Project Runway - Episode 12

Episode 12: Challenge: "Create an evening gown inspired by nature."

For this challenge, the designers headed to the Bronx, where they visited The New York Botanical Garden, snapped a bunch of photos, and headed back to Parsons to choose one photo from which they drew inspiration for their gown.

I think nature is wildly inspiring and this was another one of my favorite challenges.. Even though the designers have semi-sucked and the judges and their decisions have semi-sucked, I've really loved the challenges this season.

The Official Winner

Designer: Jerell
The more I see from Jerell, the more I love him. Although part of me wanted to pull the dress up a few inches and part of me thinks, "this would look so much better on a woman with bodacious tatas," I adore this dress. Hell, I have bodacious tatas. I wanna wear it!


Designer: Leanne
I'm almost always bias to anything purple but even if it had been a different color, I'm fairly certain I would have still loved the dress. It's pretty and flowy, which makes up for the aspect of it that says, "look, someone just took a can of Reddi-Whip and sprayed it all over me."


Designer: Korto
I think this is possibly the worst thing Korto has created so far. I don't like the color, I don't like the fit, just...blech.


Designer: Kenley
Not only are you a complete bitch and rude to everyone, including the judges, this dress is just plain fugly. This isn't Splash. Go swim away.

Once again, the judges didn't think Kenley deserved to go home so the four of the designers got to go home to create their line for Fashion Week but only 3 of them will actually go (which we know is a lie because Joe was a plant when he showed). And there are photos out there of everyone's line so not much of a surprise is left other than who the last plant is and who the winner is.

My money is on Leanne.

Project Runway - Episode 11

Episode 11: Challenge: "Create a look for a fellow designer inspired by a specific musical genre."

Fun!! Next to the drag queen challenge, I think this was my fave.

Since we're sadly approaching the end of Project Runway, I'm going to mention every design since there are so few.

The Official Winner

Designer: Korto - designed for Suede - punk
I love this outfit and definitely agree that it deserved to win. And although he's a whack-a-doodle, I also loved Suede's punk persona.

Official Loser

Designer: Suede - designed for Jerell - rock 'n roll
I do like this outfit but I also agree with Heidi in that Jerell looked like...Jerell. It's not all that different from what the dude usually wears and Suede could have gone all out for having the rock 'n roll genre. Take this and combine it with his previous outfits and it's oh-so-obvious that he just doesn't quite have it. Janelle likes that Suede is gone.

Other designs

Designer: Jerell - designed for Kenley - pop
Once again, Jerell comes up with a fabulous outfit. Does this not just scream, "I'm a pop star!" without screaming, "I'm a trashy, gonna-leave-my-panties-at-home pop star!"? I think it does. I freaking hate Kenley but she looked great in this.


Designer: Leanne - designed for Korto - country
As easy as it would have been to go down the costume route for this one, Leanne didn't and again, designed something I pretty much love. Not overly redneck and instead, classy with a little country thrown in.


Designer: Kenley - designed for Leanne - hip hop
Ummm. Yeah. Sooooooo not hip hop at all. All of the judges were pretty shocked at how bad Kenley's outfit was but once again, her obnoxius ass sticks around. I do think Suede needed to go home but I wouldn't have been upset if Kenley left either. She can do 1950s pin-up girl and that's it. Plain and simple. Not to mention, she's defensive and snarky anytime anyone gives her any kind of criticism. I hope she sucks serious ass on the next one and gets booted.

Project Runway - Episode 10

While I understand that the liklihood of my favorite designer being auf'd is pretty high, I'm just not getting the judges' thought process this season. I agree with most of the eliminations but not the timing of the eliminations. And if Suede winds up being one of the non-decoys at Fashion Week, I'm gonna grab my trendiest handbag and throw up in it.

Episode 10: Challenge: "Create a makeover look for a college-aged woman for entry into the working world."

The Official Winner

Designer: Jerell
Jerell has a funky little style and I do think he's as wildly innovative as he is talented. But I wasn't a huge fan of this outfit. The blouse looked sloppy and I'm not really sure how to describe it other than I just wasn't feeling it on this one.

Official Loser

Designer: Joe
Oh Joe. Your eliminations saddens me so. I admit this wasn't one of his best outfits and I agree with the judges that it looks way too "80s Working Girl." These days, you don't need to wear a pin stripe suit to look professional and I think he just missed the mark on this one. As a fan of low-cut tempting cleavage-y tops, I adore the blouse and want one. But as an entire outfit, the look was just too old. But not old enough to qualify for elimination, damnit! So that's one New York Fashion Week collection that was a decoy. Ya tricky Project Runway bastards!

