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Post by MFWalkoff on Apr 24, 2020 1:34:45 GMT
The Winner: The Next Global Brand - In the season finale of Making the Cut, one designer’s journey comes to an end - leaving the last two designers to present a business pitch to the President of Amazon Fashion and showcase a final twelve to fourteen look collection. One designer is crowned the winner of Making the Cut, receiving a mentorship, an exclusive line on Amazon, and $1,000,000 to invest into their brand. Eps 9 and 10 (Finale) are available to watch now. Enjoy the show!
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Post by ancientcity on Apr 24, 2020 2:57:58 GMT
As usual, I’m disappointed in the outcome. And I for one am tired of seeing Heid’s boobs.
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Post by MissGriss on Apr 24, 2020 6:38:57 GMT
I'm so sad that Esther didn't win. I thought Jonny's stuff was nice, but it wasn't anything that someone else hasn't done a different version of.
Esther's work is so unique and beautiful and so much more creative. Like someone (Naomi maybe) said, with a good marketing manager to guide her it could take the world by storm. She seemed to be willing to adapt her designs to colored versions, so I'm not sure why they went with the safer and less interesting option.
Actually, I guess I can. No doubt, Amazon would want something that is more commercial than really beautiful. Jonny probably is a better fit for Amazon! So predictable! Sigh.
Someone with a lot of money needs to come in and finance Esther's business. I think she'd be very successful.
P.S. Ditto about Heidi's boobs. She has no taste (and I'm not just talking about having her boobs spilling out; she just has no taste in general).
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Post by Critical on Apr 24, 2020 6:47:11 GMT
Yeah, I would have been happier with the other finalist winning, but I can see why the judges went the way they did. Since it released so early - I started watching just after 4pm Pacific - I'm going to either NOT name contestants or use spoiler tags. The episodes aren't supposed to release until Friday morning. I HATED the bright yellow boots and gloves in the one collection. It all looked too much like what you'd wear to wash dishes or work on the docks. Plus, I just don't like that color. I loved Nicole's crack about the guy's look feeling a little like Dexter 
I checked out some of the looks for sale in the Amazon shop and, in several cases, there were lots of complaints about the poor quality of the garments. Sad, but not surprising.
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Post by MissGriss on Apr 24, 2020 7:21:38 GMT
I hate the Making the Cut store on Amazon. It's like someone just threw a bunch of stuff at a wall to see what would stick. I've never been able to easily get to the winning looks, and after looking for a few minutes, I still don't know where Jonny's collection is. Or maybe it isn't there yet. Don't care enough to try any harder to find it, but they are missing out on business by not doing a better job of guiding people toward where to find things.
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Post by MissGriss on Apr 24, 2020 9:54:56 GMT
I've been thinking about it, and I do have to give Jonny props for playing the game well. He used yellow accessories to add color to what was essentially a black and white collection. (I guess there was some Navy blue mixed in, but it really didn't have any more color than Esther's, except in the boots and gloves.) Smart boy! He knew the judges had an issue with Esther not using color, and he played on that.
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Post by Kao on Apr 24, 2020 14:43:45 GMT
I'm going to be the outlier and say that while I loved Esthar's collection I had way more "I wants it, the precious" moments with Jonny's. Also, I think the meeting with the Amazon lady had more weight than we think because while Esthar had a good plan, Johnny already had a plan, fabrication, manufacturing, and marketing in place; all he needed was a fresh influx of cash. Johnny also seemed to be the more flexible of the two. I feel really bad for Esthar though, and hope that she gets something good out of the exposure because she is awesome and so are her clothes; I can feel Berlin from them.
I have to say the final fashion show for both was marvelous but I felt very badly for Sander. He worked hard on his collection too and didn't even get to show it. They should have let all three show and then picked a winner because from what I saw his collection looked quite colorful and would have been a nice break in the sea of black.
