Project Runway 9/5/13--"Having a Field Day" summary

Previously on Project Runway: the designers were forced to pick out shoes, none of which were that great, and make outfits to go with them. Some people (Kate, Dom) made horrible clothes but were safe. Both Alexander and Miranda made red plaid pants, but Alexander’s were nice enough to keep him safe. Helen made a simple black dress with a cape, so she won. Miranda’s pants were bad enough that she lost. That’s about all that happened. (click for more)

It is very early in the morning. Tim appears with a damn WHISTLE. And dressed as a referee. One of the boys asks if they’re going to Foot Locker. Ha! Tim throws duffle bags at them, with running shoes inside. And like, T-shirts and shorts. In the vans there is joking about shopping being a sport and other nonsense.

Out in a field somewhere is Tim and Heidi. Alexander claims Heidi is wearing “activewear” but one tank top does not make activewear out of skinny jeans and heels. It is a “Field Day” with some product placement activewear and an obstacle course and teams of two. Whatever team wins gets to pick out fabric first, plus an extra hour of work time. Poor Tim is wearing his ref shirt and some shorts and sneakers. He has skinny pale legs. They will be making “performance wear that is fashionable”. Winner gets their stuff sold online and in select stores. Tim makes sure to mention that the teams are only for the obstacle course, not for sewing. Justin and Dom, Jeremy and Alexander, Helen and Bradon, Alexandria and Kate, Karen and Ken. Naturally Ken is pissy about it.

Three legged race, that tire run thing like in movies about football, wheelbarrow race (which Bradon and Helen completely forget and have to go back and do), digging through a kiddie pool for a flag, and then just run to the finish line. Dom and Justin win and are cute. Also Helen is immune for this challenge, but there will not be immunity any more after this. Last time she had immunity she got lazy so she’s going to try to win. Generally a good strategy. Heidi announces she will be in the workroom checking their work and everyone fakes being excited.

There is a table full of fabrics, all stretch fabrics, and they get to pick out what they want. I guess there’s 10 yards of each so if everyone likes the same one, then they’ll run out. Of course nothing actually happens with that. Kate is being motocross inspired. Helen has a hood. Oh, Ken is also doing motorcycle clothes.

One day to work. When they get to Parsons, the mannequins all have tank tops on them. Tim explains that these are examples of Heidi’s collection, I guess so they can see what they should match to. As Tim is leaving, Helen goes to ask him if they can use the pants example for fit? I guess put them on and see how tight they are? Tim says that would be smart. Helen tells us in confessional that she asked Tim a question “outside the workroom”, which isn’t quite true since they were in the doorway and not making any effort to keep their voices down. Well, Tim’s not, anyway. Helen is sort of looking sly. Now suddenly we’re pretending it’s a super giant secret, as if no one heard Tim and they won’t figure out what she’s doing. Now everyone thinks Helen is terrible. Ken interviews something dumb about it, but he says that Helen gave him attitude when the conversation didn’t even involve him so whatever. Well…then Helen rolls her eyes and says if he’s going to be a child about it, then it was about using the items they were given. Ken is now offended and I’d care and blame Helen but Ken pretty much has always been offended and bitchy about something ever since Sandro left. Now he’s all “Don’t fucking go there” and Helen calls him “Sandro part 2” which probably is not a good idea. Ken does not see the parallels. Interesting that both these stupid fights involve Helen. Bradon thinks Ken is kidding, because he’s mental apparently and thinks Ken would joke like that. Eventually Ken threatens her, which should get him a talking-to from the producers. He feels that his saying “Shut the fuck up” is the end of the conversation, which it’s not, and Helen doesn’t want to let it go because he’s overreacting. Helen finally leaves, saying she doesn’t want to get stabbed.

