S16.E01: One Size Does Not Fit All

[CraftyHazel]

3 hours ago, tessat said:

**snip**

They may have a little more command of the English - but they still said many inappropriate things inadvertently. I appreciate your opinion - but I have life experience and know how hard it is for many foreigners to understand the way we look at things. 

LOL...I have an acquaintance, born and raised in California, now living in the Midwest, who told me last week about the time she "blew a tranny".  I turned purple and asked her WTF she meant...she was talking about the transmission in her truck going out.  I had to explain to her that tranny was an offensive term for a person and that blowing one meant something completely different!  She literally had no idea.

[PepperMonkey]

So many things with which to agree, I think I liked nearly every post.

I LMAO at Tim Gunn being the impetus for making sure "larger" customers get more of what they need, especially after his comments to Alisan on season 3, not only calling her model zaftig, BUT commiserating with her about how much harder it will be to design for her. I guess it's possible that he's "evolved" but I also remember watching HIS show - from back in the day when I still hearted everything he did - I think it was called Tim Gunn's Guide to Style? Anyway, he wasn't much more complimentary of larger body sizes/ types there, either. Of all the mentors/judges on PR currently, the only ones I've never heard disparage a larger size or look are Heidi and Zac. Nina has made plenty of faces herself, and, as someone else mentioned, her magazine has always NEVER featured larger models or clothes that flatter fuller figures, so, as far as I'm concerned, she's complicit.

I also don't mind the model segments where they are commenting on how things are going with the designer, because that speaks to the challenge/designer itself. What I DO have issue with is Heidi asking each one of them how they feel about the clothes.

And I'm a fat girl and don't have a problem with the word fat. I guess some people do and I wouldn't dream of calling another person fat, because I don't know how THEY would feel if I used that word to describe them. But I give ChaCha a break a bit because when listened to in context, I don't think he meant it to be offensive or insulting.

Edited August 20, 2017 by PepperMonkey

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, Marmiarmo said:

LOL...I have an acquaintance, born and raised in California, now living in the Midwest, who told me last week about the time she "blew a tranny".  I turned purple and asked her WTF she meant...she was talking about the transmission in her truck going out.  I had to explain to her that tranny was an offensive term for a person and that blowing one meant something completely different!  She literally had no idea.

One of my best friends is an Iranian immigrant who has been in the States since she was 5. Her English is excellent (people she meets for the first time don't know it's her second language) but her weakness is American idioms. She will muddle the hell out of an idiom.

[Avon.Blakes7]

5 hours ago, tessat said:

First - I responded with Siriano as I saw his name mentioned up thread - I don't remember most of these people from one season to the next. Second sorry that I didn't bother to pull up Cha Cha's aka Vincent  bio - my bad - but the point that Asian women overall are thin and petite and his experience is probably limited. 3rd - I worked at a state university for 12 yrs - just because these kids go to an American school does not mean they know the US nuances. I worked for years in research with many Asians and even tho they had been here for years getting their masters - they still didn't know nor understand the way we view things in the US. They may have a little more command of the English - but they still said many inappropriate things inadvertently. I appreciate your opinion - but I have life experience and know how hard it is for many foreigners to understand the way we look at things. 

I invoked Sirano's initial limitations to designing for stick women, while another reiterated his success! All I can remember was how he treated that little girl designing a prom dress! That will be a horror in her life for all time I'm sure! Regarding US nuances and the lack of understanding is happening all the time; most of the time right under their very noses! Without bringing up the drama going on now due to Charlottesville, culturally we're still very divided and we think nothing of it! I remember taking a consultant assignment for a BANK in SF at their data center down town! They had the best of the best, but it was like the UN "on the bridge" where all the action went down! I have good hearing, but I'd have people repeat themselves over and over because I couldn't understand them! One woman was from the Philippines, lived in her own little neighborhood of other immigrants and though living in the States for over 30 years,  you would have thought she was right off the boat! We do isolate ourselves culturally, by class, and economic standing and that won't change anytime soon; esp. since it looks as if we're "stepping back" instead of going forward! ;-)

Edited August 20, 2017 by Avon.Blakes7

[SuburbanHangSuite]

48 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

She will muddle the hell out of an idiom.

Nothing at all wrong with that.  I submit as evidence:

"One way monkey."

LOVE forever.  Does anyone even say "One Trick Pony" anymore?? I don't.

[Callasin]

On 8/18/2017 at 1:08 PM, Lady Iris said:

I have gasped in delight and horror at some of the fashions but never, EVER, has my first reaction been to laugh my ass off! That thing was, I can't even, it belonged on an episode of Star Trek.

