Hey everyone! It’s *that* time again. Were you surprised “Project Runway” has come back for another season? It seems lately after each season there are rumors of cancellations…or maybe it’s just in social media land there are those who think it’s done. But come on, you know you wanna watch! There are also many viewers who feel the show is more about drama and “characters” and less about talent. I seem to meet people who express this to me on a regular basis! One would think the execs would be aware of this and want to change it. Or…perhaps they think this is what gets them the ratings and keeps people hooked. I’d love to know what YOU think, O Reader of My Blog, especially if you have seen every season as I have.
Having said that, I was a bit surprised in the intro with Heidi and Tim, at the attempt to rile viewers up by saying, “There’s LOTS of drama”, and “Aww, lots of tears,” (poor lil’ designers), followed by Heidi’s, “We have SO MUCH FUN this season!” and Tim’s, “It’s an AMAZING ROLLER COASTER RIDE!” OK, so you have fun watching the designers cry and being drama puppets? What kind of show is this now? As a former competing designer on the show, this was all a bit off-putting to me.
Moving on. In the past I’ve always thought it can be difficult to pick favorites in the first episode. I also truly believe the producers and casting directors must cast people in “tiers” of talent (and, perhaps, character); by that I mean there are top tier whom they see as winning, bottom tier who likely will be eliminated early, and middle ground. Sorry, this may sound a little harsh, but really, it’s true. I know how casting works. I have to say, already off the bat, I am seeing the weak talent and “character” more than ever.
True to historical format, the first challenge is a warm-up. The designers must race to grab preselected fabrics (in this case, draped in the bleachers) to create a design that best represents their POV. Oddly enough, sometimes this is the hardest thing to do right out of the gate. If you are smart, you have some “signature” tricks up your sleeve you can pull out. Because you just really have to be safe. Not to mention, remember these people likely haven’t had cameras following them around as they work before. I had a difficult time with this in the first challenge and it is fair to say it rattled me!
My take on the designers’ entries:
BLAKE ended up with one of the lowest scores for his “tortured” gown. I don’t hate the print, funny enough, but that in itself makes a huge statement, and Blake just kept piling it on with the wonky draping, train, colored lining…and ended up with a hot mess.
AMANDA created a dress that burned my eyes. I cannot believe she was not in the bottom for this, but then again there were quite a few wrecks. The first thing I thought was, “Who designs with a handkerchief hem anymore?” and the second was, “This looks like something on a clearance rack at Marshalls.” The silver pumps were not helping. If this is the look that represents her POV as a designer, it is fair to say I’ll be waiting each week for her elimination, unless she miraculously redeems herself.
LAURIE is telling us she likes sleek, edgy, sexy through her design. Well done, except if the leg opening had been several inches lower, the dress would have been much more tasteful.
HANMIAO: the miniature designer likes to make giant clothes. I’m all into boxy but not “tent,” especially in *shiny* yellow. I had a Talking Heads moment.
SWAPNIL might be this season’s designer with major tailoring/fit prowess, but whose designs are just okay.
DUNCAN is right out of school AND a menswear designer. Double handicap there, in this situation. He was somewhat complacent though, about being eliminated for his overly voluminous “salmon toga.”
EDMOND, who has auditioned each one of 14 seasons, has had a lot of time to finesse his skills, and it shows. This top-scoring look was chic and fit very well. The chartreuse pop on the train was polarizing in judges’ responses; I thought it was great, especially against the model’s deep brown legs. The styling was spot on and we understand who he is as a designer based on this look, which is the main goal for this challenge.
MERLINE’s personality annoys the hell out of me (and clearly others), but damn, she made the most refreshingly modern look on the runway today. This was hands down my favorite and I would have chosen it for the win.
LINDSEY on the other hand was the polar opposite of Merline. I like her straight-up, no-BS personality, but OH how disappointing her look was: a sad floral (dress?) which looked like it came from a thrift store. The design was extremely simple and yet the fit was terrible as well (i.e. lopsided bust). I am shocked this was not one of the lowest scores.
DAVID created an effortlessly chic caftan; this was one of my favorite looks. Pattern mixing isn’t easy and I am impressed at the way he combined three fabrics which were more or less preselected! Bonus points for adding pockets!
JOSEPH…..meh, we’ve seen this look way too many times, and the simple skirt doesn’t fit great. I will say the skirt length is spot on, but the cropped top seems too short in front, throwing the overall proportion off.
KELLY: lopsided boob and handkerchief hem strike again! Heidi must be getting an eye twitch at this point. Talk about a “character.” This girl is full-on “Jersey Shore” (though she is from Boston), and designs like it too. Well, at least her POV is loud and clear. I’m just not sure who, aside from her, dresses like that these days, at least as a fashion-forward role model.
JAKE ……….store-bought pattern. Completely uninspired.
GABRIELLE’s ill-fitting grey dress is a mess. Sounds like she knows it, but she must have completely cracked as even the style is completely ordinary. She is very lucky there were worse looks than hers. I’d be curious to know what her score was.
CANDICE’s look was just okay but at least she is showing a more distinct POV than many other designers. If you read my blog regularly then you know I’m a tough customer when it comes to peplums, too.
ASHLEY, last but not least, created an adorable and elegant look that many women could wear. She did a great job at mixing textiles, and there were just the right amount of details such as the “paper bag” pleated waist, and cutaway back of the top (LOVE). It all looks well executed and shows a sense of who she is as a designer, which is likely why she won. I agree that she deserved to win…for me it was a tie between hers and Merline’s looks, and more just a matter of taste.
Final thought on this episode: The three designers who did not bring a single tool or kit with them ironically created decent looks. However, I’m just as gobsmacked as Tim about how someone could not bring a kit or work without tools. I’d love to know how they do it, because so much of sewing and patterning is dependent on the right tools. When I did All Stars I was even shocked that a couple of my competitors did not even own a hip curve!
