S16.E02: An Unconventional Recycling

[candall]

15 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

... especially the guy who made up the pattern (Brandon?)

Indeed.  (HAHAHAHAHAHAHA)

I thought Brandon was robbed when he wasn't recognized by the others for contributing the pattern that tied all their looks together.  When the judges asked, "Who do you think should get the win?", it was a little sketch that two of them punted with:  "I like x outfit the most."  (Especially since those two liked each other's best.)

I know it's a horrible question and only asked to generate drama, but this time, one of them had physically created the design element that made it a "collection."

[TudorQueen]

Well, I don't like Amy as much as I did before. Her dislike of the twins seems intensely personal and makes Amy look mean.

Which doesn't mean I give Shawn a free pass. Her design was in some ways better than last week, but her execution was poor, her attitude poorer still. She and Claire have an understandable but I think competitively harmful codependency. I do like their clear love for each other and enjoy their byplay.

i love Kenya, Batani and especially Ayana. They are capable, low-drama and have great attitudes. Brandon is a focused "never give up" type, and I respect that, but I don't like his designs much - though making the printed vinyl was very smart! I also really like Deyonte, Samantha, a couple of mid-range designers whose names escape me.... not feeling strongly about Aaron and Michael one way or another. I thought the Puerto Rican lady would be irritating, but she really isn't.

I love the word "curvy" - it evokes lovely, sensual bodies for me - but the 'coding' of it by Shawn for "fat" annoyed me a lot. Oh, and Shawn? You just pissed off the editor of Marie-Claire. Your days were numbered anyway, but you a have hit date-stamped territory with that.

Bye, Sentell. You are very sweet and probably were great to have around the workroom, but sometimes a garbage bag is just a garbage bag

[GaT]

3 hours ago, cpcathy said:

The "curvy" talk perturbed me as well. The model was obviously gorgeous, but she was proportional. It's not like the bottom was out of proportion to the top, or her boobs were ginormous, Shawn should have been able to take the skinny girls she's used to and add some inches to her tape measure. I thought it was a cop out. The dude who usually does menswear is doing a great job already and has not complained. Why can't Shawn?

This is exactly right. No matter what size the models are, they're still models. That means that they are proportional. If you took one of the "curvy" models & compressed her thinner, she would look like the skinny models. The designers should be able to adjust.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

22 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Dewey Finn: You've heard of Aretha Franklin, right?  She's a big lady. But when she sings, she blows people's minds. Everyone wants to party with Aretha! And, you know who else has a weight issue?

Tomika: Who?

Dewey Finn: Me. But when I get up there and start doing my thing, people worship me! Because I'm sexy, and chubby, man.

Don't you mean, "Turkey Sub?"  LOL

Well played, Ms. Blue Jay.  That movie is infinitely quotable.

If I never hear the word "modest" again, it'll be too soon.

. 

53 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Oh.  Poor Sentell.  I didn't realize he did the gold thing.  Poor sweet kid!  He's so handsome.

Ok.  I didn't realize that he did the gold thing either.  Then he definitely was living on borrowed time in the competition and I'm not as sorry to see him go.

[Ms Blue Jay]

12 hours ago, Broderbits said:

Well, the term "balling" means having sex, so that kind of stunned me too. Who wants to be on a team called "Having Sex on a Budget"?

It does?!

As for all the comments about Tim being disgusted with the Team Names - LOL.  I missed that.

What kind of Team Name would please Tim Gunn?  

How about Team Gunn?  Sounds like how Heidi pronounces his name, maybe?

@SuburbanHangSuite, LOL.  It's one of my favourites.  Possibly in my Top 10.  Infinitely quotable is correct.  Indeed

Edited August 25, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[candall]

Did anyone notice Nina saying ". . . and the FIT is just perrrrrfect!" as the camera panned over a horrible piece of blue something-or-other, cupping under the model's belly and crumping unevenly, directly in front of her crotch?

I hope the editors are going to sneak in some other fun touches like that this year.

[Brookside]

16 hours ago, Beaner said:

New drinking game. Take a shot every time Ayana says MODEST. modest modest modest modest modest modest modest modest modest modest. She sounds like a damn Duggar. 

I read your comment before watching, so made a half-hearted effort to count.  At least six modesty mentions, plus  a bonus from Zac.

