Project Runway 10 Starts Tonight

[PDilemma]

Very few 20 yos buy couture and probably not many 30yos. It's the 40-70 yos who actually have money to spend. Unless you're designing for the Gap or the Limited, they need to design for the 50-70 yos because that's who can afford to buy.

Most people I know could afford nice clothes in their 20s. In our 40s, we are all flat broke. I can't even afford Gap. Hell, I currently can't afford WalMart.

I think there is a wide spectrum of age groups on all economic levels. And that means designers need to design for everyone.

[skatesindreams]

Couture design and ready-to-wear are completely different; except when ready-to-wear does "knock-offs".
Ven is aiming for those who can afford to buy - the older demographic.
Some of those ladies may have the same ideas about weight, as it relates to fashion, as he does.

[Nomad]

nm

[danceronice]

Yeah Gunnar is whiny with 'tude, but he's never been as much of a turn-off to me as Ven has been. No amount of editing could disguise or enhance Ven's utter disregard and cluelessness re the humanity of his client. Ven's comments throughout were unbelieveable and petty. He is just so full of himself. I agree with Nick Verreos' blog title: "You ain't no waif yourself!"

Heh, did you read Bert's blog? It's called "Reality Check, Please" and he goes so far as to call Ven a "prick" and tell him to "grow up" while calling him out on his size hypocrisy as well. REALLY displeased with how Ven treated his client. (From the sound of it some of Bert's clients in the real world are genuinely "plus sized" women who have no problem wearing custom-designed couture.)

[Fergus]

Just caught the latest episode:

So some fat-ass Buddha-belly bitched and moaned and INSULTED a client for being shaped/sized like a "real" woman?

I can't. It's just shameful. I don't even think the footage was edited/manipulated to make Ven look bad, he's just a Grade A prick. (The client/designer match-up stinks of manipulation, though......)

Or, as Tom and Lorenzo titled their blog post: "Hey, take a look in the mirror, Chubs".

I'll miss Nathan, he was adorkable and had talent. I just don't know why or how he let that bland and deluded little thing run the show.

[skatesindreams]

Couture design is "made to measure".
The size of the client shouldn't be an issue.

[Fergus]

Couture design is "made to measure".
The size of the client shouldn't be an issue.

Seriously! I love watching clips of fashion shows from back in the day and although the models might be Dovima-esque, the ladies in the audience certainly were NOT!

But I guess that's what makes a Christian Dior or a Charles James or a Balenciaga great: Selling the fantasy but understanding the reality. Sigh.......

[aftershocks]

Just caught the latest episode:

So some fat-ass Buddha-belly bitched and moaned and INSULTED a client for being shaped/sized like a "real" woman?

I can't. It's just shameful. I don't even think the footage was edited/manipulated to make Ven look bad, he's just a Grade A prick. (The client/designer match-up stinks of manipulation, though......)

Or, as Tom and Lorenzo titled their blog post: "Hey, take a look in the mirror, Chubs".

I'll miss Nathan, he was adorkable and had talent. I just don't know why or how he let that bland and deluded little thing run the show.

Yeah, true. Nathan was cute and its a shame he bit the dust with this type of challenge -- he did not really show what he could do. And ITA, bad ol' Ven gave the producers a lot to work with, so it wasn't a matter of editing to make him look bad -- he gave them more than enuf -- in fact obviously too much. By continuing to act as if he was the only one who "yikes" had to design for a "real" woman, Ven made himself look more than delusional. In no way is this an easy show to participate in, but the producers and judges can't be blamed for contestants' poor behavior, especially in this instance.

PR was the first reality show I ever took to watching in a big way. It's not the manipulative stuff that got me excited and held my attention. It's the real stuff of dreams and hard work; the nuts and bolts of designing; getting an inside view of the fashion world and meeting interesting creative people who aspire to make it big; and seeing how it's possible to create something out of nothing. It's not so much the drama/ trauma between models in years past or between contestants (which is so lame retread by this point in series #10). Truthfully, it is the unexpected moments that happen (like with Mondo's flowering and empowering in season 8 which producers could not manufacture if they tried -- in fact, they blew it when Mondo didn't win that season; also Malan Breton's confessions and classy behavior on the runway in season 3). What I like least is the prolonged aufing and some of the disrespect shown to contestants. Humor of course is one thing and everyone should be able to laugh at themselves, but there have been times when contestants were made to look bad and/ or made fun of in a tasteless way.

