S14.E13: Finale, Part 1

[yeswedo]

 

The designers head home to work on their collections and await a visit from Tim; another twist is revealed when the designers return to New York.

 

[Honey]

Well, that was something, huh?  I wouldn't want to be in the position of redesigning everything 2 days before Fashion Week.

 

I have the feeling they didn't tear Ashley apart like the others, because they don't think she has a hope of winning anyway.

 

Candace is right, she's fucked.

[dgpolo]

I hope they just ignore the judges and go with their own ideas. They're showing at FW, if they don't win at least they have that. I think the judges are just making shit up now to make more 'drama'!

[Broderbits]

What's up with the judges reaming 3 designers and gushing over Ashley's so-called plus-size collection? I guess the fashion world's idea of plus-size is Sofia Vergara, because I don't know any larger woman who wants to wear crop-tops and giant quilted skirts.

 

Edmond's 1st 2 dresses were gorgeous, but that black ruffled gown looked like a Morticia Addams reject. Hideous. 

 

Kelley's looked so much better in the home visit; on the runway it looked cheap & tacky, and not in a fun way.

 

I want Candace's black lace coat, it was beautiful and wearable.

[Honey]

I felt so bad for Kelly, because from the things she showed Tim, she worked so hard and included so much detail on many of her designs.  Even the one she made in a day, with the piping all down the sides.  Why didn't she point that detail out to the judges?

[rustyspigot]

A fucking fanny pack? Really?

 

Fucking giant zippers and lace? 

 

They were all terrible. What a mess.

[susannot]

I thought Edmond's mini-collection was gorgeous and Ashley's was awful. Edmond:  sleek, stylish, well-made, fashion forward.  Ashley:  frumpy mother of the bride, matronly, poorly fitted and poorly made.  That zipper. Yuk.

 

I think Candice will put out a stunning collection. It is between her and Edmond.  Kelly, as I have thought all along, designs junior sportswear.  Which is cool, just not for NYFW.

 

ETA:  where was Aube?  She was so instrumental in getting Ashley to the finale.  Couldn't she model for another designer?

Edited October 30, 2015 by susannot

[backgroundnoise]

The judges really know how rain on the designers parade, don't they.  I felt bad for all of them, they were all so excited, then pffff.

 

Ashley's purple outfit was hideous.  Open backs, crop tops, and see-through skin tight pants for a plus size line?  Is she kidding?  Not that those models looked very plus size anyway.

 

I loved Edmond's white dress with the bow, and Candice's leather cape/coat.  I think Kelly chose poorly for her mini collection because it was too much of the same rather boring fabric.  I really liked her collection when she showed it to Tim, so maybe the final runway will be better.

 

I disagree that all the past designers have benefited from showing the mini.  Viktor, anyone?

Edited October 30, 2015 by backgroundnoise

[Rhetorica]

I love Kelly and her malapropisms. She wasn't going to go home and and sit around with her "ass in the wind". I'm not fond of her clothes, though, but think she'll take the advice offered. Edmund should be able to correct many of his looks as well as Ashley. Candace was so gobsmacked that the judges didn't just go ahead and declare her the winner, I'm not sure she'll recover. That seemed like the most helpful critiques from the judges I've seen.

I'm glad plus sizes are represented. It's been a long time coming. But as a petite, when will our time come? Just because we're 5'3" and under doesn't mean we like to dress as children.

[Nidratime]

I saw that exhibit at the Met that Candice saw. I can also see the influence from that show in her looks, especially in what I presume to be the last piece. She was being too copy-catty there.

 

I am not feeling all the headdresses Ashley is putting on her models. Her looks definitely have a 1950's feel, but it's also making me think of Carmen Miranda crossed with mother of the bride.

 

Kelly -- I just just don't get. I agree with the judges. This is not high fashion. But, this is also stuff I would never wear even as a normal person, especially fanny packs. Ugh.

 

As for Edmond, I think the judges are correct that his looks were not sexy in the sense of being revealing, but maybe he's not going for that. They want him to bring "the sex," but is that what he's all about? That being said, I do agree that he doesn't seem to have a clue what a collection should be, i.e., it's not about everything being the same color. It's the style and influence that should carry through *and* I would have liked to see him design some trousers/pants as well.

