Project Runway Season 13 Episode Eleven
PR 11
EPISODE ELEVEN!!!
We start in Brooklyn. Of course Amanda has something tacky to say about it smelling of fish. BROOKLYN IS AWE SUM, KAY? And it smells of many things - but more exhaust than fish. I’m just saying.
And they’re in teams of two!
Amanda and Kini.
Emily and Korina.
And Sean and Charkita.
These should be interesting. I’m already seeing the S2 team as on the block - I’d be really surprised if Char offered anything interesting since, you know, she hasn’t yet, and the Tim Gunn Save was pretty obviously wasted when it could have been use for a talented designer (i.e., Fade) instead of allowing the talent to be unceremoniously dumped. I’m just saying (and I'm still bitter).
So this time they are put into auction with $500 and bidding paddles. The teams bid on storage bins and some teams can end up with more than one container. *sigh* Fine.
Kini and Amanda end up with only one storage unit and it’s the most unusual materials. Sean and Charkita end up with the most serviceable material. Emily and Korina are very happy with their container. Kini and Amanda don’t have a lot of fabric, this could be trouble, but they’re both talented and the judges like the unusual material thing. I have faith.
Sean’s having to help Charkita a LOT. She doesn’t have construction or much sewing skills. I never understand why designers come on this show without sewing well. Or why they let them! And why the hell Char is still here. She should be dumped this week, if we're still getting rid of the flotsum before final runways, IMO.
So now there’s a little twist! Each team will be creating a third look. It must be cohesive with the others, and it needs to be made primarily of fabric not from the storage unit, so one designer from each team is off to Mood.
And it’s Tim time!
Korina/Emily: Fall/winter. Emily’s top still looks like a cushion - way too much pad, and they’re not deconstructed enough as Emily has left the cushion shape in them. They’re too square around the entire shoulder. Make it work!
Sean/Charkita: Quilted top. Jacket. Tim likes that one. Third look… wait what? I don’t get it. There’s a lot of blue and black, but Tim gives his tacit approval. Really, Tim?
Amanda/Kini: Tim thinks it’s a lot of look. Tim has his WTF face on. Don’t make it amateur hour. Kini’s shocked by the review - a bad review! ONOZ. Meh, I like the art deco feel to that.
Personally, I think Sean and Char’s blue black BLUE! Is the most worrisome for me. It all seems pretty flimsy and Sean’s taking too much time to help Char out.
Kini and Amanda in the meantime completely reworked their collection, subduing the cartoony element and making more classic pieces from the unconventional, like a big black skirt; and I like the comic-art deco-y jacket a lot. It’s working for me.
And Emily/Korina are being edited for how confidant they are - SO SURE THEY WILL WIN. That’s never a good sign, editorially, but the pieces are looking fall and I dunno, it seems to have an interesting fall look.
Runway time.
Guest judge: Christian Soriano!!! YAYAYAYAYAY A real designer! It is about time.
The looks
Amanda's hot pink crop top with matching capri length pants:
Kini:
Soccer ball dress and fluffy short furry jacket.
Finally, the cropped art deco top and plastic skirt. This is really cool.
I’m not a huge fan of either of these two players, but their collection is really cute. It’s funky and fun. I’d never wear this sort of thing, but I think I may be starting to “get” Amanda - and pairing her up with Kini was really brilliant as they each balance the other - Kini takes on more funky interesting, and Amanda is arrested from winging out into WTF. It really worked.
Sean/Char:
The quilted top is cool, but the model can’t really walk in that skirt.
Char:
Again, the model can’t walk. Net top, net bottom. There’s nothing to this. The top is boring. This wouldn't even be in Forever 21, more like one of those crappy pop-up boutiques that come and go in Soho close to Canal.
Final look:
Again, the model can’t walk. It’s a long dress, racerback top, blue in the back, black skirt. “Evening sportswear,” Sean calls it. But who’d wear that? Heidi looks intrigued by the last look and repulsed by Char’s, but Zach is not looking happy. This is such a basic look, and it ends at the hem in a sudden lampshade tripping up the model. As a gut reaction I’m just thinking all kinds of Hell No. The fabrics are too skimpy, and there’s no imagination or complexity to it. It’s not even the fabrics; it’s more in the cut. It’s really not thought out for the models. The coat is the only good thing.
Korina/Emily:
I really like the sweater. I see that bulky bright sweater with the skinny pants all over NYU territory. The hat is just too much of a cliché tho, blech.
