Episode 5
AKA Choose Your Own Adventure
Previously on Project Runway the designers met Tim Gunn in the Meat Packing District where the designers were split off into teams of 3 and asked to create a look inspired by Lexus cars using materials from 2 out of three locations: Surprise! Surprise! (a 99 cent store), an antique wall paper store, or the Garden of Eden (a New York Market). Sandro also stopped by to apologize for his behaviour towards Helen and Ken in the previous episode. This is the 3rd unconventional challenge in 5 episodes! What gives!? Let's take a look at the designs.
Safe
Team Helen, Justin and Dom only spent $600 on materials from the market and wall paper store. They collectively said that they were going for an art deco/1920s theme but there wasn't anything very art deco about their looks except the wall paper. Overall the wall paper still looked like wall paper and their looks were rather dull.
The wall paper still looked like wall paper on Helen's outfit and I'm not a fan of this silhouette.
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| Helen |
Boring!
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| Justin |
Lady Gaga meets wall paper?
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| Dom |
In my opinion, t
eam Miranda/Alexander/Bradon should have been on top. The team sourced materials from the wall paper store and dollar store and had a consistent color palate and created 3 high-end looking designs.
Hurray! Miranda didn't make a crop top!
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| Miranda |
Alexander's look is a bit drag queeny, but I like seeing designers go a bit "over the top" on unconventional challenges. What can I say! That collar is Fab-u-lous!
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| Alexander |
I thought Bradon's wedding gown was perfection and should have been the winner! The gown moved elegantly down the runway and I never would have guessed that it's made from wall paper and cheap drapes.
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| Bradon |
Top
Team Karen, Kate and Jeremy were on top for this challenge, but I didn't think their collection was the most cohesive. Karen's look had a 1920s drop waist meets 1960s mod patterning, while Kate's was fiercely modern and Jeremy's was elegant. But I guess they all looked high end.
I can appreciate Karen's use of mixed media to create the mod patterning, but I am not a fan of the dress's drop-waist silhouette and I felt like it made her model look wider in the waist than she really was.
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| Karen |
The judges never would have guessed that this dress came from Kate. Instead of creating her typical girly outfit, she went for a fierce modern outfit that still looked well made.
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| Kate |
The judges thought that Jeremy's outfit looked more like a Kate dress. Although it is impeccably made, the outfit is made almost entirely of place mats with glitter detailing down the side. I guess the judges overlooked his not-so unconventional materials, because they awarded him with the win.
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| Jeremy |
Bottom
It was pretty clear early on that team Ken, Alexandria and Sue were going to be on the bottom as Ken quickly deemed himself the boss of the team and began vetoing ideas and material ideas from his team-mates. Although they did end up spending $1400, it did not show. Their outfits were cohesive in the materials they used, but not in a good way. Sue's lack of sewing skills and Ken's sour attitude and lack of team work definitely brought this team down.
For a guy that was complaining about Sue's lack of sewing abilities, Ken ended up slapping duct tape on his dress at the last minute in an attempt to cover his own outfit's flaws. I thought Ken's dress plus his bad attitude might get him sent packing, but the judges decided to give him another chance.
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| Ken |
Alexandria's raised collar top was...different. I'm not sure if it's different in a good way or a bad way, but she was kept safe.
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| Alexandria |
In the end, the judges noticed that Sue's dress was poorly sewn and oddly designed. Sadly, Sue was out this week.
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| Sue |
Episode 6
AKA Let's Go Glamping
[mass noun] British informal
a form of camping involving accommodation and facilities more luxurious than those associated with traditional camping Oxford Dictionaries
Previously on Project Runway the designers climbed into a van where they were taken on a much needed respite to a glamping. In a challenge inspired by Resource Natural Spring Water, the designers were asked to sketch and create high-end looks inspired by nature. Let's take a look at the designs:
Safe
Helen's look was inspired by a dead moth that she saw in the sink while glamping. Knowing that I can see the reference, otherwise I'd just think it was unfinished.
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| Helen |
Bradon's dress was put together at the last minute after he created the collar piece and just could not figure out what to put on bottom. In my opinion, he should have just tossed out the collar and started fresh. Although his dress looks a little circus-tenty, it moved well on the runway. He's luck to have been safe.
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| Bradon |
Hurray!
Miranda created another non-crop top! Her gown was inspired by moss growing on the trees which is clear to see in her design- if not just a little bit too literal.
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| Miranda |
People may disagree with me, but I thought
Kate's dress made her model look like a pregnant fairy. I mean, the top part was interesting but the silhouette looked like a snowball.
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| Kate |
Nice print!
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| Dom |
Top
Alexander's dress fit his model like a glove. I loved the way he painted the trees onto the gown. And even though Tim suggested that Alexander not use the leather "oil slick" on the back, I think Alexander made it work. I thought Alexander might get the win this week, but the judges just kept him safe.
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| Alexander |
Well, if Alexander didn't win, I thought surely
Jeremy would take home the win. Jeremy transcribed a letter that he wrote to his husband on silk to create this dress. The dress moved beautifully and was very romantic, but the judges just kept him safe.
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| Jeremy |
Alexandria was the only designer to make casual separates. She managed to make a drop-crotch pant that even Zac Posen liked. I guess the designers were more into separates than gowns, because Alexandria surprisingly got the win.
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| Alexandria |
Bottom
Karen created a gown that was inspired by tents (and literally could have doubled as a tent). The judges felt that her design was too simple and that the tent dress and leather strap had been done before. I thought the ombre looked like an "unfortunate accident". Guest judge, Allison Williams, suggested that if Karen had added waist shaping or moved the belt to the waist, that it would have looked better. In the end, Karen was kept safe.
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| Karen |
The judges called
Ken's dress the "Frog Queen" dress. His dress was very top heavy with too much fabric at the chest. Overall, it wasn't enough to send him home.
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| Ken |
Justin had a great idea to use a glue gun to emulate lace to create a gown inspired by the frothing water. But Justin would not quit with the lace. I even shouted at the screen "PUT THE GLUE GUN DOWN"! On the runway Nina Garcia said the dress looked like his model had "a foaming vagina". So in the end Justin was out.
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| Justin |
But wait! After the elimination the whole cast was in tears over Justin's elimination as he is their first ever deaf designer and Tim Gunn opted to use his one and only Tim Gunn save. So Justin will be back to sew another day! I'm not sure if this dress was worthy of a save, but okay.
What did you think of these too episodes? Do you feel like the right people were in/out? Do you think Justin's look was worthy of the Tim Gunn save? Let me know in the comments below.
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