Project Runway 12/9/21--"Couch Couture" summary

 

Previously on “Project Runway”: everyone paired up to make avant garde looks using faux fur. Yeah. Chasity won, for making an art piece with Prajje. Aaron and Bones had a dumb argument where Aaron lost it, and was a jerk, but then when he apologized Bones just lectured him on how black men are not allowed to react to anything. Octavio and Anna ended up in the bottom, partially blamed on how the van driver hit some scaffolding and broke the window right next to Anna so she was not on. But in the end the judges eliminated Shantall, even though Kristina made the dress they didn't like. But Kristina had immunity. So Christian used his Save to keep Shantall in the competition. (click for more)

Everyone is glad Shantall is still here, most of all Kristina, who knows it would be her fault if she left. Anna calls her husband and they talk about the car accident. Was it “very bad”? I didn't think so but I wasn't the one who had the window break next to me.

On the runway they start playing something about “2020 Fashion Retrospective” and it's just a bunch of models in flannels and leggings and loungewear. Christian appears and talks about elevating loungewear, which is the challenge. Make a “comfy chic” look that you can wear out of the house. “Luxurious and fabulous, but still comfortable to be on the couch.” Sure. Aaron says he can totally do this. One day challenge, but no more immunity. Chasity has the last one.

As the designers claim models (by just grabbing cards off the table) the producers ask each person what they wore during the pandemic. For some reason they actually put in the footage of the producers asking the question, instead of just airing the designers' responses. Octavio wore gym shorts and slides. Bones says nothing but “panties and do-rags” and that his neighbors probably had enough. Shantall had leggings and sports bras, which was pretty common. I think Bones is sketching a caftan and wide pants, which is probably a good idea. Kristina also has loose pants. Anna is making...lingerie? Not generally comfy.

At Mood Christian reminds them that fabric choices are very important for this challenge. Coral has some sequins and cord? What? I don't know. Prajje isn't painting this challenge. He appears to find a print of naked women. Octavio goes for brocade, which is not known for being comfortable. He already makes oversized clothes all the time. Zayden is confused because he makes luxe clothes street. Somehow this does not mesh with the challenge. I'm not sure why, but he is struggling.

9 hours to work. Prajje says he spent all his time during pandemic naked. Heh. Octavio says “oversized mens sweatshirt dress” which sounds like a good idea except for how the brocade is going to work with that. But also stockings and a garter belt. I'm not really seeing the comfy part of this.

Christian appears. Shantall is using the fabric she brought from home to make wrap pants and a basic T-shirt and jacket. I think Christian suggests to use the fabric in bangles or something. Kristina is making “a quilted cup of coffee”. Why. Octavio is convinced he can make silver brocade be a comfy sweatshirt. Christian tries to get him to use his fabric from home, which is a brown quilted fabric. It does look cozier, but when Christian picks it up it looks like it's so stiff it can't be made into clothing. He doesn't want it to be too evening, which the brocade will do. Anyway, Octavio might have a problem. Anna has a gray silk, and no other fabrics. Chasity interviews that before the pandemic she made her money from wedding gowns, so she took a big hit when everything shut down. Christian shows up to talk to her and they giggle about how she's nervous. She's got some harem pants and very specific examples of what she wants. But she's going to have to line the pants so you can't see through them. Zayden has somehow found a neoprene knit, which I did not think existed. Christian is like “I see a skirt” which is throwing him off. Also “you should make a camo jacket like you made for the streetwear”. Sometimes I think Christian gives too much advice. Coral interviews that Zayden is her best friend here. She has designed joggers and a crop top, but fancy. But her top right now is sparkly black and off the shoulder and has some of her macrame cords on one side. It's too clubby. Aaron bought cashmere, and I think maybe he's the only one? He's in good shape as long as it's modern.

