Project Runway 11/11/21--"Go For the Gold...Sequin" summary

 

Previously on “Project Runway”: everyone had to make floral gowns. Or just outfits, I guess. It was not that exciting, and also the results seemed questionable. Katie couldn't make anything youthful, and Sabrina made a “modern take” on a burka, but put a weird skirt over everything. But they both had compelling stories, unlike Darren, who just made some ugly dress and was sent home. Shantall presented a beautiful suit, but her print didn't really read floral. But it was her son's birthday and she cried about it and then she won, so you see what I am saying about questionable results. It reminds me of when the show was on Lifetime and that's not a compliment. (click for more)

In the morning Sabrina talks about stress and then how she was diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis when she was six. Six! I feel for her but I also feel like we're explaining her hardships so we can root for her and feel glad when she wins. Aaron says it's a competition and you could be gone tomorrow. Octavio helps Chasity with her hair which is so sweet.

Everyone goes to the runway to get the next challenge. The scrim says “Beijing 2022” and there are two people behind it being extra. Aaron dramatically swoons because he knows who it is. It's Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski. Heh. They're so much fun. They say that the 2022 Winter Olympics are only a few months away, “and we. Need. Looks!” The challenge is to make looks for the two of them, that they will supposedly wear on air during the pairs competition. Johnny says their fashion is always talked about, so these looks need to kick their old looks in the face. This is a fun challenge. The designers will be split into pairs; one person makes a look for Tara and one for Johnny. New model cards that are all sparkly. Johnny passes them out, and then you have to match your color. It's slightly more random than the button bag, which I always suspected was not anywhere close to random. But you certainly can arrange the cards to get the pairs you want. Johnny and Tara point out that as commentators, you only see them from the waist up, so that's the most important part of the outfit. You need to make a statement. Tara likes a dress, maybe with an interesting neckline. Johnny goes “full Hunger Games” with structure and maybe something form fitting. Nothing really full or voluminous. Obviously something unique. They laugh and finally Johnny says they like everything and nothing. Oh and it's a one-day challenge. Shantall is relieved to have immunity.

So it's time to sketch, and I think Coral asks to trade models with Kristina. They're paired up, and Coral would rather make Johnny's look. I think Kristina agrees, or at least we don't hear from her about it. Bones and Anna are a pair, and Bones is describing a whole applique thing, but for Tara's look, which is confusing if I'm reading the chyron right because he's got Johnny? Anna interrupts him to flat out say “no” and that Tara doesn't like that kind of thing. She says in confessional that you need a leader in a team challenge and if she's the leader then they'll have a better chance of winning. Ooof. Aaron and Shantall are paired up, and Aaron is slightly worried because she's got immunity so she technically could just make some garbage. They've got decent sketches and she doesn't seem like a person to half-ass it. Prajje and Sabrina are paired, and Sabrina doesn't really do menswear. But she interviews that Prajje has never done menswear so she's going to make the outfit for Johnny. I'm sorry, he's never done menswear? That was the whole fucking drama with the streetwear challenge. That was menswear. Whatever. Prajje hates her sketch because he thinks it's too costume and plus she was in the bottom last week. Katie is paired with Octavio, which is a weird combo. But at this point, Katie with anyone is going to be an odd combo. She's worried about being confident in her opinion, which is that she wants to use color. Octavio interviews that she's struggling because she doesn't do high fashion and that's the point of the show. He wants to push her, which is kind of condescending but also in his best interest.

$1200 per team budget! So much money. Bones says sometimes two minds are worse than one. Anna tells him that two yards is enough to make a jacket. Is it? I have no idea about how much fabric goes into anything. They barely get in line in time.

So they will have nine hours to sew. Prajje has designed side boob. Sabrina has a jacket and I think Prajje is arguing it should be a “jacket drape”? I don't know. She asks if she can measure his crotch, I guess to get an inseam measurement. Katie and Octavio stack their fabrics and talk about their ruffles, which is flat and which is puffy. They are really making sure the two looks compliment each other. Bones tells Anna this is his first time draping pants. That can't be right? Maybe. He interviews that he's letting her take charge because she seems more bossy. That sounds terrible, but Anna has decided that she's going to win this, being Chinese, and that Bones will just have to listen to her superior opinions. And Bones, rather than argue, has decided that for this challenge it's just easier to let her be in charge. That still sounds bad but he's not being salty about it.

