Discuss the series premiere.

"Lighten up, it's just fashion" Santino Rice

AI

Put another bobbin in
In that Singer’s bobbin bin
Cut that bias for the win
In fashion, fashion, fashion

“I’ll tack down that saggy hem.
You break out that rickrack trim.
Mizrahi sure don’t look like Tim,
And where the heck is Heidi?”

Closer, my dear, come closer
The nicest part of any competition
Is underpinning others’ recognition

So, show me what your passion is
A stitch in time, that’s fashion’s shizz
Fabric finds its fiercest biz
In fashion, fashion, fashion

Well this should be interesting....

FINALLY !!!



The first episode of The Fashion Show, BRAVO's replacement for the lost Project Runway, airs tonight at 10 ET followed by a repeat advertised at 11:30, although it could start a tad earlier. Following earlier formats the premier is penciled in for 1.5 hours and then most probably cut back to an hour for subsequent repeat broadcasts. So some of what you see tonight may not be available at a later date.

I usually prepare a cheat sheet of contestants' names and pictures to help me keep them all straight for the first couple of episodes.

Here it is -- feel free to right click on it and save in "my pictures." It can be printed from there into an 8.5 x 11 format. I find knowing who said what to whom keeps me from putting my foot in the proverbial mouth when posting critiques!

I'm almost feeling guilty for watching ... like I'm cheating on PR.

First off, it seems that the judge's comments were crass rather than professional. I really dislike it when a judge goes for the sound bite rather than constructive criticism.

The only time I felt a little like I was being a turncoat was when Isaac Mizrahi walked in and said "Designers ..."

I just really associate the word with Tim Gunn, and I have a hard time divorcing myself from that knee-jerk reference.



She did seem a little harsh and overly rehearsed, didn't she? I did like the idea of "black tee turned LBD," though.

For me, I'm just having a hard time getting over Merlin, with that skintight pimpin' bodysuit thing he's trying to wear, and the attitude that screams John Leguizamo circa "The Pest" crossed with La Siriano.

Perfect analogy! They did try to go out on the ledge with some of their designers.

BTW: did you see that they have come out with a Dexter doll? It comes with its own body bag.

Seriously??? I haven't seen the Dexter doll--do you happen to have a link? I'd love to see the specs and some pix!

I can't get the picture to copy, but here's the link at the Showtime site. I included the description, just for fun. I confess that I've pre-ordered two of them. It's just too off-the-wall for me to pass up.

http://shop.fullpond.com/show/productcompa...;productid=7986


Don't miss this awesome action figure of everyone's favorite so-called "good guy", Dexter! Standing 7-inches tall and fully articulated, Dexter comes with interchangeable arms, allowing him to transform from killer to blood-splatter expert and back again. He also includes loads of great accessories: knife, body bag, ID badge, and blood slide! He would love to make your world a safer place, so bring him home today! This sculpt is personally approved by Michael C. Hall.

The fact that they need to subtitle Merlin irks me. It's not that he has such a heavy accent it's that he is so heavily affected. I didn't like his line about "bitches rule the world" (or something similar)

That being said, I did like the end result but thought that the bolero was too cape-like.

I give this show a C-, I will watch next week, but only because Project Runway continues to be MIA. The cast is boring, the fashion is disappointing. I don't understand why Kelly Roland was chosen for this show. I don't want her opinion, I don't care what she thinks about fashion. Don't get me wrong I am a fan of Kelly's but this is NOT her field of expertise! I am SO SICK of these celebs jumping into the fashion arena. Just because you wear clothes it doesn't mean you belong in the fashion industry! Why should real designers have to compete with some celeb who can't even sew! My final thoughts on this show WTF!?!

I agree with the grade. I too miss PR and will probably continue to tune in for that reason alone.

I did like the little black dress challenge out of a t-shirt.

As for the judges, all these 'fashionistas' need to remember that they are one mis-step away from being a "what was she thinking?" caption.

It ain't PR, but even they've had years to refine their production, so I don't think it's totally fair to compare the two entities just yet.

