Project Runway 9/3/08--"Double O Fashion" summary

Previously on Project Runway: for some reason we had to make clothes out of car parts. Don’t get me wrong, it was pretty cool and all, but I still think it would have been better had they forced the designers to actually take the cars apart. Leanne won by making clothes that didn’t look like they were made from seat covers. Korto’s coat was also so awesome, but apparently weighs like 30 pounds. Keith’s clothes also didn’t look like car parts, but his were boring and the skirt was so jacked up he had to tell his model not to sit down. So he was eliminated. And a sentiment that I saw in multiple places: when he had his exit interview, he started bawling, which several people said was super hot. I guess it’s all those who wanted to “comfort” him and make him feel better. (Kmanpat: “Oh, yes. Let me make it all better.”) (click for more)

Kenley appears to be trimming her bangs in front of the mirror. Stella is making coffee with a ladle. In her bra. I mean, she’s only wearing her bra, not making coffee in her actual bra. Terri thinks she should be able to figure out how to make it. It’s strong. Suede had to move into the other boys’ apartment, because there are only 4 guys left! Interesting breakdown.

One of the models has her hair all up messy with a ribbon. That’s because they don’t tell you that the model selection happens the same day as your runway show, while the eliminated person is cleaning out their table. When you see the shot of her you can tell. Heidi brings out Tim to give them details on the next challenge, like he’s a special guest or whatever. He says they’ll be designing for a “fashion legend”. Leanne is relieved they won’t be designing for Tim. Oh, man, how cool would that be? And evil.

Field trip time! Everyone walks down the middle of the street. Blayne wants to design for Mary Kate Olsen and marry her. EW. Stella says they’re at the meatpacking district so it could be a lot of people. Inside the showroom they find Diane von Furstenberg. Awesome! Everyone seems pretty starstruck. Kenley starts to cry because this is the biggest opportunity ever for her. Well, I might be starstruck but hopefully I wouldn’t cry. Diane says that today they’ll be creating a look for her fall collection, inspired by the movie “A Foreign Affair”. Diane gives a short synopsis of the film (mainly the important parts are: spy, worldly woman, Berlin, Shanghai, New York) and they can see some of her looks that she’s already made. Tim reminds them that Diane works prints and colors like no other, so she’s allowing them access to her fabric room. Also, American Express will produce and market the winning look to AmEx members. Damn, I don’t have one of those.

Tim gives everyone 15 minutes to pick out fabrics from the sample room. Jerell is in heaven with all the expensive fabric. Kenley has some black and white print that reminds me of her zebra pattern she likes. Still crying. Stella can’t get a fabric down and no one will help her get it down. Finally Kenley starts pulling bolts down onto the floor. This room is a mess. Tim announces 5 minutes and apparently they have to cut their own fabrics. Heh. Terri has fireworks. She’s making more pants. She makes a lot of pants.

They’ve got 10 hours to work. Leanne is relieved to have immunity but she really wants to win while she has immunity. Everyone gets a lookbook to get ideas and to get a feel of the collection. Joe notices that she’s got a lot of layers, which is what he’d like to do, but that’s a lot of time. Kenley asks if everyone is doing 3 pieces, in that tone that makes it obvious she doesn’t want to have to do 3 pieces to keep up. Suede ditches his jacket idea, something about making a vest instead of the jacket, with camo and masculine fabrics, I was trying to tune out the third person. He’s sitting cross legged on the table like a little tailor. Blayne has too many colors. It’s like his neon dress from the New York challenge. He insults Terri for making pants again. Which she has, but to be fair, those are kick ass herringbone pants. While she’s in the sewing room showing off her pants to Korto, Blayne and Joe are mocking her firework fabric by singing the national anthem. Joe complains about her blazer/pants combo that she always does, which you will note hasn’t been attacked yet. Everyone hangs out for dinner and shares what they’re doing except Stella, who says it’s not Leanne’s business and she doesn’t trust Terri. Why, she’s going to copy you? That was weird. She seems not to care what everyone else is doing. Korto tells Terri she’s making the baddest vest, so you make one too and we’ll see who is best. I still can’t tell if Korto is joking or if she’s really tired of Terri. She hasn’t interviewed one way or the other.

