S17.E06: Power Play

[staphdude]

I could have dealt with Hester being safe but a win is a MFing stretch. It was a cheap costume/cosplay by an earnest but uncreative teen. 

Games have characters in costumes. Do not craft challenges based on costumes and then ask they not do something “costumey”.

A miller falls in the farm category for me so Rakan’s Syrian farm women are a no no but have a woman lugging a dusty sack and EMPOWERMENT! If anything Tessa’s would be a NPC and fade into the background with that muted palette.

i also found it strange that when the teen vogue judge complained about Hester’s costume Karlie defended it by talking about how it would look virtually/digitally. Rakan’s digital drawing looked great. So judges please try and make some effort to be consistent.

Edited April 19, 2019 by staphdude

[jrlr]

10 minutes ago, milner said:

How old is Hester?  When I look at her in one of her costumes I think young...twentyish.   But this week we saw a couple of shots of her close up without her clown glasses and l  realized she was way older than I imagined.  Much like  Betsy Johnson who at 71 looks ridiculous most often. 

She admits to 34, but she seems more like late-40s to me - a lot like uber-hipster Michelle on PRA, who also claims 34.  Is there something magic about that number?

[qtpye]

2 hours ago, slaterain said:

Ugh. While the right person went home, I don't think the right person won. Hester's was not innovative or exciting or anything to me. I don't get what the judges saw in it. The only thing I can think of is that the producers want her kitsch to stick around and they know she will need immunity to justify keeping her through next week's elegant challenge. 

While Tessa bugs at times and they are definitely making sure to get her going in the talking heads - I thought she should have won. Especially when she unbuttoned the overall part and showed more of the tops. She looked strong and the clothes were cool. A pop more color would have been nice but could totally see that character in a game. I thought she was pushing the costume too far with the flour sack but it did actually work for the runway. 

My two favorite looks were in the middle/safe zone which annoyed me. And while I thought Garos' look was strong - I am so over the default dominatrix as empowering women. And editors, we don't need to see him repeat the nina and whip bit multiple times!!! every time he said it it made me cringe more. 

I like the older woman with greying hair but damn - she needs to get her time management together as this panic each week is getting frustrating. She does great stuff and just needs to focus on what she can do in the time. This one was more model fit related but the previews for next week don't bode well to see any improvement here

https://tomandlorenzo.com/2019/04/project-runway-season-17-episode-6-power-play-bravo-tv-reviews/

Tom and Lorezno agree with you.

[Corgi-ears]

Hester's design just looked to me like one of those kids' tops with dinosaur scales.

[Brookside]

5 hours ago, ElectricBoogaloo said:

Apparently strong female video game character = pants with a long jacket.

I've liked Sonia for being quietly nice in past challenges but I loved her after she talked about how she got fired for wanting to make technical board shorts for women because she's right - why shouldn't women have board shorts that are just as technical and good as the ones made for men? I liked the original design she was working on so I was disappointed when she had to scrap a lot of it. The dress was fine but her fabric choice was an issue for me because it cheapened the design. The combination of the fabric and the collar plus the cape was giving me old school Star Trek vibes, like an alien queen from whatever planet they were visiting that week.

Or strong female video game character = Hester's childish monstrosity complete with Kindergartner's backpack and too short harem pants.  Not.  Hester should have moved to Japan rather than Santa Fe - her style would fit right in there.

Agree with you 100% on your Sonia comments.

[sempervivum]

I barely even noticed Hester's actual design, because I was busy taking inventory of her many, many SUPER QUIRKY accessories, and figuring how early she must get up to arrange the pigtails, barrettes, earrings, hats, scarves, socks, etc, etc.  She seems very 38-going-on-6. Did anyone catch the (equally fake) name of her wife-Honey Something? They deserve each other, from the looks of things.

Jamal is confused and lost, yes? I had to laugh when he carefully engineered that boring suit to have zippered seaming and great fit on a model with a bra on, but then just sent her out underwear-free and trying to protect her modesty by slumping. Lucky for him, there were lots of terrible designs that looked even worse.

[Showthyme]

37 minutes ago, sempervivum said:

I barely even noticed Hester's actual design, because I was busy taking inventory of her many, many SUPER QUIRKY accessories, and figuring how early she must get up to arrange the pigtails, barrettes, earrings, hats, scarves, socks, etc, etc.  She seems very 38-going-on-6. Did anyone catch the (equally fake) name of her wife-Honey Something? They deserve each other, from the looks of things.

