Project Runway 8/24/17--"An Unconventional Recycling" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: a new batch of people trying to be on TV had to make “red carpet” outfits. Also the models this season range in sizes up to a 22, which means everyone says a bunch of nonsense about “real women” and “curves” and whatever and pretends not to mind. Some of them don't mind, I'm sure, but some of them do and also skinny women are also “real” so this whole thing is annoying. The twins are very extra when they talk to Tim and also most of the rest of the time, but other than that, no one is having fights yet. Deyonte won with a floral print dress for Cannes, which was the perfect place for it. Even though Batani's dress was literally falling apart, she stayed over Chacha, who made some weird A-line dress with pink satin rosettes. (click for more)

Deyonte says he's set the tone of the competition but he doesn't want to get a big head about it. The girls think Shawn was in trouble, which she kind of was, I guess. Loose silver short shorts in leather. Shawn and Batani are obviously both glad to be there. Then everyone “discovers” hard hats and reflective vests and a note from Heidi about their field trip. People pretend to not know what is happening, but come on.

Anyway, the field trip is to a recycling center full of trash. Everyone gags because I guess it stinks? Sure. They also make dumbass jokes about how Tim looks “rugged” in his reflective vest, which he does not. Anne Fulenwider is also here, from Marie Claire. So obviously is it's the unconventional materials challenge, but with the added stupid twist of “sustainability” and “environment” and “my dress is made out of recycled bottles”. Also Tim says it's their FIRST unconventional materials challenge. I heard you. Also teams! Woo. Aaron looks completely terrified.

The “random” button bag produces Kudzanai, Michael, Kentaro, Deyonte, and Margarita on the first team. Oh so we're not doing a schoolyard pick? OK. Second team is Aaron, Batani, Brandon, Kenya, and Ayana. Last team is Sentell, Samantha, Amy, Shawn, and Claire. I dislike that the twins are on the same team, because my prediction is they take over completely and boss everyone else around. Other than that, I'm not sure what else will happen. Amy heaves a big sigh in confessional. Winning look gets featured in Marie Claire.

Five minutes to get materials. I'm pretty sure everyone is making one look. I don't remember them saying anything like “cohesive collections” which is how it usually works. They don't want you to have to adjust to anyone, just to deal with people you don't like while you are judged on your garment and not anyone elses.

One day, obviously. The teams get back to the workroom and start sorting materials. Tim clarifies that each team will make a five look “mini collection”, which is meaningless. Everyone gets a new model, and Tim says they will continue to rotate the models. So then how do they decide which models stay and which one is eliminated? I mean in this situation I feel like the “regular” size 2 models are going to get shafted because they want to force everyone to work with the plus-size models. And that's just as unfair as the designers being able to pick and only picking size 2 models. Stupid. Tim also says something about cohesion within the team, which supposedly is important but I have the feeling is going to not matter, just like always.

Various people get confessional time to talk about their new models, which I also find...fake, I guess. Look, I'm sure Kenya does not mind having a plus-size model one bit. But do you have to make her talk about it in interview so you can throw it at me? Maybe it's just that I need the producers to stop telling us, all the time, constantly, that they LOVE “real” women who are plus sized and they LOVE curves and it is VERY IMPORTANT this show has fashion for EVERYONE. Am I too sensitive about this?

Anyway, Shawn tells her group she doesn't know if a “larger” girl wants a top and skirt or whatever, and Samantha says “I'm a larger girl, so ask me I will totally give you feedback.” We'll see if Shawn listens. Aaron says the phrase “ballin' on a budget” and somehow it becomes their team name. Team 1 is doing origami stuff. That shit takes a long time to do so I hope it works. The twins are actually not bossing everyone around. Their team is going for “sea glass” or whatever that means. I guess greens and blues. Brandon paints on some paper to make a checkerboard print. Samantha tells her team she can twist some plastic bags, or braid them, or something. Shawn rolls her eyes in confessional that someone always makes a braided top. And someone always makes a trash bag dress and someone always makes a skirt out of paper. That's how it is. Shawn talks at Samantha about how none of their garments have movement, without offering to make anything with movement. Now she's upset they're just telling her what they're doing and she doesn't like it. Ayana is nervous about modesty, because the only material she enough of is clear plastic.