 

Same here!  My friend and I started humming the Star Trek theme when we saw that design.

I thought the silver shorts the twin made looked like sparkly red carpet Depends.

The grey dress and Chacha's dress were equally bad to me.  I would have auffed the grey dress only because it was not red carpet to me.  Actually I would have considered a double elimination.

I did love the winning design.  So pretty and well designed.

[halkatla]

There seemed to be a few tolerable designers there but, overall, Project runway has turned into a gigantic (yet boring) freak-show, where every designer is weirder or more annoying than the next. At least it seemed like that to me. There are so many things I hated about the contestants, the judges and everything that happened, too many to waste time on. I wish I could have the old Project runway back, but I guess everything must change.

[Avon.Blakes7]

1 hour ago, halkatla said:

There seemed to be a few tolerable designers there but, overall, Project runway has turned into a gigantic (yet boring) freak-show, where every designer is weirder or more annoying than the next. At least it seemed like that to me. There are so many things I hated about the contestants, the judges and everything that happened, too many to waste time on. I wish I could have the old Project runway back, but I guess everything must change.

Heaven knows I've just been going thru the motions when I surf by the show! It hasn't been a serious entertainment outlet for me since they moved to Lifetime! I don't like the challenges, the designers, or the judging! If not to keep up with the conversation here, I'd probably drop it altogether! ;-(

Edited August 20, 2017 by Avon.Blakes7

[Fostersmom]

On 8/18/2017 at 8:28 AM, dleighg said:

Me thinks Heidi may be getting a bit old for a boob-baring look like this

She's getting a bit long in the boob for such looks.

On 8/18/2017 at 10:45 AM, Qoass said:

Back in the day, our local J.C. Penney had a hair salon...

I'm pretty sure the JC Penney in my local mall still has one. I too used to get my hair cut there back in the late 80s, early 90s. Honestly, I haven't personally shopped at a Penneys in a decade, but my mom likes their coupons. I know the local one has a Sephora inside the Penneys, but even that's not enough for me to make a trip. 

On 8/18/2017 at 7:14 PM, Avon.Blakes7 said:

 

 

15 hours ago, AZChristian said:

I thought it was a LIFETIME supply. In our keyboard-centric world, I'm thinking a box of 12 might suffice.

It is definitely lifetime supply. I kind of laughed at this since that craptasitc pen looked like it would be discontinued in about 8 months max. 

Edited August 20, 2017 by Fostersmom

[marys1000]

Too much political correctness this episode and probably this season.  Brandons outfit was tedious walmart at best but since he had the big girl everyone had to say how wonderful it was.  The gray dress was better and would have at least been safe if she hadnt had to cover up that hole.  At least it was fitted and Heidi and Nina you dont know anything about being big that little drape in front of the belly is appreciated.  Again she was going for highlighting the booty.  The winning dress was so simple buy some fabric stirch it over the shoulder oh look the flower is in the eight place underwhelmed.  Chachas wasnt much but the gold thing was worse. Hideous! They didnt send the dress home they sent chacha home.   Thought there were more amateurs this season.  Guess not.  Rooting hard for Kenya.

[mamadrama]

7 hours ago, Empress1 said:

One of my best friends is an Iranian immigrant who has been in the States since she was 5. Her English is excellent (people she meets for the first time don't know it's her second language) but her weakness is American idioms. She will muddle the hell out of an idiom.

Hell, my husband is British and been in the US for 10 years and HE still gets confused.

[Pepper Mostly]

3 hours ago, Fostersmom said:

It is definitely lifetime supply. I kind of laughed at this since that craptasitc pen looked like it would be discontinued in about 8 months max. 

Not for nothing, my boss, a PhD in physics and a full professor at MIT, just fell in love with these pens-I just ordered her a pack with one in every color. She texted me to tell me how much she loves them (I was off the day they came in). I let out a small scream when I saw them in the promo!

[sweetcookieface]

Finally watched this episode. I have to say, for a challenge with so few constraints (basically, make a pretty dress), this was one of the worst runways I could recall. I wasn't impressed with anything on the runway, and there were so many contenders for bottom 3. 

Apparently I"m in the minority, but I thought Deyonte's dress was so, so boring. Sure, it was well constructed, but it looked like a nice dress you could get at, well, JC Penny. I think Kenya deserved a spot in the top 3 for how well made/striking it looked, even if the design wasn't that ground-breaking. And I can't really think of other looks that deserved the win. As painful as it is for me to admit, my favorite look may have been Claire's (the peach-ish tiered dress). I also really liked Kudzanai, but it didn't look red carpet. I didn't initially love Kentaro's, but I can appreciate it more the more I look at it (could just be that I like him and his point of view).