Who Should Have Won

Designer: Kenley
Kenley is an over-confident pain right in the ass. I agree with some of the designers that all she can do is 50s style retro dresses but her super adorable outfit should have won this one (she thought so too as it was all sorts of obvious that she was pissed at not winning this challenge).

Who Should Have Lost

Designer: Suede
Seriously. Third-person-speaking Suede needs to take his ass home, like yesterday. He's in the bottom 3 a lot and consistently brings to the table something that's either so-so or just plain bad. I really just don't understand why the judges have kept him around so long.

Project Runway - Episode 9

Episode 8: Challenge: "With the help of a previously eliminated designer, create an avant garde outfit inspired by one of the designer's astrological signs."

The Official Winner

Designer: Jerell (with Jennifer) - Sagitarius
What has 2 thumbs and was seriously bummed that this outfit won the challenge? This girl! I love the fabric of the skirt but I hate the overall outfit. The feathery fringe on the coat...the coat itself...the high-waisted fucking skirt that I'm so sick of seeing everywhere. No way should this outfit have won.

Official Loser #1

Designer: Blayne (with Stella) - Libra
I'm not sure I really need to say anything about this outfit and its elimination other than, "amen, judges."

Official Loser #2

Designer: Terri (with Keith) - Leo
Beyotch Terri was quite shocked that she was booted with this outfit but I agree with it. The colors are pretty but the fabric of the skirt makes it look uber cheap. I think it belongs in a low-budget version of a Disney princess movie.

Who Should Have Won

Designer: Joe (with Daniel) - Aries
Once again, I think my man got the shaft. In addition to the spectacular colors, I think Joe's a very capable and talented designer and I think this is another outfit that was not only beautiful but looked like it was well made. I adore it.

Project Runway - Episode 8

Episode 8: Challenge: "Create a look inspired by the fall collection of fashion designer and icon, Diane Von Furstenberg."

The Official Winner
Designer: Leanne
This outfit is fucking gorgeous and I was hoping it would win. The gown is a slinky, sexy, flowy purple number and I think Leanne has the classiest sense of style out of all of them. If I were to splurge on an awesome outfit for a fancy night out, this would be it.

The Official Loser
Designer: Stella
I actually think Stella has a great kickass sense of style and I liked this outfit except for the vampire cape. But up close, it looked poorly made and I think this challenge made it clear that there she wasn't going to make it to Bryant Park.

Who Should Have Lost

Designer: Suede
I don't necessarily disagree with Stella being auf'd but I do somewhat think Suede should have gone home. The judges were pretty complimentary of Suede's outfit but I just didn't care for it. I don't think he's gonna make it to Bryant Park either and I just haven't been "wow"ed by anything he's done so far.

But seriously. Someone hunt down Leanne and make her create that outfit specifically for me, please.

Project Runway - Episode 7 - vroom! vroom!

Episode 7: Challenge: Create an outfit from Saturn car parts."

Yowsa. That's like me taking apart my old-ass Fort Escort and throwing together an outfit. I bet I could have used the gold hubcaps, at least. Good to know that some wanna-be fashion designers have much more innovation than I do. This was a tough one because I think nearly everyone really came up with something fantastic, especially given the materials they had to work with.

The Official Winner

Designer: Leanne
Personally, I'm not a fan of the additional hips thrown on this leathery number...I just don't like the look. But this dress looked absolutely flawless. I do think Leanne has some great ideas and so far, always comes through and meets the challenge. I think this one also proved that the girl is just plain talented when it comes to executing her design. One of the judges told her she could go straight to Paris with this dress and the craftsmanship, for something they had 2 days to throw together out of car parts, was amazing. Although I don't like goofy-shaped skirt, I can get behind this design having won.


The Official Loser

Designer: Keith
Oh, Keith. You're pretty to look at but holy hell, do I hate to hear you talk. The outfit doesn't look too bad in this photo but the skirt looked pretty shoddily made and the back looked like a big ol', not put together mess. When criticized by the judges (ya know, 'cause that's kinda what they're there for), he blamed the model for having to sit down while in hair and makeup and then went on to whine about how he was so disappointed in last week's performance and the criticism he got for that. Challenge after challenge, he just doesn't seem to cut it. So buh-bye, Keith. I agree with that booting too.

