S17.E05: High Fashion to High Street

[FormerMod-a1]

Quote

The designers visit the studio of trailblazer Dapper Dan, who introduced high fashion to the hip-hop world by creating luxury street wear; the designers are asked to create their own take on the future of street wear.

Original airdate: April 11, 2019

[Wicked]

I'm loving Christian as a mentor, he's up front and keeps it real, calls them out when they need to be called out.  Someone at that table eating instead of working will definitely be in the bottom if not eliminated.

[BryroseA]

Christian’s face at Rakan’s idea of a “...street...farmer?” had me dying. 

Also, I’m really loving the glimpses of the designers interacting and joking in the apartment and in their workroom. It just has such a nice, collegial feeling. We haven’t seen a single bitchy talking head about how some other designer’s work is hideous yet. Such a refreshing vibe. 

[raven]

Finally, jeez.

Good luck and all that, Kovid but you were overdue.

[MerBearStare]

I will never get behind those normcore, 90's Seinfeld giant white sneakers. Bad, fashion! Bad!

Garo's outfit reminded me of Sweet Dee's back brace. 

Bishme absolutely deserved to win. His jacket was killer.

I didn't mind Kovid at first, but it was beyond time for him to go. I'm glad they've stopped giving him chance after chance.

[Wicked]

I liked both of Kovid's tops, separately.

[Ladyrain]

That pink ruffled brocade unfinished thing should have been a deal breaker.   It was hideous, poorly done and should have been laughed off the runway.   YMMV

[Straycat80]

Some of the designer’s (Rakan and Kovid) did not understand what street wear was imo. Bishme deserved that win. If Venny would have won he would have deserved it as well. Garo’s look reminded me of the rib belt I had to wear one time for broken ribs. Bye Kovid, will not miss his theatrics , whining and crying. 

Who elected Tessa as workroom judge and I wish they wouldn’t let the designers make remarks during the RW show, it’s distracting. Again, jmo. 

I like Christian as mentor but some people need to eat especially if they have diabetes. 

[Ashforth]

I thought this was a great episode. Most of the designs were good to excellent, and the execution of most was pretty astonishing given the time constraint.

The camaraderie of the designers is so nice to see, especially after what seemed to be a rough start over the first two or three episodes. Love the adorable friendship (or more???) between Bishme and Tessa. 

It was Kovid's time to go, but he made a graceful and endearing exit.

[TexasGal]

Is Hester going to dress in a way that matches her models every (not camping in nature) week?  They’ve given up the idea of blind judging right?  If not, she’s giving that away.

[HappyDancex2]

They put him out of his misery and us out of our misery watching him in his misery.   Bye Jar Jar Kovid…..live your truth and be free!

I had this Other Channel Project Runway moment were they were going to say "Kovid...you are.....IN" just for the drama.  Thank you Bravo.

[HappyDancex2]

Captain Obvious Here,

If Christian says OMG your fabric sucks, your design sucks and for the love of muslin patterns he says OMG YOU HAVE SO MUCH SEWING TO DO.....change your idea and put down the fork.

Christian is the fastest sewer....he knows ALL about these one day challenges and he crushed a lot of them.  I swear my blood would run cold if he told me he was worried about how much sewing I had to do.   That's almost like "You're out."   If Christian is concerned, you should be straight up panic mode.

He's lucky he had Kovid as a shield this week.  Next time you dismiss Christian with a wave of your fork and mutter "drama" you better be able to back that up.

[Thumper]

I don't recall the judges commenting to each other so much during the runway.  Have they alwys done that?  I find it a bit annoying and distracting.

[Nidratime]

I suddenly feel very old and very not street -- although I was raised in the inner city, in the projects -- but many years ago. I had no idea who Dapper Dan was, nor what exactly street wear is supposed to be. I felt sorry for the foreign designers. They had no clue what American street wear was. I understand that a designer should learn about all kinds of fashion. But I kind of felt sorry for them. Anyway, I just didn't really care about this challenge.

