Poking the Shark

Thursday, November 29, 2007 by
With regards to shark-jumping, Project Runway skated right up to that tank last night and almost...almost made the jump before pulling away.


Last night's episode encapsulated everything we feared about Season 4. It's a standard rule with most television shows - and definitely with most reality television shows - that the more popular a show gets, the harder it is for the show to sustain a certain level of quality over time. Things get too self-referential or self-congratulatory (witness the designers bursting into applause during episode 1 when Tim said "Make it work." for the first time of the season. Lorenzo threatened to vomit on the couch over that one).

Maybe it wouldn't have been so groan-inducing if we hadn't just come off a really great episode with one of the best guest judges the show ever had. Going from dream judge Sarah Jessica Parker directly to Tiki Barber of all people, was more than a little bit of a letdown. Ignoring the comedy of watching a bunch of fashion designers trying to feign shock and awe over two guests in whom they had zero interest ("*gasp!* It's ... some Black guy!" "*gasp!* It's ... some Asian woman!"), the fact of the matter is, designing an outfit for ANYONE on the Today Show is ...whatever word is appropriate to denote the complete opposite of "fabulous."

By its very nature, the Today Show is meant to appeal to the broadest possible demographic, which means the people who populate these shows tend toward bland personalities in bland clothing. To ask the designers to design something to be worn by such a person is basically handing them an assignment that says "Boil it down to the lowest common denominator you can." And let's face it, it showed in the judges' pick for the winner. Jack did a nice enough job, but it wasn't anything you wouldn't see on a well-dressed high school algebra teacher. The more interesting looks were shuffled off the runway quickly and never even referred to by the judges so that all the time could be spent bitching at the designers who don't have menswear skills or praising the designers who made your standard Suburban-Dad-on-Sunday uniform. Given their propensity for normally raking any designer over the coals for being "safe" and for spewing their moistness at any designer who shows a "point of view," it just stinks of "sellout" to us.

It's not like the show has ever been - or even needs to be - cutting edge. It's just that even designing a dress for the supreme blandness that is Nancy O'Dell to wear on the red carpet is more interesting to watch and yielded more telegenic results than the walking JC Penney catalog we got last night.

And then there's the whole menswear issue. Sorry, but while it may be fun to watch the designers struggle mightily in a near-impossible challenge, so is watching them mud wrestle. Sure, the show touched on menswear a couple times in the past when the designers had to design for themselves or each other, but basing an entire challenge on menswear when it's such a specific skillset, and when said skillset isn't really a criterion for gaining entry into the competition, it just felt like deliberate rug-pulling on the producers' parts. Of course so many of the looks sucked. That was the whole point. To make the designers run around like crazy and make shit-ugly clothes in the process. Or, as Sweet P put it "I'm embarrassed in front of my peers." We love watching the designers being put through their paces. We didn't really love watching them freak out like headless chickens over a challenge they had no reason to expect.

On the other hand, cute boys. So it all balances out in the end.









[Screencaps: Project RunGay]


Post a Comment

124 comments:

Brian said...

I still don't think that giving them a menswear challenge was that big of a deal. It's a lot more fair to have them all doing it than it was when only some had to in past seasons, so I don't get why everyone's making such a big stink about it now.

Anonymous said...

I laughed over the fact that Kevin (THE straight one) seemed to be the only guy who knew Tiki Barber's identity. Christian and Chris were so clueless and looked at Tiki as if he had just fallen from the moon. I had no idea who he was, either, but my husband (who actually sat through a show, for a change) told me right away.

Anonymous said...

To quote Andrae, "wow, I disagree..."

I really don't get what the big damn deal is about menswear. So the proportions are different, but women wear collared shirts and pants, too. Get over it!

If I were going to be on PR, I'd study up and practice all types of techniques, especially those I was less familiar with. There were plenty of contestants who just shrugged and said, "ok, I'll make some pants" and turned out wearable clothing. Chris, Jillian, Elisa, Victoria all managed it. some of it was even interesting (Who made the white jacket with black collar insets?)

The whole idea is to throw difficult tasks to the designers--that's why they're called "challenges." It sure shows their facility with clothing more than making a dress out of flowers!

Bill said...

"On the other hand, cute boys. So it all balances out in the end."

HA! That's why I love you guys so much.

Anonymous said...

"I really don't get what the big damn deal is about menswear. So the proportions are different, but women wear collared shirts and pants, too. Get over it!"

Wow, does this reveal a basic ignorance or what? Menswear is totally different from womenswear. from construction to detailing to fit, it's 180 degrees from womenswear.

texasinafrica said...

Exactly.

Did you see this morning's Today Show video? One of the hosts made the comment that the designers don't, "do men." You can almost see the thought bubble above Jack's head...

Gorgeous Things said...

Best thing: the cute boys. And thank you for the shot of Jack's ass. That combined with the title of 'Poke the Shark' had me thinking you were going to cover a completely different subject.

Worst thing - the NBC/Bravo mutual whoring session. Bleah.

GothamTomato said...

I seem to recall a remark from Michael Kors in S2, when he described Emmett's skating dress as both dowdy & vulgar. I wouldn't say there was anything vulgar about this episode, but it was both dowdy & bizarre.

I really wish that somewhere we could hear the actual discussions the judges have. As bad as Carmen's piece was, SweetP's was so many times worse. How could she NOT be able to make a basic shirt????? Denise Huxtable did a better job, making a shirt for Theo! And for the Tangerine Dream to give her props for A TIE??? How bloody hard is it to make a tie?

But the worst thing last night was the big tease: Tiki talked about his big butt, but didn't show it to us. Sigh.

On the plus side: Heidi, who often wears some seriously awful outfits, looked fabulous. Loved that red dress. And Kara Saun looked great in her commercial. So I guess it was appropriate for a show that featured a football player: It was like the Superbowl: A boring game you watch for the commercials.

--GothamTomato

Anonymous said...

And another thing. You were all peeing your pants about SJP being on the show, but the designers didn't get to dress Carrie Bradshaw in some fabulous outrageous outfit. No, they had to make some crappy thing that would sell at Target.

Why weren'tyou bitching about them making boring stuff then?

Anonymous said...

Yes, yes. Cute boys:)
-Vindaloo

Anonymous said...

This episode was a disaster. However, I still love Project Runway. One episode can't derail a show, but I hope the creators realize this was a mistake.

I don't have a problem with a menswear episode per se, but the challenge itselt was probably too much.

I think they were probably inspired by Chloe's creation in season 2 for nick, the winning look. Also, Kara created a cool look for Santino as well. Chloe had never done menswear before and figured if she could do it, anyone can.

Well, not everyone can. There were some cool looks down the runway last night, but I felt bad for the designers who couldn't get it done.

