Project Runway 10/9/14--"Fashion Week: Who's In & Who's Out" summary

Previously on Project Runway: teams of two had to make clothing out of the contents of storage bins. Then they had to make a third look which was somehow related. The teams were pretty drama-free. Kini made a dress out of a soccer ball and was made the winner. Pretty much exactly what the judges love when they have “unconventional materials”. Korina and Char were deemed the worst, but rather than just getting rid of Korina (because we all know they won’t get rid of Char) they made the two of them make a dress in an hour to be judged again. Korina complained mightily about how Char was terrible and this was not fair and blah blah, and then was eliminated. Then went back to the Scrap Bin to call Char out and then be like “It’s not about you.” Should Char still be in the competition? Well she’s been saved three times, by many counts. Is Korina a better designer? Maybe. Is it possible that Korina knows it’s the producers’ fault she’s out and they just made sure to edit out all her bitching at them so it looks like she blames Char? Yeah they would totally do that. But I don’t care. She still complained about how Char was so much worse than her and she’s been complaining about everyone this whole time. All her sound bites are condescending declarations about how no one else is anywhere near her level. Yeah, editing, but the words still have to come out of your mouth. Char could have sent down a naked model and I would still be glad Korina was eliminated because then I don’t have to hear her anymore. And I am guessing many agree with me. (click for more)

Tim wakes everyone up and pretends he doesn’t know how they live. You know he’s seen those apartments before. He gives them ten minutes to get ready and get to the rooftop. Kini says this is apparently the last regular episode before the finale. Anyway, Tim is on the roof with Ryan who works for Lexus. Ugh. Make a “street chic” look. You should be able to wear it every day but it has to be “fashionable” and “progressive”. Whatever. These directions are always so vague. This is the last thing the judges will use to decide about Fashion Week, which I think is telling. Remember when the last challenge was avant-garde? That was back when being too commercial would cause you to lose. So everyone has to go out “on the street” to get inspired. Plus they can use some Lexus cars. They have two days (twist alert). There is no way they would give them two days for a look that I could probably buy at the mall right now.

So they ride in the cars, but you’ll notice they’re not allowed to drive them. Amanda takes graffiti pictures, and Emily seems to also. Emily wants to make a “mega-hoodie” but it hasn’t fit any challenges yet. Char takes pics of window displays…so pictures of clothes. She’s also loving the decorations but sure. Sean is taking pics of random people. People at Mood seem to be planning to make complicated things. Not “every day” wear but that’s boring so I’m not that upset.

Tim gives everyone until midnight. You know tomorrow will bring a twist. Plus I watched the previews so that thing hasn’t happened. Amanda is spending all day on her pattern. Char has a ton of flaps and petals for her skirt. Pretty much as expected you can hear everyone talk about how they’re spacing out their work over the two days, so even if you hadn’t seen the previews you’d know something is up. Everyone goes to eat, and Char talks about how she apparently thought she was friends with Korina. Why did you think that? I’m not sure if Char brought this up but everyone else seems to be really uncomfortable. I wonder if the producers told her to talk about it. Then Char is like “I’m glad I don’t have a heart like that” which is a true statement but maybe read the room? Sean, though, interviews that Korina didn’t leave on a good note and will regret what she did. I doubt it but OK. Maybe everyone agrees with Char but they don’t want to say so. Char makes a joke about the car and they laugh. Kini says without Korina there is no tension. Was she the cause of all the tension? Maybe? I remember one episode she was walking around being nosy about everyone’s stuff. Whatever, the narrative is that no one is sorry Korina’s gone.

Day 2. The eliminated looks are on display for everyone! That’s the twist! Remember when they did that last season and Justin took the look that got him eliminated and then he cried and everyone was like “aww” but you knew they only had that challenge so he would do that and everyone would feel emotionally satisfied? They’ve only put out five looks, even though many more people than that were eliminated. And Char’s look is not there. They’ve picked out certain looks. Samantha, Fade, Sandhya, Mitchell, and Korina. Oh, because they decided they’d rather have drama than “Char’s redemption through fixing her look.” I see.

Anyway, Tim comes in and the designers just laugh at him. Redo the losing looks. Some of them are terrible, but a couple are just boring. Like, Samantha’s is just a plain dark gown. The two looks (the “street” look and the “fix the loser” look) do not have to be related. “Random” draw to pick. Emily takes Samantha, Char takes Korina (because it has the most fabric), Amanda takes Fade’s “avant-garde” thing. Kini takes Mitchell’s red dress, which screws Sean into taking Sandhya’s pink onesie peplum thing. Back to Mood, which is not exciting.

