Project Runway - Week Nine

I hated everything.

That’s right, I didn’t like any of the designs last night, and what’s sad is that this was one of the more successful challenges last season. (remember Chris March and Christian’s designs for last season’s avant garde challenge? Brilliant! – This season? Not so much.) There was no winner in my opinion, only which of these sucky outfits is the least sucky of the bunch?

What exactly happened? The designers didn’t wow me at all, and at this stage of the game, I should have been blown away, especially in this challenge, which, in my opinion, separated the truly skilled from the mediocre last season.

So to begin, the designers were paired up with the last eight designers who were eliminated. The challenge was to design a winning avant garde design, inspired by one of the two astrological signs of each team. The past contestants’ official jobs were to help inspire and create the winning design for the designer they were paired up with. Their unofficial job? Cause as much drama and annoyance as possible to their teammate. Truth be told though, I found the designers still in the competition to be the ones causing the drama. (looking at you, Terri) On top of all that drama, the designers were told not one, but TWO designers would be eliminated with this challenge. Stakes were high, but after seeing the results of this challenge, it was more then just two of them that needed to go home.

Even though they were given 2 days to finish their garment, at the end of the first day, the designers were told to dress their models and go to a party held at the Hayden Planetarium. Once their, former contestants and winners of Project Runways past were introduced and mingled with the designers. They were to vote and choose the design they liked the best. Once the voting was done, everyone returned to Parson’s the next day to finish their garment and start the fashion show.

I say again; I hated everything. There were maybe two or three that had some promise, but some of them were so off-base that I wanted to scream. There’s a big difference between avant garde and just plain bad. Was there a winner this week? Yes, but as I explained before, it was only because the winning design was less sucky then the other designs. (still means it sucked though)

Anyway, you know I talk too much during this section, so just tell me to shut up already and move on.
Go ahead, say it.

There ya go.

And here we go:

Blayne (and Stella)– “It’s looks like she’s pooping fabric” exclaimed Michael Kors to the clueness tan head. And the truth is, he made a pretty accurate assessment of this awful mess Blayne (and partner Stella) dared to call avant garde. Stella was encouraging that this was a great way to go for a design. Umm…hello? How in the world did clueless and no-clue wind up as a team?! Do I even have to begin to tell you what’s wrong with this outfit that you can’t see for yourself? Take your pick at the number of things wrong with this outfit; the ridiculous bouffants of fabric literally puking out from the sleeve and leg; the almost skin-colored body suit, criss-crossed with leather straps (?); the ill-fitting crotch area, which looked lop-sided and unfinished? Do I need go on? Big shock, Blayne finally gets to go back to what he does best; tanning. And the funny thing is? He was actually surprised he was eliminated. Blayne, you really need to buy a clue and get in the touch with the world.


Jerell(and Jennifer)- Tim Gunn said it best, when he came across Jerell in the work room; “This is either gonna win, or it’s gonna be hated”. (or something to that effect). I thought the pattern was ugly, and not suited for a skirt of that length. I also thought the skirt came up way to high and made the model look frumpy in a weird sort of way. I don’t see how in the world this represented the astrological sign they chose. It was so off the mark, I don’t even know what it was. (and if this was a good design, I should at least be able to figure it out from the outfit, no?) This was the winning design for this challenge, and it’s not because it’s good. I will give this dress this much; of all the dresses, it was the only one you could at least see a good dress, with some alterations and changes. Congrats on the win, Jerell, but your design is nothing to be proud of.


Kenley(and Wesley)– If Kenley didn’t want to make enemies when she came into the competition, then she’s got plenty now. How arrogant and over-confidant can someone get?! This was one of the most ridiculous looking outfits I’ve ever seen. Michael Kors was right in saying that this is not a new design…I know I’ve seen this type of design before. But it looked ridiculous then, and it looks ridiculous now. Tim Gunn was so on the money when he said it looks “Glinda the Good Witch”, that I almost fell off my chair laughing. Pure and simple this was a costume in every sense of the word. And, proving once again that the current designers haven’t watched any prior seasons before coming onto the show, she ignores Tim Gunn’s advice. Flat out! Are you insane Kenley? Are you seriously that delusional? I could bet money that almost everytime Tim has made suggestions to past designers, his advice was spot on. This was a much needed reality check for Kenley. Don’t like the view from being in the bottom, Kenley? I suggest to kill the over-confidence and the arrogance, and start to count how lucky you are to still be in the competition. (on a side note, how adorable was Wesley, saying he hated the outfit, but saying he’s staying out of it? I was proud of him, after all, he has no stake in this at all now, so why should he be any more involved then he was?


