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Project Runway: It Takes Two
Commentary and Recap By RTVC Staff Writer Romanatic Rose
February 2, 2010
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In this week's Project Runway, Heidi meets the designers on the runway to ask if they would like to meet some of the most iconic fashion designers of all time.
From their reactions, the answer is yes, they would. Janeane seems to think they're really going to meet the designers, while Mila knows exactly where they're going: the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Tim Gunn is waiting for them at an exhibit of iconic looks from designers such as Dior and Balenciaga. The designers' challenge is to work in teams of two to create a high-end signature look. They have two days and a budget of $500, the highest ever on Project Runway.
Since Jay won the last challenge, he is automatically a team leader. Tim calls out the other team leaders, and they get to select their partners for the challenge. The teams are Jay and Maya, Jesus and Amy, Anthony and Seth Aaron, Janeane and Ben, Mila and Jonathan, Ping and Jesse, and Emilio and Anna.
The teams have a chance to look at the iconic designs and then work on their sketches. They finally take a grip to Mood, where Ping loses her sketchbook. Luckily she finds it before it falls into the hands of any of the designers clamoring to steal her ideas'
In a move that surprises no one, Ping says her look will be drapey. Amy plans to create a dramatic dress with a vest. Mila wants to do a nod to the '60's.
In the workroom, the designers begin creating the looks for their first team challenge. Emilio says he is bolder, while Anna's looks are softer. Jonathan thinks Mila is very meticulous. Jesse is worried about time, because Ping keeps changing her design. Jesse says he's "just trying to rein in the crazy." Good luck with that, Jesse.
Anthony plans to work with a color palette of bright red, yellow, and black, while Jesse describes his and Ping's look as a dress pieced together like origami.
Just when it seems the designers are mostly getting a handle on the challenge, Tim comes in and announces the twist: the designers will have to create a second look using 10% of the budget of the first look. This "look for less" will be inspired by the iconic look of one of the other designer teams. He draws names for the teams to pick their inspiration teams.
Only one team member gets to go to Mood to buy fabric for the Look for Less. Jesse isn't happy when Ping returns with what he calls a "shiny hooker fabric," and he seems very frustrated with Ping's approach to the challenge. Mila interviews that Jay isn't working hard because he has immunity. Jonathan is sewing everything for both of his team's looks except for the coat Maya is making. Anthony and Seth Aaron argue about their design, and Anthony tells us that in the name of teamwork, he refrains from slapping Seth Aaron. Jonathan runs the models' fittings while Maya continues to work on the coat, and conflict between Jonathan and Ping escalates. Ping believes Jesse doesn't take her seriously and thinks it's very unprofessional that he's questiong everything. Emilio says the two of them are like Lucy and Ricky, but I'm not sure that's a good comparison.
Tim comes in to check on the designers' work. He agrees with Jesse that Ping's fabric looks cheap. He tells Seth Aaron and Anthony that they've done a good job of identifying Amy and Jesus's look. Emilio's opinion is that their dress is a great concept with hideous execution. Maya says again that Jay is slacking because of his immunity, and Ben doesn't think Ping and Jesse's look for less resembles its inspiration look. Ping thinks their signature look is beautiful, while Jesse is just shooting for safety, even though he thinks "it sucks to shoot that low."
Judges for this week are Nina Garcia, Michael Kors, and British designer Matthew Williamson, best known for his fearless use of color (Yes, I had to google him).
Anthony/Seth Aaron: Their iconic look, modeled by Kristina, was a strapless gown with a full skirt draped at an angle and a yellow top embellished with feathers and tulle. They definitely took their inspiration from the vintage glam of the costume collection. The bright yellow was a fresh color, but somehow it just didn't work. Their Look for Less, modeled by Sarah, was a cocktail dress with a black top and a straight beige skirt with a black lace overlay, based on Amy and Jesus's design.
Jesus/Amy: Their iconic look, modeled by Holly, was an evening gown in a black and subtle yellow abstract print with dramatic black ruffles at both shoulders. The ruffles formed a circle, so that it looked like the model had stuck her arm through a first-place ribbon awarded at a county fair for Best Blackberry Jam. Their Look for Less was a black tank top and gray mid-calf parachute pants. modeled by Sophia. The design was based on Ping and Jesse's iconic look, so to be fair, they were working with a handicap.
Mila/Jonathan: Lorena modeled their iconic look of black pants with a wide white stripe down the side, a black sparkly top, and a black cutaway coat with a big white circle under each arm. It's the very latest in skunk chic, and Mila deserves props for catering to this underrepresented market niche. Their Look for Less, modeled by Monique, was a black and yellow baby doll based on Anthony and Seth Aaron's iconic look. The colors were the same as the inspiration dress, and there was a random feather or tulle thing stuck on the front.
