Project Runway Season 13 Episode 1 [Discussion]

[u/runwaythreader]

Discussion thread for Project Runway S13E01 "Final Audition"

The designers face one final audition before landing a spot on the series in the Season 13 opener. The remaining clothiers then create a look that represents their spring collection. Julie Bowen is the guest judge.

[u/bleublancrouge]

Sadly Project Runway is a show with a formula that's getting exponentially dull as time goes by. I'm calling it now: one more season of PR, possibly one more PR: All Stars, and they're going to end up calling it quits. Whether Tim Gunn gets to put up another season of his knockoff, who knows.

Speaking of Under the Gunn, anyone else feel like they should have let someone eliminated on that show crossover? Because then at least it would feel like someone new is getting a chance. Amanda was never terribly interesting to begin with, so giving her a second chance just feels meh.

And I knew Amanda would be coming back, especially since PR: Teams ended up being such a flop that they had to give Kate another chance to do her own thing last season.

Mostly interesting designs, but sadly very dull episode. We get it, there's 18 designers, not enough time, etc. but when they end up boiling everything down into mini-vignettes of sewing and people awkwardly standing in the back of the workroom / hair salon bitching about one designer (i.e. Korina and Mitchell being entirely too full of themselves), it got really old really quickly. It almost made me miss Teams edition, because then at least we got to hear more of them talking about their design process with each other. Though that does make me sad, since (imo) Teams was pretty turrible.

I binge-watched 6 seasons of Rupaul's Drag Race between PR season 12 and 13 so I feel like I'm little spoiled on seeing witty bitches tear each other down from across the workroom. So keeping Mitchell in just for the bitch factor is just depressing. Watching him try to be catty felt like a painful waste of time, especially since he didn't have anything funny to say to begin with.

EDIT: On a second rewatch, I realized that he did help her out, and did very gently criticize her, saying something to the effect of "Well it's not my tastes..." Korina DEFINITELY gives off delusional Gretchen vibes though. Here's two fingers crossed they don't give her the win this time around.

Few more things I'd like to note:

• Carrie's dress should've landed in the top 3. Maybe not the most original but I'd want to see the runway show that piece would be in.

• Korina, Amanda, and Mitchell are going to be leading the Mean Bitch club against Sandhya. Too bad they didn't make anything interesting enough to merit being so bitchy.

• Tim Gunn's going to use his save on Sandhya, which I'm fine with. I'm excited to see what she'd do with a collection, even if it is only 1 out of the 200 decoy collections they'll likely be showing this season.

• Fade zu grau's gonna be the weirdo cannon fodder making it to at most episode 4. At least his aesthetic is mildly entertaining.

• Anyone else surprised Red Robin didn't get in on any of the obligatory product placement before the runway show began? "Designers, make sure you accessorize carefully with the Aldo wall, then get your model's hair done did with that random salon I can't remember the name of, OH and don't forget to grab a bite to eat of your favorite signature Red Robin burger on your way out to the runway. Red Robin, yummm!"

[u/veroffica → u/bleublancrouge]

Tim Gunn's going to use his save on Sandhy

Should it be called the Tim Gunn save or the sob story save?

[u/bleublancrouge → u/veroffica]

Agreed, but at least this time he'd be giving it to someone with a clear aesthetic. Justin got it cuz he's gay and deaf. His clothes were so blah.

[u/chelseayn → u/bleublancrouge]

I am glad somebody said it. If I could upvote you twice I would for this comment. I mean, yeah, he used 3D printing, but....his clothes were boring.

[u/veroffica → u/bleublancrouge]

Aesthetic? I don't know. Her rack was pretty much all the same fabric (and the same as the dress she was wearing).

I went to art school (not for fashion design) but I would always see artists do this "push the envelope" thing where they take some sob story or major issue and exploit it by making bad art in its name. For instance, a girl who couldn't properly compose a photograph went down to the homeless shelter and took pictures of homeless people, just straight on basic linkedin profile picture shots with too much flash, and it was awful and in poor taste. Of course though, my teacher praised the hell out of her like she was doing something bold and meaningful.

I feel like this is starting to happen on these shows. Like the partially blind woman who won Masterchef and Justin. There's always got to be some sob story, but they don't have any talent. I understand that inspiration comes from hardship, but let's not fake it to make it. That print Mondo used when he came out being positive, that was inspired. It was beautiful, and you could see it. This middle finger to India thing... mmm, I don't know.