Alexandria for some reason sides with Ken, because he “called [Helen] out” on always asking everyone for help and then trying to hide her question to Tim. OK, fine, he called her out, but the “shut the fuck up, YOU’LL be crazy if I have to come over there” is completely uncalled for. Helen finds Tim and tells him that she did refuse to tell everyone what she asked, but that Ken called her ignorant and threatened her. Tim promises her that if Ken comes after her, then Helen should come find Tim. Helen pretends to not know what sent Ken off. I know what set him off. It was your refusal to say anything. He just got crazy about it.

Ken is STILL claiming he asked Helen a simple question that she refused to answer. I even rewound the tape and they did not show Ken asking her. It was Alexandria. Ken goes to the lounge to call his mom to pretend he is the victim. Seriously, he’s all “I’m frustrated” but he carefully does not tell his mom he called Helen an ignorant bitch and threatened her. Now he says he lived in his car for two months, and SAYS YOU SHOULDN’T JUDGE PEOPLE. Are you fucking serious? You judge EVERYONE. So I’m sorry, but your sob story is not working on me. Tim finds him and Ken seems to be claiming he just is frustrated or whatever. He also seems to pretend to understand Helen didn’t do anything, but I don’t think he gets it. I think he understands on some level he looks like the asshole, but I also think he feels justified. Tim and Ken find Helen and Ken for real has the balls to say he likes Helen and he yelled at her for no reason and can he have a hug? People believe the apology but I don’t. I’ve had to listen to his bitching and nasty comments for weeks now in confessional and I don’t believe he suddenly realized he was an asshole.

Tim and Heidi time! Heidi announces that she’s worried everyone is just using black. Kate was going to crop her pullover, but they like the length because I guess everyone is going cropped. Helen was going to make a mesh jacket but it’s really basic. But I guess Helen hasn’t done enough? Justin doesn’t want it to be too sexy but he has to hit the right balance. Karen has bright green in a sports bra with some black piping. She only has the bra done, and she wants pants and a jacket. Heidi hates it. Problem. Various people feel bad that Karen has to start over. Alexander has thick purple trim and they suggest he makes it narrower. Jeremy managed to get a good sunburn just from that little time outside. Ken’s design looks like a wetsuit. Heidi pretends she doesn’t like how she looks in the mirror. Alexandria is making dropped crotch pants again, which is dumb, because why would you wear that to work out in? Chafing!

Model fitting. Helen puts her pants on her model and the crotch seam pops open. Heh. Ken has started over so he has nothing for his model. Alexander still has to make his jacket. Karen has also started over, and she says something about a sweater? Karen also says hashtag out loud which is slightly annoying. Everyone but Justin and Dom leave so they can have their extra hour.

Runway day. Alexandria views her competition in terms of “who is the judges’ favorite?” Good call. Lots of frantic working. Helen still doesn’t have a top, and she’s afraid it’s too simple. Karen’s model asks her if she’s taking seams in and doesn’t she want to make shorts? Bossy. Hot makeup guy Scott. Alexandria (I think) asks Ken if she can jump on his sewing machine and do a seam. Aren’t there other machines? Karen has convinced herself other people suck worse than she does.

Guest judge today is Kors! Yay! Kate: black leggings with red piping in a swirl. It swirls around diagonally from her ankles, around the back of her leg and then above the knee. The jacket is a charcoal hoodie with red outlining the pockets. The bottom of the leggings is red from about the knee down and the jacket has a big inverted V in the back. Bradon: light gray and black leggings and tank. The gray and black are in panels, but also swirling so she has gray starting at her hips and then wrapping around her leg. The black is at her waist and then in the torso of the top as well. There’s gray and green in the top. It looks cool. These looks are hard to describe. The green is mostly border. Alexandria: damn dropped crotch pants and a zippered jacket. All in black with thin purple piping at the seams. Under the jacket is a gray tank with some slits cut in the side. Ugh, those pants. Helen: leggings that hit just below the knee and somewhere there is a pop of color but I’m not seeing it. The jacket is much longer on the sides. Like tails. Dom: black leggings with red piping. Not the wrap around the leg pattern but a more Tron-style pattern, if that makes sense. More angular. Also a tank and a gray jacket. The jacket has more red, in vertical stripes.

