ChelseaNH

Previously on Project Runway: The designers got iconic with denim. Christian couldn't believe Ricky was still in the running. Jillian had a little meltdown. Immunity was off the table. Ricky won. Jillian had too many ideas, but Victorya was out.

Jillian and Sweet P hope to thwart an all-male final three. Ricky still don't get no respect, but he decides he doesn't care. Off to Parsons. Heidi brings out Amanda and Jacqueline. Ricky decides to keep Amanda, so Jacqueline is out. Hmm. Amanda isn't bad, but Ricky hasn't worked with her all that much and Jacqueline has made more of an impression. Considering how little we've seen the models this season, that's saying something. Ricky didn't try to grab Lea again; perhaps he's learned that he can't keep her. The whole model part needs reworking. They're never going to be a major part of the show, but I love it when designer and model click.

So anyway, Heidi refuses to tell them anything about their next challenge and sends them away. Rami hangs out with the ladies and they try to guess the challenge. In the morning, it's back to Parsons. Tim leads them on another field trip. And off they go -- to the same auditorium they use for the runway shows. Loud noises squeak past the closed doors. Jillian and Sweet P hear violence but Christian hears "sex moans." My mind simply refuses to wonder why. Tim opens the door and the designers discover bodacious, scantily-clad women throwing each other around in a wrestling ring. Tim clambers into the ring with some trouble -- "Grampa has difficulty with these ropes" -- and introduces the WWE Divas. The designers will make outfits for them to wrestle in. Ah, the functional garment challenge. I can't wait until they get stuck with ice dancers. They're just as over-the-top as ballroom dancers, but the construction has to be so much tighter because they can't have anything fall off the costume. The designers pick divas:

• Ricky: Layla El, funky dancer. He thinks she might be Latina.
• Jillian: Michelle, sporty girl next door
• Chris: Maria, who likes rock and glam
• Christian: Kristal, who's into leather and lace. She's also the shortest girl left and the one who most resembles Christian. I would have liked to see him forced to work with an Amazonian blonde.
• Sweet P: Candice Michelle, sex kitten
• Rami: Torrie, All-American good girl

Back up in the workroom, the designers and divas get to talk for half an hour. Afterwards, the designers will get $100 to spend at Spandex House (apparently Mood is spandex-deficient). The designers and divas consult. Rami and Sweet P seem shell-shocked. Tim shoos the divas away and the designers shop. There's a whole lotta sparkle going on. The designers get the rest of the day and all day tomorrow to work.

Jillian watches a wrestling match on DVD that is not the least bit product-placed. Everyone starts working. It's early, so they're all in high spirits.

The next day, the designers head back into work. Jillian delivers a roundhouse kick to an unsuspecting mannequin. Sweet P is just not feeling it. Candice likes to tear open a robe to reveal her sex kitten attire, but Sweet P is trying to go more pin-up girl. Christian takes up Sweet P on her arm-wrestling challenge. They struggle for a while and then Christian gets some momentum, so Sweet P breaks it up.

Tim sends in the divas for fittings. Most of the divas are happy -- Kristal proposes marriage to Christian -- but Candice needs more oomph from her robe. Sweet P is scared by her idea of oomph, which includes star-shaped cut-outs on her butt. The divas leave and Sweet P continues to stress. Christian gives Ricky some snaps (the sewing notion, not the over-used gesture) because helping him won't make his outfit any better. In the sewing room, Sweet P, Chris and Christian discuss who they would be if they were divas.

With midnight approaching, Tim makes his rounds. Ricky needs to experiment. Rami is all "well, this isn't really my style," like Tim needs to be told that. Tim urges him to commit to the hot pink. Jillian's look is "cute." Christian is totally in love with his outfit. Sweet P is still struggling; she's not into lots of stuff on clothes. Tim is not much help, since it's all so tacky. Sweet P has a little crying spell, feeling caught between her client's tacky demands and the approval of the judges. This is what happens when you're a pleaser. She's trying not to lose when she should be trying to win. Look around the workroom -- everything is tacky. So just make a fabulous, tacky outfit and dare the judges not to like it.

Morning of the runway show. Sweet P is still worried Candice Michelle won't like the outfit. Tim gives them only an hour and a half for prep. Fittings. Hair. Makeup. Tim calls a five-minute warning and the designers rush to get their divas dressed. Christian thinks Sweet P improved her outfit so it no longer looks like a "craft project." It's interesting that he doesn't despise her the way he does Ricky, despite all her dithering. Guest judges are Richie Rich and Traver Rains of Heatherette. Which is pretty much perfect. Show time!