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Post by sunnydayz on Apr 24, 2020 16:25:08 GMT
I found the editing interesting in that when we saw Jonny’s pitch to the Amazon lady, we didn’t see him talk much about the infrastructure he already has set up in Bali. Yet on the runway just before the judges announced a winner, he explained just that in more detail. I think that probably had a lot more to do with the decision.
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Post by Kao on Apr 24, 2020 21:43:18 GMT
I found the editing interesting in that when we saw Jonny’s pitch to the Amazon lady, we didn’t see him talk much about the infrastructure he already has set up in Bali. Yet on the runway just before the judges announced a winner, he explained just that in more detail. I think that probably had a lot more to do with the decision. We saw condensed versions of their pitches. You could really tell during Esthar's pitch where she's on one side of the board in one scene and seems to jump to the other side abruptly and was on a different topic. Johnny's editing was a lot smoother. I'm sure he told the Amazon lady about the Bali infrastructure because that's a major selling point, even if we didn't see it. |
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Post by MissGriss on Apr 24, 2020 22:41:10 GMT
I found the editing interesting in that when we saw Jonny’s pitch to the Amazon lady, we didn’t see him talk much about the infrastructure he already has set up in Bali. Yet on the runway just before the judges announced a winner, he explained just that in more detail. I think that probably had a lot more to do with the decision. We saw condensed versions of their pitches. You could really tell during Esthar's pitch where she's on one side of the board in one scene and seems to jump to the other side abruptly and was on a different topic. Johnny's editing was a lot smoother. I'm sure he told the Amazon lady about the Bali infrastructure because that's a major selling point, even if we didn't see it. They talked about it. She asked him what the deal was with Bali, and he told her about the structure of working with a small family-owned business and how it helped him to be able to experiment with small lots of things to see if they would work. (I think that was during his presentation. Toward the beginning if I recall correctly.) |
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lizard
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Post by lizard on Apr 25, 2020 0:10:38 GMT
I was fast forwarding a lot. I did not like Esther's collection. The shoes were extra ugly. The Hungry for Life theme sounded like she was raising money for a food kitchen. I would have liked for Sander to make the finale. I hope to see more of him.
Congratulations Johnny.
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Post by justCoz on Apr 25, 2020 0:23:03 GMT
Not surprised by the result. I liked a lot of Esther's stuff over the season, but much less so her final collection. How many people really want to wear silverware on their clothes? It made it less relatable for what's supposed to be a global brand. And I don't think her unwillingness to incorporate much color helped either.
Despite the Bali info we saw in the presentation, the edit made it seem like Jonny didn't have much of a plan for the money, other than the first 15%. When they talked to him later during the final decision, it was more clear what his plan was, including that he had a large part of the necessary infrastructure ready for expansion. Other than the dish washing gloves, I found his stuff to be a little more relatable, so easier sold on Amazon's part. I think they thought he'd be more amenable to suggestions and help.
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Post by Critical on Apr 25, 2020 1:17:18 GMT
About the business pitches, I remember someone (the woman from Amazon?) specifically saying that Esther's pitch was very detailed and she had a solid plan in place, whereas Jonny's was looser and less specific. He did have a plan for the first $15K, but the rest of it was just going to be set aside for when it was needed. He may have been a better talker in the moment and seemed to have a nice rapport with the Amazon rep, but it sounded like he didn't have a good business plan laid out. IMO. Esther should have won. Maybe they felt that her garments, which have much more detail than Jonny's and also aren't as easy to photograph, would be harder to reproduce for a good price AND harder to sell to online shoppers  I think the win came down to which line was more commercially appealing to the Amazon customer. I definitely don't see it as the BEST designer, because then Esther should have won. I hope this show gives her business a good boost and allows her to continue on making quality clothing the way she wants to make it. Also IMO, Heidi's vote should count for more and, frankly, so should Naomi's. Especially more than Nicole Richie and some IG influencer. I don't like gold jewelry at all, but in silver, Esther's stuff would be great. I thought Ether's overall styling during the runway show was better - they all commented on how Jonny's styling was uneven - and I thought her collection was better. I was particularly annoyed with Nicole's lecture to Esther about how she would have to compromise and use color if she wanted to succeed. No, she doesn't, especially not about that. She can have a huge business with just black and white. There's a market for that and people who want it will go to her. I've found in my own little business that I make what *I* want to make. The people who like that will buy it; they're paying for MY aesthetic. Any time I've tried to predict what will sell or make things strictly because I think they'll sell, I end up with stagnating inventory. Esther's got a strong vision. There's no need for her to compromise that. |
