S16.E00: Road to the Runway Season 16

[Drogo]

Host Tim Gunn introduces Season 16's sixteen new designers. Also: a behind-the-scenes look at their casting auditions.

[Straycat80]

I watched most of this before storms in my area knocked out my TV reception. I  don't remember anyone's name.  I'm glad they are not bringing back a past voted off designer.  Even though this show has jumped the shark a long time ago I'm still going to watch. And I can't wait snark with you all for another season! 

[susannot]

Dammit my TV Guide had the time wrong so I missed it, and didn't DVR it.  Crap.

[BryroseA]

Lots of gender-fluid designers this year which could be an interesting vibe. The judges tend to want to only crown one designer of a certain style per season, so I suspect one of them will do quite well and the rest will be early fodder. 

[chitowngirl]

21 minutes ago, susannot said:

Dammit my TV Guide had the time wrong so I missed it, and didn't DVR it.  Crap.

It repeats later tonight and next Thursday before the first episode. 

[rhys]

I haven't watched PR for a couple of years but decided to check in tonight. This year's group seems more diverse. I think I'll enjoy it. Fingers XED.

[Forget me]

This group looks terrible!  Maybe they will seem a little better after the design challenges, but right now I could care less about their sexuality...which is what they seem to care more about!

[susannot]

47 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

It repeats later tonight and next Thursday before the first episode. 

Thank you!  Just DVR'd.

[gibasi]

Already the twins are annoying me!

As always there are some people who are just trying too hard to stand out and they just come across as inauthentic.   Why anyone needs to know that the one guy is still a virgin is beyond me. TMI and also I don't care  

I can't remember anybody's name either. I liked the designer who was inspired by african themes-I loved all the color in her fabrics.  I was also interested in the guy who makes his own fabrics. And i think it was with him that the casting judges brought up the time factor. Because really it is all about what can you design in 24 hours or less. 

[sleepyjean]

Project Runway, why can't I quit you?

The casting ep is always so interesting...i forget why I'm so disillusioned with the show...then they put them in an environment where they have neither the time nor resources to fully express their es-te-tic. All the designers who like baggy, weird, oversized, layered, extra texture, modest, etc. can throw all that out the window. On pr there's no time for designs that require a lot of fabric. Or sleeves, even.

The twins are so extra and their garments are similar to each other. The work on those leather jackets was nice though. "Destined for greatness?" Shock and awww? Nah, sis. Spare me your delusions of grandeur.

The guy with butter on his shirt is 100% cannon fodder. 

Edited August 11, 2017 by sleepyjean

[GaT]

A few people caught my eye, the Muslim designer, the older woman, & the woman who uses a lot of African prints all look interesting to me. The ones who design dresses for guys do not.

[jcbrown]

Totally agree that the guy with butter on his shirt who also purposely choose fabric with Care Bears on it is cannon fodder. I hope. Because yowza was he annoying and twee

[7-Zark-7]

My Top 3 would be: Amy (older woman, instructor). I like her technical know how and sleek looks; Shawn (shaved twin) her serpent jacket is everything! Great use of iridescent color. (but she won't have the money for all that on the show, much less the time to piece it together) ; and Kentaro (childlike almost 40 yr old) His work is very simple yet polished. (He's bound to do well under time constraints since he doesn't rely on time draining embellishments).

My Runners Up: Dancer guy (I don't think they showed his name at the end) I like his menswear, though I don't know how this will work for women on the show; and Deyonté (straight guy designer) Very current red carpet looks. 

People I think will go far, though I'm not into it:  Brandon (clothes that seem washed out and muddy) Nice silhouettes, but the muted tones don't do anything for me; Chacha (Care bear clothes) People like that bubble gum stuff more and more lately.  If he doesn't go out in the first two challenges, then he'll probably go deep.

My Bottom 3 would be: Ayana (woman with hijab) Her clothes seem suited to chic Upper East Side seniors. Nothing is young or new here.; Kudzanai (guy with locks) I hate patchwork and I always will; and Aaron (virgin with upside down pants) He is a jumble of ideas with no practical application.

Everybody else falls somewhere in the middle for me.

People I think who might go home first: Chacha, Aaron, or Samantha (multicolored hair) Her clothes are very Modcloth and Ashley Tipton already won with this style.

[LennieBriscoe]

Good-bye, Older Professor Amy with  Funereal Black Draping. 

So long,  Blond Aaron with the Weird Androgyny Pants. 

Ms.  Puerto Rico seemed a tad amateurish, comparatively.

As for the Modest Muslim, I can't see her succeeding in the Inevitable Heidi Klum Nearly-Nekkid Challenge.