[Straycat80]

I don't think this is the most talented bunch of designers to ever be on P.R. But they are a nice bunch of people and didn't we all call that Tim would save Edmond? Anyway...

I'm not crazy about anyone's collections. Not my style I guess. But what bugs me is when the judges say ' be yourself' , well, they are. You could look at the designs and tell who made what. The judges are telling Edmond, Kelly and Candace to make changes on looks they already believe in and feel are their own. If I were them and they liked and believed in what they designed I wouldn't change a thing. But then they probably won't win but at least they stayed true to themselves.

I don't know why the judges didn't say more about the construction of Ashley's dresses. The fit was bad and the zippers were on the outside of the fabric and looked sloppy. And I hate those flower crowns, they look like a florist exploded on the models heads.

[JohnnyBoyJohn]

I've always hated how they have done this "mini collection" 2 days before the big show. What a way to cut all of them off at the knees. Just let them have the time to work on the collections with input from Tim instead. There's no way to fix 10 looks in two days, especially if they hate what you're doing.

 

Edmond:  Conservative glamour from the south. I think when he left New York, his southern environment made him become too conservative and inhibited. His would be the easiest to fix in 2 days, just plunge the necklines and make some skin show on the backs of the dresses. He's got a chance to win.

 

Candice:  I said "McQueen" as soon as she started showing Tim the looks at her studio. I like the clothes, hate the styling of their heads. With such a harsh look, the women need to look more feminine and soft, not so hard, the clothes are already hard, but nicely made and very memorable. The judges are way off the mark.

 

Kelly: It's a taste issue. If you gave her a choice of vinyl or leather, she'd pick vinyl. Mink or rabbit? She'll pick rabbit. and so on.  Bad color choices. Bad fabric choices. Bad styling for Fashion Week. Some of the outfits are definitely WTF pieces. What happened to the stuff she was showing for the wins in the past? Where did that Kelly go?

 

Ashley: No, no, no.... Just. Plain. Bad. If you want to make plus size clothes, fine, but why make plus size women look horrible? They don't need more issues. The headdress "crowns" look like something you'd leave near a gravestone. The zippers... my god, the zippers... Does she know how to actually sew them INTO a garment instead of on the outside? The fabrics look like bad dye jobs left in the sun too long. Sad colors, Sad styling, Sad clothing...   What a sad, sad collection. But what I don't understand is how the Idiot Panel keeps coddling her so she somehow gets the idea that this crap is good!?!? Are they afraid of her tears? Seriously, she'd be laughed out of any show if this was truly Reality TV.

[The Hound Lives]

I loved Edmond's collection the best of the 4. I know the judges where harsh, especially on the first dress, but I loved it. Sleek and hugged the curves. I didn't mind the ruffle either and loved the material. I could easily see that on a red carpet, on the right person of course. 
I liked things about each collection but I would probably only wear Edmond's if I had that models body. It was pretty and feminine but I feel had he gone too sexy, he would've been berated for that. 

I am not a Candice fan, so I am rooting for Edmond. 

Though out of all the collections we have seen from NYFW, Swapnil easily had the most interesting and unique collection. Not to mention, it looked beautifully made, was styled well and had pieces with great details.

 

On a petty note, I really wish they would replace Nina Garcia. The show still entertains but I have a hard time listening to her give critiques when I think she looks busted. For a fashion editor, she makes me question her taste level every week. The same, washed out hair color doesn't do her any favors. She needs a new hair style. 

[susannot]

OK, here is Ashley's inspiration.  I think we can all agree that Carmen Miranda's costumes were, at least, well-fitted.

 

 

https://www.pinterest.com/saridveira/carmen-miranda/

[CherryMalotte]

Boy oh boy, they really gave the works to Candace, didn't they?  You could see her face color go from it's ivory paint to streaks of gray.  She's beyond worried.  Maybe if she axed the hat, which looked like something rejected from Wicked anyway, and then did some mix and match with some maybe normal light makeup and more rock & roll hair styling she'd be okay.  

 

Nina saying she wants sexy back...well I want her to get a new hairstyle.  Ain't happening.  Bit bored with Edmond's, as much as they compared Candace's pieces to McQueen, I was really bored with his.  It's nothing that I haven't seen before, one way or another.