[HappyDancex2]

Bishme's jacket was really awesome.  I considered buying it but I don't think I can carry off that much of a strong shoulder.  I already am bigger in that area even though I'm a smaller gal.  Swimmer lol.

The pants were also awesome but the pics are a hot mess on the site.  It's shocking that a fashion show based TV show that stressed technology and social media can do such a horrible job on still pictures.  I cannot see the detail at all.  Good Grief.

I love streetwear!

[QuantumMechanic]

I think Jamall's was clearly the worst one for this week.  But I think they let him stay because this was his first time in the bottom three while Kovid has been camping out there.

[Brookside]

No idea who Dapper Dan is, and if he has to have his name on his glasses reinforces to me that I don't need to.  Reminds me of taking my child to KG and filling out the "Hello my name is" sticky name tag.

[rustyspigot]

Why do the other designers seem to need Tessa's approval on everything? And her design was boring as hell.

I wanted to hear what the judges would have said about Renee's "Liza on the Street(wear) creation.

Congrats to Lady Baltimore.

[mightysparrow]

It was Kovid's time to go but he went out like a champ.

Bishme was a good choice for winner but Benny would have been an equally good pick.  I like Garo but Bishme and Benny were better.

Jamal was doomed from the moment he picked that hideous fabric.  He just seemed so lost.  His dress was god awful but I think the judges gave him a pass based on potential and the fact that they were over Kovid.

I saw Becky Sunshine's outfit every other day back in the 90s.  And bitch needs to keep her opinion about which one of her colleagues should go home to herself.  Very poor sportsmanship on her part.

I liked Renee's use of the plaid.  It was a nice reference to the 'grunge' look back in the day.  That's how you do it, Hester.

Rakan needs to dial the attitude down a bit, especially when it's directed towards Christian.  A designer who doesn't know what streetwear is shouldn't be taking time for a dinner break.

[mightysparrow]

6 minutes ago, Brookside said:

No idea who Dapper Dan is, and if he has to have his name on his glasses reinforces to me that I don't need to.  Reminds me of taking my child to KG and filling out the "Hello my name is" sticky name tag.

Dapper Dan is one of the most influential designers alive.  He combined designer and hip-hop fashion and is STILL being copied. 

If you don't know Dapper Dan, you don't know fashion.

[Ashforth]

10 minutes ago, Brookside said:

No idea who Dapper Dan is, and if he has to have his name on his glasses reinforces to me that I don't need to.  Reminds me of taking my child to KG and filling out the "Hello my name is" sticky name tag.

Just now, mightysparrow said:

Dapper Dan is one of the most influential designers alive.  He combined designer and hip-hop fashion and is STILL being copied. 

If you don't know Dapper Dan, you don't know fashion.

I'm no fashion expert, but a simple google search on Dapper Dan, example: https://fashionista.com/2019/02/dapper-dan-gucci-blackface-sweater can help inform anyone of his prestige in the world of fashion. His name on the earpiece of his glasses is an example of the branding that he emphasized in the initial meeting with the contestants.

[Ashforth]

17 minutes ago, rustyspigot said:

Congrats to Lady Baltimore.

@rustyspigot what do you mean by that?

[Fellaway]

1 hour ago, Nidratime said:

I suddenly feel very old and very not street -- although I was raised in the inner city, in the projects -- but many years ago. I had no idea who Dapper Dan was, nor what exactly street wear is supposed to be. I felt sorry for the foreign designers. They had no clue what American street wear was. I understand that a designer should learn about all kinds of fashion. But I kind of felt sorry for them. Anyway, I just didn't really care about this challenge.

Co-sign all of this.  I have no idea where the line is between streetwear, luxurious or otherwise, and clothes you just wear on the street.  None of the looks wowed me, either in a good or bad way, though I guess I can't argue with the bottom three.  Overall, I've come to the conclusion that Kovid and Jamall are the worst designers here, so... yeah.  I agree that Kovid's multiple times in the bottom tipped the scale in his being ousted over Jamall, but either one of them really could've gone.