Jerell reminds us that they’re designing clothes for a spy/traveling woman. Or whatever. I think he gets it. In the sewing room, everyone discusses what pressure it is to design for Diane von Furstenberg. Korto is making an evening gown. Stella is making a cape. OH! Joe and Jerell make ching chong noises. That’s not cool. Joe is making a blouse with an open back and a mandarin collar. Leanne has a cropped trench coat (?) and a long gown. She pretends to be a spy, sneaking around the workroom and calling herself “Leanimal”. It’s kind of cute. Suede says something in third person. Kenley asks Joe if her gown looks bulky and he says no, while gagging behind her back. The print actually isn’t bad but it’s got a high neck and that’s a lot of print. She’s still defensive about not making three pieces, and she loves her print, but she also picked that horrid floral print for the team challenge.

Tim time! Suede has sort of a military thing. The camo is bleh. Tim worries about the fullness of the skirt. We ALMOST get away without a third person Suede reference. Leanne has a gorgeous collar, but then the jacket is too long and it doesn’t go. Joe wants to make a hooded shawl with pockets. Tim says he will say he’s ambitious, so hopefully he gets it done. Korto’s jacket has full sleeves, and she wants to put yellow under the strap, but it’s kind of like a bra strap. She’s got the same print that the model has in those AmEx commercials. Stella has decided this character is from Paris and not Berlin. Oops. Tim reminds her that the judges want cohesion from all her pieces, unlike last time. Stella responds that the judges were just stupid and that “the stylist in the oversized muumuu dress and waistband didn’t know any better.” Tim tries to apologize to Rachel zoe but Stella says she really did mean it. Tim sees Shanghai in Kenley’s dress, which is simple and that’s OK, but she needs to watch the waistband she has planned.

After Tim leaves, Kenley beams about how Tim liked her dress. She and Stella discuss, again, about how big this challenge is. Kenley cries about it, again. She says she’s worked for Kmart and Walmart but this is much bigger. She’s almost crying in the workroom. Lots of flailing. Stella likes her outfit but it’s not really rock and roll. The vest is two-sided and the fabrics are different weights. She’s not listening to criticism.

The day of the runway show brings us Jerell in his underwear, which has a fun zigzag pattern. He hopes the fashion gods are on his side. The girls say everyone has a jacket. Stella is wearing leather pants that seem painted on.

Tim appears to give them 1 hour with their models. Kenley’s top has cap sleeves made out of feathers. The one she herself is wearing, I mean. Terri has no blouse. Damn. Kenley only has one piece, but she says that she’s already done so that makes her better than everyone else. Everyone freaks out and badmouths other people’s outfits. Lots of frantic working. Joe thinks his polished outfit will be hidden among all the other crap everywhere. His shirt is cropped. I think they’ll notice it. Stella works up until the very last minute.

The weekly poll: What should Heidi’s spy name be? A. Venus Schnitzel, B. Mata Hottie, or C. Mrs. Stiletto. Ugh.

