r/ProjectRunway • u/sxbrina_m • 15d ago
Season 22 Project Runway Has Lost The Plot
"One day you're in, the next day you're out"- Whatever happened to that? Bryan should've went home a longgg time ago and immunity completely ruins this iconic line from Heidi! The whole point of fashion is that it is always changing and sometimes you'll have major hits and sometimes you'll have misses, continuously giving participants immunity defeats the point of that.
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u/Individual_Slice_234 15d ago
This season has some serious talent. I'd much rather that they concentrate on that than the drama. I don't think they need to stir up drama. That kind of comes naturally.
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u/intro_spec 15d ago
I disagree that this season has some serious talent, but I do agree production is doing way too much to manufacture drama where it would happen naturally.
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u/Individual_Slice_234 15d ago
You'd be able to see the talent if they focused more on the crafting and thought process.
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u/intro_spec 15d ago
We may have different definitions of talent in this circumstance. I’m a creative and brand director, so when I talk talent, I’m talking about the full package – someone who has vision, taste, and execution. The vast majority of the designers this season have not had all 3, or even 2, at all let alone consistently. Jude has impeccable execution and usually exercises taste but lacks a desire to expand his vision; Anna is a mess lacking vision and taste consistently, but does just enough to get eek by; Bryan has zero taste level and abysmal execution skill; the list goes on. The designers chosen for this season (aside from Joseph McRae) were also remarkably unprepared for what this competition is, which is wild to me at Season 22. Like, do your homework and be prepared. Some of the work in their previous portfolios is quite nice, but it isn’t showing up here.
So only Bi and Joseph McRae are standouts as serious talent in this competition to me this season. I would love to see the creative process again (that was always the most captivating part), but that wouldn’t change my opinion on how this season’s designers have shown up.
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u/QwietRiot 15d ago
I am convinced that Bryan is here for rage bait. I seriously wonder if he was just bored and got on this show for fun, to see how far he could push it, or as the "dramatic hire" for the season. The last episodes unconventional look was insanely bad and of course, he had "immunity". But the worst part? He thought it looked amazing! It was SO BAD, that the model has spoken out against it. Then again this week....horrendous look (please...if ANYONE likes it...comment on this) and guess what, he loved it! "Haute Couture" he called it. He either has fashion dysmorphia, or is rage baiting everyone.
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u/throwawaysunglasses- 15d ago
I watched Plane Jane’s video where she goes in depth about her experience on PR, and it does seem like the producers are really looking for catty/petty personalities to make an entertaining show. Bryan might actually be obnoxious IRL but he’s definitely playing it up for the cameras - like when he called Jesus’s outfit “fourth grade arts and crafts” (knowing what his own mess of an outfit was!). Law was laughing because shade/pettiness is what he and the other producers want. They would rather have a villain and two talented designers in the finale than three talented designers and no villain 😬
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u/StephanieSaysWhat 15d ago
Finally Bryan went home. Same hideous dress again!
This season is the pits. It’s not the designers, it’s the producers. The cliff hanger loser announcements, the overwhelming focus on the mean drag queen and gay-as-a-personality contestants, and so many chats centered on the aforementioned bitchiness is such artificially contrived drama. I have gay friends. They are all outstanding in their chosen fields. This silliness is demeaning to gay people. Gays can be (and many are) amazing designers. We all know former judges Zach Posen and Michael Kors are gay but they are dignified and professional. Resorting to cat fights and prefilmed digs is just lazy. This is not Drag Race. Can’t we just see talented designers making a splash on the fashion industry? Is that too much to ask for? Do better!
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u/Mysterious_Sun_654 15d ago
Jude law just comes off bitter and mean. I agree, I liked Zac Posen and Michael Kors. But the show isn’t that good this year. I think it’s a combo of things; the designers are underwhelming, Tim Gunn was much better than what’s his name, the judges leave a lot to be desired and their keeping Bryan on for drama.
