Friday, March 26, 2010

Project Runway, Season Seven, Episode Ten: The fabric of our lives!

Vivienne Tam: "I'm Vivienne Tam, and Windows 7 was my idea."

Whatever. Previously on Project Runway, Seth Aaron and Emilio won and we lost Amy:

Jonathan: "I can't believe we lost Amy! I did everything medically possible to save her. Oh, the humanity!"

Calm down, Jonathan. I'm sure she's in a better place. In model news, the models had a rare opportunity to experiment with make-up and get drunk and then Holly was sent home.

We start this episode with Anthony telling us he's going home this week. Well . . . not in so many words, but you get the idea. The designers go to the work room and Tim tells them about this week's challenge:

Tim: "Designers, you've all dreamed about creating your own textile. Well, keep dreaming, because you certainly aren't going to get a chance to do that here. Instead, you will have the opportunity to create a design that will be printed onto a horrible, stiff cotton twill that is really more appropriate for drapes or upholstery than for clothing. Vivienne Tam is here to sell you a computer."

Vivienne Tam: "A while back, I was taking a shower in a cab outside a cafe and I thought, You know, computers should be more personal! So I called HP and now I can make butterfly fabric! It was my idea!"

OK, so the printing technology could be the same, but Vivienne doesn't just print out her designs onto any random fabric; I'm sure she actually selects fabrics that will work with the print and the clothes she's making. And even then, printing a picture onto fabric isn't the same as creating a textile. Don't get me wrong; it's a fun challenge. I just don't think it's quite what every designer spends his or her career dreaming about. And really, why that awful cotton fabric?

Tim: "It's the fabric of our lives."

Of course. So, the designers start making their garments using paper printouts that are perfect substitutes for the awful fabric they'll be getting the next day. Anthony entertains the other designers with sad stories about his life:

Anthony: "So I was on Oprah talking about how my mother coughs in church and of course I was totally overshadowed by Beyonce, who was talking about how she lost her job and then Oprah starts giving away cars, and I'm all, Hey, my uncle is addicted to porn!"

Jay: "I just love Anthony and his funny stories! Too bad he's going home."

Mila: "Yeah, Anthony always makes me laugh. I'm really going to miss him when he's sent home this week."

Anthony: "Everyone always laughs, even when I'm telling sad stories. I don't understand."

I can totally relate. I tell a tragic story about my house being destroyed and everybody thinks it's hilarious. What is wrong with people?

Oh, wait! Seth Aaron is on the phone talking to his wife! NOOOOOOO! Hang up that phone! OK, he wasn't crying too much so maybe it's a false alarm. That was a close one!

Tim: "Designers, please use the Bluefly wall sarcastically."

Before we start the runway, let's try to guess which garment will be referred to as a disco straightjacket!

Heidi introduces the judges. She's dressed in a shiny chainmail top:

Michael: "It's like a disco straightjacket!"

Sorry, no. Wrong garment.

Seth Aaron - He made another hot look. It's the same silhouette he makes every week, but it looks good. His print was a little drawing inset in a windowpane pattern.

Jonathan - He made a dress with a little jacket. The dress is pretty. The fabric pattern is almost cute close up, but from a few feet away all you can see is little polka dots, which is kind of boring. The jacket is a weird color and has a stupid gold collar but I don't have any problem with the fact that it closes at the back:

Michael: "It's like a disco straightjacket."

Yes, that's it! Congratulations, Michael!

Maya - She made a little dress. I love the orange and black print! However, I hate the dress. The black, fluffy panel all the way down the front is kind of gross. It looks furry.

Emilio - He made a simple little dress with a cool black jacket. His print is pretty great. He used his initials and Seth Aaron's initials with a little heart! That's so sweet! No, seriously, it's a Keith Haring-inspired print incorporating his name, which was appropriate for this challenge.

Mila - She made a mind-blowingly awful maxi dress that doesn't allow any room for moving your legs, making it impossible to participate in certain activities, such as walking. Brandise somehow gets blamed for not being able to walk in this. But it was like a hobble skirt:

Michael: "It's like a disco straightjacket."

No, Michael. You can stop that now.

Anthony - He made another simple black dress with some decoration stuck on it. It didn't look well made, it didn't feature his print very well, and his print was boring.

Jay - He made a pretty hideous outfit in black and neon green. His print was so unimaginative.

The judges tell Jay his outfit looks like a gay Christmas ornament so he leaves to change his pants. Emilio, Seth Aaron, and Maya are the top three. Mila, Anthony, and Jonathan are the bottom three. Michael makes Jonathan cry by saying his print looks like a dirty tablecloth. Nina says the outfit makes her sad:

Jonathan: "But isn't sadness an emotion?"

Michael: "You're right, Jonathan. Sadness is an emotion. You win. Your outfit is fantastic."

Oh, my god. Who wants to wear a sad outfit? I didn't hate his look this week but I really wanted to see him go home after that judging session.

Emilio wins! Congratulations, Emilio!

Michael: "I want that dress in every color!"

Anthony is out. Sorry Anthony. We'll miss you.

Anthony: "I may not have a crown, but if America has learned anything this season, it's that I'm a huge queen."

16 comments:

kittens not kids said...