Justin: black shorts and a crop top, almost a sports bra, and a jacket. It’s pretty simple but outlined in the green. I think the top is cut too high so it looks like it’s not sitting on her chest properly. Ken: purple tank and black and purple knee-length leggings. The pants are mostly black with some purple at the knee at the bottom of the pants. Everyone seems to have racerbacks. Jeremy: purple leggings with green piping, just a vertical stripe. Then a black jacket and black tank. I don’t know about the jacket because the model takes it off pretty quickly. Everyone made tanks and leggings pretty much. Karen: black baggy pants and a sweatshirt. Also in black. They look like sweats. Alexander: gray and black pants with a purple waistband, and a black and gray sports bra. The pants are black at the pelvis and then gray below.

Helen, Karen, Alexander, Ken, Alexandria, and Kate are the top and bottom. Poor Dom. She’s ALWAYS been safe. Every time. Kate’s pants are actually two different fabrics, one with a texture. That’s cool, but the back of the jacket is not an inverted pleat but a big zipper that I guess you unzip from the bottom of the jacket. In case you wanted wings or something. Kors likes the zipper, for some reason. They like how it’s functional but also special. Alexander just colorblocked and went simple. The pants are well-made and the jacket panels are asymmetrical which is actually cool looking. The shoulders of the jacket are gray, but when you zip it up, the panels don’t line up. Nina busts in with a dissenting opinion and hates on the pants, saying where the gray hits makes the model look wide and her butt looks big because the waist is high. Kors says it’s not memorable. It’s in the store, but probably on the sale rack. But it’s in the store, anyway. Ken put black in places where there might be sweat. The outfit is fine but it’s too boring. The back of the tank is cool, but that’s about it. The tunic is really long, I think because Ken was avoiding cameltoe. They think it looks like a too-short dress. Clearance rack. Alexandria’s jacket is like some windbreakers I have owned where there’s a vent and mesh on the back so it breathes. The pants are stupid. Zac’s seen them, so he’s bored. Nina smiles a fake smile and laughs a condescending laugh and sighs, “Alexandria. These pants. Are absolutely. Impossible. To. Ride a bike. To. Run. To. Do yoga.” Love. Kors says if she wears that to the gym no one will talk to you because you pooped your pants and also these pockets are “pleasure-me pockets”. I guess where they’re placed and how deep they are. Kors, I miss you. He is dying of laughter and he sets off Nina. Zac is fanning himself. Heidi of course likes this look because she is crazy. Karen’s outfit is really sweats. Kors says something about putting cookies in her pockets. Oh, they hate it. Plus Zac says the sewing is wobbly. Helen talks about how awesome her look is. Nina loves how long her jacket is. It’s versatile and appeals to everyone. Everyone loves the jacket but if I’m buying a jacket to work out in I don’t want tails on the sides.

Karen’s outfit looks worse close up. The hem is jacked up. The model hates it. Alexandria’s outfit gets an “Oh my goodness” and “Oh no, don’t do the pleasure-me pockets”. Kors promises Heidi that if she wears the dropped-crotch pants no one will talk to her. Tim points out that Heidi told Alexandria she liked the pants so what was Alexandria supposed to do? The back of Ken’s top has too many straps. It’s on trend but no one likes it. No fashion here. Helen put dark green mesh panels on the sides of her leggings. They can’t get over the jacket. They love Kate’s outfit, it is flattering, and so forth. Alexander put a diagonal zipper and also made pants without side seams. There are some problems so he’s not in the running for the win.

Alexander is in. Helen is the winner. Whatever. Maybe it’s just that all the outfits this week look the same. She feels good about moving forward and has confidence and everything. Kate is in. Alexandria is in. Karen is out. Not surprising. Ken is in. She’s disappointed, and thinks that Ken’s been in the bottom so much he should be out instead. Tim is sorry she went out on something that wasn’t really her.

Next week: there is some challenge which is not made clear, then Heidi thinks no one understood it (they never say it so who knows) so Heidi sends them back to the workroom to fix everything.