Wendy has a shelf life of about 10 more minutes on this show. She's a poor designer, she's manipulative and obvious about it to the others, and she's clearly not comfortable in her own skin...

I really think Wendy should have been the one to go. Her designs are drab and her personality is painful. I think the only reason they kept her in the show is because they know she will create some sort of drama.

I think its rather funny that you think Isaac Mizrahi has class. He has a line in Targhetto. Where is the class?

I know you all are waiting w/ baited breath to hear my opinion on who did the best! j/k - i love that there's so many different views on here - i hope the judging remains as diverse as the posters on this board. ok enough preamble - here's my ranking:

1. Kara - she really did deserve to win. i didn't think she would - but that dress truly was stunning. Again - she accomplished what was asked, she was creative, it was well done, and it was very fashion forward.
2. Austin - i thought he would win again - not because it was best but for what it would bring in. i thought it was a lovely dress, but he should have let go of the black collar and just did the exaggerated shoulder, and maybe a more plunging neckline splitting the heart. It would have gotten the most $$ had he done that.
3. Robert – well done design – a little cliché tho. I am happy he made it past last week so we could see his creativity, and obvious ability to design.
4. Jay – I was surprised at his tonite. It was very… LA, which I don’t like but for the same reason it was brilliant. He accomplished what was asked in his own way – not a personification or metaphor – more a canvas of envy – so words and “scratches” – meow! If they get rid of him, he’ll have to mess up major.
5. Alexandra – I loved the greek goddess thing – it was elegant w/o being periodical/costume-y, and whether she meant it or not, it was a good nod to greek mythology in which envy runs rampant.
6. Vanessa – I reeeeally thought her concept was great, as was the design. They should have given her more credit for coming up w/ something different, unexpected, and frankly almost impossible to pull off – good looking maternity evening. The ridiculous pillow might have hurt the presentation. I guess not tho – cuz she’s still in! I think we’ll see more and better from her.
7. Nora – I thought the dress was going to come out a bit better than it did. This is the only reason she’s number seven on my list, because I loved the dress. You can’t have a skinny model really wear that correctly tho – and I think because it was cotton, ultimately it ended up looking a bit i-magnin and cheap. But I disagreed w/ the judges that the concept was weak. I also liked the comedy of a wishbone on the back – how could that get lost on them? Bah – Nora rocks.

Ok that’s it on concept. I don’t think anyone else really grasped it and so these following rankings are just who I think accomplished the best fashion/work out of the remaining four:

8. Kevin – The good was that this outfit was contemporary 80s – the bad was that contemporary 80s was out 2 years ago. He has got to step it up – he’s obviously talented, I just wonder about his creativity and vision in comparison to the likes of Austin, Jay, Nora and Kara.

I just have to note that Kevin is nowhere near as bad as the last three. Seriously they should have gotten rid of all of them. After they get rid of Wendy and Star, the real games shall begin.

9. Wendy – She and Starr really tie for worst in my opinion – I’m only giving Wendy an extra quarter of a point because she tried to make something beautiful, she just doesn’t have skill. I think I gave her too much credit last week. Plus she told on herself that she wasn’t as skilled as the others – because obviously she’s not. I also don’t like how she’s scheming. I hope this competition is about fashion and not scheming or lies or alliances or any other reality show drivel. You want competition "out of your way"? Design/do better!
10. Star… absolutely unwearable, cut wrong… How many things can I say? She is in the wrong field period. Good fashion is about art, and an artist she is not. The artists in this comp prove themselves each week.
11. Mario – YAY lazy bones is gone. Not that I have anything against him, but I really disliked the fact that he blew it off when everyone else, even Wendy and Star, were working their tushies off. He did nothing that was asked of him - I’m so glad the judges saw through that.

Loooove this show! Can't wait till next week.

I totally agree with what you said about Wendy. I seriously lost respect for her because of her "strategy". I can understand that she feels it's her "last chance" or whatever to make it, but have some integrity for god's sake! I honestly hopes she is sent home next week before she starts stealing, because with the image she is putting out there, we all know it wouldn't be beneath her.

Huh, that Wendy.

She was ok at the first episode, now she needs to go. That "strategy"talk should be applied to "The Apprentice", that "I'm not as young and attractive as Alexandra and Robert" line should be applied to "The Bachelor".

The first episode of Queer Eyes For Straight Girl should be working on Wendy. She definitely needs a makeover, urgently.

Jay is still royally annoying. People don't want to come to you not because you pulled the Jesus card, dude, take a look at yourself. And that "writings on the garment, expressing my social anger or my presumed sense of humour" a la Heatherette is so passe, next!