 

Oddly enough once I saw the details to Ashley's collection on my television I liked it a lot more.  And I liked the purple outfit.  I'm plus size and would never wear it, but I did like it.

 

The opposite happened with Kelly's collection, I liked the details with the zippers and the piping, but wow it looks way cheaper on screen.  Very cheap.  Like leftovers from the Joann's Bin.  Not good.  

 

Once again, I'm underwhelmed.  

[avecsans]

I really hope I am wrong but it seemed like the judges were setting Ashley up for the win. Everybody else has to re-think and re-design their collections but Ashley is only told to make alterations? And they talk about Candice's hat as if it's of the devil, but Ashley's flower pot hats are wonderful? Give me a break.

I thought Edmond's collection was the best, followed by Candice's. The judges' definition of cohesion seems to change from season to season. So dramatic black and white dresses are not cohesive, but cheap, garish lace 2 piece outfits the color of plastic Easter grass are? Besides, I would just rather see pretty clothes. I could wrap 10 different sheets around 10 models and send them down the runway. They would be cohesive but they sure wouldn't be fashionable or pretty or well made.

Are all the contestants homeless? They all went to great pains to meet Tim in very out of the way places.

[JohnnyBoyJohn]

I really hope I am wrong but it seemed like the judges were setting Ashley up for the win. Everybody else has to re-think and re-design their collections but Ashley is only told to make alterations? And they talk about Candice's hat as if it's of the devil, but Ashley's flower pot hats are wonderful? Give me a break.

I thought Edmond's collection was the best, followed by Candice's. The judges' definition of cohesion seems to change from season to season. So dramatic black and white dresses are not cohesive, but cheap, garish lace 2 piece outfits the color of plastic Easter grass are? Besides, I would just rather see pretty clothes. I could wrap 10 different sheets around 10 models and send them down the runway. They would be cohesive but they sure wouldn't be fashionable or pretty or well made.

Are all the contestants homeless? They all went to great pains to meet Tim in very out of the way places.

I saw that too...perhaps the homes were just not "good TV"... and where the friggn' hell was Kelly's mother?  Too busy to show up for that girl's biggest moment in life? Reprehensible.

[PepperMonkey]

Kelly's was really, really cheap looking. Those mesh inserts, oh lord, lord. I still think she'll show well, though. She's the one who has put the judges' advice to the most use throughout the season.

 

Edmond's long black dress with the asymmetrical ruffle: terrible. I'm hoping he can pull out the win, but man, oh man, he has a tonne of work ahead of him.

 

Ashley's was way overpraised, as per usual. That said, I did at least FEEL the vibe of her inspiration. I wore a vintage 50s Mexican wedding dress when Mr Monkey and I tied the knot before most of you were born and she definitely captured that feel. I'm back and forth on the flower pot headdresses, though. I kind of like them, but think she should think about using them on only a few of the girls. Aube: I hope someone else IS going to use her if Ashley isn't. Then again, maybe she's working and it doesn't matter to her.

 

Candice's was not as horrible as the judges went on and on, but here we go again: leather, black, black, black, oh look! some RED, more black, and now wood. As I've said before, she's the only one whose win would upset me, but only slightly.

 

I'll probably have more to say after I rewatch. I watched live and Mr Monkey was loudly complaining the whole time about how OMG there's another week???? This was only the first part of the finale??? Then of course, he had to critique everything, so hmm, I guess he paid attention to the show amidst all the bitching.

Edited October 30, 2015 by PepperMonkey

[Madding crowd]

I really hated Kelly's looks. The wood veneer fabric and the cheap sequins, everything. Nothing about her look says NY fashion week. Candice was just chomping at the bit expecting her look to be the only one the judges liked. I loved her coat but the rest were just costumes. I continue to love Edmond and thought all three of his looks were lovely; then again I don't always understand how a collection gets judged to be cohesive. I know it's not just about the color, but wouldn't a collection of evening dresses which were sexy but not too bare be cohesive? 

 

I thought Ashley's head pieces were channeling Frida Khalo-some of her work and her personal style had similar headwear. But she the back of a basic beige bra and the ill fitting crop top-Just can't see her pulling off a win.  

 

I wish the judges could have been a little more encouraging; I didn't see any big wow pieces from any of them, but they all worked hard and looked so downtrodden. I have had a feeling all along that Kelly would win (don't know any spoilers), but I sure hope not. I like runway shows to be elegant and dramatic and her looks are anything but. 

