"Okay, after two rounds of competition, our Vivian contestant currently has 242 points, and Fang Xiaoyuan has 183 points. There is a full 59-point gap between them. Is the championship already decided in advance?" the host said excitedly on stage.
The first two rounds of the competition were styling and quick tailoring, which involved selecting an outfit for the model and creating a garment on the spot within 30 minutes.
For the former, Vivian styled a dragon robe, while Xiaoyuan styled a modern outfit. It sounds like Xiaoyuan had already lost, as a normal modern outfit would not be as eye-catching as a dragon robe.
However, the problem was that if one styled a dragon robe, it had to adhere to the etiquette and system of dragon robes from various dynasties. There were two elderly experts in ancient costumes present to comment on the spot, and any mistakes would result in significant point deductions.
Previously, someone had styled an outfit for a prince, which looked good but was full of errors, combining elements from five dynasties. This resulted in a deduction of over a hundred points, leading to a loss in a crucial elimination round.
Since then, few people dared to challenge outfits that were so particular about etiquette and regulations in competitions. Any mistake would mean starting all over again.
Not to mention that Vivian, a foreigner, had to find a set of emperor's dragon robes from over 120,000 sets of various clothing and accessories within just 30 minutes. The difficulty was imaginable.
Vivian actually managed to do it. She actually completed a perfect Ming dynasty dragon robe set in just thirty minutes, which amazed the entire audience. Although Xiaoyuan's modern set was also very beautiful, its difficulty was far less. After all, modern clothing essentially has no strict rules; you just put together whatever looks good.
Therefore, Xiaoyuan suffered a crushing defeat in the first round.
The second round was quick tailoring, requiring the creation of a suit within 30 minutes using various materials provided on site.
Making a suit in 30 minutes is incredibly difficult for anyone. A suit is the most demanding garment in terms of tailoring and has a strong pairing with the model's figure. It requires precise measurements and a lot of time to create a perfect suit.
However, even if the suit wasn't perfect, it's not something that can be produced in a short time.
Therefore, this was a challenge that completely tested the designer's tailoring ability. This task had appeared before; it was tested in the semi-finals, and about half of the designers couldn't complete the garment production within 30 minutes.
But both Vivian and Fang Xiaoyuan on site successfully completed this task. This alone showcased the professional abilities of both individuals.
However, during the final fitting, Vivian still won visibly. The garment was indeed made more perfectly. In terms of skill, Fang Xiaoyuan, a middle school student, still lacked experience.
However, Fang Xiaoyuan received a lot of applause from the audience. After all, for a middle school student to achieve this much was already extremely formidable. Besides Fang Xiaoyuan, it seemed no other middle school student in the world could achieve this.
Of course, these audiences did not know that Fang Xiaoyuan had already known all the test questions in advance.
For instance, in the first styling challenge, Fang Xiaoyuan had already found all the necessary clothing for her styling in the clothing庫 before the program started.
As for the 30-minute quick tailoring, it was the result of a week of hard practice. For the past week, Fang Xiaoyuan had been practicing how to make a suit in 30 minutes, which allowed her to complete the task on site.
Well, this was clearly a behind-the-scenes manipulation. However, Vivian, as her opponent, actually knew about these manipulations, and she even guided Fang Xiaoyuan with a smile.
The reason Vivian behaved so magnanimously was not because she lacked a competitive spirit, but because she understood that she couldn't win this championship. She couldn't be an apprentice designer for any luxury brand.
Her royal status destined her to handle all business-related matters properly. Participating in a variety show was already the limit of tolerance for the royal family behind her. If she were to become a chief designer, the royal family would not accept it.
Therefore, Vivian hoped to get a runner-up. Otherwise, if she really won, she would have to refuse directly, which would be very embarrassing for both her and "Liu Shang Qu Shui Cai Wei Shi."
However, Vivian could accept her opponent cheating, but she couldn't accept herself slacking off. Therefore, Vivian still gave her all during the competition. As a result, even though Fang Xiaoyuan cheated, she was still left behind by Vivian.