I don't know who to pick for fashion; however, Nora is sexy and cute. So just on her personality and how gorgeous she is, I choose her!!!

By far, this is the only American show that makes me sit at home and watch everyweek other than the Simpsons. This show is Creative and inspirating. I wish we have similar shows in HongKong.

I loved Nora and Austin's designs. I wish i would have the luck to meet them in person just to talk about ideas and have a coffee. They both seem to be very straight forward and dont like to play stupid games which i like. [not like Wendy] Other than the 2 of them, from the design point of view, i really like Wendy's design [the ones with the candies] becoz it reminded me of the rhinestones and luxury jewels that rich women wear for evenings. Just the ones that Wendy used didnt shine as well..but renewable rather than having young children trained for diamonds hunting.

For the second show, i liked Kara's idea, but the outfit..just not too outstanding, but it's still sexy..but just the idea is alot stronger than the look...
This show really encourages me alot as a purses designer /graphic designer.
So here, i would just love to share and see other people's work. Drop down yr website so others can check out what you've been working on. Plus it's a good way to build connection for the future, isn't it? [i'm so glad there is a message borad here!!] I am still working on mine and hopefully i can post it next week.

Austin's style reminds me so much of YSL, if he could have help out at YSL for Spring 2005, that would be great coz after Tom left, the new season just looks lame.

Anyway, I forgot to comment on Jay's work for the second show. I like how the piece look, but the idea was over done, that so many other designers had put on messages on the shirt/pants...and the deconstructive look reminds me so much of Martin Margila or a little Hulmet Lang with all the ties.

The second show, i think all the fellows should learnt that yr good look dif help presenting yr work. Look at Wendy, her eye make up was pretty nice, but she dif needs her hair done. Oh by the way, doesnt Alex look kinda like Stella McCartney ?? and Jay looks like Lavin's head designer? And Starr looks like Rie Kawakobu from Comme des Garcons ?
just my opinion , dont get offended ~

Drape a Leg!
Good luck to everyone on the show!

This is, admittedly, VERY partial. But I needed to get it out of my system.

I do love the exposure to the uniqueness of the very talented group (so far, besides Austin, I'm rooting for that Nora-girl. . .she's got something there, I think; and I also like how Kara comes off as so collected. . . and that Jay makes me laugh because he reminds me of another guy I went to H.S. with) but will admit that I am PARTIAL-PARTIAL-PARTIAL to Austin Scarlett.

Austin and I went to high school together. After meeting him in our freshman World History class, I had a HUGE crush on him for a couple of months, before I realized he wasn't interested in me. Fortunately, rather than breaking my heart, this served as an opportunity to get to know him as a person.

And, of course, the scene from 'Brighton Beach Memoirs' that we performed for the Drama Club helped that along, too.

At any rate, Austin designed the display part of our team project for that World History class. . .a Carnivale queen costume from Colombia or something (it's been 10 years, give me a break!) and it was the most wonderful thing I had ever seen. Until prom night.

Oh. My. God. He designed and made his date's dress. He had their hair and makeup done professionally in the City (um, NYC). And he looked STUNNING. I think he used the tux pants in his interview video, but that may just be me. He deserved to win Prom King.

Over the next few years, I learned names like 'Jean-Paul Gaultier' and 'Yves Saint-Laurent' without knowing their work. Seeing one of the Gaultier shows from NY Fashion Week a few years ago really put Austin back into my mind, because it reminded me so much of what I'd remembered about him.

We'd lost touch after graduation, but my younger brother ran into him at a party in September. I snagged his e-mail address and dropped him a quick line. . . and heard about this show. It's been on my calendar for MONTHS and I feel it's well-worth the wait.

This show is THE opportunity he deserves, in my opinion, and I feel that it will help him do GREAT things.
Things that I believe he's capable of.
And things to produce ENVY in all the little b****es who made fun of him in high school.

One day, and I hope that it's soon, they will be freezing their butts off because they're lined up around the corner waiting for an "Austin Original". . . and he'll be able to tell them "no". But maybe that's my own revenge fantasy.

**QUESTION:

For those of you who're friendly or are close friends with some of the other designers, did they have similar H.S./College/Growing Up experiences? And is it satisfying to YOU as a Friend/Acquaintance, etc., to see them on TV now? Did you always believe that they would be? **

I absolutely agree with your revenge wish, Thebazile. That would be purrfect. As far as Austin's "Unofficial" fan club, right there with ya. His designs definately have "Olympian" merrit.

These are the silent auction rankings from this website. There were a lot of ties, and it's interesting that Wendy's MATERNITY DRESS was SECOND.