This! And that voice. Ugh.

[Sesquipedalia]

I really wanted Tessa to win. Her character was original, and the outfit was cool. I don't play video games, but the character she created spoke to my imagination.

Speaking of, this challenge gave me an idea for a video game about an environmental warrior girl who goes around saving wildlife, killing poachers, stopping oil spills, etc. Does that already exist?

I liked Renee's community defender character. I probably would have put her in the top.

It wasn't my favorite, but I can see Hester's game and character idea appealing to young girls.

The dominatrix outfit was hot, but I'm glad it didn't win because of the cliche factor.

I think Jamal's model is really beautiful, and I loved her in that suit. It could have been a great look if he had finished the top, which would have solved the plainness and boobage problems. I thought the critique that a woman doesn't need to wear men's clothes to be powerful was stupid, but the critique that his model was overly exposed and unsupported was correct. A well-designed top can show lots of cleavage without any danger of showing it *all*.

[carrps]

1 hour ago, qtpye said:

https://tomandlorenzo.com/2019/04/project-runway-season-17-episode-6-power-play-bravo-tv-reviews/

Tom and Lorezno agree with you.

Oooo, are Tom and Lorenzo recapping PR again???

[Pepper Mostly]

8 minutes ago, carrps said:

Oooo, are Tom and Lorenzo recapping PR again???

They are! Nice to be able to get a good look at all the outfits. Wait till you read the critiques. Tom and Lorenzo still have what it takes.

Edited April 19, 2019 by Pepper Mostly

[izabella]

5 hours ago, terrymct said:

I'd have gone with Garo as the winner.  That was an awesome outfit.  Would they have liked it better without the whip?   The jacket was amazing, did not look like something pulled together in a day.  The outfit would work for a character and people could still wear it.

Hester I'm convinced has incriminating photos of the judges or something.  The outfit didn't deserve to be in the bottom, but it wasn't worthy of the praise it got either.  She designs for club kids no matter what the challenge is.

Garo could easily have saved that design if he had given her flat or low-heeled chunky shit-kicker boots and dropped the whip.  So, styling doomed him to dominatrix.

Hester's twee tween bullshit with plastic backpacks stuffed with fabric was boring!  Boring, NIna, boring!  And the plastic cutouts at the hips would be scratchy and uncomfortable.  Plus, you know, some people wear underwear that isn't a thong, especially video game characters that need to move.

Miller's daughter was straight-up costume, so Tessa's didn't work for me, either.  I would have put Renee in the top.

Edited April 19, 2019 by izabella

[carrps]

1 hour ago, Pepper Mostly said:

They are! Nice to be able to get a good look at all the outfits. Wait till you read the critiques. Tom and Lorenzo still have what it takes.

I loved their takes, of course, but they were (and now are) the best place to actually see the clothes.

[carrps]

22 minutes ago, izabella said:

Hester's twee tween bullshit with plastic backpacks stuffed with fabric was boring!  Boring, NIna, boring!  And the plastic cutouts at the hips would be scratchy and uncomfortable.  Plus, you know, some people wear underwear that isn't a thong, especially video game characters that need to move.

Hester's was straight up neon on black 80s "fashion." Gave me queasy flashbacks.

[Gloriosa]

I can hardly stand to look at Hester.  I bet she and Honey live somewhere a lot like Pee Wee's Playhouse.  (Actually, there's a very nice looking woman under all that stuff I find so hard to look at.)  Anyway - didn't really hate her model's outfit, but the makeup is horrible.  I wish we could have had a better look at the video artists' renderings.  They looked pretty great.

[meep.meep]

I liked Hester better a few years ago when she was called Erin.

The makeup on her model was beyond ridiculous.  Would she have done that on a white, Asian, or Hispanic model?

[Bees]

I consider myself a bit of a video game nerd but this challenge just left me disappointed. I think the big problem is that they were like "not costumey" but the fact of the matter is that video games are always going to have an element of costume to them. And the way they judged vs the way Christian and company presented it was just such a disconnect. 