[Ms Blue Jay]

4 hours ago, eurekagirl mOo said:

I'm 5'7 and a size 14. I'm not fat, I'm not "curvy" I'm a Woman!!!

What does a curvy woman wear? The same thing you do bitch! 

I'm 5'6 and a size 14 too!  This entire speech of yours was awesome.  Thanks

[Ms Blue Jay]

2 hours ago, Beden said:

Smart, educated, talented and both quite handsome and athletic but, IMO, emotionally stunted. They seem happy enough but, personally, I don't see it as all that healthy.

Interesting.  My brother and I are in our 30s and we live in buildings next door to each other.  Wonder what the analysts would say about that one.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

1 hour ago, Omega Mu said:

I don't remember, did they say the models are assigned randomly?  Because if Shaun doesn't get the size 22 girl next week there is something wrong in the universe.

Heidi said that the models will be rotated every week which made me think/hope that rather than pulling names from the button bag for (alleged) random model assignments, they are doing the equivalent of the chore wheel so that each designer will work with all of the other models before repeating. 

3 hours ago, Madding crowd said:

I doubt that the workroom smelled bad. I'm sure the designers were given only clean paper and other items to work with, even if those items were newly purchased. The recycling plant probably did smell bad, paper processing always smells awful. 

I assumed that the workroom was stinky due to all the vinyl. Most vinyls have a strong chemical smell, especially when they're new. 

[2727]

How could those huge puffed sleeves on the newsprint dress go unremarked by the judges? They were ridiculous. Shirtwaist dresses with full skirts should be banned from the show, anyway, just for being so unimaginative. Unless the designer yearns to work for ModCloth, of course.

I rarely rag on (or notice) the models, but I kept wishing Brandon's would tug up the belt on her pants so the material didn't pooch out so much. Doing so would have covered up the nice bit of her stomach showing under the crop top, but the droopiness bothered me more.

[SuburbanHangSuite]

1 hour ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

What kind of Team Name would please Tim Gunn?  

"Team Caucus," of course!

[Ms Blue Jay]

Team Concerned.  Team Flotsam. Team Jetsam. Team Zaftig.

Edited August 25, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[TudorQueen]

Team Unity (or Team Cohesion), Team Happy, Team Buckets of Love.

Tim's an optimist at heart.

[magpye29]

3 hours ago, Beden said:

The greatly remind me of my twin nephews, now 37. Both very smart, multiple advanced degrees, internationally ranked in chess and all that; they're even nice guys. The problem is that, like the PR twins, they're joined at the hip and have never really been separated. When it was time for college they went to schools on opposite coasts--it lasted one year then one transferred to the other's school where they shared a dorm room through out their education. They saved their $, bought a duplex home; they live on one side and rent out the other for income.Professionally they're in demand and doing well.

Are their names Jonathan and Drew?

[greenbean]

3 hours ago, dleighg said:

I was kind of upset that they kept using the word "curvy" though, as in saying "She's NOT curvy".  I mean, that model *WAS* curvy, in that she was shaped like a healthy-real-woman. She had boobs.She was probably a size 6 or 8, which I can only dream about.  I know what they meant was, "she's not what you're implying-- she's not plus sized". And I know there's no way for them to use a different word than Shawn was using without being rude. It just bugged me. 

They made it seem like "curvey" is an insult.  I mean the model isn't slim, nor skinny like traditional models, so what would be the acceptable thing to say? I thought curvey was considered the more appropriate term, but apparently not.

Either way I'm glad Shawn didn't go. I like the twins, and her dress wasn't the worse. Sentell had that honour. His dress was basically a garbage bag cinched at the waist. A description the judges have used to condemn many designs. So he deserved to go, not least for thinking his dress was amazing. Poor taste levels right there. And it was his concept that they were following, his material choices and colour palette. He was arrogant to stand there and go in on Shawn just because she had problems. He did not take any responsibility for his role in putting the team on the bottom. As soon as he said "sea resort" I knew they were in trouble. The other designers were too clueless to notice. Only Shawn saw that the road he was taking them down was terrible, and I think that's partly why she struggled.

 

I agreed with Ayana's win, and the team being on top. I'm glad Batani turned it around, she seems like one of the more interesting designers. I think most of the designers in that team had interesting things going on in their garments. This seems like a good cast, I'm enjoying the show so far.