Christian shows up to ask everyone to gather 'round. He says that he knows not every challenge is their thing, but that doesn't mean they're not talented. So he will have a Siriano Save so he can keep someone. Interesting. Why are we just now introducing this? I mean I'm not arguing that anyone who's been eliminated should not have been eliminated, but only now saying “By the way, if you are out I might save you” when we are five episodes in already is the strangest timing.

Chasity and Zayden are paired up, which seems like it could be good. They're coordinated pretty well, and Christian reminds them to make something unique. Then Zayden says he's a “skater skater” and we see footage of him in old-school roller skates and hot pants, as he says that every Sunday night at 8pm it goes down. Hee! He does a pirouette for Christian and it's really good. I like him so much. Anna and Bones have expensive fabric, and they're working in sparkly whites and beads like ice. Christian says their looks are beautiful but they're leaning towards figure skating costumes and not fashion.

Octavio and Katie have so many colors and ruffles. Lots of volume in both looks. Octavio then turns to Katie to say that the looks together look costumey and he'd like her to redo her top. It feels like he never liked her design, and waited until Christian was there and didn't like it either to tell her she should change it. It's suspicious timing. Katie knows her look can't be as big as Octavio's, so now she's kind of stuck toning her look down. Anna looks for some silk wool, which she says is Bone's base fabric. They don't have it. They flashback to Bones running up and demanding everything that's cut at Mood so he can get in line, and I watch too much “Amazing Race” because in my mind the only reason for a flashback like that is so you can get the shot of the fabric sitting on a table. But there is no shot like that. Instead they decide they can't make a blazer because they don't have enough fabric. I know they have to give their bags with fabric to producers on the way back, and then they get them back. I'm not saying they were tampered with, just that the bags change hands several times between Mood and the workroom. One time in the past the designer had the receipt and was allowed to go back to Mood and get it, but every time after that they just had to wing it. Anna and Bones figure out they have enough of what they have to make a vest and pants and some sheer on top. Coral is planning strong shoulders and more macrame. Kristina wants everything to be gold, and Christian reminds her that Tara is tiny and she needs to work on proportions. Aaron has leather pants. Sure. Shantall has a halter and tuxedo. Maybe too many things. Aaron says his grandparents raised him and let him do whatever things he got excited about. He knows figure skating. He tells Christian something about his first runway show being set to Michelle Qwan's long form number and Christian just says “Goodbye” and leaves. Hee.

With three hours left the models arrive. Kristina has a robe and a corset, and Christian says “Wonder Woman's going to the Olympics” and then “You know she's not actually skating right?” Anna tells Bones to speed up. Christian returns to Octavio and Katie and orders them to talk about how their outfits don't go together. Don't get stuck in what you want to make. As Christian is telling them to think about the client and what she would want, Katie kind of mumbles that's what she has been doing. Octavio admits that they're both making exactly what they sketched, but now that the looks are next to each other they don't really go. He still wants her to change the whole top to black, instead of mostly black with pink ruffles over her boobs and around the throat. I'm not sure why Katie has such a voluminous skirt, with all of the color and interest, when they were all told not to use anything with too much volume and to focus from the waist up. But I have some sympathy for how Octavio is kind of steamrolling her. On the third hand, she hasn't been doing well in the competition.

Christian just goes to the sewing room to spin in one of the chairs and tell Chasity she's a guest on his new talk show and the topic is how much beading is too much beading. Never too much beading. Shantall has lapels on her dress, and Christian doesn't like them. Shantall hates it because he's right, and she is conscious of the fact that she doesn't want Aaron to go home. Sabrina doesn't have much of anything, just a gold bubble jacket and it's not even done. It looks like a Lion King costume. Prajje is muttering (or just speaking normally, it's hard to tell) about how she doesn't even have a whole jacket and he's got a whole dress with bows and shit. Aaron is pinning and describing things to change Shantall's design. But she's totally fine with it because it's better. Octavio wants Katie to make her design more punk or “bondage”. How that goes with his big purple top that is all ruffles is not clear. Katie thinks Tara is too sweet and not punk or dark. Octavio wants a closer fit, which confuses me because I thought Katie said she was doing a corset? But I guess she decided for something loose? I get that's Katie's style but Tara is so tiny I don't think you can really do anything oversized and loose. She's willing to try something new she wouldn't wear herself. Chasity likes her skirt, which is a pencil skirt with gored panels. Christian says it's too costumey, and Chasity tells him not to act like she stresses him out. I love that every time Christian talks to Chasity, it's all sass from both sides.