Of the bottom 3, I actually thought Batani's look was way worse than Chacha's. At least the latter had a point of view (even if it was a bit silly). Batani's looked like a cheap, tacky, horribly constructed prom dress. Aaron and Sentell could have easily been bottom 3 as well (I thought those were way worse than Shawn's).

I appreciate the model diversity this season, but I hope the judging doesn't turn into a referendum on which designers honored/respected their models' (larger) figures. Especially since that can be rather subjective. I thought Brandon's look turned out fine, and I think he remained true to his aesthetic, but the looser, drapier look in many ways went against what his model wanted (she made it clear that she preferred more form fitting styles). By contrast, Batani tried going with a slinky dress that hugged her model's curves (in other words, not trying to hide/cover up her model's figure), but I think the execution got botched - if she had gone with a moderately stretchy fabric (e.g., more stretch jersey than lycra), and made the dress a size larger, it may well have been a hit with the judges.

Quote

I invoked Sirano's initial limitations to designing for stick women, while another reiterated his success! All I can remember was how he treated that little girl designing a prom dress!

It's been a while since I've seen this episode, but I thought Christian's issues with that high schooler had more to do with her being an annoying, controlling know-it-all, rather than her size. But who knows - maybe her weight was part of the subtext.

[Avon.Blakes7]

9 minutes ago, sweetcookieface said:

Finally watched this episode. I have to say, for a challenge with so few constraints (basically, make a pretty dress), this was one of the worst runways I could recall. I wasn't impressed with anything on the runway, and there were so many contenders for bottom 3. 

Apparently I"m in the minority, but I thought Deyonte's dress was so, so boring. Sure, it was well constructed, but it looked like a nice dress you could get at, well, JC Penny. I think Kenya deserved a spot in the top 3 for how well made/striking it looked, even if the design wasn't that ground-breaking. And I can't really think of other looks that deserved the win. As painful as it is for me to admit, my favorite look may have been Claire's (the peach-ish tiered dress). I also really liked Kudzanai, but it didn't look red carpet. I didn't initially love Kentaro's, but I can appreciate it more the more I look at it (could just be that I like him and his point of view).

Of the bottom 3, I actually thought Batani's look was way worse than Chacha's. At least the latter had a point of view (even if it was a bit silly). Batani's looked like a cheap, tacky, horribly constructed prom dress. Aaron and Sentell could have easily been bottom 3 as well (I thought those were way worse than Shawn's).

I appreciate the model diversity this season, but I hope the judging doesn't turn into a referendum on which designers honored/respected their models' (larger) figures. Especially since that can be rather subjective. I thought Brandon's look turned out fine, and I think he remained true to his aesthetic, but the looser, drapier look in many ways went against what his model wanted (she made it clear that she preferred more form fitting styles). By contrast, Batani tried going with a slinky dress that hugged her model's curves (in other words, not trying to hide/cover up her model's figure), but I think the execution got botched - if she had gone with a moderately stretchy fabric (e.g., more stretch jersey than lycra), and made the dress a size larger, it may well have been a hit with the judges.

It's been a while since I've seen this episode, but I thought Christian's issues with that high schooler had more to do with her being an annoying, controlling know-it-all, rather than her size. But who knows - maybe her weight was part of the subtext.

It was both, but that was to be expected; her being a brat anyway! Believe me that's a typical "little girl" attitude! I remember the 1st time I went to a salon to have my hair blow-dried,. a few girls were ahead of me using a $10 coupon, but were so demanding saying "I want this to last!" They were the rudest pieces of crap, but it's pretty typical; the self-entitlement! Christian still didn't put forth any effort with that dress barely covering her arse! Not sure who picked that hideous color of brown! It was just a nightmare of an effort regardless if you think she deserved it or not! I just gave you my impression of the situation! I personally would never put up with a spoiled brat, but I've been lucky to never have been required! ;-)

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, Avon.Blakes7 said:

I can hardly blame foreigners for being lost with how we've bastardized our language and culture!

Language and culture are living things though.  They naturally evolve.  It isn't just an American thing either. The English that was spoken in the Middle Ages isn't the same English that was spoken in the 1900s.  The slang of the 1800s isn't the slang of today.   Idioms  and dialects exist all over the world within every region even within micro-regions.  Language patterns change base on many different factors, new words evolve and people even adopt other language's words into their own lexicon mean a meaning is better conveyed.  It only makes sense for people who are not native speakers of a language  not to be up on the different idioms and cultural movements of that language or its people.  There should be no negative connotation to that on the part of the speakers of the language or the ones who don't understand it.

