Project runway episode 8

Previously on project runway some serious pretty and fug came down the runway in the form of prom dresses. Victorya was declared the winner and given immunity while Kevin was declared out.

Our show starts out as it always does with shirtless….it looks like Ricky.

Thank goodness Christian’s ego was unhurt because honestly who would still watch the show if he suddenly became humble? Why is his ego so watchable while Rami’s is annoying?

The models come out sporting crazy hairstyles which probably resulted in a hole in the ozone layer from all the hairspray.

I totally called the avant-garde thing based solely on the name of the episode. And I have to say that I absolutely loved this challenge. I think there should be at least one challenge every season for people to get all the crazy out. It gives a stage for all the “artistic expressions” we’ve seen on the runway. Somewhere Santino’s ears are burning.

Sweet P get’s the coveted Lea and she’s the only girl we really know to be really wanted by the designers.

Ricky wants to play with Amanda. “Make her a prom dress” I’m sure.

Tim briefs the designers telling them that the looks don’t have to be realistic and wearable then drops the bomb they are working in teams of two.
The teams are: Kit and Ricky, Sweet P and Rami, Chris and Christian, and Victorya and Jillian
They have to choose a leader for their teams and choose one of the two models.

The team leaders are being chosen among the teams with Christian, Kit, and Rami stepping up. Jillian and Victorya of course solve their problem by flipping a box and electing Jillian the leader.

They go shopping and Sweet P and Rami take time out to play Marco Polo

Tim remembers to thank Mood as always but this time the designers chime in.

Kit wants to take her model’s nest-like hair and transform it into a fantasy garden dress. Christian wants to take the romantic curly hair and make a dress with layers and layers of ruffles. I also want to point out that like the pageant challenge last season if Chris doesn’t make a huge impact or even win it brings into question his profession and anyone who has ever checked out his website knows he is very capable of crazy. Jillian wants to use the model’s punk-y style hair by making a hardcore Bladerunner coat.

Sweet P and Chris make jokes about Elisa’s planet, which you know she would have just laughed along with and probably taken as a compliment.

Kit and Ricky talk about “boning her” and Victorya looks like she might have to lock herself in a room, curl up in a fetal position and just repeat to herself “It’s worth it for fashion week….it’s worth it for fashion week….”

Rami is hounding Sweet P to finish her pants quickly. Weren’t her pants for the menswear challenge kind of funked up?



Rami perfectly trimming his beard and shirtless Ricky after a shower….oh please Bravo. Just change your name to The Blatant Male Nudity Channel

Tim comes in saying he has a special announcement, which Sweet P is of course scared of.

The designers are to create a second ready to wear garment based off their avant-garde look.

They get 50$ and only one designer will go shopping.

Now to me, this is a classic make it work moment where you don’t panic instead you just start thinking.

HA! With the Rami voiceover you see him and Sweet P talking by overusing their hands. It’s actually a pretty hilarious little pantomime moment.

Rami: No you are trapped in a box!
Sweet P: No! I’m fighting against the wind.

Tim sends the models in for a fitting, which gives us the first look of the pieces.

Sweet P confessionals that she thinks Rami has the wrong idea about avant-garde, which I agree with. He seems to think stick stuff on till it looks tacky means that it’s good. Looks a step below want to-be avant garde to me.

Christian gives the girl’s a modeling lesson.

Christian: You gotttaaaaa tuuurn and WHAM! And then UGH!
And they thought Elisa’s descriptions were weird?

Actually this sweet P/Rami problem could be handled if Sweet P could kick the speed up a notch and maybe cut and cry and if Rami would cut the patronizing and hounding.
Tim wants to introduce a special guest….and it’s some makeup guy. I would be disappointed too designers.

The winning looks and models will be featured in a makeup add. Yay? I mean like that’s great, but many of these designers have achieved so much higher than that.
Rami is already making defenses. It’s honestly like he’s already presenting to the judges. And by presenting I mean explaining his mess.

Victorya and Jillian are like catty old “frenemies” ladies over tea. It finally clicked. That’s it.

