Since I haven’t seen the show, this question might sound a little dumb. Are the contestants selecting fit models or runway models? I have been operating under the assumption that a fit model is fairly important, but a runway/photo model is only important insofar as they have the same size/body type as the fit model.

The most interesting thing to come out of the entire show, I think, is that this season (and I haven’t even looked at all the designs for it this year), is that Ass #2, Daniel, applied for a second opportunity. He came back humbled, hardworking, talented, and standup. Oh, and tidier! He was a totally different person – someone with talent and a strong work ethic, and someone I’d work with and/or for. He’s one of the very few participants I wound up respecting.

Now, if someone could just edit everything so it’s just the segments with Tim Gunn, I’d buy that collection in a heartbeat.

I think Jay was a fool to be in such a big hurry to put his name on a failure, but I’m not surprised. Reminds me of a recent event at a local fabric store (the one that’s closest to the design schools, as opposed to down on Fabric Row):

ME: scrounging through fabrics and clutching treasures

ENTER: Two young Austin Scarlett Wannabe’s, talking loudly to each other, about needing “point two five yards” of whatever. The ASWs accost the owner, and he shows them the velvets. They are unaware of the difference between rayon velvet and silk velvet. We didn’t confuse them further with cotton velvet. As they wafted past me, I stage-whispered, “It’s a “quarter of a yard!” They looked at me in total non-comprehension.

As they paid for their fabric, they started to drift off, with the owner saying they were owed fifty cents in change. They waved it off, and I couldn’t stand it. I called to them through the store to go back and get their change, and scolded them about it being a bad habit to get into. It might not matter in school, but it would during a production run.

I’m sure they thought I was a nut, but they got their change and wafted out. The owner and I exchanged looks, and commentary. He’d been doing the eyeroll over the “point two five yards,” saying (to me) that nobody who’s actually in the business talks like that. We commiserated over the student population, since he gets to see a LOT of them. His take? These were two who were not going to make it. That was my take, too. But I’ll bet this pair thinks they’re going to be the Next Big Thing, and that all they need to do is land on Project Runway.

I’m hesitant to pound on people who went to design school, since I went myself (Bachelor of Science degree in Apparel Design and Production from Colorado State University, thank you very much). To paraphrase Michael Douglas’ character in “Wonder Boys,” you can’t teach someone how to design. What I got was some tricks of the trade and exposure to broad concepts in textiles, production, draping, pattern making, economics, social-psychology of clothing, etc. Going to school doesn’t make someone a successful designer (I should know). Tenacity, experience, contacts, intelligence, will serve a designer better than being able to make pretty pictures. While I don’t “idolize” anybody, I do admire people like Ralph Lauren and Daymond John (FUBU). Polo started by selling ties at Brooks Brothers. FUBU got started Daymond making and selling tie-tops (People magazine, 3/17/97. I have the article taped to my wall).

I think a lot of the “winners” on those shows are washouts (must not be colorfast). The only winner is the TV station, and only if the show gets ratings. In order to get ratings, the show should be dramatic/funny/whatever. The more people who watch, the more they can charge advertisers.

The second comment was that it might not portray the real world but it does portray at least in some manner the “real” world of the fashion design school. That is (probably–I’ve no direct experience) absolutely spot-on. I believe one of the problems with prima donna designers is not that they’re inherently arrogant, but they’ve been sold in some ways a bill of goods by the design schools. I.e., “You (the student) pay us big bucks so we can make you into a “designer” who can demand a big-bucks salary when you graduate, though actually all we’ve done is exchanged xx years of our classes for your big bucks so you can go out there and compete with everybody else for work when they’re over. Hopefully we’ve given you some advantage, but of course there’s no guarantee of that–if there were we’d find a job for you when you leave.”

That’s a very cynical view of higher education, and I’m sure I’ll get some heat for it, but I lived for decades in the academic world, and I stand by it.