Project Runway S5E8: Berlin to Shanghai, with a stop in Transylvania
Since I'm not really using this space for anything else (hello, 16 weeks without an entry!) I figured I'd put my Project Runway thoughts here, as I've been itching to comment on my favorite reality show. Actually, PR is the only one I like to any degree, so 'favorite' doesn't mean quite as much. Anyway, here we go!
Last week: Product placement materials! Keith decides to go 'refined' and falls on his face, getting aufed. Leanne uses leather better than Stell-uh the Leath-uh girl and wins.
I wouldn't want Stella making my coffee. I like it strong, really strong. Also, there are times when I think Stella looks like a teenager -- when she's overly made up.
Blayne, shut up about tanning.
Suede uses the first person! The lack of "Suede says" has made him much better in my opinion.
To no one's surprise, the models stay the same.
I love it when the "special guests" aren't actually all that special.
Blayne, shut up. Mary-Kate Olsen is not a fashion legend. Nowhere even close.
I do like it when they have a designer from NYC -- it prevents all of them from making totally insane guesses.
It's kind of sweet how everyone knows who Diane von Furstenberg is. The only reason I know her is because she's been on Project Runway in the past. She was the guest judge for the "Clothes off your back" challenge from Season 2 and the fashion icon challenge from Season 3.
Ahh, now the episode title makes sense!
It's really neat how she lets them pick from her own fabric room. I do think that this is the one challenge that could potentially catapult a designer into the high fashion world.
Kenley runs for prints, no surprise. She cries -- that is a surprise. I'm not sure why she gets so worked up. And then she's very nice to Stella, helping her get the fabrics out.
Blatant product placement: Giant Elle poster!
I really appreciate when people with immunity still really put effort into the challenges. It's more in line with the spirit of the competition.
I do think that doing two or three pieces in one day is pretty phenomenal, and that designers in the past have bitched about it. However, Kenley winds up being the only one with one piece.
I understand Kenley's idea of doing one piece well rather than two or three pieces horribly. However, as Joe put it, the look book showed layering, so she might have wanted to take that into consideration.
BLAYNE! Step away from the multicolored neon fabric! Rrrgh.
Terri, stop showing off your pants. Although she can be somewhat proud, as pants have been the downfall of multiple designers in the past.
Woah, they're actually eating food on camera!
They're doing more interviews with Leanne. I think that's a sign that she's going to the end, which I would be very happy with.
Did Jerell actually do the gloves? I wrote the recap on my second go-round, so I don't remember them.
I love Korto's DVF impersonation.
Joe, are you using the same fabric you used for the Drag Queen challenge? That's ... questionable.
I think Leanne's sneaking around was kind of cute.
Suede's fabric looked more like dollar signs than camouflage.
Kenley works with prints, okay. But, seriously, her prints are too loud and over the top!
Tim's advice:
Suede takes it.
Leanne takes it.
Korto doesn't take it, but it is on a comparatively minor part.
Stella doesn't take it. But does make a great comment about Rachel Zoe. And on my first run-through, I knew she'd be out then. Anyone who disses Tim's advice is in major trouble.
Kenley, don't be like Ricky from last season. He cried too much.
"I'm not listening to anything"... Stella, hubris never works on Project Runway!
Aww, Kenley helps Stella out at the last minute.
And Stella is the last one out of the workroom... another bad sign.
Runway time!
I like Fern. She's a good replacement for Nina, though she can't deliver the same cutting comments.
Joe: The shawl-hoodie ... doesn't really work. Though the front of the shirt is gorgeous.
Leanne: Whole. Package. The hairstyle, the makeup... it sells the look. Gorgeous.
Terri: That's a big coat. I'm not sure I like the extra stuff at the top. It's a good look, but not good enough.
Jerell: Did he use one of his own hats? Ugh. Too military for my taste. And the belt just detracts from the outfit. Too shiny, as well.
Korto: Lovely. Awesome. Don't have much more to say.
Blayne: Don't like this one either. I hate the thing poking out from under the jacket -- is that a scarf? And it's a black coat with nothing to distinguish it from the other black coats out there.
Suede: I don't like the back. It's a little plain.
