S16.E05: Descending Into Good And Evil

[Special K]

One of the things I find interesting about Brandon's designs is how he translates his menswear, hip/hop, street vibe into womenswear -- in this last case, into something truly refined and elegant.  I think that's what the judges are responding to.  It takes a special focused vision and confidence to do that.  That's why I think he is really talented. 

His personality is lovely, too.

[BlackberryJam]

I have absolutely loved everything Brandon has done so far. He's designing and not just making clothes.

[Swellcatt]

yay!! Thank you for doing this again. I have missed this immensely!

[kizmagiz]

4 hours ago, NYCNJbear06 said:

I was fine with the top three and the auf-ed  designer. 

Loved Kenya’s and glad that she did so well and hope that it will do wonders for her confidence.  Nice that the judges praised her comeback. Felt it was justified.   I like Brandon’s aesthetic but think it translates very young which is why the judges are lapping it up with a spoon.   I just don’t see any woman above the age of 30 wearing the winning outfit unless she has a killer body.  

 I would be interested to see what he would do if he went to fashion week and had to design an entire collection.  I wonder if it would be as one note as I think it would be? 

A women would also need a killer body to wear Kenya's outfit, it's extremely fitted og open back = no bra. So that suit would be much harder for me to wear, I could put on a tight tank top and wear Brandon's no problem, stil getting the same feel.  

[sleepyjean]

5 hours ago, NYCNJbear06 said:

I would be interested to see what he would do if he went to fashion week and had to design an entire collection.  I wonder if it would be as one note as I think it would be? 

Spoiler

Check out the fashion week thread. The answer to that question is very clear there.

[Tikichick]

On 9/15/2017 at 0:51 PM, DollEyes said:

My verdict: Kenya should have won. Brandon's look was good, but Kenya's was better. 

As for Aaron's look, what a hot mess that was. If Swatch had chewed it up & spat it out, it couldn't have been any worse. 

Because it can never be said enough, SHUT UP, CLAIRE!! And that literally goes double for your sister! 

Indeed!

[Oholibamah]

On 2017-09-17 at 4:45 PM, sleepyjean said:

No no no. Not Tess Holiday. Plus size is one thing. Tess Holiday is extremely morbidly obese. She is far larger than the "average" American woman. Her physicality is evidence that she has harmed herself with food and lack of movement on a consistent basis over a very long time. She and everyone her size is at an extremely elevated risk for all sorts of diseases, one of which will cut her life short. Her size and shape aren't something to be embraced or aspired to. Just like anorexic or roided-out bodies should not be embraced or aspired to. In my opinion we do not need to widen our aesthetic of what is considered beautiful to include the physical manifestation of self harm. I don't want to see PR or the fashion industry embrace this.

Apparently this conversation is fair game, so I will pipe in that models and public figures, while opening themselves to criticism by virtue of being in the public eye, are still human beings and represent real human beings. It may seem ok to criticize and pathologize celebrities, but we need to remember that voicing these opinions as generalizations impact real readers on this forum.

By being more inclusive, Project Runway (and brands featuring Tess Holliday) are saying "you exist and we see you. You matter." For Project Runway that means representation in fashion and clothing (after all, almost everybody wears clothes), but representation is important everywhere.

Considering people beautiful or aspiring to look/be like them are personal choices and opinions. That's fair game. Saying people shouldn't be embraced, welcomed or represented is unfair, hurtful and narrow minded. It's basically saying people should be hidden away and not seen. 

I get the temptation to compare this to anorexia and steroid abuse, but that's a faulty parallel: these are extreme measures people take to look like the airbrushed ads they see on TV (and often impacted by mental health). Representing Tess as beautiful is not another example of this, but an attempt to do the opposite! The message is "you are beautiful the way you are". It makes me sad that this message is construed as a bad thing. 

Edited September 18, 2017 by Oholibamah

[Vermicious Knid]

I'm assuming they didn't give Michael the win because he just won last week.

[film noire]

@Oholibamah - excellent post! (taking my reply to the off topic thread/per mod note to stay on the show in here).

Edited September 20, 2017 by film noire

[sofaslug]

Aaron, WTF was that you sent down the runway?!   You threw in the towel with that piñata mess.

The second WTF moment:  Nina, what was that you were wearing?  Reminiscing the launch of MTV?  I did give her props for the stank face expression she had as Claire was waxing poetic about her, uh, design.

I thought Kenya pulled off a decent outfit considering she didn't have enough fabric.  But I can see the Partridge Family/Prince vibe to it.

I don't even remember Shawn's design.  I must have blocked her from my memory.  I do find her and her sister annoying.  

[dleighg]

1 hour ago, sofaslug said:

 Nina, what was that you were wearing?

