I've got totally mixed feelings on the results. On the one hand, Ricky and his stupid black and white hats need to go. Like, NOW. On the other hand, his dress this week was less of a train wreck than usual. Good enough to win? No--the judges have clearly set a much higher bar for the other contestants than for Ricky. But, they couldn't very well kick him out when they had Victorya's hideous denim mash-up staring them in the face. (And boy, I am ALL for Victorya being kicked off. Hate her, hate her dresses. Note to Victorya: Fabric has a front side and a back side for a reason. Stop turning it inside-out. Also, ruffles are a delicious snack, but not really my style, otherwise.)
Okay, at this point this is more of a rant than a recap. Let's just move on to the other looks, be grateful that Victorya lost instead of someone I actually liked, and continue to wonder what will make Michael Kors feel like the Pope at a sex club (and what that expression even means).
Jillian. Okay. Why on EARTH would she AND Victorya decide to try and replicate their outstanding look from last week, but with far less time and far more limited materials? Craziness, from beginning to end. And while Victorya used the "I'll just staple some inside-out denim to the bottom of a jean jacket and call it a coat" strategy, Jillian went with the "I'll take a ton of ideas that I don't have time to implement, throw them all against the wall that is this coat, and see what sticks" route. Yeesh. And Chris, oy. I know his stuff used to be way too costume-y, but is he trying to edit himself right out of the show? I liked the lines, but a) ALWAYS LISTEN TO TIM, and b) that dress was way boring.
On the better end, we've got Sweet P, who listened to Tim with great results. I don't know about an iconic look, but it was definitely a cute dress. Go, Sweet P! Rami's look was also super-cute, and seemed very fashion-forward. However, I don't understand why everyone was so orgasmic over the zipper/seam element. I mean, it looked great, but it's not like it was some kind of brilliant innovation on Rami's part--Jeffrey did the same thing to great effect in his winning collection last season.
Christian, in my opinion, should have been the winner. His biker-style outfit was head and shoulders over Ricky's in terms of difficulty, innovation, and stylishness, and it was way more iconic than a simple little dress. But on the other hand, Christian was pretty annoying this week when he was fighting with Chris about how to properly clean denim, so I'm a little less outraged than I normally would be. Sorry.
Well, at least the winning designers don't get immunity anymore. ...Silver lining?
Friday, January 25, 2008
Project Runway: Sigh...
Thursday, January 24, 2008
On the Glowy Box: CHUCK!!!
I'm pretty slammed today, so this is gonna be quick and dirty. Sorry!
Last Night:
Hollywood Residential: I am definitely liking this show--so much potential there. Did anyone else catch it?
Head Case: The main character is way too exaggerated for my taste--not at ALL relatable, but not really crazy in a funny way, either. Just painful. I loved Jeff Goldblum and Ione Skye's guest appearances, though!
Project Runway: I'll do an actual recap later, but ding dong, the bitch is dead! If it wasn't gonna be Ricky, Victorya was DEFINITELY my choice to go. Hate her clothes, hate her personality.
Tonight:
Ugly Betty: Betty thinks she has been assigned to interview a great novelist, but the interviewee turns out to be a lesser writer with the same name. 8 PM, ABC.
Chuck: Chuck learns that Casey's ex-girlfriend is about to marry a Russian arms dealer and urges him to fight for her; Capt. Awesome and Ellie reach a tough point in their relationship. 8 PM, NBC.
Chuck: Capt. Awesome asks Chuck for Ellie's hand in marriage; Casey and Sarah discover that the CIA has been spying on them, and they must relocate Chuck to a permanent holding cell to protect his identity. 10 PM, NBC.
If you don't watch both episodes of Chuck tonight (and skip the reality crap in between), then we are no longer friends. Seriously. It's gonna be AWESOME.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Project Runway: Team Fierce!
But let's take it from the top. We rejoin our favorite bitches as Christian interviews that he was shocked, SHOCKED!, to be in the bottom two. And, dude. Much as I love you and your carefully blow-dried and straight-ironed side-mullet, you're a bit delusional if you don't think you belonged in the bottom two last week. I mean, blame it on the client, but that dress was an ill-fitted, lace-covered, turd-colored turd. Even if the client was really obnoxious.
At the Runway of Destiny, we are reminded that occasionally, this show features actual models! In this case, actual models with very intense hairstyles. You see, the challenge is to create an avant-garde look inspired by your model's hairdo. Unfortunately for the models, this means that they aren't chosen on the basis of skill so much as the basis of assigned hairstyle, in some cases. Which kind of sucks for them.
Tim reminds the designers (and us) that avant-garde means that the look doesn't have to be practical or wearable, but does have to be ambitious. Thus, the designers will be working in pairs this week. Randomly assigned pairs, which will each then choose a leader. Ouch. And it's double ouch when Kit is paired with Ricky, whose looks have been too boring even for ready-to-wear fashion, let alone avant-garde. Obviously, Kit will be leading their team, and decides on an unclear concept involving nesting, layering, and a garden of some sort. Not quite as edgy as I had hoped.
Sweet P thinks she's paired with Rami, and is excited. As we quickly learn, she has in fact been paired with Meani, who is a total douchebag. As team leader, he chooses a gown and trousers concept, which I question from the beginning. Sweet P has some difficulty making the trousers, and Meani is already pissed off, even though she thinks they're fine on time.
Chris and Christian are psyched to be working together, but not as psyched as I am to see them working together. The trash talk alone will be glorious. They're making a gown with zillions of ruffles, and a huge neckpiece. It involves 45 yards of fabric, and some intense wire structuring.
Victorya and Jillian are the final pair, which pretty much just blows for Jillian. She's especially worried about time management, since she and Victorya, the team leader, have both had problems with it in the past. I'm mostly worried that Victorya will smother Jillian in her sleep, since I am slowly beginning to fear that Victorya is a sociopath. Mostly because only a sociopath could design that ruffly disaster from the candy challenge and then force her model into such an awful runway walk, but also because, well, I just get a vibe. Anyway, their theme is "rebellion." And it involves a big-ass trench coat.
As they get to work the second day, Tim shows up and announces that the designers will need to make another look for the runway: a ready-to-wear garment that embodies the essence of their avant-garde piece, much as real ready-to-wear fashion is inspired by cutting-edge fashion. "Inspired by"? Puh-Leeze! I never leave the house without looking like this. Ready-to-wear is for pussies. Aaaanyway, cue panic, anger, and frenzied shopping for extra fabric. Almost everyone decides to do little dresses.
In the workroom, Meani is pretty much bulldozing over Sweet P, to the point where it's hard to watch since up to now, I really did like both of them. And since they both (especially Sweet P) have a history of working well with others, I never would've picked them for the Most Dysfunctional Team award. Meani thinks Sweet P needs to stop expressing her ideas and start sewing her damn dress. Sweet P doesn't love that Meani's idea of avant-garde is to make his usual draped gown, and then channel Santino's "take a nice garment, and add crap to it until the model collapses under the weight" aesthetic. Later, he chews Sweet P out in front of everyone for being too slow, making her cry. Making Sweet P cry is like drop-kicking a baby bunny.
Victorya and Jillian, in the meantime, are (as predicted) well behind. And, unfortunately for Jillian, Victorya has immunity. Chris, on the other hand, has high hopes: "What I hope happens tomorrow at the runway show is that our model Marcia comes out, and people's jaws drop to the floor, and they never forget it as long as they live." (The last part delivered so dryly that I now love Chris even more.)
Tim Time! And he brings a special guest--Nathaniel Hawkins, the lead TRESemme hair stylist. The winning looks will be in a TRESemme ad in Elle, so he's helping the designers out with the wearable half of the hairdo. Tim loves "Team Fierce" (BEST NICKNAME EVER) as far as the avant-garde look goes, but worries that the ready-to-wear look may seem cheap. Christian, unsurprisingly, thinks it looks "totally expensive."
Tim thinks that Kit and Ricky's dress is a bit too costume-y, and not dramatic and exuberant enough. He loves Victorya and Jillian's concept, IF they can finish it. Which doesn't seem likely, since they haven't even started the second look by the morning of the show. Or finished the first one. Jesus Christ.
And now, on to Team Meani/Baby Bunny. Tim worries that Meani's gown won't surprise the judges, and that it doesn't go far enough. Um, duh. Meani is all, "Yeah, because we don't work well as a team." Riiiight. Your dress looks too much like everything else you've ever done because you had to work with Sweet P. Way to try and throw her under the bus when it didn't even make sense, dude. To her credit, Sweet P just says that it's been tough working together, without mentioning that he's been a total asshole who clearly doesn't respect her. She just does her best to rock her ready-to-wear dress, in preparation for being in the bottom two tomorrow. Good strategy. Also, she hopes they don't end up in a fist fight. Now, that would be an interesting match-up. I mean, she's all baby bunny now, but didn't she used to be a biker?