What I would've liked to have seen is that people tackle a genre. Like RPGs, First Person Shooters, Platformers, Rhythm Games, etc. That would've been interesting to see that. 

Also, where the hell was the color?! Even Hester's look didn't have color and I was counting on her to have some. They were either too muted or just not there.

I think Tessa's was the best outfit hands down. I want those overalls. At first I thought of it more like NPC-chic (NPC - Non-Player Character. usually the randos you find in the towns), but I think this could've really worked in an RPG setting. Sure still have the Miller's Daughter sort of background but she gets called to fight and help the party with brawn. That bag of flour would be a helluva weapon. 

Hester's looks like every DDR character ever minus the color and charisma. So I guess it kind of works. Liked the game idea. Once again, it needed some more color. And of all people, Hester is all about color. Why on earth did she go this route? 

As a fellow Rhode Islander, I was hoping for Jamall to do well. Alas, he's just not there. He's got ideas but he doesn't quite it all just yet. Just a lot of potential that needs to manifest itself. Dude needs to get his act together or he's done.

I had to laugh at Jamall's face after seeing Bishme and Tessa flirting with each other. 

[Delete]

Christian absolutely makes the show worthy of a watch for me. He not only gives great advice, but he's also not afraid of giving some tough love critiques. He knows his stuff. But most of all I live for his facial expressions...the eye-rolling , the heavy sighing, and the pursed lips.  YAS! 

I'm a girl gamer, and the whole point of gaming is escape to a  make-believe world where you can do anything.  The outfits characters wear are costumey, so I didn't have an issue with the designs looking like a costume.

However I do have issue with the judges taste level.  Maybe Hester is sharing some of her unicorn fart cookies with the judges because they're definitely loving her big time. 

Nina triggered over the dominatrix bit was a bit much. Girl, relax. It's just a character. 

Edited April 19, 2019 by Barbara Please

[SunnyBeBe]

I sort of laughed when the judges frowned on the model with no bra and ample cleavage showing.  I mean, this is BRAVO.  Do they know how the majority of women dress on this network? lol  Support and coverage aren't really something they promote.  I guess they were saying that most of what is pushed in our faces by Bravo ladies, isn't very tasteful.  lol 

[HurricaneVal]

I posted this in another forum, but I thought I'd post it here too:

"Don't make it costume-y!"

Person who goes through life wearing a costume every day makes a costume with a fake jetpack filled with pixie chiffon.

All the other designers: "OMG. She totally made a costume. She's gonna get ripped by the judges."

Judges: "We love the jetpack and the plastic and the Lycra and the neon bright colors and the comic book feel of it! Little girls will love to dress up like this... ::passes the crack pipe around:: No, that doesn't make it a costume...you win!"

I think what really happened was that Nina flat out would not let the "Fashion Editrix" win because I think she felt she was being mocked. Combine that with how her outfit, perhaps selected by production, matched the editrix garment perfectly, and that forced smile on her face after she was cajoled into cracking the whip...yeah, I think she was pissed and uncomfortable. The other judges then wouldn't let Nina's favorite "Miller's Daughter" win because they were mad at Nina for spoiling their fun. And the childish and amateurish STEM forward Halloween costume won by default. That's my only explanation for how that could possibly have gone down.

Christian is really starting to hit his stride! He was hilarious at Mood, and very present and thoughtful and spot on with his mentoring advice in the work room.

Edited to add:  I still program in FORTRAN, bitches.  😝😆😱

Edited April 19, 2019 by HurricaneVal
Forgot to throw down.

[Snewtsie]

Why did no one choose Neoprene?!  Seemed like a no brainer, especially in a bright color.

Once again, I LOVED Sebastian's outfit. He should have been in the top 3 instead of Hester.

[little black cloud]

Checking, checking...yep! Still cringing with vicarious embarrassment at Garo’s fashion editor/dominatrix scenario. 

[Pepper Mostly]

I loved Sebastian's. It would have read more video game-y if it was a little more colorful. 90% of PR designers are allergic to color! "I only work in black, charcoal, or cream".

[carrps]

1 hour ago, HurricaneVal said:

I posted this in another forum, but I thought I'd post it here too:

"Don't make it costume-y!"

Person who goes through life wearing a costume every day makes a costume with a fake jetpack filled with pixie chiffon.