I didn't dislike Rakan's design, but I did think it looked genie-like.  What the what, though, I don't know what streetwear is in Syria.  I doubt it's this, but I think this challenge had the whiff of ethnocentrism in it again.  Apparently, what they wanted was streetwear you'd find in a US city and assumed all the designers got it.  I felt for the designers like Sebastian and Rakan, but I do agree with Hester, I believe it was, when she said that Rakan just does what he wants every week, regardless of what the challenge is.

1 hour ago, Thumper said:

I don't recall the judges commenting to each other so much during the runway.  Have they alwys done that?  I find it a bit annoying and distracting.

Agreed.  Them and the designers, plus the shoddy camera work during the runway, I hate it all.  We should be getting undisturbed time looking at the designs then.  We ain't getting it.

I did appreciate that this ep gave us more airtime with the designers who we haven't seen much of as of yet in the season, and that some new faces showed up in the six judged.  Mostly, my takeaway from this ep is huge relief Sebastian wasn't eliminated.  Otherwise, all of the designs I find forgettable.

Edited April 12, 2019 by Fellaway

[Brookside]

11 minutes ago, mightysparrow said:

Dapper Dan is one of the most influential designers alive.  He combined designer and hip-hop fashion and is STILL being copied. 

If you don't know Dapper Dan, you don't know fashion.

Fine by me. I've never claimed to know fashion and I'm quite happy in my cave.

[Kimmykun]

"18th Century Elizabethan".

[HappyDancex2]

I’m still a little surprised at the dismissive attitude of Rakan and Jamal towards Christian.  I know nobody wants to be criticized but they do realize they are supposed to want to win this show?  Rakan seems to be standing on his need to be true to himself without realizing that he sounds like he’s stubborn and unwilling to learn.  You may have a style and ideas but you are never a finished product.  He actually made fun of Christian’s weight when Christian told him he didn’t eat for three days to get his clothes on the runway.  That was supposed to be a story of hard work, ethics, sacrifice, sense of urgency....not about food intake.  

and certainly Christian has attained quite a higher level in the real fashion world.  If you are going to say that it isn’t your goal to be mainstream in fashion then why are you even here?

[LennieBriscoe]

Jamal's dress was a poorly finished garment for a demented adult playing Shirley Temple.

The fabrics and colors of Kovid's tri-cultural outfit were an homage to sensory deprivation.

I guess it wasn't Jamal's time to go. But dibs on next week!

35 minutes ago, mightysparrow said:

Dapper Dan is one of the most influential designers alive.  He combined designer and hip-hop fashion and is STILL being copied. 

If you don't know Dapper Dan, you don't know fashion.

And yet, somehow I get through the day. 

[Fellaway]

1 hour ago, HappyDancex2 said:

He actually made fun of Christian’s weight when Christian told him he didn’t eat for three days to get his clothes on the runway.

I don't disagree with your overall point, but, directed to Christian, nothing in fashion is worth not eating for three days.  In the immortal words of Santino, 'It's just fashion."

Edited April 12, 2019 by Fellaway

[Kimmykun]

53 minutes ago, mightysparrow said:

I saw Becky Sunshine's outfit every other day back in the 90s.  And bitch needs to keep her opinion about which one of her colleagues should go home to herself.  Very poor sportsmanship on her part.

She was already an insufferable tryhard, but turns out she's also a jerk. I can't wait for her elimination, but looks like that'll be a while. 

[Ms.C.]

2 hours ago, Straycat80 said:

Some of the designer’s (Rakan and Kovid) did not understand what street wear was imo. Bishme deserved that win. If Venny would have won he would have deserved it as well. Garo’s look reminded me of the rib belt I had to wear one time for broken ribs. Bye Kovid, will not miss his theatrics , whining and crying. 

Who elected Tessa as workroom judge and I wish they wouldn’t let the designers make remarks during the RW show, it’s distracting. Again, jmo. 

