I've never been a fan of the whole idea that producers get involved in competition-type reality shows in order to keep the interesting people on the show. But, in my opinion, they needed to do a little more of that on this season of Project Runway.
So, I'm not a fan of the way over the top, super out there designers. Usually, I'm not even a fan of the "good" ones who are way over the top. But they do make the show a little more interesting. This season, they eliminated the two "kooks" on the very first two weeks, and in week four, they eliminated the only black woman, who was also prone to more colorful (though usually tasteless) creations. To be fair, she did get kicked out for designing a pretty boring black dress that I could probably go buy at Sears. But they have eliminated a lot of entertainment value in the first three weeks.
What remains are a number of very talented designers, but also a number of designers who don't really stand out from one another - with some exceptions, obviously - and no one who I would describe as even a little bit avant garde.
I'll still watch, because I just like seeing the runway show with all the pretty outfits, but I think from a pure entertainment value/ratings game perspective, the producers made a mistake. Especially since, in each of the first two contestants to be eliminated were up against the guy who basically sent a model down the runway covered in pantyhose material - who was subsequently eliminated in week three. I would rather have had an additional week of annoying and bizarre Malvin than an extra week of annoying and boring Mitchell.
On another note, Gordana's dress was far and away my favorite last night, and I didn't get the winning outfit at all. It looked sloppy and scrunched up and just plain ugly.
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Showing posts with label Project Runway. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Project Runway. Show all posts
Friday, September 11, 2009
Sunday, August 23, 2009
TV - Project Runway S6E1
Season Six of the world's most awesomest reality-competition show, Project Runway, started last week on it's new network Lifetime. Full of big personalities and classic gimmicky names (Hello, Qristyl!) there was also plenty of talent to go around. Read on for my spoiler-heavy discussion of the first episode of the new season.
Upon meeting all of the contestants, there are some that seem more likeable than others from the get-go. There's Ra'Mon who I've got to love because apparently he was well on his way to being a neurosurgeon, and I like big brains. I also like Epperson, who is the oldest guy and looks like you might see him drumming happily on the sidewalk in Ann Arbor. I also liked Logan who said he was the type of guy who could look under the hood and repair his limo, should it break-down on his way to Fashion Week.
I certainly did not care for Johnny, who was all to eager to let everyone know he was a recovering addict and then called out to his competitors to talk him through his panic attack, when I'm sure they were all undergoing tremendous amounts of anxiety.
I also did not have a lot of patience for Nicolas, who claims to make dresses out of feathers and champagne. That just doesn't sound practical!
As far as the runway goes, my favorite was not signaled out for recognition. I absolutely loved Irina's beautiful antique lace gown. It was gorgeous and definitely Academy Awards red-carpet worthy. And although it might not have been bad enough to warrant getting kicked-out, the over-looked bobby tassel dress by Carol was pretty hideous.
Out of the judges favorites, my antagonism towards Johnny extended to my distaste for his dress. The judges seemed to applaud the structure, rather than the arresting color. Certainly the bright, lipstick red with black sequin detail seemed off-putting to me, however I wasn't able to appreciate the shape of the gown even when imagining it in a solid black fabric. The front was such a broad sack, only the skinniest of anorexic starlets would be able to avoid looking like a whale in this outfit. And the back was a bit too-much reveal.
I felt bad for Mitchell. He made a mistake in not allowing himself some wiggle room with the fitting, and I hope he learns from it. The Victorian color wasn't my favorite, but the look was a lot more interesting in it's original form, with the blue watercolor fabric trickling down the legs. If things hadn't gotten so screwed up during the fitting, Mitchell had a real possibility for a successful look with the dramatic collar and a shorter skirt, to make the outfit more contemporary.
As for Ari, she was definitely a case of an artist who works through fashion rather than a fashion designer. She was a bit too out-there, although I didn't think her outfit was the worst thing to come across the PR stage in its history.
