Project Runway: Finale Part 1
March 6, 2020 12:53 PM - Season 18, Episode 13 - Subscribe
Christian visits the remaining contestants at home as they furiously complete their final collections. Then it's back to the workroom to refine and revise, because even though New York Fashion is here, that doesn't mean everyone will show in the finale.
Oh, thank you for that, TWinbrook8! I was super annoyed that they did the cliffhanger; I don't remember them ever doing that in the different years I've watched it and I hate that kind of gimmicky crap.
It was kind of nice to see that Sergio had done a little changing in the time away, but geez louise those looks. While the technical quality of the blue dress was fantastic, it wasn't exactly fresh or modern in design, and none of that 19th century saloon style said "melting ice caps" to me at all. The boots, especially, were a complete needle scratch. So I think it's, as we would have suspected all along, safe to say he does not win this.
Victoria's lineup was dismal, to me, but I'm sure that was a lot to do with the color palette and my antipathy towards her style in general. That jumpsuit especially, its sagginess, was awful. I really appreciated Brandon's advice about not using the logo, since she's not a big name, and whoever said the bags were bringing the looks down. She doesn't always seem able to pivot, so kudos to her for rejiggering things after Christian's visit, but doing that again on short notice might not be in her wheelhouse.
Nancy's was most appealing to me in general on an emotional level, I especially love the "liquid" textile because whenever I've seen that on a red carpet I've loved it and always wish more designers would use textiles like that. I'm not so sold on the skirt/cape transformation, but I could see it being cute in a runway context, just not clear how it'd translate to real life use. She was so cute in the at-home segment that I wished I felt like she had a chance of winning--especially with her Christian standup. And I love her accessible design ethos, and how excited she is about it. She honestly feels like one of the few people who could really go somewhere from this season, someone who could make a name with her niche designs. I hope she does.
The brief glimpse of I think Melanie at the end, fist-pumping, made me think that maybe, just maybe, Geoffrey might pull it off? Because I doubt she'd react that way to Victoria, but of course, who knows. His was by far the most forward-thinking; I don't know what he ended up doing with that unique quilting we saw in the at-home section, but I loved the way he was experimenting with textures and presentations, and I adored the giant puffy coats. (And Christian trying one on!) I'm still worried about his emotions and how close he seems to cracking all the time, but he listened to the feedback well. I love the theory of that dress with the curved cups on the bodice, but they were right that it should be more form fitting and the bagginess I think undercut the technical skill as well as the design/flattering quality it could have. It'll be interesting to see what happens if he reworks it. He and Thijin are a match made in heaven.
Best thing about all the collections, though? Color! Even the icy whites and tans with pink or gold were a refreshing change from 90 percent black and gray. The color made the black items pop more, I think, as well as using interesting textures, which seemed to be a huge issue this year with the designers often staying in the wrong section at Mood.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 6:04 PM on March 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
It was kind of nice to see that Sergio had done a little changing in the time away, but geez louise those looks. While the technical quality of the blue dress was fantastic, it wasn't exactly fresh or modern in design, and none of that 19th century saloon style said "melting ice caps" to me at all. The boots, especially, were a complete needle scratch. So I think it's, as we would have suspected all along, safe to say he does not win this.
Victoria's lineup was dismal, to me, but I'm sure that was a lot to do with the color palette and my antipathy towards her style in general. That jumpsuit especially, its sagginess, was awful. I really appreciated Brandon's advice about not using the logo, since she's not a big name, and whoever said the bags were bringing the looks down. She doesn't always seem able to pivot, so kudos to her for rejiggering things after Christian's visit, but doing that again on short notice might not be in her wheelhouse.
Nancy's was most appealing to me in general on an emotional level, I especially love the "liquid" textile because whenever I've seen that on a red carpet I've loved it and always wish more designers would use textiles like that. I'm not so sold on the skirt/cape transformation, but I could see it being cute in a runway context, just not clear how it'd translate to real life use. She was so cute in the at-home segment that I wished I felt like she had a chance of winning--especially with her Christian standup. And I love her accessible design ethos, and how excited she is about it. She honestly feels like one of the few people who could really go somewhere from this season, someone who could make a name with her niche designs. I hope she does.
The brief glimpse of I think Melanie at the end, fist-pumping, made me think that maybe, just maybe, Geoffrey might pull it off? Because I doubt she'd react that way to Victoria, but of course, who knows. His was by far the most forward-thinking; I don't know what he ended up doing with that unique quilting we saw in the at-home section, but I loved the way he was experimenting with textures and presentations, and I adored the giant puffy coats. (And Christian trying one on!) I'm still worried about his emotions and how close he seems to cracking all the time, but he listened to the feedback well. I love the theory of that dress with the curved cups on the bodice, but they were right that it should be more form fitting and the bagginess I think undercut the technical skill as well as the design/flattering quality it could have. It'll be interesting to see what happens if he reworks it. He and Thijin are a match made in heaven.
