S14.E13: Finale, Part 1

[mansonlamps]

Well I don't think we're going to get super-warm-fuzzies from a recovering addict, no matter what. That's a big burden you're putting on the lady.

Why? Candace said they have a close relationship now and addicts do recover.

[sofaslug]

It's so strange that they take two hours to show us all who these designers are and where they're from on "Road to the Runway" and then completely retro-fit their backstories to create a finale story later on. Do they think we're amnesiac? That said, Kelly's aesthetic is definitely Medford/Revere.

I thought Kelly's aesthetic looked urban Springfield/Holyoke (city outside of Springfield). I like Kelly. She brings an enthusiasm to her work, tacky fabrics and all, that I appreciate. I'm not her demographic but I could picture some older teens/young women in my area (about an hour from Springfield) wearing some of her pieces.

I like Edmond. Hate ruffles. Candace's were very theatrical to me. Hated Ashley's looks. Also, Ashley, purple lipstick isn't flattering. Could only think of drowning/hypothermic victims.

[TwirlyGirly]

I think Candace is drop-dead gorgeous and I love her designs.

 

If I was of the right age, had the right body and the money, nothing would make me happier than opening my closet door and seeing Candice's collection (yes - including the hat).

 

Where would I wear her clothes? Trust me - I'd figure it out. But I would wear them. As often as possible.

 

As for her personality - to be honest, I'd somewhat soured on PR because it seemed like the last few seasons there's been at least one designer who was a mean-spirited, obnoxious, back-stabbing [w]itch I couldn't wait to be eliminated so I could enjoy watching the show. Nothing Candace has said or done this season has come close to what those previous designers did. If one of this season's designers ended up hiding out in the restroom sobbing uncontrollably as a result of something Candace did, I missed it.

 

In the presentation Candace gave to a group of fashion design students (linked to by another poster in a previous post), Candace admitted she had been a bully as a teenager. Considering the enormous stress and lack of sleep experienced by the PR designers during the competition, if what we've seen of Candace is the worst of her behavior, then she's come a long way in the years since high school. I applaud her. 

 

There. I said it.

Edited November 3, 2015 by TwirlyGirly

[sinkwriter]

 

Why? Candace said they have a close relationship now and addicts do recover.

 

There could be other factors involved too, like perhaps her mom isn't comfortable in social situations or in front of a camera so perhaps that was a reason for her reserve. Some people are not extroverts.

 

Also, it may have felt more in stark light to be on camera herself, as the person we all know has been a drug addict, rather than simply as a faceless topic her daughter discussed. That may have made her feel like pulling inward a bit. For all her support of Candice or her potential agreement to be part of the subject matter of Candice's journey, it may have been a moment of nervousness for her actually having to be in the spotlight.

[terrymct]

There sure is a lot of Candace hate here. I don't dislike Candace. I don't find her entitled or snide, and most of her comments are on point and well stated. She was devastated, just like Edmond and Kelly were. Candace does have an extremely theatrical collection. While that's not my taste, everything looks well made and well fitted and it does seem like it would play well in the finale. The runway show is not a time to be understated. I will be sad for her if she ditches that giant dress with the hoopskirt. A lot of time, effort, and money went into that garment.

 

 

Looking at her mini collection and the comments again, I don't think she really was knocked as far back as I first thought.  She can keep her pieces, but really needs to switch things around.  Put that lovely black kimono coat over the red floral pants.  Put the red floral jacket over something that's solid black.  Get rid of the matchy-matchy, then roll out the wow items like the wooden skirt.  She really shouldn't go reserved in the finale.  To win would be great, but it's more important to use this chance to show what she can do.

 

Kelli is the one with serious problems.  She needs to redo a collection that looks like it's made up of cheap knock off of Xanadu costumes.   Edmund's black Morticia Adams dress needs reworking, but the swingy dress was fine if totally unoriginal even just within this season.   Ashley needs either fix her structural/workmanship issues or go wild enough that the judges don't notice them.

[Julia]

There could be other factors involved too, like perhaps her mom isn't comfortable in social situations or in front of a camera so perhaps that was a reason for her reserve. Some people are not extroverts.

 

Also, it may have felt more in stark light to be on camera herself, as the person we all know has been a drug addict, rather than simply as a faceless topic her daughter discussed. That may have made her feel like pulling inward a bit. For all her support of Candice or her potential agreement to be part of the subject matter of Candice's journey, it may have been a moment of nervousness for her actually having to be in the spotlight.

