Project Runway All-Stars: Episode 1 Recap

The new season of Project Runway is upon us. As this season is comprised of “All Stars” all sorts of things are being shaken up: new host, new mentor, and new judges. When I first heard that Heidi, Tim, Michael Kors, and Nina Garcia would not be involved in this season, I was quick to dismiss it. “Oh, it won’t be Project Runway without the usual suspects. But as Season 9 progressed, I found myself becoming more and more exasperated with and tired of the judges. I think that having some fresh takes may be the breath of fresh air I needed in order to compel me to stay with the franchise (though there wasn’t much of question there to begin with.) So let’s see what our old favorite contestants and our fresh blood judges bring to the table!

The contestants all meet up at Limelight, which is a former church / former club / current shopping center and meet with the new host Angela Lindvall. She announces that throughout this competition, no immunity will be awarded. Wow, that’s actually pretty tough. No cruising through this season! The grand prize will be enormous–boutiques at some Neiman Marcus stores, a fashion spread in Marie Claire, the opportunity to be a guest editor at the publication, all sorts of Brother brand equipment (sergers, industrial quality machines, etc.) and $100,000 of HP and Intel stuff, and $100,000 cash from L’Oreal.

The contestants meet the new judges: Georgina Chapman, co-founder of Marchesa and Isaac Mizrahi. I think it’s pretty cool that this time around two of the judges are coming from a fashion design approach. In the normal Project Runway iteration the combination of editor-designer-model judges could create fairly unclear standards for the contestants. Should they appeal to Heidi’s red-carpet, sexy dress opinions, Michael Kors’ wearable minimalist sensibilities, or Nina Garcia’s magazine-selling editorial standpoint? By limiting the range of backgrounds for the judges, I hope that there is a more clear standard for design. I hope there is a focus on cutting-edge, well-executed looks; garments for the sake of fashion, rather than the selling of a brand or a magazine.

After introducing the judges, it is revealed that each designer brought a recent work of theirs. They have 30 minutes to dress their models, and then the first fashion show will commence.

I’m not going to recap all the looks that came out rapid-fire. I feel that this is being used as a reminder of the aesthetics of the designers, and I feel like I’ve done this over the past week or so, and frankly I’m not super excited to look at the designer’s past works. Bring on the new stuff!

So the show has decided to force the designers to hit the ground running by putting the unconventional materials challenge first thing–all their materials have to be purchased from the $0.99 store. I think placing it so early in the show is a great idea, in that it really will show how flexible the designers are willing to be. Most, if not all, participated in a version of this challenge before, so it will be interesting to see if they are any better suited to dealing with it this time around. The twist this go-round is that the garment they create must be inspired -in some way- by the garment they presented earlier this episode. It seems there is a lot of room for interpretation here, could be inspired by the color, the texture, the silhouette, or even just the way the garment “feels.” So I guess I’m not really sure how difficult of a twist this really is. We’ll see if this becomes more of an exercise in BS-ing an explanation than it is in actually using the present garment as a point of inspiration. They get to buy $100 worth of goods. Oh, and Marie Claire editor-in-chief Joanna Coles is the mentor this season.

The Runway 

The guest judge is Ken Downing, fashion director of Neiman Marcus

Project Runway Finale: Recap

I hope y’all have fast internet connections, because this post is  going to be super image-heavy. Here we are: 13 episodes, 24 contestants and so manyoutfits later, we have finally reached the last episode of the season, the episode we’ve all been waiting for.

Of course, there has to be a bit of a twist. Each designer gets $500 to spend at Mood to do with as they will. The designers are all trying to listen to the judges and all seem to be replacing an item or two…or ten, I guess, if they want to.

 Let’s do this Runway!

Project Runway: Episode 13 Recap

We’re down to the final four. 10 pieces. $9,000. 5 weeks. Best of luck, designers.

Tim first heads to Kimberly’s. Her inspiration is the Brooklyn of her youth.

Then to Anya’s. Her inspiration is the island of Tobago and the sea. She says she is struggling a bit.

Next Tim heads to Viktor’s. His theme is “Urban Coast” based on some time he’s spent in Mexico.

Then to Joshua’s. I’m not really sure what his inspiration is, but it is cuckoo crazy neon dowdy. Insanity.

So they reconvene in New York with their collections. Each designer will be choosing three of their designs to show to the judges and only three of the designers will be moving forward.

 

The Runway

All Images from myLifetime.com

 

Viktor

 

Look 1: The print for this garment is very interesting. I love the blueish purple color. That being said, I am not loving this look. I feel like the top is too tight on the model, pulling in odd ways. I am actually not a fan of the zippered overskirt; there is something very cheerleader-y about it. I think using the zippers in this way is an interesting take on pleats, but does not do much for me in this particular look. It just feels over-thought to me. I like Viktor’s work best when it is impeccable and chic, this just has too many elements.

 

Look 2: I hate the pants on this look. Once again I feel there is a tailoring issue; something that is frankly shocking to me considering the beautiful construction he was able to achieve during the time constraints of the earlier competition rounds. I am not a fan of the textile for the pants, either. It looks like she spilled something on herself. That’s not to say I don’t think splattered-looking textiles don’t have a place, but maroon on white? Nuh-uh. And the back of the pants being a completely different textile from the front bothers me a lot. In terms of the shirt, I like metallic detailing, and the jacket is super cute. It has an ease about it, but the detailing makes it look more fashion forward.

 

Look 3: The proportions of this look seem off to me. The length of the dress seems quite unflattering to the model, and I am not a fan of the ultra-long train on the cocktail dress. I am also officially over sheer skirts. Even in terms of high fashion, it is so rare to see them done right. I just don’t think there is anything that fun or flattering about a skirt that shows the world your undies. Yeah, I really do not like the dress at all. The jacket is pretty hot, though. It looks wonderfully made (I wonder if Viktor had its construction outsourced?) But I don’t think pairing it with the dress was the best usage of it.

 

Anya

 

Look 1: I really like the print she chose for this look. It has an earthiness without being too “art teacher.” That being said, I’m not loving the overall shape of the dress. The front, I like, the length is nice, the bodice fits well. The back is where I am having issues. I don’t like the slightly longer length back there. It ruins the silhouette for me. I am also having a bit of trouble with the belt. I would like to see it closer up, I think. There are no good shots of it on the broadcast. It looks a lot like a silver tab on a soda can to me. I think I would like it better in a different metallic than the silver, it would look better with the warm tones of the dress itself.

 

Look 2: A bathing suit seems like a bit of a cop-out to me. I mean, yes, I guess it shows that Anya can make something other than a loose caftan, but it is really a bare-minimum kind of effort to prove this. Furthermore, I don’t think it fits the model all that well. At all. I keep wanting to hitch it up an inch or two. I have no issues with a deep v, but there is something off about it; it looks like the model is long-waisted and wearing a too short suit. The cover-up is a total waste. I hate the fabric choice—that burlap color is just ugly. I just don’t think this was the best look to show as epitomizing her collection.

 

Look 3: I am not liking this look very well, either. The fabric is too shiny and looks cheap, and man, does it ever show off every flaw in Anya’s sewing skills. It is pulling, tugging and creasing every which way. The way she gave it shape looks totally amateurish and the fabric is just too heavy. It looks like somebody repurposed a thrift store prom dress, and not in a good way.

 

Kimberly

 

Look 1: This is actually pretty cute. I love the textile for the top—the colors are so interesting. That being said, the shape of the top is pretty basic. I also am having a bit of an issue with the pants. I think they are a tad long, and I wish they were a bit more fitted. I do love the royal blue, though. I know that this is Kimberly’s casual look, but it crosses over into a bit too casual for me. I think she needed to start her mini collection with a “wow” look, and I don’t think that this fits the bill.

 

Look 2: I don’t love this look. The color combination is cool, I think I need something in that royal blue. But the shape of the top is once again very simple. And the skirt seems overworked to me. It seems very stiff on the model, kind of like it is orbiting her rather than she is wearing it. I also think the silhouette is quite unflattering. It makes the model’s hips look enormous. Plus the hemline is weird, and not in a fun way. In the closeup, I can see that the skirt seems put together with a series of jump ring clasps, showing the model’s legs all the way up. I find it rather tacky. And the volume in the back gives the impression that the model has a huge butt, which, of course, she doesn’t. Not a good look, overall.

