Why don't you change your scene and see if you still love it?

[impersona]

THE ALMIGHTY PROJECT RUNWAY GRIEVANCES THREAD.

There are one condition to this thread: Please don't spoil the winner of the finale until tomorrow, just to be safe.

Here's some questions to get us going:

(1) What would you consider the greatest injustice in this season?

(2) If you could affect the outcome of ONE of the challenges, which one would you have changed?

(3) Out of all of the fucking dumbass challenges this season, which was the most fucking dumbass?

(4) Who were you rooting for this season?

(5) Which outfits can you think of, purely from memory, that actually impressed you?  No cheating and looking at pictures.

(1) Single greatest injustice, I think, was judging Anya on as steep of a curve as she got.  God damn, it is just so outrageous.  It is unacceptable that someone with so little skill and range was able to make it so far.  I suppose you could call Uli the most Anya-like designer who has made it to the finale so far, but damn, that is even unfair cause Anya did nothing by way of mixing patterns like Uli or Korto were able to do - Anya took a single graphic fabric and made it do all of the work for her.  And in terms of construction, it's sad that Josh was showing more range and versatility than she did.

(2) I would change the outcome of the Bird Inspiration challenge, so that Bert stayed and Laura went home.  I could not see how, in any way, his silver dress was worse than what Laura put out that day.  And since they judge everybody historically ANYWAYS, why not take a second to remember that Bert busted through with a few wins this season, and Laura has made nothing but HORSESHIT.

(3) The pet store challenge was the most fucking fucker fucking dumbass, cause I can accept unconventional materials challenges but I can't accept unconventional materials challenges that have zero inspiration.  Close second is Design Heidi's Shitty Sportswear Line For Her, cause that was so lazy to take the same exact fucking challenge from last season and doing it again.

(4) Bert was my favorite.  Out of all of the competitors, he seemed to be the only one who consistently understood the challenge every time, and that he was smart about fashion and dressing women in a way most of the other designers weren't..  However, I know that Viktor was by far the best competitor - this feels kind of like Season 6 in that aspect, how there doesn't seem like anybody who could come even close to Irina's skill all season.  WE WILL SEE IF THE FINALE FEELS THE SAME.

(5)  Out of the stiltwalker challenge, I remember being impressed by the matador outfit (I fucking loved that one) and Kimberly's green soldier stilt outfit.  I remember loving Bert's underwear dress from the first challenge, and I remember loving the outfit Kimberly put together for Nina. Victor's jackets are always fucking off the hook, as was his Rorschach dress from the Heidi challenge.  Can't remember loving anything that Josh made, nor Anya's.

You know what's weird? I didn't feel like booting the judges in the teeth this season quite as much as I have in recent seasons. I don't know if it is because the judging was better, or if because I've become so apathetic to the whole thing. I think that when the judges were wrong, it was largely for over-praising horrible things (ANYA, JOSH), but I don't think there were many cases of the wrong person going home. I think it was more a case of "the wrong people advancing" this year.

I also really missed Tim Gunn this year.  It's probably because he spoke out so strongly last year that they leashed and gagged him this year, but it was a damn shame because he kept the show charming and amid all of the drama, he was a champion for fair play.  Remember last season, with all of that bullshit with Ivy, Gretchen, and Michael C?  Amid everything horrible in that season, at least we got a reminder that there was some heart, somewhere, in this show.  There was zero heart this season, though they did the best they could to wring wangst out of the designers.

God dammit and we have the Project Runway All-Stars season coming up next :< :< :< At least we know we are getting good designers, AT THE VERY LEAST. I have no idea if I'll be watching Project Accessory.

Here is a reminder of what this show used to be:

Comments

[tatterpixie]

I am NOT watching Project Accessory. I have no idea what they are trying to do with that show except wring more fucking drama out of the concept of designers and challenges. At least there is Project Runway All-Stars.

