Previously on Project Runway: apparently people could submit photos for designers to use as inspiration for outfits. Kind of irritating, since I never heard about it, but maybe they only offered to USA Today readers. Laura continued to alienate everyone because she can’t talk about her past without mentioning how rich she was. Anthony Ryan made a dress that was nice, not particularly related to his picture or his “headline” about overcoming cancer. Andrae was sent home, because supposedly the judges are tired of his babbling on the runway. Instead of Josh, who made a Rainbow Brite outfit. Seriously, find a picture of his outfit and then a picture of Rainbow Brite. But Josh hasn’t gotten his redemption yet, although just letting Laura be the villain this season is going a long way. (click for more)
Carolyn comes out in a long vest and no shirt. She says something vague about “fashion forward” and androgyny. Ivy says to her this means something that can be worn by a man or a woman. Josh seems thrilled. This look should combine masculine and feminine characteristics. Laura is screwed because she doesn’t really have any masculine characteristics in her clothes. Then Carolyn drops “avant garde” too which seems like too many requirements. $150 and the rest of today to work.
Everyone gets to work and Kayne is listing off people who are androgynous except he includes Lady Gaga. Is she androgynous? She’s avant garde, certainly. Kayne makes sure to mention his female model, which would have more impact if they hadn’t spoiled the model thing in last week’s previews. Laura is making a smoking jacket but with feminine cutouts. Casanova has cutouts too. Emilio is making a dress, but with “menswear” fabrics. Shopping is shopping. Kayne has a searing neon yellow, and it looks like Anthony Ryan might also. Uli has some metallic fringe.
Emilio now says he’s making a suit? It looked like a dress in his sketch but maybe he changed his mind. Georgina walks in, and Anthony Ryan curses because he knows something’s up. It is a twist, of course, and she says it’s about the models. Then men walk in. Hee! Everyone freaks out. So the deal is, you have to make two looks. One for the male model, and one for the female model. Sigh. I hate when they do that, because I have to talk about twice as many things. One extra day and more money and shopping. The models will come down the runway together, so the outfits have to go together. Everyone takes measurements. Kayne establishes his model is straight, and offers to set him up with some of his sisters. Emilio thinks his outfit won’t have to be tweaked that much. Anthony Ryan is going to put his model in a dress. That doesn’t automatically make it avant garde but this show never has actual avant garde things so whatevs. Kayne’s jacket also fits on his male model. Josh wants to do a skirt with assless chaps. I could not make this up. Uli is not excited about the twist.
Female model fitting. Emilio snobs that no one is androgynous enough. Kayne talks about metallic mesh and the yellow actually doesn’t look as eye-searing behind black and white houndstooth.
Day two. More shopping. Emilio says he’s screwed because there is only one yard of his fabric left. Several people are putting their original look on their male model. Josh walks around in Anthony Ryan’s dress, which is black with sheer pieces and a mullet hem. And he has on black combat boots. Josh looks a fool. Casanova appears to have very shiny gold pants. But he does have a bodice with cutout scorpions, which is really cool.
Joanna time! Uli has put her fringe on her jacket and it’s OK. Althea snobs that “great clothes come from great tailoring” which is true, I guess. Maybe I am just irritated at everyone today. Uli then tells Joanna that her male model tried on the pants and there was not much “ball movement”. Hee. Anthony Ryan is going to make pants with his dress, and is thinking about making them out of the yellow. Althea has big cowl collars and Joanna says “Eyes Wide Shut” which is awesome. Josh says something about ponies. Ivy is talking but all I can look at is she appears to have vinyl underwear with a crotch pouch. Ivy swears it will be covered up. Emilio is putting both models in the same vest and pants. Joanna is worried about Casanova putting his models in gold leather gladiator tops. Laura is making a sheer shirt? Because women would want to buy it for themselves? Her lapels are lopsided. Kayne is making leather flowers. To go on his jacket with the giant black leather ruffle. That goes over his yellow shirt with a smiley face on it. Jeez, Kayne.
Kayne rethinks the smiley face, thank God. Casanova tries to put on the gold leather pants, which are hilarious and disco. Emilio says “The ball room looks limited” which is also hilarious. The girls come back for more fittings. Casanova is discovering the pants are too small. He hates them. Ivy tells him the pattern is wrong and helps him fix it, or at least try to fix it. Then the guys come in. Mm, eye candy. Someone puts their male model in heels for some reason. It’s either Josh or Kayne.
Day of the show, finally. Josh says he has a ton of work to do so he will have to become “Helen Keller in ‘Miracle Worker’”. You mean Anne Sullivan, genius. That was the teacher. Ivy is sewing clothes for Casanova. Both Laura and Anthony Ryan comment on it, but Laura is bitchy and at least Anthony Ryan makes a joke. Hot makeup guy Scott. Kayne has paper eyebrows. Actually everyone seems to have crazy hair and makeup. Josh brags that he has evolved.
