TFS S2E8: Eccentric City

"Without eccentricity, fashion is just boring clothes."

We're nearing the end of this season and it's spurring on some thoughts about the show as a whole. As we said in T LOunge yesterday, one of the things the show really has going for it is the creative challenges they come up with. Basing a design around an accessory was fun enough, but using vintage accessories made it even more fun.

The 24 hour deadline was a bit much and the use of "eccentric" as a design brief made no more sense than when Project Runway uses "avant garde," because the term can mean practically anything.

The other thing it's got going on is the guest judge each week. For the most part, it's usually industry people who provide a slightly different point of view each week. There's been minimal "I would wear that" celebrities, at least in comparison to Project Runway.

We do not, however, think the team aspect really adds anything to the show. We were willing to give it a chance, but the constant (and pretty much necessary) shuffling of team rosters leaves the viewer with no team to root for. In fact, we write about this show 2 to 3 times a week and even we couldn't tell you who was on what team from week to week.

And it occurred to us last night that, even though we haven't agreed with every decision they've made, there haven't been too many "What the HELL were they thinking?!?" reactions to the winner and loser each week. The judges are consistent and they can defend and explain their choices.

So congrats once again to Little Virgin Morris Day. To us, this was a no-brainer.




Lorenzo thinks the look is perhaps a bit too simple and lacking in interesting elements, but Tom countered that the cape, unlike every other accessory handed out, is an actual article of clothing in itself and, even more importantly, a rather flamboyant, focus-pulling article at that. Jeffrey couldn't have gone too crazy in the design or the whole thing would have been overwhelming. Instead, he made smart choices and let the cape remain the centerpiece while providing an appropriate frame for it.

But really, this was the one that won it for him. What have we been saying all along? Make a dress for Iman and win the challenge.


It's a deceptively simple-looking dress, but it draped and moved beautifully. We love the detail at the neckline.

And he managed again to make a garment that complimented the somewhat overwhelming accessory without fighting it.

And poor Eduardo packs up his ruffles and his cute accent and goes home. We're not saying this would have been our choice for the elimination, but for the most part, we don't have a problem with it. Yeah, he won a lot of challenges, but he did so by churning out roughly the same look, over and over again, even after the judges pointed it out to him.

Worse, it's not a particularly fresh or modern take on fashion. Big ruffle-y cocktail dresses are a dime a dozen and have been forever.

Usually he can bang out decent, if uninspired dresses, but this one was kind of a mess. The ruffle is too big and overwhelming and the hem hits at a weird point.

This one just looks silly to us and we were scratching our heads over the fact that the judges seemed to think it was the better of his two looks.

Those pants are ridiculous. We get the idea behind them - that the volume on the bottom was needed to balance out the volume at the top, but she just looks like a goth clown.


And we can't really say either outfit was a good way to showcase the accessories he was given. They fade into the background because with each outfit, all you can see are big black ruffles.

We're sorry to see him go. He is talented and Calvin certainly earned a ticket home (as did Dominique with that ridiculous coat), but no matter the show, whether it's The Fashion Show, Launch My Line, or Project Runway, one thing remains true: don't bore the judges.


[Photo Credit: Heidi Gutman, bravotv.com - Screencaps: tomandlorenzo.com]

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Labels: The Fashion Show, The Fashion Show Season 2, The Fashion Show Season 2 Episode 8