That said, there are a few glaring annoyances that I hope are addressed in future episodes of The Fashion Show. I like Isaac Mizrahi, but if "I'm sorry, but we're just not buying your design. Good bye, Darling" is going to be his catch phrase I'm not going to like him for long. It's too labored, obviously pre-planned, and it just plain sucks.

Also, Bravo has been so successful using the female co-host as the hatchet-bearer, that I was surprised when Kelly Rowland didn't dispatch the loser. What exactly is her role, then? I really wish they had hired an actual fashion model for her role, but so long as her input is useful, I'm cool with it. Still, using Mizrahi as the heavy only amplifies her relative inexperience in the field.

I'm not too put off by the relatively heavy criticism by the judges tonight, as the designers earned every bit of it. I was extremely disappointed with the designs, and I agree with the both decisions they made.

Heh! I do love the knife, bag and blood slide, but it seems (IMO) like they made his face kind of, well, more "goofy" looking than it needs to be.

I'm sure I'll order one, though--it'll make a great addition to my cube at work!

I didn't necessarily think the criticism was heavy: it just seemed rehearsed. Rather than make a comment about one dress neckline making it top-heavy / out of proportion: she made a crack about it being an air bag. Like someone was feeding her a line?

Absolutely agree with the parting line. He's got to come up with something genuinely him.

I have a question about the contestants. Has MERLIN been on another designer type of reality show?

Specifically an episode of the show was when they had to escort a celeb to an event. The celeb either spilled food, drinks, etc on their clothes and had to look presentable for paparazzi. I am not sure but he seems like an idiotic contestant who was obnoxious and drunk half the time.

IF this is the guy, and his behavior is similar - I am not sure I will even be bothered to watch this show to the end........

IAMME

Yeah, forgot about the mini-challenge. She was pretty wooden and clearly rehearsed. What makes PR and Top Chef great is that the regulars are allowed to be their own natural selves. The Fashion Show could use more of that. This show has potential, though, to be a quality alternative to PR.

Well....This show is ok, to me its hard to really judge because its really just another version of PROJECT RUNWAY (which will be premering Aug. 20th on Lifetime).

This show has the same concept, different title, and different judges....i.e. PROJECT RUNWAYII I will continue to watch just because this has always been a fun reality show (PR) and when PR returns on LT in august I'll continue my love affair w/ it as well.

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I agree . . .

Before I tuned in the Premiere I promised myself that I would try very hard NOT to start off by comparing it to Project Runway but judge it on its own merit.

I think the Magical Elves have been generally successful in reinventing a fashion competition. The tweaks and twists have resulted in a fresh look but the raw vetting by a larger, diverse group of 50 or so designers and/or fashionistas is a two edged sword. While it has more statistical reliability than just three or four judges, it does overlook individual talent displayed by designers who are not part of the winning group. I will say that the minute I saw James-Paul's model sashay down the runway I said, "That's got to be the winner!"

My biggest peeve was the introduction of the contestants. It had a definite quality of a circus sideshow. Yes, I know Merlin is theatrically flamboyant without even trying but I felt the Magical Elves played on perceived character oddities of many of the other designers as well. Hopefully we will see them as more rounded individuals as the season progresses.

I've always like Fern as a judge. She's knowledgeable, fair and often makes constructive suggestions for improving a designer's work. The other two -- I'll wait and see. Greater familiarity with their style of criticism will afford me a better chance to evaluate their work.


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Ack! Thank you Supe! I almost forgot but I did catch most of the second show!
The Fashion Show reminds me more of Project Runway Canada, with Mizrahi in the roles of both Iman and Brian Bailey.

I think that Kelly Rowland was a complete blank. Surely there are enough models with an actual personality to replace her.

The black dress challenge was great. Why in the world was Haven chosen for the show if she "hates to sew". I'm glad James-Paul won the elimination challenge because his design in black and navy (yum) was entirely wearable and young as well as fashion-forward.

I also completely agree with the elimination of Jonny after seeing the creativity with which he designed menswear for himself and the utter misproportioned trashiness of his womenswear project.

Merlin confuses me. There's talent there and energy and exuberance but can he edit? He handled the team concept well by not letting it turn into mediocrity by comittee, but he would do well to not let the win go to his head. And a bit of self-editing wouldn't hurt either. His oversized red bow was clownish and I think women sometimes want to look playful but never to look ridiculous.