One hour left after the models leave. Sabrina says she's so tired, and in pain, but Prajje has zero sympathy. She hasn't told him she has arthritis, because she doesn't want him to feel sorry for her. I do think she wants him to cut her some slack though. She's not using it as an excuse, because she really is in pain. I don't think explaining how your body isn't working properly is begging for pity. Because what's happening now is you're just going to suffer, and be a martyr, and Prajje looks like a dick because he doesn't have all the information. On top of which, you still need to finish your look. It's interesting that her arthritis storyline comes out during a team challenge, when her illness affects others. Are we saying she's been fine for four episodes and now suddenly it's an issue? Or because there's no drama in her being tired when she's working by herself we don't need to talk about it? She leaves the room to get away from Prajje's “negative energy”. Katie hates her top. Octavio doesn't want to go home, but he wants to make sure his aesthetic is there if he does. OK but why does your aesthetic need to be in Katie's look? Prajje says he hit a breaking point but he's sorry. I think he did realize he was kind of a jerk.

Runway Day. Sabrina has a piece of paper with a row of pictures. I think she took pictures of each outfit she brought along so she doesn't have to remember what clothing goes together. Interesting. She's saying she was going to wear this red blazer, but it goes with kitten heels, and after yesterday she doesn't think she can wear any heels so whatever she goes with, will have to go with sneakers. Honestly no one cares what the designers are wearing. Aaron paints his nails, which seems like an odd use of time. Prajje knows that his look is OK but it might not be enough to save him. Why not? If only one person goes home why wouldn't they send Sabrina home? Right?

Bones has a lot to do yet. Kristina is standing there with her model and the dress, and Christian asks if she's going to try it on. Of course she's going to try it on. Are you trying to say she should do it now so she can fix it? Then say that. Kristina loves it, but we do see the dress and to me it looks like she wrapped her model in fabric and then tied some cord around her chest. It's so shapeless. It's like Ariel's sailcloth dress she “makes” when she first gets legs in “The Little Mermaid” and I know I thought that about Katie's masquerade gown but this is more so. Sabrina is over by the accessory wall and Christian yells at her to go finish sewing first. Bones has made a sheer puffy shirt that moves like a skirt? Lots of hand-finishing going on. Aaron says that Shantall has immunity but it doesn't matter because she hasn't mentioned it once and she's worked just as hard as he has. Anna is hemming her clothes while they are on her model and the model is sitting on the table.

The judges compliment the designers on their fashion, and I don't remember a season where everyone spent so much time on their own fashion. Certainly we've had people wear their own designs, or make sure they were put together and chic, but there is so much effort this season. Shantall and Aaron: a pretty simple dark blue dress in a sparkly fabric, with spaghetti straps and a deep V, with a little jacket over it. I can't see a lot of details but it looks fine. The jacket is sleeveless, so I'm not sure what the point is. I think the skirt is not sparkly (maybe just the back?) but it's a basic cocktail dress. His look is dark bronze leather pants and a dark shirt that's open in the front. I think he said it was asymmetrical. There's another shirt underneath, and again, I can't see the detail but it's perfectly fine. Shantall's model keeps posing and smirking and that's kind of annoying though.

Prajje and Sabrina: OK everyone's models are posing obnoxiously. Prajje's dress is gold, with a blousy top and a tulip skirt. The top has a straight neckline and spaghetti straps, and a big bow on one shoulder with a panel that drapes down her back. Sabrina's outfit is red pants with a dropped crotch (either that or the fit is insane), a gold shirt and a red and gold jacket. The jacket is very shiny brocade and looks like a ringmaster's costume. The shirt just looks puffy and if you told me she had just wrapped gold fabric around his neck and tucked it in, I wouldn't be surprised.

