Project Runway 2/27/20--"The Height of Avant Garde" summary

Previously on “Project Runway”: makeover time. Design a “victory dress” for an Olympian. Generally everyone did a good job, although the big errors were mostly just boring. Nancy won, for making a functional dress and train for a wheelchair user. No one was eliminated, technically because everyone made their clients happy, but whatever. (click for more)

Double elimination this week. It's the “avant garde” challenge. You're supposed to go beyond, or whatever. Also they're going to be showing their designs at “The Vessel”, which is a very fancy new building that is basically all staircases in an upside-down cone shape. Nancy won, so she gets to pick her model first. I notice all the plus-size models are gone. Each person picks the next designers who gets to pick a model. Victoria is last so of course this is because they're afraid of her. Two day challenge. Also Karlie says something about presenting at New York Fashion Week, which is interesting because I don't remember any spoilers, and usually there are. Last season they weren't at Fashion Week at all.

Marquise has done some avant garde stuff for his ballroom competitions so he feels pretty confident. Victoria doesn't do avant garde, but she's probably going to make something with cutouts. Brittany is upset because she doesn't do avant garde. She says her style is realistic. All those straps are realistic? Sergio has decided to culturally appropriate warrior geisha. I am not kidding. Apparently we must go back to feudal Japan to find a time when women were powerful. I don't need Sergio to tell me I can do anything a man can do. Shut up, Sergio.

In the morning they all go to Mood, where Christian says they'd better stay out of the silk satin aisle where they've been all season! But because it's serious, they have twice as much time to shop (a whole hour) and $600. Nancy looks for horsehair. Geoffrey is super excited because he says this is what people come to him for. He's sketched a jacket with a lot of structure in the sleeve. Christian yells at him for using satin. Brittany's sketch has huge fans of pleats everywhere. She looks for a butterfly print. Geoffrey runs around as usual. I think he's buying latex.

Brittany's got a lot of shades of pink. Victoria sews small squares of faux leather onto some organza to make her own fabric. By her estimation she's going to have to cut and sew over a thousand pieces. Marquise is making pants out of chains. Like, hanging chains from her waist. But it weighs a ton.

Christian comes in. Brittany describes her pleats and butterflies. She gets a “have fun” so I guess it's going to work. Geoffrey reveals he used to have a latex company. How is this so unsurprising. Marquise has a cool silver lame jacket, but he's thinking about scrapping the chain pants because they're so heavy. Christian praises the pants to the heavens and points out he's made huge skirts, he does it all the time. Nancy is still playing around which is maybe not the best idea with a double elimination. Christian can't figure what Victoria is doing. She can't describe it and he can't figure it out from the sketch. I mean is it a dress? We can't even agree on this. Christian leaves without us seeing what he says to Sergio.

Sergio immediately says that everyone always watches him because he's so great. He at least is doing something fairly intelligent and not making puffy sleeves, because that's what everyone else is doing. Nothing against puffy sleeves, I mean that his look will stand out somewhat for not having puffy sleeves.

Back in the apartment Nancy calls her husband and it's very cute.

Day Two. Victoria is still making noise and cutting and sewing and who knows. A thousand leather squares. Christian appears and promises them a surprise! No one wants to participate, but in the end they end up in a room with all their designs from this season. So of course now there is a twist: take two of your past looks to also show. I don't think he said “improve two past looks”. Just pick out two of them. Make a mini-collection to show the judges. Hilariously Victoria picks two looks that are exactly the same. Also a seamstress to help them today so they can fit everything.

Model fitting. Geoffrey is sculpting something. Brittany has big shoulders, like fins, but the model can't lift her arms up. The pleats aren't perfect enough. Geoffrey is looking for fun things to do. I feel like Brittany is making this challenge about her struggles. Geoffrey has a gold jacket and what looks like a diaper. Sergio has a lovely gown but it's not that exciting. He babbles about something else but I am about to fall asleep so I don't care. Christian doesn't care about Marquise's jacket, and suggests he do something else. Mostly because it makes a nice contrast to what he has. Also Christian has the hair girl says something is fancy to everyone. I don't care about hair consults. Lots of talk about how the details are changing the looks. Before they leave, Christian tells them that they're going to be getting up at 3am so they'll have enough time.