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Post by Kao on Apr 25, 2020 1:28:24 GMT
About the business pitches, I remember someone (the woman from Amazon?) specifically saying that Esther's pitch was very detailed and she had a solid plan in place, whereas Jonny's was looser and less specific. He did have a plan for the first $15K, but the rest of it was just going to be set aside for when it was needed. He may have been a better talker in the moment and seemed to have a nice rapport with the Amazon rep, but it sounded like he didn't have a good business plan laid out. IMO. Esther should have won. Maybe they felt that her garments, which have much more detail than Jonny's and also aren't as easy to photograph, would be harder to reproduce for a good price AND harder to sell to online shoppers I think the win came down to which line was more commercially appealing to the Amazon customer. I definitely don't see it as the BEST designer, because then Esther should have won. I hope this show gives her business a good boost and allows her to continue on making quality clothing the way she wants to make it. Also IMO, Heidi's vote should count for more and, frankly, so should Naomi's. Especially more than Nicole Richie and some IG influencer. I don't like gold jewelry at all, but in silver, Esther's stuff would be great. I thought Ether's overall styling during the runway show was better - they all commented on how Jonny's styling was uneven - and I thought her collection was better. I was particularly annoyed with Nicole's lecture to Esther about how she would have to compromise and use color if she wanted to succeed. No, she doesn't, especially not about that. She can have a huge business with just black and white. There's a market for that and people who want it will go to her. I've found in my own little business that I make what *I* want to make. The people who like that will buy it; they're paying for MY aesthetic. Any time I've tried to predict what will sell or make things strictly because I think they'll sell, I end up with stagnating inventory. Esther's got a strong vision. There's no need for her to compromise that. Exactly. That cute dress she designed in episode 4, I think? is already sold out on her website. There is a sweet spot between teenage goth and old Italian matron and her clothes fit it. There is a definite market for all of us ex goths out here who have grown up and want something more sophisticated, but not far from that wheelhouse. |
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Post by Bearcata on Apr 25, 2020 1:44:44 GMT
My impression is Esther had the better business plan it was more solid and comprehensive while Jonny was not sure about how to distribute the money. This is based on the comments from the Amazon executive.
I think Esther won the runway.
I think this was very close and it looks as if Naomi changed her mind from Jonny to Esther.
I think the judges felt that Esther was the more creative of the two but she needed to add to her black universe and grow a little less black one. I think that she could have had beautiful navy blues, silver grays, plums, forest greens and it would have looked great.
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Post by Arielflies on Apr 25, 2020 3:55:04 GMT
Fight to the finish.
I want to see more of Sandor's art projects.
Neither of the final two was my cup of tea on the runway, but I did like Jonny's pop up store more than Ester's. I really liked all the color in Sandor's.
It was hard to truly focus on the runway when Heidi's boobs were commanding attention...but I preferred Esther's even with the tableware to Jonny's polyurethane gloves and boots, even in my favorite yellow color.
Congrats, though, I hope the investment pays off for him.
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Post by MissGriss on Apr 25, 2020 4:24:17 GMT
Critical , I didn't want to copy your whole post to respond, but I agree with what you said about Esther and Jonny. I don't know if you've been to Esther's website, but all of her jewelry comes in both gold and silver. I love her gold jewelry on her, but it was cool to see how beautiful the pieces are in silver. Here's the link to her site if you're interested in checking it out. www.estherperbandt.com/
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Post by Bearcata on Apr 25, 2020 6:29:06 GMT
Must agree with Heidi's bountiful boobs bobbing around the front of her dress.