Not in the case of Ven, however. He has handled that pretty well all by himself. I do think that contestants are chosen not always based on talent, but on personality and mix of personalities. The producers don't want to have the entire selected group exhibiting a similar high level of talent. It seems to me they want a mixture of talent. Otherwise the aufing would be even more painful from week to week than it already is.

IMO, seasons 1 and 2 were very good. Seasons 3 and 4 were absolutely great on all levels, plus in those seasons, there was room in the budget for travel.

[cruisin]

I have a friend whose husband is obese while she is a size 8. Whenever she gains the slightest bit of weight he starts trying to monitor her food and calls her "big piglet". It makes me want to clock him. But she shrugs her shoulders and says it is all okay.

It is NOT okay!

Very few 20 yos buy couture and probably not many 30yos. It's the 40-70 yos who actually have money to spend. Unless you're designing for the Gap or the Limited, they need to design for the 50-70 yos because that's who can afford to buy.

Yes, tell that to the $4,000.00 + per dress designers whose dresses are 5" above the knee or are so sheer that there is no way you can wear a bra. So many of the $$$$$$$$ have no clue who is buying their garments.

DVF has been doing very short for the last 2 seasons. Apparently, clients are complaining. Guess what - fall is showing a lot of longer dresses and skirts. Of course DVF is more moderate $$$. If only the $$$$$$$$ would listen too.

[Lucy25]

Heh, did you read Bert's blog? It's called "Reality Check, Please" and he goes so far as to call Ven a "prick" and tell him to "grow up" while calling him out on his size hypocrisy as well. REALLY displeased with how Ven treated his client. (From the sound of it some of Bert's clients in the real world are genuinely "plus sized" women who have no problem wearing custom-designed couture.)

The blogs from all the previous designers on the Lifetime site were really good this week. All believe there was producer funny business going on for Ven to escape this elimination.

I think it is a little amusing that some posters here have seemed to change their tune a bit about Nathan in only a couple of episodes.

[RockTheTassel]

Honestly, I'm glad Ven and Sonjia got to stay. They've clearly been doing better than Nathan, whose dress was just as bad. I think they should consider past designs and who has the most potential when picking a designer to auf.

That being said, Ven was absolutely classless. That girl looked heartbroken, especially when he kept going on about how none of the belts fit. At this point, why would someone audition for the show and then complain when they have to do the "everyday woman" challenge? There's been enough of them in past seasons that it shouldn't be a surprise now.

[Nomad]

.....
That being said, Ven was absolutely classless. That girl looked heartbroken, especially when he kept going on about how none of the belts fit.

Like he couldn't have kept his mouth shut and simply measured the belts? Or made one himself if he was so dead-set on having her wear one? A$$hole.

At this point, why would someone audition for the show and then complain when they have to do the "everyday woman" challenge? There's been enough of them in past seasons that it shouldn't be a surprise now.

With the exception of Season 1 and All Stars, I think they've done a "Dress a Non-Model" challenge every season. After 9 seasons aspiring contestants should know going in that they will have to do this at some point. Likewise, they should know that they will be expected to:

Make a look in one day
Make a look using food/plants/hardware/recycling/etc.
Make a second look/accessory at the last minute
Make something they don't normally make - stage costume, skating dress, bathing suit, menswear, uniform, children's clothes, whatever
Make an outfit/collection as part of a pair/team

ETA - I find it ironic that this week's fashion victim got auf'ed for making a dress that wasn't much different from the one Heidi wore on episode 1: tight, short, shiny, with black illusion fabric panels on the sides. Just sayin'.

[FiveRinger]

Like he couldn't have kept his mouth shut and simply measured the belts? Or made one himself if he was so dead-set on having her wear one? A$$hole.



With the exception of Season 1 and All Stars, I think they've done a "Dress a Non-Model" challenge every season. After 9 seasons aspiring contestants should know going in that they will have to do this at some point. Likewise, they should know that they will be expected to:

Make a look in one day
Make a look using food/plants/hardware/recycling/etc.
Make a second look/accessory at the last minute
Make something they don't normally make - stage costume, skating dress, bathing suit, menswear, uniform, children's clothes, whatever
Make an outfit/collection as part of a pair/team

ETA - I find it ironic that this week's fashion victim got auf'ed for making a dress that wasn't much different from the one Heidi wore on episode 1: tight, short, shiny, with black illusion fabric panels on the sides. Just sayin'.