Best thing about all the collections, though? Color! Even the icy whites and tans with pink or gold were a refreshing change from 90 percent black and gray. The color made the black items pop more, I think, as well as using interesting textures, which seemed to be a huge issue this year with the designers often staying in the wrong section at Mood.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 6:04 PM on March 6, 2020 [2 favorites]
I was so worried for Geoffrey, who seemed to have a non-stop meltdown throughout this entire episode. I wouldn't wear a single thing he made, but his clothes are different and exciting and I really hope he wins. I totally agree that the dress needs to be much more fitted. I think his use of textiles is far and above any of the designers this season.
I also loved Nancy's clothes, particularly that liquid fabric dress, which was just gorgeous. The pant suit was a surprise and I really liked it too. Of all the designers she seems to have the most thought-out point of view, which then translates well into her designs.
Sergio's dark blue cocktail dress was stunning in terms of its construction. But once again he directly referenced a past designer (Dior's New Look) and I'm surprised none of the judges mentioned that. But the other outfits were strange, particularly the negligée dress. The white fringe is awful. I couldn't believe that after Christian told Sergio that his clothes reminded him of a Wild West saloon girl, he actually thought that was a good thing and decided to run with it. Also, what the actual fuck was that Creature From the Black Lagoon stinking kombucha-leather stuff in the cat's bathtub that almost made Christian puke?
I doubt Victoria will edit to the extent she's been advised to. She wants to get her logo and brand out there, and she has no concept of less is more. I do love a baseball cap but even I would not wear an old-lady doily crochet baseball cap. And with the Moldovan print details, the logo, the caps, the straps, the cut-outs, the bags, etc, etc, it is all just too much.
And yeah, no cliffhanger at all for me. Next week we'll have the designers freaking out because - surprise! - they'll be asked to make an 11th look for the runway, as if this is something that's not happened in every single season.
(Also, Tim & Heidi's new show, Making the Cut, premiers on Amazon Prime Video on 27 March.)
posted by essexjan at 12:50 AM on March 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
I also loved Nancy's clothes, particularly that liquid fabric dress, which was just gorgeous. The pant suit was a surprise and I really liked it too. Of all the designers she seems to have the most thought-out point of view, which then translates well into her designs.
Sergio's dark blue cocktail dress was stunning in terms of its construction. But once again he directly referenced a past designer (Dior's New Look) and I'm surprised none of the judges mentioned that. But the other outfits were strange, particularly the negligée dress. The white fringe is awful. I couldn't believe that after Christian told Sergio that his clothes reminded him of a Wild West saloon girl, he actually thought that was a good thing and decided to run with it. Also, what the actual fuck was that Creature From the Black Lagoon stinking kombucha-leather stuff in the cat's bathtub that almost made Christian puke?
I doubt Victoria will edit to the extent she's been advised to. She wants to get her logo and brand out there, and she has no concept of less is more. I do love a baseball cap but even I would not wear an old-lady doily crochet baseball cap. And with the Moldovan print details, the logo, the caps, the straps, the cut-outs, the bags, etc, etc, it is all just too much.
And yeah, no cliffhanger at all for me. Next week we'll have the designers freaking out because - surprise! - they'll be asked to make an 11th look for the runway, as if this is something that's not happened in every single season.
(Also, Tim & Heidi's new show, Making the Cut, premiers on Amazon Prime Video on 27 March.)
posted by essexjan at 12:50 AM on March 7, 2020 [3 favorites]
If you watch the After Show (available on YouTube), they spoiled it at the end there, too.
Do we talk about the creature in Sergio's bathtub? I do hope to see something he made with it! But did he have enough time to remove the stench? I am curious!
They were right that removing the giant cowl thing on Nancy's liquid fabric dress gave a nice simplicity between more complicated looks, but I like the cowl thing! Did you see it bouncing up and down when her model walked? I hope she keeps one or more of those.
Not really interested in Victoria's aesthetic at this point, though I actually liked the sparkly jumpsuit the judges panned. But it did look like cheap fabric.
Geoffrey omigosh just watching him makes ME nervous and jumpy. That totally sucks his relationship ended and I can't imagine the stress but he needs some help in dealing with that. I do not get or like his skirts with all the sleeves hanging off them. But that puffy coat Christian strutted around in was killer. I do hope he wins.
posted by Glinn at 7:17 AM on March 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Do we talk about the creature in Sergio's bathtub? I do hope to see something he made with it! But did he have enough time to remove the stench? I am curious!
They were right that removing the giant cowl thing on Nancy's liquid fabric dress gave a nice simplicity between more complicated looks, but I like the cowl thing! Did you see it bouncing up and down when her model walked? I hope she keeps one or more of those.