 

I'm just super not comfortable with that moment. Candace has made some choices of her own, and it bothered me that she highlighted her mother's dirty laundry and then failed to discuss what the things are she had to get past herself. If you're going to go there, talk about the impact your mother's issues had on you (like, say, being a sex worker who was pregnant by her rich sugar daddy at sixteen). Don't just lay mom's business in the street for your reality show and then mumble something about personal growth. 

[greenbean]

It's not just her mum's business, it's also her business. She was having to put up with her mum's actions as a child, she can talk about it if she wants. She can focus on whatever she wants. I don't see the big deal.

 

Kelly has the wrong models for her look. She raised the issue of complexion, but also I think having more sporty-like models would help. There was one, in the shorts, who just stood at the end of the runway. Looking like a kid about to be picked up from school. Her body type does not help, and she did not work the outfit at all.

[Julia]

It's not just her mum's business, it's also her business. She was having to put up with her mum's actions as a child, she can talk about it if she wants. She can focus on whatever she wants.

No-one ever said she couldn't. I just find it questionable that she took mom's inventory and kept hers well offscreen.

[Miss Ruth]

Maybe Candice thought her Mother's "story" would garner more sympathy.  (Mondo, I'm talking to you. :))

[millennium]

Maybe Candice thought her Mother's "story" would garner more sympathy.  (Mondo, I'm talking to you. :))

 

I wish someone would put a moratorium on sob stories.  Maybe I'm cold, but I don't give a hoot about who's been bullied, discriminated against, abused, handicapped, raised by hyenas or whatever.   It grates on me every time a designer gets up on that runway and tries to curry sympathy with their special story, ethnicity,  or emotional/physical impairment.

 

Do the work.  Or don't.   The business world doesn't care about a designer's unique circumstances or personal suffering, only whether their shit sells.   I don't want to know about someone's mean mother or if they cut themselves growing up.  I'd rather hear about their vision, their artistic influences, stories of their early experiences as designers, first jobs, etc.,  that shaped them and led them to this point.

Edited November 4, 2015 by millennium

[Miss Ruth]

Hear!  Hear!

[Aging Goth]

My take on the final designs before fashion Week...

 

I actually like a couple of Candice's outfits but I also like costumes with a witchy and gothic theme so there is that.   Christian Seriano did it so much better. 

I also liked Edmond's pieces as well (except the blue deflated baloon dress)

I just wasn't really feeling any outfit of Ashley's except the purple dress.  I really like that and would wear it.  I liked that she realized curvy girls want to look sexy and not looking like a tented matron.  I see where she is going with her collection and cannot wait to see her full runway collection

I just totally disliked Kelly's collection.  It was just boring to me and just not runway worthy at all.  The fanny packs just lost me completely.

Edited November 5, 2015 by Aging Goth

[NewDigs]

Oh. Those fanny packs.

I couldn't believe Tim kind of encouraged their addition.

If she was so determined to include them, imho, she should have made them really over the top crazy. Otherwise they're just, to me, kind of sad little sacks.

[Cramps]

I have worn every size from a 2 to a 16 and at no point in my life would I ever have felt that Ashley's lace peekaboo outfits would be flattering. I want to look cool and sometimes sexy. The way to do that is not by exposing belly and back fat (showing that bra?) in otherwise matronly lace dresses.

I would, however, wear one of the Frida hats. Maybe with a black dress.

There is talking head footage of Candace wearing a floppy hat, with longer, slightly redder hair. They must have filmed it months later. She looks kind of Boho and much younger.

Her collection had direct rip offs from iconic McQueen pieces (as discussed on the spoiler thread). I'm not seeing the Westwood influence some of you are referring to.

It seems like Edmond has the perfect winners arc, since he's been auditioning since the first season, won the first challenge, and then got saved by Tim at the last moment. On the other hand Kelly has been on a roll lately.

[becauseIsaidso]

Haven't watched in a few weeks, and am more sorry than I care to admit that I just don't care anymore....not that I'm any great maven of fashion...BUT...I used to LOVE this show...even now I wonder if it was the switch from Bravo to Lifetime that signaled the cheapening and demise of PR...or the change in TG's once impeccable fashion sense AND advice; but it became truly painful to watch...

 

How the mighty have fallen!...I will not bother with the finale, and I doubt I will watch the next PRAS and/or whatever new shite they come up with...RIP, original PR... I will miss you...

Edited November 5, 2015 by becauseIsaidso

[NikSac]

Haven't watched in a few weeks, and am more sorry than I care to admit that I just don't care anymore....not that I'm any great maven of fashion...BUT...I used to LOVE this show...even now I wonder if it was the switch from Bravo to Lifetime that signaled the cheapening and demise of PR...or the change in TG's once impeccable fashion sense AND advice; but it became truly painful to watch...

