NBC's Fashion Star Surpasses Project Runway a Thousand Fold

Pic of Day       

I have for the past few seasons quite enjoyed Lifetime's Project Runway but I admit with no shyness that NBC's entry into the field of fashion programming, Fashion Star positively knocks my socks off.

We begin with the fact that we don't have to put up with endless hissy fits by fashion design queens, let me call like I see it. I understand that most male fashion designers are likely our homosexual brethren and I don't have a single problem with this. I also have watched enough of these types of shows to know that these creative sorts are bitchy and pissy, I get that.

NBC's Fashion Star has a bit of that, most notably with contender Oscar. These reality type shows need to show a bit of pathos with the competition but by me Project Runway tended to go overboard. Fashion Star gets right to it, there is no 45 minute wait through hissy fits and nasty vignettes to get to the climax of the show, the runway show itself.

The show does begin with a theme but viewers don't have to suffer through boring trips to the fabric store or endless nasty snipes as the designers ponder their designs. There's some of that but on Fashion Star, the runway show begins right at the beginning, complete with happening music, and it's a much better scenario.

There are three celebrity mentors who don't do much of anything but add some pizazz to the show. Oh they pretend to advise the designers and they are charged with saving one of the bottom three designers each week.

After the mentors choose which of the bottom three they will save (the bottom designers are those who did not receive any bids from three buyers, consisting of Macy's, Saks, and H&;M), the buyers choose who will be sent home.

Here and below-Luciano's
 high and low end look

In the past couple of episodes the designers have had to team up to design a living window and design up a high end and a low end look that had some kind of connection.

As for the designers, they're an interesting lot. Kara has possibly the most unique hairstyle on the planet. She is an admitted lesbian and her designs have a mannish air about them. She seems a capable designer but has her ups and downs. Kara's got offers from the buyers most weeks. For the window challenge she designed some kind of tent dress thing that looked as if it had a long necktie hanging down, really ugly I thought, and she not, to no surprise, get any offers.

Barbara is a middle aged type and her designs are most ordinary, but they have an allure. For the window challenge she came up with a sort of empire waist dress that I've seen on a million women through the years. Barbara's only had one offer from the three buyers since the beginning and she's just hanging in there.

Luciano is a more modern youngish female designer and she's gotten offers through the weeks. She will hang in there for a while but I don't see her winning this thing.

Nikki likes longer dresses, beach coverups, that sort of thing. She gets offers but while she gets offers, she's not the winner as I see it.

Nzimro designs menswear and this is another thing I enjoy about this fashion series. There are a couple of designers presenting menswear and some of the offerings are really nice. Hey, men have to wear clothes too. Nzimro, however, is not a great designer and some of his offerings are nice but boring.

Orly is the drama queen of the bunch. Every week she has some kind of anxiety attack that has her changing her entire plan several times before her final runway presentation. As these drama things tend to go, she sometimes ends up with a real winner as a result of her last desperate efforts and sometimes lays a big egg. I don't see Orly winning this thing.

Ronnie designs for women, along with Ross, two male designers still left as of this writing. Both of these designers have been saved at least once and have gotten few offers. I don't see them hanging around too long.

Sarah isn't an outstanding designer but her fashions are suitable for the average woman and she's gotten offers almost every week. Still her designs do not have any kind of "edge". She could be a second or third place finisher on this series but I don't see her taking the top prize.

Kara's tuxedo jkt.

Nikki's high end look

I think either Nikki or Kara will win this thing. Nikki's has a consistent class to her designs. Kara comes up with some real duds from time to time but she has an original flair to her looks which could bring her in a solid second, possibly a first.


-NBC's Fashion Star-Finally the Big Networks Discover Fashion and Take on Lifetime

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