Anna and Octavio call each other mommy and daddy and make kissy faces across the room for some reason. It's just a weird thing they do. Christian says it's time for a model fitting, but first he has a special surprise. It's Cyndi Lauper! Damn. It's also Geoffrey, last season's winner. Geoffrey talks about being down on himself, and we have to watch how he won “the Cyndi Lauper” challenge, which I always found suspicious. When one contestant goes on and on about how much the guest judge means to them, and then they win, it's suspicious. But apparently that win gave him his confidence and then he won the whole thing. Is this just a pep talk? What is the purpose of this visit. Oh, it's for Geoffrey to talk about the mentorship with CFDA that you would win if you win the show.

Now the models are actually here, and Geoffrey and Cyndi are going to walk around and critique, I guess. I get why you'd have Geoffrey here, but Cyndi seems out of nowhere. Aaron has some cream cashmere in a crop top and lounge pants. It still looks like pajamas. Octavio has met Geoffrey before. As he talks about his outfit, Geoffrey interrupts him to say not to add random shit to his look just because he doesn't think it's good enough. Zayden wore a lot of hoodies last year. Bones has very loud pants, but somehow having a solid color on top doesn't go? It goes, it's hard to pull off a whole outfit of loud print. Isn't it? Geoffrey and Cyndi come up to Chasity with smiles, and give her some actual concrete advice about how to construct the waistband on the pants so it's crisp. I think Bones made plain pants in the solid color. Boring. Aaron, Prajje, and Octavio go outside to smoke and process the fact that they just talked to Cyndi Lauper. Octavio says that knowing Geoffrey went on the show when he was the same age as Octavio was inspiring.

Three hours left. Coral is making macrame, but a bunch of knots aren't that comfortable. Bones does confirm he's making new pants out of the plain fabric, but they're too tight on his model. He's having to pick the seams out of them because he doesn't have enough fabric left. Chasity tells him to be careful because if he tells the judges “well they told me to” if he's in the bottom, it's not going to go over well. But the fabric looks silky and I'm wondering if you'll be able to see all the holes if you let it out. Prajje gives Bones advice that I don't fully understand because I don't sew. I think he's going to recut the pants, but do it differently than he was going to so he has enough fabric. Zayden has a lot of work to do in like, half an hour. Prajje interviews that everyone is all over the place today in terms of looks.

At home everyone hangs out and talks about how much work they have to do. Kristina shows Chasity some letters her parents wrote her from Russia. She cries out of missing her parents. Aww.

Runway Day. Prajje and Bones talk about what they're going to do when they get home. Bones is going to buy wine glasses. Prajje is going to see his daughter. As he talks about his daughter they show some photos but his daughter's face is blurred. I thought it was just going to be about online privacy which isn't terrible but turns out there is a big problem with kidnapping in Haiti so Prajje doesn't want to show her face. Yikes. He promises she's just as fresh as he is. He can't wait for her to join him in America.

There is a lot of last minute working happening. Coral has a lot of sequins. It's not that lounge. Bones now has all solid colors but I liked his print. Zayden's look is kind of a mess, and it's not fitting right and it certainly isn't finished. Christian calls Aaron's look Grandma so now there is a bralette. Octavio is trying hot pink pumps with feathers and Christian cannot contain his skepticism. Anna has put lace on all her seams. Like, instead of seams there's lace for a strip of sheer, you know? But there are threads everywhere.

Guest judge is Maria Cornejo from the CFDA. Chasity: white harem pants and a sports bra with a long jacket. The pants have a cool detail at the waist, like the waistband was shredded and it's just strips. The jacket doesn't look like there's anything weird going on with it, but it almost has a train. And she at least put her model in sneakers. Shantall: loose pants, a crop top, and a hip-length jacket. The jacket and pants are in a colorful print that makes me think of Pucci, and the crop top is white. They show a close up of the pants, and it looks like she put straps and giant buttons down the legs. Like they're buttoned around her legs. Or maybe it's just buttons and tabs, it's hard to see. The crop top has a curve to the hem so it's slightly longer on the sides, and a crew neck. The jacket is plain but it's cut well and it doesn't look raggedy. I just don't know about these pants.