Pre-runway, Ricky worries that their ready-to-wear dress looks too simple (it does), and Jillian throws their second dress together at the last minute. At the runway, we are introduced to Alberta Ferretti, this week's guest judge.
Meani and Sweet P's main look doesn't seem very avant-garde to me, so much as it looks like one of Meani's normal gowns with some added bling. I guess I like it in general, though. Minus the weirdly incongruous pants. Sweet P's ready-to-wear dress is adorable.
Christian and Chris's main look, on the other hand, looks exactly as jaw-droppingly improbable as any avant-garde couture look I've ever seen. It's freaking amazing, you guys. So. Many. Ruffles. The ready-to-wear piece also looks nice--a very tailored counterpart to the extreme insanity of the gown. Go Team Fierce!
Kit and Ricky's main look is fine, I guess, but not great. In fact, it kind of reminds me of Mother Ginger's dress in The Nutcracker--the one with the big hoop skirt that all the little kids come running out of. Which, I suppose, is the definition of costume-y. And the ready-to-wear dress is waaay boring.
Victorya and Jillian's main look, on the other hand, is stunning. Especially the dramatic trench coat. Though I don't quite feel the connection between the coat and the blouse and pants under it. Despite Jillian's dissatisfaction, their ready-to-wear dress is actually really cute, and definitely more complex than Kit and Ricky's.
Meani/Sweet P and Kit/Ricky have the lowest scores, unsurprisingly. And okay, this HAS to be Chris and Christian. No contest. The judges seem to be in agreement, calling it beautifully crafted, important, exciting, couture, and cover-worthy. The only criticism at all is that the ready-to-wear skirt seemed like an afterthought. On the Victorya/Jillian side, the judges love the coat's silhouette, and think that the blouse and pants are really cute. Nina doesn't mind the ready-to-wear dress, and Jillian takes this opportunity to point out that they really had three looks (cut to Christian looking irritated).
On the sadder end of the spectrum, the judges really like Sweet P's dress, and predictably criticize Meani's gown for not being voluminous enough, and being his same old drapey self. They're also not loving the pants. Sweet P tries to explain that she wanted to add a bustle to the dress, but unwisely phrases it as "an explosion out of her rear." Everyone tries not to laugh. She's all, "I know, it sounds kooky," and they all nod vigorously, trying not to point out that it actually sounds like terrible diarrhea. Sweet P mentions that Meani really took ownership of the design and didn't let her put anything into it, while Meani says that they were at odds. As far as Kit and Ricky go, the judges feel it looks cheap, poorly-made, and Scarlett O'Hara-esque, rather than avant-garde and couture. They are also hating the ready-to-wear, which also looks cheap and simple.
The winner, of course is Team Fierce. Woo-hoo! Victorya and Jillian are also in, as are Ricky and Sweet P. Meani, it seems, was a bad leader, and his garment wasn't dramatic enough. Kit, on the other hand, wasn't fashion forward. Unfortunately, Kit is out. Fair enough, I suppose, her look was really disappointing. And they really couldn't kick Meani out, even if he was a dick with a predictable dress. This sucks, though! I really liked Kit! Although it pains me a little when she says that she's leaving with "two full suitcases of friendship and success." Urgh.
Here's hoping that Rami decides to rejoin us next week. If not, here's hoping for a Meani/Sweet P cage match. I'd put fifty bucks on Sweet P--I bet she's surprisingly feisty.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Project Runway: O...kaaaay...
Though it was yet another challenge without models, I enjoyed the prom dress theme this week. Unlike Christian, who thinks prom is "horrible and tacky and gross." Um...has he even seen his hair? Plus, high schoolers who think they know best + designers who actually know best (or so one would assume) = awesome drama, right? Well...yes. A little too right. And I loved the interesting twist, in which the clients chose their designers. (And you know I loved it even more when Victorya asked why her client chose her, and the girl admitted that she had the last pick. Awk! Ward!)
Christian's client, God love her, thinks she's a designer, and has some very strong, very tacky opinions. Christian and his side-mullet are worried and frustrated, to the point of almost giving up after both he AND his model (and me, for what it's worth) hate the dress. Happily for me and my love of bitchy side-comments (of which Christian always has many), Tim talks him off the ledge. Because when Tim tells you to rally, you rally, goddammit!
Did anyone else think there would be way more drama when the moms came in to see the dresses? I thought for sure they would be grabbing spare fabric and sewing modesty panels onto the chest areas. Ah, well. I'll have to settle for the look of surprise on the mom's face when she realizes that all the draggy costume photos in Chris's portfolio are actually of Chris. Chris: I love you! You're so...fabulously chuckly. I also love Sweet P, who seems so wise, for example, when she refuses to make her client something too trampy, because there's no way she's going home because she listened to a teenager. Right on, Sweet P.
Ricky, in what I was sure was a loser's cut, calls his mom (a seamstress) for inspiration. But hopefully not advice, because that probably wouldn't be legit. He also cries in an interview, but that's no surprise. It's too bad Elisa isn't still here--she could use her fabric to soak up the tears, imbuing it with the essence of gay sorrow. Or happiness. Or homesickness. Sometimes it's hard to tell with Ricky. However, he does have a great quote: "When I had a girlfriend, I actually made her prom dress. ...That should've been a clue right there, right?" HA!
It's runway time! Sweet P's dress is very nice and classic, though maybe not playful enough for a high schooler. Victorya's dress is reeeally not to my taste, in that it seems like bedazzled jewels are slowly creeping up the bodice to strangle her client. Chris's dress is a great color, very flattering, and classy while being just interesting enough. LOVE it.
Kevin's dress didn't really seem to fit the prom theme to me, and wasn't very flattering. He also failed to hem it, which will likely come back to haunt him, since they showed clips of both Tim and Chris advising him to do so. Jillian's dress was interesting, and I loved the colors, but it just didn't pop for me on the runway. Christian's dress is a hot, unflattering mess, but at least looks expensive, and like a lot of work went into it.
Kit's dress is definitely cool and edgy, but possibly too casual for prom. Ricky's is way too sweetheart--not to my taste at all, and not flattering. Kind of like wrapping his model in a sparkly, pale pink gunny sack, in fact. Rami's is very clearly his style, with fascinating draping, and a lovely green color. The length is a bit flapper, but his client seems to be loving the whole thing.
Kit, Jillian, and Chris (WHAT?!) are safe. Sweet P's dress gets praised for its beauty, though Nina wonders if it's a bit too sophisticated. I'd say that's a fair question. Kevin gets knocked for the dress's red color (really?), the cut (fair enough), and the dress's general matronly-ness (I definitely don't see that). Plus, of course, the lack of hemming. Victorya's dress gets praise for being chic, young, and fun, and for its bright blue color. Hrrrm.
Christian immediately goes on the defensive, throwing his client under the bus and thus pissing Nina off. However, he does get a teeny bit of praise for the workmanship that went into the final product. Ricky says that the girl inside him would wear his dress (except that all the sparkles would be made out of tears, right?), but gets slammed for the dress's sloppy execution and boring design. Rami gets criticized for his color choice (bananas) and length (I can see that), with the general consensus that the dress was too sophisticated (read: old) for a high school prom.
Clearing up my confusion at the seeming imbalance between the top and the bottom, Nina informs us that the judges only liked two of the dresses. Okay, WHAT? Chris's was fabulous! And since Rami's wasn't that bad, they definitely could've had an even top and bottom. They love Sweet P's meticulous work and fitting, and praise Victorya's cute, modern design. And if by "modern," they mean "80's," then I completely agree.
They trash Rami's color choice and tunnel vision-like failure to design for a younger client, and hate that Christian pinned the blame for his dress on his client, and spent his time focusing on so many little details. Which, fair. He was given a bad situation, and handled it terribly. They think Ricky's dress was boring and unskilled, and that Kevin's was cheap-looking (true) and made his client look old (less true).
Victorya is the winner (UGH), and Sweet P is safe. Ricky and Rami are also safe, leaving me perplexed. I mean, if Ricky, who has been flying by the seat of his pants this whole competition, and turned in a lackluster-at-best look this week, is safe, then who...? I mean, Christian and Kevin's dresses were both pretty unfortunate, but geez, at least they look like they tried. Kevin, unfortunately, is out. Hrm. Christian's dress was definitely uglier, but he DID have a tougher challenge, and the dress was a higher difficulty level. But god, was it ugly and unflattering.