Edited August 25, 2017 by greenbean

[fivestone]

3 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

And Maggie Q is seriously thin, in person even moreso of course, so I thought that was kind of cool that she was so upset.

Really? I thought it was pretty disingenuous, actually, because of the following reason:

 

3 minutes ago, greenbean said:

They made it seem like "curvey" is an insult.  I mean the model isn't slim, nor skinny like traditional models, so what would be the acceptable thing to say? I thought curvey was considered the more appropriate term, but apparently not.

 

 

Exactly this. Shawn didn't call the model fat or plus size. The fact is, yes, the model looks like a perfectly lovely, normal woman, but in the modeling world, she's not exactly the sample size model that she might be used to designing for. In comparison to someone who is a size 0 or size 2 (like the typical models appearing on Project Runway), the model is a good size 8 or so. Nothing wrong with being size 8, and it's certainly not "large" or "plus size" but someone that size is curvier in comparison to someone of a much smaller size.

I'm not going to knock the twins for the way they speak. We don't know their background or why they speak the way they do, but I'm pretty sure it's not some fake affectation. Maybe they're even on the autism spectrum. I don't know, but for whatever reason, I like them pretty well. I like the cast in general. This should be a fun season.

[FormerMod-a1]

I did not like the winning dress.  From a distance it looked good, and moved well, but up close it looked the most like a grade-schoolers construction paper craft project, especially on the body area - front and back.

[azshadowwalker]

Sentell may not have had a top look last week, but the judges obviously didn't hate it. Shawn has been awful both weeks, and would have had nothing at all if her teammates hadn't done her work. She should have gone. 

As for Brandon, I am not as impressed with him as everyone else. He painted on some vinyl, then made almost the exact same outfit he made last week. No design vision at all. Kenya did the best job making unconventional materials look like fabric. Almost everyone else took a much easier way out. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

Re: @fivestone

Curvy is a euphemism.  Shawn was using curvy as a euphemism.  She was using the word to mean these things: Not a model, not thin, not stick-thin, not who I'm used to designing for.  

Shawn was being insulting.  The classy thing to do would be to put up and shut up. This is Project Runway.  It's been on for 15 seasons.  The designers well know that designing for non models is standard for this competition.  On international television Shawn then publicly stated several times her obvious freaking out at designing for a non-model size, non-zero size woman.  It was insulting and unnecessary.  If you're a fashion designer, and you can't design for what @fivestone guesses is maybe a size 8 woman, then you are bad at this.  Very bad at this.  

My mother is a designer, and I've watched her design for people size 00 to size 20+.  She doesn't run around screaming when somebody is more than a size 2.  Trust me.  

Sorry, I'm not even going to wade into the "You can't say anything because she might have autism" pool.  

Edited August 25, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[CoyoteBlue]

2 hours ago, TudorQueen said:

Well, I don't like Amy as much as I did before. Her dislike of the twins seems intensely personal and makes Amy look mean.

Considering the twins' dramatics were dragging down the team, stressing them out and making them abandon their own stuff to make sure they made Shawn something to walk down the runway.... I'd take that personally too. I hate any team thing where I have to factor someone else's suckage into my workload. She probably would have taken it less personally  if they could have let Shawn swing in the wind without penalizing themselves.

[Bellalisa]

If i may, perhaps, indeed!

[Beden]

52 minutes ago, magpye29 said:

Are their names Jonathan and Drew?

Uh...nope.

Quote

Either way I'm glad Shawn didn't go. I like the twins, and her dress wasn't the worse.

No, it wasn't the worse but her neurotic meltdown made everyone spend time to bail her out of the problem she created for herself, plus it caused her sister to focus on her tears and so spent less time on her own project. Sure, it was a team challenge and she was lucky the team rallied around but she was, at best, the worst and least helpful member of the team and only scraped by because the others jumped in to help her. And yes, I agree that Sendal's (sp?) dress seriously suck eggs.

[Empress1]

53 minutes ago, greenbean said:

They made it seem like "curvey" is an insult.  I mean the model isn't slim, nor skinny like traditional models, so what would be the acceptable thing to say? I thought curvey was considered the more appropriate term, but apparently not.