For those, like me, who did not notice, Nina was wearing an almost full size astronaut 

[Jsage]

The two day challenge reminded me of when the designers used to have to do a haute couture look. It was always so fun to see how out there they would go while still making a beautiful garment.

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The Descendants Takes Project Runway Beyond Good And Evil

As our Project Runway coverage returns due to popular demand (we hear you!), a couple of Disney's newest stars guest-judge the latest challenge. Who gets a happily ever after?

[lh25]

5 hours ago, sofaslug said:

The second WTF moment:  Nina, what was that you were wearing?  Reminiscing the launch of MTV?  I did give her props for the stank face expression she had as Claire was waxing poetic about her, uh, design.

I may be mixing up this show with Amazing Race, but I like to imagine a challenge where they have to remember Nina's rather odd outfits and work a part of one into their designs.  That's the only way what she is wearing makes any sense to me!

[azshadowwalker]

Jfc, but Brandon is one note. Same basic style every time, except he tied his model up and left her tits out this time. So over him, especially with the dick riding the judges are doing. Can't believe he beat out Kenya and Michael with his same old trick. Fix is in, I suspect. I wonder if he will get the same ire that Ashley got for being a plus designer, given that they are pushing the menswear designer made good story so hard. Will Tim write nasty articles about him? I tend to doubt it. Attractive young male that the industry loves, even if he lacks originality. 

Margarita seems to get along with the twins just fine. I don't like the twins, but I can do without the fake drama aimed at them as much as their drama. 

Michael cutting Aaron's fabric. Brandon and Kentaro collaborating (and being bros), and Samantha helping Kentaro conceptualize his garment last week. Maybe everyone is a cheater, huh? 

Edited September 19, 2017 by azshadowwalker

[azshadowwalker]

On 9/15/2017 at 7:59 AM, NYCFree said:

I think Claire and Shawn give negative reviews about every single garment not twin designed. The editors then just pick the ones that are going to be in the top three and show them to us for delicious entertainment.

I think everyone is asked about the others' designs. Which do they like? Which do they hate? Almost like it's an edited show and they want to tell a specific story. ;) 

 

By the way, sorry for the double post. I couldn't get the quote to work right in the previous one. 

Edited September 19, 2017 by azshadowwalker
Explanation of two posts in a row

[Nancypants]

Lets just bow to the God of twins that they are not TRIPLETS! QUEL HORREUR!

[latetotheparty]

6 hours ago, Tara Ariano said:

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

The Descendants Takes Project Runway Beyond Good And Evil

As our Project Runway coverage returns due to popular demand (we hear you!), a couple of Disney's newest stars guest-judge the latest challenge. Who gets a happily ever after?

So grateful for the return of written recaps!  As a hearing impaired person it makes all the difference. Thank you!!

[jhlipton]

15 hours ago, latetotheparty said:

So grateful for the return of written recaps!  As a hearing impaired person it makes all the difference. Thank you!!

Meeeeeee tooooooooooooooooooooo!!!!

[azshadowwalker]

18 hours ago, latetotheparty said:

So grateful for the return of written recaps!  As a hearing impaired person it makes all the difference. Thank you!!

I just hate videos and podcasts. They take too long to get through. I can read the transcript much quicker. If it's not a how-to, it doesn't need video. If I am not in a car, it doesn't need to be a podcast. 

[Broken Ox]

I thought Amy ROCKED the sleepwear challenge this episode.

Here's a picture of Swatch from December:

Edited September 20, 2017 by Broken Ox

[Snewtsie]

On 9/14/2017 at 6:44 PM, awaken said:

 I wonder what determines whether it is a one or two day challenge? There doesn't seem to be any correlation with how complex the challenge is! 

I'd guess it is based on the production schedule and/or if Heidi has a commitment preventing her from filming on a particular day.

[mamadrama]

I wasn't as in love with Brandon's outfit as the judges were, but I am still loving Brandon's clothes in general. I will be perfectly fine with him winning, if he does. I wasn't overly impressed with his audition but have really enjoyed both his clothes, and his attitude, this season.

[leighdear]

On 9/19/2017 at 1:22 PM, lh25 said:

I may be mixing up this show with Amazing Race, but I like to imagine a challenge where they have to remember Nina's rather odd outfits and work a part of one into their designs.  That's the only way what she is wearing makes any sense to me!

And they'd have to incorporate the colors of the flag of whatever country's name they pull out of the button bag, while somebody drives them around Manhattan in a manual-transmission car!!  *LOL*

Edited September 20, 2017 by leighdear

[Mindthinkr]

25 minutes ago, leighdear said:

And they'd have to incorporate the colors of the flag of whatever country's name they pull out of the button bag, while somebody drives them around Manhattan in a manual-transmission car!!  *LOL*

Good idea! 