Leanne(and Emily)– I don’t remember Emily. (so I assume she really didn’t make much of an impression on me. All in all though, I liked this outfit. Liked it, but didn’t love it. I think I’ve actually seen this design in some form, so I would hardly call it avant garde. Heck, considering the choices, I would have chosen this design over the actual winning design. I can sort of see the Scorpion idea with the “exo-skeleton” of the dress. I liked the way it sweeps down like a hood, and the way it gives the dress a beautiful shape. I am really starting to like Leanne as a designer. I can see this “quirky and cheesy” quiet girl in the finale if she continues on her current path.


Korto(and Kelly)– Korto is one of those quiet, focused designers who doesn’t involve herself in the drama of the show. Seriously, besides her talking about the challenges, and the occasional remark about a fellow designer’s work, does she ever cause or involved in the drama like the rest of them? Granted, I wish she would smile more (as one of my co-workers pointed out), but other then that she is a very solid designer. This was a beautiful blend of blues, and I could see the sign of Aquarius all over it. It was flowy and airy, and was a great representation of its sign. But again, just like the problem with every design this week, was it avant garde? Nope. I’ve seen something like this before, and it didn’t stand out to me. I think it was constructed well, and looked graceful, yet elegant, but it was not a stand out piece. Korto deserved the pass to next week, but she would have won if she would have made her outfit a little more “out there”.


Joe(and Daniel)– When I first saw this dress, my first thoughts were that the model looked like a Spanish can-can girl. I didn’t see avant garde, nor did I see the astrological sign present, except for the upper bodice. Loved the way the front of the dress became the horns of the ram, and the top was low-cut enough to be stylish and not trashy. But the bottom of the dress? Ugh, it was a Spain-influenced nightmare. When the only influence from the astrological sign you chose is in only one part of the dress, it could hardly be considered avant garde. I guess that’s why Joe got a pass to next week. I have a feeling if he didn’t have that great looking top, Joe would be in just as much as trouble as our last bottom two designers.


Terri(and Keith)– I’ll be honest, I really didn’t see much wrong with this outfit. I definitely agreed with the removal of that fake-fur monstrosity. The addition of the red shawl was a nice splash of color. It was really well-designed. But was it avant garde? Not really. Granted, Terri finally did something other then her usual pants, blouse and jacket outfit, but it really wasn’t something I haven’t seen before. On top of that, it really did say to me that it was representing Leo. I think we’re seeing a very skewed version of Terri’s working relationship with Keith. I’m not saying Terri is completely innocent, but I don’t think she was as difficult to work with as Keith pointed out. I think Keith is still bitter about being eliminated last week, so he’s holding a grudge, and refusing to help someone else. We didn’t see this obviously, but I think that may have been a factor. Personally, I think Keith turned out to be a whiny brat who couldn’t just deal with the fact he was eliminated. I didn’t think Terri deserved to go home. She should not have been the one eliminated, considering she had won tow prior challenges. And considering who the other person was who she was paired up against to go home, I think this was a clear case of the producers stepping in to say, “eliminate the good designer, keep the personality, for more entertainment value”. Terri should have been here longer, as opposed to the person who actually wound up being safe, which was...


Suede(and Jerry)– Remember Jerry? He was the first designer eliminated this season, and here he was teamed up with our resident loony-toon, Suede. Finally….FINALLY….the judges have called him out of his third person speak. Loved that Michael Kors said “he hasn’t earned the right to refer to himself in the third person. Who does he think he is, Prince?” And as for his garment? BORING. Yes, I did see that is was Aquarius. The colors were not my issue with the design, it was the design itself. For something that was supposed to be avant garde, it looked just too ordinary. It had no pop, no pizzazz. I thought the top was ill-fitting, and the long baby-blue pieces hanging from the pack looked out of place. I’m not surprised to see Suede in the bottom, but I’m even more surprised he was not sent home. Instead, they chose someone who, though her garment was bad, had two prior wins, as opposed to Suede’s one. Do they not take past winning designs into account at all at judging time? Suede is safe this week, but it’s obvious his time is running out.


So what did you guys think? I personally feel last season’s designers completely rocked last season’s avant garde challenge. Do you agree? Do you think I was off the mark? Were there some dresses that were avant garde?
Chat it up!! Let me hear from you!
Until next week…..auf wiedersehen!