All the other designers: "OMG. She totally made a costume. She's gonna get ripped by the judges."

Judges: "We love the jetpack and the plastic and the Lycra and the neon bright colors and the comic book feel of it! Little girls will love to dress up like this... ::passes the crack pipe around:: No, that doesn't make it a costume...you win!"

I think what really happened was that Nina flat out would not let the "Fashion Editrix" win because I think she felt she was being mocked. Combine that with how her outfit, perhaps selected by production, matched the editrix garment perfectly, and that forced smile on her face after she was cajoled into cracking the whip...yeah, I think she was pissed and uncomfortable. The other judges then wouldn't let Nina's favorite "Miller's Daughter" win because they were mad at Nina for spoiling their fun. And the childish and amateurish STEM forward Halloween costume won by default. That's my only explanation for how that could possibly have gone down.

Christian is really starting to hit his stride! He was hilarious at Mood, and very present and thoughtful and spot on with his mentoring advice in the work room.

Edited to add:  I still program in FORTRAN, bitches.  😝😆😱

Totally love this entire post....except FORTRAN ew. 😝

[sunshine23]

15 hours ago, Brookside said:

Venny's looked like a misguided outfit for the Greek team at the Olympics Opening Ceremony.

Or from the Brady Bunch when they sang on tv.

18 hours ago, Straycat80 said:

I don’t know how they were suppose to design something Gamer and not let it look costume-y. 

Hester wins. I think the judges are favoring her. The bottom three designs deserved to be in the bottom. I was rooting for the Chicago boy because I’m from there but it was time for Rakan to go. 

The judges moughts must have been sore and tired from talking out of both sides. Contradictory much?

[Fellaway]

2 hours ago, Bees said:

I had to laugh at Jamall's face after seeing Bishme and Tessa flirting with each other. 

I've been waiting for someone to comment on this!  I thought maybe I was seeing things!  That was... weird and uncomfortable making, the way he just... kept... stroking... her face with his silvery hands.

Get a room, guys.

[meep.meep]

1 hour ago, carrps said:

Totally love this entire post....except FORTRAN ew. 😝

Don't diss Fortran, Babe!  It got us to the moon!

[SunnyBeBe]

1 hour ago, Fellaway said:

I've been waiting for someone to comment on this!  I thought maybe I was seeing things!  That was... weird and uncomfortable making, the way he just... kept... stroking... her face with his silvery hands.

Get a room, guys.

Yeah,......I want some of those gloves!

[GoldaVining]

I took another look at all the designs this episode and it is clear to me that Venny should have been out. Awful.

[mightysparrow]

I think the judges have swallowed Hester's 'cool aid'.  She's convinced them that she's COOL so they drool all over her mediocre at best shit because they want to be COOL too.  The sad thing is that Hester is practically the polar opposite of cool.  Cool doesn't work that hard; see:  Dan, Dapper.  He's one of the coolest cats going and he doesn't break a sweat trying to prove it to anybody.

I only got 10 seconds to get a look at the outfits I thought were the best.  Rene, Sebastian, the long haired woman and the grey haired woman all created looks that were interesting, fashionable and NOT costumes.  But they don't go around blowing their own horns, so we barely see them.

The designers need to realize that what happens at Mood is make-or-break.  I think Venny would have come up with something better if he had picked better fabric.  I understand that some of the designers have their own lines and have been working for years, but Christian isn't a novice and he's there to HELP them.  They need to listen to him.  He hasn't been wrong yet.

[SunnyBeBe]

So true, when the judges were all gathered around worshiping the Hester design (only one judge called it cheap, Thank you!)....it reminded me  of the story The Emperor and His New Clothes....remember?  lol

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Emperor's_New_Clothes

[hookedontv]

Give me a break-Hester won? Again?

I feel like Hester is pre-destined to win, although I really hope I’m wrong. When is constant kitsch fashionable? I really thought she would be in the bottom 3 with that costume. 

This seems to be going the way of PR All-Stars—No matter what horrible garments Michelle put down that runway, the judges were determined to have her win at the end. It was a joke. As I said, I hope I’m wrong. 

And, as usual-please show us more Swatch please! Christian & Swatch at Mood give me life. 

[Stats Queen]

23 minutes ago, hookedontv said:

Give me a break-Hester won? Again?

