it was a surprise to only you. But you managed to fit all the cliches in your goodbye TH.

Edited September 18, 2015 by Grandma Saracen

[BW Manilowe]

I'm glad everyone is getting along. I really prefer this show when they're being nice to each other and the focus is on the designs.

Ashley: I loved this. She was clever to mess around with the objects and find out that the polaroids could be modified that way. The dress itself was pretty, flattering, and well made (given the multitude of constraints). Far and away the best outfit in my eyes, but I did like Kelly's too.

Candice: She gets points for really trying to use an unconventional material, but using wires to trace a pattern is about the most conventional unconventional thing you can do. I didn't get the white eye-like spots over the breasts. Not the worst, not the best, in the middle. Blah.

Edmond: Freaky and fun, he showed how mouse pads can be used and not look like mousepads. I do have to say, however, that mouse pads are essentially neoprene which is a fairly conventional material to use for clothing. Nicely done, but not a massive stretch.

Joseph: Compare this one to Edmond's. The mouse pads here still look like mouse pads. The dress was weirdly unflattering too. Joseph was long past his sell-by date and deserved to go home. There are many Junior League ladies who will love his designs and I'm confident he has a good future in front of him.

Kelly: I loved this outfit, too. It was a little costume-y, the model could have been an extra on Buck Rogers or in the Rocky Horror Picture Show, but she really took a material and transformed it so that it was unrecognizable. I'm glad it dawned on her to put those straps on to stabilize the dress. Deserved to win, but I'd have been happy with a win by Ashley just as much.

Laurie: This was frickin ugly and fit the model poorly. The mouse pads flapping were just plain weird and she should have listened to advice about them. The upper part of the skirt with the cording was meh in front and horrible in back. The top was bunching up in places and was unflattering. Horrible job.

Lindsay: This was lovely. I liked the keys on the top, but I don't understand why she brought the silver up from the belt in the back. Maybe it was easier to bring the sides together that way. Standard pretty. Lindsay did better this week, but is still on greased skids out the door.

Merline: Dear lord, this was a frigging mess. Like Candice, she did the standard non-conventional challenge thing and used cords or wires to create a pattern on muslin. This had a poorly made Elvira look to it and the model's blue underwear were clearly visible through the gap in the back! Bad job.

Swapnil: Again with the wires or cords to create a pattern on muslin. He tried to go avant gard but damn this was a hot mess. I think he was saved based on his work from other weeks.

Jake: I know I should be more empathetic, and I do feel for him, but my first thought was that he might be reacting slightly different if he'd been winning challenges rather than skating by toward the bottom or middle. An exit from the pressure of competition was provided to him and he took it. "This is the chance of a lifetime...but my dog might have to be put down." He never said "...because the vet found that he has a disease" or "...because he was hit by a car". The oddness of his not mentioning WHY made me think that he might be taking advantage of an early out after not doing well.

I seem to remember Jake saying to Tim he'd had the dog for a long time (I can't remember if he said, like, since he was a kid or not though). Perhaps it was a case of old age & perhaps better all around for the dog.

[Pepper Mostly]

Paula Patton's fashion critiques are even worse than her acting.

Sigh. after a couple of weeks of decent guest judges, we're back to "I love this look. I would totally wear it".

 

I liked Kelly's dress, and thought it was the best of all of them.  Ashley's polaroids were interesting, and I liked her dress, but I liked the top a lot more than the bottom.  I thought the top was a great use of the Polaroids since their shape helped create the top's shape, but the skirt just seemed like the Polaroids were just tacked on.

 

Hated Edwards mouse pad shoulders and fringe.  I also hated Merline's dull mess with the huge shoulders.  Why do designers think women want to wear dresses that will make it hard to climb into cars and walk through doorways? 

 

Candace's dress seemed badly made and ugly as well as boring.  I thought that should be in the bottom over Lindsey's.  I also hated Swapnil's, and have no idea what the judges saw in the top.  It seemed like he was trying for avante garde but failed.

 

I thought there would be a lot of fringe on the runway considering they had all that wire, so was a bit disappointed about that.  Swapnil had a great idea to take the coating off some of the wires, but then I don't think he used them at all.

 

My take on Swapnil was that he wasn't feeling it, was tired, and couldn't muster up the mojo. I don't have a problem with that at all. No one is 100% all the time. And really, they're mad about the muslin mini skirt? these are the same judges who LOOOOOVED Blake's glitter monster greeting card dress, mostly muslin. sheesh.