Kristina and Coral: Kristina's dress is a big shapeless gold dress with huge sleeves and a big bubble skirt, with macrame running just under her boobs and down the front of the dress. It also seems to be under the skirt so the skirt bunches at the bottom. The sleeves are gathered at the wrist with big ruffles. Coral's look is a black jacket and gold ascot. It might be a shirt and not an ascot but from here that's the impression I have. The jacket has gold along the hem, like an ombre effect from black into gold. Reverse drips. And what looks like black leather pants. There are also strings everywhere hanging off this guy.

Chasity and Zayden: pretty short red dress with a flounce. I think it's a pencil skirt that has little triangles sewn in at the hem to make a ruffle. At the shoulders and one one side are cutouts lined in mesh and outlined in silver beading. There are cap sleeves that come about halfway down her upper arm. Zayden's look is red pants and a light pink jacket with a red border. I think it's brocade? There is also a scarf tied in a bow that hangs down past his waist. Everyone is making cropped jackets which feels like what Johnny usually wears?

Katie and Octavio: this dress is a basic black tank top with a high neck. It's sheer with an opaque bandeau bra and some black detailing around her boobs. The skirt is really full and a dark purple print. Honestly it's not that flattering, because it comes out really full and then pulls back in at the knee. Octavio's jacket is just all ruffles. Like those costumes that men wear for a specific dance, black pants and like, the shirt is just red ruffles? And then you wear a hat and a rose in your mouth? You guys know what I mean right? Comment if you remember the name for what I'm thinking of. Anyway, there's a sheer black shirt underneath this and then I guess some black pants. The skirt moves like it's just a pile of fabric. Johnny is whispering about it, and Octavio is like “maybe they like it” but you know damn well Johnny Weir is capable of catty comments.

Anna and Bones: Anna's dress is all white with long strings of beads hanging off it. Not as a fringe, but just beaded fabric. It's a deep V neckline and knee length skirt, but the fringe hangs down almost to her ankles. I think there are some sheer sleeves. Bones's look is shiny white pants, a puffy shirt, and a white vest with big silver square sequins on it. The shirt isn't puffy so much as it looks like a skirt, with pleats and panels sewn at the neck and then left loose for volume. The whole back of the shirt looks like a circle skirt.

Johnny and Tara picked two top teams, and then there are two bottom teams. Coral, Kristina, Chasity, and Zayden are all in. I don't like that Kristina didn't get called out for that shapeless mess but fine. Anna and Bones are on the top. They collaborated well, in Bones's opinion. It's gorgeous and “prime time”. Johnny and Tara love it. Anna made something sophisticated and elegant, and Bones's look complements it very well. It's a “subtle” tribute to ice. Sure. Brandon does take Bones to task for his vest, because Anna's beading is so high-end that his big silver beads looks crafty. It's not sequins but those mirrored like, rectangles and trapezoids you use for a mosaic look. When you take the vest off Johnny says “well that's the look”. The other top look is Aaron and Shantall. So close up you can see that Aaron's jacket is black with blue at the lapels and on the sleeves. It does have an asymmetric opening and a band at the hem. Aaron gushes that he has a magazine cover in his studio with the two of them on it. In the Scrap Bin Chasity says “He's living his best Nancy Kerrigan life right now.” Ha! Tara is a little worried about how deep this V is, in terms of sitting down. Anna's dress did have a V but it had illusion netting up to her neck. It was just so perfect to her model's skin tone I didn't see it on the runway. Nina raves about Aaron's jacket, but Elaine is bored by the color story. They both argue that they wanted blue.

Sabrina and Prajje are the first up in the bottom. They wanted to make something in gold. I thought Prajje's dress was silver until this point. I need a new TV I think. Sabrina says they worked well together, and then she starts talking about how she failed and her body gave up on her and this is the second week in a row that she's been in the bottom and cried on the runway about extenuating circumstances. Clearly I was wrong about how she was going to overcome and win, so now we see if they let her move on because of pity. She's apologizing for disappointing them as she cries. When you put everything together, it's too cartoony and too much like an actual performance costume. Nina says they're fighting for attention, instead of complimenting each other. Brandon starts in, and he sounds legitimately mad, saying that when Sabrina was “broken” and Prajje was “unsure” they should have come together and lifted each other up. He says no one needs to blame the other. Sabrina didn't blame anyone but herself though? I don't know if they need to be shamed for not helping each other.