I feel like Hester is pre-destined to win, although I really hope I’m wrong. When is constant kitsch fashionable? I really thought she would be in the bottom 3 with that costume. 

This seems to be going the way of PR All-Stars—No matter what horrible garments Michelle put down that runway, the judges were determined to have her win at the end. It was a joke. As I said, I hope I’m wrong.  

I really agree and this show started out so hopeful ...

[KLovestoShop]

I was waiting for “Lady Bond” boobs to come flying out of that jacket.  I agree that putting a woman in a tux doesn’t make her strong. 

I don’t get the Hester win, and I don’t get their gushing over her.  Her thing wasn’t making a woman powerful, it was putting her in an ugly costume.  And how can a character do great moves in the lucite shoes.  

This has been a huge complaint of mine for a long time.  What the heck is it with these younger women and their inability to pronounce the letter “T” in the middle of words?  Tessa just can’t say cotton——she says ca-in.   Drives me nuts.  Mountain is mow-in.  Button is bu-in.  Where did this crapola start?  

[ElectricBoogaloo]

25 minutes ago, KLovestoShop said:

This has been a huge complaint of mine for a long time.  What the heck is it with these younger women and their inability to pronounce the letter “T” in the middle of words?  Tessa just can’t say cotton——she says ca-in.   Drives me nuts.  Mountain is mow-in.  Button is bu-in.  Where did this crapola start?  

For years, PR contestants have been pronouncing “aesthetic” as ass-dead-ick which always confuses/enrages me. WHY?!

[Kdel1079]

I also loved Tessa’s look and hated Hester’s. Leela’s was really beautiful and was probably my favorite. Hester is annoying and her clothes are ugly. I agree with the person who said she is like 38 going on 6. Exactly! 

Couldn’t get into Garo’s costume because he was just too damn proud of it. Tessa puts her head down and works, and I admire that. No need to brag about some ten minute dress you’ve made a million times.

[Ashforth]

19 hours ago, Wandering Snark said:

I don't like that Tessa has become the bitchy narrator/definer of taste. She gives me Michelle lite vibes and I'm still trying to forget that last doomed retro POC that was PRAS. I mean most of this group are at least amicable with each other and she's that bitch eating crackers in the corner commenting on everyone like she's the arbiter of what passed for good design. Shut up Tessa! That said, I still would have given her the win here.

11 hours ago, Pepper Mostly said:

I enjoyed this challenge too. I thought it was fun and it was refreshing to see female game designers and hear their perspectives. I loved Tessa's, I thought was well thought out, loved the humor of the flour sack, and walked the line between fashion/costume well. I like her. Her critiques are spot on, so I can't fault her on that score. She knew Bishme's was a hot mess. And it seems that many here agree with her take on Hester's, also.  I don't think she's a mean girl. She's asked in her talking head interviews for her opinion, as all of the participants are. She's been giving the best sound bites and I can't say she's been wide of the mark. Think of those appalling twins from a few seasons ago, who said terrible things about all their fellows. They thought the were being hilariously witty and snarky, but they were mean spirited and, usually fabulously, glaringly wrong in their assessments. The garments they trashed would win, while their pitiful rags were always on the bottom. Tessa gives a calm, measured assessment, she is usually right on the money, and her stuff is frequently on the top.

I think it's interesting that at the beginning of the season, Hester was getting the "villain" edit, but she's been rehabilitated and replaced as the bad guy with Tessa. There is no way that Tessa is the only contestant giving negative opinions of the other designers' work in the talking heads, but lately she's the only one whose critiques are shown.

Now that I've had a chance to see the runway photos for this episode online, let's take a second look.

"Safe" designs:

Sebastian

Edited April 20, 2019 by Ashforth

[Ashforth]

Well, the images are too big for me to paste more of them here 😒

But they're here:  https://www.bravotv.com/project-runway/season-17/season-17/blogs/runway-recap-episode-6

Check out Sebastian, Lela, and even Renee and then take a good look at the photo of Hester's winning design.

Ridiculous.

[Samwise979]

Christian: isn't anyone using colour? 

Tessa: I am!

Christian: Ugh, brown. 

[Kdel1079]

Hester’s looks like even more of a neon 80s nightmare when I look at the picture of it. Ew

[Texasmom1970]

So in that outfit what is Hesters superhero’s powers? Is she going to save Valley Girls at the Galleria from zombies? Fer sure!