I like Christian as mentor but some people need to eat especially if they have diabetes. 

2 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

Captain Obvious Here,

If Christian says OMG your fabric sucks, your design sucks and for the love of muslin patterns he says OMG YOU HAVE SO MUCH SEWING TO DO.....change your idea and put down the fork.

Christian is the fastest sewer....he knows ALL about these one day challenges and he crushed a lot of them.  I swear my blood would run cold if he told me he was worried about how much sewing I had to do.   That's almost like "You're out."   If Christian is concerned, you should be straight up panic mode.

He's lucky he had Kovid as a shield this week.  Next time you dismiss Christian with a wave of your fork and mutter "drama" you better be able to back that up.

I love your response. I’m really enjoying Christian.  Best replacement for Tim. He’s a little more taskmaster and his advice right on.   

I’ve always wondered what happened to Jay - two best on PR IMO.  

[Samwise979]

Of course they can eat! But maybe not during the 1 hour they have with their models?!

[buttersister]

Apparently my Xfinity package includes being heard by the judges when I yell at the TV. Bye, Kovid. Congrats on leaving with style. 

[Kitty Redstone]

Yay for Bishme!  He seems like a genuinely nice guy.  His joking around with Tessa also makes her more tolerable to me (as in, if he likes her she must be ok).  Anyway, I really liked the shirt and his take on a bomber jacket, though with the exaggerated shoulders it's not something a broad-shouldered me could ever wear.

Venny's look was also great and it was sweet that he was brought to tears by the judges words.  Didn't care for Garo's.  As others have said, the corset looked like a back brace.

Poor Jamall.  He is struggling not just with the constraints of the challenges, but with who he is as a man and a designer.  I didn't realize he was only 23!

I'm one of the few who still liked Kovid so while it was time for him to go, I'm still sad about it.  His exit was as gracious and heartfelt as they come.

[Wandering Snark]

Kovid was over his head from the get-go and seems wayyy to sensitive and easily discouraged for something as cut-throat as fashion.

I wonder how exactly Hester can be so matchy-matchy with her model's look each week? She must have brought a TON of clothes and a full suitcase full of decorated berets... she's an odd duck, but it seems people like her even if she could be a case-by-case matter of if she drove you crazy or not.

Loved the hometown homage. That's one of things that even with all it's negatives it is what made him the person he is today so I thought that was bold and very cool. Glad he won thought there were other good looks as well.

Jamal's on the other hand... wow did HE get a free pass this week. Play the lotto man... it's your lucky day.

I am starting to really dislike Rakan's attitude. Christian was so on the nose with his commentary about Rakan. You don't try anything on your model or anything but just hang out and eat and chat instead? I also think has no personal style at all... I don't get what he thinks he's supposed to be doing.

[Ms.C.]

So rarely do the plus models win that I wish Venny had won.  But agree Bishme’s totally fit category.  And was stunning.  

[Ms.C.]

48 minutes ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I’m still a little surprised at the dismissive attitude of Rakan and Jamal towards Christian.  I know nobody wants to be criticized but they do realize they are supposed to want to win this show?  Rakan seems to be standing on his need to be true to himself without realizing that he sounds like he’s stubborn and unwilling to learn.  You may have a style and ideas but you are never a finished product.  He actually made fun of Christian’s weight when Christian told him he didn’t eat for three days to get his clothes on the runway.  That was supposed to be a story of hard work, ethics, sacrifice, sense of urgency....not about food intake.  

and certainly Christian has attained quite a higher level in the real fashion world.  If you are going to say that it isn’t your goal to be mainstream in fashion then why are you even here?

Interesting take.  Perhaps Rakan needs a lesson re Christians background and fact he was one of previous winners and a most successful one.  Christian and Jay my two favorites all time.  But I did miss a few years.  Some designers seem more laid back or less ambitious than usual. 

[Ms.C.]