Nancy has a ton of horsehair, and Brittany is tired of it. No one asked. Geoffrey manages to prick his finger and bleed on one of the jackets. I think he manages to take care of it? Guys I am exhausted, and it's taking all of my effort just to stay awake here. Is it just that boring? Even Geoffrey bleeding on his jacket isn't that exciting.

Runway Day. It's very early. Sergio is very full of himself. It's the usual last minute stuff. Geoffrey hurts himself again. They all finish, I think because the previous looks are not “fix your previous looks” so there is less frantic sewing. They only have to fit the garments to new models. Plus having a seamstress. If they did change everything don't tell me because I'm not watching this again. I need to sleep.

Everyone arrives at the location, which I think is basically a lattice of staircases that looks kind of like a pinecone. Brandon makes a big deal about being afraid of heights and bails on everyone else. Guest judge is Rachel Brosnahan. So the models all ride the elevator to the top, and then walk down the staircases. It's definitely some ultra-famous fashion house shit. Brittany: her two old looks are the black and silver jumpsuit from the first challenge, and the Ashley Longshore look. I believe these are the two looks that she won for. The avant garde look is a huge pink coat. The sleeves are like a cocoon, and there are cut out butterflies attached to the coat. Straps and a train also. Under this coat is a dress in a butterfly print, but she never takes the coat off so you can't see what's going on. There really aren't fans of pleats, but just some lumpy volume.

Nancy: she's picked the shredded streetwear coat (where it was animal print but also she shredded it like the cats got to it) and the sheer prom dress. Sheer black skirt (I think it's a skirt and not pants) with a dark gold top. The top looks like it's very poofy, and there's some texture going on that's hard to see. Coiled like a nautilus shell. Then more sheer black over DD's head like a sheer cage. Sergio: he also picked out the two winning looks he had, the unconventional material challenge, and the sheer dress. Long beige skirt, with a big train, and a black bodice with a tall collar. It's just a big still vertical piece, but it's a strange silhouette. This is paired with an elaborate updo and white face and a narrow vertical red stripe on the lip. I know he thinks it says “Japanese geisha” but it instead reads “Padme Amidala” and now that's all I can see. There's a thin gold belt and the skirt has some volume in addition to the train.

Victoria: her two looks are both black with pointed shoulders and cutouts. One is from when they went to Goodwill and recycled clothes, and one is the Cyndi Lauper look. The avant garde look is NOT black. It's a short dress, with a deep V. The whole dress is that organza that she sewed squares of leather to, but I thought it was sequins at first. The skirt is short ruffles with a longer piece floating down one leg. Over this is a dusty pink coat with mutton sleeves and a train. Lots of draping and volume. Marquise: one look is obviously his tuxedo look, and the other one is the heritage overalls. Silver minidress. The skirt has horizontal pleats and is a matte gray, and is pretty short. The matte also extends up to her collar, so the placket with buttons and shirt collar are matte. The rest of the dress (shoulders and sleeves and most of the bodice) are shiny silver with mutton sleeves. Actually it might be a matte gray dress and a silver jacket? Then he's put chains from the bottom of the matte gray to her ankles to make pants.

Geoffrey: the bottoms are just high-waisted granny panties, albeit in gray latex, and some kind of silver and beige train, also latex. The bodice is yellow, with a deep V and long sleeves. It's not quite mutton sleeves, because instead of just being puffy at the shoulders it's spiky. Wavy, but each wave comes to a point, if that makes sense. His other two looks are I think the Cyndi Lauper look, and the jumpsuit from the first challenge. Each group of three models stops on a different landing for maximum drama. It's a great shot. I'm really impressed by this avant garde challenge, for once.