 

Look 3: Now this, I like. (It actually looked much prettier in motion.) It is a very simple dress, but I find it quite chic. I know the model is probably already six feet tall, but she looks like a statuesque column in it, and that is a good thing. I like how Kimberly incorporated her inclination towards the sparkly in a classy way. I can see ladies wanting to wear this gown to big events. Definitely her best look of the three. I wish she had brought this level of sophistication to her other two looks. As it is, this look is the disparate element amongst the other two. In fact, I don’t really see how it relates to the other looks at all.

 

Joshua

 

Look 1: As expected, this is a lot of look. I know this is shocking, but I actually kind of like this look. The pants look well-made, and I am actually not averse to hot pink pants. The jacket is over-designed, but really cool. There are elements in there that I’ve never seen before. The more I look at it, the more I like the jacket a lot. It fits really nicely, too. The element I am not fond of is the tank top. I just don’t love the print he chose, the colors look muddy compared to the neon pink. I’m seeing an 80’s New Wave inspiration and I like it. I could do without the safety goggles, though.

 

Look 2: A bit of a let-down after the last look. The cut of this dress is not very flattering at all. It gaps too much at the low V-neck, making the model’s torso look wide. And the skirt is pulling at the hips. Both of these issues indicate to me that the dress is too small. Which is kind of unfortunate, because I can see the seeds of a good idea in this garment. I think the detailing on the skirt has a lot of potential, for one. I just wish I could have seen it in the proper size for the model, as I think if properly sized it could be a quite pretty little dress.

 

Look 3: Star Trek villain. As Joe so aptly says, “The top says ‘alien,’ the bottom says ‘People’s Court Judge’” But in all seriousness, this is a lazy look. It is basically a black shower curtain wrapped around her and attached to a weird neck piece. Joshua has once again gone to the cheapest fabric he can find (it seriously looks like cheap Halloween costume polyester.) And the styling is awful. I can’t tell if she is wearing tall boots, or booties with tights or what, but it is not good. Then from the back we see that there is a fitted pant, essentially making the dress a glorified apron. Hate it.

 

 

No top and bottom from me this week. Overall, I am pretty disappointed with the output. I would think that with the longer time available and a break from the total stress situation, the designers could have made more complete, thoughtful garments. As it was, I didn’t see a huge improvement upon what they were making in the time constraints of a day or two. At this point, I am not totally invested in any of the designers, and none of the four made anything that blew my socks off tonight. So, as bad as it is, I just kind of don’t care all that much anymore.

 

 

Alright, so…judging:

 

Joshua’s in and competing at Fashion Week

 

Viktor is in and will compete, too.

 

Kimberly’s in.

 

And Anya’s in, too. How ‘bout that? All four of them are competing at Fashion Week this year.

 

Really, it’s no skin off anyone’s back, really. Since almost every designer this season showed anyway, it’s really about who’s competing. And really, what does it matter if the judges have to choose a single winner from amongst a pool of three or a pool of four?

 

But of course Joshua is a bitter ass about it. No big surprise there.

Project Runway: Episode 12 Recap

It feels like this show has been on for months and months. Get us to Fashion Week already!

 

The Challenge

 

The designers head to Governors Island. They are to take inspiration from pretty much anything from around the island. They are to make 3 outfits that show a range of looks. They have two days to complete this challenge. Wow, that’s a lot of work!

After they buy their fabric and get back to the workroom, Tim comes in with the dreaded button bag. As if three looks in two days wasn’t stressful enough. He brings in the eliminated designers to “help.”  This should be interesting.

Kimberly picks Becky

Viktor picks Olivier

Laura Kathleen picks Anthony Ryan

Anya picks Bert

And Joshua will be working with Bryce

 

The Runway

All images from myLifetime.com

 

The special guest judge this week is Zoe Saldana. Ooh, an actress that actually is quite fashion-forward. Cool.

 

 

Joshua:

Look 1: This look does not wow me at all. (I also have no idea why Lifetime doesn’t have normal runway photos of it.) There is nothing intrinsically wrong with a minimalist aesthetic, but it only works when done well, and I don’t think this dress is all that well done. The actual cut of the dress is not very flattering and it is kind of shapeless. The netting at the top does not really add much interest to the look. It’s just not an interesting look and there are some fit issues in the back.

 

Look 2: Hideous. Another circle skirt from Joshua. And this time it is terribly unflattering. It is too high on the waist, too short, and the fabric is stiff. And the top, ugh, don’t even get me started. The hideous stripe combined with the vest makes the model look fat. And she’s not! It is so unfortunate, I don’t think I have to say more. The picture speaks for itself.

 

Look 3: I liked this look relatively well at first until I realized that it was made of incredibly cheap looking sparkly fabric. It looks itchy. Joe thinks it looks like an outfit a street performer who does the living statue or robot would wear. I think there was the seed of a cool idea here, but the execution is sorely lacking.

 

Kimberly:

 

Look 1: Despite my workroom footage misgivings, this coat is pretty cute. I would totally buy/wear it. I like the color, the cut, even the buttons are cute. I don’t really like the way she styled the look—too much boot, too much scarf—but overall, a great, wearable coat.

 

Look 2: Oh Kimberly, Kimberly…why can’t you stay away from the thick shiny fabrics? They are ugly and cheap looking. I have been saying so since day one. I hate the skirt. The shape may have worked in a more drapeable fabric, but this looks like crumpled tinfoil. I do not like the cut of the top. The keyhole (that’s a pretty big key!) is just too large, and I find it a bit vulgar. The belt detail adds nothing to the look. Such a disappointment.

 

Look 3: Once again I am not a fan of the fabric choice. Once again, a stiff metallic. I know the judges have responded positively to this aesthetic in the past, but I wasn’t a fan then, and I am not a fan now. The shape of the dress is interesting. I just have trouble separating the shape from the fabrics; as it is, I don’t think the garment is very pretty or flattering, but maybe done in a fabric with a different body would improve it. I find it so frustrating to critique Kimberly’s looks so negatively because she seems like a very nice person.

 

Laura Kathleen:

 

Look 1: The skirt is a total throwaway. I see very little thought put into it. It looks like muslin. The jacket reminds me a bit of Olivier’s jacket from Episode 7. It might just be the contrasting lapels and the seaming. I actually like the way she utilized the circle fabric in this look. I think she cut the fabric fairly thoughtfully, though she could have matched her patterns a bit better. I do see some construction issues, as in close-up the jacket is totally gapping at the fasteners. And it doesn’t fit the model quite right in the back.

 

Look 2: I don’t really see how this look connects to the previous one at all. Whereas that one was very structural (the jacket, at least) this is incredibly bedsheet-y and frankly looks poorly made. The black details appear hastily applied, the fit in the bust and waist are atrocious. This is a “week one time managment failure” offering, not a “final five” design.

 

Look 3: But now this look, I love. I know that she pretty much let the textile do most of the work, but this is graphic and just beautiful to me. The finishing at the side seams leaves a bit to be desired, though. When the model turns around, the dress also has some pretty glaring errors: the slit is too shallow, there is a “butt void” where there is a large circle in the textile, and her circles doen’t line up. Such a pity, it looked so promising at first glance.

 

Anya:

 

Look 1: Maybe I just don’t get it, but this dress looks like it was put on backwards. The “mullet hem” deployed with the long in the front and short in the back does not inspire me. I’m really not a minimalism-hater, but this does not do much for me. I’m not sure the dress was cut as beautifully as it could have been; there is maybe something a bit “maternity” about it. And when the model turns around, the dress looks even more like it was put on backwards. Maybe it is a maternity dress that can be turned front-to-back and be worn post-baby, too! Think of the savings!

 

Look 2: Unfinished looking. So many unfinished edges! The wrap pants are okay, I don’t love or hate them, they’re fine. But the top looks like a bit of sail or something, especially with the oversized grommet and woven ribbon. I do like the rust color, though.

