Project Runway 10/1/08--"Nature Calls" summary

Previously on Project Runway: the designers had to make clothes for each other, based on musical genres. It was a train wreck for everyone except Korto and possibly Jerell. Korto won, by making Suede punk. Kenley almost lost, but sadly she did not. And after she was a bitch to Tim and irritated everyone else so much they wouldn’t give her any good suggestions. Suede lost instead, so he took himself and his third person nonsense and went home. (click for more)

Korto lets us know that at 33 she is the oldest one left. Wow. Sad. She talks about her family and daughter, which kind of worries me because of editing. Leanne thinks Kenley has been rude and disrespectful to everyone and should have gone home long ago. Kenley, of course, shows no self-awareness and says she isn’t speaking to Leanne because she didn’t sell her stupid high waisted pants well enough. That may be true, but your outfit sucked ass. Leanne and Korto make fun of Kenley and how she’s not going to smile, hee. Jerell is the last man left and he’s in his apartment making the syrup bottle and fruit talk. And a Tim Gunn bobblehead. He’s named them “Joe” and “Suede”.

Heidi is wearing a very short leopard print dress. Korto keeps her model. Maybe they’ll use them today. Heidi pretends only 3 of them will show at Fashion Week and tells them not to suck today. Also, it’s field trip time!

Kenley is forced to sit next to Tim in the van. She hopes that the challenge is something she is used to. I hope it is not. Jerell comes up with some wack guess involving Hedda Lettuce and weddings. Instead they end up at the New York Botanical Gardens, and Leanne has watched the show because she thinks they’ll have to make a dress out of flowers. The gardens are really gorgeous and everything is blooming. Collier Strong is waiting for them, for some reason, because of course plants are a great inspiration for makeup. They will have to make an evening gown using nature as their inspiration. That’s not a bad challenge. They’ll have an hour to take pictures. Jerell claims to already take inspiration from nature. Leanne dodges bees. Korto will win for her mother. Kenley says her bright loud prints come from flowers. Well, she does use floral prints. Don’t think you can make an evening gown out of those prints.

Back at Parsons Tim gives them 30 minutes to choose one photo, and then they’ll get $250 at Mood and 2 days to work. Korto knows they have to bring it this challenge. Mostly people seem to have a good idea about what they’re doing.

Shopping time! There are some great colors going on. Tim rolls his eyes at one of Jerell’s colors, so he ditches it. Korto is gathering her stuff and she puts her hands on some black fabric and asks if that belongs to anyone. When they leave there is an Amazing Race lingering shot of the pile of fabric so you know it’s someone’s.

Everyone gets down to business. Tim gives them 6 hours today and all day tomorrow. Korto’s flower is tall and yellow and orange. She’s got lace and she doesn’t usually use lace. Her lace is light and nude and beaded, while Jerell has old lady purple lace. He says his gown won’t be literal. Hmm. Korto sings about praying for her outfit. Leanne’s dress is lavender and has some details that are like petals. Kenley stops and asks if she had another bag. Jerell thinks she only brought one bag back, and suggests she might have left it at Mood. I am very impressed with the fact that he keeps a straight face, because he must be jumping for joy on the inside. I am not there so I will say it: HA ON YOU KENLEY!!!!!!! She kind of freaks out but then pretends she is dealing with it by using paper instead. That will go over well with Heidi and Nina. Leanne is not as good of an actor as Jerell and she is smirking. Then Jerell really turns the screw: “I might have some tulle I’m not suing, but Kenley is just a one trick pony and I refuse to assist her in any way.” Korto also says that she might not use all her tulle, but Kenley has an ugly attitude and will not be helped.

In the morning Jerell comes over and hangs out with Leanne and Korto while Kenley sits on the bed by herself and pouts. It’s so obvious everyone is excluding her. Too bad. She whines about her tulle.