[ratgirlagogo]

9 hours ago, Empress1 said:

 I had to explain to her that tranny was an offensive term for a person and that blowing one meant something completely different!  She literally had no idea.

Many native born Americans (esp. Californians like me) would call a car transmission a tranny.  I would, for example.  No need to assume any kind of transphobia  if the context is obviously car related.

[Avon.Blakes7]

1 minute ago, Swim mom said:

I don't remember his commenting on her weight at all. I remember she wanted to draw the picture, she wanted to select the fabric, and she insisted on the lace, all after telling him that she was going to be a designer.  The judges liked it when it walked, but then when they were talking after the runway, the judges lowered his score for how poorly they communicated.

So out of all those girls, that one was the only obnoxious brat? Ok! ;-)

[Jobiska]

I pre-liked Batani (will admit it was at least partly because, if I recall correctly, she had a cat in her at-home scenes, whereas at least three others had dogs, which are all very well but...).  Was quite perturbed to see her intentionally make it look like her model stopped in the bathroom and got toilet paper stuck on her rear!  

I don't know if it's okay to talk about previews in this forum--I know some of the other PTV ones are strict about it--but I don't see a speculation board and I see others have talked about it.  I'll delete this bit if necessary.  I don't think Batani is the one accused of cheating, unless Kentaro's accusation is baseless (or perceived as such by almost everyone else), because in that section, where she's breaking down sobbing, about 6 hands are coming in from all directions patting her on the shoulder etc.  I dunno--I kind of wish I hadn't seen that scene, because other than being annoyed by the twins (especially them taking on the role of hosts in the beginning, I mean, come on!), I don't really dislike anyone, and even they I just find annoying (I confess I watched Twinning, and didn't mind them horribly on there, but then again for a lot of that show all the twins lived separately except when competing, so they didn't do that talk-together, play off each other, etc. and also everyone was on more of a level playing field as far as advantages go, rather than only them having previously worked together as on PR).  Anyway, now I'm going to be on edge until that scene comes and goes.

Unpopular opinion:  I kind of like the model cam/model responses!  To each their own.

[phoenix780]

This gimmick...instead of hearing from the models, I wish they'd have added a judge to the panel who focuses on designing for a variety of sizes. Or found contestants who do. 

The pens are awesome. They have ink that can be erased with heat, which is magic as far as I'm concerned. 

[Omega Mu]

From the Lansing State Journal: 

"They also competed in “Twinning,” a 2015 VH1 show that separated twins, then tested their intuition and knowledge of each other.

They won and hoped to be hosts of a second season ... except there wasn't one. Instead, a bit later, “Runway” beckoned."

I think they want Heidi's job!

[Jextella]

Any spoilers out there on the cheating matter?  Seems Tim berated a bunch of the designers all at once so it comes off as a group thing of some sort.

I'm no pro or anything but the I thought of Aspergers after watching the twins.

[Rancide]

On 8/19/2017 at 10:43 AM, StatisticalOutlier said:

The abdomen area looked pretty bad on that skinny model.

Am I just confused about what the definition of "modest" is?  That design didn't show much skin, but I think it's extremely revealing, and can't believe it would fly in a situation where modesty was required.  By this standard, full body paint would also be modest.

 

Yeah, I was pretty disappointed.  I was excited about the "modest fashion" designer because I also generally prefer to wear clothes on the more modest side, but that wasn't doing it for me.  I could see her model's belly button indentation!  There were several designs, including Brandon's with the actual stomach showing, that I would have felt more comfortable in than what Ayana did. 

I also hope the hijab on the model is not going to be an every week thing.  Those of us who aren't going to be covering our hair/neck want to know what the neckline looks like!

Edited August 21, 2017 by Rancide

[ElectricBoogaloo]

What really annoyed me about the twins interviewing the other designers as they showed up was that they were just using it as a segueway for talking themselves. "What kind of clothes do you design?" "Well, I mostly do-" "Well, WE make blah blah blah blah me me me."

I gave Cha Cha a pass on using the word fat because he is not a native English speaker and it can be difficult to pick up all the nuances of connotation versus denotation. I know that when I learned French and Italian, the adjectives we were taught were very basic. I specifically remember in Italian, the chapter where we learned adjectives to describe people used words like magro (thin) and grasso (fat).