I still can't figure out why the judges were all over Edmond's dress, which to me looked like he glued a crossword or a scrabble game on it. And why they hated Lindsay's so much. I thought it was cute. Why are Edmond's keys good but Lindsay's bad? Her skirt reminded me of the famous coffee filter dress by Mychael Knight. Mouse pads are ok, but CD sleeves are not creative. OK, whatever, judges. I like Lindsay, actually. Maybe her designs aren't setting the world on fire but I enjoy her deadpan delivery and lack of personal drama. She seems to know herself well and her assessments of her fellow designers are right on the money. I'll miss her when she's gone.

Now we now that Swapnil will not win. TPTB saved the smoking revelation until this week, which also showed him slacking off. "Did you run out of time?" Heh. Not quite yet. ;-)

 

Jay McCarroll smoked.

 

Glad my girl Kelly won. I love her. She seems genuinely sweet. Love how she was the first to go hug Jake.

 

And yes, the Ashley drama--poof! over. I'm sure the women all went back to the hotel that night and had a nice old drunk cry fest with hugging and avowals of lifelong friendship, and they're all besties again. I love Ashley's work, its colorful and creative. I just wish she'd stop whinging. and find makeup that matches her skin tone. I don't ask for much!

[PepperMonkey]

I sobbed when Jake was talking about his beloved baby and they showed the film of them together. I totally disagree with whomever said he might have stayed had he been doing better in the competition; no offense at all, please, but he seemed genuinely gutted and I applaud that he wanted to be there for his family member. You could tell he really loves that dog.

 

Lindsey is making me sad and I found myself worried for a split second they might send her home over Joseph. While I don't think her designs are anything special, I think we can see how she's gradually gotten beaten down from challenge to challenge. I do love her THs and the analogy of dating and not having fun with the judges was bang on. Zac, especially, has barely contained his disdain for her from day one, and while I feel most of that is deserved, it's hard to watch someone kind of give up in an arc on national reality tv.

 

Candice: I'll be glad when she's gone. She was an early favourite of mine, but again this week: 1990s Hot Topic. As they've shown her talking more, I am liking her less.

 

I liked Kelly's dress, but Ashley's was my favourite. I thought it was pretty creative. Not unhappy with a Kelly win, though, although I think we all know she won because Heidi would like to wear that dress in her judging job on America's Got Talent. And as far as Ashley's not being that creative, there was nothing new under the sun about Kelly's dress either. The design was basic and nothing special BUT she worked those materials to make a beautiful textile. That's what I liked most about Ashley's as well: the "fabric" treatment. Always happy for Edmund to be in the top; he's such a fan of the show, one has to love him. He's also not a half bad designer.

 

Swapnil: completely over my crush on him due to the smoking, too. MrMonkey and I are both former smokers who have suffered health problems related to that MORE THAN A DECADE after stopping. So I'm always slightly disappointed when people I really like and admire are smokers. My biggest issue with it though (takes out soapbox) is that second hand smoking is HARMFUL TO OTHERS. Stop now, Swapnil. Aside from that, I don't get the narrative of Zac saying he's tired of him and almost out of time with him? From whence did that come? He did totally phone it in this week though; I saw nothing good in that design. Actually, the best thing was the muslin skirt, sadly. What turned me off most was his "strategy" of not winning??? What the frack? Then again, as others have said, we have no idea how much editing it took for them to make him look like a garden variety tool.

 

My ideal top three, based on what we've seen so far, would be Edmund, Ashley and Swapnil. I'd like Candice and Laurie to be the next two to go home, please; I don't care in which order.

Edited September 18, 2015 by PepperMonkey

[sinkwriter]

 

And remember all of the "merline is the most annoying person on earth" storyline from the first episode? Where'd that go?

 

I thought I noticed a slight side-eye from Candice toward Merline when they were all laboring to turn their dumpster junk into workable materials. Merline seemed on the verge of singing again, and Candice glanced at her like "Don't start." I think it's there a little bit, but the producers chose to focus on Swapnil this week.

 

 

I seem to remember Jake saying to Tim he'd had the dog for a long time (I can't remember if he said, like, since he was a kid or not though). Perhaps it was a case of old age & perhaps better all around for the dog.

 

What got to me was when he said the dog had been with him through the deaths of both his parents. That was really sad.

[izabella]

Candice: I'll be glad when she's gone. She was an early favourite of mine, but again this week: 1990s Hot Topic. As they've shown her talking more, I am liking her less.