Ricky definitely should've been out on this one, I'd say, if not Christian. And Chris was the winner in my book. But then, what do I know? Much less than Nina "I love electric blue and tacky glued-on rhinestones" Garcia, that's for sure.
Thursday, January 03, 2008
Project Runway: Mmm...candy...
The morning after they re-scramble the model pairings, Tim wakes the contestants at 6 AM. Of course, he's Tim Gunn, so he looks as fresh as a dewdrop on the wing of a woodland fairy. Not so fresh? Kit, who is totally traumatized by greeting him in her pajamas. Fair enough, Kit. Tim radiates perfection so strongly that anyone adjacent to his glow would pale in comparison. Especially if they were in their pajamas.
Mysterious field trip time! Destination: The Hershey's Store, in Times Square. Elisa is excited, because "it's chocolate, and how could you not want to make things with that sort of, like, magic magic magic?" Elisa, clearly, is related to Willy Wonka. Christian is more on my end of the spectrum, all, "greeeat, we get to make shit out of candy." Cue five-minute shopping frenzy. Basically, they loot the store like, um, kids in a candy shop. (Sorry, had to.) Luckily, the store contains plenty of non-edibles such as pillows, which Chris in particular takes advantage of. Because yeah, man. You can't make an outfit out of nothing but candy. Just ask Wendy.
They've only got a day to "make it work," so everyone gets to work pretty quickly. Jillian is the only one relying mainly on real food (Twizzlers, ew), which is proving to be a bigger challenge than she anticipated. DUH. We get a combo sympathy story from Elisa, as a story about her daughter fades in to a gruesome story about Elisa getting hit by a car. This makes me suspect that Elisa will either win or be eliminated this week.
Christian, having finished his design early, chooses to go around offering unwanted advice to the other designers. They tolerate it impressively well in person, but he gets at least one, maybe two death threats in interviews. Man, that dude is pretty obnoxious. And has a huge ego. And I kind of love him. Shut up.
Tim visits, and singles Victorya, Elisa, and Sweet P (who is starting her design over) out as people in need of some serious editing. Jillian is way behind on time, since her Twizzler design required some major busy work. And is basically falling apart. Rami's design, on the other hand, looks freaking awesome (though it IS hard to tell that the skirt is made from candy wrappers, rather than condom wrappers).
The morning of the runway show, Jillian is freaking out, and her model is helping her to sew the Twizzlers on. In interviews, Christian and Chris are both kind of trashing other people's dresses, but while Christian is a bitchy queen (calling Elisa's dress a "hot mess," which, true), Chris manages to sound almost mournful when he says that he'd be surprised if Sweet P weren't in trouble. (Which, also true.)
Runway time! Heidi informs us that Hershey's will be auctioning off each look to benefit young women with breast cancer. Acclaimed cutie Zac Posen is the guest judge. Ricky's dress kind of resembles the outfit my astronaut Barbie had, but with a Hershey's theme. I guess that's what you're gonna get when one of the main colors you have to work with is silver. Chris's dress is simple, mod, and chic--pretty much the polar opposite of the costumey disaster I'm sure everyone was expecting of him. Go, Chris! Kit's dress is just as fabulous as everything else Kit has ever made, and I am officially declaring her my favorite designer.
Elisa's dress looks like crap, if you took crap and tacked on two puffy silver sleeve things. She wanted it to be "macabre, disturbing, and Gretel-like," though, so I guess...this is what you get with that kind of bizarre concept? Man, when Elisa misses, she reeeally misses. Kevin's doesn't even look like it's made out of candy-themed items, which was his goal (elegance), but is sort of drab compared to all the fun stuff on the runway. Still, very well-made.
Christian's is a bit disappointing, honestly, but definitely still not one of the worst ones. It just kind of looks like he took a nice dress and glued brown peanut butter cup wrappers all over it. Which is exactly what he did, so...mission accomplished? Sweet P's dress was a lot better than I was expecting, given the lead-up, but may be a bit too simple for the judges. Rami's is all kinds of awesome, like I said, and really embraced the challenge.
Jillian's risk-taking pays off, and her model looks fantastic in her Twizzler outfit. Nothing falls off, and it actually seems almost wearable. (But NOT delicious, Twizzlers.) Victorya's dress...well...I really feel like I can't even judge her looks, because our styles are so clearly different. It's all ruffly and princessy and UGH, and she has her model walk with this awkward, static pose. Awful, if you ask me, but the judges have liked her work so far, so who knows?
Ricky, Christian, Kit, and Kevin are safe. (Kit is SO the dark horse in this competition--mark my words. Either that, or the next tragic Alison-like elimination.) Rami gets mad praise from Zac Posen, and Michael Kors points out how well-made the dress is, and that Rami really got the spirit of the challenge. Elisa...uses a totally different explanation for her dress. So okay, first it was for her daughter, then it was macabre Gretel, and now it's a "beautiful, sexy, amazing dress that looks like candy but doesn't use candy"? What the hell? Heidi and Michael call her out on the lack of fun and joy, and Zac points out that it's in the deadly zone between wearable and fabulous.
Jillian gets praise all around, and deservedly so--that was sooome risk, and it ended up looking amazing. Victorya, finally, gets a bad review! The judges again say that it's not wearable and yet not fabulous, call it "Dairy Queen" (HA!), and criticize her model's weird walk. Chris gets criticized a little by Zac for not going far enough, but Michael says that coming from Chris, his design was a really smart editing choice, and Nina also loves it. The judges don't like how boring Sweet P's dress is, and say that it's too simple. Aww. But man, there's no way Elisa doesn't get eliminated here.
In solo deliberation, Chris gets praise for the taste level and sophistication, Rami gets props for how well-made AND how fun his garment was, and Jillian gets singled out for having an edible garment that was really well-done. Elisa gets criticized for having such a boring dress when she claims to have an avant garde aesthetic, and Victorya and Sweet P both get slammed for using such boring material to start with, and lack of imagination in the final design, in Sweet P's case.
Chris is in, Rami is the winner (of course), and Jillian is also in, as is Victorya (boo, but fair). Elisa and Sweet P basically both get criticized for being boring, but Sweet P makes the cut, and Elisa is out. SO fair. That dress was all kinds of awful. Goodbye, Elisa. When I saw your bio, I thought that it was almost unfair you were on the show, since you had so much experience. But that was before I realized that you're rather crazy. And maybe an alien, or a cult member. Best of luck in the future!
Thursday, December 13, 2007
Project Runway: Back in Business
The models this week are all women who have lost huge amounts of weight--from 45 to 160 pounds, in fact. Wow. And they're all wearing their (very baggy) favorite old outfits, which will unfortunately serve as the raw material for the challenge: To make outfits suitable for the clients' everyday lives, while still expressing their point of view as a designer. Wow, this is, like, the most booby-trapped challenge ever! Let's list the pitfalls: The models aren't traditional sizes, the designers have to balance their clients' wishes with their own style, AND the fabric choice is limited and largely awful. Yikes.
Models are chosen randomly, and Steve gets stuck with the one wearing a freaking wedding dress. Satiny polyester, beads, lace, the whole nine yards (possibly literally, given the amount of weight some of these women have lost). Man, that's rough. Or, as he describes it, "death on a stick." Some designers (Victorya) aren't really into the idea of making clothes for real people. Others, like Kevin and Elisa, think it's great. With $10 and 15 minutes at Mood, Steve and Jillian decide to buy new fabric, and use the old only for accents. Risky!
In the meantime, poor Jack has a potential staph infection, unrelated to his HIV since his immune system isn't suppressed. Incidentally, props to the dude for being so healthy in general after being HIV-positive for 17 years. Sadly, with his face swelling up rapidly and the intensity of the necessary treatment, his doctor wants him to get help immediately, so Jack breaks the news to Tim that he needs to leave the competition before telling the rest of the group. It's so sad, you guys. I hope they let him back on for the next season, so he can get a fair shot at it. He was showing so much promise! The group is shaken up, and finding it difficult to "carry on." In happier news, Jack's exit means that Chris is back on the show, to everyone's immense delight. Seriously, they love the dude. He'll have all night to finish his outfit, due to the late start.
The clients arrive for a fitting, and seem generally happy with the designers' work. God, if I had lost that much weight, I'd be happy with anything and everything in life (which may explain a couple clients' positive reactions to what look like pretty ugly designs-in-the-making). Steven's client, though, does mildly question his choice to use black. This may or may not be important later.