Related anecdote: one of the post-docs I worked with came here from France. He spoke very good English but he wanted to learn slang and less formal English so unbeknownst to us, he enrolled in a conversational class that was supposed to teach slang, idioms, etc. One day he used a phrase that was so odd that the rest of us looked at each other like, "What did he just say?" He had told us from the first day he came to our lab that he wanted us to correct him if he said anything that was grammatically incorrect or not the way Americans would phrase something so we asked him where he had learned that particular phrase. That's when he told us about this class he was taking. He showed us a worksheet that the instructor had given the class with allegedly popular sayings and current slang. Half of the stuff on there was totally outdated stuff that NO ONE would ever say. It was like the teacher had watched some old episodes of Happy Days and written down whatever he thought sounded cool. We told him never to go back to that terrible class again!

[Qoass]

Quote

We've been close to something like this with siblings! They said, if one sent home, both would go! I think they changed their minds and only 1 sent packing! My memory's awful, anyone remember them? ;-)

I immediately thought of The Brittenum twins: two African American male singers who made it to Hollywood Week on American Idol. When one didn't make the cut, the other commandeered a microphone, climbed up on stage and announced, "My spirit (pause) has been broken." He thought if he threatened to leave, he'd save his brother but not surprisingly, the powers that be were fine with them both hitting the road.

I thought Shawn's shorts would have looked fine if she'd styled them with some striped tube socks and glittery roller skates but with the top, she would have run the risk of some terrible Isadora Duncan-style accident.

Edited August 21, 2017 by Qoass

[StatisticalOutlier]

I''m now wondering if Deyonte's dress would have been judged differently if it hadn't been on a black woman with straight hair who reminded people of Michelle Obama.  The judges said something like, "I could see Michelle Obama wearing that"--would they have said the same thing if that same dress had been on a short (can I say short?) white woman with frizzy red hair?  Did that affect their feelings about it?

Or perhaps more importantly, does it matter?  All of this is so subjective, except maybe the execution. 

[Qoass]

Good question.

In previous seasons, the goal seem to be to create a look that would sell to as many women as possible (as long as they were young, slim and wealthy) whereas the emphasis this week seemed to be on whether the garment worked well for the model they happened to get. As a veteran watcher of America's Next Top Model, it amused me to see them asking the models how they liked the clothes since expressing an opinion was a sign of a bad attitude on that show.

[Yokosmom]

Quote

I''m now wondering if Deyonte's dress would have been judged differently if it hadn't been on a black woman with straight hair who reminded people of Michelle Obama.  The judges said something like, "I could see Michelle Obama wearing that"--would they have said the same thing if that same dress had been on a short (can I say short?) white woman with frizzy red hair?  Did that affect their feelings about it?

I'm assuming that if Deyonte had been given a short, red frizzy-haired model that he may have picked a different fabric/colors/pattern.  Didn't they meet their models before going to Mood?

[Madding crowd]

The assignments are different each time. Most of the time it's not meant to be sold, it's more about the creative process and finding new ideas and trends. Other times it can be about adding something to a clothing line that exists. This assignment was about a red carpet look that showed the designers point of view. The judges have always asked the models how they feel in the clothes. Of course, that isn't done in regular fashion shows but this is a contest and one of the criteria.

[StatisticalOutlier]

4 hours ago, Yokosmom said:

I'm assuming that if Deyonte had been given a short, red frizzy-haired model that he may have picked a different fabric/colors/pattern.  Didn't they meet their models before going to Mood?

Yes, they did.  But it got me to thinking that maybe having a level playing field is one reason why there's a standard size for a model, so the designs can be judged (on PR or on the real runway) equally against each other.  If a design is for a problematic shape, is it graded on a curve? 

This challenge has illustrated to me how subjective the whole thing is.

[RubyRena17]

I agree. They cast on eccentricity and sob stories more than portfolio. There are about 8 or 9 designers that should be on the bottom. Maybe more. It's torture waiting for them to get eliminated so we can see true competition, design and skill. 

I am married to, and work with many Asian people and (sorry for the stereotype) they are nuanced in classical music but not American idiom, euphemism or sarcasm. My Japanese mother-in-law called all Americans "German" which equated with "fat" "stubborn" "coarse" "ungracious." OK enough of that.

Batani looks great in her own African get-ups, although I don't know how she can WORK in all that fabric and hat etc. I was shocked at how bad and tasteless and poorly crafted her gray dress of shame was.

In recent years, the world has interpreted "tall and thin fashion model" to mean "YOU, YES YOU NEED TO LOOK JUST LIKE THIS, and if you don't, well then develop an effective eating disorder or cleanse that will take off more weight than you should." That is just ridiculous. Thus the sized models. Round and round we go. (no pun intended!)

Lastly, I am actually NOT OFFENDED that fashion models are tall and thin usually. We aren't supposed to be looking at bodies, but beautiful/edgy CLOTHES. High fashion is ART. That is what I want to see. I can see the design ethic better on a tall thin model. Yes, real people come in all shapes and sizes. The fashion will EVENTUALLY be applied to everyone. This season, the model size differences are adding problems and complexity for the designers that aren't all that skilled to begin with.