Back at Parsons, Tim is like, we are giving you assistance! Yay! But of course it’s the designers whose looks they’re fixing. Korina has a bitchface, but in her defense (I KNOW) she just got eliminated yesterday so I’m sure she’s not OK with it yet. Tim makes sure to tell everyone the “helpers” are not designing. Of course you are being helped by whoever’s look you’re redoing. SURE. You can’t tell me that wasn’t on purpose. Char can’t remake her own look? You knew they’d be coming back and Char just HAPPENED to pick the look of the person that hates her? I am sure the producers did that shit on purpose. They didn’t have helpers last season. I bet they knew Korina went off on Char and they changed the challenge at the last minute so they could pair those two up and drink in the drama. That’s a pretty shit move, producers. So they pair everyone off, and there are hugs all around. Char claps when they tell Korina she’s her partner but Korina just keeps her bitchface on. Everyone stares. Char is like, yeeaahhh….this is going to be a problem. Korina says that she is still really upset, and doesn’t think she’d be able to put enough effort into helping Char. I wouldn’t trust her to put any effort into helping anyone at any time, but at least she’s trying. I guess. Korina tells Tim they chose the wrong person. Girl, it is over. I know but they aren’t going to change their minds now. Oh, maybe she means “you chose the wrong person” like, “you should have picked another eliminated designer to be a helper”. Tim says Char picked Korina’s look, and Korina is like “that doesn’t matter” even though you know it does. Maybe she’d still be upset but you know it’s worse that it’s Char. Tim is like, OK bye. And Korina leaves and slams the door. Interviews from everyone on how she needs to suck it up. Perhaps the most damning is from Amanda, who knows how it hurts to be eliminated, and says “it doesn’t hurt any worse for her, and I would know.” Amanda says “The judges sent her home. Not Char.” Tim promises to find someone else for Char, who says she would have made it work. Sandhya thanks Sean for picking her look, and everyone laughs.

OK time to work. Tim returns with Alexander…who also was upset Char was not eliminated instead of him. But you’ll remember he kept that opinion in confessional, plus it’s been a couple of days, so he seems in a much better mood.

Tim Time! Amanda has her graffiti. I feel like this is a cliché now. There is some volume, and colorblocking. Emily has a print that makes a giant face from far away. The redo is mostly the same because Samantha’s look wasn’t bad, just boring. Tim wants it not to be something you could buy, which is not something the judges seem to care about any more. Char is inspired by a window display with paper airplanes behind the mannequin, so it’s like a starburst. But she put a pocket in the skirt, which is weird. Maybe simple was the way to go. Tim is trying to have her do the same thing on both looks but didn’t he say they didn’t have to match? Plus she claimed her reason for taking Korina’s look was because it had the most fabric, but she’s not using any of it. Tim likes Kini’s, sort of, but he thinks they could go to Michael Kors and buy his outfit. Hmm. You asked for “streetwear” and you got “streetwear”. Don’t complain about it now. Sean has high-waisted pants and some kind of white shirt with cutouts. He’s using Sandhya’s pink but that’s about it. It feels like Tim is really harsh on everyone but then the judges go against him all the time. His advice is not as useful as it was, maybe.

Sean ditches the pants he was going to make to try to take Tim’s advice. Emily is having a hard time dealing with the redo. She just wants to make her hoodie. Model fitting. Lots of hugs. Kini is making his skirt more complicated. Sean has put long pink fringe on his pink jacket. What? WHAT. Sigh. Sandhya is doing a lot of finishing so Sean can make a new skirt. Char is behind. She’s telling Alexander how to sew the top, and when he says he knows how to do it she’s like “well I’m just making sure.” Char, you should be worshiping at his feet. Come on. On the way out there is some moonwalking for some reason.

Runway day. The helpers are back. Sean’s skirt is way too small. Char can’t get her top to fit right. Hot makeup guy Scott. Last minute working and interviews about how much everyone wants to go to Fashion Week, even though we all know they ALL went to Fashion Week. Can we please stop pretending that doesn’t happen?

Guest judge is Shay Mitchell who is an actress. Amanda: maxi dress with several colors. The bodice is sleeveless and black, with a deep narrow keyhole. Then the top part of the skirt is tweed, and then on the bottom is some puce and some orange. It looks cool from a colorblocking standpoint but the front of the skirt has the slit so as she walks, it looks like she has pants. Also I’m not a big fan of the color combo. The back has a pattern too but it looks heavy. Remake look: short black dress, with some draping to make asymmetrical cutouts. Like she took a crop top with Fade’s original lines and then put some black over one side of it. The skirt is the same way. It’s not terrible. At least you can see Fade’s dress in it.

Emily: big sweater coat in black and gray, and a tunic and leggings in a print that’s reddish-orange with white dots. From far away the print makes a big face on her top. It’s cool and bold. The coat has a big hood but it seems shapeless. I like the print even though the print is carrying the outfit. Redo: navy strapless top with one shoulder, and a short skirt in a blue and black print that looks really familiar. It’s more interesting than a long dark gown, I suppose. But it’s not very exciting.

