Next in Fashion

I only have one complaint and that will come at the end of my review. I really enjoy this show because it just seems fresh and friendly. Other shows of this genre seem to have almost violent tendencies among the contestants towards one another, with infighting and insults. Everyone - so far - has been very respectful of one another with no tantrums. No one is over the top crazy acting out. I like that. It is just altogether more casual than Project Runway. Also, as opposed to Project Runway, the contestants seem to be very professional people, yet don't have inflated opinions of themselves. Now for my criticism. Why is it necessary for this show, and others similar, to use the term "old lady" to describe something that is out of style? Couldn't they just say "old fashioned," or "passé," other than insulting older women? They say it as if old ladies are the worst thing one could be.

I loved how it shows new and fresh eyes to fashion and wearability. As you have probably read in other reviews, I disagree with a lot of the decisions made in this show. Judging is not good and very biased and influenced by various elements which makes it really frustrating and can't imagine how designers who were unfairly let go would feel.

Show is interesting and fun, but the editing is sooo hard on the eyes. The constant change of frame or zooming in and out, just hurts. Like the show though but extremely hard to binge on because of the constant flashes of screen change.

I enjoyed this show a lot. It was more positive and upbeat than your average reality TV competition. For once, the contestants supported each other instead of stirring up catty drama. The challenges were fun, the fashion was fresh, and the runway shows were well-done. Even the range of diversity in both the contestants and the models they dressed was refreshing. Alexa Chung and Tan France as co-hosts was my dream come true and they got a good set of guest judges to add some interesting perspectives.

I also liked that it really showcased the talents of the contestants rather than how well they faired through unrealistic challenges. Time was their only constraint and they had limitless materials to help them realise their designs. They were told that if a fabric or item they wanted was missing, the show would provide it for them. It was a welcome contrast to Project Runway where you can see good designers struggle when forced to only use items from a hardware store or pieces of candy.

I did think there were a couple first-season kinks in the format. First, I wish I had a little more of an introduction about how the show was going to work at the beginning. I couldn't tell if the initial groups were paired up by the designer's choice, if they applied with each other, or if it was a surprise when they arrived. It wasn't clear from the beginning where the show would be heading. I also really didn't like the elimination system. Why did they need to pull out a bottom two if the judges already decided who was going to be eliminated? I felt like there should have been some sort of elimination challenge or the judges should have deliberated after a bottom two was chosen. Or just say who was voted out instead of having them make a futile attempt to save themselves. Hopefully a second season will work these things out!

When dealing with something like Rock n' roll, you're talking about decades of history and entire subcultures. It's a delicate subject. The judges and hosts clearly didn't do their homework and their idea of what constituted rock n roll was almost comically warped - Alexa's tips were straight up offensive and contribute to the persistence of untrue stigmas. They should probably refrain from themes like these on the future. That being said, the rest of the show is very entertaining and watchable. If you're expecting fairness, though, you're not getting it. Some doubles have worked together for years while others met on the show and have completely dissonant styles. With some necessary tweaks here and there, Next In Fashion will be heading down the right path.