Designers should be relevant to the times and mindful of the dignity of women, and I think there is less tolerance for designers to tangent off on frivolous fantasies. JMO..

Oh he's a character! Had my 1st experience with Merlin last year from "Janice Dickinson's Modeling Agency" from Oxygen! He was a client looking for models and they had to practically agree to cart wheels to make him happy! What a wiedo! I liked that James-Paul won! I said I wasn't going to get involved with this "knockoff" and here I am! Oh well; the formula works!

Hey Jay! Good to post with you again.. So Merlin knows how to play the reality show game? Well, he's a hoot and he knows it. I'm not going to hold it against him. James-Paul is cute and has talent to make something classy and edgy that upstaged every designer on the show. He's an early fave for sure.

Inferior rip-off of Project Runway. Ex-Destiny's Child dodo has no presence nor expertise, both not lacking in Ms. Klum. Mizrahi has the expertise but lacks the panache of Kors. Won't watch anymore.

Besides, Bravo is rapidly going downhill with all the "Housewives" crap. Once was a desirable network, one of my choices along with A&E, PBS, and Sundance. Now, well, The Fashion Show is a disreputable mess (though not as bad as the Housewives junk).

I'm mostly watching because I miss PR, and I adore the host.
(Issac, not Kelly.)

I do think the right person was eliminated. It's just horrible to make clothes that not even your model can wear. I knew as soon as I saw how hard it was to get the skirt off the mannequin, that they would have a hard time on the runway.

Oh I can't stand the "Housewives" crap! I gave the girls of Atlanta a chance only because of the celebrity, but I'm so over these snotty "HOs!" These people are such an embarrassment to human-kind; esp in New York!

Oh my goodness, where to start....

Isaac Mizrahi is a complete clown. Something about him bothered me in the previews and it continued when I watched the first episode. He asks questions and cuts people off when they attempt to answer. His little back and forth with Merlin at the end was hilarious.

Kelly Rowland...beautiful...smart...doesn't seem to know that much about fashion. It seemed she spent the whole episode following Mizrahi's lead and he was laughable at best so she ended up looking silly and out of place. Sorry Kelly. You look great, though!

Merlin...ohmylanta...this guy is ridiculous. He is tactless and disrespectful. It seems like he's trying to make an impression by dressing like a clown (it's a show FULL of clowns!) and by channeling Omarosa. Nasty. I commend Daniella for not completely losing it while having to deal with such an attitude.

In my worthless opinion, it seems that Reco shows the most promise for his sewing ability. That jacket was incredible. His harem pants were the only ones that didn't look crazy ugly. Even the leader of the group's pants looked terrible. I hope he stays for a while.

This show was so not Project Runway and I probably won't watch another episode. Bad hosts, bad designers, AWFUL models (what was THAT about??). There is nothing to keep my attention. Except maybe Reco.

Maybe its due to Project Runway withdraw but I actually really liked this show.

Merlin is a character. He is funny right now but something tells me a little Merlin goes a long way.

Daniella is a b!tch. Fine, disagree with Merlin, be p!ssed but to say what she did on the runway after the win? Not cool.

Johnny R=Jay Mccarroll.

James-Paul was the designer with the best of the worst. He deserved the win.

Reco is a hoot. Hope he gets lots of camera time.

Haven annoys me. She looks like a young Jocelyn Wildenstein trying to be Lady GaGa.

Lidia reminded me of Rachel Dratch so much. I kept expecting her to yell "Live from New York, its Saturday Night!"

Kristin is another whiny b!tch. Dont like her or her attitude.

Keith has potential to be both a good designer and a total diva. He should be fun.

Angel, Andrew, Markus,Johnny,Anna and Laura are just filler.

Was it just me or did it Keiths skirts look like the models were wearing their Spanx incorrectly?

The harem pants looked poorly made and like each model was carrying a full load in the back. WTF was with the low crotch?

Kelly brought nothing to the show but neither did Fern Mallis really and Fern knows her sh!t. Im hoping as we lose designers, the commentary will improve. Speaking of commentary, I really liked getting to hear the judges comments during the show.

Not sure I like the judging method.