If PR were to do a menswear challenge again, give the designers the option to do sportswear. The jetsetter challenge from last season would be more appropriate I think for these designers than designing suits (which must be ridiculously hard to make)

Anonymous said...

As usual, you guys hit the nail on the head.

This was painful to watch.

I do like Elisa more each week, though.

Anonymous said...

The menswear aspect didn't bother me, but the choice of Tiki Barber did. He is not a fashion icon and the designers didn't even really respond to his physique. Unless he is on assignment, he pretty much wears a suit, so that part of the challenge was just dumb as well.

And further, to the average viewer like me, it is hard to grasp why menswear is so difficult especially when it is made for the show. They can leave off a fair number of details, after all.

Anonymous said...

"macasism said...

And another thing. You were all peeing your pants about SJP being on the show, but the designers didn't get to dress Carrie Bradshaw in some fabulous outrageous outfit. No, they had to make some crappy thing that would sell at Target.

Why weren'tyou bitching about them making boring stuff then?"

Victorya's look was boring? Christian's look? Marion's? Elisa's?

Anonymous said...

Awwww, c'mon ladies. This was so much hot mess that SweetP masqueraded as Denise Huxtable recreating Gordon Gartrelle. I had dental surgery yesterday, but believe me, I was LMAO inside. :-)

You're not going to get that in your run-of-the-mill womenswear challenge. If these contestants are so talented, they should have the skillset to be able to do anything asked of them. I think many of them surprised themselves, and in the end, isn't that the heart of the definition of a "challenge?"

I just wish they would have designed for someone a bit less conservative in what he needs to wear in his capacity on a morning show. *snore*

Fnarf said...

I HATED this episode, and it made me hate these pompous, stuffed-up judges. Its entertainment value was in the abuse of the contestants, and the criteria for victory was TAILORING, not DESIGN.

There are a thousand old men in Hong Kong who could have made Jack's outfit in two hours. None of them are designers. The design of a men's dress shirt hasn't changed in eighty years, since they started sewing the collars on instead of buttoning them on. Someone who knows how to TAILOR and has experience can make one in their sleep.

The ONLY difference between Jack's design and Sweet Pea's design was TAILORING. Oh, and Sweet Pea's had more pieces. The interesting designs on the runway were shooed away without a glance because interesting wasn't on the agenda.

And watching the designers flail away with something they had never done and had no clue about was just mean. I mean, it's fun to laugh when Ricky cries, right? But cruelty isn't supposed to be the point of the exercise.

And the judges! Tiki Barber's criteria is "I like suits that cost more than $4,000". Effing Kors, who wears a black t-shirt every goddamn day of his life, and couldn't TAILOR a man's suit if his life depended on it. And Nina, running through her stock faces and sayings.

Pissed me off a little, it did.

Anonymous said...

Everyone should read Manolo's blog. He gets to the point--so what if it is "impossible" (which I still doubt despite my "total ignorance"), it's all in how you play it. Some of the designers were smart and showed their skill and their grace under pressure, qualities which the judges are looking to expose.

Certainly, a menswear outfit is more do-able than couture, and no one was siting sharks then.

I thought the worst "shark jumping" was the fake controversy of Jack tracing his pants. Vincent did it and no one cared.

Anonymous said...

i think the problem is that the challenge was for something for tiki to wear on the Today show, not on the red carpet, when he visits africa, etc. because if you watch the today show, all the men ever wear while on air behind the desk are suits or business casual. if they wanted suits or business casual but with a twist, they should've given them more time and a bigger budget to create something that's actually worthwhile to look at. now, if they said, design something for tiki to wear come Halloween on the Today Show where the hosts really get to go crazy, i think everyone would've really "got it", especially Chris March.

I think Tiki is a very worthwhile judge. He has a very specific body type and I think he has impeccable taste and really works at knowing what works on him. However, he was presented to the wrong demographic for sure. If it had been some other celebrethlete, someone more gay friendly like David Beckham who isn't also hampered by the limitation of having to dress for being on The Today Show (next challenge, come up with an outfit for Becks when Posh is in the "leather" mood), I think that would've been more appropriate for this show.

Anonymous said...

Looks like the producers are doing their darndest to get the emmy this year so they're pulling in as many popular culture "icons" that they can.

TLo, I have to respectfully disagree with you. I think a menswear challenge is just as appropriate as the grocery store or flower shop challenges were. How is designing for a different construction skill set less creative or fair than designing with different materials? They all require creativity, ambition and well...skill.

This episode showed me how difficult it is to make creative menswear. Let's face it, us gals have waaaay more variety when it comes to fashion.

The bloom is still on the rose for me. Plus yummy yummy eye candy!!

Anonymous said...

I think T&Ls point about sharkjumping had more to do with the lame guest judge than with the menswear part of it.

-moira-

Joe said...

I think Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn are despicable.



Without the contestants these two would be whatever they were before the show which in my view was not much.



But yet they order those contestants around as if they (Heidi and Tim) were the most important people in the world. I wish the contestants would take over and say “NO – YOU WAIT – I’M NOT GOING TO CHOP CHOP – Because of me you’re making MILLIONS so YOU CHOP CHOP” and the way Tim tells them to clean out their space AS IF THEY DIDN’T KNOW that they were leaving.



I think I’ll send my own message to Bravo next week and keep my channel safely tuned into Fine Living or CNN or some other gross reality of the world.



And is it too much to ask for a reminder of the designers fashions as they are being called “safe” – I swear once the runway show is over I can’t remember who made what.

Anonymous said...

While I agree that Tiki is snoozeville, the menswear concept isn't that outrageous. And so what if they don't know how to do it... like anyone knew how to make a corn husk dress?

I liked the variety that this challenge offered... and it was fun to see these accomplished designers struggle.

And male models are fun to look at. I thought this was a fun episode... and forced the designers to be practical for once. You are retarded (Ricky) if you can't figure out that a complete suit in two days isn't going to happen.

Anonymous said...

I had no idea who he was, either, but my husband (who actually sat through a show, for a change) told me right away.


And I think that was kinda the point. They were basically throwing a bone to the metrosexual straight guys (and tomboys like me) who know who know more about a slant run than a bias cut. So what's wrong with that?

Anything that gets Heidi to act like a horny cougar when Tiki mentioned his big butt is a-ok in my book.

"What's wrong with that?"
Indeed, Heidi. Indeed.

Also ... pretty, half-naked men.

Anonymous said...

I completely agree with your comments about the show becoming self-congratulatory. From the over-exposure of Tim Gunn to the trap into which we've all fallen--the loser's/winner's edit. So sad.

Anonymous said...

Some of the designers were smart and showed their skill and their grace under pressure, qualities which the judges are looking to expose.

I think that, babycakes, is hitting the nail right on the head.

How the hell is this different than the "Design for my overweight mom!" challenge in Season 3?