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Post by Critical on Apr 25, 2020 7:11:05 GMT
Critical , I didn't want to copy your whole post to respond, but I agree with what you said about Esther and Jonny. I don't know if you've been to Esther's website, but all of her jewelry comes in both gold and silver. I love her gold jewelry on her, but it was cool to see how beautiful the pieces are in silver. Here's the link to her site if you're interested in checking it out. www.estherperbandt.com/ Thanks for the link! If I had the money, there are a few pieces of clothing that I'd buy. As for jewelry, I only wear my own designs! I do like several of the pieces in her collection. I just never wear anyone else's work.
As for Jonny's collection, I'd absolutely buy those black and white cargo pants. Again, I just don't have the income coming in to justify spending money on anything, even a fabulous pair of pants! They're sold out already, so I'll be watching for reviews. Reviews of some of the previous items available in the MTC store were not good.
My biggest concern with buying ANY clothing on Amazon is the quality. That's what I'd be concerned with if I was one of the designers, and especially Jonny. Obviously, when your work is going to be mass produced, you have to let go of control and accept that not every single piece is going to be perfect - it's not couture. Still, you want it to be GOOD. I mean, even if I buy clothes at Old Navy, the seams need to be finished properly and the fabric needs to wear well.
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Post by MissGriss on Apr 25, 2020 7:21:26 GMT
That's cool that you make your own jewelry, Critical . What kinds of techniques do you use? I'd love to see some of your work. |
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Post by pasnowbunny2 on Apr 25, 2020 17:50:45 GMT
I waited until the end to comment on this show. It's going to be a hard pass for me if this show gets renewed.
I think the correct designer won. I may be an old fuddy-duddy but I don't want to wear all black all of the time. Those shoes Esther designed were beyond fugly...gold visors...for a winter collection??? Who would wear a winter coat with tulle on the outside! I didn't not understand her aesthetic at all. Her ultimate downfall was her unwillingness to use color or prints. For the love of all that is holy burn that damn hat!
IMHO Jonny won because he was willing to use color plus he had a complete brand concept.
Heidi...what was she wearing!!!! No one wants to see her boobs and that dress was so short I was waiting to see hello miss kitty! The other judges..blech.
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Post by MFWalkoff on Apr 26, 2020 1:37:56 GMT
Seeing that Johnny won, I'm wrestling with the whole premise of the show. If part of the prize is mentoring, why place so much emphasis on the designer having a hard business plan set in advance? Johnny's clothes will sell but they won't stand out. Do they want to give a million dollars to safe, mid-level designers every time? Or do they want to give a better designer (like Sander) the boost they need? Yes, the designer has to be able to show that they can be marketable, but they also have to show they have more than one idea in their head to build a career on. I just think the show didn't end up finding what they claimed they were looking for at the start. They took the safe route.