NOW TO ANSWER YOUR QUESTIONS:

1. How Anya was coddled throughout the season. She was CLEARLY Heidi's (and the producers') favourite, and it showed. Wait, I have a second response: how completely muzzled Tim Gunn was. He has been the voice of reason and sanity for so long, and for him to be forced to toe the B+M party line was criminal.

2. Either or both of the last two challenges, which were CLEARLY skewed to favour Anya. I agree with you also about the bird challenge, but I really think by that point Bert was ready to tell them all to fuck themselves and just go home.

3. Pet Store edges out Stilt Walker by the merest of whiskers.

4. I did not have a favourite, only those whom I despised less than others. Hell, I could barely remember who was fucking WHO until about five episodes in. A more forgettable bunch of designers I don't think I've ever seen.

5. ...Honestly, I can't think of one outfit by memory that knocked my socks off, or even left a positive impression.

Unless some serious SERIOUS shit changes, I am for reals this time not watching PR next season. I am so beyond disgusted with this season, with the blatant producer manipulation of the judges and the lackluster designers and the focus on DRAMUH at the expense of everything else. BAH I SAY, BAH.

We are currently cleansing our mental palates by watching The Fifth Element. Looking at some PRETTY designs by a FANTASTIC designer should hopefully help. <3

[impersona]

Something occurred to me - what if the producers were pushing the Anya story so much to address the big clusterfuck of drama that happened last season, with Michael Costello and his 'lack of sewing skills'? Except that guy could ACTUALLY SEW.

[industrialfairytale]

Actually the part 1 of he final made me really feel for Anya. I don't mean that I think she had a great collection that should have won, I more mean the opposite. She seemed really stuck and uninspired...trying to hard, and when she was talking about how she knew she hadn't presented the best she was capable of I've been in that exact moment looking at my own work and feeling the same way. I sort of respect that at least she looked at her own work and said 'I just didn't live up to my potential'.

Also...I can't think of a single thing Bert ever designed that I liked. Just throwing that out there.

[impersona]

I can totally see that about Anya's finale story. I feel like that look into the creative process, especially the real frustration that is a part of it sometimes, is what used to be at the core of this show. I think that the story of delusion was more popular this season - instead of seeing frustrated designers working through their problems, the producers thought it would be more interesting to focus on the people who had it wrong but thought they were hot shit. It's the more dramatic story, but it takes away creditability to the show and the designers when you wring it too much.

I actually respect Josh because there were a few points this season where he was able to be outstandingly objective about his work and his own creative process, stunningly so despite his age and the character they were portraying of him.

LOL it's okay about the Bert thing. I was a big fan of his finale collection moreso than I was about any single thing he pulled out on the show.

[industrialfairytale]

Drama is, really, always part of that kind of creative work environment too - its just that it seems like Lifetime edits in so much more of it then Bravo used too. And choose way more clips of the designers complaining about each other then saying NICE things or talking about the challenge. Its always a string of each designer saying something bad about anothers work. And you notice how by the finale they were really reaching like...the designers were saying things like "Its not how I would do it" and they had to go with that?

I suspect the designers thought much more about the process then we were shown which is annoying. Even though I felt like in general this was a kind of uninspired year, I think everyone was still TRYING but all we got was clips of drama.

[caltastic]

Oh Santino. <3 <3 <3 I loved him SO MUCH, he was SO FUN to watch.

I actually own the first two seasons on DVD, and I pet them every now and then to remember how much fun it used to be and remind myself why I don't watch it anymore. Stupid reality show drama ruins everything.

[impersona]

FUN? THAT ISN'T A WORD I'VE HEARD IN RELATION TO PROJECT RUNWAY IN A WHILE.

You know what is also a really good season, if you ever have the time? The first season of Project Runway Canada. To me, it actually ties with Season 2 of America's as the best, and it was more focused on the creative process than any of the seasons of the USA version that I can remember.

[industrialfairytale]

Ahahaha my apartment mate from my Senior year was on Season 2. <3