Entries in the Category "project runway christian"
A Condensed History of Project Runway
In honor of the finale of the most recent season of Project Runway, the first half of which airs tonight, I am counting down some of my favorite challenge outfits of all time. Some of these outfits were wins, some got commendations from the judges but lost to an outfit I didn’t prize as highly. The judges didn’t, at least not that I remember, trash any of them (although one was made from trash, hee hee). I won’t pretend that I haven’t occasionally loved something to which Heidi or Michael or Nina was indifferent, however.
Note: I wrote this entry a few weeks ago, and waited to post it to coincide with the finale. I had chosen my top ten and I really didn’t think that any amazing outfits were going to creep in there in the interim. I was wrong! So I am opening my top ten favorite Project Runway outfits with an honorable mention from last week.
11. (honorable mention) Emilio’s circus dress
Damn that Emilio! He has one of the biggest egos that has ever appeared on Project Runway and that is SAYING SOMETHING. He has been driving me crazy this entire season, becoming more and more inflated with self-importance with every one of his wins (and there’s been many) and in last week’s episode, he was grandstanding as much as ever. Sets my teeth on edge, that kind of behavior.
But did you see the dress he made? Holy crap.
The challenge was to make a fashion-forward outfit that was “circus-inspired.” Two designers sent ridiculous costumes down the runway, and two of them kind of boring outfits in circus-y colors. Only Emilio did exactly what was requested (and won the challenge without any hesitation on the part of the judges): he made a dress that was beautiful on its own, but which also was reminiscent of the circus (the stripes, the polka dots, the trapeze-y poof of the skirt). “It looks like the circus! And it’s BEAUTIFUL!” That’s what designing is about, isn’t it? (Now just quit giving Tim lip, Emilio! He’s there to help!)
Having dispatched of that, let’s get to my preexisting top ten!
10. Sweet P’s denim dress
This season four challenge was to create an outfit made entirely out of repurposed Levis. One of my favorite designers from that season, the strangely loveable biker chick Sweet P, started out envisioning a long, flowing denim wedding gown. But when Tim Gunn suggested it was too “hippie-dippie,” she chopped it off at the knee and made the most adorable Little Blue Dress you could imagine. Michael Kors said it had “voodoo” and Heidi chimed in, “Slimming voodoo!” She then said that any of them would be eager to wear it, though she couldn’t speak for Michael. He replied, “Well, with the right shoe…”
Why it didn’t win: Branding. The guest judge, a VP from Levi’s, complained that it wasn’t recognizable enough as Levi’s. They instead gave the win to crying Ricky, who was gone the next week.
Click ahead--unless you have dial-up, in which case don't bother, because there are pictures galore!
Continue reading "A Condensed History of Project Runway"
Some Thoughts on Project Runway
- I love when Tim Gunn prompts all the designers to say, "Thank you, Mood!" at the fabric store. There's something so corny and good-natured about it. If he hadn't become a fashion guru, I think Tim would have made a great kindergarten teacher.
- Why are they doing so many 1-day challenges? I feel like there haven't been many really incredible designs this season, and I think that's partially because they're being given so little time to design and create. Can't Lifetime foot the bill for a few 2-days? I want to see another Chris and Christian avant-garde gown, please!
- I've been rooting for Carol Hannah. I worried that tonight she was getting what reality TV-watchers call "the edit." She's been really unsure of where to go with her design and spoke for all of us wafflers when she announced, "I'm going to commit! I think." But actually, she was getting the perseverance edit, the struggle that pays off, and got commended on the runway. Though she did not win. I don't like Althea, who was the winner, because she refuses to mar her designs with necessary support undergarments. The judges like her, though, even awarding her the win tonight. If I could trade Althea out for Gordana, I would, but the judges clearly think she's too old, so her days are numbered. I don't like Logan or his greasy hair, but he's not going to be a problem anymore.
- Meanwhile, can someone explain Christopher to me? He started out on a roll, won in the first episode, later made a dress I loved which he described as being for a Victorian-era vampire bride, and then he just fell apart. He's been in the bottom two four times in a row now, and four designers have been eliminated so that he can hang around and make the viewers at home laugh at his ridiculousness. He got lucky tonight that his bedskirt gown was only the third worst tonight. As for Irina, I've decided to like that she's such an unabashed bitch. She didn't say much at first, and suddenly a few episodes in, she swooped in to announce that nobody knew as much as she did, and everything everyone else was making sucked. I should hate her--I kind of dislike when people on competitive shows can't keep their eyes on their own paper, so to speak--but she's made some nice stuff (including tonight's dress although Nina thought it looked "cheap") and, you know what, be confident Irina.
- Hey, Uncle Nick from Season 2 is a judge! Yay for him! Heidi is awesome. She described Logan's look as something an 80s rocker would wear, "but not the main one." He eventually takes from this that he was eliminated because he was too edgy and the judges "didn't get it." Sigh. They all say that. He even used the expression "Middle America," which is pretty nervy coming from an Idahoan.
- I usually watch Models of the Runway, the after-show, but that's only because I'm in bed and I don't care that much what's on. Tonight they had like a ten-minute discussion about boob tape. ...No comment.