 

Look 3: This is actually kind of pretty. Although there are issues with the construction, I find this minimalism to be a pretty one. It is still a fairly simple-looking dress, but it does a have a certain je ne sais quoi about it. The back is a bit oddly stiff on such a flowing dress, though.

 

Viktor:

 

Look 1: Viktor certainly knows how to make a pair of pants, that’s for sure. I’m not responding as positively to the jacket as I thought I would. Normally I find Viktor’s pieces impeccable, but this jacket just doesn’t fit as beautifully as I expect from him. I think there may be an issue with the length and tightness of the sleeve, and the material just isn’t all that appealing to me. I do like his choice of fabric for the tank top, though.

 

Look 2: This is quite commercial. It looks fine and very well sewn, but I really wish Viktor would have chosen a different silhouette for the top. A collared buttondown is just very office-wear. I think the shape of the skirt keeps it from entirely being admin wear, but it’s pretty close. The pop of color on the belt is a nice touch, though.

 

Look 3: It’s a Little Black Dress. I’m sure he did something interesting with the seaming to add the volume at the hip. It gives the model a very exaggerated hourglass shape, almost unnervingly so. The boning has a stiffness to it that I find unappealing. It is just pulling in ways that I feel it shouldn’t. I’m quite a bit disappointed. I have loved so many of Viktor’s looks throughout the competition. I hoped that as we got towards the end, I would find myself loving everything he would send out, and I am sad that this is not the case this week.

 

My Top Three Looks (Ha! How you like that?!):

-Kimberly’s Look 1 coat

-Anya’s Look 3 gown

-Laura Kathleen’s Look 3 gown

 

My Bottom Three Looks:

-Joshua’s Look 2 separates

-Kimberly’s Look 2 separates

-Anya’s Look 2 separates

 

I guess I just didn’t respond well to the separates tonight!

 

The judges don’t really have a set top and bottom this week. So onto the Fashion Week announcements!

 

Anya’s in. She’ll show at Fashion Week

Viktor’s in. He’ll show at Fashion Week

Joshua’s in. He’ll show at Fashion Week

Laura is…OUT. She will NOT be showing at Fashion Week.

That means Kimberly is in and will show at Fashion

I think for Laura Kathleen’s elimination what did her in was the bedsheet second look. She needed to bring her A-game, and when one look out of the three is a complete throwaway dud, the judges just could not let it slide. It’s really too bad, too, since her third look, the gown, was quite amazing.

Project Runway: Episode 11 Recap

Well, jury duty was delayed until this afternoon, so I’m happy to get this posted before I head out.

 

The Challenge

 

The designers walk into a room with four birds. A cockatoo, an owl, an Amazon parrot, and a raven. The designers will be placed in pairs (puke.)

Each pair is assigned a bird at random to inspire a high-fashion look:

Anya and Laura Kathleen: Raven

Joshua and Bert: Amazon parrot

Viktor and Kimberly: Cockatoo

Apparently poor Owl got shafted, he (or she) doesn’t get to be a muse :_(

It turns out the pairs are competing against one another rather than working with each other. One from each pair will be on the bottom, the other will be on the top. What a twist!

 

 

The Workroom

 

After buying fabric at Mood and getting started on their looks, Tim heads in, so I’m sure there will be a further twist.

The designers have to create a second high-fashion look inspired by their birds. But…why? This doesn’t seem to serve any purpose. These shenanigans are just irritating.

As a note, this season has just totally let the wind out of my sails when it comes to recapping the workroom. I’m not really enjoying the workroom process any longer. I feel like in earlier seasons there was stress and drama in the workroom, but also moments of fun and silliness. I don’t see those moments very often anymore. There’s just not all that much enjoyable to comment upon. All I want to do is snark on what the designers send down the runway. This is supposed to be fun for me, so I’m just going to do abbreviated recaps, mostly just the runway recap.

Oh, but there’s another twist. Only one look will head down the runway. Whatevs.

 

The Runway

 

The special guest judge is Francisco Costa who design’s for Calvin Klein.

All images from myLifetime.com

 

Viktor: This dress is fine. I wouldn’t call it one of his best pieces, but it is pretty enough. I kind of wish he used a lighter hand with the material on the bodice, it looks a bit overworked to me. I’m normally not a big fan of sheer long skirts, but I think that this one is quite tasteful in that the opacity of the fabric keeps it a bit demure. The feather detailing is fine, if literal, and I’m not sure I like the yellow-y peach he used. It does flutter beautifully down the runway, though.

 

Kimberly: I find this look rather vulgar. The slit all the way up combined with the diagonal chest cutout, the bare shoulder, and the half-bare back makes it reveal too much skin for my taste. The pearl accent on the bodice looks very cheap and plasticy. I do like the flow of the fabric and the peek of peach, though.

 

Bert: I hate the top of this look. The shiny silver with the sweetheart top just looks cheap. I have no idea why Bert would have picked that ugly fabric out of the thousands of fabrics available to him. The skirt is okay, I guess. I like the acid green and think it is a pretty, modern color choice. I think the flashes of teal in the lining is pretty, too, and an interesting combination with the bright green. Why he chose to pair these pretty colors with brown and taupe, I don’t know. Frankly, I am just left a bit confused by this look.

 

Joshua: I’m not responding as positively to this garment as Tim or the designers did. I love the boldness of the orange, but I find this dress leaves a lot to be desired. In close-up it appears that the edges of the dress are sloppily finished, which is just lazy, considering the simplicity of this dress. I also wish the flourish at the shoulder were place a bit higher, it seems a bit low for my taste. The back is draped beautifully, but I can’t help feeling that this dress was kind of a lucky fluke, and that not a lot of actual design went into it.

 

Anya: This dress is suspiciously similar to Viktor’s look from Episode 4, the “Dress Nina” challenge: the simple black dress with the exaggerated shoulder, the accentutated hip, just the overall shape of the garment. I didn’t love Viktor’s look from that episode, but his was done more masterfully than hers in my opinion. I don’t think the volume at the hip is flattering on the model, the shoulder treatment seems sharp and amateurishly constructed. I also am not a fan of the hemline that is longer in the back. Not strong enough for me this late in the game.

 

Laura Kathleen: First off, I love that she did pants. Although I wish they weren’t super shiny pants. The jacket is pretty cool and fits the model well through the shoulder and bust, though I wish it were a touch longer and the fabric didn’t show wrinkles so easily. I don’t find the neck detailing too overwhelming or too literal an interpretation of feathers. If I’m seeing it correctly, the fabric she chose has just a touch of sheen and dimension in a red or purple, which is a great way to interpret the raven. On the downside, the back of the jacket sticks out funny. It looks like a bird’s tail. Which may have been the intention, but it isn’t very pretty on the runway.

 

So, My Top 3:

Viktor vs. Kimberly: Viktor

Bert vs. Joshua: Joshua

Anya vs. Laura Kathleen: Laura Kathleen

 

Thus, my bottom 3 are:

Kimberly

Bert

Anya

 

I fully expect my top three and bottom three will be the exact opposite of the judges’ based on how things have been going lately.

 

The Judges’ Top 3:

Anya

Joshua

Kimberly

 

The Judges’ Bottom 3:

Laura Kathleen

Bert

Viktor

 

Anya wins (again.) I think she could take have an attack of the stomach flu all over her dress and the judges would laud her for such a beautiful and avant-garde print, and how brave of her for “making it work.”

 

Joshua is in.

 

Kimberly is in.

 

Viktor is in (thank goodness!)

 

Laura Kathleen is…IN!? Which means Bert is OUT!? (Jaw totally on the floor. I did not see that coming at all! I mean, Bert was the only designer that the judges and I agreed on being on the bottom . But I am still quite shocked. At least he had a redemption arc, so we don’t all still think he’s a grouchy, bitter man.

Project Runway Episode 10 Recap

Well. Another week. I want the designs to get better, darn it! But I am fully prepared for my hopes to be stomped on. But seriously, top seven, and nothing has been exceptionally great and memorable yet. I mean, these years later I can still picture perfectly in my mind Nick Verreos’s “Barbie challenge” winning design or Michael (Mychael) Knight’s “fashion icon challenge” winning design. Or even just Mondo’s “Create a Print challenge” winner. The fact that not a single look this season is all that memorable to me is just sad. Very sad.

