Crafty Manolo

So, darlings, last night’s Project Runway certainly had me on pin cushions and needles trying to figure out which way the judges would jump. I’m still not certain I get how they did. Nevertheless, I’ll tell you all about my take on the episode and see if I can figure it out as I go.

As per usual, I’m cutting so as not to spoil anyone, and because if I didn’t the whole review wouldn’t fit on the page.

Last week, Ven made his client cry, but he gets to stay. Nathan made his client beam happily, but he got sent home. Fabio had a well-deserved win when he made a dress-eschewing client fall in love with a feminine yet edgy, well,  dress. Oh, and Ven officially became the single most hated contestant in Project Runway history.

I guess it’s an accomplishment, but certainly not one to be proud of.

Morning at Atlas. I fall a little further in love with Dmitry watching him iron his tee shirt while wearing it. I don’t know why, but that makes me giggle a lot every time I think about it. Who irons a tee shirt to begin with? And while it’s on? Then again, I often find odd behaviors strangely attractive. Please don’t Freud me to my face, but feel free to be amused at my expense all you like.

Over in the women’s apartment, Sonjia feels that men design clothes they want women to wear, while women design clothes women want to wear. Like most generalizations, I can think of a lot of designers of both genders who sum up either a pro or anti argument. The problem is that generalizations are usually too general.

And it’s off to the runway to get the next challenge.

Heidi and her sequined mini dress ask the designers if they’re tired yet. Christopher says no. Heidi hilariously uses her fingers to draw gigantic circles under her eyes and says ‘no?’, which makes Christopher hide his face behind his hands and laugh ‘oh no!’ Have I mentioned that I kind of crush on Heidi? Because I do. She sends the designers off on a field trip to Fifth Ave…

… where they arrive at the Lord&Taylor flagship store. Inside, Tim fabulously introduces Bonnie Brooks, President of Lord&Taylor. Brooks goes on to introduce the Project Runway Tenth Anniversary line. One designer from each season created a cocktail dress or evening gown for the line. But of course, one season is missing: Season Ten!

The challenge: design the cocktail dress or evening gown that will be the tenth look in the line. The winning dress must be something that can be produced to sell between two hundred and three hundred dollars, retail, and it must look like it belongs with the other nine dresses. Also, because it needs to fit with the line already in production, there will be no trip to MOOD. All fabrics and notions will be provided by JS Collections, the manufacturers of the line. Oh, and the winning dress will be featured in the window of the flagship Lord&Taylor store for a month.

Gunnar is wildly excited by this challenge. Elena is deflated by it. Sonjia is kind of deflated from her near loss last week. Christopher wants to make a gown because he thinks it will stand out from all the cocktail dresses. He wants to make the ‘best gown ever!’ Of course, as soon as he says that, he winces and says “I sound like such a tool.” Or is that ‘tulle?’ Dmitry’s sketch looks… pretty much like the rest of his dresses. Don’t get me wrong, I love Dmitry’s style and I think individually his dresses are fantastic. I just think that when you line them up in a row, they all have the exact same silhouette. They’re body skimming, knee-length, sleeveless, and slightly a-lined. The biggest changes are to details. I think if he wants a win, he’s going to need to do something the judges aren’t expecting of him.

Back at Parsons, there’s a range of fabrics in a rainbow of colors, so of course everybody races to choose from the selection in black. As Melissa looks over a black fabric, Ven reaches over and asks if she minds sharing. Dmitry joins in fondling the fabric. It’s too much for Melissa and she leaves telling them they can have it. She wants to be the only one using whatever fabric she chooses. She eventually winds up with a bolt of black and bronze brocade that could either wind up being fabulous or fatal.

As most of the guys jump eagerly into their work talking about how much they love their ideas, Elena and Sonjia are both utterly lost and disjointed. Elena’s trademark ginormous sighs are heard through the workroom regularly. Sonjia tries, but she is a mere piker at heartfelt sighs from the depths by comparison.

Ven interviews that for this one ‘it’s not just about me’ which is an attitude he could have used to good advantage last week. He’s making a little black cocktail dress with his signature 3-D rose at the chest. From the sketch, all I can think of is John Hurt in Alien. He claims he’s thinking about the production as well as himself. Oh, and the customer, too, but it feels like an afterthought.

