5176 replies to this topic

[vicesick]

Hmmm. Sounds fab. Designers might have more brains than models, maybe? Perhaps more annoying?

Not a big fan of Michael Kors, or Heidi Klum for that matter. But I'm definitely going to watch.

[Leaper]

I'm sorry, but Austin scared me from the first time I saw him in the commercials. Not because of his flamboyance, but because of his skin color. He's so damn WHITE! How the hell does he step outside and not be fried to a crisp by the barest hint of sun? No one should be that pale! It's not healthy!

[DizzyGirl]

From the first moment I saw Austin, I thought - "huh, when did James Van der Beek start wearing lipstick and eyeliner? And want to be a fashion designer?"

[slanderous]

Oh no, I'm going to get hooked on this show, I just know it.

I would totally wear Nora's blue plastic lawn chair and placement outfit. That was definitely my favorite design, but Austin's corn husks were admittedly awesome, since his use of organic material was much riskier.

Star is never going to make it. She looks like she's about to cry at. any. given. moment. The other designs were much more "eh." The draped shower curtain and the garbage-bag-bits-tied-to-netting outfits looked couture-ish, though a bit boring. Daniel's design with the butcher paper and the garbage bag was a yawner, for all his big talk.

Edited by slanderous, Dec 2, 2004 @ 1:04 AM.

[Quillain]

I'm not much for fashion, so I was surprised when I really enjoyed it. I love seeing people get innovative. Heidi Klum bugs me, though.

[DoubleTee]

This? Is totally my New Guilty Pleasure.

Heidi Klum as the She-Wolf of the Design Industry is a glorious host, I am so serious. My friend and I were parroting every single one of her remarks in our own stern German accents and having a rip-fuckin'-roaring good time.

I liked Nora's dress best. Somebody else's design was pretty striking too, but I'm still too delerious to remember whose it was.

I'll just finish with...auf wiedersehen!

[Hairymango]

When they chose that first group of 5 or so, I thought "These guys were weak. They must be the ones who did the worst". When they were told they were "in", I thought "What!? Some of the best stuff was in the group that's still there". I was relieved when Heidi explained that the best and worst were still there.

The moment I saw his bodice, I thought, "Damn! Corn Husk Boy has got me". That was the only gasper in the group. Though lawn chair girl, and the Cajun Net dress were pretty impressive as well. I also like the "shower curtain wrapped in ten minutes... and I'm done" guy. He maybe lazy, but I liked what I saw. I think using actual fabric like panty hose was also a bit of a cheat, but I mostly liked what that designer did with it.

Patricia Field... well I always thought she made Carrie look like a working girl of the Tenth Avenue variety, so I thought she'd like the "all candy and no dress" dress. I liked the designer, though not the dress. But then I've always been a sucker for a grey forelock even though the Thirties are two decades too young for that look.

Thank goodness they got rid of the Platitude King. If he put half as much creativity in his design as he did in making up vaguely intelligible sentences, he'd still be there.

This show is fantastic. It's already kicking ANTM's ass.

I'll just finish with...auf wiedersehen!

Seriously, I think Heidi should do the entire show in German. It's the only time she sounded authoritative.

Edited by Hairymango, Dec 2, 2004 @ 2:29 AM.

[jmgpride62]

I really liked this show until they progressed to the elimination portion. You could tell from the first half of the episode that the show’s creators were trying to maintain some respect for the fashion industry and the creative process. Given the potential for reality program histrionics on this show, they kept the cheese factor to a minimum. I was disappointed, however, when they incorporated that tired ass “Survivor” shit with immunity and the like. It’s a shame that the producers couldn’t have been as creative as the designers in developing a competition element for the show. Why they have to eliminate people in the first place is beyond me, but at the very least it would be nice to see a bit more of the designers’ work before they start booting them off. Still, the show still has great potential.

I thought that it was cool that the judges were able to see past the lack of refrigeration for Austin’s dress. I was torn between his design and that lawn chair dress which was also awesome.

Speaking of Austin, is he the imaginary love child of Edith Head and Quentin Crisp, or what? And poor Morgan, there’s a reality program in itself – I’m telling ya.