 

The Challenge

 

The designers are to look to the past, specifically the 1970’s. They are to design a modern look inspired by the 1970’s. Not a recreation, guys! Seriously, last week was horrifying. Do better! I think they are also supposed to take some level of inspiration from Piperlime accessories, as this is the Piperlime challenge.

 

The Workroom

 

Yay! An individual challenge!

So at Mood Anya loses her money. I’m not calling shenanigans or anything, but the fact that around 10 people frantically looking couldn’t find it is kind of strange. Anthony Ryan gives Anya some of the money he has left over, and she is able to buy some yardage of the fabric she had already picked out.

There is consensus in the workroom that Kimberly’s look isn’t looking very fashion-forward, and I tend to agree. Thus far the pieces look very “work separates” and not very interesting.

Viktor is grouchy that Joshua seems to have copied some of the elements of his work. Seeing the evidence, I think Viktor is right. Hm. Of course Viktor’s taste is far more sophisticated than Joshua’s. So Viktor has that going for him, regardless as to the similarities.

Tim comes in with a twist (What a twist!) that the designers must create a companion piece to their initial look. The companion piece can not be separates, just a single piece/outfit.

It is nice having a fairly traditional “everyone designs by themselves” challenge in that it even includes a full Tim critique. Having it makes me realize that the show has been lacking it. Doesn’t Lifetime realize that Tim is the reason a whole lot of folks tune in to this drama queen circus? This departure from frequent, great critiques from Tim to more screen time for interpersonal drama makes me really realize how completely off-the-rails this season had been. The producers really, truly have lost sight of this show and why people follow it the way that they do. I’m not sure how many more seasons they can wring out the franchise if they are slowly but surely alienating the show’s fan base. I think a lot of people (myself included) have seen the end (or at least the point where I will stop watching) coming since the show tried filming in L.A., since the show moved to Lifetime, and since Gretchen Jones won over Mondo. How much more are we, the fans, willing to take? I’m sure the viewership is good enough that they’ll keep making it (because reality shows are dirt cheap.) I guess I just find myself wondering how much further I am willing to continue with this show. Although I am planning on giving All Stars and even Accessory a try just because they are new and fresh. So take that as you will.

 

The Runway: All Images from MyLifetime.com

 

Kimberly Look 1: Oh my. This shirt was kind of vulgar on the runway. The scarf-like cut of the top in combination with the lightness of the fabric almost caused a wardrobe malfunction. Nothing about this look says “70’s inspired” to me. The print certainly isn’t. And neither is the shape of the skirt. It just doesn’t seem all that well-considered.

 

Kimberly Look 2: Once again: oh my. No. Just no. I hate it. Pretty much everything about it. The print is super-boring and dowdy. The front of the top is incredibly wrong, the little belly keyhole is just gross. The sewing is atrocious. The seaming on the top is puckering like crazy. I hate to say it, but it makes the model look like she has sagging breasts. And the back of the pants are wedgie-inducing. It is all just really ugly. Just a complete miss from Kimberly this week; a terrible follow-up to last week’s abysmal performance.

 

Anthony Ryan Look 1: I can kind of see where he was going with this one. The prints have a seventies vibe to them without being exact reproductions. I like the color palette. I don’t love the shapes of the clothes, but it does keep the look from being too literal. They aren’t my taste, but I think the pieces would look appropriate for Piperlime.

 

Anthony Ryan Look 2: Cute! It feels like it could be in the same collection with the previous look. I can’t point out his using the belt as a cop-out as this is the Piperlime challenge. This look has an ease about it, probably because it was a ridiculously easy dress to create. But still, the graphic quality to it makes it modern. It is interesting that in his first look, the prints were the seventies-inspired portion, and in the second look, the seventies-inspiration is in the shape.

 

Bert Look 1: Hm. Well, it certainly has that Studio 54 vibe to it. Too bad it is kind of hideous. I don’t feel that this is something most women would want to buy. I think only models can look even passable in satin hotpants. The skirt might work as a bathing suit cover-up. The shirt doesn’t do anything for me. Maybe he was on the right track with the one-shouldered look. I don’t know. I just don’t know.

 

Bert Look 2: Toga! Toga! It’s a dress. It functions as a dress in that it covers her. It looks like Bert cut out two dress shapes a la paper dolls and sewed them together at the shoulders and sides. There is literally nothing else to say about this non-look.

 

Laura Kathleen Look 1: This looks like a piece out of the losing group challenge in Episode 7, a group of which Laura Kathleen was a part. I don’t hate this look. But I certainly don’t like it, either. I think there are some serious fit issues in the top; not sure what is going on this episode with making flat-chested models look like they need bras. The skirt fabric is certainly interesting, but not really interesting in a good way. I would put it in the “fine” category.

 

Laura Kathleen Look 2: This has more of the seventies feel I was expecting. I think this look is pretty cute. I like that she went with pants rather than a skirt. It updates the look a bit. I don’t have much bad to say about this look, except that I wouldn’t really consider this a companion-piece to the first look. They don’t really look like the belong in the same collection to me at all. And I think maybe she should have created two silhouettes that aren’t so alike. They are awfully similar to one another.

 

Joshua Look 1: I don’t like this at all. The pants are Capital “C” Crazy. They are doing terrible, terrible things to the model’s body. The plaid fabric is creating some really terrifying discrepancies in the crotch. The pockets combined with the high-waisted nature of the look are making her look lumpy and bumpy, like she has a muffin top INSIDE her pants. I think the direction he was trying to go with the yoked top was smart, but not in the fabrics he picked. The whole thing looks like some sort of twisted old-man drag. The golf pants mixed with the shirt that looks like a grandpa cardigan are creating some disturbing results. It’s just not right.

 

Joshua Look 2: The print is a bit similar to Laura Kathleen’s. Overall the dress looks cheap. I think I tried on something unnervingly similar at Target this summer. I’m completely serious. So…it’s marketable, I guess. It does not relate to the first look at all, though.

 

Anya Look 1: Girl certainly has a point of view, doesn’t she. Good thing that POV is tailor-made to this challenge. I know she struggled with losing her money and all, but that does not excuse bad sewing. And this looks badly sewn. The more I look at this, the more I see poor and or lazy construction and fit. The top doesn’t really fit the model properly; the sides are too far apart. The fit of the pants are lazy—just too big all over, hidden by the fact that she cinched in the waist with a belt. The pants are too short. And her fabric choice for the pants is bad in that it is too stiff. And since this is fabric she had cut before she lost her money, there is really no excuse.

 

Anya Look 2: I think it embodies the challenge okay. I know she wanted exaggerated pant legs, and she got them. To a clown-like level. The print she used is really trippy. On my tv it looks like frames of animation are missing in the pants as the model walks. Really a freaky optical illusion. Once again I see lazy sewing in this look. I feel like maybe Anya designs loose and flowing so that she never has to worry about fit. You know, bed sheets fit almost everyone perfectly!

 

Viktor Look 1: I must quote Joe on this one “Yeah, that doesn’t suck!” I agree, Joe, I agree. Once again I feel Viktor is just blowing everyone else out of the water. Here we have everyone else’s slap-dash looks, and then we have Viktor, with impeccably made, complex looks. The jacket is to die for. I want it, and I don’t even really like “safari” inspired pieces. The pants are perfectly fitted, they reference the 1970’s without being exact recreations. Maybe he could have added a pop of color or something to the look, but I am completely impressed that he pulled out such sophisticated and refined looking pieces in the amount of time and the budget that he had. Do I maybe have a new favorite contestant to root for?

 

Viktor Look 2: Once again: cute! I hate snake print, but I want this dress! I see the seventies inspiration in the wrap. I love the ombre effect. This dress would look flattering on pretty much every woman. Once again: look at what the other designers made in a day, then look at this. Dude whipped this thing up in only a few hours and it looks totally polished. Just awesome. And the two outfits look like they belong in the same collection. Seriously, Viktor is amazing.

 

My Top 3:

Viktor

Anthony Ryan

If I had to pick, maybe Laura Kathleen? Because it was ugly, but well-sewn.