Not sure I like both Isaac and Kelly seeing the designers at work and the garments in progress.

Still, despite all my criticisms, I did like the show.

UHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

O...................K

EVER HAVE YOUR CURIOSITY SCREW TICKLED?

MAN........ ALL I CAN SAY IS BRAVO SURE HAS "SOME" CONNECTIONS

AS I WATCHED THE THREERUNS OF NCIS..........

A STRATEGIC COMMERCIAL PLACEMENT IN THE MIDDLE OF THE

THIRD OFFERING, FOR WHAT ?

"THE FASHION SHOW" .............

SINCE THERE WITHIN ME RAT'S MEMORY

A MENTION OF THE UPCOMING SHOW

DECIDED ...........WHAT THE HECK

MAY HAVE WELL GIVE A LOOK

NOW.......I'M NOT SURE I "BUY IT" YET

THERE IS EVIDENCE THAT IT WILL BE A SHOW

PACKED WITH "DRAMA"

GOOD OR BAD .....YET TO BE SEEN

DEF NO CLEAR FAV

AND HONESTLY SOME OF THIER LINGO GOES OVER MY

NON FASHIONISTA MIND

NO REAL COMMENT ON THE JUDGES EITHER

IT DOES SEEM BRAVO IS TRYING TO TAKE A DIFFERENT TAKE

ON PR........BUT.............

DO THINK THEY NEED A TIM GUNN FIGURE

TO CRITIQUE THE CREATION PROCESS

AS JUST LOOKING DUMBFOUNDED ALLOWING CLUELESS GUESSING

THEN TWOFACING CONTESTANTS IN THE HALL

SEEMS A LITTLE .................BOGUS

TILL THE NEXT EPISODE

TA TA ALL

TAKE CARE OVER THERE

ALOHA

HAVE FUN

OMG, thank you, Jay!!! So, that's where I remember Merlin from!! I love JDMA, and now I can totally recall Merlin and his borderline officious walkway micromanagement. The guy was a complete looney ... I thought the walks he wanted them to accomplish were ridiculous and even backbreakingly painful looking, like he expected them to walk while being circus contortionists at the same time. And he was so offensively self absorbed, it was really off putting. Ugh!!!

I think a lot of the trouble I have trying to see FS in its own light instead of as a shadow of PR is that Bravo is filming FS the exact same way it filmed PR. The storyboard progression, the edits, the camera angles, even the background music--everything basically has PR's fingerprints all over it, so how can we be expected not to compare the two?

At any rate, I did think last night's challenge was conceptually pretty great. Taking a basic "must have" piece and building a cohesive collection around it with different looks was surprisingly refreshing as a first challenge.

Harem pants, though? Who's worn harem pants since 1989? They looked ridiculous on MC Hammer, and even he could only manage to make them fshionably "ok" for about a minute and a half.

The bolero jacket. Meh. I wouldn't exactly consider it a "must have," but it's at least moreso than harem pants ever were. The only time I ever wore a bolero jacket was to a dance in high school with a matching miniskirt with tassels all over it. It was 1984. I still have the darn thing, so maybe I should pull it back out of the closet since it's true when they say "everything old is new again." James-Paul's was definitely the best of the bunch, but to be honest, I was more interested in the line and flow of the entire ensemble, and I hardly paid the bolero itself much mind at all. It just kind of "blended in" as part of the overall outfit.

Ah, the tube skirt. I have to say that out of all of the mini collections, the tube skirt was the only one I could actually consider a "must have" item, so kudos to Keith for being conceptually spot on, there (or maybe I just still have a lingering love for designers named Keith. <smirk>). It's just unfortunate that the execution wasn't as on the mark, because the team could have done so much better. I know they pretty much panned Kristen's look, but I actually thought it was pretty cute in a "boho" kind of way, especially with the croppy vest over the deconstructed top. I even think Jonny D. had the right idea, going for a kind of retro 50s Madonna meets Jane Russell "uberboob" in your face look, but the fit was just all kinds of wrong.

Anyway, I'm anxious for next week's show. Like a lot of you, though, I do hope Isaac finds a fit with a tagline other than "I'm sorry, but we're just not buying your design. Good bye, Darling." Even if he just shortened it to "We're just not buying it," it could work.