Tim takes a turn around the block, complimenting Christian's outfit, but questioning how little Steven is using the wedding dress, and whether Elisa's will please her client. He also warns Chris to avoid being costume-y, which seems like a lost cause at this point, since Chris is going with a "sailor" theme. Tim also cautions Chris to make his decisions while he's still rested, because Tim has "made more bad decisions at 3 o'clock in the morning than [he] can list." Haven't we all, Tim? Haven't we all? But apparently, Tim's such an "old fart" that his brain didn't go there, to the amusement of everyone.
The next morning, Chris is just waking up from his two-hour nap when everyone arrives to put the finishing touches on their looks. Steven basically runs out of time, so Kevin and Victorya (didn't think she had it in her!) help him finish up, which still doesn't save him from having to glue the hemline. And that's really, REALLY not the worst thing about his outfit. Christian, as usual, is extremely confident, but he's got some competition in Kevin, whose model looks amazing in her outfit.
Runway time! The guest judge is Gap's head designer, which makes sense, because Gap's child laborers and Project Runway's designers are forced to work the same long hours with no pay. Oh, except that there's not a $100,000 prize at the end of the road for the child laborers, so much as a life of misery. Aaaanyway, let's check out the outfits!
Sweet P did an OK job with what she had to work with, I suppose, but I definitely fault her for the black tights and shoes--they didn't complement the dress at all. Jillian made an incredibly cute and flattering dress (I especially love the black lines), but didn't really adhere to the spirit of the challenge when she bought virtually all new fabric, which is pretty lame. Ricky's outfit is nice and flattering, but a little too reminiscent of something you'd buy on sale at The Limited.
I honestly feel like Chris could have pulled it off, if not for the giant red hip-enhancing bow. Urgh. Christian's outfit is totally hot, totally Christian, and totally impressive, given the pickiness of his model. Victorya's look, on the other hand, was very "holiday cocktail party." Which, given what she had to work with, was a fine result, but far from stunning. Which makes me happy, since I'm not loving Victorya so far. Elisa's design is a big fat "meh." It's like she decided to just layer a bunch of fabric, rather than actually design something flattering. I expected something better.
I also expected something better from Kit, one of my early favorites, though her outfit is definitely cute. It's just not "wow," you know? Kevin's, on the other hand, is amazing. Fashion-forward, flattering, completely transformed, and just plain HOT. His model is clearly loving it. Which makes it extra-painful to see Steven's next, as it's just...oosh. He didn't use the wedding dress, and he still totally botched it. Ugly design, poorly-constructed, and just generally a Bad Idea. Rami's look was very cute, and his model definitely liked it. It's not at the same level as Kevin's or Christian's, though, fashion-wise.
The judging panel leaves Steven, Christian, Chris, Kevin, Jillian, and Elisa in the spotlight. The good: Kevin's model loves her outfit, as do the judges, though Michael questions the leggings, ingenuity-wise. Jillian gets dinged by Heidi and Nina for not using the material, but Michael loves that the dress is sexy without being hoochie, and Nina just plain loves the dress. Christian gets mad props for managing to make something that suits his style, could sell, and pleases his client.
The bad: Elisa tries to explain her point of view, and her model says she feels great in the outfit, but Heidi doesn't think it suits her model's classic style. Michael doesn't find all the choppy layers flattering. Chris's model also claims to like the outfit, though Michael thinks it's too cliché, and the Gap guy questions the Red Bow of Horror. The ugly: Steve gets criticized for not using the original dress, though it's definitely a stretch when Michael calls the wedding dress fabric "amazing." Nina questions the black, saying it takes the garment from wedding to funeral.
In solo deliberation, the judges point out that Kevin's model loved her outfit and was very comfortable in it. They like that Christian really used the model's clothes and made them look great without compromising his style. They think Jillian's dress was perfect, though she didn't use the model's fabric. On the other end, they think that Elisa's dress was unflattering and unsuited to her client's style. Steve's didn't use the dress, and his model looked like a French maid. Chris's costume-y outfit, on the other hand, looked like a "1950's Paris hooker," which I didn't realize was a fashion cliché.
Jillian, who obviously couldn't win without having really followed the spirit of the challenge, is in. Christian is the winner, which is fair, though I probably would've leaned more in the Kevin direction. Kevin, of course, is in, as is Chris. Elisa, Heidi points out, couldn't change her style to suit her client, and used too many layers. Steven turned a "joyful" wedding dress into a boring, clichéd French maid outfit. Steven is out, DUH, and Elisa is in. Well, it may not have been suspenseful, but at least the outfits were interesting this week! Here's hoping the season continues along this vein, and that Jack and Dale are off somewhere hosting fabulous viewing parties.
On the Glowy Box: You suck, Tyra
[Professor Farnsworth voice] Good news, everyone! [/Professor Farnsworth voice] Gillian Anderson will host the new mini-season of Masterpiece Theatre! Nicely done, PBS. Now I have something to watch in January.
Last Night:
Pushing Daisies: WOAH. That was some bombshell at the end, there! I though we were supposed to get closure last night. Was that a cruel joke? Anyway, quality episode, as always. I do feel the need to point out, however, that a bonobo is NOT a monkey. It's an ape. And it's not "gentle," either. It's legendarily horny. The Wish a Wish monkey was nothing like a bonobo (perhaps a capuchin?). Just sayin'. Also, why wasn't Olive strongly affected when she tasted the mood enhancer? That kind of threw me off, since I was expecting something to come of it. The Chuck/Ned scenes, though, were uniformly fantastic. Lee Pace more than earned his paycheck last night. Also, the coroner was really rocking that Christmas sweater.
Project Runway: I should have a full recap up later on, but I loved last night's challenge! And it definitely separated the wheat from the chaff. Also, poor Jack! I hope they can bring him back next season, because he really deserves another shot at this show. And okay, is anyone else really starting to like Sweet P? Just wanted to throw that out there. More later!
America's Next Top Model: I can't really think about last night's finale without throwing up in my mouth a little, so I'm just going to link to my recap and go on my merry way. Except to say this: Worst Cycle Ever.
Tonight:
30 Rock: Tracy cannot participate in the staff's annual Ludachristmas party; Liz's parents (Buck Henry, Anita Gillette) and brother (Andy Richter) come to gloat over her. 9 PM, NBC.
Aaaand...that's about it. Thank God for 30 Rock. And for whatever the hell else is sitting on my DVR waiting to be watched (I'm looking at you, Life, so get ready!)
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
On the Glowy Box: Is it Friday yet?
Last Night:
Project Runway: From last Wednesday. Okay, yeah, I missed it last week and I just got time to watch it last night. Shut up. So what's with the hideous clothing two weeks in a row? Are the challenges too hard, or are these designers failing to live up to the whole "Most Talented Group Yet" claim? (I'm thinking the latter, personally.) And what's with Sweet P (besides her name)? She's done an iffy job at best on the two solo challenges, but a fantastic job on the team challenges! Unfortunately, this show doesn't reward collaborative skills nearly so much as solo talent. Oh, and Victorya? HATE! If you openly defy your leader and change stuff behind his back, that's not so much his being a bad leader as your being mutinous. Though Ricky's own outfit was awful.
Janice Dickinson Modeling Agency: Janice and Dubya should have a drama-manufacturing contest. I'm honestly not sure who would win! Read my full recap here.
Tonight:
Pushing Daisies: Ned tries to make peace with Chuck while trying to figure out who killed an insurance adjuster found frozen solid; scent expert Oscar Vibenius (Paul Reubens) tries to figure out what is different about Chuck and Digby. 8 PM, ABC.
America's Next Top Model: Three models compete and one is sent home, then the final two go head-to-head in a magazine cover shoot and the ultimate catwalk. 8 PM, The CW.
Project Runway: The designers learn the importance of transformation in fashion. 10 PM, Bravo.
Machine Gun Shootout: In this Vanguard special report, Current TV exposes one side of the gun culture issue at the largest machine gun shoot in the country - an event most Americans probably didn't know existed. 10 PM, Current TV.
Heeeey, there's actually good stuff on tonight! Like, enough to fill a night of viewing! Enjoy it while you can, folks.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Project Runway: Ouch. Just, ouch.
Because yes, the challenge is to design an outfit for a man. And not just any man: Tiki Barber, whom Project Runway repeatedly reminds us is a football legend. Yeah, a legend in his own mind, maybe. Anyway, he's now a correspondent for the Today Show, and is looking for an outfit to wear on-air. Preferably something cobbled together in two days by designers with little-to-no menswear experience, with a budget of $150. Because that's how Tiki rolls. Also, he's got a big neck, a skinny waist, and a big butt. Just in case you were wondering.