 

My Bottom 3:

Kimberly

Bert

Joshua

 

The Judges’ Top 3:

Viktor

Bert

Anya

 

The Judges’ Bottom 3:

Joshua

Anthony Ryan

Laura Kathleen

 

 

Kimberly is in the middle, and therefore safe. Really? I don’t understand what about either of her looks kept her from the bottom this week. I like her as a contestant, though, so I guess I shall not try to incite a riot.

 

Anya is the winner. Sigh. I guess I just don’t see what the judges see. I seriously do not understand how Anthony Ryan’s second look is slammed by the judges as being “a tent” whereas Anya’s second look makes her the winner. It just completely boggles my mind and makes me question what the heck the judges are thinking!

 

Bert is in, and they want to produce his simple dress and sell it on Piperlime. Yeah, because it will cost pennies to produce and they can sell it at a massive mark-up, it having the “Project Runway” name on it.

 

Viktor is in.

 

Laura Kathleen is in.

 

Joshua is in.

 

That means Anthony Ryan is out. Really? Really?! He made the worst things on that runway today? I don’t think so. I would argue that Kimberly, Joshua, heck, I would even argue winner Anya had worse looks up there this week. Judges: they just confuse me to no end. I seriously, seriously just do not get them.

Project Runway: Episode 9 Recap

Is it bad that I am genuinely getting bored with this season? I feel that there has not really been a single memorable design yet this season. I watch this show for cool, fresh design, and I’m not getting it at all this season.

 

The Challenge

 

The designers are split into two teams of four:

Team One: Oliver, Viktor, Kimberly, and Joshua (Team Untitled)

Team Two: Anthony Ryan, Laura Kathleen, Bert, and Anya (Team Harmony)

The teams will be designing outfits for the band The Sheepdogs to be featured in photos for Marie Claire and Rolling Stone magazines, and to be worn for a live performance. And as an added twist the band members are all dudes. How long has it been since Project Runway last had a menswear challenge?

Both teams will be designing for the full band. Each team member is responsible for a band member’s total look. The looks will be judged more or less individually. So I guess they don’t really need to be on teams at all.

Whew. What a complex challenge. I’m kind of tired just thinking about it!

 

The Workroom

 

Well, first off, pretty much everyone struggles with buying material. I’d think by this point they’d know Mood like the back of their hands. Apparently not, or maybe Mood hid all their good fabric this week.

Of course, Olivier can’t help but whine that his band member is “so massive.” Dude has serious issues with people who are any different than himself. It is really rather embarrassing.

Interesting that there are two client-based challenges in a row. I find how the designers respond to critique from their clients very interesting. Some are really able to roll with the punches and others get K.O.’ed in the first minute.

It’s a pretty drama-free workroom this challenge. For once, everyone seems to be putting their heads down and working.

Towards the end almost everyone is straight-up running out of time. Yikes. Pretty much everyone is panicking like crazy. This is going to be a fashion bloodbath.

 

The Runway

 

The guest judge this week is Adam Lambert. Loved him on Idol, actually own his album, hope he doesn’t disappoint.

All Images from MyLifetime.com

 

Team Harmony

 

Anthony Ryan: This is fine. I think I’m going to really struggle critiquing menswear. Okay. So. The pants are fine, maybe a bit too Saturday Night Fever. They could have been better fitting, I think. I like the fabric he used for the shirt, but I don’t think the fringe on the back is all that well-done or even well thought out. I feel like the shirt could have used more interesting detailing on the front, as that is the side most frequently facing the audience. As seen above, the fringe doesn’t show at all from the front and the front is rather bland.

 

Anya: The pants look to be well made. They’re just jeans, though. The dashiki she made isn’t really doing anything for me. It’s too understated. I think my main problem is with the brown. It looks cheap, like $3.99 a yard poor-quality cotton solid. It is clear on the close-up that it is quite poorly made. Plus, it’s all wrinkly, and looks like a children’s theater Thanksgiving “Indian” costume. And the headband is not helping.

 

Laura Kathleen: The pants turned out pretty awesome. They appear to fit very well. I hate the tank top. It looks blood spattered, and not in a good way. It looks like he got into a barfight and it took a while to staunch the flow of his bloody nose. I do like the overshirt she made, I think it has that oddly effeminate quality that some bands rock. On this outfit, the fringe totally works (though once again invisible from the front.) And I like the scarf she added. This works for me.

 

Bert: Once again, I like the pants. I don’t think the purple-y tone is a problem at all. The shirt(s) though are terrible. The tie-dyeing makes it look like the guy has a bit ole’ sweaty beer belly with some Cheetos staining around the neck. Lead singers are supposed to look kind of scary/sexy, not like The Comic Book Guy. I can’t really say anything about the overshirt, as it is totally shapeless and ugly, like a smock. And don’t get me started on the styling on this guy. The Heidi/Pippi Longstocking look is just unfortunate to the nth degree.

 

Overall: Looks like The Sheepdogs are ready for a long night of That 70’s Show cosplay.

 

Team Untitled

 

Joshua: Too much look. I know stagewear is supposed to be over the top, but this is so complicated that I can’t tell where one part ends and another begins. The pants are fine. The shirt is fine. The vest would have been way better without the fringe. There’s just too much going on.

 

Kimberly: That shirt is so poorly made it is embarrassing. Everything about it is wrong. Bert was right on with his “Would you like a biscuit with that?” description. I just can’t. There are so many problems with this shirt. I think the buttons being all wonky is the worst bit, though. The pants look poorly made, too. In the closeups, I can see the fasteners and everything. Just sad.

 

Viktor: Nice. The pants are rockstar tight, though I could do without the half-assed distressing. His just stripping the fabric with an Xacto blade wasn’t enough. He needed to come up with some way to give them that worn look, otherwise they just look like he took a blade to the knees (which he did.) Perhaps he could have used a more distressed-looking denim to begin with. I think the shirt is cool enough, and the fact that he did a jacket at all when some other people could barely create a tunic and pants is amazing. I like the jacket, especially the way he wove the fringe to make a shoulder treatment. I could have done without the bandana, though. Still, this is pretty darn good, and I can tell a lot of work went into it.

 

Olivier: Not rockstar enough for my taste. The fabric for the shirt looks like French Revolution drapes. Good job, I guess, on matching up the pattern on the front. The pants function. It just doesn’t say rock and roll to me. It kind of doesn’t say much of anything to me at all. The most style this outfit has are the necklaces, which I think the performer brought on his own. This look just isn’t right for this challenge; surprise surprise coming from “can’t move one inch away from my aesthetic” Olivier.

 

Overall: The Sheepdogs are totally ready for their walk-on roles in yet another nostalgic Woodstock movie.

 

Let me just say overall that this was really terrible. Even the outfits I liked were totally dated. It was like all the designers decided they were making hippie Halloween costumes rather than pushing the envelope at all. It all felt completely cliched and boring. I know menswear is generally considered less fashion-conscious than womenswear, but that doesn’t give the designers an excuse to make poorly fitting, poorly made clothes that look like they came from a thrift store. The whole thing was almost uniformly bad.

 

My Top 3:

Viktor

Laura Kathleen

Anthony Ryan? I didn’t really have a third look I liked all that much

 

My Bottom 3:

Anya

Kimberly

Olivier

 

The Judges’ Top 3:

Viktor

Bert

Joshua

 

The Judges’ Bottom 3:

Oliver

Anya

Kimberly

 

Bert is in.

Viktor WINS (FINALLY! He’s deserved it the past two challenges as well. Yay Viktor!)

Laura is in.

Joshua is in.

Anthony Ryan is in.

Anya is in.

Kimberly is…in.

That means Oliver is out. It’s not unexpected to me. I think he was too delicate for this competition. He just kept trying to adjust the challenges to his aesthetic instead of using his aesthetic as a jumping off point for the challenges. Have fun designing for tiny waif-like boys.

Project Runway: Episode 8 Recap

Thursday sneaked up on me this week. We’re having a blast of autumn-like weather. Perfect for curling up and watching over-the-top personalities make underwhelming clothes.

