Project Runway 2/4/10--"Design Your Heart Out" summary

Previously on Project Runway: there was a team challenge, where everyone was supposed to make really high-end looks and they got a ton of money, but no one’s look was that great. Mila won, because she made a very unique jacket, and Jonathan basically took care of the rest of the clothing. Ping went home, because her outfit wasn’t that great but then Jesse was a total jerk and threw her under the bus. And so did his model. Granted, Ping isn’t the most organized person, but Jesse really was out to get her, and she’s said so in post-show interviews. He said he had to teach her how to sew, and she immediately challenged him to explain but he couldn’t. And the model that said she never fitted the dress to her? That was Jesse’s model, and Jesse’s dress, so Ping assumed he would do it. I love Ping. (click for more)

Isn’t Fashion Week this month? How are they going to work the whole “only 3 designers will show” thing Heidi keeps saying? Are they going to do that horrible editing job they did last year? They really need to let the designers show their faces to everyone.

Anna is sad to see Ping go but not surprised. She and Janeane are the only ones left in their apartment. Jesus seems confident. Really confident for how often he’s been in the bottom. Jesse also wants out of the bottom. (Kmanpat: “Oh, I can find a way to put something with him in the bottom. And he‘ll like it too.”) Well, they haven’t shown him shirtless yet, so probably he’s safe for a while. You laugh, but the Magic Elves know their audience. Maya thinks Mila is the older version of herself, and they do look really alike.

Mila has immunity this week. They will be designing a look for a “Fashion Week gala.” Tim is waiting for them with a group of “very inspiring women.”

Tim introduces everyone to Lisa Walker, VP of Innovation for Campbell’s Soup. Please tell me they are designing a dress based off a soup. Think about it! They could have different flavors and someone would go crazy and put like, vegetables on their dress. How fun would that be? But no, they are talking about the American Heart Association. They will be making red dresses for Campbell’s Address Your Heart campaign. Celebrities will wear them! For the gala! Tim saves my fun by saying the Campbell’s “branding” must be present, along with it being red. I mean, I’m all for heart health awareness, but “design a red dress” is not the most exciting challenge ever. They will have fabric with the logo on it. Then there will be one more dimension: they will be designing for women who have been impacted by heart disease. These are “normal” women, so you know the internet will be aflutter with “OMG they aren’t fat!” pretty soon. (Kmanpat: “Yeah, non-size two women.”) The winner will have their dress worn by that woman, they get to go with her to the gala, and they’ll be selling the dress online. Mila says the “models” were randomly assigned, and she admits to being nervous but excited to work with a “real” woman.

30 minutes for sketching. The women explain their situations to the designers. Several of them have died and come back to life. Jay is in tears, he’s so moved. Jesus is excited that his model is tiny. Hey, Seth Aaron even said he’d make something flattering, and we all thought he’d be worse than he is. Tiny. She’s not even that tiny anyway. Mila wants to put some stars, I think cut out of the dress. She does all her interviews in a monotone so I can’t tell if she likes it. Ben is doing a cutout back. Anthony is especially moved because his own mother has heart problems. His model says she’s his model, but his mom is the inspiration. They laugh at how they are in tears.

$100 and 30 minutes at Mood. They’ve pulled a bunch of red fabrics that are the right shade. Tim calls something of Jesse’s “Valentine’s Day”. Running around. Not a lot happens in the shopping segments but it’s fun.

Tim gives everyone until midnight tonight. Janeane says that it’s daunting to make a gala-worthy gown in 10 hours, and she seems to blame it on the models’ measurements. Anna has studied printmaking so she’s tracing the Campbell’s logo onto some chiffon. Maya wants the shape of a heart but not really obvious. Seth Aaron tries to tell us the models they normally use are size 4s and 6s, which I don’t think they are, and then he makes sure to say this is the “largest” challenge he’s faced. Jonathan models his bodice for everyone. Amy can’t control her fabric. She says it moves on its own. Jay is making lots of vertical lines.

