Project Runway: There Is No "I" in Project Runway

This episode stressed me out. A lot. Elena is so abrasive and loud and abusive. I mean, Raul and Gunnar were also terrible, but they looked like wee cherubs compared to Elena. (Well except at the end when Raul told everyone to basically sabotage Elena off the show.) I just want to talk about that fashions and the skills. Is that okay with everyone? Yes? Good. Done.

This week was the two team challenge. The teams were designing capsule (very small) collections for the newest spinoff of Marie Claire called Marie Clair at Work. The clothes had to both work editorially and in the real world. This challenge felt similar to last week's challenge, actually, except that the designers had to attempt to make aesthetics (and personalities) mesh into something cohesive. 

Since two people left the show last week, the number of designers was uneven, so one team had six designers and created six looks, and the other had five designers and created five looks.

Team Five

Team Five included Christopher, Ven, Nathan, Fabio, and Gunnar. In their approach they each designed and created one entire look, yet they consulted and advised each other (kind of) in order to make the collection cohesive. They originally chose an awesome palette of jewel pinks, purples, and turquoises, but they ended up with an odd, matronly version of a pink/purple floral print, black, and white. 

My favorite in Team Five was Fabio's dress. It is perfect in it's simplicity (you can just throw it on and go), yet it makes a lasting impression. It's clean and modern and could be worn my many different types and ages of people. At first I wanted the hips to be a titch looser, but then I realized that it would change the entire silhouette. I want to burn that mini turban and straw-like hair. 

Christopher aslo created a solid outfit. The skirt looked amazing, but it was totally impractical for real wear. That fabric he slashed was fraying all over creation.

Ven's (left) and Nathan's (right) pieces felt more appropriate for 50+ aged professionals, but hey, the oldies need clothes too. I wasn't crazy about either outfit, but I thought the draping across the front of the pant and the skirt was interesting. Maybe needed a little more experimentation or a different fabric.

 

It was an interesting and inevitable correlation that Gunnar was the least willing to cooperate in his group and he got reamed by the judges for his dress. I felt bad for him even though he deserved it. I didn't actually think the top was as terrible as the judges were saying, it just needed less volume, but the rest of the dress was awful in its ill proportions and messy lines. I said it before and I'll say it again, Gunnar's confidence is far greater than his actual talent, and it will catch up with him sooner rather than later.

Team Six

Team six won the challenge overall, and both the individual winner and the auf wiedersehen-er were from this group. Team six included Raul, Alicia, Dmitry, Elena, Melissa, and Sonjia. Their approach to the challenge was to have everyone focus on their best skills. So Elena made jackets, Sonjia made skirts, Alicia made pants, etc. 

Melissa won the challenge with her electric blue dress. I really like this, in fact I designed something very similar when I was in school, but I don't see many people wearing this to the office who aren't in the fashion industry. But I tend to be simplistic and conservative (yet modern) about business wear, because I want it to be easy and unquestionable in appropriateness. You gots enough things to worry about at work.

My favorite, favorite thing in this collection was Sonjia's blue pencil skirt. The style lines, the fit, the color are all perfection. I would buy one in a heartbeat. It was too bad that it was paired with Raul's awkward, ill-proportioned ruffle top. 

I also very much liked Dmitry's color block dress. Again his construction skills are impeccable, especially his finishing skills. Everything looks finished and purposeful and fits like a dream. He's got a sharp eye. I'm also loving him more as a person. He's not mean in any way (yet), but he certainly doesn't pull any punches. He really became endeared to me when he said that Ven was a "one way monkey" instead of "one trick pony." It was delightful. 

Elena's big shoulder jacket was a total mess. I just don't get why a woman would want big or boxy shoulder. And Joanna said she could see an attorney wearing that?! Please. Even though Elena's cardigan-like leather shoulder jacket was great, it looked as though it were designed by Melissa and Elena just tailored it. Alicia made the pants for both these outfits. She just keeps trucking along with her okay designs that aren't special, yet they're not offensive enough for the bottom three. Once the worst people are gone, she will go too unless she starts taking more risks and pushing herself.

 

Raul went home (no argument here) with his two tops: one was awkward, the other was a dud, but they didn't detract from either of Sonjia's great skirts.

P.S. The jacket that Tim was wearing during the critiques was gorgeous. I couldn't find a picture of it, but here's a video of his Team Six critique so you can see it. http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway/video/tim-gunns-workroom