Guest judges today are Jason Wu and Robert Rodriguez. Josh: the girl is in white walking shorts, and the shirt is white with tuxedo ruffles and black sleeves. The guy has white wide legged pants, a sheer black shirt with horizontal stripes and a sheer black duster. It’s sort of androgynous I guess. They do go together. Uli: girl has a metallic jacket with elbow length sleeves and pointy shoulders, and black leather pants. The guy has matching metallic leggings and a sheer top with feathers or trim on the shoulders. This is two outfits that go together. It is not androgynous. Althea: both models have big maroon jackets with wide collars and matching pants. The guy has almost the same coat on. This is good. Laura: the girl is in black and the guy in gray, both with cut out rectangles. The girl has a leg cut up and the guy’s cutouts are on the vest. The girl has a jacket but it’s pretty fitted and feminine. Boring. Emilio: I think Emilio also put his models in the same outfit. Red fitted vest and maroon pants. It looks like you could swap clothes and they’d look the same. The guy’s vest has a huge stand-up collar, and both vests are backless. They really look the same.
Kayne: I will give Kayne that when I paused my DVR on his two looks it was hard to see which was the man and which was the woman. The girl has a boxy black and white houndstooth jacket, with big shoulders and a black leather ruffle. Also black leather pants. The guy has almost the same jacket and what looks like shorts in the same fabric. The silhouette is very similar. The girl has the bright yellow in a shirt under the jacket. Casanova: the girl looks fierce. Gold leather sleeveless top and pants, with scorpion cutouts. The pants have cutouts too. I can’t tell if they’re capris or have cutout knees. The guy has gold leather pants and a gold sheer shirt with gold leather plackets. It’s not the most masculine of outfits. I love the cutouts though. Ivy: so there is a regular bodice, and then I can’t tell what is going on with the bottoms. At first glance it looks like granny panties, but then I think they’re actually pants, with lighter sheer fabric for the legs. And a sheer duster. The guy has a thicker coat, no shirt, and the same granny panties/sheer thing. Oh, wait, that is the outfit with the crotch pouch. Anthony Ryan: both models have a sheer top with thicker horizontal stripes. The woman has I think print shorts and black leggings. The print is just an abstract black and white print. The guy has leggings in the print, but his top has the mullet hem and goes down to the floor in back.
Althea, Ivy, and Josh are safe. In the Scrap Bin, Josh says something about how they are a design force to be reckoned with, even though they’re safe. Ivy says their egos shouldn’t get in the way (?) and Josh jumps down her throat and accuses her of making the same jacket all the time. Ivy responds that the judges like it, so whatever. Josh then accuses her of not considering anyone else’s feelings, but Ivy is still weirdly insisting on not involving egos. I am not sure what she is talking about, but she’s still pretty calm.
Uli says her “androgyny” is more tribal. Isaac likes the apocalyptic sense of the outfits. They love the guy’s pants. Under the jacket, the girl has a sleeveless top with the metal fringe trim down the front. Georgina likes it but not the leggings, which are really long. I don’t see how this is more androgynous than Althea’s. Laura had trouble with this challenge, and I think everyone knows it. There are too many ideas, cutouts, gold buttons, no one is impressed. Emilio had great attention to detail, and they couldn’t tell who was the man and who was the woman, which was the point. Isaac says something stupid about the hat. Emilio wanted the same fabrics, and he did a great job. Kayne wanted more skin on his male model, and he liked the fabric. Isaac tells him the yellow makes the whole look cheap. It does? OK. Georgina tells him to edit. Casanova talks about armor. They aren’t androgynous. They show the girl’s pants, and they are capris AND the knee has a cutout. And straps. Too busy. The judges seem to agree that they’re nice outfits but don’t fit the challenge at all. Anthony Ryan wanted a more evening look but decided against it. Isaac kisses his ass and says he’s so good every week! Oh, now, that was totally unnecessary. The fabrics are great and it’s wearable.
Emilio used reversible fabric and the outfits looked interchangeable. Uli pushed it and Georgina would wear the girl’s stuff. Anthony Ryan had wonderful taste and the print was excellent. Laura had complementary outfits but they both sucked. Too many things going on. Kayne’s yellow was a poor choice and I think they want him to edit. Casanova had wonderful pieces but they did not fit the challenge at all.
Anthony Ryan is in. Emilio is the winner! Nice, I really liked his outfits. Uli is in. Casanova is in. Laura is in. Aww, Kayne. He gets choked up about being there and he’s proud of what he’s done.
Next time: “going green”, Diane von Furstenberg, everyone freaks out.