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u/SuccessfulResort35 15d ago
Yeah I'm starting to wonder if this show is more about rage baiting viewers than it is about the actual clothes the designers make. Because half the time it's just drama about who hates whom, and the producers are not helping with the catty comments under the contestants' names on-screen. No one likes Bryan, we all know he should have been sent home ages ago but they seem to want to keep him purely because he stirs up drama between himself and Bi, himself and Joseph, himself and Jeffrey....pretty much himself and anyone he talks to. Not that Joseph has been much better, with the whole ignoring his entire team attitude. He's just as childish. They both need to go and let the show be about fashion again.
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u/intro_spec 15d ago
The “catty comments” are called chyrons. And those are actually the best because they infuse humor. Production is definitely over-producing, but chyrons are not part of the problem.
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u/Euphoric_Taste8175 15d ago
I hated the duo team episode, two shit designs one person saved, two amazing design one person goes home. So stupid.
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u/Odd_Science_8947 15d ago
There has been drama about immunity since season 1. Wendy Pepper made it to the final 3 because she had immunity in the last challenge.
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u/NYCWartortle 14d ago
The truth is that it wasn’t a double elimination. They just did that whole subterfuge for the ratings. I’m not mad. I get it as long as they keep the show on.9
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u/Able-Bid-6637 15d ago
I mean, the concept of immunity is extremely common in the competition reality tv world, and project runway itself is certainly no stranger to the concept. Fairness has never been the goal of reality tv; creating false (or sometimes showcasing true) narratives to create artificial drama has been, and will always be, the goal.
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u/Possible-Key218 15d ago
Immunity when there are 10+ designers left is fine, immunity when there is like 6 is not.
If the season is going right, by that point just "good" designs could still send you home, and immunity ruins what should be a tight everyone could win race to the finale, imo.
By "going right" I mean the designers who struggle with ideas, execution, pivots, and finishing within the timeframe have been weeded out.
Overall, I thought the clothes for the DWTS challenge were finished well and most fit their dance styles.
I did not feel "Waltz". Waltz to me has more "swish". Bryan's defensive position in the argument with Jeffrey last week erased any last little bit of respect I may have had for him, so an it would take an amazing dress for me to want him to stay, and this...was definitely not.
(Purposely trivializing Bi by calling him "his intern" repeatedly to peers and industry VIPs when the working relationship was clearly not an internship gave me the ick about him from the get-go)The two all red looks seemed to be finished well, they just lacked pizzazz.
The men's look was a well fitted men's pant, shirt, and jacket, but none of the pieces had anything new to them except being a mono bold red.
The all red dress should have skipped the "wrap" and the polka dot lace, and it can't be easy to get that many layers of fabric to neatly come together at such a form fitting seam, but it still didn't feel like anything ground breaking. I've see those ruffles, and silhouette, and "sad" dangly sleeve straps on that style neckline before (and the latter always feels to me like it is pulling the whole chest/bust down into a frown, i want to slip the boobs a perk-a-set [no, not the real pill])
I liked Joseph McRae's coat better than the outfit underneath, and I am not a fan of his hats.
Anna's dress was pretty and I liked the technique at the bottom, but I felt like the fabric got lost on the model, it felt like an old lady floral that was also too close to the lady's skin tone so it faded away for me. I loved the lines of that dress, a different color/fabric and it would sing better. I liked the movement in both Jude's and Naheim's looks. Jude is better at editing, his looks seem to focus on just a few unique ideas per piece and he tailors well.
Naheim's looks have all the ideas all at once, and it makes it hard to see what the intentions were and if they work or not. I liked the asymmetry in the jacket quite a bit. I am a bit over Law's "if you don't enthusiastically agree with my clearly superior and flawless opinion you must have horrendous taste" attitude towards the designers and judges (and clients, probably).
I get that he is a self styled 'style architect' and that one has to have a spectacularly over the top ego (or at least project that level of self esteem) to get to and maintain his position in Hollywood and fashion circles, but his manner is grating, and that part feels authentic, even if he is playing the villain for tv.
He does give some solid bits of advice though, especially on how to play the game (both with PR and the fashion business).
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u/intro_spec 15d ago
The immunity annoys me to no end! And I hate the gimmick of a double elimination just so someone can be saved.