Imitation might be the sincerest form of flattery, but boy can it make for some lousy television. Case in point: tonight’s premiere of Bravo’s The Fashion Show, a.k.a. Since We Lost ‘Project Runway’ to Lifetime (Argh!) We Came Up With This New Series That Is Totally Just As Awesome as the Original — Really! Please Watch!
I’d like to give The Fashion Show the benefit of the doubt and allow that subsequent episodes might improve. But what we saw this evening wasn’t pretty: an obvious — and obviously inferior — Runway copycat in which 15 aspiring designers compete for a $125,000 grand prize and for the chance…not to show their collection at Fashion Week, but to sell their line "in a retail market." (If that’s not conveniently vague, I don’t know what is.)
All the familiar elements were there: outsized personalities (We get it, Merlin: You’re flamboyant!), clashing egos, and outrageously hideous designs. (Harem pants as a must-have? Maybe on Planet Princess Jasmine.) But what was missing was that mix of playful and panicked workroom magic that Runway conjures up every season and the inimitable Tim Gunn enhances. If there ever was any doubt as to who the real star of Runway is, The Fashion Show put it to rest tonight. With all due respect to co-hosts/-judges Isaac Mizrahi and Kelly Rowland, their presence lacked the zesty je ne sais quoi that Gunn exudes so effortlessly. Furthermore, unlike Heidi Klum’s signature sendoff, Mizrahi’s version — "We’re just not buying it. Bye-bye, darling" — felt contrived.
What do you think? Is The Fashion Show destined to become passé or does it have potential?
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I like the way the show lets us in on the technical aspect of design and construction. But it won’t be interesting until the competitors are whittled down. Very disappointing that except for one Asian girl, and one black girl, all of the models are strictly white bread.
the whole thing felt contrived. too serious.
and why was everything so dark and black? was the whole episode filmed in a windowless closet or something? so moody!
This show lacks everything. The designs were beyond boring and trite and the designers are mugging rather than showing their talents…which, from seeing the “Fashion Show”, I can understand. Kudos to Andy, who found yet another way to get into viewers pockets with the weekly clothing orders (this will be his most profitable show). Who needs advertisers when you can sell direct –LOL. I was a Project Runway junkie and next week, I’ll be watching Michael J Fox — a sad choice but with the fare presented an easy one.
I liked it a lot. I have never seen PR. I like what I saw tonight and will watch again.
Loved Kelly.
I liked it enough to give it another chance but I do agree that it was in no way better than Project Runway which is sort of to be expected. What I did like was that the runway show was like a real runway show with a live audience, and some of the designers seemed interesting. The drama factor was definitely there as well for better or worse.
Isaac Mizrahi was good, Kelly was just ok nothing special. Some of the designs were pretty interesting but overall I was left a bit underwhelmed, I expected more since they’re all more or less already established designers. I hope to see more innovative and avant garde designs in the coming weeks which could separate it from PR which tends to be more commercial. I’m still rooting for the show though because I like Bravo who basically got screwed over by the Weinsteins and it’s a million times better than Lifetime will ever be.
simply fabulous! I loved Kelly Rowland. She is FASHION! Kelly is the show! loved it!
I honestly enjoyed it. I’m new to Project Runway, having only seen the last season, at which point I became addicted. After I heard about the – at the time, possible – delay, I wanted to fill the gap, so I found and watched the British version of the show.
Anyone who saw that mess would know that it’s foolish to think that anything would be as good as the original. I went into The Fashion Show expecting nothing more than a fix before PR starts again in the fall.
I really liked the actual runway show, as opposed to a catwalk for the judges. I also liked Isaac and Kelly. I know they aren’t Tim and Heidi, but different isn’t necessarily bad. Another thing I really like is the diversity of the designers. It makes me somewhat (though skeptically) hopeful that there will be challenges aimed toward menswear, as well.
PS. Did anyone else find Merlin to be WAY less annoying here than he was on JDMA?