[Vermicious Knid]

Quote

The makeup on her model was beyond ridiculous.  Would she have done that on a white, Asian, or Hispanic model?

Yes, because it's Hester.

Liked Mimi's dress, don't remember the designer. She was some kind of fairy princess? Venny's outfit reminded me of Chrono Crusade, which features demon-hunting nuns.

[SunnyBeBe]

Well, it might sting to see Hester win a challenge with another hideous design and it might really sting to see her win the whole thing, but, it won't sting for me, because, I wont' watch it.  I'll come by here to see what happens and hope for the best.  But, there's no way those judges are going to back off now that Hester has been anointed as gold. 

[sasha206]

I did not get Hester's design AT ALL.  I thought it was ugly.  And plastic backpack filled with the tacky fabric shit?  I guess Tessa's was great but I was underwhelmed by it too. I thought Sebastian's was incredible.  And I guess I'm really not a fashionista, but I didn't think Rakkan's was that bad.   Venny's was by far the worst.  

I also don't get Nina.  The woman is a fashion maven apparently but her clothes and hair area always absolutely boring.  Some of the things she goes apeshit for, like Hester's design, I don't get.

[izabella]

8 hours ago, Vermicious Knid said:

Yes, because it's Hester.

Liked Mimi's dress, don't remember the designer. She was some kind of fairy princess? Venny's outfit reminded me of Chrono Crusade, which features demon-hunting nuns.

Hey, is that Miller's Daughter on the bottom right? 😄

[shksabelle]

I know these people consider themselves “artistes”, and above the plebeian world if things like history and language arts. 

Last week we had “18th century Elizabethan” fashion, and this week we have the super edgy S&M designer, Garo, who doesn’t know that “editrix” is ACTUALLY the female form of editor, albeit rarely used. 

[buttersister]

Is the finale already in the can because back away from Hester, judges! She will make you look foolish, not relevant. No kind of cool. Here’s hoping Christian’s eyes  don’t roll out of his head.

[carrps]

17 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

This has been a huge complaint of mine for a long time.  What the heck is it with these younger women and their inability to pronounce the letter “T” in the middle of words?  Tessa just can’t say cotton——she says ca-in.   Drives me nuts.  Mountain is mow-in.  Button is bu-in.  Where did this crapola start?  

You and me, both. Glottal stops. Ugh. And don't get me started on people who pronounce "Manhattan" as Ma Ha Uh.

[dleighg]

17 hours ago, KLovestoShop said:

What the heck is it with these younger women and their inability to pronounce the letter “T” in the middle of words?  Tessa just can’t say cotton——she says ca-in.   Drives me nuts.  Mountain is mow-in.  Button is bu-in.  Where did this crapola start?  

I hadn't noticed this (will look for it) but it reminds me of when, years ago in grad school my office mate and I had a guest office mate from Japan as a visiting scholar. He had of course learned "proper English" and he asked us why Americans said "boddum" instead of "bottom" (with the t sounding like a t instead of more like a d). I'd never thought of it before but of course he's correct, at least for the folks I know. So I guess it's gotten even worse and some folks don't even pronounce the d! I do say "cotton" and "mountain" I promise!

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 4/18/2019 at 10:15 PM, buttersister said:

What was that?

Christian was wonderful as usual. I’m pretty sure I tune in to see him, because the judges are meh and the challenges are gimmicky and they could all do better. Please.

I agree that I love Christian and he brings a lot of personality to the show.  That said, I'm not sure how I feel about his "mentoring" the contestants.  I hear the criticism, but not the constructive advice or questions to evoke new ideas.  What do you all think?

[SemiCharmedLife]

On 4/19/2019 at 11:28 AM, Gloriosa said:

I can hardly stand to look at Hester.  I bet she and Honey live somewhere a lot like Pee Wee's Playhouse.  (Actually, there's a very nice looking woman under all that stuff I find so hard to look at.)  Anyway - didn't really hate her model's outfit, but the makeup is horrible.  I wish we could have had a better look at the video artists' renderings.  They looked pretty great.

I agree!  Even when trying to pause my streaming device, I couldn't get a good look at the artists' images.  What a waste!