Also,  not sure about the Big Guy's Only-Black-Africa aesthetic, but I love, love,  love the colorful Africa-inspired designs of the I Can Fly designer!

Oh,  wait; the Twins.

Yeah,  that will be the Project Runway: The Heartbreak Episode, when the Twin with Hair gets Auf'ed.  

I like ChaCha,  the Butter Queen! Because who amongst us has never said,  "I put on so many weight!"

And the Perfectly Model Size designer has a great eye. 

Big Bald Mama has some beautiful clothes, and I certainly  appreciate her "Love Your Body" approach! The pressure will be on when they get the "Regular People" challenge!

So basically I really  liked most of the competitors, but particularly the ones who love color and form.  Not too down with the Baggy and Shapeless. 

Finally,  may I say: I want that leather jacket.  Now.  You know the one. So amazing.

Oh,  and Tim Gunn! Woot!

Edited August 11, 2017 by LennieBriscoe

[leighdear]

I was more excited to see my boyfriend Dmitry than any of the designers!  

Africa-print girl better bring the actual skills & not just rely on the fabric to do the work like Anya did.  

Japanese guy was pretty adorable with his "I'm the size of a fit model".  Pretty clever. 

Modest Muslim lady 1.0 washed out early in the competition last time, but maybe this one will fare better. 

Older white women do not traditionally do well on this show, as they tend to get frustrated with the youngsters and can get creatively stuck. We'll see how Amy does.

No matter, I'm in for another season! 

[dleighg]

So when they ask the designer to skype with them some weeks later, do they really think it's to tell them "Sorry bro"? I mean, I think they'd just get a phone call then. 

[LennieBriscoe]

leighdear, I hope Season Sweet 16 doesn't have any One-Way Monkeys!  ;-)

[Qoass]

Quote

Japanese guy was pretty adorable with his "I'm the size of a fit model".  Pretty clever. 

I wonder what will happen when he finds out 

Spoiler

the twist about the "real size" models this season.

I was surprised to find I found something to like about just about everyone's designs which is not to say I liked the designers themselves. The twins, Butter Boy, Virgin Boy and Miss Puerto Rico are destined to annoy me. I'm just glad nobody seems to have some secret bank account funding enormous home studios this year.

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, Qoass said:

I was surprised to find I found something to like about just about everyone's designs which is not to say I liked the designers themselves. The twins, Butter Boy, Virgin Boy and Miss Puerto Rico are destined to annoy me. I'm just glad nobody seems to have some secret bank account funding enormous home studios this year.

I appreciated that they did not include the "ridiculous" try-outs (I happened to hit RttR for the previous season by accident while looking for this season, and they had some of that. A la American Idol with the completely off-key wack-a-doodles.)

This crew looks pretty good (except for butter guy/tweety bird. That stuff was ridiculous.)

Edited August 11, 2017 by dleighg

[susannot]

I liked the first designer up--Batani__ her clothes were fabulous and she is stunning.  I don't think her designs would work on many women but they look great on her.  Samantha was also cute and fun but her "social anxiety" looks were just--sad.  Older redhead Amy can tailor a garment perfectly and impeccably but every garment was gray.  Impeccable skill never wins this show.

[Twiz44]

How will this work with the models this year given the "gender fluid" designers? Maybe I'm not completely understanding these types of designs. Are they designing for men to include a more "feminine" aesthetic or are the designs meant to be suitable for either men or women? I guess the judges will have to rework the, "who is your girl" question?

[AZChristian]

12 minutes ago, susannot said:

I liked the first designer up--Batani__ her clothes were fabulous and she is stunning.  I don't think her designs would work on many women but they look great on her.  Samantha was also cute and fun but her "social anxiety" looks were just--sad.  Older redhead Amy can tailor a garment perfectly and impeccably but every garment was gray.  Impeccable skill never wins this show.

When she was describing them, I thought, "WAYYYYY too literal."  (Does that mean it's not editorial?)

[BusyOctober]

I liked Batani immediately...she must have made an impression because she is the only one who's name I remember.  Also liked the "modest" designer, the "short, fat, bald with glasses" woman.  I want to be her friend.  The Japanese man was sweet, and I liked the guy who moved from Chicago and is having a baby.  As for some of the rest of them, I reserve my judgement until I see designs.  I freely pre-judge the Twins, the Virgin, the Too Sexy/Slutty Fetishist and Butter Boy...their antics to be PROVOCATIVE! WILD! CUTTING EDGE! annoy and exhaust me.  I am positive their friends and family will happily take advantage of their absences.  Those folks will be able to breathe for a few weeks since these designers won't be sucking all the oxygen out of any room they enter.