Shawn has a moment because everyone else is doing something girly and she can't handle it. I mean she sounds like she's going to start crying. She was in the bottom last week, then it's unconventional materials (she keeps saying “unique” materials, like, get your shit together), and a fat model. Oh well thanks for putting the size of your model into the list of “things I'm stressed about”. What happened to asking Samantha about what to do? When Claire offers to help and basically tells her what to make, she just doesn't know how to work with the materials and flails. Now she actually is crying about how hard this is. It is season 16. You know there will be unconventional materials and teams. Calm down. I think I'm also reacting to her superiority about how braided tops are dumb, without offering an alternative.

Team One is still on the origami/pleating idea. Everyone has ideas about Japanese influences with their own personal spin, and no one is arguing? There is no conflict? Wait, was that a Commercial Interlude? Goddammit, make that clear, Lifetime. Maybe I need to drink less. No, Lifetime is dumb, shut up.

Sentell is talking about architectural shape. Ayana is talking to herself and she's upset because she doesn't have the materials she wants. She has to use newsprint and foil to make something modest. I thought she just had clear plastic? Well at least newsprint and foil are opaque. Shawn is still being dumb about everything. I mean, she is freaking out, redesigning everything, basically demanding reassurance at every turn. Claire is also spending a lot of time on Shawn and not enough time on her own look, maybe. Ayana gets some interview time about how she is trying to break a barrier to show you can be modest and still fashion forward. I hope that's not poor foreshadowing. Kentaro declares their team Team Wabi-Sabi. A view centered on acceptance of imperfection. Well that sounds perfect for this show. Team Three finally realizes they need a name and decide on Team Tsunami. Hmm. Kenya is overwhelmed, suddenly.

Tim Time! He pretends to not understand “ballin'” which is silly. Anyway, Team Tsunami. That's the twins' team. Braiding, resort collection. Amy is making a raincoat, but Tim doesn't particularly like it. He loves Samantha's braided look, though, so take THAT, Shawn. The problem is that Amy and Samantha don't go together. Shawn tells Tim she's never designed for fat people before and...he doesn't seem to have any advice for her. Samantha and Amy make suggestions as Tim talks about how they can pull in elements to make the collections cohesive. Good for them.

Team Wabi-Sabi. Their inspiration is “Japanese garden being overtaken by samurai”. There are some cool fabric treatments, newspaper covered with vinyl, folding. Tim thinks Deyonte's flowers don't go. That's about it.

Team Ballin' on a Budget. Kenya says she's out of her element. Ayana is doing fine. Tim tells Kenya to be creative, essentially, but her look has newsprint that you can still read and I don't think Tim likes it. But Tim likes Brandon's print. Batani had a plan, I thought, but Tim says the paper is controlling her and he's most worried about her. I guess? I don't see it, and I would give Tim the benefit of the doubt but he's been wrong a LOT. Aaron wants to put confetti in his top, and Tim is like, are your looks cohesive? Do they come out of the same closet? Because it concerns me. I think the judges will penalize bad design before they penalize bad cohesion. Although, you never know what the producers will decide so I guess it could go that way. Some of these looks are craft project. Tim tells the whole room he's worried.

Four hours left. Kenya is very nervous. Ayana tells us their team rethought a lot of stuff. Shawn is still not doing well, and Samantha and Sentell are trying to help her. Model fitting. Batani is starting over. Shawn has nothing to put on her model. Sentell gets a phone call home which is not a good sign. It's the second episode. He says the day before he came here he got married to his husband, which is very cute but I don't like that this is the first I'm hearing about his life. Frantic working and whining from Shawn.