The women come in for measurements and to look at what’s done so far. Everyone seems pretty happy. Jesus talks about how he had a single mother. Uh oh. Seth Aaron is a little worried because his model wants Grecian draping. It’s not him but he’s going to do it though. Janeane and Emilio both interview about how great it is to meet these women.

Janeane is ironing. For some reason, and I cannot imagine why unless the ceiling at Parson’s leaks, there is a big plastic trashcan full of water by the iron. And Janeane gets her dress into it somehow. Why is that even there? She freaks out.

Tim time! Tim tells Jesse that without his jacket, he really doesn’t have anything exciting. Anna shows Tim her tracing and he is pleased. Mila says her model is a tough fit, and Tim is glad to have this challenge. Yeah, everyone is talking about how they are mitigating all figure flaws. Jesus is showing cleavage. Maya has the heart shape in her bodice, and I really like how she’s done it. It’s a sweetheart neckline, and one side is outlined in tan, but not the other so it’s not an obvious heart. Amy has designed her dress to show off her model’s scar, since she’s stopped hiding it. Seth Aaron explains how he changed his design for his model. Tim still gives him the speech about not compromising his design.

Seth Aaron changes his mind and takes off the draping. Emilio trash talks Anna and Jay. Mainly that he has no idea what they’re doing. The day ends and everyone goes home.

In the morning, Anthony points out how horrible it would be to survive heart disease, only to face Nina, Kors, and Heidi talking about how terrible you look in your dress. Yeah…that would be bad. In the workroom there is a TON of work to do. Amy estimates she has 70% of her dress to do. Seth Aaron is now going retro. Whatever that means. Maya points out that since all their dresses are red, it’s easier to compare dresses. Amy knows that everyone’s designs would be better with more time. Tim shows up to only give them an hour with their models. Seth Aaron is thrilled he finished something. Emilio doesn’t like Mila’s dress. There is still a whole lot of sewing being done with 30 minutes left. I think everyone gets finished, though.

Guest judge today is Georgina Chapman, who is cofounder of Marchesa. Oo, that’s a good guest judge for a gown challenge. Jonathan: long dress with a tiered skirt, a thin belt made from the fabric with the logo on it, and a high neck. There’s also a train. It looks pretty good, in terms of being a gown and elegant. Emilio: short dress in the brighter red, with a logo fabric belt, and strapless. She looks pregnant because the belt is right under her boobs. Let me tell you that is a style of dress I never wear for that very reason. Maya: short strapless dress that is fitted through the waist, with a sweetheart neckline. One side of the bodice is outlined in tan fabric, that cuts across her waist like a sash. It looks like an afterthought; not that she didn‘t plan it but that she waited until the last minute to try to attach it. I think she just ran out of time. Anthony: red sleeveless vest with a mandarin collar, over a wrap top made from logo fabric. The skirt is shiny and tight, and above the knee. It’s also cut so as to make her hips look ridiculously huge. I think the skirt is cut too tightly. She works it though. Amy: long dress that is gathered near the middle of her stomach, with a strapless sweetheart bodice and a thin belt. It’s very flowy and her model looks good. Jesus: short fitted sheath dress with thin straps made of crystals? Shiny fabric? There’s also a racing stripe of logo fabric down the side of the dress. And the whole dress is shiny. Short, tight, and shiny. Nina will have a field day. When she turns around he’s made a bare back, except for one strip that looks like a bra strap, and then loops of crystals/shiny fabric/whatever the straps are made out of.