[sphoebus]

I missed some of the beginning, but thoroughly enjoyed this show. I especially liked that the judge's questions/comments seemed serious and thoughtful. They didn't just want to pop in with an oh-so-clever put down of anyone's design.

Heidi's German accent really brings the authority, doesn't it? I almost expected her to be holding a whip (maybe future weeks).

The guy who got booted looked like he had a good bit of 'reality star drama' potential, so when he got canned it made me think the show cares more about design than drama. The jury is still out on that since it looks like we have our share of interesting characters remaining (fur stole guy in the interviews--hee). But it's okay if you're 'good TV' as long as you're also 'good design' (which I know nothing about, but loved the corn husk dress before it shriveled up).

Notice backstage how Austin was trying to avoid eye contact with the guy who got booted?

I'll try to stick with this one!

[queasy]

So did Austin end up redoing the bodice after all? I didn't see his "warp and woof" effect on the finished piece, although I suppose it could have been in the back.

So...were the dresses being judged primarily on imaginative use of unusual materials, or the intricacies of design? Austin's piece was really just a simple bodice with A-line skirt, while the lawn chair dress was pretty much a tight wrap thing (as was the panty hose dress). They looked the most like normal clothes to me, but I also don't think the designs were particularly fresh.

It seemed like in the end, Austin won because he used the most "innovative" material, while what's-his-bad-haircut-name lost because his design was ugly and boring. Eh. I guess if the judges used a point scale, it was probably a combination of things.

Poor loser guy labored so diligently over his dumb butcher paper coat, too. But he was awfully self-congratulatory, so I'm just as happy to see the back of him. Plus, you know...the hair.

If we're picking favorites, I thought the mop skirt was kicky and fun.

Overall, I enjoyed the show a lot. I'm burned out on reality show scheming and alliances, but I don't mind people being eliminated in in merit-based competitions. And it does make it easier to remember who's who.

Like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like, like.

I'm, like, trying to get myself, like, used to, like, hearing that word a lot. Austin and Jay, were, like, particularly egregious.

Edited by queasy, Dec 2, 2004 @ 8:44 AM.

[Awomanda]

Hee! Austin is funny. From his Q&A:

What was your most embarrassing moment? 
Once I was out to dinner at 21 and I absent mindedly used the fish fork for the salad! Could you imagine? I nearly died of humiliation.

What is an odd fact or talent you possess? 
Not many people know this but I'm quite the handy man, I can do electric wiring, carpentry, furniture repair, I also have the smallest waist in three counties and play the harpsichord.

Also, I liked Daniel's outfit! It was simple, but the coat looked like something someone would actually wear (were it not made of paper). The foil edges were cool. Guess it wasn't couture enough.

Watched with my roommate, who laughed at the "Some decisions were made with the input of producers, etc." disclaimer at the end. I was like, ah, so this is your first reality show.

[Arabesque]

I'm not much for fashion, so I was surprised when I really enjoyed it. I love seeing people get innovative. Heidi Klum bugs me, though.

You've described my feelings on this show to a T. I didn't think I would like this one too much, but I did. Poor Starr, I felt so sorry that she was so nervous and almost self-defeating -who's going to want to be a (law) client of hers if they see her on this show? I wouldn't be surprised if she's a good lawyer, but she's so passionate about design that it's making her crazy.

I thought it was funny the model who showed up late was crying and said her agency fired her b/c of it. She must not watch ANTM-Tyra always tells those girls to never be late!

What was up with the lady (who made the candy dress) telling the people in her suite/apt that the four of them should stick together and saying something like "You can be friends with three people, you can't be friends with 11 people." I must have missed that rule in my rule book.

[Bouvier]

I liked this show a lot; even more than I expected. Heidi Klum is inoffensive, the judges were thoughtful, and I love Tim. I was a little disappointed when Daniel got eliminated because of his reality show potential, but I guess that's a sign that they are at least a bit serious about the actual design. He spent a lot of time on his outfit, but it really was pretty boring in the end. I rolled my eyes at the SITC lady saying, "Another garbage bag dress!" How many garbage bag dresses has she seen?

This show is fantastic. It's already kicking ANTM's ass.

This? Says it all.

