Episode Report Card Jeff Long: B+ | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Welcome to the Stress Ball
By Jeff Long | Season 10 | Episode 13 | Aired on 10.11.2012
Fabio takes Tim to another room to meet his mother Elena. He asks her if Fabio was always as creative as he is now. She says, with a thick accent, that he has always dressed differently, which makes Fabio laugh. He shares this thing with some of the most talented and creative people I know where they never seem more excited about other people than when they're being really honest. I'm not describing that well, but I feel it. Whatever. I'm sure I seem legit wacko regarding my devotion to Fabio, but isn't that one of the joys of reality television? Sort of plugging into a personality and enjoying the ways they are familiar and unique? Fabio interviews that getting to Fashion Week is not about the money... screech. Lie. The money's awesome but that is not why he's doing this. This would make his career, which he currently does not have. Elena says that all of their family in Brazil is very proud of Fabio. Tim says they all are. Jason's really cute.
Fabio says that his mother has lived in the US for 25 years and, when he was growing up, he would spend two months of the year in the States and the rest of the time in Brazil. He thinks that adjusting to the cultures is what cracked his school. That and that time he fell down the stairs. Only kidding. I don't know about any accident like that.
Fabio says that it's not difficult having confidence in his collection, but it's difficult knowing that people are going to judge it. He likens it to having a baby and having people come in and tell you that your baby is ugly. If you have ever earnestly told someone that their baby is ugly, please write to me. I'm not sure what my response will be, but I'm just really interested in what sort of person might do that.
Fabio shows Tim his collection and says that his theme is Cosmic Tribalism. You heard correctly, folks. He's creating different personae within the tribe. Tim seems a little confused. Fabio is using tons of pastels. Wha? The silhouette resembles his aesthetic but this palette is different than anything we've seen him do before. Tim says that he's captivated, which makes Fabio breathe a huge sigh of relief. Fabio says that pants will accompany all of the dresses, which makes Tim pause. Finally, he asks if he can be blunt. He doesn't like the pants. He thinks they look like long johns. He also doesn't like this bra showing under a camisole, nor the shoes. Fabio stands by all of it. He wants there to be a toughness to the collection. Tim says that he is baffled by all of it. He adds that he has seldom seen a collection with as much potential to wow as this one, but it's being compromised by some of Fabio's other choices. Fabio interviews that he feels like he's about to cry. He can't bear the idea of not showing at Fashion Week.