And then Ven interpontificates that men are stronger designers than women “while women are a little more practical.” You mean like thinking about the fact that people built more or less like them need to find ways to move and eat and drink and actually live in these clothes as opposed to standing on pedestals being ignored except as objet d’art? I briefly fantasize about how it would feel to bend Ven over and give him six of the juiciest with Mr. Twistie’s pet cricket bat. Then I realize that the job requires someone with more upper body strength… because I’m practical like that. I want it done well. Maybe if I could hire The Rock….

Tim comes through to consult. First stop, Gunnar who is working on a little black cocktail dress with lace and sequins on the upper bodice. Tim likes what he’s seeing, but Gunnar wants to go further with the embellishment. He holds up a swath of sequined black lace to the dress and asks if it’s ‘matadorish’ which seems to be the dis of the season when talking gaudy or over-embellished. Tim grimaces and says yes, it’s matadorish. He asks Gunnar what his gut says. Gunnar’s gut tells him to cover the entire dress. I tell Gunnar’s gut this is probably not a good idea because it’s been done so many times before, but Gunnar’s gut isn’t listening. I try to send the message back through time and space that if he’s going to do that, he needs to put that black lace and sequins over something other than black so it won’t look quite so cliched. Yeah, that didn’t work, either.

Alicia’s steel grey cocktail dress is shiny and features hidden box pleats in royal blue front and back of the skirt. Tim pronounces it ‘very Joan of Arc’ in the bodice. He feels it looks a bit like a suit of armor. Alicia thinks this is a better thing to hear than ‘princess’, at any rate. I send the mental message to her that the royal blue is a bad idea in the context. Love royal blue, but not right there.

Sonjia explains to Tim that she’s lost her confidence having been on the bottom a whole once. He tells her that if she spends her time trying to second guess the judges, she’s going to work herself into a ‘psychotic breakdown.’ Hee! Tim, darling, you can have a psychotic break or you can have a nervous breakdown, but a psychotic breakdown is a new one on everyone in the world. Her black cocktail dress looks as though it’s a dress that’s black. There isn’t really enough done to tell very much about it.

Fabio’s black cocktail dress is black and will have a visible zipper down the back to tie in with Uli’s design which features the same detail. There’s also a really pretty almost racerback effect. That’s about what we see at this point. Fabio assures Tim his dress can be manufactured for between fifty and sixty dollars, wholesale. Tim says that if the dress fits ‘superbly’ he believes the judges will ‘swoon.’ I’d pay good money to watch Michael Kors fall insensible from his stool.

Elena explains to Tim that she’s doing her best to make her dress work for a Lord&Taylor customer, but she doesn’t sound terribly convinced that she’s making it happen. Tim, too, looks a bit dubious. The dress as it stands is very dark gunmetal grey, very stiff, and very shiny. The back is almost completely open and the skirt is fuller than the fabric seems to like. Elena tells Tim she’s going to attach cut outs down the back. Tim likes the idea, but tells her she needs to think about economies. When she asks Tim what he thinks the production costs would be if she left the dress as is, he tells her that Bonnie Brooks would never put it into production as is. It’s rare for Tim to be that blunt, so you know he means it.

And this is where Elena starts to lose it. She verges on tears as she says she doesn’t work this way, thinking of how much something will cost and who will wear it. Unfortunately, that’s something you have to think about when you’re a fashion designer. Without production and customers, you have no business. Without a business, you won’t get to show your clothes on catwalks and in fashion editorials. Tim encourages Elena to challenge herself and figure out how to stay true to her aesthetic while making it more accessible to more people.  I think putting it in terms of challenge rather than pure admonishment is exactly the right tack with Elena. She’s never not up for a fight, so the smart thing to do is get her battling her own demons rather than the rest of the world.

Elena takes a break with Gunnar out in the hallway. It turns out he’s the one she goes to for pep talks and steam off-blowing, which is kind of unexpected but also sort of making me like both of them better. Gunnar interviews that he likes Elena and believes in her and thinks all she needs is someone to tell her she can do it… which he does in his quirky way. He tells her not to let anyone know she has a heart. This makes her stop crying and burst out laughing. As they hug, she tells him “You’re so stupid!” Elena is officially re-energized and ready to go to work.

Tim heads over to Venland where now that I have seen it, I can’t unsee the John Hurt in the emerging black rose from the black bodice of the cocktail dress. Also, another rose, Ven? Does this technique work with any other motif, or is it roses from here to eternity? I’m over it. He pompouses at Tim that this will be his one detail that makes it his dress. Tim tells him not to ‘throw away everything else… conceptually, for this.’