I don't think curvy is the appropriate term because it evokes a certain body shape and proportions. The woman on the far left is curvy. (Top row, and she appears elsewhere on the page.) Not all plus-sized women are curvy. You can also be a curvy small size if your waist is much smaller than your bust and hips. However, Shawn wasn't using curvy in the "36/24/36" proportions sense, she was using it in the "bigger than a size 2 = fat" sense. It was a thinly veiled insult. That model most certainly was not fat. Shawn was having a version of the meltdown that the nastiest of the designers who don't like designing for non-models have during the "real person" challenges, which I HATE. Jeffrey making Angela's mother cry and that other guy (who was overweight himself) who insulted his model so badly and repeatedly that the friend who nominated her for the show called him out on it during the judging still make me mad thinking about them.

Shawn seems fragile. I know all the designers say the show is really stressful, but it was very early in the game at this point - I was like "She's crying already?" She said maybe she wasn't cut out for this and I'm inclined to agree. And if she can't design for women who are bigger than sample sizes and there are models of every size to rotate through, she's going to have a hard time.

Edited August 25, 2017 by Empress1

[greenbean]

I don't think she was saying it as an insult. The model is not slim. She is on the bigger side. How is someone meant to express this? Yes curvy is actually related to body proportions, we all know this. But many bigger people have decided to call themselves curvy and pushed it as a more appropriate term. I certainly thought it was. I think Shawn was using it in that context. I think she was actually trying to be respectful.

[allonsyalice]

6 hours ago, Shannon L. said:

 I completely understand cohesion for the sake of a collection and the aesthetics of it, but I hate hearing "Would your girl really have all of these in her closet?" (or whatever it is that they say).  If they looked through my closet and in my dresser, it would look like a few different girls shared it and I love and still wear most of the pieces I own.  I go through phases, yes, especially with my color choices, but there are very few things that I don't wear anymore (and most of them are because I don't fit in them anymore, but can't part with them). 

yes! this! personally, my closet ranges from 1920s flapper girl to 1950s pink lady to "I've got my period, please leave me alone." There's too much range there, and if any outsider looked at it, they would assume eight different girls shared my clothes. It's great when they can create cohesive looks but, imo, they don't have to be ultra matching. sharing colour schemes and prints, but they dont have to go overboard.

I really loved that newspaper babydoll dress. I agree that it didn't really go with the rest of its collection, but I immediately started trying to figure out how to make one for myself. (which i may do, if I can acquire the plastic needed) 

Twins have got to go. It's gonna be annoying if Shawn is consistently in the bottom, yet foes not go home. I guess the other one can stay, but it seems like Shawn is more dramatic and less talented.  indeed. 

I didn't LOVE the winning look, but agree that the winning collection should have won. 

[ethalfrida]

That was one pretty much jacked up show last night... IMO.

I never see what the judges see and I am pretty free with styling. 

[Ms Blue Jay]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

that other guy (who was overweight himself) who insulted his model so badly and repeatedly that the friend who nominated her for the show called him out on it during the judging still make me mad thinking about them.

Ven Budhu

55 minutes ago, greenbean said:

I don't think she was saying it as an insult. The model is not slim. She is on the bigger side. How is someone meant to express this? Yes curvy is actually related to body proportions, we all know this. But many bigger people have decided to call themselves curvy and pushed it as a more appropriate term. I certainly thought it was. I think Shawn was using it in that context. I think she was actually trying to be respectful.

Why did it even needed to be expressed?  Also, she expressed it with panic and disdain.  This should be designing 101.  Women come in different shapes in sizes.  This is an art competition.  Why should an artist with such a limited palette be chosen for this show?  Also, if the average size of American woman is size 16 (just Googled it) then she is not on the bigger side whatsoever.  She is on the smaller.  I think that some people are forgetting that the models are people, not things.  It's weird of Shawn to act like she was so abnormal and such a problem to design for.  Some designers show such respect and reverence towards models.

Edited August 25, 2017 by Ms Blue Jay

[marys1000]

Quote

Im going thave to back and watch the Road to and see what thexaufed guy had?  Im sooo mad at him for not having done just a little better so the twin went home.  And what if his stuff is good Ill be soo more mad.  

I agree that the twins help each other and the one twin is carrying the other in this situation.  Had nothingto do with curvy that was just her excuse.  She cant do time pressure or play on a team.  Her sister dai "she lets fear get in her head" so she is known to have this problem.  