Is this cruel to the designers? Maybe. But we've had menswear designers on the show who have made gorgeous gowns for women, we've had sportswear designers who have had trouble with high fashion for models...

You guys weren't outraged when the desigers had to do the "Real Woman" challenge last season, though they were at an extreme handicap because they're all used to creating clothes for people with completely different bodies, and the clothes themselves had to be completely different in their design and construction.

Don't coddle the designers. They'll have another week to make innovative, beautiful works of art. Last night was about creating entertaining television for the masses.

Anonymous said...

Menswear is difficult because fit, detail and construction is key. But more key:

Women can wear the most fanciful creations a designer can imagine, but with menswear it's a VERY fine line between "distinctive" and "Silly".

Women's wear can be colorful, creative, "editorial.
But in menswear it's v important not to make the man look foolish or effeminate. It has to be subtle and elegant, which doesn't make for great TV, but that's how it is.

Dull ep., but enjoyed the models. Jack's was super-cute.

Anonymous said...

Here's Jack and Tiki today on the Today show:

Tiki and Jack on Today

Anonymous said...

Here's the video from the Today show. I think it looks better on Tiki than it did on the model

Tiki

Anonymous said...

Sorry try again:

Tiki and Jack on Today

Anoel said...

"On the other hand, cute boys. So it all balances out in the end."

Exactly. I forgave the entire episode because of that. Who needs clothes when you have hot models?

It was nice to see a change of pace on the show and I don't have any sympathy for complaining about menswear. If you're a fashion designer, you should have a basic understanding and if not, fake it and shut the hell up. You have to be prepared for anything on Project Runway.

Unknown said...

I don't have a problem with a menswear challenge, as it does expose a different skill set, and it shakes things up. But design--and make--a SUIT in one day? Silliness. Most people who sew could churn out something that they could defend as "couture," but even a well-fitted dress shirt is insanely hard in comparison.

Stupid choice of guest. When we heard who he was (as neither my husband nor I had the slightest clue), we were amused. A football star for a bunch of women and gay men? (yes, of course, I know. You're gay and you love sport. And you, you're a woman who never misses a home game. Fine) And then the look on their faces as they tried to suss out why they should know his wife...

Judges on crack. They totally ignored anything interesting. Bleh. As Meagn of PR Canada pointed out, it's a show to find a top designer, not a top sample sewer.

Anonymous said...

to macasism... the white jacket with black collar was from V.

Anonymous said...

I agree with you guys a hundred per cent, particularly about the way the most interesting clothing was dismissed from the runway in the "you're still in" category. There should be no challenge in which it's better to be bland ("conservative" in the word TB kept repeating on PR and on the Today show) than to be interesting.

Fnarf said...

Of course it looked better on Tiki than the model. They've had how long to refit, remeasure, resew, with a real tailor doing it who will never get on national TV?

Seth said...

Tiki who? I didn't know this dude from Adam, but I think the challenge was appropriate. Menswear is completely different, blah, blah, blah, yadda, yadda, yadda. If these designers had ANY talent, they could do this, I don't care what people say.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

I think Tiki is a very worthwhile judge. He has a very specific body type and I think he has impeccable taste and really works at knowing what works on him. However, he was presented to the wrong demographic for sure. If it had been some other celebrethlete, someone more gay friendly like David Beckham who isn't also hampered by the limitation of having to dress for being on The Today Show (next challenge, come up with an outfit for Becks when Posh is in the "leather" mood), I think that would've been more appropriate for this show.

I think that would've been a great idea. We all know how fame hungry the Beckhams are, and they would've surely agreed to come on the show. Who is coming up with these boring challenges? They need something fun!

Hutchlover said...

Personally I *loved* Jack's outfit for Tiki. Kevin's had great color, but I hate! vests on men.

I loved Chris' the best.

And WTF Tiki? You don't like people looking at your ass? After umpteen years in the NFL wearing tights, you should be used to it.

Anonymous said...

Kudos, Poodles-TLO, you hit the nail on the head!

I hate the shameless NBC cross-promotion...hey, dress our new guy Tiki for the Today Show. Big f***ing deal. Barber said that his taste in clothes is conservative, so no surprise that Jack's quite respectable but not interesting ensemble won.

BTW-Would someone tell Ginny Barber that if she weren't married to a future hall of fame football player that NO ONE would give a flying rat's ass about her or her opinions on clothes?

OK, rant over....can you tell I HATED this episode????

Anonymous said...

What a night of bitterness for me having to sit through this insufferable Runway men's wear challenge.

I was kind of excited at first because it was menswear and men never get any love. But why would anyone but a suit tailor want to dress Tiki Barber for the Today Show. All he wears are suits and really how exciting is a suit? How many ways can you do a suit? He already said he's conservative and it had to be TV friendly so it wasn't like we were going to see any Gautier,Thom Browne or D&G inspired details. How boring was this challenge going to be? I was hoping one person would do a man skirt. Its fashion. Thrill me excite me! I remember when they were all the rage in the 90's when Moshood was doing them. I even modeled one in a charity fashion show for Parkers nursery school. But no skirts. Nothing but boringness. What was even more annoying was they didn't pick any of the outfits I considered fashion forward. I mean really, a striped shirt and striped pants?????????? As a runway challenge winner? I could buy that off that rack at Daffys! This was just a bogus ill conceived challenge and I must say the most disappointing challenge I've ever seen on this show. Even Tim looked bored and dare I say unconcerned. I think hes going through the motions this season.

I also have to say how sad I am that the only black contestant is gone. The crying boy really should have gone. I mean what has he done to suggest that he needed to stay? Ok so Carmen's outfit was completely butt ugly and poorly constructed but Crying boy is boring...and he's a cry baby. His dress was boring and his suit was boring. He better step the f up next week.

I did love:

Catty Heidi dissing David Beckham. "Seal would never wear that. Its to David Beckham" I see a cat fight with Posh and I know Heidi could kick her arse in a heart beat.

Heidi talking about Tiki’s arse. This is one girl who loves her black men and has no shame about it.

Tiki's scary wife visiting the designers. I don't know what was scarier her face or that outfit.

That most of the designers didn't even know who Tiki was nor did they seem to care. I guess they don't force them to watch the Today show in their apartment.

Why didn't:
Any of the designers speak out and say you want me to design a bespoke suit in 2 days?

The designers keep it simple. Have they not seen the show before? Didn't we go through this men's wear model 2 seasons ago and didn't they have the same time issues? I mean really. What were they thinking?


Fav outfits:

Christians. Yes he's annoying but I liked his jacket and his sweater. The whole outfit was very chic and wearable.

Kits fleece blazer. I thought this should have won. The khaki pants and the shirt were ordinary but the blazer was hot. I love texture and I love unconstructed blazers in interesting fabrics. Totally out of the box. She was robbed.