You would think that they would have that down, right? Or at least practice at home while watching and say, "Hmmmmm.....if this was my challenge what would I do?" By now, all of them should even have whole wardrobes planned for Nina and Heidi too. Or at least have some idea what the judges like/don't like at this point. Is anybody paying attention?

[Nomad]

Seriously. PR is pretty predictable, really. If you do menswear, practice making a red carpet gown in 12 hours or less. Never made lingerie or swimwear before? Try it out so you at least have a clue. Make a trip to Mood and learn the layout of the store. You might not have to resort to a fabric you've never worked with before but chose because it was the right color and you only had five shopping minutes left. /sermon.

[PDilemma]

I think maybe it was mentioned in the thread before, but maybe not. Tim Gunn told Jon Stewart on a Daily Show appearance that many of this season's designers arrived just certain that they really got a week or so to make everything and that the one or two day thing was just made up for television.

I don't know how they could be so stupid about it. Just read the blogs by former contestants on the Lifetime site and it is pretty clear that it really is just a day or two.

[emason]

Seriously. PR is pretty predictable, really. If you do menswear, practice making a red carpet gown in 12 hours or less. Never made lingerie or swimwear before? Try it out so you at least have a clue. Make a trip to Mood and learn the layout of the store. You might not have to resort to a fabric you've never worked with before but chose because it was the right color and you only had five shopping minutes left. /sermon.

Re: Making a trip to Mood, that's a good idea in theory, but if you are not from NY, exactly when are you supposed to have the opportunity to go?

[Tesla]

Re: Making a trip to Mood, that's a good idea in theory, but if you are not from NY, exactly when are you supposed to have the opportunity to go?

Yeah, going to Mood is probably out of the question, but perhaps practicing at a local fabric shop.

[Rogue]

Re: Making a trip to Mood, that's a good idea in theory, but if you are not from NY, exactly when are you supposed to have the opportunity to go?

If you don't have the ability to arrive in NYC a day or two early, you can always review and memorize the floor plan on their website:
http://www.moodfabrics.com/index.php?file=aboutus

[aftershocks]

^^ Good idea -- some smart minds here. Maybe some designers are great creatively but not so smart strategy-wise? But yeah, truthfully read past designer blogs and look at all of the past seasons on DVD, if you are that eager to be on the show. There may be more designers prepared to actually do well on the show than actually get the chance to be selected.

OTOH, I'm sure the producers like to foster the environment for lots of -- it's just part of what they think is the catchy entertainment value (which may be true, but only to a point). I for one, do not think the show ever handles the seemingly requisite "throw other designers under the bus" questioning that well. I applaud all the designers who find creative ways to avoid being nasty to their fellow contestants (unless in the case of Ven, a designer happens to deserve being thrown under the bus ).

[Vagabond]

With the exception of Season 1 and All Stars, I think they've done a "Dress a Non-Model" challenge every season. After 9 seasons aspiring contestants should know going in that they will have to do this at some point. Likewise, they should know that they will be expected to:

Make a look in one day
Make a look using food/plants/hardware/recycling/etc.
Make a second look/accessory at the last minute
Make something they don't normally make - stage costume, skating dress, bathing suit, menswear, uniform, children's clothes, whatever
Make an outfit/collection as part of a pair/team

You would think that they would have that down, right? Or at least practice at home while watching and say, "Hmmmmm.....if this was my challenge what would I do?" By now, all of them should even have whole wardrobes planned for Nina and Heidi too. Or at least have some idea what the judges like/don't like at this point. Is anybody paying attention?

Seriously. PR is pretty predictable, really. If you do menswear, practice making a red carpet gown in 12 hours or less. Never made lingerie or swimwear before? Try it out so you at least have a clue. Make a trip to Mood and learn the layout of the store. You might not have to resort to a fabric you've never worked with before but chose because it was the right color and you only had five shopping minutes left. /sermon.

I think maybe it was mentioned in the thread before, but maybe not. Tim Gunn told Jon Stewart on a Daily Show appearance that many of this season's designers arrived just certain that they really got a week or so to make everything and that the one or two day thing was just made up for television.

I don't know how they could be so stupid about it. Just read the blogs by former contestants on the Lifetime site and it is pretty clear that it really is just a day or two.

I have watched only one episode so far this season, but based on that episode and the few episodes I've watched from other seasons, I doubt that the show casts "students" of Project Runway in the way that we sometimes get to see "students" of, say, Survivor. In my experience, the kind of people who make up the bulk of the cast every season aren't likely to pay attention to things like this and then plan and prepare for them. And people who do probably get screened out during the casting process.