 

How the mighty have fallen!...I will not bother with the finale, and I doubt I will watch the next PRAS and/or whatever new shite they come up with...RIP, original PR... I will miss you...

 

I know what you mean. It seems like it used to be fairly prestigious to be on this show and now I can see designers being laughed at for it. I hope it does at least help some of their careers.

 

Somewhat OT but I have to wonder if that horrendous Under The Gunn show caused or at least contributed to the whole decline. Some of the gimmicky stuff bothers me too, but I had a very hard time watching this after seeing Tim on that other show.

[jackjill89]

I am plus-sized. I don't want to wear a tent or muumuu, but I also don't want to wear something that cuts me off and makes me look heavier. I don't want something that is skin-tight and and shows my flub either. I really liked Ashley at first, but I haven't seen anything that shows me she is capable of designing awesome clothes for plus-sized women. The way she dresses herself makes her look heavier than she is. It's not flattering. The other thing is that women are all shaped so differently -- especially plus sized women. I am more bottom heavy, some others have larger mid-sections or large chests. We need variety! All women need variety! We're not one size fits all.

[Rhetorica]

I'm petite. I have to have sleeves, pants, and tops shortened. Either that or wear butterflies and bluebirds. Because I'm 5'2" designers think I want to dress like a child.

[mansonlamps]

I think that's interesting because I'm also 5'2" and do not have that problem at all. I have a professional job and wear all kinds of suits and skirts/blouses for work, no birds or butterflies.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

It also has to do with the proportions of the clothes, which is why I hate when alleged petite clothes are exactly the same as the regular version but with two inches chopped off the bottom.

[Julia]

It happens at the other end too. I'm tall and longwaisted, and almost everything A line I find fits like it's empire because the waist sits so high. I've given up on being able to wear a dress or a sweater or a jacket with belt loops.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Julia

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Jackets and dressed are the worst when they pull that "but it's petite sized" and all they did was shorten the sleeves - the nipped in waist ends up where my hips are so the smallest part of the garment is on the biggest part of my body. During the days of flared jeans, the knee area where the pants started to flare was down by my ankles so even if I had them hemmed, they looked all wrong! Makes me wish I could afford a personal tailor to make all my clothes.

[mansonlamps]

I'm 5'2" also and have always had problems with sleeves and pants lengths being too long. It all has to do with the body proportions you were born with; not how tall you are. I have a friend who is the same height. I remember once we sat on a bench outside of a restaurant. Her feet touched the ground. Mine were swinging. It doesn't take much to throw off the fit of a garment.

That's true, I have a slightly longer torso and shorter legs and somewhat long arms, but am mostly pretty evenly proportioned. Friends with short torsos and long legs at the same height have a different set of problems. But really, I don't see how any designer can accommodate all of us without having tailoring required. For suits or fitted clothes I normally buy regular sizes, not petite, and have to have pants hemmed, sometimes sleeves too, but the actual fit is mostly good. I think "regular" height people would also have this set of challenges.

[Rhetorica]

I think that's interesting because I'm also 5'2" and do not have that problem at all. I have a professional job and wear all kinds of suits and skirts/blouses for work, no birds or butterflies.

I may have exaggerated. I don't have birds or butterflies either but I find many designers with childish clothes for petites. My go to designer is Michael Kors. Nothing of his needs altering for me. Who else would you suggest?

[yeswedo]

This is an interesting discussion but off topic for the episode thread. Let's move it over to the Accessory Wall. Thanks!

[slothgirl]

I wish someone would put a moratorium on sob stories.  Maybe I'm cold, but I don't give a hoot about who's been bullied, discriminated against, abused, handicapped, raised by hyenas or whatever.   It grates on me every time a designer gets up on that runway and tries to curry sympathy with their special story, ethnicity,  or emotional/physical impairment.

 

Do the work.  Or don't.   The business world doesn't care about a designer's unique circumstances or personal suffering, only whether their shit sells.   I don't want to know about someone's mean mother or if they cut themselves growing up.  I'd rather hear about their vision, their artistic influences, stories of their early experiences as designers, first jobs, etc.,  that shaped them and led them to this point.

 

I remember an Onion article (or similar type.. may have been Dave Barry) right before the Olympics one year with the headline:

 

"Athlete booted from Olympic Team Due to Lack of a Compelling Backstory"

 

Yeah... that's about how this show feels now.

 

I love Kelly's attitude about her "backstory" though. She's not well off and has to work at a deli, but it's part of her fun quirky persona. I think she should open a boutique named Kelly's Deli. Or her website could be called The Deli.

 

Or something. Work it, girl!

Edited November 9, 2015 by slothgirl