She should have stepped up at the end and been honest how she did almost nothing on her design herself.  Really threw him under the bus. 

Dont they have rules on helping?  Not during team challenge but last time and Im certain in the future the twins workas a team and thts cheating.

Didnt like the winning dress so I am at odds with a lot of you yhere.  Double silver triangles on the chezt lioked superhero.  Too busy in the back, fringe was sort of here and there and too long

Kenya robbed again

[izabella]

4 hours ago, GaT said:

This is exactly right. No matter what size the models are, they're still models. That means that they are proportional. If you took one of the "curvy" models & compressed her thinner, she would look like the skinny models. The designers should be able to adjust.

I think it requires more skill to design for larger sizes, and small sizes for women with curves, than for the long and lean figures.  Unless the fabric is stretchy or clingy, a design will need tailoring to accommodate for breasts, hips and butt.  For example, crop tops on slender women with small breasts lie flat and fall flat.  Same crop top in larger size for larger breasts creates a tent that gaps out over her waist.   If a designer doesn't have the skill or time to cut pieces and make seams, maybe with darts, then they'd be better off making the crop tops for larger breasted women of any size in a stretchier fabric.  It should mold around the bust, rather than looking like a boxy tent or megaphone cone.  Designers should know how to make clothes that flatter a woman's bust, rather than only designing clothes for women with small breasts. 

Sorry for the rant.  As you can tell, this is a pet peeve of mine.  I think if a designer wants to design women's clothes, then that designer should appreciate that women's bodies have breasts and hips and want to design for them not despite them. 

[dwarmed]

1 hour ago, greenbean said:

I don't think she was saying it as an insult. The model is not slim. She is on the bigger side. How is someone meant to express this? Yes curvy is actually related to body proportions, we all know this. But many bigger people have decided to call themselves curvy and pushed it as a more appropriate term. I certainly thought it was. I think Shawn was using it in that context. I think she was actually trying to be respectful.

 

39 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Why did it even needed to be expressed?  Also, she expressed it with panic and disdain.  This should be designing 101.  Women come in different shapes in sizes.  This is an art competition.  Why should an artist with such a limited palette be chosen for this show?  Also, if the average size of American woman is size 16 (just Googled it) then she is not on the bigger side whatsoever.  She is on the smaller.  I think that some people are forgetting that the models are people, not things.  It's weird of Shawn to act like she was so abnormal and such a problem to design for.  Some designers show such respect and reverence towards models.

She said 'curvy lady' in a very condescending tone, making it clear she was using it as a code. We all know she meant fat. It was not at all respectful. It shouldn't have been mentioned at all. I think the reason the judges jumped all over her is because she was using it as a cop-out. To my ears, it sounded like blaming the model for not being sample size. If only she'd had a skinny model, the design would have been great... like last week... oh...wait.

The range of sizes is a given for this season. All the designers should have accepted it after week 1 and should never bring it up as an excuse on the runway again.

[greenbean]

6 minutes ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Ven Budhu

Why did it even needed to be expressed?  Also, she expressed it with panic and disdain.  This should be designing 101.  Women come in different shapes in sizes.  This is an art competition.  Why should an artist with such a limited palette be chosen for this show?  Also, if the average size of American woman is size 16 (just Googled it) then she is not on the bigger side whatsoever.  She is on the smaller.  I think some people are forgetting the models are people.  It's weird of Shawn to act like she was so abnormal and such a problem to design for.

In the context of the fashion industry, size 16 is on the bigger side. And why does anything need to be expressed? For the same reason you'd say a model might be skinny, or tall, or short. How are you meant to describe the model if curvy is off limits, or are you not meant to to describe her at all?

It's worth noting that when Cha Cha called his model fat -- and she was nowhere near that -- there was a talking head montage of the contestants throwing out alternative descriptors, and curvy was one of words used. Kenya even corrected Cha Cha at the dining table, and used curvy.  That is the context Shawn was using the word in. Like I said, I think she was actually trying to be respectful. She obviously has her way of talking, where emphasis is placed on certain words. But I did not see disdain, or her acting like the model was abnormal. She was being honest about her own problems. And I think she was genuinely thrown by being hit with three things that pushed her out of her comfort zone, while having to go along with the sea resort concept which she knew was rubbish.

