This is our 16th time doing this, and well, things are different. These whippersnapper designers are on to some of the tricks, one hopes, and we, the audience, are a little tired of designers who think they are the next new thing, and remind us of things we have seen before.
These twins Claire and Shawn, I feel for them, because they are clearly so used to the Oh you're twins bit, and are aware that that's part of the initial interest, and that, they also are like their own people. I know. This is radical stuff.
There were other people. They said things about their design aesthetics that I will believe when I see. Oh, and one guy who's only made one dress. Sure, sure.
There is a designer, Ayana, who wants to design modest clothes that align with her Muslim faith, and that does intrigue me because I see no reason that couldn't be very successful on "Project Runway" and it has not yet been done.
We're getting a range of models this year. Size 2 to 22. Now, I recognize that, underneath the whining from designers (and in fairness some excitement) there is a legit complaint that the dress forms are usually one size, and size 2-22 is not one size. This doesn't mean the more traditionally sized runway models didn't differ from the dress form and require designers to work off the dress form, or make alterations. They did. And any designer who thought they were getting through the season without doing that, well, I'm not sure why they would be here.
Mr. Menswear has of course gotten a curvier model for this challenge.
And we have a model mirror this year, so the models can share some thoughts.
Okay, there are so many, the show is barely give you more than a thumbnail sketch of each of them, and honestly, I've been through this rodeo before, it's barely worth me trying to learn all their names right now. Obviously they are all skilled people who can sew more than I can (no more non-sewers, yay!) and some of them are going to just run into the inevitable wall, of my aesthetic is weirder than anything Nina, Zac, and Heidi will ever like collectively but maybe being here a few episodes will get me the attention of enough people. Plus I assume they feed you in the sequester place the eliminated designers go before being released.
There's one design that ended up safe that I would have called out myself, but as seasoned watchers know, it was either a one off for that designer or it will catch up to them and really the order the first six or so get eliminated in means very little.
Mr. Menswear - Brandon - ends up in the top, haha, I suspected they were trying to psych us out, and here is where we also remember surprising people make it into the top the first few episodes, and that actually also doesn't matter. His outfit was fine. It was not top three in my opinion.
But Batani, as another designer had already pointed out, made an outfit that was more boring than her own for her model, which is always a shame as you stand next to it in judging. Cha Cha made an outfit that was him, in the sense that he like ruffles and pink, but, as they told him, showed no interest in the person it was adorning. Shawn made a wonderful top, and then, trying to show how edgy she was paired it with metallic shorts that did not look well made, so looked more like she ran out of time. Deyonte made a gorgeous dress that looked more resort but the judges did not care. Kenya made a dress with pockets making her the hero of the revolution.
So, this season looks to be interesting. Here's hoping sewing for differently sized people becomes just normal.