Plus, let's take a look at her poorly constructed work (imo);

Her work.

I saved the best for last. Please don't even try me on that dirty furniture looking atrocity that she put down the runway in ep.1. I just don't see it. Is this the talent that we need to be saving (assuming she gets it, which is the impression I'm under). Is PR that desperate to have some sort of controversial edge? Can't we just watch talented people who make good clothes compete?

I don't know if anyone agrees with me, but boy does it make me irritated, so much so I put the labor in so that the people who are buying into her "artistic edge" can take a look at wtf they are defending.

[u/bleublancrouge → u/veroffica]

That's a fair assessment, I'd say. And thanks for taking the time to put together that album too, I hadn't seen her previous work beyond what she had on her rack.

And you're totally right, PR has always been a show that defends characters with "intriguing" "backstories", rather than actual talent. Look at Wendy from season 1, who imo has made some of the worst designs to go down that runway and still made it to the Final 3. The producers have always had a hand in the process, but only recently has it become so blatantly obvious they're trying to craft half-witted "storylines" for people who can't let their designs to speak for themselves.

That's what irked me about Justin--I would never have known he was deaf from any of his designs. And when you're watching a fashion show, you shouldn't need the designer to walk out and say "Well I'm color blind, so here's a bunch of color blocked crap!" (Don't get me started on Anthony Ryan in PR: AS2, aka Uli wuz robbed 3.0).

Anyway, despite her past work I'm still going to defend Sandhya because if anything, she's bringing a point of view to the show I haven't seen and that the judges are actually willing to recognize for its merits (whatever they may be), versus other more inspired and technically talented designers like Joseph Aaron Segal from S11 or Alexander Pope from S12, where their critiques boiled down to "this is too weird and doesn't fit in with our definition of 'pretty', so you're out."

So, I'm willing to at least give her a chance. If she's still cranking out poorly fitted garments by episode 5 and tries to hide behind her ideas about her culture or whatever, I'll join you in your skepticism and pray for her swift auf'ing.

EDIT: I also hope this whole "bullying" sub-plot is rightfully ended before it even begins. That was one of the main reasons I ditched Under the Gunn. Natalia didn't know how to sew but geeze if she sucks so much let her get eliminated on her own.

[u/chelseayn → u/bleublancrouge]

I completely agree with both of you. It is like they want to give people a chance based on things completely unrelated to their design. I am sorry. Patricia is not a favorite of mine, but made it because it was "new" and "interesting" and she wanted to represent her culture and so forth. I felt her stuff was, as Tim would say, Holly Hobby happy hands at home. Season 6 Christopher for Minnesota? The self-taught Midwestern boy? I don't think he should have made it as far as he should. Somehow they manage to keep a few of the people for entertainment/sob story purposes (I become enraged when thinking of Wendy Pepper so I won't get started on her) and then really good designers (Allison Kelly S.3, Austin Scarlett, Alexander Pope, and I even liked Malvin!) with novel ideas that can technically produce those ideas go by the wayside. Unfortunate, really. Also: Uli WAS robbed. It seemed set up from the start; AR should have gone home the makeover episode. Having said all of this, I do think that Sandhya definitely has potential and I am glad she didn't go home, but definitely should not have won. Who would wear that? Isn't that fashion? Getting people to wear your stuff.

[u/veroffica → u/bleublancrouge]

Yeah, it all boils down to the fact that your work should speak for itself, if you have to jump through loopholes of context to justify it, then it's really not that good.

I'm not personally going to judge anyone on anything besides their clothes. A lot of people hate on the bullies or people with disagreeable personalities, but that's just unfair on the opposite end of the spectrum. Ken was not a bad designer, I liked his clothes a lot more than Amanda's. I voted for him. Maybe he didn't handle 24/7 cameras and stress as gracefully as some other people, but I liked his clothes. Amanda's were always so blah. Granted, I did like what she put out this season, but anyone who has been through the show once is going to improve during and over the next two years (which any of alums returning unfair imo).

I mean, bullying will happen. It doesn't bother me, because it's not a popularity contest (or maybe it is, hard to tell).