Here are a few points of order and general gameplay reminders. If you missed the brackets today, they are here, here, here, and here.
Point One: Here is the JPEG of the bracket (click on it to enlarge, or try this link):
And here is the more easily printable PDF: Fug_Madness_bracket_2015-4
Point Two: The brackets are named after all-star fashion crackpots. It’s just nomenclature. That’s it. They’re not themed — there is no music bracket, no model bracket, etc; we much prefer a healthy mix, just as the actual NCAA Tournament does not put only teams from the South in the “South” region. People often wonder that, and we sometimes forget to address it, so: voila.
Point Three: By popular demand, we disallowed performance outfits this year, although that ONLY includes outfits worn on an actual stage. You can argue that Lady Gaga is performing any time she steps on the sidewalk, but you can argue that same thing about any other celebrity. Taylor Swift, for example (who is not in this year’s contest, but bear with me), is performing in a sense every time she “leaves the gym” in a perfectly styled and very leggy outfit. Kristen Stewart speaks with her clothes as much as Rita Ora does, even if the statement is different. So, candids and red-carpet are still in play, but anything for an on-stage song and dance number is out. Let’s see how it goes.
Point Four: Three play-in games — an unprecedented number — will take place tomorrow while we are all drinking green St. Patrick’s Day beer, and then Round One of Fug Madness starts in earnest on Thursday, March 19.
Point Five: This is not Dress vs. Dress. It is everything that person wore during the year, including outfits we don’t feature in each matchup’s post. Those are simply representative samples and reminders; we’ll provide links to others, but basically, anything counts that is in a post published between March 7, 2014, and Feb. 28, 2015. [These are not fixed dates every year. We go from after the previous Oscars through the end of the current ones. Accordingly, next year’s period of eligibility will begin March 1, 2015.]
Point Six: As usual, Jessica and I grouped everyone into their seedings — all the ones, twos, threes, fours, etc — but then we used a randomizer to sort them all into the various brackets. We did not engineer any matchups or in any other way influence who plays whom.
Point Seven: Fug Madness is not science, and thus, please let’s not all get angry if a favorite is not included — or if someone you adore IS included (and, spoiler, we may have a beloved one in a play-in game). It’s all good. We love Fug Madness, and we try our hardest to be thorough and very fair, but at the end of the day it’s meant to be fun. People wore fugly things. Let’s revel in it.
Point Eight: Having said that, we love the debates in the comments of every matchup. Disagreeing with our seedings is fine, as long as you don’t let it ruin your day or someone else’s. Disagreeing with the outcome is also fine, as long as you ALSO don’t let it ruin your day or someone else’s. The usual commenting rules apply, as always, but the lively discussions about the comparative pros and cons of each match are always incredibly entertaining and we hope y’all will be inspired to keep up the conversation.
I’m sure I forgot some points. And now I want to snack on some toast points. See you tomorrow for the play-in contests. STRETCH YOUR VOTING FINGERS.
