Aka. From Casting to Contestant
Previously on Project Runway we were welcome to see that Heidi Klum, Tim Gunn, Nina Garcia and Zac Posen (who will never live up to the snarky Michael Kors legacy, but we still love him) were back for another season. This year the show combined the casting/ designer introduction episode with the first episode/ challenge episode. Initially we were introduced to 18 designers as they made their way to NYC for their final audition and watched as Heidi bid
auf wiedersehen to 3 designers, leaving us with 15 designers appearing on the show. Later we're told that a previous cast member will also be returning this season. It's none other than Amanda Valentine from
Season 11 (and sister to one of the members of Maroon 5).
One interesting segment that's been added is that we get to see which designs the designers think will be on top and on bottom each week. I thought it was fun to see how off some of the designers opinions were from the judges.
The challenge: The designers had to create one look from their hypothetical spring collection using assorted fabrics provided at the beginning of this challenge (many of the designers bartered and traded fabric to get what they wanted). The designers had one day to complete this challenge.
Let's take a look at the designs:
Safe
I would wear
Alexander's look.
 |
| Alexander |
 |
| Carrie |
 |
| Emily |
 |
| Fade |
I was not a fan of
Hernan's look this week. To me, that shoulder made it look like a tattered "walk of shame" dress.
 |
| Hernan |
Kini's dress looked home sewn- like it belongs on the cover of a sewing pattern.
 |
| Kini |
 |
| Korina |
 |
| Kristine |
 |
| Samantha |
I love
Sean's New Zealand accent, and his geometric pattern dress.
 |
| Sean |
Top
Amanda's look proves that she's back to win. Nina really loved this look, while the other judges weren't quite as taken with it. Those pants though!
 |
| Amanda |
I think the designers and blog-o-sphere agree that
Char's look seemed like the clear winner this week with her design's fresh new silhouette for spring.
 |
| Char |
The judges really liked the fantasy and "runway ready" elements of Sandhya's dress and how different it was from the other designer's pieces. Although most of the other designers didn't understand Sandhya's look and thought she'd be on the bottom, the judges gave Sandhya the win this week and she has immunity for the next challenge.
 |
| Sandhya |
Bottom
While
Angela was sewing her pants, Tim Gunn told her she might need to give her model special grooming instructions because her slits were getting a little close to parts of her anatomy. Angela stuck to her design and on the runway Nina said she was going to refer to the pant slits as "sluts"- Nina clearly wasn't a fan. I appreciated Angela's attempt to push the envelope and was glad to see that Angela was safe.
 |
| Angela |
The judges also were not a fan of
Mitchell's outfit and accused his shorts of being biker shorts. When the judges had a closer look, they appeared to be appalled by the construction and I thought surely he would be out on account of his boring design and poor construction, but I was wrong and Mitchell was safe.
 |
| Mitchell |
The problem the judges had with
Jefferson's look was the proportions- they did not like the cropped top paired with those super high-waisted shorts, and on that point I agreed. Nina even went so far as to call the top a "bib" and the shorts a "diaper" which I thought was a bit much. When making the final decision the judges were trying to decide between Mitchell and Jefferson. I thought Jefferson's was slightly more interesting and better constructed, but the judges decided that Jefferson would be the first to go home.
 |
| Jefferson |
Side note: Does anyone else find it weird that restaurant chain, Red Robin, is a sponsor and that one of the prizes is a change to design an accessory for Red Robin's uniforms? Let's discuss.
After watching the first episode, I'm starting to pick out some favorite designers. Right now I like Amanda, Korina and Sean (mostly because of the accent), but I've got my eye on Carrie (love that purple hair), Alexander and Kristine too. I feel like Mitchell and Hernan's days might be numbers and I wonder how long the judges love affair with Sandhya will last.
Did you catch the premiere of Project Runway season 13? Who are your favorite/least favorite designers? Is there anything you're looking forward to seeing this season? Let me know in the comments below.
No comments