[jackjill89]

Oh the twins. They are special snowflakes. They are smug, self-important and think they can do no wrong. They were probably told that their entire lives. The speech affectations and hand gestures just put them over the edge into completely obnoxious. It's nice they got to design for celebrities (plural, but we've only heard about Katy Perry) because I think that after this experience they won't be. Shawn said she's more the conceptualist, so I think the other twin does most of the heavy lifting. Shawn will go first and then ponytail won't be able to do this without her and will leave soon after. 

They were brought on purely for the novelty factor. I thought their designs were crap. Words on a shirt isn't what makes a designer, that's what makes someone who runs a t-shirt kiosk at the mall. They should be working for a cheap, trendy disposable fashion company, because that's all they're good for.

Someone upthread mentioned that these contestants should practice for the show. I agree. It is just like the person who goes on Top Chef and doesn't know how to make a dessert. I would get out of my comfort zone, try using some whacky materials for things and certainly make sure I had a handle on designing for different sizes.

Was it Kenya that made the puffy sleeve newspaper dress? Because all I saw was Snow White. A little longer skirt and the model could have been romping through the forest with her woodland creature friends.

Edited August 25, 2017 by jackjill89

[leighdear]

I'm not convinced Batani "turned it all around" this week.  Her dress was simply narrow strips of the different fabrics, sewn together then wrapped around a very lovely, but very thin model.  No shaping I could see or anything but simple, straight lines.  The other 3 designers had set-in sleeves, gathers, fitted bottoms, etc. 

Of course, she may eventually turn out to be the most talented one up there, but I'm still skeptical.   

[TexasGal]

7 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I loved the Kimono that last week's winner did (Devonte?).  He was on the medium team.  I mean, I gasped.  It was tremendous!  But yes, other than that, Balling on a Budget was great especially the guy who made up the pattern - Brandon.

 

I loved last week's winner's too - I couldn't figure out what it was which is supposed to be the point no?

i haven't been paying close attention, is there a Tim Gunn save this season?

[Nordly Beaumont]

2 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

I don't think she was saying it as an insult.

I don't think she was saying it as an insult either. I think she was using the model's slightly larger than model size as an excuse and I think the judges wanted her to know they saw through that.

[leighdear]

When a person can't hack it, they grab on to any excuse they can find.  And the more available excuses, the better.  If the episode had been filmed last week, Shawn would have blamed the eclipse.  This week, she'd blame Hurricane Harvey.  She obviously has no conscience, no work ethic and no loyalty to anybody but her sister, so she's really just a big zero.  She'll be gone eventually, so I just ignore her when she comes on screen. 

[Calamity Jane]

Excuse or insult, it was a sleazy attempt to evade taking responsibility for her near-total failure at the challenge.  I can't cast it in any light that doesn't reflect badly on her.  Everyone in the competition is working with the same requirements and could have whinged the same complaints, and everyone but her had enough sense not to.  

[Lamb18]

I'm just watching the episode now so I'll post as I feel moved and catch up w/previous posts later.

Shut up twins, with your drama school elocutionary voices. "Repugnant" . . . indeed. They talk like they read Shakespeare out loud to each other. Of course the twins are on the same team. What a coincidence!!! Poor Samantha, having to use her inhaler. I'm cheering for her since she is from Minneapolis. Poor Shawn, a team challenge, unconventional materials, and horror of horrors - a plus sized model!!! Katy Perry isn't heavy, but she's not Twiggy either, so what is the problem? To me, Shawn looks like Kelly Osborne. All she needs is purple hair and lipstick.

[staphdude]

23 hours ago, bitchin camaro said:

"I have no idea what a curvy girl would want to wear!"

"Um, I'm a big girl - ask me."

YES!!!

Jesus when did she get elected to speak for all curvy girls. Women, whatever their size, are individuals and are likely to have differing opinions on how they wish to style themselves.

22 hours ago, Nordly Beaumont said:

Wow, I really thought that they were Ballin' on the Bottom! Terrible! Especially Ayana's! I mean, what the hell?! So ugly. But Team Tsunami's was pretty crap too. Wabi Sabi was my pick for top.

Ohhh, loved the guest judge telling Shawn something like "with the perfect model and perfect materials, this is a great prom" and then watching Shawn choke down her "well, fuuuuuck you!" Seriously, you could see the words trying to free themselves from her lips.