Victoria's white jacket was hot. Loved it paired with the dark slim pants and dark sweater. Liked that she rocked it with the brown shoes. Very nicely styled.

Kevin's outfit vest outfit should have also been a contender. It really should have been between him and Kit. The purple is very Au courant and I loved loved the vest even without buttons. And he styled it perfectly. Another one who was robbed.

Elisa the crazy lady's outfit was a winner in my book as well. Sleek and the colors were hot. Nicely done. I thought it was hokey she wouldn't look at the male model in his undies but she don't mind looking at the female models cootchie. Uh Huh.

And props to Chris for trying to do something a little Issey Miyake inspired although it came of too much like Morgan's doorman.

And I guess we can expect to see Jack half naked in every episode just like we can expect Kevin to remind us he's straight. is he reminding us or himself I wonder?

And how sad that the Male models were so much prettier than the no walking long faced hags they have walking this season. I mean honestly.

TED said...

So when does the mud wrestling episode air?

junior_goddess said...

Whoa, your asses are a little cranky this morning. I just can't believe that none of the guys ever made anything for themselves, none of the women ever made anything for brother, sweetie, dad? EVER? REALLY? Bullshit.

I was freaking shocked by the little side poll-who would you like to design for---and they chose DAVID Beckham? What???? Passed up Derek Jeter?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the link lima bean. Tiki looks great in Jack's design! I love it.

Anonymous said...

"junior_goddess said...

Whoa, your asses are a little cranky this morning. I just can't believe that none of the guys ever made anything for themselves, none of the women ever made anything for brother, sweetie, dad? EVER? REALLY? Bullshit."

Theyre DESIGNERS not home sewers.

-moira-

GothamTomato said...

I don't think that it mattered that few know who Tiki Barber is. His gorgeousness should transcend gay/straight, football fan/not, human/android.

That is one beautiful face. The man is a work of art. I wouldn't be surprised if cab drivers whistle at him in the street.

The thing that made it boring was that the outfit was for the Today Show. They might as well have asked them to design an outfit, for a candidate, for a presidential debate.

--Gotham Tomato

Anonymous said...

"How the hell is this different than the "Design for my overweight mom!" challenge in Season 3?"

It's not. A lot of people complained about that one too. Including T&L.

Anonymous said...

Really refreshing, guys, to hear you talk so honestly and frankly about the show. It DID suck last night, and you pulled no punches in pointing out why.

Good for you. I was concerned that we were being spoon-fed production PR in the guise of a blog. This prooves otherwise. I'll keep reading.

--Anonymous Tomato

Anonymous said...

i was fine with the menswear... and the Tiki Barber choice was ok... maybe a more stylish person could have been used, but still, its not the end of the world.

I am missing untraditional items though. three runways and all with nice fabrics. I hope next week the have to body paint on a dress or something.

ChelseaNH said...

Tiki Barber was not the lamest judge ever. While he's not the most fashion-forward guy, he does have a good sense of how his body works in clothes and was able to explain that to the designers. His complaint that Carmen's jacket would leave everyone looking at his butt and Heidi's reaction were the most memorable comments in the judging portion.

A menswear challenge isn't inherently unfair, especially since they got one of the longer periods to complete it. The smart designers are able to figure out the "point" of the challenge and focus on it. Menswear is largely about tailoring -- perhaps because there's nowhere to hide poor construction -- so execution was even more important than usual.

I think Jack was both smart and generous. Pants are tricky regardless of who's wearing them, so using an existing template made sense. He was also smart to ask first. I suspect Rami -- Mr. La-di-da I'll Just Drape Some Pants -- disdains patterns to begin with, let alone patterns made from an exemplar; he really did need a big dose of QuitcherWhinin.

Anonymous said...

They should have given each designer a tailor or sample maker to work with. THAT is something we haven't seen on the show and it would be very interesting to see how the process works. We have already seen designers stumble through impossible challenges.

Anonymous said...

Christian: "I love Asians."

Apparently so! Check out the model on his website:

http://www.christianvsiriano.com/

Anonymous said...

I thought this episode was entertaining. I laughed out loud several times and I loved the guest judge and male model eye candy. Maybe I'm in the minority but for some reason I just love this season and all the designers.

Unknown said...

T&L, I totally agree with:
"Things get too self-referential or self-congratulatory (witness the designers bursting into applause during episode 1 when Tim said "Make it work." for the first time of the season. Lorenzo threatened to vomit on the couch over that one)."
But I still didn't hate the episode.
My boyfriend was excited because he finally knew something about the show (he's totally addicted and watches it every week, but now he could chime in more).
I thought the models, and the designer's reaction to the models was great! Especially Rami... someone's panties were in a twist! He's so good for Jack's patterns, so above the excitment over the models... Puhlease.
I LOVED Christian's line: Asians are so fierce. Christian entertains me endlessly. Her outfit was crazy though!
Plus, the challenge was a real tough challenge, but many of the designers did it excellently. Like Chloe and Kara and Jeffrey and Micheal Knight, some of did amazing jobs and I think someone of them showed that they either thought too highly of their abilities or don't know how to be realistic with what they can accomplish. I liked Kevin's, Kit's, Jack's, Jillian's and a few others.

Gidget Bananas said...

"How the hell is this different than the "Design for my overweight mom!" challenge in Season 3?"

Considerably less humiliating for everyone, too. I found the "fat mom in the burlap bag" episode absolutely painful.

And hell yes, the models were so cute, definitely the best thing about the episode. And I'm glad that after going on record as liking Sweet Pea she didn't succumb to the Gidget Curse and get auf'd last night.

Y'know what else? PR doesn't really get interesting until enough designers get cut so that we can become familiar with the remaining contestants and really see what they produce. So I'm just hanging in waiting for it all to get really interesting.

mjude said...

wow, the crowd is a tad bit BITTER today!

junior goddess, i agree about derek jeter :)

Thurston Howl said...

It's true, last night's winner made taking a nap at an NPR convention seem more exciting! Way to congratulate blandness!

As for the challenge being about menswear, I thought that was perfectly legit. When was there ever a rule saying that ALL PR challenges and contestents had to be strictly about Womens Wear? Given that the show is in it's fourth season I thought this was a breathe of fresh air. It's much harder to be fashion forward w/ menswear than women and therefore MORE of a challenge. I think the ability to straddle both fences just showcases those designers that are truly forces with which to be reckoned! But Tiki??? Please! At least they could have had someone who's appeared in GQ or known for being a fashionisto! Andre 3000? Roger Federer? Lenny Kravitz? And since Heidi mentioned her husband...Duh??? I agree with whoever said the NBE/Bravo fix was in!

La Loca said...