Back on the runway. The judges love Brittany's hot pink jacket. The coat has a ton of drama, and Elaine loved this, but Karlie says up close the construction isn't that great. The butterfly dress is not fancy enough, and Nina thinks it takes away from the coat. Nancy says she creates pieces that don't exist. Sure. It's dramatic and it moves really well. Elaine says it helped her understand Nancy as a designer. It reminds Karlie of the sheer prom dress, but the shape is great. Nina doesn't like it, though, because it's like a black cloud and it should have had color and not be black and dark gold.

Marquise wanted some street vibe, and then chain pants. The proportions of his look are kind of off, but the pants are definitely cool. The shiny part is a jacket, which no one knew. Once it's off, the judges love it much more. Geoffrey wanted something alien. As you do. The judges are all amazed at how the train is latex and moves so well. Nina says it's tragic he hasn't used latex yet. It matches the location, but then Brandon says it's too “Land Before Time” and no one knows what he's talking about. And he never explains himself! Whatever, Brandon.

Sergio says some shit about warrior geisha or whatever. His tailoring is perfect (sure, I can agree with that). But Nina busts his ass about copying Galliano and McQueen, who already made Japanese-inspired collections. Of course Sergio says they've never done anything like what he's done, but Nina is not having it. Suddenly Sergio totally knows his fashion history (but he never saw that Celene Dion look?) and argues that since Galliano was doing geishas, and he is doing samurai warriors, then it's totally not the same at all. They need to see him and not whoever he's copying. Victoria explains how she made the dress fabric. Elaine comes to inspect things. Brandon loves the color, because it worked beautifully in the space, and then asks if maybe the top doesn't fit right so if she sits down she'll flash everyone? If so that's so avant garde! Wait, so he's saying that the top is not fitted so if she sits down she'll flash everyone, but “avant garde” so who cares? Elaine doesn't like the earring attachment. Oh, one side of the dress is attached behind her ear, instead of the strap going around her neck or over her shoulder or something normal.

The judges love everything and there are no losers here. Geoffrey does amazing work with latex, and Nina argues that he has actually gained momentum over the weeks, instead of falling off. They love how he's gotten better. Victoria did actually present a look that was NOT a tight pointy-shouldered blazer with cutouts. It's romantic and lovely. Elaine still doesn't like it. Elaine wants to fight for Nancy. It moves so well, even though Nina's seen it. But there's passion there. Brittany delivers looks Elaine wants to buy, but up close her avant garde jacket just didn't make it. Marquise has so much raw talent, but his look here didn't make it. But what if he did a menswear collection? Wouldn't that be amazing? Brandon wants to argue that Marquise has better ideas, but Sergio will give them a better runway. Nina is torn because she hates that he copies people.

Geoffrey is in. Victoria is in. They're giving everyone advice, but whatevs. It's things like telling Geoffrey to keep it fresh, and telling Victoria to think of all women, or something. Nancy is in. Oo. I love Nancy. She basically falls over, and Elaine is moved too. No more oversized jackets! Brittany is out. Nancy hugs her, which is very nice considering how much Brittany has talked about her. She is very shocked, because of courses other people in the top aren't as good as she is. Sergio is in. Boo. It's going to be a well-constructed collection with some hot bullshit “social commentary”. Marquise is upset too, but I hope he gets a ton of business. Notice the two eliminated people are the two who got second chances. Nina makes sure to tell Sergio not to hide behind excuses or other people's work. Make a ten piece collection, over the next five months, with $10,000. Christian tells Marquise he needs all his looks. Heh.

Next week: home visits! Some weird shit. I have no idea.

So first before we talk to Brittany and Marquise on the aftershow we have to talk to the hair woman. The discussion of Christian's crazy spiky hair is hilarious though. It's too soon after the elimination and Brittany and Marquise are still unhappy and also sleep deprived. Victoria and Geoffrey are the messiest, and Sergio snores and smacks when he eats. But Brittany leaves her fake lashes and pasties all over the place. They're going to hang out, and Christian says Brittany, you have to take Marquise to a rodeo. They agree and he's taking Brittany to a ballroom competition, and it's hilarious.