1. Kara Saun
2. Wendy
3. Robert
4. Alexandra (tie)
4. Nora (Tie)
5. Kevin
6. Austin Scarlett
7. Jay (Tie)
7. Wendy (tie)
7. Star (Tie)
8. Mario

Also what I noticed about Kara last night is why she is called "THE PROFESSIONAL" I think she added the right touches to make it very fashion but very sellable. All of her designs and concepts seem very complete.

"I'm sick of all the Wendy is a big loser and looks like Cruella stuff that has been said--she was one of three designers that acctually used groceries--i.e. food! And if you read her inside scoop at www.wendypepper.com then you will see that she attempted something much more complex--using celery thread to sew peppers together! Even if her design was little more than a bikini--it still rocked and showed definite innovation--it was way more innovative and complex than a tin-foil dress that even I could make! So here is to Wendy the mom with style!" ------------This message was clearly written by a friend of Wendy, someone that knows Wendy, or even by Wendy herself. Wendy your pathetic. Take you and your tiered webpage advertizement somewhere else. I cannot belive that they actually casted Wendy next to these young and cutting edge designers.The second episode showed Wendys true colors.Of course the woman has to rely on conniving tricks, Just look at her and her designs. Wendy like Jay said in TIME OUT you are a "Bull SH*T Artist" and you have to go!

Jay is so funny too! He seems like a great guy to party with.

Dont u mean Vanessa's maternity dress??

By the way...no one really seems to talk about vanessa on these message boards. I think she is fantastic. Her gown in the 1st episode was without a doudt the best in my opinion and her maternity dress was the most unique idea of the lot. Oh yeah...i want a british accent too now!! they r so chic!! Vanessa to win!!!!

I loved Daniel! Can't say I dug his design...In his defense, the darn thing looked much better on the dress form than it did on the model. He has gifted hands and has his head on straight. It was sad to see him eliminated. And that's a weakness of the show! Why not have three or four episodes before starting the eliminations? Also, why not have them do the concept bit and then execute their designs in the materials of THEIR choice? Picture Daniel's jacket with long sleeves in beautiful leather and his dress in black silk. No undergarments whatsoever, sheer pantyhose, and killer black shoes. But he will definitely make it. Of them all, he has the most developed talent. His appearance on the show ought to amount to a few million dollars of free advertising, and his elimination will give some of the others a chance to grow. Daniel, if you read this, I love you. NO one can ever hold you back.

Austin is such a doll baby. The minute he appeared on the screen, I knew he was going to be a scene stealer without even trying. Some people just have "it" whatever "it" is, and Austin is in that exclusive club. I hope he will take his corn husk dress design and recreate it with some beautiful fabric. He's just so cute; he would make a great baby brother.

Me three!

Sorry I meant Vanessa's MATERNITY DRESS was 2nd

And I kinda agree with what he is saying.

Here is Tim's COMMENTS

Mario

Mario's solution was simpler (and easier) than anyone else's; like Alexandra, he didn't alter the tube - but he didn't even dye it. The focus of his energy and attention went into the beading embellishments on the dress, embellishments that look like blood emitting from bullet holes. "Envy?" I asked. Mario declared that his muse is the object of envy and the fashion industry is cut-throat, so his muse was shot.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Lesson 5: Challenge Yourself

Don't opt for the quick and easy solution. While I consider Mario's interpretation of envy to be passable, his investment - time and materials - was minimal when compared to his peers. This caused many of us to reevaluate his solution to the last challenge - the simple, albeit elegant, shower curtain dress. At that time, we thought he was showing restraint. But was he? And this design was lackluster, too. In fact, Mario seemed lackluster, and that characteristic became all too palpable to the judges. Mario was unable to "sell" his solution on the runway or adequately defend it during the Q&A. Bye-bye, Mario.

NORA
Nora is a purist and has deep respect for the integrity of her materials. Accordingly, she chose to keep the cotton in its virginal condition, rather than altering it with dye or surface treatments. Nora is also very conceptual; she made cutouts in the dress in order to expose parts of the body that are associated with envy. As her dress evolved, I envisioned Helmut Lang and Miguel Adrover whirring in a food processor - et voilá! Nora!

I also agree about Wendy. As reality show [expletive deleted] I must say I was terribly put off by her conniving. Is she confused? Does she think she's on Survivor or The Apprentice? I almost expected her to swipe someones scissors (or dye, heh).

This show is about sheer creative competition. It's got to be one of the best reality shows I've seen. It gives me a view into what I think of as the mystical world of fashion. It truly is art.