Dmitry is working in another shiny metallic-flecked fabric. In fact, it looks a little like the same gunmetal grey that Elena is working in, only I think it’s happier following the typical Dmitry line. In this case, the fabulous detail is a sort of upside down, stitched down box pleat on the bodice, echoed by a stitched down rightside up box pleat on the skirt. He tells Tim it looks complicated and expensive, but really is neither. Tim loves it.

Christopher is doing his signature shredding in ballet pink chiffon over a black columnar skirt. Tim loves it, but asks how Christopher will explain his signature shredding for production. Good question. I’m not sure I get the word salad that Christopher launches into.

Melissa wants the main drama in her dress to come from a large standing piece of fabric at the neckline. Tim is concerned that the fabric shows every aspect of construction more clearly than most. Melissa is officially concerned about her choice of fabric. Tim advises her to investigate her options. She wants to avoid using black, but the fabrics in other colors are silk and not stiff enough to do what she wants. Tim tells her to see how what she’s made looks on the model and how it moves before scrapping everything she’s done.

Models arrive. The first words out of Lacy’s mouth when she looks at what Melissa is making for her to wear are about how she loves the fabric. Gunnar is delighted with how his dress looks on his model, but I’m still seeing a dress I’ve seen a thousand times before. It’s very well done, and it’s something that women will wear… but we know they’ll wear it because so many of them already have one in their closet. Sonjia’s black, close-fitting cocktail dress features a sparkly pewter grey fishtail peplum. I’m not convinced. Melissa discovers that her dress doesn’t fit Lacy properly. She’s going to have to recut and start over. This is painful.

Fabio asks that ‘someone’ give Melissa a hug because she’s so stressed. I notice he’s not offering to do this himself. In point of fact, I think offering her a hug right now would be sort of like cuddling a rattlesnake. It is my considered opinion that the only offer to make Melissa right now is to ask if you can help sew something for her.

In the morning, while most people are finishing details, Melissa is putting her entire dress together. Ven thinks Christopher’s entire dress is lovely, yes, but not nearly as interesting as the bodice of his. Gunnar thinks he has this one in the bag. Christopher is frightened of Elena’s creation. “Who puts a harness on a baby doll dress? I don’t get it. I don’t want to get it.” I have to say the little girl/dominitrix vibe is kind of confusing me, too. For some reason, Sonjia looks almost as far behind as Melissa and Alicia is still pinning stuff together, too.

Models are primped. As Tim calls ten minutes, Melissa is still redoing the zipper and half the models are in their undies. Sonjia seems to be having a hell of a time getting her dress on her model. It won’t go up from the bottom, apparently. She tries getting it on over the top. The bodice goes on fine, but the skirt then won’t come down properly. Sonjia calls Elena over to help in a sad, wobbly little voice. As Elena tugs at the skirt and the model wiggles to try to help move fabric over her tush and downwards, Sonjia loses it entirely and begins to just sob.

As Sonjia struggles with her dress, Lacy is still wearing the leather jacket she came in wearing because Melissa’s dress isn’t ready to put on. When Tim calls time, Sonjia is still trying to zip her girl into the dress and Melissa is just putting her dress on Lacy. If Tim had walked in two seconds earlier, Melissa would have had to justify sending Lady Godiva in a French twist down the runway. Sonjia is still in tears, so Tim takes a moment to ask her what’s wrong and give her a pep talk on the way down to the runway. Have I mentioned lately that I adore Tim Gunn? Sonjia takes a breath, wipes the tears away, and heads off to face whatever music is coming.

Runway: Heidi and her cerise sequined strapless dress greet the designers. The guest judge for this challenge is – unsurprisingly – Bonnie Brooks. After all, the winning dress will go in her store.

Fabio’s dress starts the show with a bang. It’s a little black cocktail dress in stretch tulle over stretch crepe, but it’s a delicious and imaginative little black cocktail dress. It’s sleeveless with a jewel neckline, skims the body with a tidge of room to spare, and falls to an asymmetric hemline that swoops from just above the knee on the left to just below the knee on the right. This is echoed at the waist with a similar shallow diagonal there. At the rear, there’s the modified racer back and visible zipper adding visual interest and showing a little bit of skin in a demure way. I’m in love with this dress. I think it would look great on a lot of women, would work for a wide age range, and it really is open to a lot of interpretation depending on how it’s accessorized. The one thing I don’t think it has is a show-stopping quality. This is a dress women would live in… but it won’t turn a huge number of heads standing in a window. It’s a perfect frame for a person to shine in, not the visual that brings people into the store. It’s a wonderful dress, but it won’t win.