Edited August 21, 2017 by RubyRena17
spelling

[Glade]

I'm not into this season so far; Brandon's look reminded me of Ashley's designs, and I really thought Cha-Cha should have stayed; he was cute and at least he didn't lie to Heidi's face on-stage about putting someone into ill-fitting stretch fabric that was so tight it ripped and then putting cheap applique and huge flaps over it.  I also don't like that the models are characters on the show again, since it just adds more drama and detracts from the clothes/art/design which is why I watch. 

I wonder are they going to 'randomly eliminate' a model each week, or is the one who was paired with the losing designer going home?  That might be the real reason why Cha-Cha got the boot--because he wasn't attached to one of the plus size models who they'll want to keep around.  In any case, I'm sure they will 'randomly assign' one of the bigger girls to whoever winds up being the winner so they can get the PR stunt two years in a row without (hopefully) rewarding a horrendous collection like Ashley's.  Then again this is the 'jc penny season' so I imagine they'll veer away from anything high-fashion or experimental, and will probably encourage final collections more like Wendy Pepper's. 

Edited August 21, 2017 by Glade

[meep.meep]

21 hours ago, Omega Mu said:

From the Lansing State Journal: 

"They also competed in “Twinning,” a 2015 VH1 show that separated twins, then tested their intuition and knowledge of each other.

They won and hoped to be hosts of a second season ... except there wasn't one. Instead, a bit later, “Runway” beckoned."

I think they want Heidi's job!

Indeed!

Put me down as liking the model mirror and showing some of the behind the scenes stuff.  Anything but more commercials.

And sign me up for drinks with Amy and Margarita once it's all over.

[NowVoyager]

This show is sadistic. 

In one day, they had to transit to the meet & greet, meet everybody & have drinks, sketch, transit to Mood, shop, transit to the work room (they were there by 10:30am), work until 10:30pm, transit to their hotel, check in, unpack, shower, sleep in a room with strangers, then they were back in the work room by 9am for runway day. All in a large, slow-moving group. Good Lord!

Cha cha should never have been cast. He has zero talent. He was beyond rude to his model on the runway. The judges can see. He didn't need to call her a "big girl." I felt like she wanted to shank him with one of her exquisitely chisled cheekbones.

Brandon's camo & pink outfit should have been safe, not in the top. And that gold, alien monstrosity should have been in the bottom, not safe. Lol, how did they miss that?

I thought Kenya's white dress was so sweet. Her model looked like an absolute doll. If she keeps up this display of skill, I'm sure she'll be able to secure a nice job in fashion. I'm really rooting for her!

Betani should have picked a fabric that better represented her asthetic--- ethnic prints & bold colors. Also, she should have just admitted that she screwed up & cut the dress too small. Her attempts to save the look were disastrous. Why stand by something you know looks bad & is poorly sewn?

[Yokosmom]

Quote

 But it got me to thinking that maybe having a level playing field is one reason why there's a standard size for a model, so the designs can be judged (on PR or on the real runway) equally against each other.

I agree that it would be easier to judge with an even playing field.  But, on the other hand, as a plus sized woman myself, I think that I will enjoy seeing what they come up with for the bigger models.  Because, up to this point, if there is a wonderful outfit, I can admire it, but always think "that's beautiful--but I can't wear it and it will look like crap on me"

Quote

The fashion will EVENTUALLY be applied to everyone

No, most definitely not everone.  Perhaps it is a lack of imagination on my part that I can't imagine most of these clothes being adapted to my shape.

I actually thought that the first runway wasn't that bad.  Yes, there were some atrocious outfits, but, compared to the last few seasons, it seemed like a better runway overall.  Or maybe I have just blotted the last five seasons of first runways out, which is highly possible.

Cha-Cha's outfit was ridiculous and deserved to go, but then, so did the designer of the gold Star Trek dress.  I think that Brandon just got extremely lucky this challenge and his lack of knowledge of women's wear will probably do him in rather quickly, but who knows? 

I don't think that those tacky shorts belonged on any red carpet.  I think that the twins spend too much time reinforcing to each other how fabulous they are.

[WhoInvitedHer]

Quote

 I don’t want to turn this snark into seriousness, but the amount of Asian and Asian-American designers this show has featured over the years, presented as laughing-stocks, and Zac calling Chacha a princess tonight . . . I’ll just put it this way: the taste level is questionable. 

