By That You Mean

Thank goodness it’s a team challenge this week, because there’s less to critique! We still have just way too many contestants. There are over a dozen. How is this possible? The team challenges on Project Runway are usually enjoyable, and in what must be a first, the producers gave up the usual trope of the not-at-all-shocking twist. “Oh, these two people have to make more than one look? So surprising!”

Is it a little strange, though, that not a single male former contestant was included in the group of people to design for? Granted choosing all women levels the playing field, but it would have been interesting to see.

Lastly, we have yet another lame product tie-in. This time it’s Lexus, providing “color inspiration,” AKA the only six colors they paint cars with. “Lexus” is mentioned numerous times. Gag.

On to Loves It/Hates It! Continue reading →

The first few episodes of any Project Runway season invariably are a struggle for me to remember most of the contestants. How many are there? Like 38 or something? For example, please explain the difference between Christopher and Gunnar. You can’t. Well, the “unconventional challenge” episode each year tends to rectify that. In what I’m hoping isn’t — but fully expect is — a trend, this one’s especially product placementy. Does Dylan’s Candy really need this much exposure? Are they planning to expand worldwide or something? Usually this challenge takes place in a grocery store or a party store. Here, it’s logos galore. Oh well.

On to the final looks!

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Project Runway is back! Project Runway is back? I feel like it was just on the air. Oh, nevermind.

I’m so glad there isn’t a lame pre-episode where they cut a bunch of people this time around. I am, however, not glad about all the branding. The contestants all seem sufficiently odd and sound bitey. Freegans and white dreads and what have you. There is a fun moment when Tim Gunn walks in to ask how everyone is doing and they all collectively groan, “ohargyahboouhyahblah, ” in unison. Sponsored by Brother. Also, I love that Lauren Graham was a guest judge. Gilmore Girls for the win.

Let’s talk about the final looks, in classic Loves It/Hates it style… Continue reading →

DM: What could we say about the first half of the finale? I truly hated all of them, but this was based purely on all of their catty bitchy attitudes. It hurts me to say that about Mondo, because he’s been my favorite since the first episode of his original season. We hadn’t seen completed looks, so it was hard to comment on them. But what I can comment on is the fact that all three of them were getting annoying and bitchy and not fun to watch. I still wanted Mondo to win, with Austin as runner up, and I’ve wanted Michael gone from the beginning, so his placement in my mind is obvious. Continue reading →

Not-Heidi’s eyes were super big this week. There was a lot of over-enunciation. Anyone notice that? One of us has never heard of Nenette Lepore. She seems like she’d sell to upper class New York women with little class. Apparently, though, she’s high class — just not haute couture. The concept — to design for a certain [I'm assuming low] price point — is certainly an interesting if not relevant one, but this is Project Runway…come on! We want crazy couture.

And, wait, what? Why are they not going to fashion week?? This is so clearly not a real season of Project Runway… If we wanted to watch people design for Target, we’d watch one of the many knock-off fashion reality shows. The part where they present their designs and then are told both what the dress would retail for and what it would cost to make in fabric, were interesting, except it’s not really explained. Were they calculating how many people would be needed to make the dress, and how many yards it would need in fabric? A little confusing. It sort of falls apart when we get to Mondo, and he shows them the most basic sketch possible, yet the women somehow have a formula for him still. Continue reading →

Oh, Project Runway All Stars, you held so much promise. Didn’t you?

It’s amazing that we’re down to the top five, and yet very few memorable moments — much less designs — have come to being.

Still, I was very intrigued by the premise this week, although obviously it had the potential to be gimmicky with lots of neon. It’s sort of unfair that they’re told to design for viewing in a black light, yet the judging takes place in visible light.

What do y’all think?

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This was an oddly noncommercial challenge — especially for Project Runway All Stars standards — unless…the United Nations needs publicity? There were some fun moments with Not-Tim-Gunn, like when she wears an outfit that perfectly matches the Jamaican flag, but ironically she waltz up to it and doesn’t recognize its country of origin. If a contestant did that they’d be scolded. It was interesting when she pointed out how most of the men’s designs required their models omit bras. “Woman want to wear underwear,” she scolds them! DM thinks otherwise: “I have to comment on Joanna’s obsession with undergarments this week. I love backless clothing. All a designer needs to do to solve the bra problem is sew cups into the boob area. Not all women are so bra obsessed.”

Thank goodness Austin cut off the ‘stache! At some point in the future, according to the confessionals. Only 6 left to critique! Continue reading →

It’s the midway point for Project Runway All Stars. I don’t know if we should be excited or elated. Let’s start off this week with general thoughts from each of our reviewers.

GC: OK, first of all why was the costume designer of Godspell not even consulted? Did the designers know anything about the show? They were not given a theme or the costume designer’s research. Of course a Broadway costume designer would let a random person design a dress for a lead with no knowledge of the show and concept. This episode did not piss me off as much as the other episodes. Heavens knows it was a better challenge than get inspired by gelato. Overall the season is a C+.

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It’s the dueling designers seasonal luggage sportswear challenge! You know, that challenge you totally, um, remember…and love? Oh who cares anymore; Project Runway All Stars is just such an utter disaster, but not in the good way. Much like the post-Santino Rice impersonation of Tim Gunn, it’s an OK caricature of itself. We don’t really know at this point. It’s been only 6 episodes. Usually PR starts off strong, so maybe PRAS is the bizarro-world converse version?

Specifically, where are the quips? The unintentionally self-referential critiques? The bordering-on-Lester-the-molester looks? Almost all of the kookie elements have been stripped out, and we’re left with some pretty decent designers that are kind of also sort of memorable?

Case in point: Jerell accuses Michael of copying him (which he did do), and Michael just dead-pans, “well I looked over your table and copied what you did.” Barely sarcastic. Barely funny. Just sort of, tiny fart. Like Michael tiny farted in Jerell’s workspace, and Jerell was like, “oh well, if you must.” I am only 70% on Jerell’s side because that hair poof is wrong. You’re never going to have me with that hair poof. That is what happened.There is only so much techno music fierce sewing montage that can enliven such television.

But enough of that! What did we think of this week’s looks? Continue reading →