Got sucked into watching this with a fashionista

icyharris-539-169904

I didn't think I would watch this show beyond a couple of seasons, but I've been hooked since about 2011'ish. Probably, I'm a student of fashion myself having subscribed to Vogue earlier in my life, I appreciate the hard work and vision that go into a design. In fact, I was sorely disappointed that the same design aesthetics were missing from a high end clothing I visited. I would hire any of these alums, including the ones that didn't win to design that store's clothes instead of the high priced, boring, shapeless, and poorly made stuff they had to offer.

I'm a sucker for well constructed pieces over high design. If you crochet, pleat, dye, or create cut outs for your pieces in the short time you have, you're a winner in my book. It seems the designers and guest judges like risk taking. But then again, I don't know what they like from season to season. Sometimes they will lambast poor sewers, sometimes they will say, even it is meticulously executed, that is boring and old-fashioned. So what's a contestant to do?

Also, you can tell some designers have a particular niche that often gets characterized as a one trick, monotonous pony. But every designer working now has a niche. Some do more movie and stage costumes, some design the over the top outfits for the stars, some do more cutesy kiddy clothes, some do more street or casual wear and some do ready to wear. That doesn't make them a bad designer just because the contestants gravitate toward and do well at a particular design. On the bad hand, some people's personalities overshadow their work and irritate the other contestants and even the judges. On the good hand, where does Tim Gunn get his suits made? I have never seen him be less than impeccable. Now, Heidi Klum has some hits or misses, but she's still a pretty woman.

That said, I wish the show would incorporate more designs for males as well as for the disabled, buxom, plus sized, petite, athletic, children, and elderly. They want to look fabulous too! Tired of seeing these mousy, thin and boring models. Some of the outfits have literally been made or broken by how the model struts her stuff or the expression on her face. Even if you don't like the outfit or how it fits, work that thing! That kind of sullenness would never work on the most famous runways and I bet half the models hate what they have to wear. Where do they get these models from?

score 8/10

icyharris-539-169904 3 November 2014

Reprint: https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3116928/