The Fashion Show’s second season came to a close last night with plenty of confetti, but little fanfare. This might be good, because the show’s under-the-radar status seemed to heighten its fashion credibility. But it might also be bad because what were the stakes, really? TRESemmé awards the winner, Jeffrey, $125,000, and Harper’s Bazaar will feature his clothes in the magazine. But so many past winners of fashion reality competition series haven’t been able to leverage the prize money — if they took it — into successful businesses. Project Runway offers designers the chance to show at New York Fashion Week, which elevated the competition, even if no buyers are there to plot orders. But The Fashion Show’s contestants showed in the studio they’ve shown in all season, which didn’t make the finale feel much different from past episodes. The main differences were that Harper’s Bazaar had two editors present (Glenda Bailey and Laura Brown) instead of one, Mary J. Blige served as the big finale celebrity guest judge, and each designer showed ten looks instead of a couple.
Another thing that helped contribute to the show’s fashion credibility was that the drama between contestants didn’t overshadow the stories about their designs. A show like America’s Next Top Model could never pull off such a feat, but did The Fashion Show? Tell us if you want the show to return for a third season, and review the final three collections in the slideshow.