Who Should Have Won
I did love Leanne's design and I'm okay with her winning. But there were also a couple others I really loved.


Designer: Suede
Obnoxious, third-person guy? Yes. But I do like his stuff. And for this challenge, I thought his design was great. I'd totally wear it. Look, shiny!!


Designer: Jerell
There's nothing really of Jerell's that I'd wear but I fucking love this outfit. It doesn't scream, "look, I'm made out of car parts!" nor "look at my fashion forward, futuristic outfit!" I think he's creative and innovative and follows through on those with being able to really make his things look well-made. I do kinda wish he'd won this one.

Project Runway - Episode 6

I love vacation but I just got around to watching last week's Project Runway. Oy!



The Official Winner

Designer: Joe
Finally, my man wins! Although I'm not a huge fan of pink, the outfit he refers to as "Ann Margaret on the Love Boat" looks absolutely fantastic on Ms. Varla Jean Merman. She's pretty close to smokin' hot for a drag queen, as far as I'm concerned.


The Official Loser

Designer: Daniel
Dude, seriously. I could take this to Cancun next month for a night out of dancing. I don't think it's at all drag queen material and as Nina said, he's fallen short on a couple challenges and is always "my taste is impeccable and I'm fabulously sophisticated" when he gets the slightest bit of criticism. Pretty dress but it was definitely time for Daniel to go home.

I couldn't agree more with the judges choices this time around.

Project Runway - Episode 5

"Episode 4: Challenge: Create an outfit for Brooke Sheild's character (a bohemian-esque woman, now married to a musician and running her own studio company) to wear on her television show, Lipstick Jungle. Something that can be worn at the office and worn for a night on the town with her girlfriends."

This was a partner challenge, which is always wildly entertaining because there's all sorts of personalities on this show. They all pitched a design, 6 of them were chosen, and then those 6 people chose partners with whom to work. Personally, I would have liked to have seen a couple of the other pitched designs but I guess that's really a moot point.

The Official Winner

Designer: Keith, worked with Kenley
I was rooting for this one to win too. I love the colors, it's classy enough for the office but still fun and flirty for a night out. Keith's a serious tool and I hate that we'll have to listen to his "I'm the awesomest designer ever" talk for another week but I do think that with the exception of his wind machine-created dress, he's done pretty well so far.

The Official Loser

Designer: Kelli, worked with Daniel
I agree that this one was the worst of the designs and a bit on the trashy side but I think Daniel should have gone home, not Kelli. So far, Kelli's put out some fantastic designs and Daniel's been...well...eh. He claims to be all about having this impeccable and glamorous taste but so far, he's kinda done crap. I think we would have seen more great outfits from Kelli had she stuck around but Daniel? I'm not expecting much. So while I can get behind the idea that his design is trashy and not something to wear to work, Daniel should have been sent packing.

I really am having a problem with Nina's and Michael Kors' thought processes this season.

Project Runway - Episode 4

"Episode 4: Challenge: Create an outfit for the American teams to wear during the Olympic Opening Ceremonies."

The Official Winner

Designer: Korto
The only thing I didn't care for about this outfit was that the small amount of blue she had looked black. I love the linen pants, I think the entire outfit looks comfortable and could be worn by a lot of female athletes and still look sharp.

The Official Loser

Designer: Jennifer
Even though I hate Judge Nina, I couldn't agree more with her comment that Jennifer just can't separate her own taste from the challenges. She's very feminine and girlie, which is adorable but not necessarily always appropriate for the challenges. There's not a thing American nor sporty about this outfit and sadly, I was glad she was booted.

Who Should Have Won

Designer: Joe
I love Joe. I was okay with Korto winning but I do think Joe got robbed a bit. I think the colors and the sportiness make up for the funky length of the skirt portion of his skort. I think he was the only one who very obviously knew from the get go what kind of challenge this was and how to incorporate it into his design. So far, it's him and Terri whose outfits I see and think, "I can't wait to see what they do for the next one."

Project Runway - Episode 3

"Episode 3: Challenge: Snap some photos of New York City and design an outfit inspired by one of those photos."

The Official Winner

Designer: Kenley (aka Betty Page)
I like Kenley and I generally really like her pinup girl aesthetic. And I adore The Golden Girls, I really do. But I don't want to see an outfit created from the chairs found on their Miami patio. I like the colors in this dress but the style is just too 1980s Golden Girls vs. Dallas vs. Knots Landing vs. Dynasty. No way should she have won this challenge.