Not really interested in Victoria's aesthetic at this point, though I actually liked the sparkly jumpsuit the judges panned. But it did look like cheap fabric.
Geoffrey omigosh just watching him makes ME nervous and jumpy. That totally sucks his relationship ended and I can't imagine the stress but he needs some help in dealing with that. I do not get or like his skirts with all the sleeves hanging off them. But that puffy coat Christian strutted around in was killer. I do hope he wins.
posted by Glinn at 7:17 AM on March 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
I couldn't believe that after Christian told Sergio that his clothes reminded him of a Wild West saloon girl, he actually thought that was a good thing and decided to run with it.
I ABSOLUTELY could; remember that Sergio is convinced that Christian is his peer, not his mentor. I don't think he'd be capable of taking concrit from him as anything but praise.
Nancy was too adorable! I agree with Glinn about the cowl thing, thought it was lovely. Geoffrey's edit in this was so "he's about to jump off a cliff" that I feel he's being set up for a win? I love that he did puffa in a way that wasn't pure Moncler.
...you know, peeps, I have enjoyed the heck out of this season. I know it's had many flaws but I really have.
posted by Gin and Broadband at 7:42 AM on March 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
I ABSOLUTELY could; remember that Sergio is convinced that Christian is his peer, not his mentor. I don't think he'd be capable of taking concrit from him as anything but praise.
Nancy was too adorable! I agree with Glinn about the cowl thing, thought it was lovely. Geoffrey's edit in this was so "he's about to jump off a cliff" that I feel he's being set up for a win? I love that he did puffa in a way that wasn't pure Moncler.
...you know, peeps, I have enjoyed the heck out of this season. I know it's had many flaws but I really have.
posted by Gin and Broadband at 7:42 AM on March 7, 2020 [1 favorite]
Oh yeah, cannot wait for the new Heidi/Tim show to start! I too really enjoyed this season, and Next in Fashion as well. These shows are just plain fun to watch and even more fun to discuss.
So....making fabric/leather out of kombucha is A THING. A thing that is real. It looks like very light, somewhat sheer leather (look at the jacket!). It must feel kind of like wearing a fruit roll-up ;P I have been permanently traumatized by the smelly, fermenting, living evilness lurking in Sergio's bathtub. And my first thought was....does he have another bathroom? Because who does this in THEIR BATHTUB.
I too loved Nancy's dress with the giant undulating Slinky at the neck. It was so fun and the color was so rich. Her suit too...loved it. Really nice to see her scale down and make clothes that are not so voluminous and diaphanous. Like... not everything has to be frothy and transparent and flowy.
I cannot see Victoria winning this, or Sergio. He has terrible taste, except when he's stealing inspiration from another designer.
posted by the webmistress at 12:31 PM on March 7, 2020
So....making fabric/leather out of kombucha is A THING. A thing that is real. It looks like very light, somewhat sheer leather (look at the jacket!). It must feel kind of like wearing a fruit roll-up ;P I have been permanently traumatized by the smelly, fermenting, living evilness lurking in Sergio's bathtub. And my first thought was....does he have another bathroom? Because who does this in THEIR BATHTUB.
I too loved Nancy's dress with the giant undulating Slinky at the neck. It was so fun and the color was so rich. Her suit too...loved it. Really nice to see her scale down and make clothes that are not so voluminous and diaphanous. Like... not everything has to be frothy and transparent and flowy.
I cannot see Victoria winning this, or Sergio. He has terrible taste, except when he's stealing inspiration from another designer.
posted by the webmistress at 12:31 PM on March 7, 2020
And my first thought was....does he have another bathroom? Because who does this in THEIR BATHTUB.
He explained that this was actually the cat's bathroom! So I'm assuming there's another one because the cat will need to use Sergio's bathtub if his is full of kombucha leather.
posted by essexjan at 2:52 PM on March 7, 2020
He explained that this was actually the cat's bathroom! So I'm assuming there's another one because the cat will need to use Sergio's bathtub if his is full of kombucha leather.
posted by essexjan at 2:52 PM on March 7, 2020
I am pretty furious about the "twist" that they might judge someone as not worthy of moving on based on what was supposed to be an opportunity to both preview their collection and get feedback. That's not a twist. It's a shitty, cruel, crass manufactured bit of drama, and if they'd carried through with that threat, it would have amounted to a lie to the designers. They've been working for three solid months on the understanding that they were presenting at Fashion Week.
Also I was disappointed in everyone's looks.
posted by desuetude at 9:23 PM on March 8, 2020
Also I was disappointed in everyone's looks.
posted by desuetude at 9:23 PM on March 8, 2020
I didn't like any of the collections. Not what we saw at home, not what they reworked and brought to FW.