[susannot]

PepperMonkey there was football on tonight!! Can you re-direct Mr. Monkey so he doesn't interfere with your fashion??

 

"Edmond's long black dress with the asymmetrical ruffle: terrible. I'm hoping he can pull out the win, but man, oh man, he has a tonne of work ahead of him."

 

I thought it was extremely elegant.  But then, I like more conservative clothes.

Edited October 30, 2015 by susannot

[Broderbits]

Susannot said:

 

OK, here is Ashley's inspiration.  I think we can all agree that Carmen Miranda's costumes were, at least, well-fitted.

 

I think the flower tiaras were more Frida Kahlo:

 

http://info.umkc.edu/art/0214/art-break-kahlo/

[PepperMonkey]

He wants to watch on the BIG teevee, su.

[Miss Ruth]

Rhetorica said, "Candace was so gobsmacked that the judges didn't just go ahead and declare her the winner, I'm not sure she'll recover."

 

Perfect description of Candace!

[hannah8976]

Man, that was seriously like an hour longer than it needed to be.

[Rahul]

WTF was that? Each showing was worse than the last.

Kelly's outfits did not look entirely terrible in her home but boy were they awful on the runway. Likewise, Ashley's ill-fitting lace two pieces replete with conspicuous zippers were atrocious.

Some of Candace's showier pieces which she refrained from showing the judges in her mini collection might work--I'm undecided. Her theme seemed to be costume, a continuation of the pirate wench dress she designed a few challenges ago. Perhaps high end costumes are her calling? Or designing pieces for period films.

As for Edmond, he's rather all over the place. I don't think his winning garments were particularly innovative thought he does manage to get a silhouette right from time to time.

I still think it's a travesty Swapnil did not make it to the finale. He would have blown these hacks out of the water with his creations.

I saw that too...perhaps the homes were just not "good TV"... and where the friggn' hell was Kelly's mother? Too busy to show up for that girl's biggest moment in life? Reprehensible.

Aren't Kelly's parents divorced? I suspect they do not get along well enough to be on camera together. Edited October 30, 2015 by Rahul

[Ketzel]

1) Explorers lost deep in the jungle knew Tim was saving Edmund; it was foreshadowed so hard it probably started a few earthquakes.

2) In a pretty deep field, Candace leads the pack for most affected person to ever appear on Project Runway. And just how much talking did she do this episode? I felt like every two minutes I was rolling my eyes at the screen and saying, "Shut UP, Candace."

3) What kind of mentor is Tim Gunn supposed to be? He kvelled all over Candace and then the judges did everything but shoot her in the head in their determined effort to make her hear that they REALLY didn't like what she had produced.

4) I've given up on Ashley completely. She has no taste, limited technical skills, limited creativity, and no idea of how to design for plus sized women in a way that is stylish and flattering.  I wince every time she's shown wearing one of her voluminous gathered skirts with the tucked in top. She's a big woman, but those outfits make her look gigantic.

5) Edmund has talent but he has to stop sabotaging himself with all the procrastination and resistance and then leaping into a frenzy of creativity at the last possible second.. Assuming he doesn't freeze completely like he did on the last challenge, the extreme pressure of a two-day re-design before the show may actually improve his collection significantly.

6) Oh Kelly. What happened to that sophisticated trajectory you were on when you left New York? Did it all go away when you got back to Springfield?  (I did feel badly for you that your chyron keeps identifying you as being from Boston. Springfield pride!)

[susannot]

Totally agree about Swapnil and by all reports his "decoy" collection just blew everyone away at FW.

[slothgirl]

OMG! They saved Edmond! I TOTALLY didn't see that coming! The show really had me thinking he was truly gone!

 

/end sarcasm

 

I don't always understand how a collection gets judged to be cohesive. I know it's not just about the color, but wouldn't a collection of evening dresses which were sexy but not too bare be cohesive? 

 

I thought Ashley's head pieces were channeling Frida Khalo-some of her work and her personal style had similar headwear. But she the back of a basic beige bra and the ill fitting crop top-Just can't see her pulling off a win.  