2 hours ago, Brookside said:

No idea who Dapper Dan is, and if he has to have his name on his glasses reinforces to me that I don't need to.  Reminds me of taking my child to KG and filling out the "Hello my name is" sticky name tag.

Isn’t that what is meant by logomania?  I recall many brands following suit. It set apart just clothes to signature clothes which made then a bit more elite, maybe set apart.  A brand instead of a short.  Don’t we do that with red carpet?  Dan did it for street kids.  I get that.  

I was surprised so few designers thought to use their brand. 

[GaT]

Not sorry to see Kovid go, his whole squealing routine really got on my nerves. I don't understand the love for Venny's outfit, I thought the skirt looked like it was a size too small. I didn't like the shape of Bishme's jacket either. In fact, I wasn't impressed with anything I saw tonight.

Edited April 12, 2019 by GaT

[Ms.C.]

Young people dress to show shape now.  No more hiding flesh or form.  Be proud of it. New acceptance and I like it 

[LennieBriscoe]

While I liked the winning look, I'm pretty sure, but for the sparkliness, high school athletes wear similar bomber jackets with their hometown "logos."

Edited April 12, 2019 by LennieBriscoe

[LennieBriscoe]

16 minutes ago, Ms.C. said:

Young people dress to show shape now.  No more hiding flesh or form.  Be proud of it. New acceptance and I like it 

If that means the total demise of "pants on the ground" I'm all for it.

(Couldn't edit to add a quote.)

[izabella]

3 minutes ago, LennieBriscoe said:

While I liked the winning look, I'm pretty sure, but for the sparkliness, high school athletes wear similar bomber jackets with their hometown "logos."

I remember in my grade school days...long ago...shiny faxu-satin bomber jackets were the big thing.

I didn't love any of the top 3 looks, but Venny, Garo and Bishme have made great designs on past challenges, so I was ok with the judges giving them some positive attention.  All bottom three could have gone, as far as I was concerned.

[NowVoyager]

There was a strong case for Jamall to be auf'ed--- he didn't even attempt to make street wear, he made a dress for ladies who lunch! Ugh! & it was ugly. & poorly sewn. & unfinished. & his concept made no sense. & he was eating with his model when he only had muslin on the form. He tanked this challenge in every way. He should thank his lucky stars Kovid had been in the bottom so many times. Last episode he mentioned he was struggling with his identity as a bi-racial person, so I'm trying to be sympathetic... but, Sebatian, Rakan & Kovid had little understanding of the challenge & at least tried to adhere to it.

I would love to sit in a room with Dapper Dan & Iris Apfel & behold all their sartorial gorgeousness & listen to them tell me fashion industry stories....

[Snakelite]

I feel like the one-day challenges are unfair to both the designers and the viewers. We get too many poorly conceived garments and shoddy workmanship.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Oh, good. We're back to one day challenges. Fuck.

Can we have Karlie hand out the comp cards like this every week? I am so tired of watching the designers run to grab the cards.

Awwww, loved that Venny guessed that they were going to Dapper Dan's. And although I have complained about Hester, I'm glad that she also knew who he was too.

I rolled my eyes when Garo said he ws going to do a corset again because "I can't help it." Yes, you can help it. You choose to do the same thing.

I know that everyone needs to take care of themselves in their own way in their own time, but three designers all choosing to take a break to eat while their models were there for their fittings seemed like a poor choice. Like you're sure that there is absolutely NOTHING else you need to do while your model is there? After Christian saw them in the kitchen, he called five minutes left so those three couldn't have waited 5-10 minutes to eat so that they could have had that extra bit of time with their models for fittings?

I loved seeing all the designers running around the apartment a little punch drunk, giggling and blowing off steam.

I knew that Hester had a lot of hats because I counted four different versions of her signature hat in the season premiere alone. But now that we're five episodes in, I'm beginning to wonder if she brought one suitcase full of only hats.

I was not a fan of Hester's pink wrestling outfit. It just looked so cheap and immature.