• Christian/Kristal: Black faux-leather chaps with ruffles at the ankles over black lace stockings; short black faux-leather jacket with (of course) short puffy sleeves and fur stole; black belly-baring lace halter top with one long sleeve. She looks more like a video vixen than a wrestler, but it is pretty hot.
• Jillian/Michelle: Electric blue bra with lattice-like straps crossing the waist at the sides; blue boy shorts with white waistband; white over-the-knee "socks." It has Jillian's clean aesthetic while being both sporty and sexy. The sock things are a little iffy, but otherwise, I think she nailed it.
• Ricky/Layla: Shiny gold A-line cover-up over orange bathing suit with gold straps and accents. It's technically a one-piece suit, since the bra is joined to the bottoms with a thin orange strip. As bathing suits go, I've seen it before. It's not a costume for a diva.
• Chris/Maria: Green-spotted leopard print bra with black straps criss-crossing over the chest and under the bust, fastening onto two rings in the back; dark green sparkly boy shorts and elbow-length fingerless gloves; leopard print bra-covering jacket with bell sleeves and a sparkly-lined hood. The back waistband of the shorts has a little notch in the middle for a sweetheart shape. The costume is sexy but looks like it will stand up in the ring, and the hoodie is adorable.
• Sweet P/Candice Michelle: Silver halter bra top and boy shorts; white sleeveless robe fastening under the bra, edged with feathers at the bottom. If there are rhinestones, I can't see them because the fabric is all sparkly. Candice's shtik is "robe and reveal" where she rips open the robe to show off what's underneath, but this robe doesn't actually cover anything, so the reveal is anti-climactic. I think Sweet P would have been better off with marabou than feathers for trim.
• Rami/Torrie: Hot pink halter top with mismatched boobs (one ruffled, one spangled); ruffly skirt that unties to reveal boy shorts with pink ruffles around the legs and a sequined waistband; fingerless gloves up past the elbow. It's kinda scary. The skirt rides so low on her waist that the ruffles make her hips look big, the shorts are ugly and the color does nothing for her.

All the divas really know how to strut a runway. Best non-model models EVER. Everyone gets grilled. Michelle feels securely strapped in by her outfit. Michael thinks Jillian got the sporty look and Traver likes the shorts. Michael doesn't really get Americana from Rami's outfit and Nina hates the color. Richie thinks Kristal looks "powerful." He and Michael get a Prince vibe. You can do a lot worse than that sexy little MF. Sweet P was going for retro. Richie wants more of a robe and Traver worries Candice might fall out of the top. Heidi gets Candice to confess she wants more bling. Michael thinks this was easier for Chris than the others. All the judges love the lining in the hoodie; they think the outfit looks "expensive." No one sees a costume in Ricky's outfit and the cover-up is an unflattering dud.

The judges recap. Christian made a sexy costume with a fabulous jacket. Chris really captured his diva's style. Jillian got the sexy tomboy look. Ricky' swimsuit wasn't original, the cover-up was ugly and the two pieces didn't add up. Rami's outfit was too fluffy. Sweet P didn't achieve that old-fashioned glamor and disappointed her client.

The designers return. Jillian is safe. Chris gets the win. Maria will wear his outfit in the ring. Yay! He's amused to get his win on the tackiest challenge. Christian is safe. Rami is safe. Ricky missed the mark and Sweet P didn't capture her client's image. Sweet P is shocked to learn that she's safe. So Ricky is out. Huzzah! Blah-blah-blah better person blah. I've already moved on.

Right winner? I thought Christian would get it, since his look was so polished and he did so much. But thinking it over, his costume was not the most appropriate for the rink. Jillian captured her diva's style as well as Chris did, but Chris' outfit was more fashionable and cohesive. So yeah, I think he deserves the win. That hoodie is freakin' adorable.

Right loser? Oh, thank heavens. Rami's outfit was ugly, but well-constructed. Sweet P missed the mark, but she tried. Ricky thought he was trying, which is kinda sad. Whatever. I'm just glad he's gone. I'm more interested in the models than Ricky, and we've hardly seen them all season.

Speaking of the models, here's what I think: In the first three shows, the designers should not be allowed to reuse a model; that will keep them from latching onto whomever they get first out of familiarity. When there are about 10 designers left, the models should get a chance to choose the designers. Some of the best match-ups from season 3 -- Laura and Camilla, Jeffrey and Marilinda, Michael and Nazri -- came from the challenge where the models picked designers. However, instead of leaving the last model standing to random chance, the designers should rate the models the night before, and the models should pick in order of ranking. The button bag only comes out if there's a tie in the rankings. In the next challenge, the designers get to pick again. The final six should have a chance to choose from all the models, or at least the last 8-10 models, and those are their models through the finals.

Labels: Project Runway

# posted by ChelseaNH @ 10:45 PM