In the workroom Kenley tries to buy tulle from Jerell but he lies and says he’ll be using all of it. Tim comes in and Kenley complains about her tulle. Tim is a much bigger person than all of us and says that if it’s on her receipt, then they’ll send her back for it so she won’t be handicapped. Maybe she never bought it, maybe she just thought she did but she didn’t and that’s why they never bagged it up. In the background everyone else rolls their eyes. Oh, Tim. After how she treated you? You guys, why isn’t this man married? TWoP thinks he should be. Let’s get on that. Tim sends in models. Korto appears to be in the weeds, but I am hoping that is editing. She doesn’t have much done, because she is over thinking. Leanne wants this gown to be everything it can be. Jerell mocks Kenley’s fabric, which looks like scales, as he is pinning sparkly dark green fabric to a midnight blue bodice. He calls her dress costumey. Tim makes everyone gather ‘round to listen to Collier and then get makeup consultations. Blah blah smoky eye blah green and purple blah.

Jerell and Korto joke about dossiers and whatnot. Kenley acts the martyr because everyone is excluding her. Then she says she’s dealt with that her whole life and she doesn’t know why. Maybe you’ll figure it out once you’ve watched the show. Tim appears to tell Kenley she can go over to Mood to get her fabric so she bails. Once she’s gone it looks like they’re mocking her. On her way to Mood she describes her family and how she grew up loud and obnoxious. Sadly she really did buy the fabric and so she gets it. Blah blah I deserve to be at Fashion Week and I am the best.

Tim time! He tells Korto to explain to him about the lace, which doesn’t go with front of the dress. She thinks she might just use it as trim. The front is cool, but the lace in the back might be too much. Kenley loves her dress. Tim tells her her dress looks more like fish scales and she is thrilled because that’s what she wants. Tim reminds her that this is a botanical theme and not oceanic but she’s already not listening. Jerell likes his dress, and Tim like the layers also. It does look unfinished but Jerell knows that. Leanne has a lot of pleating. Tim doesn’t like the bottom nor the back with this bustle/train. Tim tells all of them he is proud and they should work hard. Leanne is about to cry. In confessional she is actually crying because she wants it that much.
The day of the runway show everyone is subdued. Jerell is all choked up about being close. I think that interview is after he’s eliminated. I don’t know, it just feels like tears of frustration and not joy. Maybe I’m wrong. Korto prays. She cries in her interview also, because she’s been told no too many times. Aww, Korto! You are fabulous!

Frantic working. Tim gives them an hour with their models. Jerell kisses his ass by complimenting his suit. Kenley must tell us that she hates everyone else’s clothes and designs in general. My favorite is when she says Leanne’s clothes have “been done.” Leanne is for some reason putting a dark blue fabric on her lavender dress. Finally Tim comes to get them.
Heidi, stop pretending only three people show at Fashion Week. Guest judge this week is Georgina Chapman, co-founder and designer for Marchesa. Korto: long peach gown with a deep V neckline. The lace is now trim. There’s a train which looks a little wrinkled. Her flower inspiration is the same color, and is also a column shaped flower, and her dress is slim and flowing so that’s a good match. Along the sides are some darker pieces that I’m not sure flow well, but we don’t get a good look at them. Leanne: lavender dress with a lot of pleating that looks like leaves. The leaves go over one shoulder and down around the model’s butt. Remember Chloe’s dress from this same challenge? That made her model’s butt look fat? The bottom of the dress is not in satin but in the same color. It looks cool and I can see the inspiration. In the train is the darker blue fabric. Jerell: strapless maroon, with some beading. Wow, that looks low. There are a lot of layers on the bottom, which goes with the round flowers he picked. I think he put in a lot of underskirts in different colors. There’s also a piece of fabric on the back for more volume. She kind of looks pregnant. Kenley: purple sheath dress with a mermaid hem. The fact that the dress flares out at her knee, along with the fact that below the knee is where Kenley put all her leaves/fish scales, really makes this look like a mermaid costume. Like that was the challenge, to make a dress based on an imaginary animal. Come to think of it, that would be a cool challenge. And there’s a belt. And a mock turtleneck.