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Upon meeting all of the contestants, there are some that seem more likeable than others from the get-go. There's Ra'Mon who I've got to love because apparently he was well on his way to being a neurosurgeon, and I like big brains. I also like Epperson, who is the oldest guy and looks like you might see him drumming happily on the sidewalk in Ann Arbor. I also liked Logan who said he was the type of guy who could look under the hood and repair his limo, should it break-down on his way to Fashion Week.
I certainly did not care for Johnny, who was all to eager to let everyone know he was a recovering addict and then called out to his competitors to talk him through his panic attack, when I'm sure they were all undergoing tremendous amounts of anxiety.
I also did not have a lot of patience for Nicolas, who claims to make dresses out of feathers and champagne. That just doesn't sound practical!
As far as the runway goes, my favorite was not signaled out for recognition. I absolutely loved Irina's beautiful antique lace gown. It was gorgeous and definitely Academy Awards red-carpet worthy. And although it might not have been bad enough to warrant getting kicked-out, the over-looked bobby tassel dress by Carol was pretty hideous.
Out of the judges favorites, my antagonism towards Johnny extended to my distaste for his dress. The judges seemed to applaud the structure, rather than the arresting color. Certainly the bright, lipstick red with black sequin detail seemed off-putting to me, however I wasn't able to appreciate the shape of the gown even when imagining it in a solid black fabric. The front was such a broad sack, only the skinniest of anorexic starlets would be able to avoid looking like a whale in this outfit. And the back was a bit too-much reveal.
I felt bad for Mitchell. He made a mistake in not allowing himself some wiggle room with the fitting, and I hope he learns from it. The Victorian color wasn't my favorite, but the look was a lot more interesting in it's original form, with the blue watercolor fabric trickling down the legs. If things hadn't gotten so screwed up during the fitting, Mitchell had a real possibility for a successful look with the dramatic collar and a shorter skirt, to make the outfit more contemporary.
As for Ari, she was definitely a case of an artist who works through fashion rather than a fashion designer. She was a bit too out-there, although I didn't think her outfit was the worst thing to come across the PR stage in its history.
Read more!
Friday, August 21, 2009
TV - Project Runway All-Star Challenge
Project Runway is backkkk! And in a true treat, a delicious appetizer was presented before the new season started. In Project Runway All Stars we were able to see how designers Korto, Uli, Sweet P, Daniel V, Jeffrey, Santino, Chris, and Mychael have evolved since their time in the competition. They created a small collection of three looks with a bonus fourth look thrown in at the last minute made from un-traditional materials. Read on for my thoughts on the results.
The judges sort of had a weird inconsistency. On one hand, they seemed anxious to see how the designers have grown since they last judged their looks. On the other hand, when the designers evolved significantly, the judges were uncomfortable not-recognizing the contestants style from years past.
The main victim of this thinking was Uli. Uli presented an awesome collection, but her lack of prints and flowy beach-dresses threw the judges for a loop. They were blinded by her change in aesthetic that they couldn't see the looks she presented for what they were: truly awesome designs! Her restaurant look was superb. That she wasn't included in the top four was a real shame.
On the other hand, Chris presented a look that was very different from his costumey presentation in seasons past. He made three sober looks out of the same flannel plaid, the first two were barely distinguishable to me. I thought he was given a bit too much praise. One thing I did love, though, was how Heidi talked Mama to him when he was getting a bit too overwhelmed with his admirable humility. Oh, Heidi... I've missed you!
(Naturally I missed Tim the most. When he said to Mychael "It displeases me!" and when he slammed himself into that heavy workroom door I was in absolute Gunn Euphoria.)
