Bio
I am a co-founder of BlogHer and manage its events, marketing and corporate operations. After 13 years of marketing in Silicon Valley, I left high te...
 
 
 
 

What’s Hot on BlogHer.com

Project Runway Recap: The Top 5 in the most unshocking episode ever

  • Share This Post
  • submit
  • 5
  • Sparkle (
    )
     

In the most uninspiring season ever.

 

Featuring the least stylish designers ever.

 

Well, here I am, bravely continuing my recaps, even as the ennui invades and threatens to completely over-take my soul. There's been no one to love...although Shirin had a shot at capturing my support...and there's not even anyone to really hate. Irina is catty...we've seen that a million times. But there's no Wendy, no Santino, no Jeffrey. People that give you shudders.

 

And really, worst of all, there's no one with a clear and creative point of view. Actually, not true: Christopher might actually be the only one that has that recognizable POV, it's just that the judges don't like it.

 

Anyway, this challenge started at the Getty Museum, where the designers were joined by their models (to acts as "muses") and given 30 minutes to tour the museum and its grounds, looking for inspiration.

 

They were inspired as follows:

 

Gordana: By a Monet painting of the cathedral at St. Reims. She is very moved by the painting. I feel like telling her that it reads a bit drab and gray on my TV screen (sort of like her last design that was savaged by the judges) but she can't hear me.

Christopher: A rock fountain. With algae. Actually kind of promising, at least it can't be literal.

Irina: A painting featuring "fleshy" ladies in diaphanous gowns. Don't think her model could have been much of a muse on that one.

Althea: The architecture of the place itself.

Carol Hannah: An ornate, baroque, overdone canopy bed. I am not hopeful.

 

They make their final trip to ErsatzMood, where they can spend 30 minutes and send $300. The most hilarious moment being when Irina is considering this large fur pelt and wonders if it's rabbit fur. Yes, Tim say, a giant, giant rabbit. (I think you had to be there: It was a big pelt, and Tim was so cute as he mocked her.)

 

Thank you Ersatz-and-soon-to-be emptied-out-and-abandoned-Mood.

 

With four women and only one guy left, we've got scenes featuring catty women and a lonely boy. I particularly liked when Gordana showed a little gumption and told Carol Hannah to back off when she was trying to stop Gordana and Irina from engaging in a little friendly bickering.  "I'm not here to serve you." Oh, SNAP.

 

In the workroom we have what looks like it's shaping up to be the worst runway show ever. Irina is creating some weird disco-Thunderdome concoction. Althea's dress is just a mess of puckering, and ti's hard to imagine she can fix it with a little steaming. Carol spent hours mesmerized by the ornate bed, and is creating a sleek gown. Go figure. Gordana is so inspired by her shapeless, drab sack, she doesn't notice it's a drab, shapeless sack. Christopher is into full-on martyred odd-man-out mode. Bo. Ring.

 

Let's just get on to the show.The judges are Cynthia Rowley. ninagarcia and Cindy Crawford.

 

  • 5
  • Sparkle (
    )
     

Comments

Post comment as twitter logo facebook logo
Sort: Newest | Oldest
DarryleP 5 pts

I agree with verything said above.  I was shocked at the weakness of the designs considering the inspiration available at the Getty and the additional time and money given to make this final effort.  Still can't figure out how they managed to send home the people who had the best two designs, and at least added some variety---rather than winding up with three mainstream 20-something girls for the final. 

For me the best part of this whole episode was seeing how fantastic Cindy Crawford looks. 

http://blog.darrylepollack.com/

ginasf 5 pts

Nordette, has there been a single outfit that season which really, really blew you away? (the only one which was close for me was the dress Ra'mon pulled out of his hat at the last minute in week 3 when working in teams and Mitchell did squat) Not like other seasons! At best, this stuff is competent... not a word you want to use for a show which has previously had so many creative people on it. But it may have to do with who the show's producers are picking for the initial mix of contestants. Too much trying to find personalities, not enough looking for talent. Also, I think they need to bump up the prize money... $100K is not enough to realistically start a line. A higher prize might attract a higher level of designers.

Nordette Adams 6 pts

I've watched every episode of this season and keep asking myself, why am I watching because something's off about this season. You've summed it up with the word uninspiring.

Nordette Adams ( http://www.bookotopia.com ) is a BlogHer CE ( http://www.blogher.com/haystackprofile/viewprofile... ) & you can find her other stuff through Her 411 ( http://her411.com ).

ginasf 5 pts

Agree with how uninspired the contestants are and also how the changing judges really throws the show off. 1) Get consistent judges, and I'm sick of having boring magazine editors or actresses/models as judges. Get people who are actively, creatively in the fashion industry. 2) Move the show back to New York... enough of this LA nonsense. LA is NOT a fashion capital. You don't want to go to NYC Heidi... then get another host.

Re the blog: Irina's dress was disgusting. That this dress was that awful and Nina was the only one to even mention how bad the silhouette was shows how poor the judging is. Irina's stuff looks like Post-Soviet Union fashion from 1993. It might work in Tbilisi, but it doesn't cut in on PR, and I'm tired of judges (esp. Heidi) not calling her on it. Gordana totally got the shaft. Not saying her work was always perfect or hyper-creative, but it was scrupulously made and executed and is something many women would like to wear. Her dress (despite what could have been better done with the back... agree with Nina) looked better and more connected to the task at hand than all the other looks (I also liked her Manhattan dress). To give her the boot for that level of work was just absurd. Althea's was a total mess, the top and bottom didn't look like they were from the same outfit. I liked Carol Hannah's outfit, but I'm not sure how it really related to the 18th Cent. bed at the Getty other than just... satin. Someone like Rami from season 4 would have done a much better job of it. Having some talented people like Ra'mon kicked off prematurely has seriously hindered this cycle. Hope season 7 is several steps up from this.

Candelaria Silva 5 pts

I agree.  So uninspired.  It's become formulaic and I don't like all the changing of judges.  In past seasons, there was more of a core group.  Heidi's been much more vocal this season.  It feels like the designers are hampered by knowledge of previous seasons and what a big deal they think this might be for them.  I'll still watch but I no longer feel compelled to see it live.

http://blog.candelarisilva.com ( http://blog.candelarisilva.com/ )

Good and plenty!