Stella: The cape... really does nothing. And the vest looks a little too modern.
Kenley: I like the hairstyle, it sells the Shanghai angle.
Terri, Jerell, and Blayne are safe.
Now onto the critique...
Korto: I'm not sure I see the "freedom" angle, but it fits in the collection. Diane likes the yellow. Fern likes the print. Everyone loves the jacket.
Joe: The shawl was a bit of a risk, yep. The open back isn't really working for any judges or me. Michael says it's not cohesive.
Kenley: Colorful and chic, yeah. She's very confident, too confident for my tastes. The judges call her out on the layering -- she interrupts Heidi! DVF chuckles at "you needed this dress" bit. They feel like she's being too safe with only one piece. But she was true to herself and it's a good dress.
Stella: Diane likes the idea of mixing, but thinks the cape is Dracula. Michael calls her out on the tailoring, and the crotch especially. He doesn't think the look has any edge.
Leanne: Relaxed, a perfect disguise, seductive. Diane likes the men's jacket with the sexy dress. Heidi thinks it's beautiful. Fern appreciates the ruffles. "A lot of good design", says Diane.
Suede: Skirt is unflattering, too much fabric, the slit isn't helping. Fern says the herringbone is a bad choice. Michael wonders if she got dressed in the dark.
Michael's used a couple of his cutting euphemisms before...
Deliberation.
Ok, I'm going to try to stop recapping so much and offer my analysis here.
I think it was obvious that Leanne was going to win. Diane loved it more than the others, and since it's her line, that's important. I think Heidi loves Korto in general. And Kenley would have been a stronger contender with a second piece. I think that it should have been Leanne vs. Korto instead of Leanne vs. Kenley.
Suede just missed the mark, but at least it was made well. Joe messed up the back, he didn't finish the whole garment. At least the front was acceptable. Stella failed at executing her look, totally. I agree with the Stella vs. Joe.
So I agree that the judges got the win and auf right.
I kind of like Stella's attitude towards being auf. She is kind of a polarizing designer, and I think she'd find it hard to go mainstream. So she should stick to what she's good at.
Next week: "a couple of special guests"? They didn't give it away in the trailer, for once!
I'm going to have my thoughts about who the teams should be in a little bit.
Last week: Product placement materials! Keith decides to go 'refined' and falls on his face, getting aufed. Leanne uses leather better than Stell-uh the Leath-uh girl and wins.
I wouldn't want Stella making my coffee. I like it strong, really strong. Also, there are times when I think Stella looks like a teenager -- when she's overly made up.
Blayne, shut up about tanning.
Suede uses the first person! The lack of "Suede says" has made him much better in my opinion.
To no one's surprise, the models stay the same.
I love it when the "special guests" aren't actually all that special.
Blayne, shut up. Mary-Kate Olsen is not a fashion legend. Nowhere even close.
I do like it when they have a designer from NYC -- it prevents all of them from making totally insane guesses.
It's kind of sweet how everyone knows who Diane von Furstenberg is. The only reason I know her is because she's been on Project Runway in the past. She was the guest judge for the "Clothes off your back" challenge from Season 2 and the fashion icon challenge from Season 3.
Ahh, now the episode title makes sense!
It's really neat how she lets them pick from her own fabric room. I do think that this is the one challenge that could potentially catapult a designer into the high fashion world.
Kenley runs for prints, no surprise. She cries -- that is a surprise. I'm not sure why she gets so worked up. And then she's very nice to Stella, helping her get the fabrics out.
Blatant product placement: Giant Elle poster!
I really appreciate when people with immunity still really put effort into the challenges. It's more in line with the spirit of the competition.
I do think that doing two or three pieces in one day is pretty phenomenal, and that designers in the past have bitched about it. However, Kenley winds up being the only one with one piece.
I understand Kenley's idea of doing one piece well rather than two or three pieces horribly. However, as Joe put it, the look book showed layering, so she might have wanted to take that into consideration.
BLAYNE! Step away from the multicolored neon fabric! Rrrgh.
Terri, stop showing off your pants. Although she can be somewhat proud, as pants have been the downfall of multiple designers in the past.