Edited August 11, 2017 by BusyOctober

[Shannon L.]

I suppose after 16 seasons of mostly lurking I should start posting. 

I liked all of the designers up until the twins, although I'm unsure about the Muslim woman.  It's not that I don't like her or her clothes, but I can hear "old" and "matronly" coming at her from day one.  I do think it's possible to make pretty, modest clothing for the younger crowd, though, so I'm going to give her a chance. 

The twins weren't too bad, but I left a lot of the glitz and shine back in the 80s and I never cared much for clothes with slogans written on them.

The only designer in the second half of the challenge that I remember liking a lot was the 38 year old musician.  I thought his clothes were beautiful. 

Gender fluid guy with long blonde hair and the Taiwanese man-child are total fodder, but I fear that they (especially butter boy) will be around for a while for drama and originality.

[dleighg]

3 minutes ago, Shannon L. said:

The twins weren't too bad, but I left a lot of the glitz and shine back in the 80s and I never cared much for clothes with slogans written on them.

The leather jackets were beautifully made, but I could do without the literal figures of tigers and snakes or whatever they were. Seems dated to me. I'd much rather have a geometric design.

[sleepyjean]

5 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

Good-bye, Older Professor Amy with  Funereal Black Draping.

When she described her process (Spend a long time draping, then take photos, then blow them up, then start working on the garment) I knew she was screwed. Especially if she can't get comfortable with color in her design.

4 hours ago, leighdear said:

Africa-print girl better bring the actual skills & not just rely on the fabric to do the work like Anya did. 

To be fair, it worked for Anya!

2 hours ago, dleighg said:

So when they ask the designer to skype with them some weeks later, do they really think it's to tell them "Sorry bro"? I mean, I think they'd just get a phone call then. 

But wouldn't they want to arrange to skype all of the finalists so none of the designers would compare notes and know who had been selected before the actual call?

1 hour ago, susannot said:

Samantha was also cute and fun but her "social anxiety" looks were just--sad.  Older redhead Amy can tailor a garment perfectly and impeccably but every garment was gray.  Impeccable skill never wins this show.

Basic dress with a splotch of iregular, raggedy, contrasting color. This is dread. This is fear. This is hope. I was over it by the second garment. I believe the judges called it "ethereal." I didn't see it.

[marys1000]

Not sure why the twins seemed to come as a complete set?  They interviewed with separate clothes and will be competing as individuals right?  But they seemed to be accepted  as a set/one person.  Did they really like both of them? 

Not sure if its an age thing, a gender thing or a NYC and LA thing vs the rest of the world thing but the ones (there seemed to be many!) doing men in rompers  (there weren't any rompers but there did seem to be lots of men in dresses)  didn't do much for me.  I don't really care, guys, and women for that matter, can wear whatever they want.  But it seems so trendy or an affection at this point its hard to see past to whether they have any actual talent. 

One the one hand I love it when they don't have professionals.  I.e. those seasons when you find out in bits halfway through the show that half the designers have attended FIT or Parsons and some have already been designing.  On the other hand they can be really uneven shows when someones little rack is their very best of apparently not much else.  

 I love rooting for an underdog, like the woman from Atlanta, the guy from Florida.  Or the ones from obscure towns out there toiling alone.  (So disappointed in the twins, I didn't like them but they are from a small town near my small town in MI and I'd love to root for them, they are just so annoying tho).  

The guy with the African motif...interesting colors and fabrics but the tent dress with the skinny leather belt looped around the shoulders?  No. 

Since this season has a lot of both quiteyoung (is this the youngest show ever?) and non professionals I suspect we won't see tons of ground breaking design or sewing skills.  But I hope we see basic talent, improvement, success for everyone in some way.  

I pray the Atlanta woman gets beyond the peplum!  

I understand that there will be an array of model sizes from 2 to 20.  I am hoping that the models get assigned to a different person every challenge.  

Edited August 11, 2017 by marys1000

[Koalagirl]

I must be getting old (well, ok, I am many years past being a millenial), but I had way too many WTF moments last night with some  of the designers and their garments.

[politichick]

53 minutes ago, Koalagirl said:

I must be getting old (well, ok, I am many years past being a millenial), but I had way too many WTF moments last night with some  of the designers and their garments.

I agree and all of this gender-fluid business is for the birds. I don't give a damn about their sexuality, gender identity, virginity, etc. I just want to see beautiful clothes. There was way too much baggy and/or weird looking shit. It will be interesting (?) to see how they handle challenges to create clothes that real women want to wear.