 

She really annoyed me when she kept talking about the vagina wires on Joseph's dress.  The wires were on the hem, at her knees.  Is that where your vagina is Candace?

[sinkwriter]

 

"I'm going to make Wall-E"

 

I forgot he said that! That cracked me up. I also liked when he pointed at Joseph and was all, "YOU BETTER MAKE THAT DRESS SEXY!" LOL. 

 

Not unhappy with a Kelly win, though, although I think we all know she won because Heidi would like to wear that dress in her judging job on America's Got Talent.

 

I loved when the judges told Heidi, "We can see you wearing this dress," and she loved it and wanted to wear it right away to a party or something, and then they said, "But you wouldn't be able to sit down," and Heidi said gleefully, "I don't care! I'll lean against the wall with my champagne!" LOL.

[Archery]

So...Merline doesn't know "muslin" and Kelly doesn't know paillettes. Where did these "designers" come from? I can't remember their backgrounds. Are they both self-taught?

 

Yes, Kelly is self taught.  Marline, who is from Haiti, knew what muslin was, but thought it was pronounced "muslim."  Not all that unusual for someone whose first language isn't English to mishear a word and never correct it.

 

I think Zac's attitude about Swapnil phoning it in was a carryover from the lingerie challenge.  The bridal bra looked okay from afar, but up close, it was sloppy, and Swapnil didn't attempt to work around the fact that he didn't have enough white straps for the bottom.  And his cover up was kind of half-assed.  Zac seemed to be saying that Swapnil comes up with interesting ideas, but just kind of shrugs on execution instead of pushing through.  He's probably right.

 

I loved that Marline just went for crazy in the futuristic haute couture unconventional material challenge where she had immunity.  That's the time to make the crazy bird. 

 

Look, I'd rather give a jacket away to charity than sew on a button, so when I see a garment and think, "I could make that," the designer needs to go home because that garment is both lacking in imagination and sloppily made.  Bye, Joseph. 

 

Ashley's look was pretty, but I hope her model had bike shorts or something underneath, or else she wouldn't be able to sit down. 

[FineWashables]

Maybe this season will start to get more interesting now that they've gotten rid of the very low-hanging fruit.  Come on, did anyone actually think even on Day One that Hanmiao, Duncan, Gabrielle, Amanda, Jake or Joseph had any chance whatsoever of winning this competition? The one redeeming quality of PRAS is that the contestants are all pretty good.  I wish they could be more discerning in casting regular old PR.  I mean, seriously -- Hanmiao?  Joseph?  Please.

 

I loved Lindsay's comment that the judging feels to her like when you first start dating somebody you don't know very well and you're trying to figure out what they like.

 

And speaking of judging: Why would anyone imagine that a person who married Robin Thicke would be a good judge of anything??

 

 

[beaker73]

I've always assumed that if there is any strategy that can be employed it's to show improvement, but then you're relying too heavily upon the whims of the judges. I always suspect editorial manipulation, and am betting Swap will pull out some consecutive wins, and the judges will congratulate themselves on his new attitude.

  I thought Kelly's was well done, and the material was truly amazing, but, considering her own personal accessorizing, I'm surprised she went so minimal on hair and makeup. (Maybe I am still awed by Jeremy Scott's latest retro runway.) I liked Edmund's quite a bit as well.

  Mrs. Thicke was pleasant, but did not anything substantive to the judging, breaking our interesting guest judge streak.

It was totally producer manipulation.   I'd bet my paycheck that the producers have a little meeting with the judges prior to the runway to fill them in on what's been going on in the workroom--who's fighting with whom, who's having a meltdown, etc.  Whenever there's a ruckus in the workroom the judges always mysteriously know exactly what questions to ask the designers to get them to talk about it.  Swapnil is filmed taking smoke breaks and talking about how his strategy is to aim for the middle and...voila!  All of a sudden Zac is tired of his lackadaisical attitude.  Pfffft.

 

I was soooo scared that when Jake left we were going to get Princess Blake back  (I'll thank the PR gods that that didn't happen) or that the TGS was going to be used. In fact, once I saw how Swapnil was being edited I thought for sure that he'd be a surprise auf only to be saved. 

 

On an unrelated note--Rachel Zoe has a talk show? Ugh. I'd rather gouge my eyeballs out with a melon baller than watch that crap.  I hope this doesn't mean she's going to surface as a guest judge in the future. 

[RealityCowgirl]

Two things I won't criticize:

Jake's grief over the impending loss of his very old family member (been there).