Emily:
The top still looks like a cushion to me, and I don’t get the belt at all. I don't really like it, it's too 2009.
Korina:
I love the skirt, that Southwestern pattern, red wool. The cape’s… a bit unfinished? Too stiff? Not sure, not quite right. It seems very slab-like. Same with the boots. They really got the accessories all wrong.
These are good colors and I really like Korina’s skirt. Some of the pieces are a miss, and most of the accessories, but the overall vibe is good and it's got depth. It could use some editing, such as the belt and the hat which feel more like “something this type would wear” rather than “something a woman wearing this look would choose for this outfit.” As Fitzgerald says, never start with type; start with a character and discover a type.
Judging: Here’s where it gets weird.
Amanda/Kini: Nina has the pink pants model put on the fluffy coat - and both looks improve by a thousand percent. All the judges love Kini’s soccer ball dress. Christian: Likes the silhouettes/shapes, right for a young look. This collection is great.
Sean/Char:
Zac likes the quilted jacket. Char’s look is “hoochie” and cheap-looking. Christian likes the quilted coat - it’s the best of it. But he says this look is everywhere. The rest of the runway has been done. Nina appreciates the cohesion. O…kay? There’s nothing to this look! Did Char help with the last piece at all? Why aren't we talking about that?
Emily/Korina:
Nina doesn’t like the cape; no one does. Glad to see my judgment confirmed there. She’s shocked they picked that fabric in the end. Heidi thought the collection was more innovative, and had some “soul.” Christian likes the look in general, and loves the Southwestern skirt, but doesn’t much like the cape. Nina criticizes Korina for doing the Southwestern look again. Oh, come on - that’s her thing, right? And how much has she done it? Shouldn’t this be her signature?
At commercial, this week’s fan favorite is Alexander? He’s not even competing anymore! WTF!
Anyway. The judging gets weirder during the up-close portion:
Korina/Emily: The judges actually like the cushion jacket! Really. Emily’s the winner in this group. …all right?
Sean/Char: They love Sean’s jacket. The real problem is Char’s look. Nina says they have no idea what era Amanda/Emily’s look is from, but at least she knows which era Sean/Char’s look is from… and Christian says yeah, cuz we’ve seen it a million times! Ha! The editing is highlighting him a lot, good, and the look Nina turns to him - a wry, TRUE! nose scrunch is all kinds of humanizing. And cute, actually. It shows how much they like Christian, and how much better having a guest is when it’s an actual designer.
BUT. I think it’s real clear that Char 1) needs too much help to even get something decent out and 2) even with extra help, can’t really produce anything complex or new. What is this about what era we put these looks in? Who cares, look at how crappy Char’s outfit is, at how boring the entire collection is! Blue and black, and that's all.
And now we’re about to be shoveled under so much bullshit that Jane gets mad here, just FYI. Not as mad as Korina, but I'm feeling it.
To wit:
Kini and Amanda win for most inventive. And Kini wins for the soccer ball dress. That's about right, although I think that big black skirt look is much cooler than the soccer ball thing. But I don’t care, I thought this pair had the best runway look so I don't really care who actually wins.
Emily is in, and Sean is in. And here’s where we finally get rid of Char who for some god-alone known reason keeps getting fished out of the freaking pool of crap and tossed back into the designer free swim, right?
Wrong.
The judges decide to face Korina and Charkita off against each other. They have one hour to create a new look, convincing the judges that each deserves to stay here. From scratch, best design, go! Korina is shocked that she has to face off against Char, she clearly is the better designer!
Now, the editing allows Korina in all her outspoken glory to completely fuck herself. On a certain level, if you're on this show, you have to expect that the producers may arbitrarily screw you over for dramatic effect, and you just have to deal with it. They’ll steal your fabric and leave you with all neon green and bright yellow in a noir challenge, or they’ll “by chance” put you in a pair with your sworn enemy who you just barely restrained from stabbing with a pair of scissors the week before. That’s what this show has become, deal with it.
Korina does not deal with this clear desire of the producers to attempt what I am now calling the Season 13 Charkita Save since it’s becoming a weekly thing. Korina now turns into a raging asshole.