It's been a while since the phone call home meant they were being auf'd, so Sentell going home surprised me. But his was a big nothing. Like Heidi said, at least Shawn's skirt was good. And no, Sentell, you didn't lose yourself by being to much of a team player. You actually thought your look was good.

I'm good enough, I'm curvy enough, and doggone it people like me!

As far as I am concerned Ayana's was neck and neck with Sentell's for worst look. When one of the judges made reference to Tsunami's clothes and said "This is why people won't consider recycled material for clothes" I couldn't help but notice that Anaya was a poorly thrown together mishmash or torn an poorly painted junk.

6 hours ago, 2727 said:

How could those huge puffed sleeves on the newsprint dress go unremarked by the judges? They were ridiculous. Shirtwaist dresses with full skirts should be banned from the show, anyway, just for being so unimaginative. Unless the designer yearns to work for ModCloth, of course.

I rarely rag on (or notice) the models, but I kept wishing Brandon's would tug up the belt on her pants so the material didn't pooch out so much. Doing so would have covered up the nice bit of her stomach showing under the crop top, but the droopiness bothered me more.

I thought the judges would laugh those sleeves off the runway...the rest of the dress was great but WOW those sleeves!

 

SHAWN MUST GO!

[Lamb18]

Oh dear, Sentell has the loved one phone call of doom. Gosh his husband looks like Josh on Big Brother! I really like Kenya and Kudzani. Shut up, Shawn! Get it together! Indeed, Shawn, get it together. I hope Betyoni gets it together, too. I do like her aesthetic of African prints. African design has always gotten short shrift on this show which is too bad since there is a big fabric design industry in Africa, especially west Africa. I do like the mix of age, gender and ethnicity in this season's contestants. Claire always looks like she's eating an extra sour lemon or is smelling someone's extra ripe fart. It's just how her face is, but still.

Well I have to get my runway score sheet. I like to score designs and see if my scores match up with the judges'.

Brandon's looks really cool. I wasn't sure about his print but it looks great on the model.  Kenya's is shaping up pretty well.

Is that the same makeup guy? I kind of like the models' perspective.

[Tabbygirl521]

I didn't mind Kenya's puffy sleeves. I kinda figured they were a device to show some serious construction skills with newspaper, of all things. Heck, I think puffy gathered sleeves are tricky to set in when they're made of FABRIC!

[ratgirlagogo]

19 hours ago, GaT said:

It also means "living the good life" or "living in luxury". I'm pretty sure that's how they meant it.

Yes, I agree.

7 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

What kind of Team Name would please Tim Gunn?

To be fair to Tim the above usage of "baller" is relatively recent and derives from the idea of professional athletes who come into massive amounts of money suddenly, when they're young,  and perhaps a little naive about how brief their professional careers may turn out to be. They are often from very poor or at least not rich backgrounds and are understandably thrilled at getting to buy everything they've ever dreamed of having.   At this point they will, too often, sooner rather than later also find themselves attached to one or more WAGS ( the UK term for Wives And Girlfriends of athletes) who are experts at spending (i.e., throwing away) their man's money - along the lines of the Real Housewives, etc.   

Tim doesn't seem like the kind of guy who follows professional sports or the gossip around it so I can well imagine this might be news to him.

Edited August 26, 2017 by ratgirlagogo

[Nessie]

12 hours ago, Miss Ruth said:

I don't.

I don't hate the twins either.  I don't see myself rooting for either one, but life is too short to waste emotion hating some random girls on a reality show, as clueless and affected as they may seem to be most of the time.  I do reserve the right to change this opinion as the weeks go on, though.

12 hours ago, bounnatalie said:

I was curious as to why they didn't separate the twins. It seems like they have an emotional competitive advantage being on the same team.

I was wondering this too.  Made no sense to me.

3 hours ago, marys1000 said:

Quote

Dont they have rules on helping?  Not during team challenge but last time and Im certain in the future the twins workas a team and thts cheating.

Didnt like the winning dress so I am at odds with a lot of you yhere.  Double silver triangles on the chezt lioked superhero.  Too busy in the back, fringe was sort of here and there and too long

How is that cheating?  I'm pretty sure it's never been against the rules for the competitors to help each other.  Maybe not with sketching, but it seems to me they've always given each other their opinions and helped with sewing and fitting.

I didn't like the winning look either.