Victoria's at home, it was awful. It reminded me of designs I see in Asian markets. Not the minimalist Japanese avant-garde looks but the fussy, frilly clothes with too many details that are some mash-up of the 1940s and the 1980s, from China and Thailand. (Not the clothes for export, what some women themselves wear.) Completely different taste. I almost forgot: her tacky logo!.. It looks like she reworked most of her collection after Christian's visit.
Sergio's was disappointing. Another elaborate story when really he should just stick to making very expensive, very gorgeous gowns. Using fringe because it represents ice melting? jfc.
Geoffrey is a basket case. Between the bunged up knee, his partner leaving him, the job he took for Disney, it's obvious he didnt spend much time on his collection. I wonder if the producers were planning on sending someone home but after seeing his dismal collection, they realised it would be him and not Sergio and since he was favored because he did so well towards the end, they decided to keep all the final four.
Nancy, love her but that was not her best work either. Except for the suit. The rest from what I could see was very dark. Didn't like the wheelchair gown and the shimmery gown was basic once the slinky neckpiece was taken off, the epitome of the fabric doing all the heavy lifting.
I'm glad they cut back on the "meet the whole family, have dinner and make awkward conversation" thing. I just want to see their workspaces and their collections so far. Victoria, Sergio, and Nancy have a lot of support, Geoffrey is really struggling. I really hope the production company was monitoring that because he seems very fragile.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:19 AM on March 9, 2020
Victoria's at home, it was awful. It reminded me of designs I see in Asian markets. Not the minimalist Japanese avant-garde looks but the fussy, frilly clothes with too many details that are some mash-up of the 1940s and the 1980s, from China and Thailand. (Not the clothes for export, what some women themselves wear.) Completely different taste. I almost forgot: her tacky logo!.. It looks like she reworked most of her collection after Christian's visit.
Sergio's was disappointing. Another elaborate story when really he should just stick to making very expensive, very gorgeous gowns. Using fringe because it represents ice melting? jfc.
Geoffrey is a basket case. Between the bunged up knee, his partner leaving him, the job he took for Disney, it's obvious he didnt spend much time on his collection. I wonder if the producers were planning on sending someone home but after seeing his dismal collection, they realised it would be him and not Sergio and since he was favored because he did so well towards the end, they decided to keep all the final four.
Nancy, love her but that was not her best work either. Except for the suit. The rest from what I could see was very dark. Didn't like the wheelchair gown and the shimmery gown was basic once the slinky neckpiece was taken off, the epitome of the fabric doing all the heavy lifting.
I'm glad they cut back on the "meet the whole family, have dinner and make awkward conversation" thing. I just want to see their workspaces and their collections so far. Victoria, Sergio, and Nancy have a lot of support, Geoffrey is really struggling. I really hope the production company was monitoring that because he seems very fragile.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:19 AM on March 9, 2020
> I wonder if the producers were planning on sending someone home but after seeing his dismal collection, they realised it would be him and not Sergio and since he was favored because he did so well towards the end, they decided to keep all the final four.
Slightly different take -- I speculated that after the producers saw four underwhelming collections-in-progress at the time of Christian's visits, they wanted the option to do preemptive damage control, what with the return to Fashion Week for the finale. They're undoubtedly feeling some pressure on their aging brand with the premieres of Next in Fashion and Making the Cut.
posted by desuetude at 11:06 AM on March 9, 2020
Slightly different take -- I speculated that after the producers saw four underwhelming collections-in-progress at the time of Christian's visits, they wanted the option to do preemptive damage control, what with the return to Fashion Week for the finale. They're undoubtedly feeling some pressure on their aging brand with the premieres of Next in Fashion and Making the Cut.
posted by desuetude at 11:06 AM on March 9, 2020
I just watched a really nice interview on Youtube with three of the finalists (no Sergio). They talked a lot about the avant-garde challenge and their relationships with each other. Takes place between that challenge and home visits. A++ highly recommend.
Also, Branden's "Land Before Time" comment is discussed (though not to my satisfaction as no one is sure except the already mentioned vague notion of dinosaur spikes.) Now that I wrote that I looked at it again and you know, I can see Stegosaurus from this angle. I withdraw my complaint.
posted by Glinn at 3:13 PM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
Also, Branden's "Land Before Time" comment is discussed (though not to my satisfaction as no one is sure except the already mentioned vague notion of dinosaur spikes.) Now that I wrote that I looked at it again and you know, I can see Stegosaurus from this angle. I withdraw my complaint.
posted by Glinn at 3:13 PM on March 9, 2020 [1 favorite]
We'll know if that's the case if next episode features a last minute trip to Mood, a la Anya's season.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:02 PM on March 9, 2020
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:02 PM on March 9, 2020
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(Mild spoiler but not really surprising this season since they already did it)
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:26 PM on March 6, 2020