Woah, they're actually eating food on camera!
They're doing more interviews with Leanne. I think that's a sign that she's going to the end, which I would be very happy with.
Did Jerell actually do the gloves? I wrote the recap on my second go-round, so I don't remember them.
I love Korto's DVF impersonation.
Joe, are you using the same fabric you used for the Drag Queen challenge? That's ... questionable.
I think Leanne's sneaking around was kind of cute.
Suede's fabric looked more like dollar signs than camouflage.
Kenley works with prints, okay. But, seriously, her prints are too loud and over the top!
Tim's advice:
Suede takes it.
Leanne takes it.
Korto doesn't take it, but it is on a comparatively minor part.
Stella doesn't take it. But does make a great comment about Rachel Zoe. And on my first run-through, I knew she'd be out then. Anyone who disses Tim's advice is in major trouble.
Kenley, don't be like Ricky from last season. He cried too much.
"I'm not listening to anything"... Stella, hubris never works on Project Runway!
Aww, Kenley helps Stella out at the last minute.
And Stella is the last one out of the workroom... another bad sign.
Runway time!
I like Fern. She's a good replacement for Nina, though she can't deliver the same cutting comments.
Joe: The shawl-hoodie ... doesn't really work. Though the front of the shirt is gorgeous.
Leanne: Whole. Package. The hairstyle, the makeup... it sells the look. Gorgeous.
Terri: That's a big coat. I'm not sure I like the extra stuff at the top. It's a good look, but not good enough.
Jerell: Did he use one of his own hats? Ugh. Too military for my taste. And the belt just detracts from the outfit. Too shiny, as well.
Korto: Lovely. Awesome. Don't have much more to say.
Blayne: Don't like this one either. I hate the thing poking out from under the jacket -- is that a scarf? And it's a black coat with nothing to distinguish it from the other black coats out there.
Suede: I don't like the back. It's a little plain.
Stella: The cape... really does nothing. And the vest looks a little too modern.
Kenley: I like the hairstyle, it sells the Shanghai angle.
Terri, Jerell, and Blayne are safe.
Now onto the critique...
Korto: I'm not sure I see the "freedom" angle, but it fits in the collection. Diane likes the yellow. Fern likes the print. Everyone loves the jacket.
Joe: The shawl was a bit of a risk, yep. The open back isn't really working for any judges or me. Michael says it's not cohesive.
Kenley: Colorful and chic, yeah. She's very confident, too confident for my tastes. The judges call her out on the layering -- she interrupts Heidi! DVF chuckles at "you needed this dress" bit. They feel like she's being too safe with only one piece. But she was true to herself and it's a good dress.
Stella: Diane likes the idea of mixing, but thinks the cape is Dracula. Michael calls her out on the tailoring, and the crotch especially. He doesn't think the look has any edge.
Leanne: Relaxed, a perfect disguise, seductive. Diane likes the men's jacket with the sexy dress. Heidi thinks it's beautiful. Fern appreciates the ruffles. "A lot of good design", says Diane.
Suede: Skirt is unflattering, too much fabric, the slit isn't helping. Fern says the herringbone is a bad choice. Michael wonders if she got dressed in the dark.
Michael's used a couple of his cutting euphemisms before...
Deliberation.
Ok, I'm going to try to stop recapping so much and offer my analysis here.
I think it was obvious that Leanne was going to win. Diane loved it more than the others, and since it's her line, that's important. I think Heidi loves Korto in general. And Kenley would have been a stronger contender with a second piece. I think that it should have been Leanne vs. Korto instead of Leanne vs. Kenley.
Suede just missed the mark, but at least it was made well. Joe messed up the back, he didn't finish the whole garment. At least the front was acceptable. Stella failed at executing her look, totally. I agree with the Stella vs. Joe.
So I agree that the judges got the win and auf right.
I kind of like Stella's attitude towards being auf. She is kind of a polarizing designer, and I think she'd find it hard to go mainstream. So she should stick to what she's good at.
Next week: "a couple of special guests"? They didn't give it away in the trailer, for once!
I'm going to have my thoughts about who the teams should be in a little bit.