But there was nothing that could be done. Fang Xiaoyuan's talent was actually quite good, and she herself was diligent enough. Otherwise, even if you were given a year to train, a middle school student couldn't make a suit in 30 minutes.
Unfortunately, the gap in age and experience led to her defeat. Fang Xiaoyuan's crushing defeat was also understandable.
However, the competition between the two had not ended. They still had one final round of competition, which was an opportunity for a comeback.
"The last round is the test that most tests a designer's comprehensive ability, and it is also the final grand finale!" the host said with a smile on the show. "A week ago, we invited Ms. Qu Wei, the chief designer of Liu Shang Qu Shui Cai Wei Shi, to design the questions for this competition. A week ago, this topic was given to both designers. They could use any means available during this week to personally complete the design and production of the clothing under the witness of the cameras!"
"Then, let us invite Ms. Qu Wei to announce her topic!" the host said. The spotlights on the stage focused on Qu Wei. Qu Wei smiled slightly at the camera and then said, "My topic is actually very simple, which is breakthrough!"
"Whether it's a model or a designer, after going through this competition, they have successively designed fifteen different outfits. But after looking at the fifteen outfits they designed, I found that there weren't many breakthroughs. They were all confined within their comfort zones. This does not meet my expectations for an excellent designer."
"Therefore, I hope that on the finals stage, they will break out of their comfort zones, present a design plan that neither the designer nor the model has ever presented before, and create a completely new visual enjoyment that will make everyone's eyes shine and has never been seen before!"
"So I gave this topic, and I hope these two designers can give me a completely different experience!" Qu Wei finished with a smile, and the camera returned to the host.
"Okay, as this is the last major question, the score for this question will be particularly important! The professional judges will award 80 points, the live audience will award 60 points, and the online voting will be 100 points. Ms. Qu Wei also holds 100 points. A total of 340 points, which is even higher than the sum of the scores from the previous two rounds!"
"So Ms. Vivian, your lead is not as solid as a rock, and Xiaoyuan, you still have a chance to realize your dream. I hope you can present a work that amazes all of us!" the host encouraged at the end, and then the show began to play a VCR.
This was a VCR compiled from the preparation work of the two contestants over the past week after receiving the test topic.
It included footage of the contestants analyzing, dissecting, and contemplating, but these two VCRs were edited with meticulous design, cutting out all parts that could potentially reveal the works. Therefore, after watching the two VCRs, you could only see how these two designers lived their daily lives and thought, but you couldn't see what their works actually looked like.
However, soon, these works would be presented directly on stage. The first to display was Miss Vivian.
After a somewhat misleading host interview, the stage lights suddenly changed, and the audience exclaimed in awe. Because what appeared in the center of the stage was no longer that ancient costume handsome man, or the modern elite style Hu Ge, but a monk!
That's right, Hu Ge had completely transformed into a monk.
Holding a nine-ringed tin staff in his hand, wearing a brocade kasaya, a string of prayer beads around his neck, a nine-jeweled glazed crown on his head, and woven straw sandals on his feet. Coupled with Hu Ge's rare serene demeanor of chanting scriptures, he was indeed a Tang Monk who had walked out of the world of Journey to the West.
In this situation, this design was indeed a huge breakthrough. After all, even Tang Monk was recreated, and the audience was truly impressed.
Next was Vivian's interview and introduction. She said that after receiving this topic, she considered how to step into a field she had never considered before. Thus, she decided to design and reproduce the various outfits of Tang Monk in Journey to the West, and then incorporate modern aesthetic design concepts, finally designing this set of Tang Dynasty Western Monk attire.
Then came various professional design concepts and terminology. In short, this outfit was a fusion of legend and modern clothing concepts, an absolute unprecedented innovation.
This was indeed true. When the female audience members saw Hu Ge walk out wearing this Tang Monk costume, they finally understood why so many women in Journey to the West were crying and begging to marry the Imperial Brother. If Tang Monk looked like this, they would also want to marry him!