Since Charkita is not able to actually sew, the judges assign the designers an assistant - their former teammate. Korina is furious and not keeping it to herself. She’s already on notice that Nina is going to tear her apart if she actually does go with her strength as they’ve been charged; specifically, by stating that Korina uses the Southwest look “too much” (Korina later reminds Nina she’s only used the print once, thank you very much, and it was a winning look). Really, Korina should have said fuck it and used the pattern anyway as a big ol’ fuck you to the judges. She really is that pissed. I really wished we had been able to see her uncensored rant; instead, we’re hearing only her ranting on how Char sucks and she (Korina) is a much better designer. Emily is really offput by Korina’s negative energy, wow is she bitter! So we’re left to think well, there’s no need to insult Char like that, really, even if it’s all true but OMG Korina shut up, you're being a total asshole. Clearly, Korina’s frustrated and not caring how she comes across, but she really should. She’s designing a big ol’ fuck-you of a dress, and it is just not good.
I see where this is going and I end up cringing the entire last eighteen minutes of this episode. Korina’s look is made of poor fabrics and it puckers and looks awkward as if she were sewing furiously and without much care (which is exactly the case), while Char’s looks a whole lot more pulled together and elegant because she used the right fabric and Sean sewed off the seams for her.
Final judging:
Korina: She hates the dress. It’s a blocky white and black with a lime trim. It’s an interesting idea but it looks bad.
Char: Blue drapery with a train - it’s lovely in a Studio 54 kinda way. The judges are all very impressed. So why didn't she design this for the challenge? ANY OF THE CHALLENGES?
Korina: She’s upset. The judges think she accomplished a lot within an hour.
Judging: Charkita made the best decisions, and this has been a problem Korina has had all along. She makes bad decisions. O..no, wait, not okay, what the fuck?
And so Korina is out. She can’t believe it. Neither can I.
Char is sobbing in the lounge. She said it was just horrible. Then Korina comes in and is angry at Charkita for being saved twice, and basically can’t believe she lost to her. Charkita tells her to stop being mean, and Korina starts in that “this is not about you!” Huh? It sounds like it is about Charkita, but it really actually isn’t. It's about the level of bullshit this show is now bathing in. But it's not like the producers are going to let us get that impression. So off she goes! Sent off by Tim, who should have saved his Save for her, but of course he used it on Char, and I still don't get the point of any of this.
And coming up next week: Eliminated designers are brought back to be paired with the remaining contestants - and surprise surprise! Korina is paired with Charkita. Oh, come on. The run-off was bad enough, do the producers really have to smear the ugly around? Apparently they do. I hope Korina gives them both fingers on her way out the door, but we’ll see!
EPISODE ELEVEN!!!
We start in Brooklyn. Of course Amanda has something tacky to say about it smelling of fish. BROOKLYN IS AWE SUM, KAY? And it smells of many things - but more exhaust than fish. I’m just saying.
And they’re in teams of two!
Amanda and Kini.
Emily and Korina.
And Sean and Charkita.
These should be interesting. I’m already seeing the S2 team as on the block - I’d be really surprised if Char offered anything interesting since, you know, she hasn’t yet, and the Tim Gunn Save was pretty obviously wasted when it could have been use for a talented designer (i.e., Fade) instead of allowing the talent to be unceremoniously dumped. I’m just saying (and I'm still bitter).
So this time they are put into auction with $500 and bidding paddles. The teams bid on storage bins and some teams can end up with more than one container. *sigh* Fine.
Kini and Amanda end up with only one storage unit and it’s the most unusual materials. Sean and Charkita end up with the most serviceable material. Emily and Korina are very happy with their container. Kini and Amanda don’t have a lot of fabric, this could be trouble, but they’re both talented and the judges like the unusual material thing. I have faith.
Sean’s having to help Charkita a LOT. She doesn’t have construction or much sewing skills. I never understand why designers come on this show without sewing well. Or why they let them! And why the hell Char is still here. She should be dumped this week, if we're still getting rid of the flotsum before final runways, IMO.
So now there’s a little twist! Each team will be creating a third look. It must be cohesive with the others, and it needs to be made primarily of fabric not from the storage unit, so one designer from each team is off to Mood.
And it’s Tim time!
Korina/Emily: Fall/winter. Emily’s top still looks like a cushion - way too much pad, and they’re not deconstructed enough as Emily has left the cushion shape in them. They’re too square around the entire shoulder. Make it work!
Sean/Charkita: Quilted top. Jacket. Tim likes that one. Third look… wait what? I don’t get it. There’s a lot of blue and black, but Tim gives his tacit approval. Really, Tim?
Amanda/Kini: Tim thinks it’s a lot of look. Tim has his WTF face on. Don’t make it amateur hour. Kini’s shocked by the review - a bad review! ONOZ. Meh, I like the art deco feel to that.
