Project Runway 9 28-Jul-2011
Project Runway Returns!
After an hour-long casting special that featured PR alums judging the contestant-wannabes, I was badly wanting to see what this new crop was able to do. But before we get to that, we got another casting special. You see, PR invited 20 designers to show their work to Tim, Heidi, Michael Kohrs and Nina. Only 16 would officially be invited on the show. So we had to sit and watch the designers hawk the same wears they did the previous hour.
So which were the unlucky 4, deemed not good enough for Season 9? They were Gunner, Amanda, Serena & David Chum. I don't remember much about Gunner, probably why he got the ax. Amanda was the one that showed off her romper, although she hates rompers. Serena was the one with the nighties that postponed her wedding in Iceland to compete on PR. And David Chum, the one the judges thought had all the same shaped clothes.
Heidi gave a champagne toast, and sent the final 16 to Atlas. That's where Tim Gunn made a pre-dawn wake-up call and told Becky not to put on a bra.
That's right, the designers must get up, trek over to Parsons in whatever they went to bed in that night, but at least they could also bring along their white bed sheet too.
Once at Parsons, Tim made all the endorsement-folks happy, then gave them the obvious challenge for the week: Make something out of your PJs & your sheet. They all had access to trimmings & dye and 1 day to complete the look.
Because the workroom didn't really consist of much drama, I'm only going to highlight 2 things:
1. Rafael didn't want to take off his leopard head-wrap, for fear of looking ridiculous on TV. (NEWSFLASH – TOO LATE). Tim made it clear that he was close to being one of the 4 chopped, and he needs to impress.
2. Anya told the judges she just learned to sew 4 months before the competition, has never made pants and has never dyed anything herself. She's seen struggling to thread a sewing machine, but has decided to do a tailored pair of pants from the bed sheet, that she dyed. – More on how she fared in a bit…
Guest Judge this Week – Christina Ricci
So let's get to the JUDGES TOP 3…
Bert – the oldest of this year's contestants stopped designing back in '92 and battle alcoholism. He's now sober and gained immunity with his orange checkered undies turned deep-v-neck dress, with gray skirt and cute details (draping and bow). Michael Kohrs warns him about his outdated styling though. He earns the # 1 spot & immunity for next week. (My thoughts – I loved the top part of this dress, the way it hung, the color combo and the draping/bow detail, but I thought the skirt was too short and the styling far too old for such a cute dress.)
Anya – The Miss America contestant that just learned how to sew turned her silk print night dress and the bed sheet into a cute silk halter top and a pair of gray tailored pants. The judges raved about her skill level considering what they know. But they loved the back of the halter, and the back of the pants. Placing her at # 2. (My thoughts – yes, the pants were great, they fit her model to perfection, but I thought the top was a bit boring & predictable)
Anthony Ryan – The colorblind and one testes down designer, turned his yellow striped tank and green shorts into a gray and black lace-embellished tank with a teal green mini-skirt embellished with black feathers. The judges loved the top, plus the color combo of gray, black & teal. He places # 3. (I liked his top too, I could totally see myself picking it up off the hanger at a store, but I would have left the skirt.)
Now let's talk about the JUDGE'S BOTTOM 3…
Julie – she's the designer that showed up with the collection of Santa Fe rugs, turned outerwear. She put up a pair of ill-fitting snowboard-inspired gray pants with an ill-placed front pocket and a two-toned tank top that featured her childish PJ pants' print. The judges ripped her for her pants, and the use of the print for her top. Christina even mentioned how she should have died her print fabric super dark and took it in a different direction. Lucky for her, there were 2 worse designs this week. (My Thoughts - Totally agree with the judges on this one.)
Joshua C. – the bald-headed Mormon, decided to turn his basic red t-shirt into a tank, his basic gray sweats into a mini-cap and his basic white sheet into basic white shorts. The judges hated that his design was so simple, then hated it even more when finding out the details. He had to enlarge the garments he made to fit his model, but he went about it the wrong way. Instead of doing a "tuxedo" hem on the shorts and a back panel on the tank, he decided to fix it in the front… you know, where the focus is… Luckily for him, the judges found one more design even worse. (My Thoughts - Again, I agree with the judges here.)
Rafael – The one that thought Nina's "bored out of her mind" eyes were actually "having sex with me" eyes during casting, and the one that didn't want to take his head-band off due to "crazy, homeless hair", put out the ugliest gray high-waisted leggings I've ever seen, a weird white top with only one redeeming quality (the back) and a "Flintstone" leopard bib. The judges hated everything about it, although Christina tried to stick up for the top, and he's the first to be sent home. (My Thoughts – again, I agree with the judges on this one, the top, pants and bib were hideous. The one thing that was good about the outfit… the detail of the back of the top, he basically hid from view. EPIC FAIL.)
SO how would I rank the REST? Glad you asked.
My personal favorite of the night was Fallene. She's the quirky redhead that took her yellow t-shirt with a clown puking rainbows into a toilet and the bed sheet and turned it into a white with painted black vertical stripe halter dress (with tie-bottom). She used her t-shirt fabric as a wide belt, and even used the puking clown. I thought it was totally fun.
Danielle – The girl that looks like she stepped out of the 30s with a quiet demeanor took her brown tank dress, black leggings & bed sheet into a two-toned brown sweater paired with high-waisted blue-green shorts. I thought both pieces looked well done, and looked good on her model.
Joshua M – he took his PJs & bed sheet and made a 3-piece ensemble, consisting of a black mini-skirt, a black detailed top and a white oversized vest. I thought there were really great ideas in this outfit, especially the vest which was very interesting looking.
Becky – the short-haired blonde with glasses, turned her bed sheet into a one-shoulder robin's egg blue dress with grey center stripe. I thought it was cute, but perhaps a bit safe.
Viktor – turned his PJs & bed sheet into a white dress with black buttons down the front, and other black detailing (on the waist & lapel). I thought it was classic looking, but kind of in a "it's a uniform" kind of way.
Laura – the Paris-Hilton wannabe, or as the other designers call her, "Barbie" took her silk PJs and bed sheet and turned them into a cool printed wide leg pant, a cropped silk tube top and lined mini-cape. I actually really liked the print and width of the pants, but thought she could have done a better fit with the waist line. Plus I didn't really love the top portion; I wish she would have just done a halter or something.
Bryce – he turned his PJs into a off-the shoulder, bell-armed gray top, tucked into a tight black mini-skirt. It reminded me a bit of a Halloween costume, but it wasn't the worst.
Oliver – he's the Asian with the British accent that can also speak Italian (or "foreign"). He turned his PJs & bed sheet into a tight brown mini-skirt and mixed textured, gray, long-sleeved top. I actually thought the skirt fit his model like a dream, but found his top to be a pieced together mess.
Cecilia – She's the girl that thought she didn't impress the judges enough to make it through… She turned her coral tank, black shorts and bed sheet into a tube top, mini-cape & skirt. I thought this was a good effort, but the proportions seemed off. The tube top was too short, the cape was too oversized, and the skirt was placed too high and far too short.
Kimberly – turned her PJs & bed sheet into an all white ensemble, consisting of white tuxedo pants and a blousy white top. Again, the same as Cecilia… I think there were good ideas here, but the execution lacked. The pants were ill-fitting around the waist and butt, plus I found the top a throw-away and unfinished. I might have liked it more if she tucked in the front flaps of the top and made it look more like a jumpsuit.
So do you have a favorite yet?! Are you glad Project Runway is back on the air?! Are you still reeling from Gretchen's win last season over Mondo?!
Meet me here next week Runway Lovers.