Leanne gets to start. She explains that she was going for the texture of the plant. Georgina likes the balance, and Nina also liked the softness but hates the bustle. The blue looks like an afterthought and it doesn’t go. The consensus seems to be that it’s not bad. Korto gets to go next. The dress is made beautifully and it’s a flattering shape. However, Kors and Heidi think it’s a pageant dress. Korto starts to cry. Georgina and Nina hate on the fabric. Nina manages to say it gently, that she went too far with trying to impress them. Heidi likes Jerell’s dress although she does address the fact that his poor model is about to flash everyone. Nina points out the raggedy hem that is unfinished. It’s youthful, though. Georgina asks an intelligent question, of what he would have done with more time, and he can tell his vision. This makes Kors nervous for some reason. I guess because he might do that at Fashion Week? Kenley talks about scales, and to be fair, when they show a shot of the plant and then the leaves at the bottom of her gown, you can see the resemblance. Everyone thinks it looks scaly and reptilian but not in a good way. Kenley retorts that she wanted to stay away from “pretty” because when she thinks of “gown” she thinks “old”. WTF? How are you a fashion designer? Nina says this girl is not hip or cool. Kenley whines that she wanted to stay away from cliché, and Kors says “I wrote ‘cliché.’” HA! I love you, Kors. Heidi hates on the petals and Kenley spits some defensive nonsense at her so she makes a face. Nina has had it and steps in to say she’s always defensive and it’s too much. Heidi turns to Nina and comments that she’s also tired of the attitude, and it’s wonderfully bitchy. And Kenley rolls her eyes and Heidi is all, like right now! She pretends she wasn’t doing anything. Kors tells her they’re fans, and Heidi’s face is like, not me. Also you will notice no one on the runway is giggling, KENLEY.

Heidi makes everyone answer why they should move forward and who should come with them. Jerell thinks he was consistent, and he slowed himself, and also he doesn’t want Kenley and her 50’s outfits to come with him. Kenley has to butt in and Jerell is like, they asked me who I wanted to come with me and that’s who I want to come with me, is not you. Kenley thinks he should have just said “Leanne and Korto” and shut up, and Jerell interrupts her to say, “Excuse me, but I think they’re going to get to you in just a second. So, at that point you can start speaking.” I do love to see asshats get their comeuppance. Leanne promises her show won’t be boring. Obviously she doesn’t want Kenley around either, because Kenley is not on her level and always has the same shapes. Korto has her dream, and she’ll show them her culture. She manages not to slam Kenley. Kenley is like, now that everyone’s trashed me, I take risks and I am sophisticated. Nina is looking at her cards like she’s super bored. Kenley then apologizes for arguing with everyone because that‘s how she’s had to go through life. The judges’ faces say, “You are full of it.” She doesn’t want to take Korto because Korto doesn’t put on a show.

Backstage, Korto stirs the pot again by pointing out that whenever Kenley has to get defensive, she does it by throwing Korto under the bus. Kenley rolls her eyes and says that they forced her. She tries to apologize but Korto knows she’s not really sorry. So then her new tack is to try to get sympathy, because everyone ganged up on her. Except that Korto is the one person who didn’t say a word about Kenley, so that fails too. Kenley feels that she had 10 times the horrid runway experience everyone else had.

Kors knows that everyone has had better days and they’re all nervous. Leanne was softer and more feminine, and that dress definitely was a Leanne dress. Kors knows that she spends a lot of work on her ruching and noodles, and it makes the dresses somber, but she herself is kind of like that. Jerell was intriguing, and made Georgina want to see more. However he isn’t polished. Korto made a pageant dress, but it was at least made beautifully and she isn’t afraid of color. Kenley can mix fabrics, but today was a loss of taste and Georgina can’t see anything of Kenley in that dress. Heidi makes them bring up her attitude, and Kors thinks it will cause her problems if she was a real designer. Everyone laughs. Heidi is intrigued, probably against her will. Kors thinks Leanne and Jerell kind of failed, and Kenley and Korto tried to show a new side but made some wrong turns. Kors wants different points of view in his finale. Sigh.

Heidi pretends this was the closest runway show ever. You know what? Instead of saying “Only 3 people will show at fashion week” she’s saying “only 3 people will COMPETE at Fashion Week” so it’s accurate. Leanne and Jerell had the high scores, and Jerell is the winner! Then Heidi lets us know that the judges don’t have balls and can’t eliminate anyone now, so they all have to make collections and then they’ll compete again, like Rami and Chris last year. Even Jerell, which sucks hard. Everyone goes backstage and hugs Tim and everyone seems thrilled, except Kenley, of course, who complains that it sucks that everyone hates her. Tim is giving everyone a group hug and she’s sitting in a chair. Tim tries to get her to let bygones be bygones but she refuses to join in. Tim says he’s been a wreck. Hee.

Next week: Tim on a tandem bike with Leanne. Hee. Kenley is still a martyr. Everyone freaks out.