I was thinking the same thing. I'm sure my memory is not accurate, but it seems like there's always a kooky Asian contestant who designs off-the-wall fashions, and they are always the first ones auffed (or are at least gone by episode 3). If their style isn't appropriate for the American market that I guess this show is aimed at, why cast them in the first place?

Speaking of why cast them in the first place, all the menswear designers? Nothing wrong with menswear, but I really do not want to watch a whole season of menswear designers whine about being out of their wheelhouse.

Quote

Nina mentioned that the only body part on display was the model's back, (deliberately?) overlooking the shortness of the dress and her legs showing to the upper thighs.

Right?! There seemed to be quite a bit on display to me!

I was very underwhelmed by this premiere. With the exception of Brandon's, which I did like a lot, and maybe Margarita's pretty red and pink number, I didn't think any of the designs were great shakes. The winning look was nice enough, but I thought it aged the model. It did have a Michelle Obama vibe as one of the judges pointed out. Michelle is obviously a lovely woman, but that's still not necessarily the best comparison when the model is half her age. 

I didn't think ChaCha's was all that bad. I liked it a hell of a lot more than Batani's gray rag. The flower embellishments around the neckline were cool and I liked the low scooped out back. I wouldn't wear it but I could see the right celebrity wearing it. Nobody would wear Batani's dress. And you can't tell me that it was worse than that gold monstrosity. How on earth was that not in the bottom?

As others have said, I don't care what the models think about the clothing, and I definitely do not think it should be a factor in the judging. If a garment is unflattering, that should be apparent to the judges who have a trained eye for it. Unless it's actually physically painful or encumbering, how the model feels is irrelevant. It may just not be their style. 

Unfortunately I think this show has gone too far over the edge with their pushing of diversity. It's always been one of the things I liked about the show, but when you sacrifice talent and educated judging for the sake of casting as many of every possible type of minority you can, and then adding in an anvil of body diversity awareness on top, it stops becoming about who is designing the best fashion. I hope I'm wrong and there is some talent in this bunch. Fingers crossed.

Edited August 22, 2017 by WhoInvitedHer

[devonshiredeb]

On 8/20/2017 at 10:48 PM, Omega Mu said:

From the Lansing State Journal: 

"They also competed in “Twinning,” a 2015 VH1 show that separated twins, then tested their intuition and knowledge of each other.

They won and hoped to be hosts of a second season ... except there wasn't one. Instead, a bit later, “Runway” beckoned."

I think they want Heidi's job!

They can go away now...in fact I hope they are part of the "scandal" and that they have to disappear from our lives...and social media.

[tessat]

I love Japanese fashion - it's fun. Cosplay, Hello Kitty, anime - I'm too old to wear it but the youth there seem to embrace clothing rather than the youth in the US who seem to follow the less is better route. Kardashian bears her butt - everyone is doing it, wear bras as tops because someone in Hollywood did it and then they get suspended from school for inappropriate clothing and end up with their 15 minutes of fame. 

[Wandering Snark]

It's been mentioned previously, but this season really should be Project Runway: Graded on a Curve.

[sofaslug]

On 8/18/2017 at 1:08 AM, sleepyjean said:

Maddy the dance moms girl. Really? I mean i guess she's not any less relevant than snooki and j wow. I dislike that PR has become home to all these D list celebrities promoting new projects nobody cares about.

 

 

I had the same reaction when I heard her name.

[bitchin camaro]

I think it's all been said already, but HOLY MOTHER OF GOD THOSE TWINS!!!! I really thought at the beginning with the way they were interviewing everyone who walked in the door that it was going to be some kind of surprise twist and these were the instagram judges here to give us the pulse of the kids today instead of being actual contestants. I'm sure it was edited to appear even stranger than it was in real life, but it was really, really off-putting. 

I'd have aufed Batani because that dress had no design, didn't meet the brief, was poorly constructed, didn't fit, and reflected nothing of what she supposedly is as a designer. It would have looked equally shitty on a size 2, with the exception of possibly not tearing when she put the model into it (although that happens a lot more often with straight sized models than I would have thought it could - if your model is six feet tall with no visible body fat and you still make the dress too small? WTF? Have you ever actually met a woman before?) 

Menswear dude made his outfit look a lot better than I thought he would, given all the kvetching during the workday.

Cha Cha's was baaddd (and I LOVE sparkles!) but it was a lot more interesting than that gray grandma's doilies as an afterthought monstrosity. He was obviously cannon fodder from the get go. 

The twin with hair (Claire?) - I swear her dress was on the cover of Teen Magazine in 1986. Clearly influenced by her time at Betsey Johnson, but not even remotely updated. All it needed was a crimped side ponytail and it would have fit right in at one of my middle school dances. 