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Post by Kao on Apr 26, 2020 2:04:08 GMT
Seeing that Johnny won, I'm wrestling with the whole premise of the show. If part of the prize is mentoring, why place so much emphasis on the designer having a hard business plan set in advance? Johnny's clothes will sell but they won't stand out. Do they want to give a million dollars to safe, mid-level designers every time? Or do they want to give a better designer (like Sander) the boost they need? Yes, the designer has to be able to show that they can be marketable, but they also have to show they have more than one idea in their head to build a career on. I just think the show didn't end up finding what they claimed they were looking for at the start. They took the safe route. I have to agree with all of this, along with the fact they told people they didn't need to know how to sew to get them on the show, then did a complete reversal. I think moving forward they have a lot of things to iron out before they have another season. |
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Post by MissGriss on Apr 26, 2020 8:02:14 GMT
Unless there are some major changes (including Heidi's personality), I'll be taking a hard pass right along with you, pasnowbunny2! |
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Post by babbred on Apr 26, 2020 17:11:37 GMT
About the business pitches, I remember someone (the woman from Amazon?) specifically saying that Esther's pitch was very detailed and she had a solid plan in place, whereas Jonny's was looser and less specific. He did have a plan for the first $15K, but the rest of it was just going to be set aside for when it was needed. He may have been a better talker in the moment and seemed to have a nice rapport with the Amazon rep, but it sounded like he didn't have a good business plan laid out. IMO. Esther should have won. Maybe they felt that her garments, which have much more detail than Jonny's and also aren't as easy to photograph, would be harder to reproduce for a good price AND harder to sell to online shoppers I think the win came down to which line was more commercially appealing to the Amazon customer. I definitely don't see it as the BEST designer, because then Esther should have won. I hope this show gives her business a good boost and allows her to continue on making quality clothing the way she wants to make it. Also IMO, Heidi's vote should count for more and, frankly, so should Naomi's. Especially more than Nicole Richie and some IG influencer. I don't like gold jewelry at all, but in silver, Esther's stuff would be great. I thought Ether's overall styling during the runway show was better - they all commented on how Jonny's styling was uneven - and I thought her collection was better. I was particularly annoyed with Nicole's lecture to Esther about how she would have to compromise and use color if she wanted to succeed. No, she doesn't, especially not about that. She can have a huge business with just black and white. There's a market for that and people who want it will go to her. I've found in my own little business that I make what *I* want to make. The people who like that will buy it; they're paying for MY aesthetic. Any time I've tried to predict what will sell or make things strictly because I think they'll sell, I end up with stagnating inventory. Esther's got a strong vision. There's no need for her to compromise that.
Ms. Beauchamp said that in his pitch Jonny told her that he wanted to build a lifestyle brand. I'm sure she was seeing dollar signs when he said that. She was probably imagining a range of accessories with his brand on them. (You remember he lit a candle with his "Jonny Cota" brand when he opened his pop-up shop.) That's why I didn't have a problem with him winning. He did exactly what the judges asked. He showed that he could build a global brand, not just design nice clothes.
Somebody--was it Tim at the Amazon pitch?--said "It just depends on how big you want to be." I knew then that Esther would probably lose. I don't think in her heart of hearts she wanted to be big. I think she will be happier with a high-end store where people come to buy what she wants to sell, with no compromises. Personally, it's not for me. In the winter I will sometimes wear a black skirt or pair of trousers, but only as a base. I always jazz it up with a colorful blouse or scarf. The idea of wearing nothing but black, especially doing it often, would drive me crazy. But again, that's just me. I think Esther is a very talented designer and a very lovely person, so I wish her all the success in the world.
Okay, I don't mean to sound tacky, but I really am curious. When women like Heidi wear barely-there dresses with their boobs hanging out, do they do anything to make sure that won't happen? I mean, secure the dress with fashion tape or something? Because I would be absolutely paranoid that I'd have a "wardrobe malfunction" right there in front of everybody.
I love that segment about Heidi and Tim packing. Tim and I share the same packing style! I used to have a job that involved a fair amount of traveling, so I learned to pack efficiently so I'd know where everything was.
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Post by Kao on Apr 26, 2020 22:50:20 GMT
About the business pitches, I remember someone (the woman from Amazon?) specifically saying that Esther's pitch was very detailed and she had a solid plan in place, whereas Jonny's was looser and less specific. He did have a plan for the first $15K, but the rest of it was just going to be set aside for when it was needed. He may have been a better talker in the moment and seemed to have a nice rapport with the Amazon rep, but it sounded like he didn't have a good business plan laid out. IMO. Esther should have won. Maybe they felt that her garments, which have much more detail than Jonny's and also aren't as easy to photograph, would be harder to reproduce for a good price AND harder to sell to online shoppers I think the win came down to which line was more commercially appealing to the Amazon customer. I definitely don't see it as the BEST designer, because then Esther should have won. I hope this show gives her business a good boost and allows her to continue on making quality clothing the way she wants to make it. Also IMO, Heidi's vote should count for more and, frankly, so should Naomi's. Especially more than Nicole Richie and some IG influencer. I don't like gold jewelry at all, but in silver, Esther's stuff would be great. I thought Ether's overall styling during the runway show was better - they all commented on how Jonny's styling was uneven - and I thought her collection was better. I was particularly annoyed with Nicole's lecture to Esther about how she would have to compromise and use color if she wanted to succeed. No, she doesn't, especially not about that. She can have a huge business with just black and white. There's a market for that and people who want it will go to her. I've found in my own little business that I make what *I* want to make. The people who like that will buy it; they're paying for MY aesthetic. Any time I've tried to predict what will sell or make things strictly because I think they'll sell, I end up with stagnating inventory. Esther's got a strong vision. There's no need for her to compromise that.