Personally, I think Sean and Char’s blue black BLUE! Is the most worrisome for me. It all seems pretty flimsy and Sean’s taking too much time to help Char out.
Kini and Amanda in the meantime completely reworked their collection, subduing the cartoony element and making more classic pieces from the unconventional, like a big black skirt; and I like the comic-art deco-y jacket a lot. It’s working for me.
And Emily/Korina are being edited for how confidant they are - SO SURE THEY WILL WIN. That’s never a good sign, editorially, but the pieces are looking fall and I dunno, it seems to have an interesting fall look.
Runway time.
Guest judge: Christian Soriano!!! YAYAYAYAYAY A real designer! It is about time.
The looks
Amanda's hot pink crop top with matching capri length pants:
Kini:
Soccer ball dress and fluffy short furry jacket.
Finally, the cropped art deco top and plastic skirt. This is really cool.
I’m not a huge fan of either of these two players, but their collection is really cute. It’s funky and fun. I’d never wear this sort of thing, but I think I may be starting to “get” Amanda - and pairing her up with Kini was really brilliant as they each balance the other - Kini takes on more funky interesting, and Amanda is arrested from winging out into WTF. It really worked.
Sean/Char:
The quilted top is cool, but the model can’t really walk in that skirt.
Char:
Again, the model can’t walk. Net top, net bottom. There’s nothing to this. The top is boring. This wouldn't even be in Forever 21, more like one of those crappy pop-up boutiques that come and go in Soho close to Canal.
Final look:
Again, the model can’t walk. It’s a long dress, racerback top, blue in the back, black skirt. “Evening sportswear,” Sean calls it. But who’d wear that? Heidi looks intrigued by the last look and repulsed by Char’s, but Zach is not looking happy. This is such a basic look, and it ends at the hem in a sudden lampshade tripping up the model. As a gut reaction I’m just thinking all kinds of Hell No. The fabrics are too skimpy, and there’s no imagination or complexity to it. It’s not even the fabrics; it’s more in the cut. It’s really not thought out for the models. The coat is the only good thing.
Korina/Emily:
I really like the sweater. I see that bulky bright sweater with the skinny pants all over NYU territory. The hat is just too much of a cliché tho, blech.
Emily:
The top still looks like a cushion to me, and I don’t get the belt at all. I don't really like it, it's too 2009.
Korina:
I love the skirt, that Southwestern pattern, red wool. The cape’s… a bit unfinished? Too stiff? Not sure, not quite right. It seems very slab-like. Same with the boots. They really got the accessories all wrong.
These are good colors and I really like Korina’s skirt. Some of the pieces are a miss, and most of the accessories, but the overall vibe is good and it's got depth. It could use some editing, such as the belt and the hat which feel more like “something this type would wear” rather than “something a woman wearing this look would choose for this outfit.” As Fitzgerald says, never start with type; start with a character and discover a type.
Judging: Here’s where it gets weird.
Amanda/Kini: Nina has the pink pants model put on the fluffy coat - and both looks improve by a thousand percent. All the judges love Kini’s soccer ball dress. Christian: Likes the silhouettes/shapes, right for a young look. This collection is great.
Sean/Char:
Zac likes the quilted jacket. Char’s look is “hoochie” and cheap-looking. Christian likes the quilted coat - it’s the best of it. But he says this look is everywhere. The rest of the runway has been done. Nina appreciates the cohesion. O…kay? There’s nothing to this look! Did Char help with the last piece at all? Why aren't we talking about that?
Emily/Korina:
Nina doesn’t like the cape; no one does. Glad to see my judgment confirmed there. She’s shocked they picked that fabric in the end. Heidi thought the collection was more innovative, and had some “soul.” Christian likes the look in general, and loves the Southwestern skirt, but doesn’t much like the cape. Nina criticizes Korina for doing the Southwestern look again. Oh, come on - that’s her thing, right? And how much has she done it? Shouldn’t this be her signature?
At commercial, this week’s fan favorite is Alexander? He’s not even competing anymore! WTF!
Anyway. The judging gets weirder during the up-close portion:
Korina/Emily: The judges actually like the cushion jacket! Really. Emily’s the winner in this group. …all right?
Sean/Char: They love Sean’s jacket. The real problem is Char’s look. Nina says they have no idea what era Amanda/Emily’s look is from, but at least she knows which era Sean/Char’s look is from… and Christian says yeah, cuz we’ve seen it a million times! Ha! The editing is highlighting him a lot, good, and the look Nina turns to him - a wry, TRUE! nose scrunch is all kinds of humanizing. And cute, actually. It shows how much they like Christian, and how much better having a guest is when it’s an actual designer.