Sean: white skirt that is cut like jodhpurs. So the hips are wider, but the skirt hits below the knee. It looks interesting. The top is a short sleeved button down top, with cut-outs at the shoulders. But not across the top of the shoulders, in the front along the seam attaching the sleeve to the bodice. Everything is super crisp. The top doesn’t button all the way down, but has a box pleat in the back. Redo: shorts and a long sleeved jacket, all in hot pink, with long fringe on the sleeves of the jacket. So it’s like Sandhya’s look in that it’s too much. The jacket is cropped and the fringe is longer than the shorts.

Char: cropped bustier in a black and white print. Eh. The skirt is a long purple pencil skirt, with a pocket, and one side all covered in petals. The petals are just rectangles, but they’re only on one side so it looks weird and lopsided. Redo: it’s just a black dress with a belt in some fabric that is basically black. I can’t see any details so it just looks lumpy. It in no way resembles Korina’s five million pieces.

Kini: black skirt and white top. The top is really plain, with a limp bow, and the skirt has ruffles or something. Over this is a treated denim trench. Treated so it’s all shiny. It’s not that exciting but it’s not ugly, I guess. Redo: long red dress with one shoulder in chiffon, and a really high slit. The skirt is tight all the way down, and I guess one long red dress looks like any other red dress.

Kini talks about his street look and the red dress. Heidi likes the trench but not the top and skirt. It’s fighting? I guess? The skirt has fringe or something so it’s busy. They tell him not to put things all over the place. You’ll notice this is the opposite of Tim’s advice, because Tim told him it was boring. They do love the red dress, because it’s so simple. The hem has a little train and he fixed it so it was wavy. Emily’s hoodie looks like a fleece. Eh. Heidi thinks the street look is too much like pajamas. The coat comes off and Emily basically made a bodysuit, with a big flap with the face on it. Weird. Of course the judges think this is spectacular. It’s a bodysuit with a turtleneck and a huge bib. Whatever. The redo is boring and Nina doesn’t see Emily’s point of view. Amanda’s long dress makes the model look really flat-chested. They really love it, even though the skirt still looks strange. The hem is really heavy or something. The redo looks like Tron. Oo, it does. They complain about how that doesn’t look like Amanda either, but you know if she or Emily redid the redo look to have their point of view, then they’d be like “but it doesn’t look like the first look”. Also how is Kini’s red dress in any way indicative of his point of view? Oh, right, it’s not.

Char brags about the pocket on her skirt. The belt on the redo look is just some of Korina’s coat which is all that is there. Nina says she has a good eye for color but it is not effortless. The execution is not there. Plus the belt maybe makes the model look wide? I don’t think so but sure. Sean’s white skirt has a hem like a shirt, longer in the front and back and shorter on the sides. Everyone LOVES the white outfit. Nina thinks it’s one of the best she’s seen on the show. Certainly in recent memory. But they hate the fringe. Finally, someone hates on some fringe.

Time to beg for your spot! Kini wants to show them what he can do and he puts on a great show. Emily has put herself in every look and she will make everything amazing. Sean has shown them things they’ve never seen and he will continue to do that. Amanda regrets her first season (whatever) and she wants to get redemption I guess. Char sys she hasn’t gotten the chance to show herself 100%. Why not? Shouldn’t you have done that by now?

Heidi really loves Kini’s coat, but they don’t really like the outfit underneath. But Zac admits it has ideas, so at least Kini is trying to be creative. They do not like Char’s pocket or the black dress. Nina thinks she’s stepped up. Not really but I guess we have to justify this. I think the back of Amanda’s maxi dress has a big tie? Like an obi knot? They seem totally willing to overlook her redo look because they love her maxi dress so much. They hate Emily’s redo look. The back of the hoodie has some interesting cutting, but they complain that the jumpsuit is not “runway ready”. You asked for street style, not avant-garde. Get over it. As everyone is lusting after Sean’s white outfit Tim claims to have set him on the right path. Sure. But not the fringe.

Heidi says Emily and Char are competing for the fourth spot, but maybe they shouldn’t even have four spots. Oh PLEASE. First of all, everyone showed and we all know it so no one is on the edge of their seat at home hoping their favorite is not eliminated. Secondly, you just admitted the number of “finalists” is not set in stone and you change it depending on how you feel that day. I mean, we all figured that was true, but did you really mean to admit it?

Kini is in. He bounces up and down. Hee. Emily didn’t wow them enough, and is out. She’s proud of herself for getting this far. Sean is in. Amanda is in. Heidi mentions her second chance, so is SHE supposed to get redemption? You know this show loves its redemption. Char is also in. You knew she’d be in. Tim Gunn Saves clearly make it to the finale. Emily’s glad for her because she’s not a garbage person. Tim is like, I’d save you if I could. Tim don’t do that. Tim asks everyone for a group hug.

Next time: travel…to…Italy? WTF? Tim says something is too ready-to-wear which we know is no longer a hindrance. The judges want a preview. Isn’t the season over next week? How are they going to cram all that in?