 

The Challenge

 

The designers won’t be working with their usual models this week. Commence flipping out in 3…2…1. A bunch of dudes come onto the runway. The Design-testants will be creating for the men’s wives and girlfriends. Oh no, an average-sized bodies challenge. Who will whine about their model being too big first? The designers do have to work with the dudes, though, to create the looks. Oh this should be fun.

 

The Workroom

 

The designers meet with the guys to try to get an idea as to what their significant others might want made for them. Then the dudes actually get to go to Mood with the designers. I think this is a real test as to how the designers are able to position themselves as experts and assert their points of view while also making their clients happy. So far they seem to be doing fairly well.

Looks like Olivier wins the prize for being the first to whine about working with a woman who has a more average body type. He can’t handle that she has boobs. Ah yes, ladies’ bodies getting in the way of FASHION.

The husbands and boyfriends of the clients are still in the workroom. It’s weird. I think it would be way easier for the designers if they had time to just put their heads down. Of course, we are talking about Project Runway here. When do the designers ever get a chance to just work sans other people?

The ladies come in, and most seem pretty positive. Looks like the dudes did a pretty bang up job describing their partners and their partner’s likes and dislikes. Way to go dudes!

The next day, the ladies and their dudes are still in the workroom. Frankly, I have no idea how any of the designers are getting any work done.

I’m actually kind of liking this episode. It is really more about how the designers are able to deal with the challenge than deal with one another. Yay for minimal interpersonal drama! I’m sure we can’t have that and we’ll be back to the energy-sapping drama and fights next week.

 

The Runway

 

The guest judge this week is Malin Akerman. Wait, why is she there? I mean, she’s an okay actress and all, but I don’t think of her as being especially fashion-y. Their guest judges this season are kind of…uninteresting? Inexpert? The only judge I’ve really liked this season was Kenneth Cole.

All images from myLifetime.com

 

Laura Kathleen: Meh. I don’t like this dress much at all. The multi-length hem is odd. The top looks overworked, very much in that “David’s Bridal mother-of-the-bride” style. The shoulder piece (strap?) seems to serve no real function, and I find myself wondering if it is meant to be off-the-shoulder like that. (Note: It was even further down during the actual show.) I’m also just not a big fan on the choice of fabric. The color is fine and I’m glad Laura Kathleen steered the client’s husband away from his initial choices of hot pink and purple. But the shininess of the fabric makes it look quite cheap. I just don’t see a lot of design in this dress. It really looks like a “gown” from the mall.

 

Anthony Ryan: Love this. Would totally wear this. Yes it is simple. Yes, the color combination might read a little bit Disney, but it is very, very cute and the client looked absolutely thrilled with what he produced. And it was a very flattering shape on her. When can I buy it?

 

Bert: Another client who looks really pleased with the result. I think he did a relatively good job on it. The client is certainly a bit busty, and it looks revealing without being over-the-top. I am happy he went with a print, but I don’t really like the fabric. It is very shiny, and shiny highlights everything. Also there are some fit issues in the tummy area that really don’t flatter the client’s curves as well as they should. Still, the dress is fine. Not terrible, just fine.

 

Joshua: Super simple, but super chic and super flattering. It has a classic, retro feel to it á la Audrey Hepburn. I love the shape of it, and I think the little lace at the neck and on the back is gorgeous. Another dress that I would totally buy. He may be the biggest jerk on the show, but I can’t help myself loving his clothes.

 

Bryce: I kind of wish he had gone with his first instinct and had not done the whole dress in that pink. It’s just…too much. The dress fits his client terribly and there seems to be some effort to hide poor sewing by cinching it with the belt from the Piperlime wall. I think this looks way worse in the above photo than it did on the runway, but it was still clearly a poorly sewn dress. I think the ultra-low pockets at the front look like an artist’s smock. Overall, I don’t see a whole lot of thought that went into this look. It looks very off-the-rack and not tailored to her body at all.

 

Kimberly: This actually turned out pretty cool. I had my doubts in the workroom, but on the runway, this actually worked quite well. The top is really cool and looks great on the client. The skirt isn’t right for the client, though. The shape of the skirt combined with the shininess of the fabric makes it a bit unflattering. It pulls a bit in the front. I am starting to doubt Kimberly’s ability to make a cute, well-fitting skirt. This one is bad in ways both similar and different to last week’s skirt. But the client totally worked it.

 

Olivier: Okay, I am officially over him. I feel like we’ve seen this exact outfit before from him. The pants are straight out of last week, and the shape of the top is totally from the week before that. I am getting tired of his porridge-y color palette and his pleated, tucked garments. I know he doesn’t like designing out of his aesthetic, but it makes me wonder why he did this show. I feel like we are getting the exact same things from him week after week. And though I know he wanted to stay true to himself, I think he left his client really unhappy with the result. And it doesn’t really flatter her at all. The bust area is crazy. He needed to be able to adapt his aesthetic to the wants of the client, and in that, he totally failed.

 

Anya: I’m not sure this flatters the client all that well, she looks a bit broad-shouldered in it. I’m glad Anya was able to get the look constructed properly. That being said, I think this look is kind of mediocre. I really don’t like the sleeve, it seems simultaneously too big and too tight. I think sleeveless would have been a prettier overall garment. I see a lot of Anya in this look, and it makes me wonder how much of this style is shared by the client. I must say that the varying hemline is one of the prettier ones I’ve seen. I’m generally not a fan of multi-length hems, but this one looks nice. It does look a lot like what Miss Japan wore at the Miss Universe contest this year, though. See?

 

Viktor: Another outfit I straight-up want to own. This is so cool and pretty and I want it. I love that he used color, and I love the colors he chose. The shirt is impeccably made and gorgeous. The skirt is perfectly tailored. This look is both wearable and looks runway-appropriate. I seriously love this look. I wonder if I can recreate it with pieces that fit my budget…

 

My Top 3:

Viktor

Anthony Ryan

Joshua

(Yep, I put the clothes I want to wear on the top. Because I want to wear them!)

 

My Bottom 3:

Olivier

Bryce

Laura Kathleen

 

The Judges Top 3:

Viktor

Anya

Joshua

 

The Judges Bottom 3:

Bert

Bryce

Anthony Ryan (Whaaa?!)

 

 

Anya is in.

Joshua is the winner. Dude is going to be totally insufferable now.

Viktor is in.

Bert is in.

Bryce is…out.

That means Anthony Ryan is in. Oh thank goodness! He’s the last person standing who I am actually rooting for.

I think it was time for Bryce to go. I don’t think his dress was especially egregious, but he just never created anything that totally wowed me. He seems like a nice guy, though, so I am a little sorry to see him go.

Project Runway: Episode 7 Recap

It’s Thursday again. Time for another hour and a half of egocentric drama queens.

 

The Challenge

 

Another team challenge; two teams of five and nobody will be team leader. It’s going to get Lord of the Flies up in here.

Teams are:

Anthony Ryan, Anya, Viktor, Olivier, and Bryce

Joshua, Laura Kathleen, Kimberly, Becky, and Bert.

Oh my…this should be good. Joshua, Becky AND Bert on the same team. This might as well be Project Runway: Battle Royale.

All designers are to create a textile from which each team will choose three to produce. Each team is to create a five look collection with at least three of the looks must contain the designer-created textiles in a prominent fashion. In addition, they also have to shoot background video and pick the music for their mini fashion show. That’s a ton of work!

 

The Work Room

 

Betsey Johnson shows up to help mentor. Wow. That’s actually pretty cool. From the editing, though, we don’t actually get to see much of what she has to say.

As predicted, Team One is doing okay and cohesive. Their concept seems to be Rorschach tests. Team Two seems to have nothing that makes sense together. I hear Village People, ocean, and clocks thrown out there. I hope they are able to narrow it down a bit from there, ‘cause that’s crazyness. The teams give themselves names. What I have been calling Team One is now “Team Chaos.” Team Two is now “Team Nuts and Bolts.” Clever namers, these folks are not.

Things start already start blowing up for Team Nuts and Bolts (Ugh, I hate typing that.) Poor Kimberly, she is so drama-free.