Rakan's outfit turned out a lot better than I thought it would when he was trying to describe it to Christian. I still didn't love it, but I was expecting a lot worse. I agreed with the judges that he took luxury fabric and made it look cheap. The pieces were just too simple and they didn't look well made.

Sebastian's outfit looked like a Game of Thrones costume (but I also get why some of the other designers said it looked like every outfit in Aladdin).

Venny's black and grey design fit his model really well. Take note, whichever designer criticized Asia in a previous episode!

Sonia's jumpsuit looked more runway than streetwear to me.

Lela's dress looked like a frumpy version of streetwear. I didn't like the green coat over the white dress.

Jamall's floral dress with the ruffled neck collar and snakeskin trim didn't look like streetwear to me at all. There was nothing good about it. The fabric choice was terrible, the design was not good, and it was totally unfinished. There were not redeeming qualities.

Bishme's design looked cool, but it wasn't the future of streetwear. It was a sparkly bomber jacket with black pants. It's definitely been done before.

Garo's printed jumpsuit looked great on his model but I wish he'd done the corset and neckpiece in another color. The white color he used made the corset look like one of those plastic puke trays they give you in the hospital.

Kovid's design was a blah for me. I wasn't crazy about the print he used for the tank top but the biggest problem was that the three pieces he made (tank top, vest, culottes) looked like they were all from different outfits. Seeing them together made no sense. It looked like one of those kiddie books where the pages are divided into thirds so you can change the different parts of the outfits.

Renee's sparkly black jacket with the red plaid was great.

Tessa's look was so boring. Head to toe black did not help matters. And no, painting the name of your brand on the inside of the lining (which no one will see) does not count as adding color.

I would have given the win to Venny.

I was undecided about who should be eliminated because all of the bottom three were pretty bad. Since this was Kovid's third time in the bottom and we're only on the fifth episode of the season, it was time for him to go. But if Rakan or Jamall had been eliminated instead, I would have been fine with it.

[DEL901]

I would have been fine if they decided to get rid of the entire bottom three.   

Regarding the three who were eating while the models were there... weren’t two of them at the bottom?   Hmmm.  

And so over mean girl Tessa... criticizing Seb like she’s the mentor and saying Kovid had to go.... he did, but it wasn’t her place to say so.  

Eta. Did anyone notice that the shiny fabric in the outfit Hester was wearing was the fabric from the first or second challenge she couldn’t figure out how to work with and discarded?

Edited April 12, 2019 by DEL901

[dleighg]

3 hours ago, LennieBriscoe said:

If that means the total demise of "pants on the ground" I'm all for it.

For random reasons I was just thinking the other day that I hadn't seen young men's boxer shorts in quite a while. And that's a good thing.

[BryroseA]

5 hours ago, HappyDancex2 said:

I’m still a little surprised at the dismissive attitude of Rakan and Jamal towards Christian.  I know nobody wants to be criticized but they do realize they are supposed to want to win this show?  Rakan seems to be standing on his need to be true to himself without realizing that he sounds like he’s stubborn and unwilling to learn.  You may have a style and ideas but you are never a finished product.  He actually made fun of Christian’s weight when Christian told him he didn’t eat for three days to get his clothes on the runway.  That was supposed to be a story of hard work, ethics, sacrifice, sense of urgency....not about food intake.  

Yeah, in fact one of the two designers (Rakan?), when Christian left the break room, rolled his eyes and said “Drama!” in a way that sounded to me like it was a stand in for a dismissive “ugh, twink” . 

I though it was way the fuck out of line. It would be gross in any case, but especially given how poor Rakan’s output has been for this entire competition. Has he made one decent garment? Have some damn respect for an internationally recognized designer. Damn. 

[gorgy]

Garo’s model looked like Lisa Kudrow when she wore a back brace in Romy & Michelle’s High School Reunion 

[PaulaO]

There should have been a double elimination.  Kovid and Jamal.  I like Kovid on the first episode,  it his non stop hammering made me dislike him.  Not sorry to see him go.  There should been a double win.  Bishme and Venne.