The Official Loser

Designer: Emily
And no way was this the losing dress for this challenge...Emily got royally shafted on this one. I think she mainly lost because it's a dress we've seen millions of times but it was made really well and it's a great looking dress.


Who Should Have Won

Designer: Leanne
Leanne was the other designer shafted in this challenge. This dress is gorgeous. Clean, sleek, classy. I want it.

or


Designer: Terri
So far, Terri's shown that she's uber talented and has fantastic taste. I think this outfit is very urban, the colors are gorgeous, and I always tend to love the separates more than the dresses.

Who Should Have Lost

Designer: Keith
Despite his being a little too "I'm the guy," Keith's so freaking hot. But this dress was wretched. I believe it was Michael Kors who told him it looked like toilet paper caught in a fan. I love Michael, I couldn't have agreed more, and I think Keith should have gone home on this one.

Project Runway - Episode 2

"Episode 2: Challenge: The green challenge in which the designers were to create an outfit made from eco-friendly materials."

The Official Winner

Designer: Suede
Suede speaks in the 3rd person and Janelle hates when people speak in the 3rd person. Janelle wishes Suede would shut his trap but Janelle was relatively happy with his having won this challenge. I think it's a very young, cute, and fun dress.

The Official Loser

Designer: Wesley
I really liked Wesley but this dress was a mess. I love the fabric and the color but it looked like something I could have made and I know absolutely jack about designing or making clothes. I think he's probably quite a bit more talented than what this dress demonstrates but he just didn't cut it for this challenge.

My Other Possible Winner

Designer: Terri
I think Terri will make it to the Bryant Park. This is an outfit I could see any woman wearing and it's just plain classy and stylish.

Project Runway - Episode 1

Okay, since the first episode of this season of Project Runway, I've been meaning to do a weekly recap and I've kept forgetting. Until last night when, for a second time, I found myself thinking, "okay, generally, these designers kinda suck" and "okay, generally, these judges have their heads up their asses" and was dying to write about it.

So begins my weekly PR recap. I'll put "Project Runway - Episode Whatever" in the subject line each week and slap an LJ cut on it so those of you who don't give a rat's ass about what I have to say about fashion and reality television can just skip right over it. Consider this my recap of Episode 1.

Episode 1 - Challenge: Create an outfit made entirely from grocery store items bought from the well-known Manhattan grocery store, Gristedes."

The Official Winner

Designer: Kelli
I really loved this outfit and was okay with Kelli winning this challenge. The top is made from coffee filters and the skirt is made from hand-dyed vacuum bags and gorgeous. Love. It.

The Official Loser
"
Designer: Daniel
I really hated this outfit and was entirely happy with Daniel having lost this challenge. From the moment I saw it go down the runway, I expected Christian Bale to be behind it humming "Hip To Be Square" with an axe in his hand and a psychopathic look on his face. Honestly, I just don't see the talent here.

My Other Possible Winner

Designer: Joe
This was the other outfit I had tied for #1. The top is made from oven mitts and the skirt from muslin and tri-colored pasta. If my adorableness came in skinny, I would definitely throw this outfit on and do some serious frolicking.

Project Runway - Episode 6

I just realized I've left my short and sweet Project Runway critiques off this blog. Which I'm sure has the gazillions of people who read this on a regular basis all bunching their panties wondering what they've been missing. Oh, two, maybe three people read this? Well, here you go. If you see them on the ol' LiveJournal as well...well, tough titties.

"Episode 6: Challenge: Create an outfit for a drag queen."

They better work!

The Official Winner

Designer: Joe
Finally, my man wins! Although I'm not a huge fan of pink, the outfit he refers to as "Ann Margaret on the Love Boat" looks absolutely fantastic on Ms. Varla Jean Merman. She's pretty close to smokin' hot for a drag queen, as far as I'm concerned.


The Official Loser

Designer: Daniel
Dude, seriously. I could take this to Cancun next month for a night out of dancing. I don't think it's at all drag queen material and as Nina said, he's fallen short on a couple challenges and is always "my taste is impeccable and I'm fabulously sophisticated" when he gets the slightest bit of criticism. Pretty dress but it was definitely time for Daniel to go home.

I couldn't agree more with the judges choices this time around.