Team Chaos goes to Times Square to record the busyness for their video. Team Nuts and Bolts decides they want to tell a story with their video, and record Laura Kathleen hopping in and out of cabs in different pairs of shoes, and plan to intercut these scenes with pictures of clocks. I personally don’t think either concept is that great. Both may be too much going on in the background and remove the focus from their garments. When they get back to the workroom, Anya has the idea to mirror the video, which I think is a brilliant idea in that it abstracts the action to allow the clothes to be front and center. But of course, we’ll just have to see.

The next day, the teams get their printed textiles. Josh did a grafitti print. I feel like we see this every year. And it is always a ripoff of Louis Vuitton, so that annoys me. Team Chaos’s prints all seem to be around the same scale, which I think is a mistake on their parts. More scale variety would give the looks more interest.

Team Challenge drama, drama, and more drama. Frankly, it hurts my brain and I don’t want to think about it. So just know there is a ton of arguing, back-biting, etc. These team challenges are just sapping the energy from me. This show is just becoming exhausting rather than entertaining, and it makes me sad.

 

The Runway

 

Rachel Roy and actress Rose Byrne are the guest judges. Rachel Roy is fine, whatever. No clue who Rose Byrne is, though. Why the heck isn’t Betsey Johnson judging?!

All Images from myLifetime.com

 

Team Nuts and Bolts

 

Joshua: If this is the first look which sets the tone for the whole show, this is looking to be the bloodbath I predicted. The pants are not at all modern in fit, they look very “Mom jeans” due to the fullness in the hips and taper in the legs, and they don’t really even work “ironically”. He used the cog print as pockets or hip accents or something, and it just feels very much like kids clothes in the juxtaposotion of the prints. I actually was really interested in his structured cog-like jacket on the mannequin in the workroom, but by opening it out like he did, the detailing was lost and it just looks strange. The shirt seems very last minute. When the model turns around we find that the jacket has flaps in the back revealing more print underneath. It is just too overdesigned at that point. Had it been just the crisp, graphic jacket I had initially thought it to be, it could have been cool, but as it is, it is like student work.

 

Becky: Basic. Looks like you could buy these pieces at Kohls. Not one of the three pieces has anything interesting about it in shape, color or print. She went with the grafitti print skirt, which was the best choice due to the scale of the print, but it is just so uninteresting. The shirt is boring, although I do actually like the acid yellow green. I’m pretty sure it is all topped off with a jacket, but it seriously looks like one of the cardigans I have in my closet. I just don’t see very much innovation or even fashion in this look. The jacket has elbow slits in the sleeves which could have worked, but as designed, the elbow slits are at the exact same level as where the jacket ends and so it just looks weird. Had the jacket been a little bit longer or a little bit shorter it could have been more successful, but as-is, they just fall at the wrong place and look strange.

 

Bert: I kind of don’t like much about this dres. The top seems to fit the model poorly, having volume where there should be none. I find the zipper to be an extraneous element that doesn’t really add anything. And I find the length of the dress very unflattering. And if it is unflattering on a six-foot-tall model, it was probably not well-thought out. I also don’t think this was the best use for this particular textile.

 

Kimberly: I think she copped out by not using any of the prints in this look. Once again, I find that the outfit looks cheap. I just don’t see a lot of effort in this look. The top is nothing special (seriously, what is with this show and its terrible tops?) I do think the shape of the skirt is a bit interesting, albeit short, but I don’t really like the textile she chose. Especially with the shape of the skirt. Jiffy Pop anyone? I think the direction she went with the cog-inspired belt has some interest, and she does get points for having more than a single color in her look. It’s fine.

 

Laura Kathleen: I have seriously had it with jumpsuits. Seriously. They are ugly. There. I said it. And this jumpsuit is no different. She looks like Violet Beauregard when she first starts turning into a blueberry. Too. Much. Blue. I don’t think this looks expensive, I think it looks cheap, like it is from a sketchy store at the mall that you’ve never heard of before that has a name like “Strawberries” or “Star.” It’s cheap-looking club wear. The belt is way too low on the hips, it just looks really strange. It is also clearly a last-second addition because they needed to have more print fabric up there. Speaking of, I didn’t see any of the numbers print anywhere on this runway.

 

Team Chaos

 

Anya: How many times this season have we seen this same shape of dress. It’s fine, it’s chic, it’s just really boring. I do like what she was able to do with the print in that it is expertly matched at the seams. And it is a cute look, don’t get me wrong. I just find it very safe; not pushing the envelope at all. Take away the print, and you’d have a very basic cocktail dress. That being said, it looks to be very well-made and perfectly tailored, and I have to give Anya props for doing something so far out of her comfort zone. It’s cute, but it isn’t the bang that ought to start the runway show.

 

Bryce: I really dont have much to say about this look, honestly. The shirt is boring, but fine (I guess it avoids being a complete snooze-fest because it is such a bold color.) The shorts are not that great. The fit seems a bit off in the front and I don’t like what the pattern is doing down the front. It’s kind of a throwaway to me overall.

 

Anthony Ryan: This look doesn’t really do much for me. I like the top, in that it actually looks like it was designed and not thrown together in about 15 minutes. I find the length and shape of the skirt in combination kind of ugly, though. The whole look just reads quite dowdy to me. As a note, I am thinking this whole collection has very little to do with “chaos” or anything like it. Everything thus far, and expecially this look are just too perfectly crisp and put together. It is like the team’s inspiration stopped once they created the inkblot prints. But on the plus side, this also looks well made.

 

Olivier: Those shoes do not go with that outfit! That inch of skin between the slightly short pants and the slightly tall shoes is making me crazy! That being said, let’s move on to the actual clothes. I’m so not a fan of the shape of the pants. I feel tapered legs like that should be put in retirement for at least another ten years. Though similar, they are better than Joshua’s pants. I begrudgingly have to say they look well-made, though. The jacket also looks beautifully tailored, but I am not loving the shape of it. I think the peplum at the bottom is just not all that flattering. I can tell a lot of work went into the jacket, but I am just not loving it as much as I want to. The leather(?) lapels are cool, though.

 

Viktor: This may be my favorite look of the night. I love the handmade inkblots on the bodice, and I think he was very smart to allow the inkblots to take center stage, keeping the other textiles in black. The dress is exceedingly simple, but it is beautifully made, and is definitely eye-catching. I’m not totally sold on the illusion netting at the neckline, though. I think it brings the garment a bit down-market. I like the shape it gives, just not the choice of textiles. Overall though, It is very chic.

 

My top 3 (In no order):

Viktor

Anya

Kimberly? (I guess I didn’t really have a Top 3)

 

My Bottom 3 (in no order):

Laura Kathleen

Bert

Becky

(Sorry Team Nuts and Bolts)

 

The Judges’ Top:

Clearly, Team Chaos is the winning team

 

The Judges’ Bottom:

Team Nuts and Bolts (who’da thunk it?)

 

Anya wins (That kind of came out of nowhere. Based on the judging I thought for sure it would be Viktor or Olivier.)

The rest of Team Chaos is in.

Onto Team Nuts and Bolts. Who’s going to go home?

Laura Kathleen is in.

Kimberly is is.

Bert is in.

Becky is…out.

That means Joshua is in. He’s much more of a “character.” And Becky just seemed completely beaten down by the competition. So it may all be for the best for her.

Project Runway: Episode 6 Recap

It’s Thursday—the last week has been insane for me. Let’s dive into the cathartic experience of watching someone else’s craziness!

 

Opening Drama

 

Anthony Ryan decides to call a truce with Bert. Bert indicates he is also planning to come to a ceasefire. Seems like somebody is going to have a comeback story arch. Oh Bunim-Murray, you’re so obvious!

 

The Challenge

 

The designers head to the Harlem School of the Arts. Students there have created works of art. The designers will be collaborating with the students to create a work of art to be the basis for an avant-garde fashion. Who will be able to work well with teens and who will not?

Into the art studio they go. Viktor is not connecting well with his student.

Mormon Josh’s student has painted a big furry wolf. He is talking about his piece including a big wolf headpiece. That could be crazyness or crazy cool.

Honestly, I’m not sure the level of input the designers are actually allowed to have with the students they’ve been paired with. It seems like it would make more sense if the works of art were already created and were randomly assigned or chosen via winner order or something. As it is, it kind of allows the designers (in theory) to direct the piece of art, thus helping tailor the contest to their wants and needs. I guess I just find this process extraneous and confusing.