I tried watching it, I couldn’t make it through. I’m an avid PR watcher, so watching The Fashion Show made me feel like I was given a knock-off of a designer item.
A Johnny come lately to an already over killed genre (Project Runway, Project Runway Canada, RuPauls Drag Race, What Not to Wear, etc etc. As le Karl would say, “Demode”
I am a fan of both Issac & PR, but this show wasn’t really up to par. I did like the way an entire collection was shown for each group,but this is NO substitute for PR!
It wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. But Mizrahi is NOT a great host for this. It’s not different enough from Project Runway to make me abandon the original. And the “Top Chef Quickfire Challenge” seemed to be forced in the give the show a different twist. And I’m not sure I’ve ever hated a reality show contestant more after 1 episode than Merlin.
This show is a stinker. Thank goodness PR is back this summer, even if it’s on Lifetime instead of Bravo.
Project Runway always managed to celebrate fashion during the critiques. The Fashion Show (what a lame title!) is just mean. I realize that they don’t have much to work with (how many of the contestants confessed that they couldn’t sew!!!), but it seemed that Mizrahi and Rowland went out of their way to be snide and nasty. Oh Tim Gunn, we miss you so.
“But what was missing was that mix of playful and panicked workroom magic…”
Wait, are you saying they didn’t show them working on their clothes at all or that the workroom segments were just boring?
Even Project Runway has pretty much run its course. It has become so derivative that I don’t think many fans will care if it never comes back (can anyone even find Lifetime channel on their TV?) So to make this lame low budget copy cat seems misguided. Bravo is seen as a producer of cutting edge interesting and creative reality show programming. What were they thinking?
Bravo was wrong to lose Project Runway. That is a good show I will watch that one only on Lifetime when it airs.
I agree, Tim Gunn is definitely the star of Project Runway. The fact that he is neither judge nor contestant is what makes PR unique. I loved PR the first time I watched it. Fashion show not so much, but I will give it a chance to find it’s grove.
This show is just plain boring. I miss project Runway.
PO-tential!
It’ll do until PR begins on Lifetime.
Saw this last night: Mizrahi was the best part of the show and Kelly Rowland was the worst part. It reminds me of why that Mizrahi doc “Unzipped”, was so entertaining. Putting Rowland next to industry heavyweights really makes her look insipid. All of her contributions were basically agreements with the assessments made by other judges. She’s second banana to Beyonce, and she’s second if not third, fourth, fifth, etc. to the others on this show.
mizrahi is awful. he’s barely a designer. not sure what makes him so fantastic b/c he just ain’t people. plus, he always has such a bad attitude. he’s like a bitchy girl all the time. he’s clearly 2nd tier.
It was fun to watch and to get to know the designers and their results….I will not compare it to PR and give it a chance…..I feel it will become my “regular Thursday night fare”….thanks.
Is it me or does Kelly Rowland look EXACTLY like Elisabeth Hasselbeck in blackface (or perhaps more appropriately, black body paint) in that picture?
I liked it… I think it will get better in time. This was only the premier we have to get to know the designers, etc.
I liked it… I think it will get better in time. This was only the premier we have to get to know the designers, etc.
Does anyone know why Kelly Rowland is even a host on this show? Is she running out of money and needs a day job? She is the worst part of this show. What does she know, her comments are one sentence at a time and they don’t even make sense. What does she know about designing fashion? PLEASE get a creditable co-host!
I wouldn’t have minded them doing a fashion challenge reality show that is different than PR, but this was sad. I am less interested in the drama and more interested in the designs and watching the construction process. This looks like it will be all contrived drama and no focus on the art of design and the craft of clothing construction.
both hosts are awful. no charm, no panache. the contestants seem to have potential–both as designers and reality tv entertainers–but who cares? it was a total snooze.
Positively awful. Meanspirited and trite. This copy won’t be on my DVR.
I thought it was very good!! It feels different than PR to me. I think that since this was the first episode they had to spend extra time setting up the contestants and that future episodes will be able to dive even further into the actual designing. Runway was a lot of fun! Can’t wait to see the next one!