Collections: I remember Kors talking about some people's collections looked more like "Lines" than "Collections" and I never really got the difference, since "cohesion" seems to be important for both. Then someone said that a collection looks like it all came from the same girl's closet, whereas a "line" uses the same fabrics or mix and match colors so it all looks matchy-matchy.

 

One person might have every piece in a collection, but no one would have every item in a "line" because it's too much "all the same" or one note. A line might have 1 top that comes in 4 colors and then 1 pant that comes in 2 of those same colors, and some other pieces also in those same 4 colors and all the pieces and colors go together. But you'd never get all of them, because the green top with the blue pants wouldn't look that different from the reverse. Or something obscure like that....

 

I think some of the designers don't know what a collectioin is either.

 

I thought Ashley's looks (well that beige midriff one especially) looked like Carmen Miranda meets Aunt Jemima. I really didn't get 1950's Mexico from those outfits. I got some kind of weird parody of Black Southern women from I-don't-know-WHAT-era from that beige 2 piece monstrosity and flower headdress.

Edited October 30, 2015 by slothgirl

[MsNewsradio]

Is Tim all right? His hands appeared to be shaking badly in multiple scenes, to the point where my mother picked up on it - and it was impossible to unsee it afterwards.

[ThatsDarling]

Edmond always struck me as the Daniel Vosovic/Bradon/Kini type. That collection was a disaster.

 

Candice's wasn't much better. This is going to come down to Kelly and Ashley, and I really think the latter is going to take it. Still think Kelly is the most deserving, but that "inexpensive" criticism is worrisome. Her clothes may not be as luxurious as Gretchen's diapers or Dom's plastic peplums, but I think they're fun and full of charm.

[still hoping]

What regular plus size woman would wear a crop top? These "plus" models are really just bigger gals, young, firm, pretty much toned just a little larger,

but real plus size ? LOL I dislike most of Ashleys own outfits  She loves washed out old prints ugh

 

Tim and the judges seem to be so far apart lately. I am glad he saved Edmond no surprise there

I am hoping Edmond or Kelly pull it together

[awaken]

What on earth, why would Ashley send such an ill fitting crop top down the runway, and that sheer backless top with the bra completely exposed? You'd think she'd plan for the bra situation in her design?!

Kelly's wasn't flattering. As Nina pointed out with the shorts. Cut oddly with wrinkles and tightness in the wrong places. I think she did have some more interesting and better made pieces in her collection.

Loved when she said "I'm obsessed with this wood." Tim says "I love...wood, too." Wood veneer fabric, why???

I liked Edmonds! Beautiful and well done. Maybe not revolutionary. I'm sick of hearing it needs to be sexy. Enough already. Sexy doesn't have to ge all plunging necklines, mini skirts, and backless. And every single thing he makes doesn't have to scream sexiness.

Loved seeing Candice taken down a few notches. Loved that they said the styling was cliched!

[little black cloud]

Hey, I guess it's not Mercedes Benz NY Fashion Week anymore.

I really don't get Ashley. I mean, gathered skirts, quilted fabric, and the peplum that still haunts me from the crew challenge? Either she thinks that making flattering plus-size clothing is as simple a matter as making anything in a straight size...bigger, or she just doesn't care about conventional notions of what's flattering. The latter I would applaud. The former is sad, but strikes me as more likely. Also sad: how proud she seemed of throwing white fabric in with some Rit.

During judging, Candace looked like she was being whipped. I've always found her confidence irritating, but that was painful to see. Also noticed that she wasn't wearing her bright red lipstick for the mini-collection show, and that in some of her talking heads her bangs were held back by her hat. She looked very different. Younger, softer, more fun, less contrived.

Edmond's repeated assertion that he wanted to bring beauty into his collection made me think of the meaningless phrase, "casual elegance." If even the designer can't think of a way to describe his work in anything other than hackneyed adjectives like "elegance" and "luxury," it's a sure bet I won't be interested in seeing it.

Kelly's collection looked so cool in her workroom...and so cheap and ill-fitting and underthought on the runway.

[Midnight Cheese]

1) Explorers lost deep in the jungle knew Tim was saving Edmund; it was foreshadowed so hard it probably started a few earthquakes.

2) In a pretty deep field, Candace leads the pack for most affected person to ever appear on Project Runway. And just how much talking did she do this episode? I felt like every two minutes I was rolling my eyes at the screen and saying, "Shut UP, Candace."

