S05.E05: Birthday Suits

[Beden]

 

Frankly, I don't get the constant comparisons on this forum of Project Runway All Stars vs. Project Runway Juniors. They're two different shows and, probably, cast differently so one show can have pure talent as

its main focus and the other-- pure reality show drama. Fine to prefer one to the other, but why keep complaining that peaches don't taste the same as apples? LOL. Sorry if that offends anyone.

With respect (and no offense taken at all) I suspect that the comparisons are based on people simply preferring the attitude and priorities on the kid's show as opposed to the snark/drama now the standard with the adults. I, for one, prefer the attitude the youngsters showed; healthy competition but tempered with civility. I don't enjoy the backstabbing all that much but simply want to see talented people doing their best in a reasonable playing field with (god forbid) enough time to conceive of and execute a design in an effort to solve a challenge.

[Sicily89]

Does anyone think Georgina is becoming slightly more ruder? I always thought she seemed the nicest of the judges. Unfortunately she always thinks in terms of what she would design (to be fair how can you not be biased as a designer with your own taste level). She comes from a upper class background and sometimes it comes through. I didn't like her comment being insulting about Salvation Army, even though Sams design was yuck!

I feel like if I were to meet her just wearing jeans and a t shirt, or a simple black dress, she would judge the hell out of me or probably totally ignore me.

[phoenix780]

Why do a blind runway if you know who you are and are not willing to eliminate? Lame.

As others have said, thank goodness for the post runway scene. I liked Sam on the other show, and he's super pretty which I appreciate. But what a little bitch. At least they're not dissing you online to cultivate fans through heavily practiced "shade." Even if they were, you can't choose to be the snarky one- did he not in this same episode suggest Kini is not a designer?- then run off crying. Also lame.

I'm in next week though. This drama feels organic. Good on production, it's totally clear why they built Sam up with wins.

[Calamity Jane]

With respect (and no offense taken at all) I suspect that the comparisons are based on people simply preferring the attitude and priorities on the kid's show as opposed to the snark/drama now the standard with the adults. I, for one, prefer the attitude the youngsters showed; healthy competition but tempered with civility. I don't enjoy the backstabbing all that much but simply want to see talented people doing their best in a reasonable playing field with (god forbid) enough time to conceive of and execute a design in an effort to solve a challenge.

Not to mention the fact that most of their designs were far, far better than what these "All-Stars" are producing. 

[AntManBee]

I know it's petty and all, but these "naturalists" must have re-committed themselves to the cause célèbre of nudity after seeing the atrocious outfits Mitchell and Sam were wearing on the first day.

 

Does anyone think Georgina is becoming slightly more ruder? I always thought she seemed the nicest of the judges. Unfortunately she always thinks in terms of what she would design (to be fair how can you not be biased as a designer with your own taste level). She comes from a upper class background and sometimes it comes through. I didn't like her comment being insulting about Salvation Army, even though Sams design was yuck!

 

I didn't have much of a problem with Georgina comparing Sam's outfit to Salvation Army.  Sam was supposed to create something new, unique, and fashionable for his model.  The allusion that it looked like something that was bought second hand and not, initially, intended for that specific person is an apt critique.  I don't think she intended to imply that second hand shopping is inherently bad or gauche, but that it was not was asked for in the challenge. 

Edited March 13, 2016 by AntManBee

[NewDigs]

I know it's petty and all, but these "naturalists" must have re-committed themselves to the cause célèbre of nudity after seeing the atrocious outfits Mitchell and Sam were wearing on the first day.

I didn't have much of a problem with Georgina comparing Sam's outfit to Salvation Army. Sam was supposed to create something new, unique, and fashionable for his model. The allusion that it looked like something that was bought second hand and not, initially, intended for that specific person is an apt critique. I don't think she intended to imply that second hand shopping is inherently bad or gauche, but that it was not was asked for in the challenge.

I've been tempted to defend the Salvation Army stores!

Most charity/thrift stores are very careful about what they sell, many even having boutique and designer areas.

I don't know that they, or any other second-hand shop, would have put Sam's mess on a rack.