At first, I was all, "This challenge ROCKS!" High level of difficulty + short amount of time + overambitious designers on their second challenge = great entertainment, right? WRONG. Project Runway is about the clothes first, and the drama second, and this challenge did NOT lead to good clothes. I place the fault half with the difficult challenge, and half with the overreaching designers. Almost universally, our contestants bemoan their lack of menswear experience, and then decide to do extremely tailored three- and four-piece outfits. And that, my friends, is a recipe for disaster. And not so much the "Andrae crying on the runway" variety as the "possibly sending semi-nude models out on the runway" variety.
The most confident designers include Kevin, who has some menswear experience, Christian, who says he's a fast sewer, and Kit, who thinks her experience as a TV stylist will enable her to create something that will work well on camera. The least confident are Sweet P, who is completely lost when it comes to menswear, Cameron, who needs a lot of construction advice from Jack, and Ricky, who has bit off waaay more than he can chew. Jack, it should be noted, cuts up his shorts and allows a couple other designers (and himself) to trace patterns based off of them, which Rami is a bit catty about, though Tim had basically allowed it. Oh, I should also point out that this episode revealed Jack's HIV-positive status, quietly and tastefully.
When the hot male models come in to be measured, the predictable swooning frenzy ensues, followed by some potentially gratuitous crotch-measuring. Tim comes along to critique, with Ginny Barber, Tiki's wife, in tow. She's generally positive (while Tim is generally concerned about time), though she thinks Carmen's outfit is too casual, and her jacket looks very "Member's Only." OUCH. Not only does Carmen lack the fabric to redesign, she lacks the time. At this point, the smart designers, also short on time, begin to scale back their designs, cutting out pieces such as vests and ties. Ricky? Not so much. At the end of the second night, Steven sums the mood up best, calling it "Titanic-like." You know, right before the ship sank. And given the runway results (spoiler alert!), I'd have to agree.
In the morning, Sweet P, Ricky, and Carmen have the most left to do. As in, they're in serious danger of sending semi-naked models down the runway. I've been watching this show since the first episode of the first season, and this is the least finished I've seen any designs. Ricky actually has his model sewing buttons, and is forced to pin the suit jacket together. Sweet P's shirt doesn't fit her model at all, and Carmen, well...Carmen didn't do enough crotch-measuring, it seems. Let's just say, if I were her model (and a dude), I'd be pretty insulted. She also completely lacks a shirt, and ends up draping some fabric around his neck like a damn scarf, and putting the ill-fitted jacket over it. Jesus. This is a fucking train wreck.
Jillian's up first on the runway, and her outfit, while really not to my taste, isn't innately offensive, and she's managed to finish four pieces. Carmen's up next, and it's completely ridiculous. The dude's wearing no shirt, the jacket is way too short, and the pants aren't even close to fitting, but she's perched a little plaid cap jauntily on his head, like that's going to distract from her disaster of an outfit. Christian's outfit is, like Jillian's, not to my taste, but is at least finished and inoffensive.
I thought Kit's outfit was a bit boring, until I found out that the blazer was made of fleece, which just made it seem weird. However, I'd still put it head and shoulders above what we've seen so far. Rami's outfit is pretty great, actually, but too casual for this challenge. Too bad, since the jacket especially was very well-made. Sweet P's outfit has decent pants, I guess, but a totally messed-up shirt, and a tie made for an NBA player, not an NFL player.
Steven was probably smart to do a sweater over a button-down, rather than a tailored jacket, which made his outfit work pretty well for me. However, his model has some sort of silken scarf tied around his neck, for flair, perhaps, which throws the whole look off. Though the white jacket could have been a bit Miami Vice, Victorya pulls off a pretty good outfit, considering the limitations. For the self-proclaimed straight guy of the group, Kevin made a very...lavender outfit. I didn't like the vest-over-tucked-in-shirt look, but it seems well-made overall, and the tie and matching pocket handkerchief were a nice touch.
Chris's outfit has an oddly-cut jacket and lacked color, but isn't too terrible in general. Jack's outfit is very over-striped, and only two pieces, but looks tailored and well-fitted. Ricky's outfit, though boring, actually looks good, believe it or not. However, the illusion kind of falls apart when you realize that it is very visibly held together by safety pins. Elisa fell into the too-casual trap, and it looks like she tried to claw her way out of it with a completely absurd vest. (Yes, I'm anti-vest. Wanna fight about it?)
Keep in mind here that I'm being very kind with my descriptions, because the disastrousness of the worst looks can't be appropriately expressed if I'm as critical as I usually am about the rest of the outfits. Just imagine a very low bar, with several outfits somehow managing to limbo under that ugly, ill-fitted baseline. Seriously? Worst. Ever. No wonder this show never does menswear. Jillian, Christian, Rami, Steven, Victorya, Chris, and Elisa are all safe.
Kit gets praise for the look of her outfit and her smart fabric choices. The judges find her outfit versatile and unique. Jack's outfit gets props for its fit, its simplicity, and the fact that it's actually finished. Heidi points out that it's better to have two finished pieces than three awful ones, though Michael thinks by playing it safe the outfit lacked a third piece that would have given it a twist. Though Tiki doesn't wear a lot of vests, he likes the tie on Kevin's outfit. The judges aren't into the purple, though they say the look would definitely make a statement.
Sweet P get criticized for her disaster of a shirt collar and the terrible tie proportions, though she gets a few props for style. Ricky totally gets called out on his safety-pinned jacket, with Tiki saying that there's no way he could wear something that sloppy on the air, and that it looked like a five-year-old made it. Ricky also gets criticized for his boring color choices. Carmen gets slammed the most for her unfitted pants, too-short (and unfinished) jacket, and total lack of shirt. Basically, the judges think it's unacceptable. Heidi sums up the worst of the pack with an extremely cutting, "I guess they all thought that they were better than they really are." SNAP!
Kevin and Kit are in, but Jack gets the win. Hmm...I would've gone with Kit. Jack played it too safe, and Kit did more. That said, I guess Jack's looked better. I bet if the judges got to choose, rather than Tiki, they would've chosen Kit. Sweet P also makes the cut. Carmen and Ricky both get a tongue-lashing, but Carmen ends up getting auf'd, and fair enough, dude. That shit was AWFUL. She's bummed, but accepts it. And wow, I have to say, I can't believe that Nick was cut from the second season after making Daniel a suit that was a bit too puckered around the seams, given the menswear results this crew came up with. Just sayin'.
Thursday, November 22, 2007
Project Runway: Sex and the Runway
We begin, after a few half-hearted "I miss Simone" comments, with The Choosing of the Models. This week it's the original style, with last week's winning designer (Rami) picking whomever he wants, and the rest subject to the mercy of Heidi's velvet bag 'o buttons. Several designers choose new models, and Ricky's model from last week is eliminated. The challenge, we find, is to design an outfit for a "fashion and pop culture icon." Whom I imagine will be another total disappointment, like Kim Kardashian, or a Cabbage Patch Kid. But in the workroom, Tim introduces the designers to none other than...
SARAH JESSICA PARKER!!!1! Holy crap! A real fashion icon, for once! (Not that I didn't constantly mock everything she wore on Sex and the City, and rightfully so, but still!) Everyone is suitably excited. Because, you know, WOW. Chris actually cries, which may be a bit much. Rather than actually design an outfit for her to wear, as Heidi implied, they'll be creating a two-piece look for "Bitten," her new clothing line, which focuses on stylish but affordable sportswear--less than $40 retail. Which makes their budget $15. Yikes. So...is this by default another "make a dress out of garbage" challenge? SJP will choose seven designers based on their pitches, who will then pick partners from the losing half of the group.
Pitch standouts for the worse are Chris, who is painfully nervous, and Kevin, who leaves SJP hanging on the handshake. On the other hand, Kit has a really fun design, Rami has a great line about his outfit fitting women of all sizes, and Christian (he of the side mullet) has a great sketch. SJP chooses Elisa (really?), Kit, Victorya, Marion, Ricky, Christian, and Rami (of course). She also announces that the winning design could be sold nationwide, at some store I've never heard of. This only adds to the excitement.
The winning designers select their partners in random order. The pairs are: Marion/Steven (Really? Steven is the first one chosen? Didn't see that coming...), Ricky/Jack, Victorya/Kevin, Kit/Chris, Rami/Jillian, Christian/Carmen, and Elisa/Sweet P. Rough on Sweet P, though Elisa does do her the service of claiming that Sweet P would've been her first choice anyway. At Mood, $15 buys you about enough nice fabric to make a napkin, so the designers have to make do.