Victorya: Why Jillian what a wonderful coat you're wearing, it makes you look as young as 60.
Jillian: Why thank you and I see you've decided to pull yourself out of the market for a husband, letting yourself go like that.


The designers return to Parson’s

Last minute adjustments are made and last minute dresses in the case of team Jillian.

Elisa was totally my fan favorite vote.

Heidi clarifies saying only one designer will be out, which I have to add to saying knowing the results I wish the team-mate would've been brought down with the leader, but had it worked out any differently I would have been very upset.

Rami/Sweet P and Ricky/Kit are told they have the lower scores and the winners will be talked to first.

Victorya is determined to sell their win to the judges saying they should win for having done so much

The losers are sent out

Sweet P’s dress is complimented and Nina questions whether Rami can do something else other than the draping.

Kors has a discussion with the voices in his head that tell him he's fabulous and tell the voices outside his head that such a relationship doesn't work out well. I’m not so sure I agree with him. I mean that kind of relationship might not work in real life, but it’s pretty helpful in the show constraints. It makes one's work able to be envisioned by the partner better and it means no time and energy consuming drama. I mean look at this show's history of team challenges and how the designers got along. It doesn't take long to notice the winning teams are often very similar people.

Christian for the win.

Victorya and Jillian are in.

Sweet P and Ricky are in.

I’m not at all surprised Kit is out to be honest. Maybe it’s the just the physical appearance but I pegged her as this season’s Allison. Eliminated on a terrible reason. They weren’t going to eliminate their golden boy of the season. I liked a lot of what Kit did and she seems like a fun girl so I’m sad she’s gone to be honest.

I'm back again this week with my point evaluation method so let's dive in a little more orderly this week starting with the winning designs.






Team Christian and Chris:

Avant-Garde:
Creativity- I am going to find it hard to praise this work enough because I will come right out and say exactly how much I loved it. I thought the idea to use the circular ruffles to mimic the hair and the “wing” creates a sense of drama that needs to be there in avant garde and couture work. -4 pts

Tailoring- I am drawn here. 45 yards of fabric is INCREDIBLE to work with so some of the circular ruffles look…I don’t know…unfinished? But at the same time, I feel like that was what the look was supposed to look like since they used a lot of asymmetry. But most importantly 45 yards of fabric!!!! -4 pts

Aesthetic – I thought this was provocative and elegant and feminine and beautiful. Breathtaking. -4 pts

Challenge – Well this was certainly the most avant garde garment produced in the challenge and probably ever in the show including the couture challenge last season. Though I can’t help but wonder what Jay McCarroll would produce given this opportunity because he clearly craves artistic expressions and usually executes them perfectly. -4pts

Total: 16 points




Ready to wear:
Creativity – Well it’s clearly the style of Christian, but given the time constraints none of the designers were really able to produce anything pushing the envelope really. -2 pts

Tailoring – It has its share of issues, but to me they aren't regarding the fit of the outfit.-3pts

Aesthetic – There is very little this, like all of the other, ready-to-wears. Still there were plenty of things I didn’t like about it. What worked so well on the big look just seems dowdy and reminiscent of Christian’s first garment, and that is the color. Of course this is helped in no small part by the severe hair-style his model is sporting. Then the simple, simple skirt does nothing to give the look anymore visual interest. -1pt

Challenge – Well it certainly looks like it was derived from the original look and it looks ready to wear…even if it’s ugly ready to wear, you could still wear it. -3pts

Total: 9 points






Team Kit and Ricky:

Avant-Garde:
Creativity –I think I actually get where Kit was going with this. For a starting point I quite liked the idea of a snow white-esque dress that is meant to capture the spirit of furry animal friends which gather as you begin to sing. But her actual execution can’t really be called creative. The prints were meant to invoke a garden-y home-y feel but sadly looked cheap to me. -2pts

Tailoring – Well while the sheer volume of the dress must have been a challenge, it doesn’t scream impeccably mad. I think it was a little puckery in places. -1pt

Aesthetic – I seemed to respond to it better than most people but personally I liked the volume, the sheer-looking overalls effect, and especially the back. I actually loved, loved, loved the bows on the back of the dress. I promise I will try to get a picture of it, because to me it made the dress. The prints however were cheap looking and pretty ugly really. -3pts