Yet when we get to the sketching room Joshua M. is complaining that he is uninspired by the artwork. Um, didn’t he just have input on it? So isn’t it his own dang fault he doesn’t like what he has to work with. Dude, you are kind of getting on my last nerve.

At Mood, Olivier says he is buying mostly chiffon, despite the fact he’s never worked with it before. Okay, not to be all Debbie Downer on the poor guy, but didn’t Danielle get kicked off just last week for not doing a great job with chiffon and she had tons of experience using it? (HINT: The answer is a resounding “Yes!”) I am worried.

 

 

The Workroom

 

Well, I can’t complain this week about lack of color (Hurrah!)

It is so hard to judge what people are doing in the workroom. With these avant-garde looks until they are more or less done it is really hard to see what they’ll be. Basically, these looks should be more than a sum of their parts. So apologies for the abbreviated Workroom recap.

Compared to last week, the workroom is completely drama-free. Everyone seems to be putting their heads down and working. Overall the feeling in the workroom is quite positive. Maybe the designtestants are simply relieved they aren’t working in teams. Maybe the reasonable amount of time they’ve been given for this challenge allows them to have confidence in their work this round. Whatever it is, I actually like it. Focusing on design rather than interpersonal drama—that’s what I would prefer to tune-in for. Hear that producers?

Anyway, after a fairly sedate workroom, Olivier attempts to glue his dress to the model just before the runway show. Thankfully Tim comes in and nips it in the bud before it headed out on the runway. It would be so sad for someone to go home over a technicality like that. I’m kind of surprised Olivier didn’t know it was against the rules; even I knew it was against the rules. That being said, I think his ignorance is genuine, since he didn’t try to do do it surreptitiously at all.

 

The Runway

 

Nina is out this week; the fill-in is Marie Claire’s senior fashion editor. I don’t know how I feel about Nina’s absence this episode. I guess her specialty isn’t really avant-garde work, so maybe this Zanna person will bring some expertise to the panel? (Probably not)

The guest judge is Kenneth Cole. Is his stuff that avant-garde? (Hint: Nope.)

Okay, bring on the crazy! All images from myLifetime.com. Unfortunately, I was unable to find clear pictures of the inspiration artworks. If these show up at a later time, I will add them here.

 

 

Kimberly: I think her ditching of the feathered sleeves was a good idea. Instead the feathers are applied across the dress. It is a nice enough look. It references the artwork without being too literal. That being said, I don’t think the look brings enough drama. It doesn’t really play with proportion or shape in an innovative way, it just kind of looks like any regular runway look with feathers added to it. Don’t get me wrong, it is a cool look, though.

 

Becky: I’m sorry to keep coming back to this and hammering this point over and over again, but this look is essentially the same silhoutte as all the other dresses she’s made thus far, just with an added assymetrical hem. I think this is her Week 1 dress with some accents applied to it. And the accents really aren’t great. Individually they look like soft blocks for an infant, and in a group they look like a big nasty shoulder tumor. I like Becky, I’ve been totally on her side through all the drama, but this is not an avant-garde or even very interesting look. And I don’t think it reflects the artwork all that well.

 

Olivier: Oh Olivier. The dress you’ve made has nothing to do with the artwork inspiration. Glad you could pop a Claritin and use a touch of color in your work, but this is totally yawn-inducing. I feel like there is nothing I want to study in more detail. I feel that good avant-garde design makes me want to understand how something is made, to see the garment as a work of art in itself. This is mostly just a dress to me, and a fairly uninteresting dress at that.

 

Joshua M: Why do I always have to be so conficted about this dude! He is the biggest jerk on the show, but when his work steps on the runway, I cannot help myself but find things to like about it. That being said, I don’t love or even really like this look, but I find parts of it appealing. So. The top is cool. I like the volume and I find myself curious as to how he achieved it. It’s eye-catching and dramatic. The rest of it is kind of terrible, though. Joshua keeps returning to the circle skirt when he doesn’t know what else to do. And in this case, it is not the right silhoutte at all. And I think the faux bois application is way too literal to the artwork. Had he done something more interesting or cohesive with the skirt, I would have liked this look and hated myself for liking it.

 

Bert: I can’t mince words here. I think this is terrifying. The proportions are all screwed up in a horror movie way rather than an interesting fashion way. Watching it come down the runway I find it genuinely unnerving. The volume of the pants mixed with the mutli-colored accents give it a scary clown look. When she turns around, these giant pants are riding up the poor model’s butt. I just can’t really say anything nice about this look. So I should just stop.

 

Viktor: Toilet paper dress. The shredded white fabric looks like toilet paper. The fabrics look stiff and overworked in the bodice. The visible boning reminds me of the tacky stuff that shows up on “Say Yes to the Dress.” The sleeve is ugly. The look doesn’t reflect the artwork to me. I know it sounds like I hate this dress, but that’s not the case. I am indifferent towards it.

 

Laura Kathleen: Peaches n’ Cream Barbie. Actually, this dress is fine. I do find it quite lovely, to be honest. Is it avant-garde? Not really. But it looks well made (even though I know it is glued) and cohesive Another factor in its favor is the undulating movement it makes as it moves, which I think reflect the kind of movement of a paintbrush on a canvas. Pretty.

 

Bryce: I think he started with a cool idea, but ran out of steam. I actually think the straitjacket inspired sleeves are very cool and avant-garde. It’s not something I would ever think of, which I can’t say for most of the good designs tonight (because yeah, I would have never thought of giant gray clown pants.) The mermaid dress bottom with the dust ruffle like gathering is pretty awful, though. I’m not sure what possessed him to pick that fabric—not a good choice. Still, the top is great.

 

Joshua C: Oh Josh. Why did you listen to your competitors and scrap most of what you had done? Now your look is boring and certainly not avant-garde. Where is the drama? Where is the interest? What element am I supposed to be curious about? It is now a fairly simple top, a mini skirt and a post-car accident whiplash neck brace. Poor Mormon Josh lost his way. Sad.

 

Anthony Ryan: I think the application he did on the dress is really cool. It looks like it was a lot of work. At the same time, I’m not sure this look really pushes the envelope and may be too literal of an interpretation of the artwork. I mean, recreating brushstrokes is as literal as you can get in being inspired by a painting. At the same time, I find the dress very appealing and I want to keep looking at it.

 

Anya: I really don’t like the stiffness to the skirt. It literally does not move at all as her model walks, and since the artwork inspiration is quite impressionistic with lots of dynamic brushstrokes, I feel like the stiffness was a big mistake. I also am not a big fan of the materials she picked out—I think it is upholstry fabric. The skirt is really just a direct color reference to the artwork, but doesn’t do anything thematically with it. I think going with feathers for the top was smart, though, in that I can see a connection to the inspiration in a roundabout way. Is it avant-garde though? Nah.

 

My top 3:

Anthony Ryan

Bryce

Laura Kathleen

 

My Bottom 3:

Bert

Olivier

Becky

 

The Judges’ Top 3:

Joshua M.

Laura Kathleen

Anthony Ryan

 

The Judges’ Bottom 3:

Josh C.

Bert

Olivier

 

Anthony Ryan wins! What a turnaround from last week! Yay!

Joshua M. is in

Laura is in.

Bert is in (because the Crazy Kraut actually liked that horrifying monstrosity)

Olivier is…in.

Which means Josh C. is out (again). Brutal, just brutal.

Look’s like next week will be another team challenge. After the notable lack of drama this week, you didn’t think the producers would let them work by themselves again, did you? Ever since Bunim-Murray became the producers rather than Magical Elves, the show is more about the interpersonal craziness than about talented designers making sometimes innovative, sometimes pretty great work. I actually find the change very disheartening. I didn’t start tuning in to Project Runway to watch people yell at one another like an episode of Real World: Design School. But that’s the direction the production company has decided to take. And I keep masochistically watching in the hopes that out of all the chaos and drama I will get to see some incredible fashion, which actually seems to be increasingly rare. So all I have to say is steel yourselves for next week.