3) What kind of mentor is Tim Gunn supposed to be? He kvelled all over Candace and then the judges did everything but shoot her in the head in their determined effort to make her hear that they REALLY didn't like what she had produced.

4) I've given up on Ashley completely. She has no taste, limited technical skills, limited creativity, and no idea of how to design for plus sized women in a way that is stylish and flattering.  I wince every time she's shown wearing one of her voluminous gathered skirts with the tucked in top. She's a big woman, but those outfits make her look gigantic.

5) Edmund has talent but he has to stop sabotaging himself with all the procrastination and resistance and then leaping into a frenzy of creativity at the last possible second.. Assuming he doesn't freeze completely like he did on the last challenge, the extreme pressure of a two-day re-design before the show may actually improve his collection significantly.

6) Oh Kelly. What happened to that sophisticated trajectory you were on when you left New York? Did it all go away when you got back to Springfield?  (I did feel badly for you that your chyron keeps identifying you as being from Boston. Springfield pride!)

 

Perfection.  (/Candace voice, describing herself).  She should talk less and do a little less of a McQueen impersonation with her collection.  I totally agree with your assessments of the others and hope Edmund and Kelly manage to pull something out, but I do think Kelly is hamstrung by some of the fabric choices and may wind up tripping on the styling again.

 

Ashley is just so disappointing.  it's too bad but she does indeed seem to have very limited technical skills and not much in the way of interesting taste and perspective.  She wasted so much energy in dying fabrics to a completely bland shade of pink, picked a dusty, uninteresting purple as an 'eggplant' shade and then added a tacked-on pair of zippers that didn't match, and focused on headpieces.  Just such a mess.

[sinkwriter]

 

Candace was so gobsmacked that the judges didn't just go ahead and declare her the winner, I'm not sure she'll recover.

 

Seriously. Big yikes. I think expecting without question that her collection would wow the judges and blow everyone out of the water was all monster ego, showing no ability to step back and edit. I don't think she even listened to Tim's critique about her final look needing to be edited and not use that fabric. Did I see she kept the fabric anyway? That is a foolish thing, not to listen when Tim says the fabric looks cheap and overdone. 

 

It's interesting that the judges felt she wasn't showing herself. I think she was -- unfortunately, her own personal style is completely derivative, from the Betty Page-like hair to the goth wannabe corsets and leather. All her looks in the collection are very much Candice: well made but over the top and eye-rollingly predictable. Black, black, red, more black, black on black, leather, corsets, and did I forget to mention black?  *sigh*  

[Eliza422]

As a plus sized woman, I would prefer any of the looks from Kelly, Candace, or Edmond scaled up rather than Ashley's Mother of the bride looks.

I like dramatic colors and cool styling, not her Easter egg color lace.

I think a lot of it is her youth and inexperience. Besides, do they really even teach any kind of plus sized designing in fashion schools?

[escape]

This is the best use of the Tim Gunn Save - ever.  Edmond deserved it - especially after auditioning 13 times.  I'm glad he has the opportunity of showing at NY Fashion Week.

[NorthstarATL]

Kelly's collection DID look a little Studio 54, BUT those styles were meant to be seen in motion, under strobe lights, and the influence of heavy drinking/drugs. In the cold light of day the runway becomes the walk of shame the morning after. Edmond's looked good, but a tad boring. He should have traded the Morticia-does-the-Argentinian- Tango dress back to Candace and thrown a sequined mini in a for sexy into his grouping! I like Candace's construction, and use of fabric, and I thought she had two perfect Halloween costumes right there!

  I was happy that Ashley had plus-size models for her runway, as we finally got a chance to see what she kept referring to as her strong suit. It wasn't great. I wasn't against the flower crowns. I have seen far worse in professional runway shows: oversized fur hats with flaps to saran wrap to cowboy hats. Ugh. But, yeah, she had both construction and taste issues. (Only one is really fixable.) Part of what little I do know about design is that models are hired for their size. Both in the male and female worlds they are largely interchangeable, and the clothing needs very little adjusting if you do change out a model. With Ashley's focus, I wonder if she'll have to design FOR particular models to get her stuff to work, rather than the other way around?

[PepperMonkey]

Well, up until seeing Kelly's finale collection, I was rooting for her.