Anna: knee length handkerchief hem flowy skirt, or at least a skirt with several layers that are not the same length. Also a belt. The top is split, so it’s like she took a strapless top and cut it right down the middle so it looks like two wings. It looks horrible, because I don’t think she fitted it well. I think there is illusion netting over the rest of her chest. It’s so baggy under her arms that she looks really wide, especially with a belt. And it’s crooked. Jay: long evening dress, plain skirt and shinier bustier. It does not fit well at all. I think even if it was fitted it would still be boring. Jesse: knee length dress that is shiny and has off the shoulder straps. He also made a very light tan jacket that is cropped and has long sleeves. It’s actually cute but I don’t know how formal it is. There’s a contrasting belt. Ben: long dress with a slit edged with the logo fabric. The belt is in a mustard yellow, and the whole back is bare. It looks really good. However I must point out that Ben himself is wearing a sleeveless polo shirt with a bow tie. (Kmanpat: “Yum.“) Mila: long fitted dress with white stars. Really big stars, one down one side of the skirt and one on her hip. The top of the dress is cut straight across with halter straps, and the straps and the top I think have logo fabric on them. I like the stars but I kind of wish she had used some of the gold others used. The white isn’t quite the right color. Janeane: the skirt is a little longer than knee length in front but down to the floor in back, with a bubble hem. It’s a long flowy skirt so the bubble hem doesn’t look right. The bodice is fitted with ruffles and a flower in beige and logo fabric (also there is a beige underskirt). And her model walks so slowly it‘s like she‘s afraid to rip it or something. Seth Aaron: wrap top in red, edged in logo fabric, with a logo fabric belt and a gold round buckle, and a black knee length skirt. At least his skirt is a fuller cut than most. Out of all the “full figured” women, Seth Aaron’s looks the best. His model works it.

Mila, Maya, Anna, Amy, Jesse, and Jesus are called out as the top and bottom. Mila talks about the star icon that inspired her. Georgina says the dress is fun but also classic. Nina loves how the branding got incorporated in the strip at the top of the dress, and Heidi and Kors agree that not everyone could pull off that dress but that woman totally owned it. Jesse wanted to “cinch the waist and fill the bust”. His model doesn’t look happy. The judges think it’s costumey and Kors in particular feels like it’s a drum majorette costume. The jacket does kind of remind me of that, especially because it’s so cropped. His branding was to fold the fabric into a square flower like thing on the jacket, so Nina points out how that isn’t that great. Georgina doesn’t like the sash, because the contrasting color is not as flattering as it could be. Nina does like the neckline. Kors doesn’t like the shiny. Jesus explains his wide stripes of logo fabric and the sparkly straps. Kors just sighs, and then says it’s like he took a checklist of everything that could turn tacky and put it all together: short, shiny red satin, rhinestone straps, tight. Heidi says she’s not sure of his taste level. Let me repeat that. Heidi Klum Seal, who wears short, tight, and shiny on a regular basis and WHILE PREGNANT, thinks your short, tight, and shiny dress is tasteless. Wow. Amy made a very elegant dress that moved and was modern, says Nina. Everyone loves it. Anna’s dress, on closer inspection, has a bodice that is one solid piece. There is a skin-tone panel in the front, which is why it looked like she had a split bodice. The stuff that I thought was illusion netting is just sheer straps. Nina and Kors point out that she looks wider because of the cut of the dress. Maya wanted to show off her model’s scar. Heidi is interested by the swirls and the draping. She also has a clutch made from the logo fabric.

Jesse’s jacket didn’t fit but the neckline of the dress was excellent. “Good bosoms”, says Heidi. Jesus is up next. There is much head-shaking. He knows how to make clothes, but you can’t learn taste. Anna’s dress fit horribly, but Georgina says she can see where Anna was coming from design-wise. Mila’s dress had a great use of the logo fabric, and the stars were fun. Amy handled the fabrics well, layered them well, and used the right silhouette for her client. Georgina says she liked Maya’s dress, but she wasn’t sure if she should. She didn’t put the logo fabric on the dress itself, but they like the half-heart outline.

Maya is in. Amy is the winner. She’s glad to “finally” win a challenge, especially this one. Mila is in. Jesse is in. Anna is in. So Jesus is out. He’s shocked but happy he satisfied his client.

Next time: one of the biggest challenges in the history of the show, and one of the biggest prizes. Clown clothes. Not enough time. Nausea.