Runway Day. Shawn tells her roommates she's fucked up this entire challenge. Also she's still listing the size of her model with the other challenges that are throwing her. Tim gives everyone two hours to get ready. So Tim says the “Avon” makeup lounge/studio/whatever and I'm pretty sure he says “our hair studio”. Our. I don't know. The twins have a lot to get done, to the point that Samantha doesn't know if everyone will be fully clothed. Shawn's look doesn't fit quite right. There is a moment where it seems Kenya's look is too tight but they get it over her model's head. Ayana suddenly is fitting fringe and stuff but it might work. Not hot makeup guy Scott. A lot of model confessionals that I don't care about.

Guest judges are Maggie Q and Anne from Marie Claire. Team Wabi Sabi. Margarita: short dress in silver, sleeveless with a deep V, and an orange sash belt. The top is that wrap shape you get when you take two wide rectangles and lay them over your shoulders and across your chest. There's clear vinyl over the whole thing, but on the bodice it's sewn with the other material so it doesn't look like a raincoat. Kentaro: short strapless cocktail dress with a sweetheart neckline. There's a contrasting waistline, a full skirt, and plastic 6-pack rings binding her upper arms to the top of the dress. I think there's clear vinyl over this too, but it looks a lot like real clothes. Deyonte: short dress made out of brown plastic, with long bell sleeves. The sleeves are shredded. It looks like he took a big rectangle, cut it into strips, and folded it over lengthwise and put her head through it. Somehow the bodice is all strips but they aren't falling apart. The skirt is a knee-length pencil skirt with the strips cut up the sides. It's interesting. Kudzanai: jumpsuit in the same brown plastic as Deyonte, with bell bottoms with the stripes cut into them, and then a sleeveless backless V-neck bodice. Over this is a clear vinyl raincoat that's pretty shapeless. The sleeves are really huge so it looks like the coat is a capelet that's too long. Michael: short sheath dress with fringe on the bodice. The fringe sticks up and is a reddish orange, to contrast the silver of the dress. There is a strip of the same color at the hem, then covered by clear vinyl. The vinyl I think has a pattern on it which looks nice. It's not a bad group.

Team Tsunami. Sentell: green plastic dress that looks like a trashbag. I mean, it's not black, and the halter top and asymmetric wrap skirt are nice, but the belt looks like construction paper and it still looks like a plastic grocery bag. Samantha: knee-length silver skirt with a diagonal hem and a high waist, what looks like the same belt as Sentell, and a halter top. It's the kind of top where you put pieces of fabric over her boobs and leave a gap all the way down to the waistline of the skirt, but it fits really well. The bodice is the same green plastic, but folded or twisted or something so it's darker and doesn't look as much like a trash bag. Amy: the top is lavender plastic, with pink epaulets. It's boxy, and the sleeves do that thing where it's just sewn at the shoulders and then the plastic hangs down over her arms, and the back has lacing for some reason. I think there's nothing underneath, because it looks like bare skin, and the skirt has big circles on it. Actually I think it's those CD cases that are circular, just bigger than the CD, in different colors. It's not bad. Shawn: sheath dress, with a halter top in the lavender. There are two CD circles right over her stomach, then the skirt has a front center panel of the lavender and the rest is silver. There's clear plastic over the skirt, which is short, and then the clear plastic to her knee. It's not terribly exciting, but it does seem to fit well. Claire: crop top and skirt, in silver. The top looks like a glorified sports bra, and the skirt is gathered at one hip and falls below the knee. I think this is the model Brandon had last week, and both times now they've put her in a crop top and made the crop top weirdly lumpy. Her boobs look too flat. I don't know.