Merline's willingness to take a big-for-her risk during a safe week.

[SteveAC10]

 

I don't get the narrative of Zac saying he's tired of him and almost out of time with him? From whence did that come?

Especially since the indignation about Swapnil was uttered within minutes of Zac stating Joseph needed an injection of Swapnil's talent. If they had all been as disgusted as the editing made it look, he would not have been the first of the bottom three sent back to the green room.

 

I'm totally over Candice and her dominatrix-lite aesthetic and her misplaced belief that she's the one to beat.

 

I'm also still waiting for Edward's taste level to become an issue. Even his best work has more than a whiff of the stuff sold in those boutiques that specialize in flashy clubwear.

[Bebecat]

Why does Candice think she is such hot stuff? She shared one win, is that right? And a dubious one at that, Imo. And then she tells Kelly it is about time she won. What?? Who are you, Miss Pretentious?

[tv echo]

I agree with the win decision.  Although Ashley's design looked good from far away, up close you could tell they were polaroid photos.  Kelly's dress totally transformed the unconventional materials into something unrecognizable and resembling a real dress.

 

While I thought Ashley was very creative in using the polaroids, her design reminded me of Edmond's winning look in the first unconventional challenge.  Yes, the dresses are different but they have similar silhouettes (fitted bodice, big skirt) and both have bodices made from square cards (polaroids, greeting cards).  With both looks, I'm still wondering what was the foundation material for both skirts (just muslin?).

 

 

 

By now, the designers should know to stay away from anything that resembles shower curtains, napkins, or garbage bags.

Edited September 19, 2015 by tv echo

[mansonlamps]

Actually, that's not true. My first thought is to wonder how she keeps them perched on the back of her head like that.

 

 

If Adebisi from Oz can keep his hat perched on his head, anyone can keep anything perched there!

 

 

If it is a final 3 of Swapnil, Edmund, and Ashley - will that be the first time three people of color make it to fashion week?

 

Is Ashley a person of color?  Color (no pun intended) me surprised, I had no idea.

 

 

She really annoyed me when she kept talking about the vagina wires on Joseph's dress.  The wires were on the hem, at her knees.  Is that where your vagina is Candace?

 

What would Project Runway be without its weekly use of the word "vagina."  Because it's hilarious to hear grown adults use that word in an attempt to be funny?  edgy?  cool?  Not even sure what they are going for to be honest.

 

I, too, am enjoying the mostly drama free vibe in the workroom.  I suspected that a lot of the friction between the ladies was manufactured by the producers and editors and, while I'm not sure that's entirely the case, they seem to be getting along fine for now.  It makes for a much more pleasant TV watching experience.

Edited September 18, 2015 by mansonlamps

[terrymct]

Yes, Kelly is self taught.  Marline, who is from Haiti, knew what muslin was, but thought it was pronounced "muslim."  Not all that unusual for someone whose first language isn't English to mishear a word and never correct it.

 

Merline's parents immigrated to the US from Haiti.  She was born and raised in Miami and now lives in Savannah.  Her bio is here.

[breezy424]

I thought Ashley's use of the Polaroids was much more clever than Kelly's and should have gotten the win.  But you knew Kelly would get it because it was something Heidi would wear (one of the downfalls of the show).  And Ashley sure knows how to sew and make a garment fit.

 

Swapnil phoned it in on this one and he needs to be a little less arrogant.  So does Candace.

 

I think Ashley and Edmund will make it to the end.  Swapnil may have produced some nice designs but his execution is sloppy.  Candice and Kelly seem to be inconsistent.    The rest I'm meh on.

[Primetimer]

In other 'news,' smoking is bad, and so is Swapnil's runway look, notwithstanding his heroic efforts to make both look cool.

Read the story

[farmgal4]

I was unable to watch the full episode last night. Who dropped out of the competition and why? Who got voted off last night? Thanks, guys. My cat is at death's door, so I can't read thru all the comments right now.

Edited September 18, 2015 by farmgal4

[poppy-]

Swapnil is a 30-something well off guy who lives in Mumbai. I'd be more shocked if he didn't smoke.   And addiction doesn't turn off for the cameras. He had the same reaction to this challenge as that blonde Taylor Swift looking designer.  Except she literally just says "meh" while he is just got restless and goofy and snarky.    I'll take him over her any day.

 

His big mistake was admitting he was playing it safe..... any frontrunner who says that is guaranteed him a spot on the bottom.