Other twin - those shorts were stupid in concept and not even well done.

Kenya's was lovely. Nothing groundbreaking, but it was mostly well made and looked elegant and like you might actually see it on a red carpet.

I really liked the sparkly furry top thing that someone I can't remember made. I thought that was fun and with a different set of pants, could have been pretty cool looking. 

I want to party with Amy and Margarita. Amy's cape/skirt was badass, and Margarita's dress was fun. And those impressions - lololol.

I'm forgetting everyone else, because I was so annoyed with those damn twins that it was hard to even pay attention. I know they're here for the duration (thanks, producers!) and I guess I'm a glutton for punishment because I am too. 

[sofaslug]

At this point for Project Runway, I'm annoyed with designers who complain that <insert challenge du jour here> isn't what they do.  Have they never seen the show?!   It's like the cheftestants on Top Chef bitching about a type of food or technique.  It's a competition, people!  You're going to be asked to do things you don't normally do.  I thought Brandon was going to have a nervous breakdown before they even got to the runway.

I don't remember who the designer was but, that gold thing was hid.e.ous.  That, as well as Batani's should've been on the chopping block.  Although I can't disagree with Chacha's aufing.

And, yeah, the twins are annoying.  Indeed.

[LennieBriscoe]

No need to forget any designer or dress; all are found on the PR website!

How do you think I could post in detail?! ?

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway

Edited August 23, 2017 by LennieBriscoe

[lh25]

On 8/17/2017 at 10:36 PM, dwarmed said:

I was a little surprised at the auf, since kooky usually wins over boring/frumpy/shitty construction at the beginning. Also, kooky designers are usually kept around until at least the first team challenge to drive the other designers nuts

I agree.  What did they think they were getting with him?  They saw his work and how he dressed himself.

 

I'm wondering how versetile the modest looks can be that Ayana does can be?  While I think her work is lovely, the silhouettes all look very similar.

[Twiz44]

I had to laugh when ChaCha said at his exit (paraphrasing), "I'm so embarrassed that I'm the first person eliminated".  Elimination is what caused him embarrassment??  From the man with a cupcake or ice cream cone or whatever on his shirt and a stuffed bear pinned to his jacket???  

[odduck]

4 hours ago, lh25 said:

I'm wondering how versetile the modest looks can be that Ayana does can be?  While I think her work is lovely, the silhouettes all look very similar.

They can't be. She's a gimmick contestant, just there to tick a box.

[Tabbygirl521]

I have identical twin grandsons and I pray to God they don't end up annoying the fuck out of everyone. Oy. Cha Cha's goofy cluelessness was no surprise, based on his audition nuttiness. You just know he was accepted as cannon fodder for episode one. I was kinda hating Brandon for the whining throughout but then he got his shit amazingly together! I thought he was going to be a boo -and-butt hater but no. Excellent!

[azshadowwalker]

On 8/19/2017 at 11:56 AM, 2727 said:

I was, too. I looked at 10 or so websites that advertised modest clothing (which was a trip down religious alleyways), but most of them seemed to agree that it means some type of sleeve, no cleavage, no cutouts, and nothing above the knee. But tight and clingy are fine, especially in evening wear.

When I worked in higher education, most of our female Muslim students dressed exactly like this. The tightest sweaters and jeans you have ever seen  paired with a scarf. It was considered "modest" because no skin (except the face) or hair showed. 

[Brookside]

Did someone say versatility is necessary?  Does that mean Anya was a bad dream? I've long been hoping so.

[Barlowe]

I'm very iffy on this season's cast. I haven't watched every season but it seems like the worst casting. Why would you pick someone who's never designed women's clothing? If all the models are women, why does it matter to cast menswear designers at all? I just watched the twins on a twin reality competition (#Twinning) and they were annoying, now I have to watch them every week. Plenty of siblings audition for the show but they just so happen to pick the twin sisters with celebrity connections? Come on. That's an automatic alliance and helping hand not to mention once of them leaves, they'll spend their talking heads mourning them. I can also see why they call the one annoying bird, I've never seen a name fit more especially as he has to compare everyone he meets to a celebrity of the same race. Everyone has high-quality photos of their fashion lines and they cast a fashion professor? What exactly are the requirements/cutoff nowadays?

Edited August 24, 2017 by Lilacly

[Barlowe]

On 2017-08-19 at 9:01 PM, sleepyjean said:

I hadn't thought of that until you pointed it out. Katy is very busty. It's quite a feat to squash her in there like that. I suspect that's some sort of unconventional material. Looks like it's made of cut up volleyballs or something.

I'm pretty sure around that time she almost always wore pleather (plastic leather)