Team Ballin' on a Budget. Batani: sheath dress in brown and pink. I can't tell what this is made out of, because in close-ups it looks like leather. A very high neck, like a collar, and then down the front of the dress is long fringe to the hem. Over the waist and hips is newsprint, and making up a bustle. There is a lot going on, but I can't tell what it's made out of and the judges love that so she's probably fine? Aaron: what looks like baggy shorts with a drawstring, I think made from clear plastic with a checkerboard pattern painted on it. Then a white bandeau crop top with silver fringe in horizontal rows. I think the shorts are too full. Kenya: short cocktail dress with a full skirt that hits above the knee, and big mutton sleeves, and a keyhole neckline. It looks like newsprint covered in clear vinyl. I...actually kind of want it. It fits really well and the full skirt balances out the sleeves somehow. Brandon: crop top and I think loose pants, in a brown and white checkerboard. There's a brown belt that ties and then hangs down almost to the floor. They seem stiff to me. In the back are more ties and a small keyhole in the top, and the ties hang down to the floor here too. Ayana: long dress with long sleeves, mostly in silver. There's brown plastic cut into a long fringe everywhere. Like a car wash skirt, but from her waist to the floor and her shoulders to her wrists, and then over the silver, and a contrasting belt, and her model looks really pissed off. The bodice is like, overlapping Vs in different materials. Like a bunch of V-necks of different widths stacked up. I'm nervous because it doesn't look great.

Heidi declares Ballin' on a Budget the winners. Really? I mean, it means Ayana's safe, but they had the worst fit, I thought. Whatever. Nothing was so horrible that I'm that bent out of shape about it. Losing team is Tsunami. Heidi kicks out everyone so they can talk to the winners and Sentell can bitch about how there was no cohesion and Michael can ask them if they know who they're going to throw under the bus if they get asked who was the weakest. Yes thank you Michael for knowing what's up with this show. Ayana says that their team theme is “futuristic music festival” and is based on Brandon's print and also fringe. The print really helps with cohesion, which is true. Does Heidi need to sing hallelujah? Maybe not. Anne says it's Fashion and not just a dress, and they praise Batani for not sucking this week. Nina says Ayana's look has drama and elegance. It...no? I think it's actually the worst this week and you know I love Ayana. But there are too many things going on and the skirt is very stiff and floor-length fringe is not great. Nina gushes over the bottle cap buttons on the back. Heidi makes them say who should win, and they all say each other. Well, Kenya and Batani both say Ayana and no one says Batani.

Team Tsunami. Heidi still sees garbage when she looks like some of these pieces. They like Samantha's braided top, because she put some effort in, and Maggie says it should have been in every piece to tie the collection together. I fully expected a shot of Shawn here, because of how bitchy she was about braided plastic, but they don't put one and I'm shocked. Sentell admits he finished his dress an hour early, and Heidi thinks he made it in ten minutes. There's no structure, and when they show close-up shots it really does look like he wrapped a plastic bag around her and just went with it. OK I can see the argument that at least Ayana put work into her garment. Heidi asks who didn't have enough time, and Shawn speaks up that she had a hard time because she has never made an outfit for a “curvy” woman before. First of all, I assume you've worked with models with breasts, which are curves, so that's not true. Second, no one is fooled so just say “plus-sized”. Or just say “fat” which is what it feels like you are trying to say, but you don't want to look like a jerk on TV. Well guess what, they put in all the shots of you whining about it so you look like a jerk anyway. AND! Your model isn't even plus-sized. I didn't look at her closely until now and she's not. Anne and Maggie whisper to each other about this, and Anne says “Yep, I think she's skinnier than me” and Anne isn't anywhere near a plus size. That model is maybe a 10. Claire's model is an actual plus size and she didn't say a word. Wait you don't think they traded models do you? They would know, right? Anyway Claire's look is boring also.