I'm just going to say it: I LOVED Jonathan's print. The jacket I wasn't crazy about (but I rarely like jackets), but that dress? Oh yes yes. all through the show, I was thinking: "that's such a me color/design! i want that dress!"
and then Nina said it was sad.
and i said: "ooops."

They were unaccountably and unnecessarily nasty to Jonathan, and then *made fun of him* for defending his work. Aren't the designers supposed to stand by their designs??

Emilio's thing was hideous. the cut of the dress was all right, but that "pattern"?? ew. what grown woman wants to wear something bright blue with hearts all over it? and I had the same thought as Tim Gunn - it looked like seth aaron's "SA." i hated that look; i thought the jacket was too voluminous for such a sleek little dress.

Maya's WAS furry-looking and kind of gross.

Seth Aaron can do no wrong. I was terrified when i saw him on the phone.

Poor Anthony. I do love him, and I actually really liked his print (but not what he did with it).

Jay's was ho-hum. Mila's looked like it was designed by Crayola.

Poor Jonathan. I'm liking him more and more (he's HOT. and I like his designs). I adored that little grey dress. I don't know why the judges were SO nasty to him; Heidi cackling while Michael Kors threw out the insults. maybe in person the print was awful, but to me it looked like water, raindrops on old glass, maybe soap bubbles - very delicate and watercolory.

WEASELPANTS for Michael Kors and Heidi. AND Nina.

eric3000 said...

I did feel sorry for Jonathan, but I really don't think the judges were being especially nasty to him. They make comments like that all the time. Jonathan was just taking it way too personally.

I liked Jonathan's print, too, and I thought the dress was pretty. But the judges thought it looked like a dirty tablecloth. Simply telling them they're wrong isn't going to help.

Yeah, it was painful to see the judges laughing while he was strapping Ceri back into her straightjacket. But it was also pretty funny, and if Jonathan had been able to see the humor in it, it would have made the entire situation much better.

kittens not kids said...

see, I guess it didn't strike me as funny at all. Just a designer helping his model into a garment. So the laughing felt disproportionate to what was going on - and thus it felt nasty.

i'm also completely biased, though, because I adored the dress (not the jacket), and I have a huge old project runway crush on Jonathan.

eric3000 said...

Well, it WOULD have been funny if Jonathan hadn't acted like someone died. It's just a dress! LOL!

Andrea said...

When I saw Seth Aaron on the phone, I let out a panicked (and kinda loud), "Noo!" before I could stop myself. I was watching the episode in the gym. Now everyone who was in the gym probably thinks I am crazy. The end.

eric3000 said...

Oh, you'll definitely need to find a new gym after that. LOL!

TLo said...

"I'm Vivienne Tam, and Windows 7 was my idea."

ROFL.

David Dust said...

I must agree with TLo, you had me at "I'm Vivienne Tam, and Windows 7 was my idea."

Great job.

XOXOXOXOX

Cliff O'Neill said...

Wow. I just really didn't see it the same way. I ADORED Maya's outfit and Jay's was great, too.

Seth Aaron's was cute, but not his best work. And Mila's was über hideous.

But I really do feel that the judges were really exceptionally harsh with Jonathan. And I see that even Tim felt the same way (after reading his blog).

That said, though, you provided many the yuks at chez moi today with the room cheering the dramatic reading yet again!

XXOO
Cliffie

lovemesomeuli said...

I was just getting over the HORROR of seeing Seth Aaron on the phone of doom when they shipped Anthony out. Now who's gonna make me laugh, huh? Any why, exactly, did Emilio win this challenge? TELL ME! Can you tell I'm in a bad mood?

Kareika said...

Anthony...noooooooooooooooooooo...

Mila shoulda coulda woulda gone home but I guess then there would only be one girl? Who knows.

Oh and I loved Jonathan's print too.

eric3000 said...

Yeah, I can't really defend Emilio's win or Anthony's loss. But I also can't say those decisions were wrong.

None of the looks was very good, in my opinion, so picking a winner was going to be a problem. (Seth Aaron was the exception, but he does the same look every week so I can understand the judges passing it by). Maybe the judges picked Emilio's name from the velvet bag and gave him the win.

And maybe the judges saved Mila because they didn't want all boys going into the final. Or maybe, like they said, they were just bored to death of Anthony making the same exact dress every week. I know I was. At least Mila experiments with different silhouettes.

I really found this challenge difficult to judge, so I can't fault the judges for making really subjective choices.

suzq said...

Eric 3000 for the win this week!

Thank you for distinguishing between designing a "textile" and designing a "print." Mr. Tim failed to make that distinction.

eric3000 said...

Thanks, suzq. Yeah, I was totally annoyed by the suggestion that they were actually creating a textile. Printing a picture on fabric is something anybody can have done. I don't think it's cheap, but it's not that big a deal.

mumblesalot (Laura A) said...

I am with you on the Jonathan "Isn't sad an emotion?" That sounds like something a teenager would say at the diner table.

He was a pouty boy.

I didn't see too much I liked.

Vic said...

Not a great episode in my estimation. Too many fugly outfits, tho I adored Seth Aaron's print. While Anthony's dress was a snooze, his wasn't the worst by a long shot. As for Emilio's win, WTF? That print was childish and, except for the jacket, the dress was meh.