Janeane/Ben: Their iconic look was a short black dress with a vest that had semi-circles sewn onto the shoulders. It was hard to see any detailing on the runway, and it just looked like a simple little black dress. Brittany was the model. Their Look for Less was a slip dress with a tan and black zip-up jacket over it. It was based on Mila and Jonathan's design and modeled by Alexis. It was okay, definitely a passable little $50 dress, but nothing extraordinary.
Ping/Jesse: Brandise modeled the dress, a gray top with a black lace overlay and a black and gray draped skirt that covered both arms and one shoulder. I actually liked the top and the vintage makeup and hair, but the draping was just too much. Ping was overcompensating for last week's inadequate skirt by sending Brandise down the runway enshrouded in an entire bolt of fabric. Their Look for Less was supposed to be based on Emilio and Anna's look. It was a plain black shift that didn't fit the model Megan very well. She wore dark aviator shades on the runway, and you couldn't blame her for trying to disguise herself.
Emilio/Anna: Their iconic look was a glamorous LBD with a slight fishtail hem and a shrug lined in beige, modeled by Cerri. The dress was pretty enough, but the hem looked uneven. Their Look for Less was a one-shouldered dress with angled stripes on the top and the same fabric in horizontal stripes on the skirt and a wide waistband. Alison was the model. I thought the dress was cute and fun, for $50.
Jay/Maya: Their high-end look was a black evening gown with a low-cut back and large stand-up ruffles on one shoulder. The ruffles were lined with a lighter gold-toned fabric, and the size varied so that they looked like layers of a tree fungus. Valeria modeled. Their Look for Less was a black sheath with a vest, inspired by Janeane and Ben's design and modeled by Kasey. The vest had a single silver button, and it looked like it was lined in a print fabric, but it was hard to tell.
Heidi sends Janeane and Ben, Emilio and Anna, and Jesus and Amy to safety, and the remaining designers stand on the runway with their models to face the judges.
Anthony and Seth Aaron's team has one of the lowest scores. Michael says the look is "cotillion party from hell," and Nina thinks both of their looks are just really ugly.
Ping and Jesse also have a low score. Ping says she wanted a timeless design. Michael points out that their model has to stand like the Statue of Liberty to wear it. They think the Look for Less is ill-fitting. Jesse says he had to teach sewing lessons to Ping. Heidi notices that Mega, their Look for Less model, wants to say something and gives her the chance to talk. She says they never fitted her into the dress.
The judges love Mila and Jonathan's signature look. Heidi calls it amazing, and Michael's glad someone made separates instead of a dress. He doesn't like their Look for Less as well, though, and says an editor would throw out the baby doll.
Jay and Maya's signature look also works well, and the judges think their Look for Less blows the $500 inspiration look out of the water.
Mila wins and gets immunity for the next challenge. Ping is out.
I did not understand the judges' praise of Mila's outfit. I thought it looked awkward and just odd. I could totally see Johnny Depp in it if Willy Wonka did a cookies 'n cream bar. I agree that it was different from any of the other designs there, but iconic fashion becomes iconic by virtue of the fact that it defines a style. I don't see black and white racing stripe skinny pants and black cutaway coat with big white circles under the arms starting a trend. I thought Maya and Jay's design fit the challenge better, and even though I wasn't a huge fan of the mushroom ruffles, I would've given them the win.
As for Ping, she filled the niche of the designer who mistakes insanity for creativity. You have to understand the box before you can think outside it. But hey, at least their model was covered this week.
This group of designers seems very talented. With $500 and two days, I expected more. I wish they had not worked as teams this time. If money was the issue, halve the budget, but let us see each designers' take on the iconic fashion. I wanted to know what Seth Aaron or Jesse would have made. I also liked the idea of the Look for Less based on another designer's iconic look, but with so much crammed into one episode, it got confusing to keep up with who was inspired by whom. I think they could've broken this week's episode into two separate challenges. Then we could've seen the inspiration look and the Look for Less side by side and really compared them. As it was, the Look for Less was almost a throwaway, since Joanthan and Mila certainly didn't win because of it.
The previews promise an emotional challenge next week. With Ping out, hopefully Jesse will get the chance to show us what he can do!
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Romantic Rose is a thirty-something mother of two whose marriage is based on an incredible connection with an amazing man who still occasionally brings her roses. She's been a Bachelor fan since season 2, and she never quite gives up hope that the show will produce another Trista and Ryan. You can email her at RomanticRose@RealityTVCalendar.com.
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