 

I'm totally Team Edmond, now, though. He has so much work to do, but he does work well under pressure (except for last week, of course). I still think his win would be the best story: look where persistence gets you, y'all!!! After trying out every season and finally making it in, getting kicked off right before the finale, getting the Timgunn save, then winning the whole thing!

 

I still can't tell who is going to win this. I'm sort of worried they may give it to Ashley just because PLUS SIZE COLLECTION. Even if it's not that great of a plus size collection, it makes a statement. Seems like the past few seasons, that's about all PR still has going for it.

 

Don't get me wrong; I'll be back to watch next season, if there is one.

 

ETA: Northstar, I didn't hate the flower crowns so much, either, but it did bug me that she seemed the most proud of THOSE over any of the other actual clothes in her collection. And I just have to add, I love a good cowboy hat on the right occasion. I don't know about with every look in a collection, but skiing in Taos in my red Stetson back in the 80s: yes, please, where is my time machine?

Edited October 30, 2015 by PepperMonkey

[sinkwriter]

Ashley's flower crowns are growing on me, probably because her models are so pretty and they look make the flowers look good. The clothes, however... I'm not loving. I wish she hadn't gone pastels. Frankly, I don't know many plus-sized women (myself included) that like wearing pastels. I think light colors make me look even bigger than I actually am. 

 

I will say that I liked the look of the blue-grey piece she showed Tim, the one he said might need some hem editing depending on what model wears it. I thought that was pretty and not as pastel-like. It looked like it had the potential to fit better as well. My fingers are crossed for some good standout pieces in her collection, but I wish I were more wow'ed.

 

I want to be wow'ed for just the very reasons that have been presented - so many women fall in the plus-size or not tiny size category that we need more beautiful clothes to be made, we need more variety, we need someone (more than one someone) in the industry to step up and create something new and fresh and not-matronly for a larger variety of sizes. That includes everything from the very petite to the very large.

[millennium]

In any other challenge, if Ashley had put those ghastly designs on regular models, she would have gone home.

 

I'm tired of how this show has been grooming Ashley from the start and trying to gaslight the audience into believing that her designs are praiseworthy despite what our eyes are telling us.

 

That was quite a Candace smackdown.   Maybe she had it coming for describing her parents as a "drug addicts" on national TV.   Probably they were drug addicts, but whatever happened to decorum?  I guess if Candace knew what decorum was, she wouldn't be using the word "fucked" in her talking heads.

Edited October 30, 2015 by millennium

[izabella]

The whole time, I just kept thinking...who are they designing for?  And don't the women they are designing for need clothes for more than just one thing?  Edmund thinks women are always going to red carpet events and fancy cocktail parties, Candace thinks they're only going to goth clubs and parties, Ashley think women just go to weddings, and Kelly thinks they just go to discos. 

[Julia]

I don't understand Ashley's collection. I'm tall, so even when I was slim I had trouble finding things scaled properly. What makes me feel effortless and comfortable is clothes that I don't have to have a particular body to wear, and that's what I have trouble finding. I don't think Ashley's straight skirts that hug the belly and the inner thighs work for anyone who has a belly or inner thighs, and every plus-sized woman I know has bought that circle skirt because it camouflaged problem areas and felt terrible in it.

Also (I'm rewatching the runway) I don't know where Nina gets the nerve to be wearing that Daisy Mae Wintour top with a gaucho skirt and talk about taste with a camera running.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Julia

[savannah1985]

I like Kelly's hair down, with no topknots. I live in San Diego, Ashley's mom's back yard and Mexican heritage are very familiar to me. That San Francisco beach must have been cold. And Edmond's parents are so attractive.

[kat165]

I think maybe Ashley would have more success going to work for a florist. I can't see any plus size woman wanting to wear the clothes she makes or the clothes she wears. But I also think she's young and needs more experience & sophistication. I have nothing against her, but I really don't want to see her win. If she wins I think it will just be producer set up and all about "oh look PR is breaking new ground - plus size at fashion week!" But it's not good plus size & it would be a pity to reward Ashley for this when she clearly has so much more to learn. Perhaps this early success will keep her going in this wrong direction.

 

Kelly's mini collection on the runway was sad, as others have mentioned. I had such high hopes for her because out of all of them I think she's learned the most from this experience & there's usually such joy in her designs. I'm hoping her actual runway collection will go off better than this mini one.