BUT. I think it’s real clear that Char 1) needs too much help to even get something decent out and 2) even with extra help, can’t really produce anything complex or new. What is this about what era we put these looks in? Who cares, look at how crappy Char’s outfit is, at how boring the entire collection is! Blue and black, and that's all.
And now we’re about to be shoveled under so much bullshit that Jane gets mad here, just FYI. Not as mad as Korina, but I'm feeling it.
To wit:
Kini and Amanda win for most inventive. And Kini wins for the soccer ball dress. That's about right, although I think that big black skirt look is much cooler than the soccer ball thing. But I don’t care, I thought this pair had the best runway look so I don't really care who actually wins.
Emily is in, and Sean is in. And here’s where we finally get rid of Char who for some god-alone known reason keeps getting fished out of the freaking pool of crap and tossed back into the designer free swim, right?
Wrong.
The judges decide to face Korina and Charkita off against each other. They have one hour to create a new look, convincing the judges that each deserves to stay here. From scratch, best design, go! Korina is shocked that she has to face off against Char, she clearly is the better designer!
Now, the editing allows Korina in all her outspoken glory to completely fuck herself. On a certain level, if you're on this show, you have to expect that the producers may arbitrarily screw you over for dramatic effect, and you just have to deal with it. They’ll steal your fabric and leave you with all neon green and bright yellow in a noir challenge, or they’ll “by chance” put you in a pair with your sworn enemy who you just barely restrained from stabbing with a pair of scissors the week before. That’s what this show has become, deal with it.
Korina does not deal with this clear desire of the producers to attempt what I am now calling the Season 13 Charkita Save since it’s becoming a weekly thing. Korina now turns into a raging asshole.
Since Charkita is not able to actually sew, the judges assign the designers an assistant - their former teammate. Korina is furious and not keeping it to herself. She’s already on notice that Nina is going to tear her apart if she actually does go with her strength as they’ve been charged; specifically, by stating that Korina uses the Southwest look “too much” (Korina later reminds Nina she’s only used the print once, thank you very much, and it was a winning look). Really, Korina should have said fuck it and used the pattern anyway as a big ol’ fuck you to the judges. She really is that pissed. I really wished we had been able to see her uncensored rant; instead, we’re hearing only her ranting on how Char sucks and she (Korina) is a much better designer. Emily is really offput by Korina’s negative energy, wow is she bitter! So we’re left to think well, there’s no need to insult Char like that, really, even if it’s all true but OMG Korina shut up, you're being a total asshole. Clearly, Korina’s frustrated and not caring how she comes across, but she really should. She’s designing a big ol’ fuck-you of a dress, and it is just not good.
I see where this is going and I end up cringing the entire last eighteen minutes of this episode. Korina’s look is made of poor fabrics and it puckers and looks awkward as if she were sewing furiously and without much care (which is exactly the case), while Char’s looks a whole lot more pulled together and elegant because she used the right fabric and Sean sewed off the seams for her.
Final judging:
Korina: She hates the dress. It’s a blocky white and black with a lime trim. It’s an interesting idea but it looks bad.
Char: Blue drapery with a train - it’s lovely in a Studio 54 kinda way. The judges are all very impressed. So why didn't she design this for the challenge? ANY OF THE CHALLENGES?
Korina: She’s upset. The judges think she accomplished a lot within an hour.
Judging: Charkita made the best decisions, and this has been a problem Korina has had all along. She makes bad decisions. O..no, wait, not okay, what the fuck?
And so Korina is out. She can’t believe it. Neither can I.
Char is sobbing in the lounge. She said it was just horrible. Then Korina comes in and is angry at Charkita for being saved twice, and basically can’t believe she lost to her. Charkita tells her to stop being mean, and Korina starts in that “this is not about you!” Huh? It sounds like it is about Charkita, but it really actually isn’t. It's about the level of bullshit this show is now bathing in. But it's not like the producers are going to let us get that impression. So off she goes! Sent off by Tim, who should have saved his Save for her, but of course he used it on Char, and I still don't get the point of any of this.
And coming up next week: Eliminated designers are brought back to be paired with the remaining contestants - and surprise surprise! Korina is paired with Charkita. Oh, come on. The run-off was bad enough, do the producers really have to smear the ugly around? Apparently they do. I hope Korina gives them both fingers on her way out the door, but we’ll see!