Next up is Melissa’s black and bronze brocade dress. The fabric choice could have read quite old, but I don’t think anyone will consider her dress too old. It fits like the proverbial glove and is strapless with a huge stand up going over the shoulders giving the impression of both a bateau neckline and an armored breastplate. The skirt hits mid-thigh on the left then fishtails to the ankle on the right. I’m fascinated and impressed by the construction, but I don’t actually like the dress. It’s more of an engineering feat to me. Also, this is not something with very broad customer appeal. Everyone would stop and look at it, yes, but I don’t think they would sell many.

Gunnar’s little sparkly black cocktail dress comes next. It hits mid-thigh, has cap sleeves and a jewel neckline, and lives in many and many a closet already. It’s done tremendously well, but it’s been done too many times.

One thing nobody can say of Elena’s dress is that they’ve seen it before. It really is a baby doll with a harness. The skirt is almost a dirndl that hits about an inch above the knee. The fabric is so stiff the skirt doesn’t move at all. The bodice is close-fitted and jewel-necked and almost feels like a suit of armor to me. Then there’s this halter dividing the breasts and down the back… it’s actually kind of half halter, half bib. I can see Elena’s imagination, but frankly I don’t like it, and I don’t see it selling hugely.

Next up is Christopher’s Evening gown. I think he was smart to make this, because then the collection would be three gowns, seven cocktail dresses, and thus not quite so lopsided. The gown is pretty, too, with the shredded, short-sleeved ballet pink top and columnar black skirt with a tiny sweep train. The back of the bodice features a large cutout. All in all, it’s got kind of a softened forties vibe to it. Is it my favorite so far? No, it isn’t. Then again, I would utterly disappear in ballet pink, the line would do sod all for my figure, and I don’t think it was particularly ambitious. Will it grab attention from the street? Yes, I think it will. Will it sell? More than Melissa’s dress, less than Fabio’s. I think Christopher is on quite solid ground.

Alicia is not known for her ‘girly’ looks, and she certainly won’t be after this one. The sparkly gunmetal cocktail dress has lost the royal blue in the inverted box pleats, thank goodness, but I don’t think it quite lives up to the Chanel inspiration she was going for. It’s sleeveless and dropped-waisted with a short vee neckline and stand up collar. Since the neckline shows no cleavage, I already know the judges are going to ding her for that. The judges want boobies on display with vee necklines, as they’ve said over and over all season long. Frankly, I think it’s kind of cute, though Alicia could have taken it a little further to good effect. For instance, I think this dress would be great with a racer back to add to the sporty feel. But I don’t see it stopping traffic and I don’t see it being a huge seller.  It’s a workmanlike piece, not a wow.

Speaking of not a wow, Sonjia’s dress comes down the catwalk next, and I have to say nearly every woman in America had this dress in her closet in 1987, only in pink or teal and with long, tight sleeves. It’s a sparkly gunmetal sleeveless dress that hits just above the knees in front, has a deep U neckline and a sparkly pewter Vee-shaped pleated peplum, and a hem that dips slightly below the knees in back. Seriously, there isn’t a woman in America who was in a bridal party in the late eighties who hasn’t worn this dress.

Ven’s little sparkly black dress features a raised waistline, a tight, knee-length skirt, a not-quite bateau neckline, and a rose bursting from the model’s chest killing John Hurt. Seriously, he’s done exactly what Tim advised against and made that rose the only thing anyone will ever remember about that dress. It’s pretty, but when you’ve said that… what more is there to say?

Dmitry’s dress looks exactly like it did when Tim did his consultation, only finished. It’s pretty. It would look good in a window. It would sell. It could be produced commercially within the necessary limits. It would look good alongside the rest of the collection. The one downside is that it looks just like all the other Dmitry dresses. Dmitry, I’m begging you on bended knee: change up your silhouette even just a little! Make a fuller skirt, add a sleeve, raise the hemline… anything! I love you, I love your dresses, but you’re going to bore Nina and get yourself auffed if you make another dress exactly like this.

Ven, Dmitry, and Sonjia are all declared safe and sent back to the greenroom. I had already pegged Sonjia for the bottom, so I’m a bit surprised. I also thought Dmitry would probably be in the top three because that dress would have slotted so beautifully into the collection and looked so good in the window. Seems I was wrong. Sonjia knows she got a huge break, so she’s grateful to be safe.

Dmitry doesn’t know why he’s in the greenroom, and is frustrated. As much as I loved his dress, I do get it: it’s the same dress he’s been making all season. I just kind of hoped that the obvious visual and commercial appeal of his dress would get him at least a pat on the back.