[blaase]

This season was just a casting flop.

[bencr]

The super harsh critique of the FW preview collections left me with a distinct feeling of deja vu. The designers will do what they can do to address the judge's concerns in the two days they have, and they will be praised for how well they listened to the judges. The whole thing strikes me as formulaic.

[film noire]

What's the point with these people?  As a laywoman who can't sew, I care more about fashion then they do, everybody in this thread cares more than they do. Winning, having a career - that, they care about; not fashion.

 

Ashley: Frida flower crowns? Okay -- then DO THAT. Riff on Frida in Mexico City in the late forties/ early fifties, when her clothing had become a kind of armor for her shattered body. The sicker she became, the more intricate her fashion. And yes, being fat is not necessarily being physically shattered (I have been on both sides of the scale) but using Kahlo's emotional connection to her clothing -- a feeling almost every fat woman has endured (I have literally screamed at pieces of clothing for not behaving) -- could be a powerful inspiration. Instead, pastels and fucking flower crowns. Wonderful. Now all the plus-sized, fashion forward women of the world can look like a giant Necco wafer sprouting pansies -- as their back fat explodes everywhere -- Nina golf clapping the whole time.

 

Where is the Orange Man when we need him most to call BULLSHIT?

 

Candace: Oh fuck off. Not even worth discussing your tired, boring  goth crap. And I might have felt bad about how coldly they handled you -- like Morimoto cutting a chicken -- if you hadn't been such a know-it-all throughout the season, the second coming of  Vreeland herself ("Swapnil is the lazy blue of India!")

 

Edmond: The white and black floaty number was lovely. Hope you win, mostly because you really care about a show I now despise, seem to think it matters, and seeing the smile on your face when you win would be a more charming sight than most of the fashion this season. 

 

Kelli. Unlike Candace, I felt so sorry for her. But that shit she made is awful, just awful (and what was Tim thinking? He should've seen how low rent it would look on the runway. Any saving grace, like the detail work, is too small to have impact up there).

Edited October 30, 2015 by film noire

[Kenz]

I think it's ludicrous for the judges to tell the designers that they can make radical changes in their collections in two days. Yes, Edmund can sex up some of his pieces,  but the others? How is Kelly going to radically alter her pieces in two days? They tell them to not be discouraged and "You can do it!" "Be Yourself!"As others have mentioned here, they worked for seven weeks, being themselves, so how are they going to turn it all around in two days? I'm really fed up with the judges. For the first time, I felt sorry for Candace because you could see that she was crushed. I don't care for her style, but her designs were so much better than Ashley's and they handled Ashley with kid gloves. Do you really think that Heidi loved those flower headpieces? I doubt it.

 

I'm rooting for Edmund, and I thought his looks were cohesive and beautiful.

Edited October 30, 2015 by Kenz

[LotusFlower]

I saw that too...perhaps the homes were just not "good TV"... and where the friggn' hell was Kelly's mother?  Too busy to show up for that girl's biggest moment in life? Reprehensible.

 

Reprehensible?  That's a little harsh.  My first thought was that maybe Kelly's parents are divorced, as another poster surmised, so maybe it was one-or-the-other.  And as much as I Iove Tim Gunn, I think her fashion show at NYFW will be a bigger moment in her life than a home visit with Tim.  Oh, and yes, Kelly might be from the deli, but she's not from Boston!  Springfield is not Boston!  Not even a suburb.  Weird how they did that.

 

It's obvious they selected Ashley for the finale just for the novelty of having a plus-size collection at NYFW.  I just wish she were better.

 

I'm kind of disappointed in Edmond.  He's auditioned for the show a gazilliion times and even got the "save" to finally show at NYFW - his dream, and then he sort of slacked off.  How could he show up with an incomplete collection?  I think he said he still had three more outfits to sew once he got to NY.  What?!  How could he do that?  I know he hemmed and hawed a lot on challenges, and always managed to pull it together for the runway, but that was when they were under time constraints for the show.  Here he had weeks to design and produce a collection.

 

And Candace - she lost me as soon as she whined about and outed her mother as a long-time drug addict.  And then continued to say how great her collection was because it was so "me."  Ergo, Candace = great.  Kind of her theme all season.  I guess the judges had something to say about that tonight.