Time is tight as well as money, so the pressure is really on. Steven, in particular, is worried that Marion's design is too involved for the time they have, as is Tim. I am worried that Marion's design is being constructed out of what appears to be burlap. But that's a whole 'nother thing. Elisa's process, as we might have guessed, is a bit...unusual. As in, it involves saliva. To "imbibe the fabric with energy and essence." And also to mark spots to cut, or whatever. Is "spit marking" seriously a thing? Because if so, GROSS, fashion people. Gross. Dude, Elisa is CRAZY. And Tim agrees, since she's doing insane amounts of hand stitching. Elisa, in the face of Tim's and her partner's concerns, caves and decides to listen to Sweet P a little more. Good call, Elisa.
Ricky, it should be noted, is a total crybaby in interviews. Just thought I'd throw that out there. Rami, to his credit, is making a real effort to have his dress fit all body types. On Christian's end, Tim is worried that the design is too retro, though Christian thinks it's totally perfect as is. Ignore Tim's opinion at your own peril, Christian! Many a young designer has been eliminated for failing to follow Tim's advice. On the other hand, Tim is really into Victorya's design, which I'm going to wait to pass judgment upon until I see the finished product. Though the plaid already bothers me.
The morning of the show, the usual "finishing everything at the last minute" craziness ensues. Sweet P struggles to make Elisa's unfinished, hand-stitched style work. However, they end up really pleased with their design. Christian and Cameron are already done (another potential portent of doom, if you ask me), if by "done," you mean, "done making their size 2 model look chunky." Marion's garment is way too big for the model, requiring some massive cinching, Gap Girls-style. Though the cinching doesn't help the fact that it looks like she has an afghan or something wrapped around her waist. And that's really being charitable. With some moccasins (which I assume simply weren't available on the Bluefly.com Wall o' Accessories), she'd be perfectly costumed for a "First Thanksgiving" pageant.
Kit and Chris are up first on the runway, and their outfit is very cute, but nothing new. Elisa and Sweet P are next, and though it's "interesting" in a way that I would never wear it (a cape with a "polymorphic" dress, which sounds like some sort of evil creature that looks like a dress before it comes to life and strangles you with those strappy things wrapped around the model's neck), I can say that it looks really cute and chic on the model. Rami and Jillian, on the other hand, have veered too far towards frumpy on the top in their effort to be multi-size-friendly. I'm pretty sure multi-size-friendly doesn't entail putting a plus-size shirt on a stick-size model, guys. And really? Leggings? That's as inappropriate as the top, but in the opposite direction! A top that would fit a size twelve and bottoms that would fit a size 0 do not an average of size 6 make.
Marion and Steven are next, and, well, you've already heard my thoughts on the matter. As for Victorya and Kevin...um...why does everyone love this outfit so much? It has a horribly misplaced (and simply horrible) plaid vest, and a giant crazy bow on the shapeless dress! I really, really don't get it. Or fashion in general, apparently, since everyone else loved it. Christian and Cameron are next, and the outfit as a whole is kind of unfortunate. It has a completely out-of-place jacket (which actually would be cute on its own), and looks extremely 80's in general (which is in style now, yes, but a bit too overboard in this case). Were the jacket and dress separate, I might actually be a fan, but here? Not so much. Last but not least are Ricky and Jack, who made a really cute dress that really shouldn't qualify as a two-piece outfit. Unless you count the belt.
On the chopping/awarding block are Elisa/Sweet P, Victorya/Kevin, Christian/Cameron, and Marion/Steven. SJP loves Victorya's outfit, and thinks it goes with the collection very well. (WHAT?!) Elisa's outfit also gets mad praise from everyone, though "spit marking" makes an unfortunate appearance during the discussion of how she and Sweet P worked as partners.
Michael thinks that Marion's outfit is rather Pocahontas (AGREED), and SJP finds it unwearable, and less sophisticated than the sketch. Heidi, even harsher, thinks it looks like a rag, while Nina slams the proportions. Christian's outfit is criticized for being too retro, and SJP found it to be more severe in person than on paper, as well as too short and too snug. Fair enough. The judges ask Carmen who in her pair should go, and she doesn't want to make a choice until Christian tells her to have him go, since it was his design. She tearfully agrees. Marion also falls on his sword, while Steven obnoxiously hedges.
In deliberation, the judges absolutely love Elisa's and Sweet P's creation. They call Victorya's and Kevin's "versatile," "beautiful," and "simple," which is wrong on all counts, if you ask me. They universally slam Marion's and Steven's dress, especially its baggy length. They find Christian's to be way too retro, which proves that you should always listen to Tim.
The winner, in a MASSIVE miscarriage of justice, is Victorya. SJP thinks that the vest has "charm," irritating me even further. SJP, you have confirmed every nasty thought I ever had about your clothes on Sex and the City. Elisa, Sweet P, Steven, and Carmen are in. The judges found Christian's to be too 80's, and too inadaptable to larger sizes. They thought that Marion's was poorly-constructed, and had terrible fabric. Christian is in, and Marion is auf'd, which is about as fair as the choice of winner was unfair. And I'd just like to add that these eliminations are waaay easier to take when you aren't emotionally invested in the designers yet!
Friday, November 16, 2007
Project Runway: Finally back, and making it work!
We meet Rami first. He's originally Israeli, and has designed for Jessica Alba on the red carpet, but is still looking to find a larger audience. Next up is Chris, a flamboyant costume designer. (In this case, though it's a tough call, flamboyant refers more to the costumes than to the designer.) Christian, who possesses what I like to refer to as a "side mullet," is a recent grad who studied in London. Carmen, who's sporting a rather asymmetrical hairstyle herself, used to model, which she feels gives her an intrinsic understanding of the business. I wonder if she'll still do that thing where designers say they loved "watching [their] dress walk down the runway," rather than "the model wearing [their] dress." Seems like if you've actually been a model, you'd be less likely to totally ignore their existence.
Our next designer is Jillian, who has been working at Ralph Lauren. And is "Not. Going. Home." Kevin, a successful jeans designer (they have jeans on the cover of Victoria's Secret catalogs?), wants to get back into making collections. Steven works at the Museum of Science and Industry, sewing for various exhibits. Fascinating! And yet, somehow, I'm kind of doubting he'll get much respect from the other designers. Poor Steven. Elisa, an "accidental fashion designer," got into fashion while making marionettes. Seriously. Like, giant, terrifying, monstrous ones. And her bio is so impressive that it makes one wonder a) why she needs Project Runway, and b) whether it's even fair to the other contestants to have her on the show. Project Runway has officially gone pro, y'all. Olympics-style.
We don't hear much from Marion, whom the screen titles tell us is a boutique owner. Is it an ugly hat boutique? Because if so, he's doing a great job advertising it! Ricky, clearly a customer at Marion's boutique, is a lingerie designer whom we also don't get to meet. I'm assuming he vowed to try out for Project Runway and do lingerie designers proud the day Santino unleashed his ruffly German monstrosities upon the world. "Sweet P," whose nickname comes from her time in an all-girl motorcycle club, needs some money to keep her business afloat. She has matching "Sweet P" and "Mean P" tattoos. Hells yeah.
And now there's no more time to meet the rest of the designers, because we (and they) are on our way to Bryant Park! Simone, who is very taken with her "vision," is thrilled to be in Bryant Park: Home of Fashion Week. The designers pop open some bubbly and toast to their good fortune. Aah, and it now becomes clear that Marion owns a flower shop, not an ugly hat shop. He simply sells designs (possibly including ugly hats) out of the shop as well. Jack, an activewear designer, is thrilled to finally be designing for himself, and not an employer. Victorya considers herself a competitive overachiever, but stops short of saying she's there to win, not to make friends. Kit "Pistol" designs really funky clothes, and would love to have her own line. Ricky, for whom ugly hats unfortunately seem to be a trademark, tears up over the enormity of the opportunity.
Now that we've met the designers, it's time for Heidi and Tim's long-awaited return to television! (Yes, I'm graciously ignoring Tim Gunn's Guide to Style. Deal with it.) Heidi looks just as beautiful as always as she reminds the designers of what prizes are at stake. Oddly, Tim thanks her gratefully for saying nothing but "next to me is Tim Gunn." Maybe merely having your name spoken by Heidi's beautiful lips is an honor worth thanking her for? He reminds the contestants that they were selected from a huge pool of designers, which only makes me miss "Road to the Runway" more. Sigh. He gives them the usual "you are the strongest group ever" speech (which very well may be true, given the resumes), and Heidi drops the completely expected first challenge bomb.