Challenge – The only thing that made the dress avant-garde to me was the story or concept behind it and not the piece itself. -0pts

Total: 6 points



Ready to wear:
Creativity – Again. Boring. There was nothing to draw you in or interest you. -0pts

Tailoring – This was in my opinion the worst looking piece on the runway. There was something strange about the entire outfit’s hem. -0 pts

Aesthetic – I don’t think there is much to say about it really. I didn’t like the print. It conveyed what they wanted I suppose, but it just wasn’t pleasing to me. -0pts

Challenge – Well I think the silhouette definitely reflected the idea they were trying to convey and because the used a print for both the bottom circle and the dress they two made sense together. -3pts

Total: 3 points




Team Jillian and Victorya:

Avant-garde:
Creativity – Well I mean you could make the statement that it’s derivative, but sadly that could probably be said about almost all the designs. It was interesting to pair the stuffy riding outfit under the punk rock coat, though I question how well it worked. -3pts

Tailoring – Somehow or another everything looks well made. I know they were working until the very end, but I can’t find too much to criticize. I will however point out that the pants look a little off to me. -3 pts

Aesthetic – How can you not love the coat? It’s got an edge but still has this sense of being over the top pretty. I’m not sure how I feel about the riding outfit really. I “get” the juxtaposition and how it’s sorta tied to horse riding, but maybe it’s the colors of the under-outfit. -4 pts

Challenge – I question how avant-garde it is, it reminds me more of the fake couture they were supposed to do last season. Still it’s big and unrealistic and pretty. -3 pts

Total: 13 points




Ready to wear:
Creativity – Probably the most interesting of the ready to wear looks. I mean again it’s not exactly super creative, but it had enough wow factor to be the most interesting ready to wear. -3pts

Tailoring – I cannot believe this was made in the time frame it was because it looks incredible. -4pts

Aesthetic – Well it was my favorite ready to wear. The plaid works well against the black and the ruffles moved beautifully on the runway. -3pts

Challenge – It certainly looked derived of the first look’s coat. I’m not so sure whether or not it channeled any of the outfit underneath, but like Victorya said does that really matter when the coat was so wonderful? -3pts

Total: 13 points

Rami and Sweet P’s team:





Avant garde:
Creativity – It feels redundant after the judge’s comments to point out that it was just like anything else Rami would do. I mean plus some ticky-tack added on because that’s how he views avant garde. None of Sweet P’s sense is in here either. -1 pt

Tailoring – I think he was trying to do a deconstructed look but it just looks poorly done...what else is there to even say? Which he doesn’t do well. -1 pt

Aesthetic – It looked messy to me. And deconstructed and messy don’t have to be the same thing. The colors were bland and unlike Christian/Chris’s outfit gave it a sense of boring rather than statement. The black pants stood out too much as well and created yet another weird looking effect on the outfit. -1 pt

Challenge – I certainly think they managed to translate their model’s hair by going from constrained to flowy, but I question if there was a single thing avant garde about the outfit. -2 pts

Total: 5 points





Ready to wear:
Creativity – Well it is certainly Sweet P’s aesthetic and you can clearly see that Rami told her to just do whatever she wants. It reminds me very much of Kara Janx’s style as well. So it’s realistic but it’s not really all the creative. -1 pt

Tailoring – I have fit issues round the bust. Too much volume isn’t working there, if it IS on purpose. -1 pt

Aesthetic – Now I didn’t respond to this as well as other people and the judges did. I think it looks a little farm girl homely. It’s probably the color, but what could they really do since they had to derive it off the first look. -1 pt

Challenge – Well other than color is there any real sign that this was derived from the avant garde look? It does however look like a real garment. -2 pts

Total: 5 points


Well that wraps it up for me. Interesting things to note. I thought that team Jillian/Vicky had a stronger combined showing, while team Christian/Chris clearly beat them in just the avant garde outfits. The same is true for the bottom teams because I found that while I liked team Kit/Ricky's avant garde piece more than team Rami/Sweet P's Rami and Sweet P's ready to wear boosted their overall score higher.