[Lamb18]

So far I like Batani's and Brandon's looks best. I also scored Kudzani high but I forgot what his design was.  All right Ballin's on a Budget!  What a shocker, Tsunami is the losing team.  Actually Shawn's wasn't that bad, but Claire's and Sentell's didn't look like much. And I guess the judges agree. Now, to me, Ayana's was kind of a Pocahontas dress. Well, maybe not that much. Shut up Shawn! No one's going to give you a pass because you feel insecure. "If I may . . ." Happy they're smacking Shawn for saying "curvy."  "If I may" good for you, Claire, you almost sewed your entire dress yourself. Good job!!! outstanding! A first in Project Runway! INDEED! (If she was Anya, I'd say it was a first.)

The twins came into the competition thinking they were going to be the hottest stuff . . . not anymore, indeed, if I may.

Congratulations, Ayana! I liked Batani and Brandon's better, but good for her! Ha, Shawn is in the bottom two again. Well, Shawn did do a better job than Sentell. Aw, Sentell, you are a nice person. You just need more experience.

I think there is a good amount of talent in this group. I'm looking forward to what they make next. I like the previews ending with Heidi's nauseated expression.

[leighdear]

28 minutes ago, Tabbygirl521 said:

I didn't mind Kenya's puffy sleeves. I kinda figured they were a device to show some serious construction skills with newspaper, of all things. Heck, I think puffy gathered sleeves are tricky to set in when they're made of FABRIC!

Agree.  Any time a contestant gives us the slightest bit of REAL construction, I cheer.  Set-in sleeves, welted pockets, french seams or bias binding, a rolled hem, etc.  

Of course they have very little time to pull these things off, but something like a hidden zip down the side of a dress instead of the easier but ugly, visible zipper down the back, is such a nice touch.  A real fitted sleeve instead of just an extended cap sleeve makes a huge difference. 

And while the fabric choices are always a significant component, I side-eye those that expect their fabric to do all the work to disguise a garment of shoddy design.  And indeed,  I do complain about that here a lot.  *LOL*

Edited August 26, 2017 by leighdear

[Lamb18]

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

What kind of Team Name would please Tim Gunn?  

Team Make It Work!!

[cyberfruit]

15 hours ago, terrymct said:

I think there's a newer definition.  I've heard high schoolers use the term to mean (I think) playing with all your energy.  I've also heard it used to describe athletes who play a team sport that uses a ball, such as football or basketball players.

Quite possibly, but I'm in my mid-late twenties and "balling" meant living well. We used to say it back in middle/high school, so the mid-aughts. It is, indeed (!), linked to the lifestyles of athletes who tend to live large. "Ball is life" is just a testament to sports. Given the ages of the group, they're using the term for being luxurious while broke. 

Edited August 26, 2017 by cyberfruit

[TaraS1]

I feel like I'm seeing a before-and-after version of one of the Manson girls whenever I look at those insufferable twins, and it's kind of creepy. I didn't think anything could annoy me more than Shawn's ridiculous excuses on the runway, until we saw Claire practically have a breakdown upon seeing her twinnie was safe. 

And major kudos to Maggie Q for not being one of those guest judges with little to add beyond a few vapid comments. Good for her (and the Marie Claire lady) for calling that curvy nonsense out.

[cyberfruit]

I hope Shawn watches this episode and takes a good, long look at herself because she was beyond embarrassing in this episode. I was literally covering my eyes as she cried about how overwhelmed she was having to dress the model's body. Was her body the main reason Shawn was upset? No, it was more-so because she thought her designs were better than the judges thought, but wow. This is why I want the show to split the Twins up and make them sink or swim. Claire seems like the stronger twin, at the moment. 

I actually wonder if it will be the two of them who gets hit with the cheating allegation.

I'm not convinced Batani "turned it all around" this week.  Her dress was simply narrow strips of the different fabrics, sewn together then wrapped around a very lovely, but very thin model.  No shaping I could see or anything but simple, straight lines.  The other 3 designers had set-in sleeves, gathers, fitted bottoms, etc. 

Of course, she may eventually turn out to be the most talented one up there, but I'm still skeptical.   

I'm a little skeptical of Batani as well, which is unfortunate because i would like to see her do well. She works with a lot of prints, and I don't want to believe that the prints make the woman rather than the other way around.