This year, the first challenge is NOT to create an outfit using unconventional materials, according to Tim. But I'm assuming he was joking (he's so deadpan it's hard to tell!), because their challenge is to turn cheap white tents into outfits that express who they are as a designer. But wait! The tents are lined with $15,000 worth of premium fabrics! This is actually kind of interesting. I like that they're shaking it up a little, and letting us see what the designers can really do. Though I have to say, it's a little less interesting than corn husk and coffee filter dresses. As the obligatory Race for Materials begins, Elisa wishes Heidi a happy birthday and hands her a flower. Suck up. Chris, who is a bit tubby, doesn't make it to the tents until the fabrics are pretty well picked-over. Happily, his choices are still available. To everyone's bemusement, Elisa takes a fancy silk chiffon and rubs it all over the grass, "imbuing it with a natural element." Riiight.
At Parsons, everyone gets down to business (but not before Tim leaves them with his inaugural "Make it work!"). The lack of constraints is intimidating to some designers, but Ricky gets right to work with a lingerie-themed babydoll dress. Elisa, who is officially this season's kook, starts sewing her "mythical, magic gown" right on her body, using herself as a dress form. You know, if she didn't have such an impressive background, I'd be very skeptical at this point. As it stands, I'm just somewhat amused. Christian, out-gaying even his side mullet, interviews that Elisa reminds him of a rain goddess in the Himalayas, or something.
With four hours to go, Tim pays the designers a visit. Rami, clearly one to watch, has managed to freestyle drape an amazing gown that Tim pronounces "stunning." Christian, on the other hand, has made the ugliest thing in the whole wide world. Possibly due to the hideous black and tan fabric he's chosen. Tim, perhaps blinded by the hideousness, chooses to criticize the asymmetry, which...dude. That is SO the least of this outfit's problems. Simone has chosen to pair peach, white, and bright yellow. And is also falling a bit behind. Elisa's dress, already finished, is very high-concept, with a colorful, deconstructed train flowing from a very fitted body. Tim expresses some reservations with the finishing of the train, which is totally raggedy, but Elisa decides to nap rather than compromise her concept, even though she's got plenty of time left. Everyone else, of course, runs around frantically down to the last minute.
The next morning, it's Judgment Day, as Jack puts it. Many designers have work left to do, but first it's Model Time! Measuring, hair styling, makeup...ing, and dress-finishing ensues. Simone actually has to sew her model into her dress, because she didn't have time to put in a zipper. Elisa has her model practice walking with the train, and it gets completely tangled at her feet. Elisa feels like she should probably chop it right off, but doesn't do it. I'm guessing that may end up being a bad call. Just a hunch.
At the runway, the designers get another speech from Heidi on the prizes and judges--the guest judge is "acclaimed designer" Monique Lhuillier. The first outfit is Elisa's, and the model, of course, gets tangled in the dress. DUH, Elisa. Chris's dress is very classy, but a bit boring. Kevin's is enormously fabulous, if you ask me. Cute, edgy, and well-constructed. I'm going to peg him as another one to watch. Sweet P's looks like an ill-fitted gunnysack to me, but that could just be a matter of taste. Simone's dress is so simple that I can't believe she didn't have time to sew in a zipper. Simple, and fairly ugly. Definitely NOT expensive-looking.
Jillian's dress looks fairly chic, but turns me off for some reason. Christian's is just as ugly as I remembered, but looks a lot more high-fashion on a model. Victorya's dress is stylish and fun, though it has a big ugly metallic flower in the front that just throws the whole thing off. Rami's dress is just as impressive on a model, and looks very sophisticated. Ricky's dress is way too simple and trendy-looking, like something you could buy at the mall. Also, too shiny. Jack's dress is super-cute, and I absolutely love it.
Marion's is unusual, but probably really high-fashion in a way I don't get. Steven's is very "sexy executive," which...okay. Interesting choice. Carmen's is a horrifying combination of an '80's-style gold lamé vest, big flowy genie pants, an out-of-place orange scarf thing, and too many accessories. Carmen, oblivious to my hatred, is thrilled with her creation and completely confident that she'll make it to the next challenge. Kit's dress is fantastic, and pulls off a similar cute/edgy aesthetic to Kevin's (and in a similar color palette).
Heidi moves Chris, Kevin, Sweet P, Jillian, Jack, Marion, Steve, Carmen, and Kit to the next round. What?! Three of my four favorites were in that group! Kevin, Jack and Kit: You were robbed! (Sweet P: You were very, very lucky.) Apparently, Christian is in the top. Sigh. Though to be fair, it really does look better on a model. Simone, clearly, is NOT in the top. The judges are unimpressed with the construction and with the jacket/dress combo. They absolutely love Rami's dress, of course. Ricky's dress gets criticized for being too safe and boring, which is completely fair.
Victorya's dress gets praise, as does the horrible metallic flower. SIGH. Michael points out the short hemline, but then points out that he knows women who are willing to bleed for fashion, so... Okay, what? Fashion is so messed up! Isn't he the same guy who once said that all the women he knows cut the pockets out of their pants to make themselves look thinner? What is with his female friends?! Moving on to Elisa, she describes the cut as "haiku," which, what? Nina criticizes the heaviness of the train, the fact that the dress isn't walkable, and the big, clashing boots. (Okay, just kidding. I'm the only one criticizing the boots. But it needed to be said!) The judges seem to like the dress, but not the train.
In deliberation, the judges are torn between Christian and Rami, though they also really like Victorya's design--especially that stupid flower. Simone gets the harshest criticism, though Heidi says what I've been thinking all episode: Elisa's model "looked like she was pooing fabric." HA! Ricky's dress gets praise for being well-made (as did Elisa's), but the judges can't get over how boring it was. This seems like a pretty clear choice to me, as far as the loser. And the winner too, actually, when given these choices. Victorya is in, but Rami wins. Right on. Christian is also in, of course, as is Ricky. Okay, between Simone and Elisa? This is no contest! Simone is out, out, out. And rightfully so.
And there you have it--the first episode of what will hopefully be a fantastic season of my favorite reality show! Can't wait for next week!
Thursday, September 27, 2007
Project Runway: Meet the Cast of Season 4!
The contestants vary in age from 21 to 46. We also appear to have at least a couple of self-taught designers, and at least one whose experience lies predominantly in menswear. And the designers as a group seem to be very into Alexander McQueen and boots. Hmm.
Looks like a great, highly-skilled (mostly) group, at any rate. Mark November 14th on your calendar, people. Or, just brace yourself for the onslaught of Bravo promos that won't let up until November 14th. I can't wait!
Thursday, October 19, 2006
Project Runway: Goddammit.
Uli regrets the accusation, but Laura and Michael don't. Laura even points out that, as a business owner, Jeffrey would have access to outside help. Jeffrey is rightfully bothered that Laura questioned his integrity, which Laura, in a fit of delusion, denies. Oh, Laura. I love you, but I'd love you a lot more if you'd come out and admit that you're out to get Jeffrey, at least a little bit. The plot thickens as Jeffrey is apparently missing receipts from the pleating company.
The day before the show, the designers arrive at the workroom, where the mood is subdued. Jeffrey spends his free time pacing around worrying, and then decides to make a skirt in case he can't find the missing receipt for the shorts he was going to use. Eight hours before the end of the day, Tim shows up and gathers the designers together before declaring Jeffrey not guilty. Uli is visibly happy, and hugs a crying Jeffrey. Michael looks a bit sheepish, and Laura seems...pensive. Jeffrey won't, however, be able to use the shorts. He's also over budget by about $200, and so will have to toss something from the collection and inform the judges. This was our scandal? Jesus Christ, Kara Saun's shoe thing in the first season was worse than this!
Jeffrey is rightfully pleased with the outcome, and decides to toss the wigs to resolve the budget issue, and use some extra leather pants he made instead of the backup skirt. Laura, continuing her delusional ways, says that the solution was a good compromise, and that she never meant to keep him from showing. I'm calling bullshit.
One hour before the end of the day, Michael (joining Laura on "Team Delusional") feels good, but nervous. Uli is also feeling confident. Oh, Michael. You're breaking my heart. Tim gathers everyone round for the last time, and is totally verklempt. He actually has to stop and compose himself. Awwww. I love Tim! He's really proud of the designers' work, and calls them all winners. Take Michael's collection out of the equation and we'll be on the same page, Tim. The designers wrap up the night with a group hug.
It's the morning of the show, and the designers are up at ass o'clock in the morning. Laura reiterates that she wants to beat Jeffrey on the runway. 'Cause I'm sure if they had found that Jeffrey outsourced the sewing, she would have turned all Uli and been like "No, it's a design competition. Let him show anyway!" Not that she should have, but come ON, Laura. You would've been happy to have him gone. Admit it!