On the manual-transition car...it would need a new clutch from one day in the city with a non stick shift person! 

[njbchlover]

On 9/15/2017 at 10:38 PM, Spunkygal said:

I cannot stand the twins but I try not to get too worked up about them. There is a level of fakeness in most reality shows and they are this season's fakeness. There is no way I believe that they made those impressive jackets and other pieces they showed in the tryouts. If they could make those jackets, they could do a much better job in constructing these garments. They are just there to promote their visibility, not to design fashion, and of course the producer(s) jumped all over it. It wouldn't surprise me one stinkin' bit to find out that Shawn's THs were recorded AFTER the results so she could be sure to diss the favored designs and hence continue to irritate the crap out of the majority of us. That said, I will scream if they are on a future season of The Amazing Race. 

That is exactly what I was thinking...although, I would love to see them crash and burn on that show!!  :-)

[phoenix780]

Way late in watching and commenting, but I really enjoyed the episode. It was about as close to classic PR as I think I'll get, and I was thoroughly entertained (albeit paying half attention).  I think it was mainly the fun surprise of guest judges I don't know offering actual critical feedback beyond "I wouldn't wear it." And, I feel like the twins are essentially Kenley from back in the day, in this episode it was enjoyable to revisit that kind of classically-delusional reality show villain.  They're also doing a great job at priming them for an over-the-top dramatic explosion at some point- it should be decent, if it's not too drawn out. 

Also, I've started to look forward to seeing what Nina's wearing. The whole season thus far her tops have been...I'm going to say "encrusted," because they appear to be covered in random shiny crap. This episode brought the random astronaut. I love that she's not afraid to make the designers look better by contrast, or steal a little bit of the attention.  

The only thing I'd jettison are the models' opinions. Don't care, don't get why one was thanking the judges for feedback on the runway., or why one was giving backstory during the close-up critique. If they want me to care about models again, pair them with a designer, bring back the swapping drama, and that might do it because there'd be relationships forming between designers I like and their muses. The way it is, though...not into it. 

[leighdear]

17 minutes ago, phoenix780 said:

If they want me to care about models again, pair them with a designer, bring back the swapping drama, and that might do it because there'd be relationships forming between designers I like and their muses. The way it is, though...not into it. 

One thing we DO need these days is a muthafu@king walkoff!  

[chitowngirl]

1 hour ago, Mindthinkr said:

Good idea! 

On the manual-transition car...it would need a new clutch from one day in the city with a non stick shift person! 

Would you ever really need to get out of first gear in NYC? :)

[Mindthinkr]

59 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Would you ever really need to get out of first gear in NYC? :)

Having lived there I would definitely answer yes. Especially to scoot out of the way of the cabbies! 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

8 hours ago, leighdear said:

And they'd have to incorporate the colors of the flag of whatever country's name they pull out of the button bag, while somebody drives them around Manhattan in a manual-transmission car!!  *LOL*

And they would have to dive into a reef to retrieve fabric!

[AZChristian]

6 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

And they would have to dive into a reef to retrieve fabric!

. . . which they would use to make a fashionable parachute to use while skydiving out of a plane!!!

[slaterain]

On 9/16/2017 at 1:33 PM, Calamity Jane said:

I've been thinking that they have one good brain between the two of them, and somehow it flows back and forth from one to the other, sometimes even leaving each with a half.  

It seems to be baldy has the more creative/design side while ponytail has the sewing skill - sorry I keep blanking which is which - baldy (Shawn?) always asks for technical help from ponytail (Claire?) while ponytail is always asking for more aesthetic help. I really don't think that they can do it on their own completely. 

[dleighg]

7 minutes ago, slaterain said:

sorry I keep blanking which is which

The twins helpfully gave us a mnemonic early on. Shorn = Shawn. Curly (I think) = Claire.

[graybrown bird]

I think it was Claire = Hair.

[leighdear]

8 hours ago, AZChristian said:

. . . which they would use to make a fashionable parachute to use while skydiving out of a plane!!!

And of course, they would have to use the Dick's Sporting Goods accessory wall VERY thoughtfully.....

[pheebs]

Guide to remembering Buitendorps - Claire has hair - Shawn's mowed like a lawn.

[morakot]

First, thank you, thank you, thank you! for the written recaps! They make such a difference!

Second, I do like Brandon's designs. This one in particular is something I would have loved to wear in my late teens and twenties when I was a lot thinner than I am today. At that time I didn't have much of a cleavage so the side boob and loose back would have appealed. I'm less keen on the trailing straps in general but I liked the strapping on the back and (what looked to me like) the silk he used for the main dress. Definitely a summer look with sleeves you could pull up.