So anyway, back to the runway: the winner was Daniel V. Was this deserved? I'm sort of ambivalent. His red carpet dress was my favorite and I agree that it was perfect. However, I thought his restaurant challenge fourth look was the worst. That he's also sort of in the pocket of Project Runway (he's had all of the judges write for his new book and he's a PR sponsored blogger) was a bit uncomfortable as well. But what made me the most uncomfortable was Korto's totally pissy response to getting second place. She received a lot of praise and was shown a tremendous amount of respect. That she sees coming in second out of this terrific group as a diss is weird and insulting.
Overall I was so happy to be back in the world of Project Runway, regardless of the network switch. I thought all of the designers had at least one look that I thought was successful. Certainly it was great to see so many talented looks in an 7 person show. Normally when there are still 7 designers kicking around in a season, there are still plenty of duds. Here it truly was a matter of who was the best of the best.
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The judges sort of had a weird inconsistency. On one hand, they seemed anxious to see how the designers have grown since they last judged their looks. On the other hand, when the designers evolved significantly, the judges were uncomfortable not-recognizing the contestants style from years past.
The main victim of this thinking was Uli. Uli presented an awesome collection, but her lack of prints and flowy beach-dresses threw the judges for a loop. They were blinded by her change in aesthetic that they couldn't see the looks she presented for what they were: truly awesome designs! Her restaurant look was superb. That she wasn't included in the top four was a real shame.
On the other hand, Chris presented a look that was very different from his costumey presentation in seasons past. He made three sober looks out of the same flannel plaid, the first two were barely distinguishable to me. I thought he was given a bit too much praise. One thing I did love, though, was how Heidi talked Mama to him when he was getting a bit too overwhelmed with his admirable humility. Oh, Heidi... I've missed you!
(Naturally I missed Tim the most. When he said to Mychael "It displeases me!" and when he slammed himself into that heavy workroom door I was in absolute Gunn Euphoria.)
So anyway, back to the runway: the winner was Daniel V. Was this deserved? I'm sort of ambivalent. His red carpet dress was my favorite and I agree that it was perfect. However, I thought his restaurant challenge fourth look was the worst. That he's also sort of in the pocket of Project Runway (he's had all of the judges write for his new book and he's a PR sponsored blogger) was a bit uncomfortable as well. But what made me the most uncomfortable was Korto's totally pissy response to getting second place. She received a lot of praise and was shown a tremendous amount of respect. That she sees coming in second out of this terrific group as a diss is weird and insulting.
Overall I was so happy to be back in the world of Project Runway, regardless of the network switch. I thought all of the designers had at least one look that I thought was successful. Certainly it was great to see so many talented looks in an 7 person show. Normally when there are still 7 designers kicking around in a season, there are still plenty of duds. Here it truly was a matter of who was the best of the best.
Read more!
Friday, May 22, 2009
TV - The Fashion Show
I am currently in the middle of viewing the third episode "The Fashion Show." I've been waiting for the show to gain its footing before writing a review, but now I've had it.
The casting for this show is obnoxious. I am sure there were thousands of aspiring fashion designers who auditioned, and yet they chose to cast almost exclusively based on personality. The skill levels are laughable in several contestants. To give you some insight: three designers have said that they do not know how to sew. They are designers in the same way that every middle school girl says that she wants to be a fashion designer: they doodle dresses but have no idea how to get the design from paper to runway. What did they think this competition was going to be? That there would be a team of pattern makers and sewers helping the contestants with each challenge?!
In the second episode, a contestant pieced together an outfit with safety pins, and admitted openly that he doesn't think sewing is important and STILL WASN'T ELIMINATED.
The other annoyance is that the show has relied completely on team challenges, even in the mini-challenges, with the exception of one event so far in the first three episodes.
On the positive side, the challenges are creative and interesting, just like in Project Runway. Also, in a divergence from PR, the Fashion Show hosts a real runway show with a full audience every week, which is sort of fun.
I will continue to watch, simply because I have a lot of time pinned underneath a sleeping baby. Furthermore, I've got to have faith that eventually those without talent will be voted off and we could be left with 5 or so authentic, talented designers.
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