Coral: sleeveless dress with a high halter neck (you know those kind that are like a collar and then a triangle), and slit all the way up her hip on one side with an asymmetrical skirt. Under the dress are harem pants. The dress is black sequins and the pants are silver sequins and of course there is macrame fringe over all. Loungewear doesn't have sequins. When they show the back of the model you can see there's no back to this dress. It's all spaghetti straps and the sides of the dress do not meet in the back. They also show her ankles so you can see it looks like she has ruffles at the ankle. Aaron: wide legged pants, a crop top, and a long cardigan in various shades of beige. The cardigan is pretty light, and in the back there's a keyhole in the crop top in the small of her back. The cardigan is cut in such a way that it does not cover her back at all, but there is a strip along the back of her neck. So I guess it's a giant keyhole on the cardigan too. This crop top is also cut like Shantall's, with it being longer on the sides, so I guess that's the current way to do that?

Octavio: an oversized hoodie, worn as a dress, made out of silver brocade. The parts on a regular sweatshirt that would be elastic (the hem and the cuffs) are black, but it doesn't prevent her from looking like Jiffy Pop. Then she has stockings and garters. You can tell because he has told his model to lift up her dress as she walks to expose her granny panties and garter belt and stockings. Also he put it with the hot pink feathered pumps. When she gets to the end of the runway, the model flings her arms out so you can see the sleeves are actually twice as long as they should be. Prajje: pants, a tank top, and a short-sleeved jacket. The jacket and pants are in the print of naked women he found. Nothing is super oversized, but it is loose and it does seem comfortable. The back of the jacket is a different print, a snakeskin or something.

Zayden: a jumpsuit in a weird brown/gray non-color, with a belt buckle that looks like a seat belt. It's very tight through her pelvis which doesn't seem “comfy”. The legs end in ruffles, like there's a drawstring and a ruffle. And as she walks the two legs are different lengths? That might not be on purpose. The top has a high turtleneck and no sleeves. And a bright blue cropped jacket in a quilted fabric. The jacket looks nice but it just looks too form-fitting to be comfy. Bones: first of all Bones had his model walk in hot rollers. It's pink pants and a sleeveless top. The pants look like pajama pants, and they are loose. I feel like he's made this top before. It's just draped across her front, and the back is like three spaghetti straps and no fabric. Maybe the first top he sent out this season, where the model didn't have a bra and it wasn't flattering? Just plastered to her torso.

Anna: a knee-length dress and a very long jacket, in a silvery gray flowy fabric. The dress has black lace down the sides, and a slit up one side. I can't tell if the lace is sewn over the dress, or if it's replacing a seam so there's skin underneath. It looks like a slip and a bathrobe. There's even a belt on the “jacket” that's like, big puffs or something. Kristina: I have no idea what is happening. There's a bandeau bra, and then over that it looks like two big pieces of fabric in different prints that are wrapped around her body and sewn together over her belly button. Then there are pants, but each leg is a different fabric? So she has a blue and white polka dot all down her right side, top and pants, with a solid blue on the other side on top and a darker solid blue on bottom. The bra is checkered, which matches the coffee coozie and then the polka dot fabric is also a do-rag. She had a hand in one pocket and I thought for a solid five seconds she was holding up her pants. At the end of the runway she takes down the top off her shoulders and it's just a bra and a big shapeless mess on bottom. It's shapeless no matter what configuration we're talking about. I don't know.

Shantall, Anna, and Bones are safe. Hmm. I wanted Shantall to have to explain her pants. Chasity had a high score. Nina asks to have the jacket off, and the top has straps on the back so it still looks good. It's stylish and her model loves it. Nina loves that you can mix and match pieces. It's simple and she edited well: no jewelry or flashiness. Octavio is in the bottom as you could guess. Elaine is impressed he made the lingerie, since he hasn't made it before, but the dress doesn't go with the shoes. Octavio says the sleeves give you volume you need. Uh huh. Brandon was expecting something more impressive with the reveal. So they're not mad it's a Jiffy Pop sweatshirt, but that it was too boring? Octavio tries to argue that he stands behind it and it's good. So if it had like, folded up or become pants or something, they would have no problem, but the sleeves being super long is not good enough.