Edited March 13, 2016 by NewDigs

[halkatla]

This is my new favorite show to hate-watch. I couldn´t stop watchign after Fade left, so now I just look forward to seeing how messed up the judging has become and how silly everything seems and how ANNOYING Alyssa Milano is. I thought she might be a little bit more tolerable when she stopped being the clunkiest pregnant woman of all time but she seems pregnant still and the way she talks and smiles scares me. But it´s all good for pure hate watching. Now, about the contestants. I don´t get why there are three clueless, untalented people from a different show I´ve never seen, competing on PR-AS. I could probably tolerate Asha since she can make okay looking stuff, but the two guys haven´t made anything remotely good enough to get past the first night on the regular PR. The winning look from last week was the ugliest thing ever in my opinion, and Mitchell has been consistently in the bottom two for me. But they´re all still here and this golden opportunity to kick one of them off was not taken. The judges continue to rob Dom of the top spot and they get rid of real talent like Fade and even Stella, those two should have gotten another opportunity, not Sam, or Mitchell or any such crap-maker. I was really expecting to see Valerie go home, but I guess the judges figured that if they did that, they wouldn´t have enough capable designers left to continue with this all stars fiasco.

Edited March 14, 2016 by halkatla

[Beden]

 

I've been tempted to defend the Salvation Army stores!

Most charity/thrift stores are very careful about what they sell, many even having boutique and designer areas.

Not to shift this off topic but I've defended the Salvation Army for decades. Yes, they are a bit picky about what they accept and that's a good thing--no holes, no broken furniture and so on. I run a small business which depends on recycling specific garments for resale and they're the reason why we can exist. The workers are always pleasant, helpful and know what's going on. Their stores are, clean, organized and also an invaluable resource for folks who can't afford new stuff from the mall (or even Wal-mart)--who are always treated with respect. And yes, a large part of their profits go to their emergency funds for floods and fires and the like...Just saying.

 

Be that as it may, yes, this version of PRAS seems to me a cynical attempt to flog a dying horse for whatever profits any be gleaned before it dies.

[xingcat]

As much as Sam rubs me the wrong way, how did giving a man a woman's 1970s winter white outfit not land Ken in the bottom 3, at least? That wasn't a "kilt," that was a pleated skirt and a sweater with a cowl neck. Come on! He made an outfit for his Nana and then styled his dude to look like an elderly socialite. How was that considered anything but a lady's garment?

[Julia]

I wasn't an admirer of Ken's garment, but his guy gave all signs of wanting to play with how people perceive him (androgynous naked guy, go figure) and he was on board with Ken's outfit, so he at least gave his client what he wanted.

[micat]

I didn't really get a sense that Georgina's comment about Salvation Army was classist. It showed a pretty good understanding of thrift store shopping. I've done my fair share of shopping at Goodwill, and I know that when I go there I will find things that look nice, that fit, that are of decent quality (as others have said about thrift store shopping), and that are super affordable. Also, I know that I will most likely have to compromise on color, style, and other things like that, especially if I really need to buy something specific. If I went to a store with a full line of new clothing, I could pick the exact garment I wanted. If I go to Goodwill, I have to pick from what they have. I have a pair of jeans from Goodwill that fits well, that is good quality, but that is a wash that I could never imagine myself picking off a rack at a store with a selection of jeans in my size. Will it do? Sure. Would it be my first choice? Nope.

 

That's what I saw about Sam's outfit. Was it serviceable? Sure. So the hem is a little higher in back than in the front, it is still a skirt. So the sweater doesn't really go and it's a bit misshapen and not that flattering...well, it's a sweater and it'll do. Was it fashion? Nope. It's like the stuff you'd pick at a thrift store if you absolutely had to have a sweater and skirt to wear tomorrow. Of course, sometimes you get lucky and find that exact thing you want, but a lot of times you have to compromise and get what's there. I thought Georgina summed that up nicely with her comment.

[LeapDayBaby]

My first thought about Emily's was "Minecraft". If my 9 yo had seen this, that is exactly what he'd have said.

 

I'm so glad I wasn't the only one whose "Minecraft" alarm sounded on that one. There's an indie comic/music store in my city that sells Minecraft swag of all types, and I think Emily's look would fly off the racks and into the closets of older players.

[Beden]

Just a quick OT comment regarding the thrift store sub-thread (which is likely now exhausted as it is, well, off topic).

 

I always go to the Salvation Army or Goodwill with the attitude that I'm treasure hunting, spelunking. You never know what will be there--sometimes it's all crap and you leave empty handed, sometimes you walk out with designer cashmere. And yes, these stores serve a very real service to the community, be it the Sal Army or a local place giving the money to the local hospital. Snobbery has no place there.

 

Having said that, I suspect that were Sam's pathetic semi-effort to show up in a thrift store, it might be purchased, but I suspect that it would be tweaked before it was worn--the hem straightened and such. Just because people go thrifting doesn't mean that they're blind or don't care about what they look like. I also find it telling that the comparison was made and with good cause. That's the level some of the designs have hit--though I also blame TPTB for their ridiculous time constraints on the designers (and yes, some of the designers have no right to be there beyond the drama queen factor). You want good, well produced garments? Let them have the tools to produce that--time to create, design and finish.