Fern Mallis is here instead of Nina. She was sick for a couple of days, that’s what’s up with that. Joe: pink mandarin collared top with frog closures, a darker pink sash, black skirt, hooded sleeveless coat thing. It does not look like a shawl. The sash at least means there isn’t any skin showing. The top has long tight sleeves and a big keyhole opening in the back. Leanne: long dark blue dress with a cropped jacket. Actually the jacket hits at her hips so it’s not that cropped. The dress has a short train, I think. The tope is draped in a cowl neck and the back of the skirt has a ruffle up to her waist. It’s very elegant but the jacket doesn’t go. Terri: herringbone trousers, black coat that looks like it’s made of fur, blouse. The coat has wide lapels but they look cool. The blouse has a ruffle down the front and you can’t really tell the print is fireworks. Jerell: dark blue miniskirt, copper blouse and brown coat. Over the blouse and coat is a neon blue belt which does not go at all. The coat is pretty open in that you can see almost her entire chest, and there’s a giant brooch. The blouse has a high neck. And remember that hat he wore that time, the green one? She’s got a small dark blue hat. At least this is supposed to be kind of period. Korto: long black and white print dress with a yellow underskirt. You can see the same yellow under the straps in the halter top. Then over that is a black cropped jacket with wide sleeves. I hate to say it but I don’t like it at all. The skirt looks weird and the jacket is cut in such a way that you can see skin on either side of the straps of the dress. It just looks like they don’t go. Blayne: dear God in heaven. Those are knee length harem pants. They are very wide and balloony, and then at the knee there is a band to bring them in, and then they end. Also they are polka dotted. Above the waist she looks pretty good; fitted jacket in black, with a poofy blouse in a colorful print. The jacket has a high collar. Blayne says that Diane was giving him the “googly eye” when she met them and that she must love a tan. I think your headband is too tight. Suede: long dress in a green and brown print, and a vest in grey with black trim. That vest doesn’t go. The dress is OK. Stella: pants and a vest in a brown pinstripe, and a cape. The pants are a little wide, and the cape is wrist length and black. The vest looks like crap, like she tried to put a peplum and it failed. (A peplum is what Kenley put on her model last week, that thing made out of air filters). It looks like she messed it up. Kenley: slim dress with a high collar. There is black trim at the hem and the collar. To be fair, I do like her print. Actually I like her dress but I don’t like Kenley.

Terri, Jerell, and Blayne are safe. See, you bitch about Terri and her always making pants, but she is ALWAYS in the middle. Korto goes first, and Diane asks to see it without the jacket. She loves the yellow. Fern thinks you can see the Shanghai influence. Everyone likes the jacket, so apparently I know nothing. Joe goes next. You can see the shawl is shiny. No one likes the open back, and when you look at the back of the skirt you can see that all the hems are uneven. Kors says that’ll make magazines in the “What was she thinking?” pages. Kenley talks about her one piece that she made, and almost cries, but Heidi right away reminds Diane that her lookbook had a lot of layering. Kenley tries to defend herself by saying that she thought Diane needed a simple dress. Heidi keeps attacking her for being lazy and only making one thing, but Diane finally states she likes it so Heidi shuts up. Kors and Fern like it too. Heidi must be pissed. Stella goes next, and Diane likes the mix of tweed and shiny fabric, but the cape is not cut properly? It’s a magician’s cape or something but not a cape for a woman to wear out on the town. Kors doesn’t like the construction and says the crotch is every woman’s nightmare and “she’s got something missing, if you know what I mean!” No, no I don’t know. What are you talking about? She’s a girl! Just say it’s insane. Leanne’s men’s jacket and long gown is a great combination. I forgot this is a look for a very famous designer’s collection and nothing ever makes any sense. Suede’s dress has too much fabric in the hip (there’s a sash tied there) and the back of the skirt is slit which is weird. In this case, they hate the herringbone. I don’t get this at all. How is Leanne’s jacket a wonderful contrast, but Suede’s vest, which doesn’t go any better, makes everyone think she got dressed in the dark? I mean, the vest was pretty bad, but I don’t think the random jackets were so much better.

Good: Kenley (simple and well designed, not costumey, but needs another piece), Leanne (met the challenge, mixed the influences, lots of good design), Korto (all the pieces were interesting, great neckline). Bad: Suede (the dress is boring and the vest is stupid, not good enough), Joe (the back was jacked up and looked homemade and messy, so it looked like he didn’t think about that), Stella (the cape isn’t cut right, they could see her vision but the execution was poor).

Korto is in. Leanne gives her a look of sympathy. Leanne wins. She is so thrilled, it’s so cute. Kenley is in. Suede is in. Joe’s look had too much going on, and Stella’s three pieces were all done poorly. Stella is out. She actually rolls her eyes which is great. She tells Heidi that her ego is too big to be here anyway. Huh? She says she did Stella 100% so she’s not worked up at all. Tim calls it an ebullient departure. She says “If you like my stuff, come buy it, if not, keep walking.” Stella to the end.

Next week: I think family members. Special guests that everyone is excited to see, anyway. Everyone is starting to hate each other. Someone is pooping fabric.

P.S. I recapped "Top Design" too! Check the post after this one.