Project Runway: "Fix My Friend"

First, I think the title of this episode is terrible. I know they were going for alliteration, but it's a little bit insulting as a makeover theme. I don't think the participants had to be "fixed," they just wanted and needed help and direction with their personal aesthetics. Mini, not-all-that-angry rant done.

There was a lot of great fashion off the runway in this episode. Tim's opening outfit was to die for. Blue gingham, blue pinstripe suit, and a red tie with a matching pocket square. He's always so classy. I also thought Heidi's striped dress that she wore to the runway was an easy, modern nautical look. I don't always love what she wears, but that dress was great. And lastly I thought the guest judge, designer Alice Temperly, wore an amazing dress. The embroidery coupled with the structured style lines of the bodice is a tough combo, but this dress was impeccably balanced.

Now to the main event!

The challenge this week was to design for a non-model body within the parameters of a makeover. The non-model challenge always has one or two whiner-babies that talk about how their client's body is "the worst." Cue Ven. He not only complained about his model, he made many of his complaints in front of his model and made her feel like garbage. Doesn't he know any women? I mean, he must have had a mother or a sister or knew women in school or something. During the first part of the season I thought Ven was just quiet and doing his own thing, now I realize he was quiet because he wanted to keep the fact that he's a huge jerk hidden as long as possible. Just based on his basic lack of decency I wanted him to go home. No such luck. His look was justifiably in the bottom three. He didn't care about his model and it shows. Just look at it and you tell me if you would ever wear that to the office.

The judges put Sonjia in the bottom three, and while her dress was far too short and not quite right for her model, I thought Alicia's dress was certainly worse. How do I put this...Alicia's pink dress looked like it belonged to a sweet-tempered hooker. You know I'm right.

Nathan rounded out the bottom with an over wrought, over designed, and poorly executed dress that involved no taste level. It's really too bad that he didn't design within his aesthetic for his client, because I think Nathan had/has potential. On the plus side, I loved his black shirt with the white rounded collar and wee white suspenders he wore for runway day. Plus what a tender heart, right?

I understand why the judges put Gunnar's dress in the top three; the design was completely appropriate for the client's age, personality, and body type. However the execution was absolutely terrible. I had little conniptions every time they showed a close up of that bodice. It squished his client's boobs, it puckered in some places, and there was too much fabric in the hollow between the shoulder and the boobs.

I might be falling in love with Dmitry a little bit. He's so wry. He's also a spectacularly thoughtful and smart designer. That coupled with his incredible construction skills should make him unstoppable. In theory. That being said, I didn't love his dress. It was nice and well executed, but there just wasn't much that was special about it. I thought his client could have benefited with some shape wear and a little extra length in the skirt. Also I didn't like his client's hair.

But the winner, oh the winner! Fabio's dress was pretty much my dream come true. As soon as I saw it during the fitting on his client, I knew in my bones that it would be fantastic and that it would win. Then when it turned the corner, I emitted squeals of absolute delight. I would buy this. I would wear this. I would try not to wear this every day. I love the pieced graphic he created, the color choice, and the silhouette. I even adored his model's hair enough to contemplate growing out my hipster boy cut. Och. It's the most excited I've been about a design from Project Runway in a long time.