The designers try and stay calm, but when they see the tents at Bryant Park they realize how huge the moment is. Jeffrey, who feels that he needs to prove he deserves to be there, calls it the biggest day of his life. So does Uli. Once they get inside, there is much marveling at all the soon-to-be-filled seats, and Laura and Jeffrey walk the runway. Well, Laura waddles the runway, anyway.
Two hours before showtime, there is much rushing around behind the scenes, and Michael is feeling the pressure to make sure everything's perfect. Too late, Michael. Too late. A few Extreme Zooms on the Tresemme products later, it's five minutes to curtain. The families are all patiently waiting for the show to start, and the designers are feeling the nerves and the moment.
Heidi comes out to start off the show. Our guest judge this year is Fern Mallis, the creator of Olympus Fashion Week and Vice President of IMG Fashion. I see Daniel V. in the crowd!
Jeffrey's collection is first, and he bounds onto the runway with excitement. Introducing his family, he says, "That's my son and he's crying...with glee." Ha! His music of choice is very moody, and a bit too low-energy for the collection, I think. Maybe it would be good for a collection actually influenced by Japanese ghost and demon stories, but not for these outfits. What outfits, you say? Well, the pictures on Bravo's site are a bit messed up right now, but here's the link to his collection so you can try and follow along at home, and I'll link to the ones I can.
The first bunch of looks were very...red with polka dots. I liked this one a lot (if the link works), but overall wasn't blown away. As the patterns shifted into stripes, though, I dug the outfits a lot more. Everything was beautifully constructed, and with the exception of a glaringly out-of-place floor-length Uli dress, the collection fit together and expressed a point of view very well. My other favorite was this striped blazer. He gets lots of cheering at the end (although no applause for individual looks), but I wasn't that impressed. Then again, what the hell do I know? Nothing, apparently. (Spoiler Alert!)
Uli's next! She talks a bit too long about this being her dream come true, but you can't hate her for it. I really like her music--it's sort of a bouncy piano and strings with a beat. Her collection started off with a lot of neutrals, mostly tan and silver, which was a bit of a narrow palate for me, but it all looked great. She definitely stepped out of her comfort zone with so few prints and so many short dresses. The truly "Uli" pieces came out at the end, including a great swimsuit which got a big round of applause. Nazri's beautifully patterned dress, which I can't seem to link to, was stunning, and rightfully got a round of applause. The whole collection gets loud applause and cheers. Way to bring it out, Uli! Michael Kors looks very happy.
Laura's next, and jokes with the crowd that she finally made it "big" in the fashion world (she's hugely pregnant). Hee hee. Her music is peppy and jazzy, and the collection started off with lots of gold tones and moved into black lace. It was definitely more youthful (and dressy) than her usual fare, but still very, very Laura. A somewhat risqué floor length black lace dress got applause, as did a feathered skirt that must've taken forever to make. Most of her looks had detail that looked very painstaking--beading, feathers, sequins, etc. I loved this beaded dress, and this outfit, another of my favorites, got a big round of applause. I actually didn't love the final look, which seemed a bit over-the-top to me, but it was overall a job very well done. Way to go, Laura!
Michael gets HUGE applause coming out--he's obviously the crowd's favorite. Little do they know the horrors that are to come... He says that his inspiration is a woman on the hunt to find out who she is. She finds out that she's sexy and sophisticated. Um...not unless the clothes have changed since I last saw them. Or are they all from before she finds herself?
The collection started with lots of 70's-looking white outfits. Here's a representative sample. Yeah, I wasn't stunned yet either, but brace yourself, because it got a LOT worse. We're talking Day-Glo orange, hot pink, a horrifying gold swimsuit, and a few prints that make my eyes hurt just thinking about them. Yeah, yikes. Everything seemed to fit very well (read: formfitting), and looked well-made, but damn. In Project Runway-speak, the taste level wasn't there. Especially with those huge belts. No one piece got applause, and I was NOT feeling it either. Sorry, Michael. And wow, Tim said in his blog that Michael really pulled it together from when he first arrived in New York. I cringe to think of what the collection must have initially looked like for THIS to be better.
So what the hell happened with him? My theory is that he only works well with restraints on his creativity. He excelled at extremely restrictive challenges (make something out of trash, out of room decor, in the style of Pam Grier, etc.), and even presented work made with the constraints of previous Project Runway challenges at his audition. His portfolio, as the judges later point out, was much like this collection. I'm just sayin'.
After the show, everyone's buzzing. Michael, still on board "Team Delusion," thinks it went well. Sigh. At this point, I think it's down to Uli and Laura, and most showgoers are in agreement (but apologetic toward Michael). Uli gets the most votes, and Bravo earns my scorn by interviewing a Wal-Mart executive. Lame, Bravo. Laaame.
The judges, it seems, thought it was a great show. Everyone had a point of view (Michael's being "Ugly"), it was emotional, exciting, etc. etc. And I'll admit, it was MUCH better than last season's lame-ass final show. Even with Michael's dud of a collection. But come on, as each season has brought more experienced designers, you'd think someone would be able to come close to Jay's winning collection from the first season. So far? Not so much.
The judges bring out the designers and models, and the great interrogation begins. Laura says that she wanted to do eveningwear and create a romantic, escapist, luxurious collection. The judges can't believe she created what she did for only $8,000. And holy crap, she did all the beading on Camilla's outfit herself? Wow. Unfortunately, Michael and Nina don't think she brought out the surprise factor enough. Uh-oh. Fern, though, thinks the focus was "extraordinary" given the time and budget restraints.
Michael's turn. I begin cringing in anticipation of the tongue-lashing that is sure to follow. He says he found who he was as a designer through the show, and thus thought of a safari concept. Hmm, that's cool, I guess. He was also, apparently, inspired by the 70's. You don't say! Fern acknowledges that he was the crowd favorite, but doesn't think the collection stood up to the expectations. The judges, along with me and the rest of America, are disappointed. Michael Kors thinks Michael turned the volume up too high. The judges DO like the beautiful make and fit of the clothes, and the fact that Michael made a range of types of outfits (sportswear, swimsuit, eveningwear, etc.).
Jeffrey continues to try and pass off his collection as inspired by Japanese ghost stories. Whatever, dude. Fern loved Marilinda's dress, and though Jeffrey had a lot of great ideas. I will grudgingly agree with that. Michael likes that Jeffrey gave the girls outfits for all kinds of occasions, but Fern thinks that the nicer looks seemed out of place compared to the much stronger sporty looks. Heidi calls him out on going over the budget. Apparently, though, once he tossed the wigs he was $600 under budget. How much do wigs cost?!
Uli's up next, and says that she wanted to show them a broader variety than she has before. Nina thinks the clothes are terrific and saleable, and that the solids are actually really nice. Heidi would wear anything in the collection, and thinks it was young, fun, and diverse. Michael loved Nazri's dress, but didn't think that the connective thread between the pieces was cohesive, color-wise. Fern points out that resort clothing is incredibly lucrative in fashion right now, which I didn't know.
The judges deliberate alone. They think that Uli makes the kind of clothes women want to put on. She also pays attention to detail, is passionate, and works hard. Michael weirdly thinks that her show was "just a little bit of a roller coaster." What does that even mean? I'm going to assume it was cut out of context, or something.
They think Jeffrey was the most innovative, and that the variety he showed was perfect. They hated the long gown, though, and don't like that he went over budget.
While they agree that Laura is meticulous and shows amazing workmanship, Nina isn't sure that she's creative and innovative enough to win.
They think that Michael's clothes fit beautifully, but that the taste level wasn't quite up to par.
Kindly, the judges say that all the contestants have a career waiting for them in fashion. Nina even wants Uli's number. They bring the designers back as we go to commercial. America apparently thinks that Michael should win. Did you see his collection, America? Did you?
Heidi says she's proud of all the contestants, but that there can only be one winner. Just like there could only be three finalists, right, Heidi? The judges believe in Michael's future as a designer, but he needs time to mature. That's putting it kindly. He says he'll take the world by storm, though. I hope so, Michael!
Laura's also out. What?! They say she had an exquisite collection, but that it was too limited. Fashion sucks, you guys. Her collection was AWESOME. She's at peace with the decision, though.
Ok, so Uli has to win. Right? ...Right? According to Heidi, Jeffrey's collection was innovative, cohesive, and showed his range. Uli's collection pushed her, and was beautiful and saleable. Congratulations...Jeffrey. Um...are you fucking kidding me? Goddammit. Uli's happy for him, and thinks things happen for a reason. I guess she's gonna do great things anyway, but day-am. This sucks. Jeffrey's in shock, happy, whatever. BAH, Project Runway. BAH.