*gasp* why isn't there mud wrestling on PR? I'd pay good money to see Emmett take Santino down.

J Random Blogger said...

Honestly, I liked Jack's outfit. It could've been better-tailored, sure, but it was a nice design. I wish he'd finished the vest... I don't know if it would've improved it or not but it would've been nice to see.

I'm not saying that this was the Bestest Episode Evar or anything but I didn't dislike it as much as some folks did... I liked it because menswear is a challenge, and they got a lot more time than some episodes (like, say, last week's) so the producers weren't unmindful of the difficulty factor. I admit none of the outfits really wowed me but that was true last week, too. (I'm still waiting to see the evidence this is the "best" set of designers the show has ever seen, by the way.)

I didn't know who Tiki Barber was either but really, he was a pretty nice guy in the screentime we saw, so who cares? I mean, no one knew who that not-really-a-rockstar was that one time, either, so it's not like it's the first time.

And Rami is a little bitch who I'm over. Just sayin'.

Hutchlover said...

"I see a cat fight with Posh and I know Heidi could kick her arse in a heart beat."

Ooooh!!!

I sense a modern DD&D deathmatch!

Heidi FTW. Then Beckham would breakdown in tears at his little's Posh's beatdown, and Seal would smack him one and tell him to "man up!"

Brooke said...

I thought Tiki Barber was an inspired choice (but I'm a sports fan and knew who he was). He's a class act and has always been known as such, and I was really excited to see him on the show.

My husband got sucked into watching PR with me in its second season, and he loves the show on its own -- I'm sure he's not the only significant other who has been either dragged onto the couch and forced to watch the show with a wife or girlfriend. I agree with Brilliant that you have to give them something sometime.

Believe it or not, you really CAN enjoy both fashion and sports.

That said, I could have done without Tiki's wife.

Anonymous said...

i wish kevin's won... i think the vest addressed the issues that tiki talked about with his body type. it would deal with the problem that he has a small waist and a big ass. i think of it as the male version of a sash or a belt around a woman's waist (tim gunn's show is like all about this it seems)... also it wasn't boring like the rest

Kristina said...

you guys are absolutely right...an appearance on the today show is completely the wrong event to do menswear for. it's supposed to be bland and non-aggressive, so the potential range of outfits is minimal. i'm not sure what else you could make besides dress shirt and pants and maybe a jacket-y thing.

i think the show was inspired by chloe and kara's well-done menswear, but part of the reason that worked was because they had the men there to measure and fit from the beginning. so the shirts fit, the pants fit, and th clothes looked good. it might have worked better if they had had the models on the first day for measurements.

all in all, not the best episode for clothes, but of course, eye candy helps. :)

Anonymous said...

Why is everyone swooning over the male models.

Sure they have hot bodies, but most of them didn't have the most attractive faces. The only one that struck me as being beautiful was Christian's model.

the rest were fine, but I think some of the designers are hotter than the models.

And Jack is 10x hotter than any of those models. Show him half naked any time, please. Even Tiki (a type I don't usually like) is more attractive to me than those models.

But I digress... I find a lot of male runway models to not be that attractive (not ugly, just doesn't get me all aflutter).

Anonymous said...

What's fascinating is the line being drawn between FANS in this epi. The tomboy and straight male sports fans seem to have loved it. The gayboys who don't like sports are calling it the death of the show.

I agree about Derek Jeter. Or better yet, Roger Federer. The problem was the shameless Today Show promotion leading to boring clothes, not Tiki or the menswear issue.

Anonymous said...

while i thought the dressing the mothers episode was the worst episode of all seasons in terms of pain in watching it, to me this was the most boring of all.

being a dyke with no interest in football, i didn't care about tiki barber of the bevy of boys. for me it was just an exercise in setting up the designers to fail.

i mean, seriously -- designing an outfit for a least-common-denominator morning show? yeah, that's a formula for exiting design.

i really admire chris and a couple of the other designers who took the time limitations into account and stayed away tailoring. i think chris should have won.

k.

Anonymous said...

It would've been less sharky to do an outfit for a specific away-from-the-studio event. Maybe some charity golf tournament. Or something. Sportsguys behind desks are only interested in fit, a tie that won't flutter on video and details that indicate it's from a top-end designer or is a bespoke suit.

An extra day would've bumped up the quality, but I guess it also would've cut the drama?

-- desertwind

PS sucky google registration. wtf? now I can't log on?

Anonymous said...

I actually enjoyed this episode. I like football and I knew who Tiki Barber was, but that's not the reason why I liked it. I thought it was interesting to see them all do menswear. Yes, the outfit they were looking for was not earthshaking or boundary-pushing, but it was an aesthetically pleasing, well made garment. I gasped at the absolutely horrible work that Sweet P and Carmen did. How embarrassing for them, and how entertaining for me! Maybe I'm cruel, but I thought it was good television. I certainly wouldn't want to see all menswear all the time, but this was a nice detour. And those models sure didn't hurt it, either!

Anonymous said...

'And I think that was kinda the point. They were basically throwing a bone to the metrosexual straight guys (and tomboys like me) who know who know more about a slant run than a bias cut. So what's wrong with that?'

Yeah, I see your point- how could the other 99.9% of what is always available on TV possibly be enough for you?

Anonymous said...

TikI barber was chosen for one simple reason...Bravo is owned by NBC.

And to Anonymous 12:31:

While there are construction differences between men and womans wear...drafting a pair of pants is pretty much the same for a man and a woman. I know since I am the only guy in Flat pattern class of 10 woman and we all used the same formula and damn if the pants I drafted a month ago didnt fit perfectly. A shirt is a shirt and a collar is a collar and the difference is all in a designers head.

Anonymous said...

What a crock, Steve and Barrie and Sara Jessica...give me a break, hell would freeze over before she would shop at Steve and Barrie!! Target is a big step up! Who wants a dress for $20 why not $40 that would still be cheap.

Now this week Tiki Barber...who??? What the heck is going on this season...

I did love Elisa not looking at the model, she is a cutie and must have more sewing skills than we are lead to believe, she managed to make pants last night.

Julie The Vintage Goddess said...

I wish someone would have sent a model out in a kilt last night...now that would have been awesome.

Anonymous said...

I'm enjoying all of the points of view being shared here.

I was a little ambivalent about last night's episode, too, because my snap reaction was "yawn, man's suit"...then I realized how important tailoring and discreet color and fabric choices would be, and thought "hmmm, this could be interesting"...then I remembered that the result was to be worn on the Today Show: "yawn again".

While I wasn't exactly expecting Oswald Boateng, and I don't think that the choice of guest judge was bad, the brief sucked.

Kit was robbed, and I'd be willing to bet that fleece sport coats will be appearing soon at retailers everywhere.