Ven thinks the guys are on the top and the women are on the bottom. In listing their names, he can’t even remember Gunnar’s. Seriously, Ven? Love him or hate him, Gunnar is a pretty unforgettable guy. Ven is a putz.

Heidi announces that there are four looks on the top and only two on the bottom. I honestly am not certain which two are on the bottom, because I’ve got several picks standing there.

Fabio has one of the top scores. Heidi loves the versatility of his dress. Michael Kors says asymmetric is hard to do well, and Fabio has done it well. He loves the back, though he isn’t wild about the zipper. I have to say that having lived through the eighties, it’s not one of my favorite details, either, but I feel that if you’re going to do it, Fabio does it well. Bonnie Brooks thinks the dress follows the Lord&Taylor brief perfectly, is for a customer with good taste, and she would love to wear it herself. Nina says the dress has ‘a lot of legs’ which is industry speak for being wildly versatile.

Christopher also has one of the high scores. Heidi thinks the ballet pink is ‘quite elegant.’ Michael Kors likes that it’s a gown that looks like it might be separates. He thinks the gown is lovely… BUT. Yes, Christopher, it’s the moment you knew was coming soon, the one you fretted about in the workroom. Michael tells him flat out that he doesn’t want to see the shredding again. Heidi says “This is just a subtle hint for next time.” Christopher gives her a stage wink and says he gets it. Bonnie Brooks calls the dress “a beautiful marriage of lightness and strength.” Nina thinks the dress is very beautiful, but she does wonder how many women it would look good on. Still, she sees it as a good addition to the collection. Frankly, I think what they’re seeing is the dress in the window on a mannequin. It’s not that I don’t like the dress, honestly. I do like it. I just don’t think it’s going to sell that many units. It’s a beautiful cut that is not easy to wear paired with a color that is not easy to wear.

Melissa does her best to hide her shock when she’s told she has one of the higher scores. Michael Kors loves the choice of the bronze color and the dramatic neckline.  On the other hand, he feels she went overboard with the asymmetry of the skirt. I cannot argue that. Heidi feels the dress is a showstopper. “Any woman who can fit in a dress like that would definitely turn some heads.” This is true. Wearing a dress like this one is not for the faint of heart, because it will be seen and commented on. Nina wants to know how the collar is staying up. Apparently it’s all the fact that it’s a very stiff brocade. Even knowing that, I’m kind of shocked it didn’t need some boning or something to stay upright. Bonnie Brooks thinks the dress is ‘ingenious’ which is an excellent word for it. She does, however, agree with Michael about the hem. So do I.

Gunnar feels his dress works across generations, which was part of the brief. He says his use of matte sequins makes it tasteful. Heidi breaks the news to him that he has one of the lower scores. Nina says what I’ve been saying from the get go: it’s a pretty dress, it’s tremendously well done, but it’s been done over and over and over again. Michael Kors says he thinks they already carry this dress at Lord&Taylor. Again, I would be kind of surprised if it wasn’t already hanging there. He admonishes Gunnar to push himself further. Heidi says not unkindly that it looks well made. Bonnie Brooks likes the fact that Gunnar was thinking about multiple generations, but calls lace ‘an unforgiving fabric.’

Elena says she wanted to mix a classic silhouette with a more modern twist and make it simple and wearable and elegant. She sighs heavily waiting for the inevitable blow. She starts crying when Heidi tells her she has one of the high scores. I’m happy for her, but I honestly don’t get it. I don’t see this dress having a market outside of the niche of cutesy doms. Heidi asks what all the tears are for. Elena explains that she’s never been on top before, and she struggled with the challenge because she usually isn’t concerned with a mass market appeal. Heidi tells her she needs to think about what each challenge is meant for. She thinks this is a ‘very sellable’ dress. She loves the ‘flirty’ silhouette and the toughness of the harness. I boggle. Nina calls the back ‘extraordinarily beautiful.’ I goggle. Bonnie Brooks calls it ‘very French and very fun’ but with an edge. She says that it’s ‘maybe for a more specific sort of customer’ which is a soft-pedal that makes me giggle. Michael Kors talks about the balance of art and commerce in fashion. He thinks she’s found a great ‘yin/yang’ spot with this dress. Nina says ‘what Michael said’ only using more words than that.