Ms. Beauchamp said that in his pitch Jonny told her that he wanted to build a lifestyle brand. I'm sure she was seeing dollar signs when he said that. She was probably imagining a range of accessories with his brand on them. (You remember he lit a candle with his "Jonny Cota" brand when he opened his pop-up shop.) That's why I didn't have a problem with him winning. He did exactly what the judges asked. He showed that he could build a global brand, not just design nice clothes.
Somebody--was it Tim at the Amazon pitch?--said "It just depends on how big you want to be." I knew then that Esther would probably lose. I don't think in her heart of hearts she wanted to be big. I think she will be happier with a high-end store where people come to buy what she wants to sell, with no compromises. Personally, it's not for me. In the winter I will sometimes wear a black skirt or pair of trousers, but only as a base. I always jazz it up with a colorful blouse or scarf. The idea of wearing nothing but black, especially doing it often, would drive me crazy. But again, that's just me. I think Esther is a very talented designer and a very lovely person, so I wish her all the success in the world.
Okay, I don't mean to sound tacky, but I really am curious. When women like Heidi wear barely-there dresses with their boobs hanging out, do they do anything to make sure that won't happen? I mean, secure the dress with fashion tape or something? Because I would be absolutely paranoid that I'd have a "wardrobe malfunction" right there in front of everybody.
I love that segment about Heidi and Tim packing. Tim and I share the same packing style! I used to have a job that involved a fair amount of traveling, so I learned to pack efficiently so I'd know where everything was.
There's a special type of tape that attaches to the skin and garment they use that give you a "push and lift" but doesn't allow you to pop out. |
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Post by MissGriss on Apr 27, 2020 6:40:16 GMT
That dress she wore at the finale, though, just sort of looked like her breasts were laid out on some kind of platform for the whole world to admire.  There didn't seem to be any part of the dress that was designed to go over the breasts, so there was really nothing to tape down. (I guess she could have taped her breasts to the "platform" part of the dress so that they didn't flop about, but that's about it.) It was a very strange dress. I'm all in favor for a deeply plunging neckline and some of the other styles that are designed to put breasts on display, but that dress was too much! And ugly, too! |
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Post by Kao on Apr 27, 2020 14:19:25 GMT
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lizard
FORT Regular
Posts: 340
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Post by lizard on Jul 24, 2020 14:57:43 GMT
I do not have cable anymore and just now purchased season 17 and 18 of Project Runway to watch.
It is nice that they have $1 million prize as compared to Project Runway's $250,000 prize. I hope some of
the Project Runway contestants make their way to Making the Cut.
BUT
* I am not a fan of a two person show as opposed to a three or four person show. The show is suppose to reward viewers with seeing work. Two people is not much of a choice or a show.
* I do prefer a Fashion week show instead of a special Making the Cut show. They could have arranged to do a show in fashion week. Small designers do.
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I think the win came down to which line was more commercially appealing to the Amazon customer. I definitely don't see it as the BEST designer, because then Esther should have won. I hope this show gives her business a good boost and allows her to continue on making quality clothing the way she wants to make it. 
There didn't seem to be any part of the dress that was designed to go over the breasts, so there was really nothing to tape down. (I guess she could have taped her breasts to the "platform" part of the dress so that they didn't flop about, but that's about it.)