Was it just me or did anyone else think that Tiki looked interested in a couple of the outfits (Victorya's and Elisa's), just not for work...?

Anonymous said...

I think this shows a problem with
having the guest judge pick the winner. TikiB. had to pick something conservative and rather boring as his job demands it.
The looks that passed the points test were much more interesting.

Anonymous said...

I liked the challenge, just not the intended target. It would have been more interesting to see any three pieces...sportswear, evening wear, business casual.

I still like this season, so far. What I HAVE noticed is that the judges seem more amped to be cruel. There is less "it's just not aesthetically pleasing" and more "it looks dirty...like it came from the basement." SJP was noticeably embarrassed by their remarks. Maybe I didn't notice before, but sometimes I CRINGE when MK, NG and HK start ripping the designers to shreds.

Anonymous said...

The menswear aspect was okay with me, but the cross-promotion of NBC owns Bravo, NBC owns the Today Show, let's dress Tiki Barber for the Today Show is what blanded everything up. I knew who Tiki was and he's one handsome man so that's good, but everything else about it worked against the episode.

What looked like the most interesting outfits were swept off the runway never to be seen again. From the all too brief glimpses, I thought Jessica's, Elisa's, Chris's, and Victorya's all might be contenders. But Jack's? No.

And Sweet P's was really painful. I still don't know how Carmen got aufed instead of her. Carmen's was bad - and I noticed the Members Only aspect immediately - but her draped fabric shirt put together in 15 seconds was a lot more stylish than the disaster that became Sweet P's.

Anonymous said...

I'm OK with a menswear challenge - I was hoping from some pinstriped cargo pants and an upscale zipper shirt (but J. C Penny did indeed carry the day). So yes it was boring. But is it any less realistic than making a ice-skating dress?

What got me (and my goat) is Tim Gunn's mandatory Bravo co-sponsor shilling of the "blueflydotcom accessories wall" - excuse me? I've never seen men's acessories on this wall. Was there a manbag suitable to be carried on the Today Show and all the designers missed it

Note to Seal - you would be HOT in a lavendar shirt.

Anonymous said...

PS - the makeup on the guys was atrocious. Although, don't you think Elysa's looked like Eddie Izzard?

-- desertwind

Anonymous said...

anne said...

I think this shows a problem with
having the guest judge pick the winner. TikiB. had to pick something conservative and rather boring as his job demands it.
The looks that passed the points test were much more interesting.




rain brain said...
What looked like the most interesting outfits were swept off the runway never to be seen again. From the all too brief glimpses, I thought Jessica's, Elisa's, Chris's, and Victorya's all might be contenders. But Jack's? No.


EXACTLY! Tiki even said that that's the reason why he picked Jack's, because he's a conservative guy.

Pinwiz said...

This was a brilliant episode that finally answered the question "Why don't they do menswear?"

It's fair to complain that you weren't interested, but the difficulty of the task compared to the designer's ability was an excellent idea and the resulting chaos made for an enjoyable episode.

And Jumping the Shark is so 1995.

Thombeau said...

Thank God for the hot manmodels. That's all I'm sayin'.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
'And I think that was kinda the point. They were basically throwing a bone to the metrosexual straight guys (and tomboys like me) who know who know more about a slant run than a bias cut. So what's wrong with that?'

Yeah, I see your point- how could the other 99.9% of what is always available on TV possibly be enough for you?

2:35 PM


Oh, well, excuse the hell out of the non-gays and fruit flys who insulted you by momentarily intruding into your exclusive little world.

Geez. Insecure, much?

finding the filth said...

i didnt have a problem with them doing menswear. some of the designs were kind of interesting. a good jacket here, a different top there, and lots of hot mess to go around... PR staples.

i think the problem lies with the guest judge. tiki barber was the boring part. no one knew who he was and im sure at least 80% of the audience didn't care. it would have been more interesting if they got tiki to strip down for measurements. and what was with his wife showing up for 5 minutes and then disappearing forever? there was no point in her being there and it was much too late for her input anyways. (couldn't they book matt lauer?)

if anything, they should have made this a group challenge, with tiki picking out the designs. that way, there would be no need for the wife to show up & the outfits would have come out more polished and detailed.

but, in the end, we did get lots of hot man flesh. and that sure as hell kept my attention. it wasn't till last night that i realized how much more interesting the show would be with half naked men on it. now i kinda want them on every episode, if only wandering around in the background.

Anonymous said...

For those of you who don't know, here's a profile of Tiki:

Tiki Barber

and his twin brother Ronde


?Ronde Barber

better pic hereof Ronde here: Ronde stats

Anonymous said...

People who are trying to look at this from a gay vs. straight perspective are being seriously ridiculous. I don't see one gay person complaining about a judge from the world of sports. I see a lot of people complaing about a judge from the Today show. Seriously, stop trying to compartmentalize people so much. There are plenty of gay men who love sports and plenty of straight women who hate fashion.

Tal said...

I somewhat enjoyed the episode, although some good points have been made.

The focus of Project Runway, admittedly, has never been about men. It's about the female figure, and presenting females in the latest and trendiest outfit. So, on some levels, having these designers to do suddenly design an outfit for a man when the prereqs require designing for women is a tad unfair.

That having been said, fashion is not exclusively for women. The idea of the challenge wasn't very complex; it basically boiled down to, "can you design for a man?" In a contest such as Project Runway, I don't think it's out of bounds at all as a challenge.

The ultimate problem, I believe, boils down to is that the producers get more out of control every season. Last season, the ridiculous persistence of Vincent Libretti and Angela Keslar, along with the victory of Jeffrey Sebelia, just reeks of producer tampering, which is what really makes the show ridiculous and unwatchable.

I don't even know why Jack won the challenge. His outfit was absolutely plain. Did anybody else notice that the shirt he made was near identical to the shirt Tiki Barber was wearing when he met the contestants? The judges have gone off on contestants in previous seasons for doing that. But in the case of Jack, all he did was remove the jacket and tie, and won the challenge.

Meanwhile, I thought for sure Kit was going to be the winner. That fleece navy jacket was exactly what Tiki outlined for the contestants; it was conservative, but at the same time, innovative (as well as full of texture). The idea of a fleece sports jacket is amazing.

The producers do tamper with the show more and more each season. It has gotten to a point now where an episode like this, while not really that outrageous, seems like it is, simply because of how much the producers ramp it up. I think this episode would have gotten much better results if there were 6 or 5 designers left, and the wheat had already been separated from the chaff.

Remember, Chloe Dao had never designed menswear either, and she wound up winning that challenge.

Anonymous said...

'Oh, well, excuse the hell out of the non-gays and fruit flys who insulted you by momentarily intruding into your exclusive little world.

Geez. Insecure, much?'

Sense of entitlement much?

Anonymous said...