I kind of liked the show, but was very put off with Merlin. His "I'm the team leader" thing was annoying. I know Daniella just finished fashion school, but that doesn't mean she knows everything. That seems to be how they were trying to portray her. I was a little miffed that they started the season with a group challenge. I would have liked to see more individual stuff first. I don't have any favorites yet. I'm going to give it a couple of more weeks, and see how I feel.

I fell asleep and didn't see the ending of the show...however.. I agree with others....Kelly Rowland is horrendously boring...no personality or presence at all...I can't believe no one from Bravo recognized that....she needs to be REPLACED as soon as possible...

I love Isaac...he's always been a favorite of mine...

I actually enjoy the change from PR...last season I found myself forwarding through the work to see the finished products....and I cannot stand Nina from Elle....

One more thing....I also agree with the other posters...

Harem pants and a Bolero Jacket? They were awful the first time they were out....it puts doubt on the quality of the designers that they not only want to bring them back....but make them a staple as well....What's next? Daisy dukes, belly shirts and severe shoulder pads? How bout wearing combat boots with baby doll dresses....or frilly ankle socks on grown women....ughhh....

I didn't like it but like you I will give it another try just because I like this type of show. When compared to Project Runway it lost big time in my opinion, but that is just me, others may have love it. I agree with you also individual stuff would have been better than a group project first.

Just a horrible version of PR. I just found myself getting angry. Don't think I will be watching this again. I will just wait until August when I can see Heidi and Tim. Bravo made a big mistake.

Heya, dizzy!

I actually liked that they did a group challenge first off, and here's why. At the beginning of the show, we've got sixteen designers. In the normal course of a 60 minute show, not even factoring in commercials, that leaves 4.28 minutes to showcase each designer, and that's if you dedicate each and every minute of the episode to letting the designers show and tell, with no challenges at all.

With a group challenge, we get to see several groups of personalities, with the designers within each group simultaneously displaying little bits of their personal aesthetics while at the same showing how they "play well with others" (or not, as the case may be).

As the season progresses, and as more designers are cut, that's when time constraints open up and become more friendly to individual challenges as opposed to group ones. That's just IMO, though, of course. I'm sure lots of others see it differently.

If they are going to have guest judges why would they pick Elie Tahari of all people? 1. his clothes suck 2. his busniess is crumbling 3. he sucks. Why wouldnt they pick someone that people interested in fashion look up to? no one looks up to his old, worn-out designs. Does he even have a following?

This show will always be a second rate version of project runway, but we all knew that.

I'm really trying to (ahem) "make it work," and to give the show half a chance. I'm sorry you were angered in watching, and sorry that you may not continue to do so. If we don't see you again, I do hope you're not disappointed by Lifetime's version of PR, and that you enjoy it as much as you enjoyed the show's seasons on Bravo!

Wow - Very disappointing debut. Who cast this group? Talk about a formulated "plug and play" effort at casting. You have a few vanilla beans, a raging queen, a few fashionista (wannabes), and that's IT. Zzzzzz. Mizrahi is tolerable in small doses, but his personality doesn't hold a snap pea's attention for more than five seconds. And there's NO (ZERO) chemistry between Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland. Seriously - WTF is she doing there? And who's brilliant idea was it to make the first elimination challenge a TEAM event? Not only was the one designer was eliminated without having the opportunity to show us what he can do, but we still have next to NO idea of the talent or aesthetic of anyone else. I'll probably tune in or DVR it just to catch the show where Merlin disappears. Give me Christian Soriano or give me death! At least Christian didn't need subtitles (aside from the additional fact that HE actually has talent). Merlin's snide remark about it being a male-dominated world was totally snarky and uncalled for. But, I **loved** the snapback - "Male? Where? I don't see one." LMFAO!!

In looking at the Elie Tahari Spring Collection, I have to say I feel a little apathetic. There was nothing there that excited me in either a positive or a negative way, I just found it all sort of "middle of the road." I certainly wouldn't call the looks remotely "fashion forward."

I do wish more people would be open to giving FS more of a chance than it seems they're willing to, because it does have potential. If we could try to think of it as a different show altogether instead of a "replacement," it might work, but I feel like all the naysayers are dooming it to an early death at this point.