Alicia starts off pretty well by talking about the Chanel influence and the details that she feels represent her design aesthetic, but quickly devolves into defensive mode saying she doesn’t know how to do girly things. Heidi tells Alicia that she has one of the lower scores, but she actually thinks the dress is ‘quite pretty.’ She then goes on to chastise Alicia for saying she can’t do feminine. Alicia explains that she can do feminine, but the details she likes to use don’t usually read feminine. But you know what, Alicia? Your beloved Chanel used all kinds of masculine details and made wildly feminine dresses out of them. Heidi says “This is so wierd, don’t you guys think you can do anything but put your twist to it?”  She goes on to say she thinks it’s a very nice simple dress. She would prefer the neckline to be a little lower, but there’s nothing actually wrong with the dress. Bonnie Brooks thinks it’s ‘lost somewhere’ between an office dress and a cocktail dress. Nina thinks it looks ‘a little too mature.’ Michael Kors thinks the dress looks like a field hockey uniform.

I think the problem is twofold. On the one hand, I think Alicia could have pushed some of the details further to make a more dramatic, and frankly more commercial, too, look. But I think the aspect everyone is reacting to but nobody is voicing is that the shape of the dress and the shape of the model are fighting one another. Alicia has created a flapperish dress for a woman with an hourglass shape. Each is great in and of itself, but they don’t work well together.

Designers are sent backstage. Elena has a good laugh at her own crying jag. Gunnar is royally honked off that he’s in the bottom. He doesn’t get why he’s there. Then you weren’t listening, dear. They told you quite clearly.

As the judges begin their consultation, they comment on the fact that there really were no truly bad looks on the runway. I’m not sure I completely agree with that, but of the two bottom looks, I do have to agree neither was a total train wreck.

Eventually they bring everyone back.

Christopher wins.

I have to say this is one that didn’t surprise me particularly. His dress had a terrific balance of artistic drama and commercial appeal. It will slot nicely into the collection as a whole, and while it’s not the easiest dress to wear of the ten, it will still sell respectably. I think it will catch a lot of eyes on Fifth Ave. Well done, Christopher, but be sure to take that subtle hint from Michael and Heidi or you’ll be out on your sweet little pattootie faster than you can say ‘shred.’

Fabio and his wreath of pink and yellow roses are told they did a good job and released from the runway. Fabio, please call me. I’d like to talk about a dress. Maybe not in black, though, because I don’t do black in my wardrobe. As he leaves the runway, he tells Bonnie Brooks that if she ever wants one of those dresses to just contact him. Elena and Melissa are released from the runway.

So now it’s down to Gunnar and Alicia.

Alicia is in. She heads backstage, where everyone gasps. Melissa double checks that Alicia is still in, then goes to hug her. Dmitry interviews that he is disappointed because he really likes Gunnar and didn’t want him to go home.

Back on the runway, Heidi tells Gunnar that… he’s also in!

Everyone did such a good job this week they’ve decided not to send even Gunnar home for making a dress that is already owned by every woman in America who would want to wear it. Gunnar heaves a sigh of relief and tells Bonnie Brooks “I love your store” as he leaves.

Backstage, he creeps into the greenroom with his hand over his face. Everyone looks sad. Then Gunnar pulls his hand away, grins, and gives the room the good news that he’s still in. Fabio high fives thin air, people shout for joy, and Elena hurls herself into his arms grinning from ear to outer space. Tim arrives nearly bursting with delight at the fact that he doesn’t have to send anyone home. I know that part of his job isn’t the nicest one, so I’m thrilled for him.

So who would I have had on top and bottom? My top picks would have been Fabio, Dmitry, and Christopher with either Christopher or Dmitry winning. As much as I adore Fabio’s dress, it doesn’t have the kind of window appeal the winner of this challenge needed. I think either of the other two slots nicely into the collection, has commercial appeal, and would turn heads in the street.

My picks for the bottom three probably would have been Gunnar, Sonjia, and either Elena or Alicia. I think they’re all tremendously talented, but I feel two of them recycled dated looks that are already out there and Alicia and Elena made dresses that were frankly kind of odd. I hate to say it, but I probably would have auffed Sonjia on this one. I love Sonjia overall, but that was one painful egg she laid.

Next week: It’s another team challenge with teams of three. It appears to involve begging in the streets for money for fabric. Dmitry and Elena can’t stand working together and in other breaking news, Generalissimo Francicso Franco is still dead.

Be here for the tears and recriminations next time!

This entry was posted on Friday, August 31st, 2012 at 2:20 pm by Twistie and is filed under Media, Sewing, Television. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.