[PaulaO]

I caved and watched.  More than one "African-fabric-inspired" designer confuses me.  More than one "gender fluid" person confuses me.  As in I will never remember who has what name.  I liked the originally from Chicago guy and the woman from Minnesota.  I predict Amy will be the first auf'ed.

[RubyRena17]

Yes, the older white skilled women never make it very far. But in PR's defense, they are usually working designers.

Lawd help us with what is/will be acceptable critique for all the gender ambiguity creations!

[SnarkyTart]

I don't get it.  Granted, I was tired and in a bad mood when I watched it, but am I imagining that about 3 of the contestants specialize exclusively in menswear, while about 2 of them only design unisex?  Is S16 of Project Runway going to be the first season where they focus equally on men's or women's fashion, with each challenge allowing the designer to make their own choice about that?

Maybe I'm getting old, but when I watch PR (every season since the beginning), I watch to see runway shows with designer clothes that make me think, "If I were 20 years younger, 20 pounds thinner, and 20 centimeters taller, I would so wear the shit out of that!"  I find it unlikely that there's an untapped demographic of male viewers (gender fluid, cisgender male, or whatever) who will suddenly start watching PR because it's showcasing weird clothes for men. 

[susannot]

I was skeeved out by the guy who makes fetish clothes.  And long haired blonde genderfluid boy's penis-clothes with a fondling pocket.  Didn't these guys and TweetieBird all say they weren't interested in sex or that they were virgins? They all seem somehow childlike.  Weird.  Anyway, I am not looking forward to the runway designs of FetishBoy, PenisPocketBoy, or ButterBoy.  Hope I am wrong.

Edited August 11, 2017 by susannot

[CoyoteBlue]

Long-haired guy with the children's clothes was a little creepy. He's wearing his Oshkosh-B'gosh five-year-old's overalls while showing off his Little Lord Fauntleroy Masturbation Suit. Gah. 

[tessat]

This gender fluid is just another fad (I hope) like hippies were. I could care what anyone wears - but then don't be upset when they think you're a guy or a woman and you're the opposite sex. Despite the gender fluid movement - I doubt many Americans experience this unless you live in cities like NYC or LA/ San Fran. 

 

So far the designers I like are: Batani, Brando, Deyonte, Kenya, Kudzanai, Samantha, and Sentell. I loved Kenya's clothes.

Aaron, ChaCha and the twins are my least favorite and yet I found something in almost everyone's collections that I liked - except ChaCha.

 

Here's a link to the cast as it's so hard to remember names yet:  http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway/cast

[akr]

Thanks for the link!  I couldn't remember very many of the names.  I liked Kentaro & Kenya, and the only ones I want to go home NOW are the twins.  I should probably rewatch that quick montage at the end - I liked some of them better, and some of them less, than I had expected from their longer presentations.

Edited August 11, 2017 by akr
added last sentence.

[TVbitch]

Best thing about this episode was Dimitry and Brandon's faces during one of the more unusual presentations. 

[susannot]

Thank you.  I was trying to remember Brandon's name. In a very sweet, touching episode, he proposed to his boyfriend on the show.

The new genderfluid boys don't seem to be at all like Brandon.  I can't believe that I'm saying these things.

Edited August 12, 2017 by susannot

[sleepyjean]

20 hours ago, 7-Zark-7 said:

People like that bubble gum stuff more and more lately. 

You think? It seems so...so...Katy Perry circa 2010. I thought (hoped?) we had all moved on.

17 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

As for the Modest Muslim, I can't see her succeeding in the Inevitable Heidi Klum Nearly-Nekkid Challenge.

Modest clothing repels Heidi like holy water to a Vampire. Ayana has zero chance of winning this.

 

7 hours ago, tessat said:

This gender fluid is just another fad (I hope) like hippies were. I could care what anyone wears - but then don't be upset when they think you're a guy or a woman and you're the opposite sex. Despite the gender fluid movement - I doubt many Americans experience this unless you live in cities like NYC or LA/ San Fran.

And yet...you know that gender-fluid challenge is coming. Maybe not this season, but soon...soon.

 

8 hours ago, PaulaO said:

I caved and watched.  More than one "African-fabric-inspired" designer confuses me.  More than one "gender fluid" person confuses me. 

...more than one Buitendorp confuses me.

 

So...Mila as a blonde. That was interesting.

Edited August 12, 2017 by sleepyjean

[mamadrama]

On 8/11/2017 at 1:27 AM, jcbrown said:

Totally agree that the guy with butter on his shirt who also purposely choose fabric with Care Bears on it is cannon fodder. I hope. Because yowza was he annoying and twee

Plus, he was basically just refashioning clothes from thrift stores. You can find 2,000 people on Pinterest (and Etsy) doing the same.