We watch the show for glamour. We watch the show outrageousness. That comes with the ever changing women's fashions - not menswear!!!. I knew it would be dreadful - too many designers with no experience in menswear design or cut. If you're looking for ideas, look to PR Canada - a dress made from umbrellas - genius!!!

Anonymous said...

tal, i love, love, love your way with words.

"ridiculous persistence of Vincent Libretti"

could be the name of a novel or a band.

k.

Katyola said...

As a Virginian, I'm more aware of Tiki (a UVa grad) than probably most folks watching PR. I also had the opportunity to interview him a couple years back. It was a surprise to see him on the show, but had he been included more in the episode, I think more of you would think he was a good judge. He's a smart and funny guy in real life, and that comes across during football broadcasts and on the Today show. The most ham-handed thing about last night's episode was sending Tiki's wife to the studio with only a couple of hours left in the workday. Like they could do anything to change the design then. That was unnecessary pressure. Yes, Tiki's style is conservative, but it's not so dull -- he was named to Vanity Fair's best-dressed list this year.

GothamTomato said...

"rain brain said: And Sweet P's was really painful. I still don't know how Carmen got aufed instead of her."



I agree. At this rate, I fear Marie Osmond will get into the finals, and I am so outa here if that happens.

--Gotham Tomato

Anonymous said...

How funny was it that Mr. Heterosexual was the only person who knew who Tiki was?!

I know you guys hated this one but I liked this challenge. I had never known that menswear was so difficult. I felt educated ;)

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

"Why is everyone swooning over the male models.

Sure they have hot bodies, but most of them didn't have the most attractive faces. The only one that struck me as being beautiful was Christian's model.

the rest were fine, but I think some of the designers are hotter than the models.

And Jack is 10x hotter than any of those models. Show him half naked any time, please. Even Tiki (a type I don't usually like) is more attractive to me than those models.

But I digress... I find a lot of male runway models to not be that attractive (not ugly, just doesn't get me all aflutter)."

Whatever it is you're on, girl, keep it the hell away from me cuz I thought every single one of those models was thoroughly f**kable. So much so that I had to rewind my DVR at the end of that workroom scene to take in all that half-naked beauty again...and again...and again. YUM!!!

As for Miss Jack (aka Muscle Mary), he's okay. But as was commented on an earlier thread, when he opens his mouth and that purse falls out, well, the effect is that of a cold shower. But there is a lid for every pot (or nelly bottom in this case), so perhaps you're his. ;-)

Anonymous said...

I can see why Sweet P didn't go and Carmen did. At least SP attempted a shirt, Carmen didn't. Had she had a shirt, even a tshirt, she probably would have stayed.
I think they need to space out the time between SJP's challenge and Tiki's challenge. Too much celeb. And isn't there another one next week?
All I know is I couldn't wait to see the blog this morning!!
I love you guys!!

Anonymous said...

1) I disagree with the "unfairness" comment, for the reasons expressed above by all naysayers. Though I agree that menswear and womenswear are different, and that it is unreasonable to expect the same level of quality in the designers' work for both.

2) Tiki is hot, mega hot. FYI -- Tiki has a twin, Ronde who is equally hot. Both were standout football players. Tiki is among the greatest running backs of all time, and for years he and Ronde did commercials for a variety of national retailers; American Express being the one which comes to mind most quickly, as part of the endorsement deals which come to major star athletes. Unlike some dumb bunnies (I'm looking at you, Brett Favre), he retired at an age when he could still play in order to assure himself of a longer, happier, life. He's a natural TV presence, and comports himself well. In other words, Bravo selected a handsome, nationally known famous athlete, pitchman and TV correspondent as a judge. He may not be a "fashion icon" (though I can think of perilously few men who are), but he is always impeccably tailored. (Which I define as fashionable when we are talking about men). For proof, pop over to the Manolo's recap (www.shoeblogs.com) for a picture.

There have been worse judges and worse challenges.

Anonymous said...

AMEN, FNARF!!! You hit the damned nail on the head here!

Anonymous said...

Gotham Tomato, I am LOL at your Denise Huxtable reference and cursing wishing I had thought to say it! I totally agree, that shirt was horrible!

Bob Speck said...

Anything that puts that much man candy on the show is fine buy me.

Washington Cube said...

I wish they had to design for Malan or Santino or Jay or .....now THAT would have been interesting. But Tiki Barber? Who on earth cares about him. And what projectile mess was his wife wearing? God, I miss Laura.

Anonymous said...

" Bop said...

I still don't think that giving them a menswear challenge was that big of a deal."


It is a big deal. Try to make a pair of pants, come back here and tell us how it went. Now, try to make those pants in less two days, plus a shirt and a suit. You people obviously don't know what you're talking about.

Anonymous said...

Could somebody please explain to me WHY they brought the wife? WTF??? It felt like the wife buying clothes for the husband kind of thing. SOOOOO not fabulous.

Anonymous said...

"junior_goddess said...

Whoa, your asses are a little cranky this morning. I just can't believe that none of the guys ever made anything for themselves, none of the women ever made anything for brother, sweetie, dad? EVER? REALLY? Bullshit."


I'm going to pretend I didn't read that.

Anonymous said...

I get tired at looking at womens clothes all the time, so having mensware on for once got me interested. Granted, most people did boring, old suits (whoever suggested a kilt, that was a good idea. Why not a kilt? He sits behind a desk anyways, no home viewers would ever know!!) but I liked Kits for the jacket. (wouldn`t it be too fuzzy and hot tho?)
And, I would like to point out, P.R. did not do the crazy woman edit crap on Elisa this time, which was another welcome change of pace.

Kzspot

Anonymous said...

Hello, they brought the wife to prove that she exists. My husband was convinced that Tiki was gay from his Today Show broadcasts. Maybe she's a beard, but who cares? Gender is a rainbow, let's not forget that.

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...
'Oh, well, excuse the hell out of the non-gays and fruit flys who insulted you by momentarily intruding into your exclusive little world.

Geez. Insecure, much?'

Sense of entitlement much?

3:39 PM



Yes, dear. You have a ridiculous sense of entitlement. GTFOY. kthxbai.

Anonymous said...

Wow, kittens! I really hope they never design menswear again. The comments here have gotten angrier throughout the day!

For those of you who said T&L were just as outraged about the "please dress up my mum in a mu-mu and humiliate her on tv" challenge from last year (my point in bringing it up is that it was also a serious handicap for the designers who are used to working with stick thin youthful models, so really this is nothing new), examine the review of that episode...

Click Here to Read

They (and many of us here in CommentLand) were irritated with the editing, the fact that Vinnie won, and the treating of a mom like ass. Don't get me wrong, that outrage is perfectly justified! However the rage wasn't about how hard it would be for the designers to do what they do, or how boring the finished products would be. (and it was hard for them, and the outfits were pretty boring...in my humble opinion)

Anyhow, here's to looking forward to a happy, pretty, Carmen-free Episode 4!