WEARABLE, POSITIVE & CUTE? if that's what you think makes a good designer than i can see why you liked daniel-bliss so much. it doesn't take much to create a 'wearable' garment, i mean if you want 'wearable' go the [censored] to Wal-Mart or something. Jay is has more talent and character than anyone on that show and you know it. calling his work home-made or trailer made is quite funny to me because if you actually knew jay, as i do, you would know that he strives to embrace the trashy side of fashion. he truly is the filthiest person alive!!!

go jay!!! philadelphia loves you!!! woot woot!!!

STEALING! Good point wasn't she the one who found the dye??I think its already happened--if i'm not mistaken. WENDY SAY IT ISNT SO!!

Vanessa this is it...Girl i'm with you all the way.. girl your maternity wear is off the chain... If I was pregnant... I will be wearing your outfit.. Girl make them weak next week...

Kara love you outfit too

I definitely agree with Nora's sense of purity. She is innovative without just throwing stuff together. I think both of her dresses were beautiful. When we are we going to see some men's clothes? I hope Wendy decorates her male model with nothing but fruit and candy...

annie_mcfashion, you are so articulate. Keep talking. I enjoy listening to you.

My two cents:

Mario was defnitley the right person to go. His "I don't care" attitude got real old, real fast.

What is wrong with Starr? A tumor? I got where she was going with it, in the sense that envy can can take over your whole body but her dress was just not up to par.

I thought Nora's dress was good but simple. It was something that I would wear. I espacilly liked the bondage the model sported. She is so young with great talent.

Kara should have won because she did a fantastic design. I also thought Robert did a great job as well.

Vanessa is my favorite! But I was disapointed with her design. She really has the potential of doing something that could have blown the rest of the designers out of the water.

Wendy obviously dosen't have the potential of making it as a successful designer. 90% of it is going out there and marketing yourself. At the silent auction she stood there. She also seems emotionally unstable.

I am totally disappointed with Wendy. Being similar to her, I felt betrayed by her duplicity. I am about her age and everybody's big sis/surrogate mom. I would never use that to hurt or get ahead. Someone who is truly talented and confident wouldn't reduce herself to such sh__tyness.

i love Austin! i think he is absolutely fabulous! i love his designs and i just don't think he could get any better!

I agree about Wendy..........This is not Survivor, an alliance will not save your butt at eliminations!!! Who cares how she is viewed by the other designers and what her strategy should be, she needs to change her attitude and start thinking purely about design and design only, not playing some mind games!!

Wendy just seems amazingly out of step with what's going on with her ill-concieved "strategy" of trying to use her so-called motherliness to get ahead! She should be using her brain to focus on her design process! I am sure that there is a lot of bad behavior in the fashion industry, however, I'm sure that people who are there to stay will be around a long time because of their own self-mastery, strong skills, professionalism, ambition, etc. Either that, or they are a talented freak of nature! Or both.

Wendy needs to find herself very quickly. She seems obsessed with the 'age' thing as if her life is going to be over tomorrow.

~~~

Dang it, Wendy, you should be stoic, represent us (the women in your age group) with pride, dignity and style!

You CAN do it!!

I'm rooting for YOU!!

I feel there is so much focus on Austin, Wendy, and Jay. They seem to steal the spot light from everybody else. I don't think I saw Kevins dress "in the making" in the past two shows. I guess to get good ratings, they need to only put the flambount people on the screen. There

As for ranking the dresses for the 2nd episode:
1 - Kara
2 - Austin
3 - Robert
4 - Kevin
5 -

IT'S NORA'S SISTER:) I KNOW THEY NEED TO SHOW MORE OF THE OTHER CAST MEMBERS!!! of course you can never show too much jay! I met him a few week ago while in the city eating dinner with my family. you all love him on tv.... YOU SHOULD MEET HIM IN PERSON...JAY=AMAZING!!! as for nora, there are no words to express how proud I am of her! For all of you who have supported her she deserves it!! For anyone else who has something bad to say, you should just CHILLLLL with the jealousy, we all knew she'd be a star someday!!! Nora's talent and determination will bring her to the end, regardless of you ignorant comments:) you dont know her, she's got what it takes!!! I love you nor;)

<3 always
*audge*

I totally agree with u! Vanessa is pure talent! My god..i feel like such a loser..i am becoming so passionate about her! Shes just so unique and as her fellow brits would say:'Absolutely fabulous darling!'

I don't understand Starr at all. Her outfits are like Gaultier, someone said? Ugh. They're just gawd-awful. Busy, fussy, garish and totally heinous. Her Q&A said fashion was her hobby, and it shows. The designers who do really well on the show...Nora, Austin, Kara and Vanessa are all hungry. And I hope one of them is the last one standing. Oh, I forgot Robert. I think he's got a good shot, and not just because he's hot. How he made that copper striped Zoot Suit looking thing out of white cotton so quickly is beyond me. It was very cool, and the model with the cigar made it cooler.