OK time for Katie and Octavio. Octavio starts by saying how hard it was to work together because they're so different, and it sounds like he's pretty even-handed, but then he brings up how Katie has been in the bottom. Elaine interrupts to ask what is going on with this purple fabric, which I guess is an abomination. They wanted color and metallic, and he couldn't talk her into silver. OK compromise doesn't mean one person convinces the other person to do what they want. It means you meet in the middle and agree. Octavio says he was relieved to get her to use some black at least. The jacket is too crazy and it would completely swamp whatever Tara would be wearing. Katie's look is not her at all. Nina gasses her up by pretending that Katie's sleeves and “beautiful color” are so amazing and they miss it. If Katie had presented one of her Katie outfits, it would swallow Tara and it would be brightly colored and childish. That's Katie's aesthetic. Octavio had a point when he said her aesthetic doesn't fit into what this show is. It doesn't mean she doesn't have talent, but it does mean that she can't “be herself” and be in the top. And it's so manipulative to tell her “oh if only you had been yourself” as if that would have been an appropriate design. She describes her original design so of course they nod and pretend they would have loved it. But she's been in the bottom and Octavio has done better than her, overall, so she listened to what he had to say. I mean I do think Octavio felt he should boss her around because she isn't as good as he is, and he did kind of take over, but I'm not going to pretend that Katie would have been on the top if left to her own devices. Nina yells that she needed to listen to herself. OK but then the two looks would go together even less than they currently do. They show a montage of her looks which is supposed to show color and sleeves but really they just look like clown clothes. You know if Katie survives, the next time she makes “her own” clothes, the judges will hate it. Katie is not that great. Brandon at least points out that the top of the dress is too boring, for a look that you're only going to see from the waist up.

In the Scrap Bin Katie says to Octavio that she was so happy to work with him and he's so great and she's starting to cry. Katie he threw you under the bus. You don't need to kiss his ass. Brandon pretends he “deeply” wanted to be a figure skater. Johnny reveals he wore one of Brandon's designs to the last Olympics, which apparently Brandon didn't know because he bought it off the rack. Aaron had a lot of intention behind his look because he knew them so well. It's kind of sportswear but it's different and the fabrics are great. Shantall's dress was elegant, although Nina doesn't like how bare it is. Anna made such a great dress that you could sell it right now. It is a little plunging. Brandon hates Bones's vest but the shirt and pants are amazing.

Sabrina made a high-waisted pant and a bolero and Johnny likes the idea of those pieces, just not the ones he was presented with. She kind of fell apart and it didn't work at all. It's too costume. Prajje's dress is fine, although Brandon says it's too bridesmaid. Tara says at least he got the fit right, it's not too voluminous and it's not too low cut. Katie and Octavio both really failed. The skirt is too big and the bodice is bad and thankfully they don't immediately try to talk about how Katie is normally so amazing. Octavio wanted to do Octavio and that jacket is counter to everything they asked the designers to do. It would overpower Tara if they were both in the booth together. Neither team worked together well. Yeah that's fair. Elaine says Sabrina and Katie are running out of second chances.

Johnny and Tara gush about how the winning team made looks that would make you stop as you flip through the channels, and that's Anna and Bones. Anna is the winner. She gets immunity. She starts crying that she's honored they'll be on American TV wearing a Chinese designer's dress. Aaron and Shantall are in. Anna says she came on the show to be a connection between China and America. Can't people just be on the show to get famous and win money? No one in the bottom had any teamwork. Octavio had a poor fabric choice and overshadowed the other look. They are tired of waiting for “the real Katie” (you cannot imagine the huge eyeroll I did here). Sabrina made a costume. Prajje's bow overwhelmed his design and it was too much a dress for the club. Sabrina is out. Everyone else is in. When Prajje gets to the Scrap Bin he's really upset. Sabrina is representing little girls without opportunity, I think is what she was saying. There's more in her than people got to see. Christian shows up to tell her she's going to do great things but also clean up your space because no save.

Next week: some random accessories, Bones argues with Christian again. I think it might be hats? Some of the designers are wearing outrageous hats during the runway.