8/31 - Project Runway 20 Show Discussion

So Bishme was the winner with a dress that was referential and a hat that he only turned around at Christian’s suggestion? And Brittany is in with a coat that was also referential? 🙄🙄

I was shocked that Rami sent that poorly tailored outfit down the runway..there were gaps at the seam. I always thought that his work was impeccable---but even his winning look last week was cited by Elaine as having fit issues.

If the dress was great, I am sure they would have had all four in the finale as they have done in the past...but there was no doubt that he would be dropped with that poorly made dress.

Billy Porter is a finale judge...I knew we expected to see him.

No. Her look was well done and Rami's look wasn't because he was working with (I think it was) satin which didn't show well and exposed  flaws. Recall that it was Rami that admitted he cut back on intended voluminous elements. 

There was a lot of frankenbiting this episode and probably the entire season. Production must have been salivating for having captured Mr. Nice Guy Rami dis'ing Brittany having edged him out of the finale.

Thanks, everyone, for letting me know what happened with Rami and Brittany.

I finally got a chance to watch, and I have mixed feelings. Rami's had major construction issues, and he definitely chose the wrong fabrics for the job, but at least he pushed his boundaries and tried to do the assignment. Like the CDFA guy said, there was nothing even remotely avant-garde about Brittany's look. And, while well-constructed, there was nothing even sort of original about it, either. Didn't someone else this season (Korto, maybe) do a puffer jacket with oversized sleeves? I feel like I've seen a version of that look many times. It was pretty meh for me.

I don't think she deserved to go through based on this challenge, but maybe the judges were just more interested in seeing what her collection would be like.

Summit One Vanderbilt is absolutely insane. We were going to go the last time we were in NYC but the weather did not cooperate so we decided to leave it for another time. They only showed a small part of it on the show because there’s 3 floors of mirrors and immersive art to explore. It’s a place of inspiration, and some of the designers took more advantage of that than others.

Rami: LOL at Christian saying “Rami…what is this?” while he was working on his garment. Because we were all thinking it. I’ve seen that dramatic big ruffle over one shoulder look so much in avant garde, it’s almost a cliche now. Also, Bishme cracks me up because calling Rami “Ramisha” made me laugh harder than it should have. Also, I couldn’t believe his finished look; it was very sloppy, and had way too many things going on with the skirt. While I liked some of the ideas he had here, I didn’t like all of them together.

Bishme: Hmmm, this reminds me more of looks from avant garde films (I thought of Metropolis), Alphonse Mucha, Art Deco figurines, with a bit of Iris Van Helpen thrown in for good measure. I’m also seeing architectural elements as well. Is it referential? Slightly, but he’s pulling from so many influences the origin is murky. He and Lawrence were also the only two designers that referenced the reflections in the Summit building. I give him a pass.

Brittany: I’ve seen this look, and I’ve seen it recently. It’s very "avant garde/streetwear/hiphop 101", and I’ve seen streetwear designers on different design shows (“Making the Cut” and “Next In Fashion” in particular) do that “overgrown puffer sleeves on a coat” look, as well as seeing unknown designers showing their work at underground streetwear fashion shows. She’s uncomfortably beginning to remind me of a past Project Runway contestant that constantly copied Japanese streetwear looks and NEVER cited her influences/references, but unlike that lady Brittany actually cites her sources. While I think her workmanship is impeccable, I hate the fact that I can look at her work and instantly tell where she got the idea.

Lawrence: I was worried about the good sis, but she managed to pull it out in the end. I really loved the fit and unusual shape and shoulders, plus she had the fabulous Mimi modeling it. My vote for best of the week, particularly because I could look at her work and not instantly cite her influences/sources. I liked that she mixed vinyl and leather together to make an awesome, cohesive design.

Oooohhh….Law Roach. I liked him as a judge on ANTM and he does wonderful things as Zendaya’s stylist, so I didn’t mind him popping up here. He did a great job here and wasn’t afraid to call people out for being too referential/sloppy/not meeting the challenge. I think it ultimately came down between Brittany and Rami, and the judges had their hands full. While I understand that there were construction issues with Rami’s garment I admit that I’m having a problem with being able to cite Brittany’s references all the time, and I really think he deserved to move forward instead.

I agree, MissGriss . Kimi's dress had a turtleneck top and a long skirt, and the pleats in the skirt were styled completely different.

I recall that Rami draped throughout season 4 and was criticized for not draping more of his finale collection.

Collection photos are on the right side: ramikashou.com/pages/design-archive

However, draping more or not wouldn't have mattered compared to Christian's finale presentation.

Laurence and Bishme had the best work. I liked Brittany's design despite the judges remarks. Rami's work was awful IMO.

That wasn't the dress I was thinking of.  The dress I was thinking of was pink and long, and I wasn't thinking that Laurence had copied it but just that the shape of the skirt was somewhat similar.