[Steph619]

As soon as Valerie and Sam were announced as the bottom two, I knew that no one would go home yet again and this time, because the judges seem to really like both especially Sam. Both outfits were bad, but I thought Valerie's was the worst.

Nobody seems to like Sam except the judges and Asha. I think that has a lot to do with the rest of the designers feeling that the fix is in for Sam to win it all.

I laughed out loud that the least winter wear outfit on the runway ended up winning. Emily's was nice, but it didn't say winter to me. I thought Mitchell should've won this one. I really liked Kini and Dom's as well.

Speaking of Emily, I have to agree with what many of you said about her makeup. It looked awful.

Edited March 15, 2016 by Steph619

[auntlada]

I went back and looked at the final look photos on the Lifetime website, and Ken's and Asha's designs would have looked better with thick, woolen socks (especially Ken's). They don't have access to something like that unless they make socks, though, do they? They have boots available on the whatever-it-is shoe wall, but no socks of any kind? That seems weird to me because who wants to walk the runway in boots without socks and what company wants people wearing its shoes without socks? No one is going to want to wear those shoes ever again. Or maybe other people don't care about sticking their feet into shoes or boots worn by other people with bare feet, especially bare feet they've been walking around in and getting all dirty before putting on the shoes.

 

I think Emily's would have been better with black tights also, but I guess that she would have had to make them. Did Kini make his? Sam may think Kini is only a sewer and not a designer, but Sam could benefit from sewing as well as Kini (also designing as well as him, but that's another story).

[Special K]

I'm in the minority, but I give props to Ken.  I don't think he executed it so well, but a kilt as winter wear for an adventuresome, androgyny-friendly naturist?  I think that's kind of brilliant.  I think if his sweater wasn't so slouchy at the bottom and he had chosen a different color, it would have worked.

[Linderhill]

 

Sam may think Kini is only a sewer and not a designer, but Sam could benefit from sewing as well as Kini (also designing as well as him, but that's another story).

I fully agree with this!

[Beden]

 

Sam may think Kini is only a sewer and not a designer, but Sam could benefit from sewing as well as Kini

I've said it before and I'll say it again; no matter what your field--fashion, math, rocket science or carpentry--you have to have a rock solid foundation in the basics to understand what is and isn't possible with whatever your materials are and to be able to use them to their full capacity, to know what they are and aren't capable of.

A fashion designer who doesn't know how various fabrics will react to dye or bias seaming or whatever simply can't create a finished look as well as someone who has a full understanding. It's like trying to solve a problem in calculus without being able to multiply or divide.

 

Even if someone has a talent for design, without knowing how to use their tools they're hamstringing themselves.

[DollEyes]

Delurking with more shade for Sam. Calling his runway look shitty is an insult to shit everywhere. Thrift shops sell clothes that are way more stylish than that mess he dumped on the runway. It may have made the client feel good (or so she said), but it didn't make her look good. At least Valerie's coat was somewhat better; however, instead of those fugly pants,  I think she should have made a pencil skirt or leggings, giving her client a much better silhouette.  Sam's getting all butthurt after several designers put him on blast for his flirting with the judges is hypocritical, to say the least. Given some of the things he's said on his blog, Sam's thin-skinned response to even the slightest criticism from his colleagues only proves that he can dish it out, but can't take it. News flash, Sammy: this is a competition. If you're gonna throw shade at your fellow contestants, then you should expect to get it back, so get over it, bitch.

 

  Mitchell should have won. Emily's outfit was cute, but Mitchell's was classic. Kini's look was another favorite. The shoulders of the coat were off, but everything else worked. Dom's look was hot, but her model was hotter. "Silver fox," indeed.

[RealityCowgirl]

Now watching the repeat of this one and am immediately regretting that impulse.

I want to apply the German word from the other thread to Sam for the insane camo shorty PJs he's wearing.

[StatMom]

The naked models...WHY???? What is the difference between dressing a nudist and dressing a non-nudist? Because the clothes need to be "comfortable"? Well then Valerie should have won, because she made a big fluffy robe. So if it wasn't about comfort, then it must have been about gratuitous nudity. They wouldn't do that, would they?? LOL.

THIS! Why the stupid nudist (excuse me: "NATURIST") bit? Just for the titillation of pixelated naughty bits? So very exciting.

[Tabbygirl521]

I enjoyed watching Valerie wipe snot off her nose jewelry when she was crying.