Nina busts out some bullshit about how “recycling is a reality of our fashion future” and she's disappointed in them. Shawn says something about fear, which I can't understand because when she gets to the end of her sentence she makes a face and nods as if she's going to finish it with “If you will” and a knowing smirk. You don't have the skills to back up this attitude, girl. And it's annoying anyway. Zac says they need to take risks, and then Heidi ruins it by saying she doesn't mind Shawn's that much because it fits pretty well. As she's saying the halter top looks quite nice Sentell interrupts her to say he sewed the halter top. Damn. Shawn made the silver fabric-looking stuff that everyone used, and Sentell did all the green plastic? I'm not sure but I think that's it. Amy explains her look a little bit, in that the judges thought it was a cape but it isn't. Then she says a lot was rushed because Shawn's look didn't get done until this morning. Well I guess they decided who to throw under the bus. Shawn and Claire look annoyed and Shawn says “I don't think that that's quite accurate”, like just say he's lying, damn, and Sentell fires back with “I think that it's very accurate. If I may quote you, you said 'I dropped the ball for you guys.'” I like you, Sentell. Shawn says “that's not incorrect” (ugh, no one talks this way stop). Zac is confused. Claire tries to stick up for her sister and brings up the “curvier model” thing again, so Maggie and Anne can interrupt her to say she is not curvy, and Claire can be at a loss for words. Maggie tells her if she thinks that's curvy, then she's going to have a real problem designing in the US. Oh snap! It's a cut on how fat Americans are but I don't care because it's true and also shut up twins! Anne thinks she looks like a really nice mom regardless of size. Oof.

Nina says something about the team, and Shawn jumps the gun to say if she had to pick a look that doesn't fit, then that's Amy. See, you have to wait until they ask you that, and you know they will eventually, so just calm down. When you jump the gun, then Heidi makes fun of you and says “that bus just came out” when you could have argued that they asked so you had to say something. Shawn says if you are talking time management, she is the weakest, but Amy has the worst design. Amy of course doesn't like Shawn. Samantha physically turns to Shawn to say she likes her but she doesn't know if she can pick herself up each time. That was pretty condescending. Sentell says both the twins screwed up but Shawn was worse. Claire says she made her entire dress, and of course Sentell should go home because she “didn't care for how the dress was executed”. Heidi kicks them out.

Sentell tries to tell Shawn he respects her (does he though?) but he did help make her outfit. Shawn is like, did I not help sew your sleeves on? Which makes absolutely no sense because there are no sleeves on Sentell's outfit. Then she says “maybe I'm not cut out for this” which is so clearly fishing for compliments that I think it's hilarious when no one actually says anything.

Batani had some painting they love. She really rallied. Aaron's fringe is not great, but for some reason they love clear plastic loose shorts. Kenya's look is very well constructed, and I still want it. Brandon made the same top as last week but no one cares, I guess. They still love Ayana's, and I don't get it. I like her, but I don't get it. Losing team. Everyone loves Samantha's top so she seems to be fine. Amy's look isn't great but they don't mind as much because “the silhouette is true to who she is”. Claire, on the other hand, made a skirt and top and put too much crap on them. What stuff? There's some plastic rings on the bodice. I guess it should be simpler? I don't know. Sentell was too boring, and Heidi does point out that he finished an hour early and didn't do anything. Tim lets the judges know that when he was there for his critique, none of Shawn's outfit existed. Heidi makes Sentell's and Shawn's models stand next to each other, so she can argue that Sentell made a trash bag and Shawn tried, I guess. Zac says something about not knowing how to make clothes for “curvy” girls, and I was going to yell at the TV, but Maggie is all “grow up and make clothes for real people.” Can she be on all the time?

Ayana is the winner! …OK? If you wanted to encourage the modest designs then why didn't you do it last week when it was beautiful? Instead of this week when it was a bunch of stuff piled on? This show makes no sense. You guys knew that though. The rest of the team is in, of course. Samantha, Amy, and Claire are in. Shawn is in. I get it, because at least her look fit her model, but I think at least some of that is because her team helped her out a lot which is too bad. When she gets back to the Scrap Bin Claire cries and draws all the attention to herself. Sentell also cries and thanks them for the experience. The foreshadowing, you guys. It's too bad. He regrets trying to be a team player. Various people in the Scrap Bin give him a hug but I'm pretty sure the twins are not in that group.

Next week: Tim tries to dance, there are ballet dancers, dance inspired looks, a lot of yelling.