[morakot]

Probably a personal failing but I really don't like a lot of stuff all over my neck and face -- that's what put me off Swapnil's bra last week and his avant garde bodice this week. (Though I noticed in the model picture that she squished it down under her chin instead of having the wires stand up over her mouth and chin as the designer suggested...)

[Adeejay]

I really don't believe that Swapnil was trying to be in the middle. I think he just got tired of trying so hard and never winning and that's what created his defeatist attitude this week. Like why try, I'm not going to win anyway so screw it.

 

I couldn't agree more.  Based on his demeanor, he seemed to be over it.  I believe that was an eff you to the judges.  

[Qoass]

If Lindsey were to wear Ashley's design, she could totally make a living as a Taylor Swift impersonator.

 

But I think she's pretty short so she'd have to use the JustFab accessory wall very thoughtfully...

[beaker73]

I was unable to watch the full episode last night. Who dropped out of the competition and why? Who got voted off last night? Thanks, guys. My cat is at death's door, so I can't read thru all the comments right now.

So sorry to hear about your kitty. :(

 

Jake's dog was sick and he was told he'd have to be put to sleep, so Jake opted to leave the competition.  It was all very sad.   Joseph got auf'd for making what he thought was a "sexy" blue and black dress out of mouse pads.  It was a deserved aufing, IMHO. 

[meep.meep]

She really annoyed me when she kept talking about the vagina wires on Joseph's dress.  The wires were on the hem, at her knees.  Is that where your vagina is Candace?

I think she meant it looked like the wires were coming out of the model's vagina.  They were unfortunately placed.

 

Swapnil came across as a complete ass.  If that's what the editing has been hiding all along, then I'll start believing those people who claim they were screwed by the editing.

[BW Manilowe]

I was unable to watch the full episode last night. Who dropped out of the competition and why? Who got voted off last night? Thanks, guys. My cat is at death's door, so I can't read thru all the comments right now.

If anyone else answered this already, apologies. I didn't see 1, so I'm responding.

Jake dropped out because his dog, who meant a lot to him--more than PR did--needed to be euthanized & he wanted to be there because the dog had been through a lot of rough times in his life.

Despite Jake dropping out, they still held an elimination. Joseph was eliminated. They're down to 8 designers now.

[TexasGal]

Swapnil came across as a complete ass.  If that's what the editing has been hiding all along, then I'll start believing those people who claim they were screwed by the editing.

He really did.  But the other designers seem to love him, which probably wouldn't be the case if he were a lazy ass who kept landing in the top, so until we see further evidence beyond this one-off pissing on his work ethic I'm going to keep loving him.  Smoking notwithstanding.

Edited September 18, 2015 by TexasGal

[phantom]

Oh, Jake. Nothing he made really wowed me, but I was sad to see him go under these circumstances. I know I cried like a baby when my childhood dog was put down and I was 26. 

 

Not surprised to see Joseph gone. Hopefully he is welcomed home like a hero by his devoted ladies-who-lunch clientele.

 

I knew from day 1 that Lindsay would not appeal to the judges. Everything she showed during her audition is something I would wear, and I'm the most middle of the road, unadventurous dresser ever. She designs well-constructed clothes for the preppy everywoman. She does not design for red carpet glamazons or edgy outsiders, which are the two aesthetics the judges like consistently.

 

Like someone else said, Swapnil's smoking didn't surprise me and doesn't make me like him less. Until smell-o-vision comes into being, that is. His outfit this week was just sad. Not sure if more time would have helped, since he procrastinated (or was edited to leave that impression) so much.

[greenbean]

I was so happy for Kelly, the right dress won. The right designer also went home.

 

I'm... confused about the Swapnil stuff. Yes, his attitude this week wasn't great and his garment didn't work out, but the judges were talking like they have been thinking he's been phoning it in for a while. Zac even said something like "I'm getting tired of this with him." Which might make sense for someone perpetually in the bottom or even middle, but he is ALWAYS on the top.

 

The producers probably heard the convo he had with Candice and decided to piece together this story. Not only did they say they'd had enough of his attitude, (when? we've never seen anything), Zac also said they've spoken to him about this. But when?

[7-Zark-7]

 

I hope they made sure everyone's tetanus shots were up to date for this one, so many metal bits to scratch them.

 

The whole time I kept thinking, "Is it safe to play around with this stuff, cut things open and then drape it all over their models?" I know it's considered hazmat material that has to be taken to special sites for removal, so why are they removing casings and letting liquids bleed and putting their hands all over it?