Shame they couldn't just randomly bring back the male models every now and again. The one with the hot lips should just be in his own little box at the bottom of the screen. Whenever Ricky cries or Jillian has some screen time, we can just look at LipBoy- and sigh.

Anonymous said...

I can't stop looking at that butt shot. Thank you, boys!

Is it me or is it hot in here?:

Mike said...

I did not love trhe episode, but the MODELS!.. sweet! This season I have not chosen my favorite yet.. I might not finish.. I DO know who annoys me by breathing.. THE straight man, Chris(the hair!), polymorphic woman who could not look at her model! all 3 can go now...

Anonymous said...

I don't think the problem was the challenge or the guest, I think the problem (as someone above mentioned) was that the outfit had to be for the Today show, which means conservative and along the lines of a suit or dress pants/shirt.

I think it would have been more interesting if they had been given a profile of him (or any guy, really) and told to make an outfit for some aspect of his life (work or casual). This is essentially what the designers did anyway, as some made (or tried to make) tailored work clothes and others went more casual -- hoping to make something decent enough to get through the challenge.

Anonymous said...

"I think the problem (as someone above mentioned) was that the outfit had to be for the Today show, which means conservative and along the lines of a suit or dress pants/shirt.
"
Uh...yeah. That would be in the original post that started this whole discussion.

Anonymous said...

Speaking of poking the shark, I think this blog is heading in that direction...

JUST KIDDING - the post last week about Elisa had me rolling on the floor. They even showed her looking psycho and creepy at Mood. However, I do disagree with you guys.

The challenge was difficult but not so much so that it made it impossible. Chloe and Kara designed for men in Season 2 with great results. Just because they don't design for men normally, doesn't mean its ridiculous to expect them to do so in a challenge.

On Season 3, the Everyday Woman challenge yielded horrible results (except for Uli) because they don't normally dress women with larger or even average proportions. Those designs were just as bland as this episode's.

I also don't think that SJP was that much better than Tiki Barber. Yeah she's a fashion icon, but I don't think her remarks were anymore insightful. Also, the clothing showed last week seemed to be just as watered down and boring. It is, after all, being sold in a discount store. Victorya's was particularly boring, and she won. If it wasn't boring (i.e. Kit, Ricky), it was ugly (i.e. Marion, Christian)

I do agree about the show being so self-congratulatory. That was awful. Should have just left that out. Also, you're right there were way more interesting designs on the runway (Christian's comes to mind), but that happens with so many episodes. I also am annoyed with the NBC promotion, but so what? That happens every week with bluefly, L'oreal, Tresseme, Gotham, and so on.

eric3000 said...

I think a menswear challenge could have worked if the designers had been given a little more freedom. I think most designers could handle men's sportswear.

eric3000 said...

OMG, Victorya's model was yummy! Do you think the producers asked him to wear his pants down that far on his hips or does he walk around like that all the time? Gee, it would be terrible if those pants just fell right off of him by accident.

mumblesalot (Laura A) said...

It is so hard to comment on a show when minor celebrities and their wives appear and I can't remember who the heck they are or their names. I certainly am not going to look them up. It seemed rather off kilter.

I am sure it was a promo for something ... a reality show about an ex-sports star and his wife? Or was it just cross promotion between NBC and Bravo.

Bravo should read up about mating with relatives. The process tends to produce idiots.

Anonymous said...

Apparently it wasn't only the designers who were out of their comfort zones....

You know, if it had been conservative on the outside/screaming queen on the inside Anderson Cooper, you would have been wetting your panties.

It's ok for designers to make clothes for people they neither know nor idolize. The rest of humanity needs clothes too, cupcakes.

Anonymous said...

Ms Information said...

Apparently it wasn't only the designers who were out of their comfort zones....

You know, if it had been conservative on the outside/screaming queen on the inside Anderson Cooper, you would have been wetting your panties.

It's ok for designers to make clothes for people they neither know nor idolize. The rest of humanity needs clothes too, cupcakes.



Thank you for enlightening us, Ms. Information, you wise eminence gris you.

Anonymous said...

" Ms Information said...

Apparently it wasn't only the designers who were out of their comfort zones....

You know, if it had been conservative on the outside/screaming queen on the inside Anderson Cooper, you would have been wetting your panties.

It's ok for designers to make clothes for people they neither know nor idolize. The rest of humanity needs clothes too, cupcakes."

in discussions, there is nothing more pathetic than clumsy attempts to inject identity politics when you have no point.

-moira-

Anonymous said...

"The rest of humanity needs clothes too, cupcakes."

Sorry, didn't realize they changed the premise of the show. Apparently it's not a fashion design competition anymore. It's about providing clothes to the needy. Who knew?

Anonymous said...

I don't know, *I* liked the epi. What can I tell ya - designers don't design for me, either. So I say, bring it on, separate those who can from those who complain.

And yes, it is much harder to sew couture than a man's shirt. I know, I suck at sewing, and *I've* sewn a better shirt than *that.*

Anonymous said...

Why am I the only person who thinks Kit's fleece blazer looked like something from a Land's End overstocks catalog.

Anonymous said...

Someone please tell me what "poking/jumping the shark" means! I even called my other hubby (the fabulous fun one) and he didn't know either. He, who proclaims to know everything! Now we both need to know!

Anonymous said...

I think PR needs to let the less experienced designers back on the show, having the recent grads from design school is more fun to watch than watching designers like Rami (who is already established) and was even on the Tyra Banks show, design garmets w/ ease. I also miss that 1 (usually self taught designer) who can't sew, that made for great judging snarkiness.

PR Canada is the better show to watch cause its in its 1st season and hasn't become "too big for its britches" -yet. The challenges are better too.
What has happened to classic PR where designers have to use non fabric items? If Mood fabrics is used in every episode this season, it'll be a darn shame and waste of a season.

Brooke said...

Here's an explanation of "jumping the shark," Lynette ... sorry it's from Wikipedia, but it's a decent rundown.

"Poking the shark" is just more of TLo's fabulous humor. :)

Brooke said...

Whoops! Here's the link:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumping_the_shark

Anonymous said...

Why, thank you Brooke! I didn't know that wikipedia even helped with popular quotes. That was a great link. LOL on the Ted McGinley reference!

Jenn said...

I live in Oklahoma, where football is religion, so I instantly appreciated the choice of Tiki(gorgeous). What I did not anticipate is the complete cluelessness of the designers in this challenge. Let's see - you've never done menswear - you have a limited time frame - let's make a SUIT!?!?

I did chuckle, however, as they struggled to figure out who the hell Tiki was. Almost worth the pain of seeing those designs.