[Chrysmus]

I really liked Austin's Cornhusk dress. I thought it was very creative and he really challenged himself. I think the reason he won this challenge was because he really embraced the concept of creativity. How many people would walk into a grocery store and say, "Corn husks! I can totally make that work!"

The same goes for the placemats and lawnchair dress. Hell, I don't look at plastic lawn furniture and think, "You know, that would make a really cute dress!"

Finally, the girl with the net dress thing. I think she could have used little red peppers and gotten the same look without the funk of crawfish.

In turn, I was less impressed with the brown socks and pantyhose dress.

I also kind of felt sorry for Starr when she was trying to describe her inspiration for her choice of materials. She sounded so lost , and a little like a frightened child, whe she said (and I'm paraphrasing here), "I liked it because it sparkles, especially when it's all crinkled."

It was like asking a little girl with an art project, "Why did you put glitter on the angel's wings?" And hearing back, "I like glitter! So pretty, it sparkles! Oooooooh!"

Kara, you had me at, "Tragic."

I'm really looking forward to next week's epi what with the Jay's, "I did not steal that bitche's dye," outtake

[annalisa]

I think I am going to love this show!

But....I will not love Heidi Klum. In fact, I will probably grow to dislike her more as the series goes on. There is something about the way she talks with the little bow-shaped mouth of her that bugs me and I'm not sure why.

Everytime I saw Heidi I just kept thinking about how John Casablancas said she was one big, dumb german sausage (or something like that).

I loved the corn husks dress and I felt so bad for the designer when it dried up.

Sometimes (or alot of times) I just think designers are full of shit. Maybe because I'm not in the business I can't tell the difference between innovative and cutting edge or just plain ugly and stupid (Patricia Field (sp?)- I'm looking at you!).

[Sangsla]

I also was impressed with how much I liked this show because I definitely didn't think I was going to.

The biggest disappointment for me so far is the tagline when someone gets eliminated. On Manhunt, it never failed to crack my up when Carmen Electra tried to look straight-faced and use emotion to say "This is your last shot." But "You're out" just doesn't have the same ring to it. I was hoping for something like "You've gone out of style" or something like that.

[Bigwheels1971]

What was up with Daniel's 'Miss America:Final Question' spiel, at the end? That was just strange. I'm wondering if his attitude got him eliminated, rather than his design? I cringed when he blew off the design teacher/administrator.

I rolled my eyes at the SITC lady saying, "Another garbage bag dress!" How many garbage bag dresses has she seen?

That was a definite, "WTF?", moment.

I thought it was funny the model who showed up late was crying and said her agency fired her b/c of it.

Couldn't she have bought an alarm clock, instead of relying on her mother?

What was up with the lady (who made the candy dress) telling the people in her suite/apt that the four of them should stick together and saying something like "You can be friends with three people, you can't be friends with 11 people." I must have missed that rule in my rule book.

I think she said, "You can take care of four people, not eleven." I took that to mean that if they do that, they can be the final four.

[Bungalow Joy]

Hey, I liked this show! Imagine that! Or let me imagine running around the grocery store trying to figure out how to make couture. I think I'd have done ziploc bags, so you can switch out the contents for color or interest. Porno-boy from Austin looks like the fun one to watch, though he's pretty much a hateful bitch. Loved the corn-husks.

[QED]

My favorite part of the episode last night was when Daniel said he couldn't help the fact that his coat looked like butcher paper. I laughed and laughed, for I knew at that moment that the boy was a gonner, which made me very happy, 'cause if I had to hear about "following [my] bliss" any more, I would have followed my bliss to busting some heads.

Daniel, that's so not what was meant when whats-his-face said that the coat looked too much like butcher paper. He was trying to tell you that you were being too generic with your creativity. Nylon-sock dress didn't look like a bunch of stockings stuck together; Lawn-chair dress didn't look like someone cut the backs out of a chair and stapled them together; hell, even the shower curtain dresses didn't really look like shower curtains. Your design, on the other hand, looked like an origami turd. It's not even as if your design choices were all that creative, either. You made a very, very simple coat. You cut a circle out of the top of a garbage bag and called it a dress. You're being graded on innovation. So, be innovative! Cripes.

In other news, I liked Austin's Husk-Dress, and I kinda liked the effect the wilting had on the appearance. I also think Austin himself looks like a china doll; I keep thinking someone is going to pat him too hard on the back and he'll shatter into a million peices.