Prajje was also in the bottom. Oh no. Nina loves Prajje's style, but this look doesn't even look like it came from him. He was not trying to make a print in one day. Elaine doesn't agree with everyone else and she likes it. But I guess it's all beige and they don't like it. Aaron is in the top. Sure I guess. It's “believable”, says Brandon. Yeah I can get behind that. The crop top has long sleeves, and the back has a keyhole and like, tails. Elaine thinks it was frumpy. Too comfy and not enough chic. See and he made a bralette but unlike Octavio he didn't have his model flash everyone. Coral is in the bottom which is not surprising to me at all. It is not comfy. She claims it's comfy to her. It's luxe. The ankles have a mesh ruffle and it looks so silly. I think they don't hate the design but it's not “comfy chic” so she failed the challenge.

Zayden says that he felt his model was “a grown woman” but it's so ill-fitting he's in the bottom. The chest doesn't fit and it's too tight on her hips. Zayden's pants are also stupid, because he put some straps to hold up the bottom of the pant legs. Let down they're just straight legs and they look better. The jacket is great though. Kristina is in the top so now we can hear why this shapeless mess is good. What I wanna know is, why was Bones's print and solid combo terrible and clashed, but this combo of two different solid colors and also a print is amazing. So it turns out that in addition to taking the top part off and making a shapeless skirt, the top can also be lengthened with a drawstring to make a dress, and then you can take the pants off and have a dress. It's still shapeless though. The judges love how thoughtful it is and how resort it is. Brandon doesn't like it though. Just the dress is fine, but with the pants and matching cup and matching do-rag it's too costumey.

Elaine wants Kristina to win, because it's so versatile and you can wear it so many ways. The guest judge claims she can see “any age” wearing it. Brandon does admit she did a lot of work. Aaron's was realistic and looked like something someone would wear, but Elaine complains that it was shapeless. Elaine. How can you say that Aaron's was shapeless but Kristina's was not shapeless when it was a giant blob of fabric! Chasity's look was so clean and crisp, although Nina does worry that not everyone could wear it. Do you think “everyone” can wear a huge oversized top/dress that is over a bra? Can “everyone” wear a crop top? They're all crop tops.

Octavio's look is not “post-pandemic” but right smack in the middle of quarantine. OK that was good. He missed the mark on taste. Zayden's jumpsuit was terrible, but the jacket is great. But the jumpsuit. Brandon says it's problematic that the jumpsuit was the main focus. Coral made something with sequins for a comfy chic look. Elaine is mad that Prajje is in the bottom. They hate the color and are bored. Brandon absolutely hated the snakeskin print on the back.

The winner is Kristina. I do not agree at all. It was a big blob with four different fabrics. Aaron and Chasity are in. Coral is in, but she gets admonished to stick to the challenge. Prajje is also in. Octavio overstyled and was unoriginal. Zayden had a poor fit and it overshadowed the good parts of his design. Octavio and Zayden are BOTH out. Oh shit. Every time they talked about it before they said “one of you will be out”. I wonder if they dubbed that over later to throw everyone off. Wasting no time to correct Christian's Save. Octavio gets out some thanks to the judges, but Zayden is crying too hard to say anything. When Octavio goes back to the Scrap Bin, they put a shot of Anna hiding in the corner sobbing. Zayden is really emotional and Elaine has to struggle not to cry too. Everyone is crying. They're both proud to have been on the show and to prove themselves.

Next week: unconventional materials challenge! Make a cocktail dress. It looks appropriately crazy.

For some reason, they are doing Christian's after show, but they're only starting now. Christian admits that he has no idea what “comfy chic” means. Kristina's was resort. Octavio says you can buy Aaron's look at H&M or even Lane Bryant. Are you insulting plus size stores, Octavio? Octavio is a smartass because he is wearing an oversize sweatshirt made from quilted fabric and garters on his socks. Zayden always has looks for himself. Christian reveals that when he went to the Scrap Bin to say goodbye, Zayden left the building. Huh? He says he was feeling so much pressure that when he was eliminated, it was kind of a relief. He also refuses to say anything bad about his look. Critiques do not phase him.