[seacliffsal]

I felt like maybe half of the designers are serious contenders and will design interesting and perhaps beautiful clothes.  The other half?  Pretentious special snowflakes who were only moved on so that Project Runway can demonstrate how "cutting edge" the show they are.  Care Bear Boy reminds me of other designers whose clothing would never be worn by anybody, but the judges will praise for creativity and being "fashion-forward."  Of course, I'm in for the season.  However, I think the real competition won't start for several weeks as they have to eliminate many of the "fashion-forward" designers first.

[justawatcher]

Some of them will be kept on to set up the team challenges. I see lingerie with the Muslim modest designer paired with the fetish boy. The older woman professor with Care Bear. I want to see Penis Pocket design some women's lingerie and then make it gender fluid.

That button bag is never random.

If they were able to build some of the challenges around the designers, it could be interesting.

[leighdear]

Hopefully the smart ones know the Heidi Holy Trinity: Short, tight and sparkly.  

I think the ratio of legit to stunt cast folks is about 10 to 6.  10 with some actual talent, ability to construct and potential, with 6 or so that are cannon fodder.  But as most have pointed out, the real competition starts happening at least 3-4 episodes in. 

I seem to remember Alexandria had a very "gender fluid" aesthetic, but back in those seasons, they tended to just call it androgynous.  Gender fluid seems the same thing to me, just with a trendy new term.  Stupid. 

[tawny411]

I forgot the new season had started, but finally got to watch. Oh good grief, I'm sure it will change as the season progresses, but I didn't like anyone. Well, I sort of liked the older designer, but I doubt she sticks very long.

[Mumbles]

Quote

 Is S16 of Project Runway going to be the first season where they focus equally on men's or women's fashion, with each challenge allowing the designer to make their own choice about that?

I hope not. So much of the culture is male-focused, what I have loved about PR all these years was that it was female-focused but in a way that did not objectify women. 

As fo gender-fluidity, as far as I'm concerned it's all about the clothes. Do gender-fluid clothes, but do beautifully constructed, aestheticallly exciting gender-fluid clothes. Those pants that had looked upside down? I wanted to thrown something at the tv. 

[Blissfool]

On 8/11/2017 at 0:27 AM, jcbrown said:

Totally agree that the guy with butter on his shirt who also purposely choose fabric with Care Bears on it is cannon fodder. I hope. Because yowza was he annoying and twee

I can totally see him designing for the Katy Perry World Tour (or Miley Cyrus, 3 yrs ago).  When he's done with that he can go work for Betsy Johnson. 

I'm not supposed to like him because....annoying. But he had some one-liners that endeared me to him:

"Free refills!"

"I don't like the color black, not because I'm racist."

[enoughcats]

On 8/10/2017 at 11:03 PM, gibasi said:

As always there are some people who are just trying too hard to stand out and they just come across as inauthentic.

Some people?  Let's be realistic, as much as possible on PR, are there any modest, self effacing tallented ones?  I fell asleep before I got to that catagory.

On 8/11/2017 at 0:32 AM, sleepyjean said:

On pr there's no time for designs that require a lot of fabric. Or sleeves, even.

I think the low from last season was way below sleeves (and Princess Puffy Sleeves who was the only person in creation who knew that puffy push up sleeves don't have to be fitted), and is now resting with a frayed hem that has suddenly become acceptable to Nina.

[Guest]

As someone who sews, I've noticed the last couple of seasons have really deteriorated. I guess they are going more for personal drama, and less for talent.

I know Christian Siriano is a one in a million, but it's really bad with no hems, and pins everywhere. Two days is reasonable,  one day is not.

[Never Again]

On 8/11/2017 at 10:19 AM, marys1000 said:

Not sure why the twins seemed to come as a complete set?  They interviewed with separate clothes and will be competing as individuals right?  But they seemed to be accepted  as a set/one person.  Did they really like both of them? 

As a twin I truly hate this type of thing 

On 8/11/2017 at 10:19 AM, marys1000 said:

   Or the ones from obscure towns out there toiling alone.  (So disappointed in the twins, I didn't like them but they are from a small town near my small town in MI and I'd love to root for them, they are just so annoying tho).  

 

Et tu, marys1000? Just a moment ago I thought you understood lol.  Now here you are a few paragraphs later grouping the twins together too ?

[Lamb18]

I don't like the term "gender fluid" because when I see it I think of "bodily fluids" except specific to gender. Androgynous and unisex are fine terms.