Amen to Bravo's VERY obvious slide in quality of programming. I liked the RHW-OC - Orange County, OC = Original Cast. RHW-ATL was just a bunch of hoochies who mistook their Wheaties for Bitchies and they all had seconds. RHW-NYC was just TOO much artificial drama. And now Bravo is showing RHW-NJ?? Yet another initially-successful formula and someone tries to rubberstamp it too broadly. I can't wait for the 2017 debut of "The Real Housewives - Bakersfield."

I'm sorry, we've run out of Siriano. Would you like some cake?

(Sorry, my Eddie Izzard slip is showing)

I watched the show and did my best to open minded and objective, WOW, what a disappointment. I see Treseme has abandoned Project Runway. I don't know what criteria the contestants had to meet, but Haven said she doesn't even know how to use a sewing machine? What's up with that? Other then Fern and Issac M. there was really no one in the audience with any credntials. I'll give it another week, but if this is Bravo's idea of a replacement for Project Runway, they should get down on their knees and BEG Heidi, Michael, Nina and Timm to come back running. This show is no competition for P.R. I'll just go thru withdrawal till P.R starts in July. This show is rediculous. I don't know what Bravo is thinking!

I am a fan of "The Mzrahi". I loved his movie "Unzipped" because he thinks like I do (like when he wanted a bag of potato chips after finding out about the competing line using his same "Nanook of the North" theme - a comment that was edited out of the video version of the movie, I might add!)

Anyway, I am happy to have Mzrahi as a host because he is talented and clearly "of the fashion industry." However, I truly think that Kelly Rowland was a BAD choice for this show. She has no fashion experience other than wearing clothes and sitting in the front row of fashion shows. I think her presence makes the show less believable.

I think a BETTER choice for co-host would have been a fashion insider. Since this show's "pitch" is to have the winner set up a line and they have buyers in the audience every week (which as a side point was also painful to watch - why waste the time of these folks with some of the "slop" that came down that runway??), why not have a celebrity stylist be the co-host like Rachel Zoe or someone who is a "buyer" of fashion for high-end clients. What about the woman who does the fashion for Sex and the City? She would be a great choice as a "forward thinking" stylist.

Kelly Rowland? Not so much.

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OH SAY, CAN YOU SEE . . .

OH M'GAWD, IS IT HE?

BY THE DAWN'S EARLY LIGHT

HE'S BACK IN THE FIGHT!

I WELCOME YOU BACK, JUS'ME.

I am SO-O-O tired of fashion design shows with stuff no one in their right mind would wear. I want to see clothes an ordinary working person can wear-a teacher, paralegal, lawyer, Secretary of State for goodness' sake! maybe the pattern companies can start a show where it's a real dress, top, skirt whatever and then gets gussied up to be individual. THere are a lot more of us worker bees than fashion mavens. and we need to be comfortable while we stand in front of 35 schoolkids or a jury. and-what 'professional' could have worn that outfit and not had their boss call them in for a discussion of appropriate work clothing???? I understand haute couture starts the trend and it works down to the peons, but I'd rather start with peons and work up.

I don't know why everyone keeps blaming and shaming Bravo for this. It's the producers of "Project Runway," The Weinstein Company, you all need to be wagging your fingers at. Bravo is only doing what it can and what it feels necessary to do to fill the void that was forced on them by The Weinstein Company:

On April 7, 2008, the show's producers, Weinstein Company, announced a five-year deal that would relocate the show to Lifetime Television, beginning with Season 6. In response, NBC Universal filed a lawsuit against the Weinstein Company for violating its contract rights.[2] A September 2008 court decision granted NBCU's request for an injunction, preventing Lifetime from promoting or exhibiting "Runway" until further notice.[3]

On April 1, 2009, the lawsuit between Weinstein Co. and NBC Universal was settled, with Weinstein agreeing to pay NBC an undisclosed sum for the right to move the show to Lifetime.[4][5] The already-filmed Season 6 will air on Lifetime in the summer of 2009.[6]

I'm sore at losing PR too, but please, folks, stop blaming Bravo unnecessarily!!!

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