[mrsdalgleish]

Dude, Heidi is so stilted. You can see her reading the cue cards and there are weird pauses everywhere. You gotta figure there were lots and lots of takes.

Seeing the rerun, I was relieved to know ahead of time that Daniel was going to get kicked off. Hey Daniel, you know what I believe? I believe you're a total tool. Buh bye!

Loved Austin's husk dress when it was "fresh" and even dry. He's definitely a poodle, but I think we might all end up cheering for him. The second-to-last place girl is going to crumble up and die before the next challenge even starts. She is the tragic one.

OversleepingModel reminded me so much of the students I kick out of my program. Her out-of-town mother always wakes her up, so she didn't know how to get up on her own? What is she, four?

Loved the deranged challenge. I can see getting hooked on this.

[jmgpride62]

I also think Austin himself looks like a china doll; I keep thinking someone is going to pat him too hard on the back and he'll shatter into a million pieces.

My first impression of Austin (yeah, I know based on reality television) was that he seemed to be made of pretty strong stuff. Yet, every time he was on camera I kept imagining how awful high school must have been for him, and I just wanted to hug him :(

[ritalinsmoothie]

Speaking of Austin, is he the imaginary love child of Edith Head and Quentin Crisp, or what?

That's pretty good, jmgpride62. I thought he looked more like a combination of Carson Kressley and Yves St Laurent.

I simply can't imagine Starr as an attorney. Please let her go on Judge Judy and wet her pants there. And thank god Butcher Paper/Plastic Bag Boy is gone in the first round.

I must say the lawn chair, shower curtain, and corn husk dresses were divine. This show looks pretty promising.

[QED]

Oh, don't get me wrong, jmgpride62--I have no doubt that Austin has great tenacity (according to the Bravo site, he came up with a solution to the dress issue in, like, seconds, and just ran with it. Awesome). He seems very comfortable with himself as a person, and I'm sure he went through Hell getting to that point. I'm speaking in terms of looks only; With the pale pancaked face, perfectly coiffed hair, and perpetual wide-eyed expression, he makes me think of this china doll that I used to have.

[lips lipstick]

Starr (Stella Maris Something) has a website featuring her designs:
http://www.stellamar....com/Enter.html

Cute. Unoriginal.

"Starr" reminds me so much of a Kate Spade/Cynthia Rowley hybrid with her bony shoulders and her beehive, and her designs remind me of the more rockabetty offerings from Hot Topic.

I suspect that some of her designs are Simplicity patterns. I really don't think she can draft, and I suspect her sewing skills are just passing.

[Dougintx]

I must say, however, that I was a little sad to see K.D. Lang eliminated.

Ok, I know I'm drunk (office Christmas party), but I'm dying of laughter here.

I was shocked at how much I loved this show. It actually looked professionally put together, which is a shock to see on Bravo. I think they deliberately eliminated K.D Lang (hee) for the shock value, but I don't care because I was laughing at him and them cursing the TV for letting me get hooked on another show. I hope some of my real life friend start watching the show so I can practice my Klum. I think I've got Tyra and Carmen down, so the next wooden reality host to concur is Heidi.

[slanderous]

Starr seems to be someone who likes clothes, and enjoys sewing and following established patterns (as evidenced by her offerings, which were, as lips lipstick said, cute but unoriginal), but doesn't know design. Her clothes are much too faithful to a set period (40s and 50s pin-up) to suggest an innovative, or imaginative, personal touch. Which is to say, they're great costumes, but not great design. No wonder she had so much trouble with the first challenge -- that first outfit was a mess.

Edited by slanderous, Dec 2, 2004 @ 11:32 PM.

[Philyra]

Austin looked to me like a junior Jim J. Bullock. I too was surprised by how much I liked this show, considering I have the fashion sense of a weasel. Even I could realize that Starr's dress was atrocious, like something Pink would wear to the Grammys. What I would've liked to have seen, possibly on the website, was the actual ranking of the designs. We know who was first and who was last, but I think it would've also helped me decipher what the judges are looking for if I knew who was fourth vs. who was ninth from amongst the middle range lump. The "Tim's Take" section on the website does a good approximation of this though.