Episode Report Card Jeff Long: A | Grade It Now! YOU GRADE IT Where In The World Is Tim Gunn?
By Jeff Long | Season 9 | Episode 13 | Aired on 10.20.2011
In a hurry? Read the recaplet for a nutshell description! Finished? Click here to close.The designers get nine grand and five weeks to collect a 10-piece collection. Heidi, once again, looks completely freaking stellar as she gives the news. Three weeks later, Tim goes to check on Kimberly in bucolic White Plains, Maryland. Poor girl interviews that she hasn't really slept at all yet. She tells Tim that her inspiration is her pre-gentrified Brooklyn roots and how she has elevated herself from her rough beginning. So "Urban Transformed" is sort of the theme. She really is such a delight. Tim says the designs are very clearly "her," but implores with her to take some risks. She interviews that she's afraid of boring Nina. Tim meets her sister and two best friends in the kitchen. Also, her little niece Avery is there and is too cute. Her friends grew up with her and Tim asks all three what Kimberly was like when she was younger. They say she always had a confident look.
Oh my God, he goes to Trinidad next. Tim meets two of Anya's young brothers. They're adorable. One says that he's glad that people are talking about Anya's talent instead of her beauty now. Anya says that her other brother, Pilar, died when he was 18 and she feels a responsibility to pursue her dreams since he doesn't have that opportunity. She has a tattoo of his name on her hand and says that he walks with her every day. She says she has been unable to draw a new shape, so she has NO CLOTHES to show him. He tells her to just start making muslin shapes. Just "make."
Back in New York, Tim checks on Viktor. He says that his inspiration is "urban coast." He took a bunch of photos in Guadalajara for the anniversary of his brother's death and they and he are serving as inspiration. Other than his final look, Tim thinks that the entire collection is a winner. We meet Viktor's cute boyfriend, David.
In Queens, Tim visits Josh. Except, they meet at Elmo in Chelsea and OF COURSE THEY DID. He brings his sister McKenzie. She's beautiful. He was apparently a track and field star in high school. He has always been very tan. He is worried that he doesn't have enough stuff to show Tim. What he has, Tim hates. It's all the obvious tacky stuff.
They get "back" to New York and move into the penthouse at the Hudson Hotel. They have to show three looks for the judges. Poor Anya is in the bell jar after Tim's critique. He tells her that it looks like she retreated into a safe place. She's devastated. She works until the last moment to finish her stuff and manages to pull herself out of her funk.
Viktor's seem stuff seems pretty strong. Anya's stuff is cute too. Kimberly's stuff is... interesting. Maybe a little garish? Josh's stuff is really cute too and puts his most "out there" tendencies in a tasteful setting. The judges give Anya a pretty hard time for her STYLING. I know. They really hate one of Kimberly's skirts. They tell Viktor that he didn't edit enough. Too many tricks. Nina tells Josh that, amazingly, his styling was the strongest. Josh makes it through, then Viktor. Kimberly is showing too. ANYA'S IN TOO! Oh my God! That was a close one. Josh is, of course, a horrible shitty sport about the whole thing.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: The designers had their final challenge. Josh was all crazy about the fact that Anya hasn't been a sewing person her whole life. WHATEVER. Laura was eliminated. Sad times.
Heidi greets the designers on the runway. She's wearing this little coral dress that is so cute. I really can't get over how profoundly pretty Heidi has been at like every moment of this season. She asks Kimberly if she has recovered, remembering that she was a little stunned on the runway. Kimberly answers that it has been quite a journey. Oh Kim, you just used one of my least favorite reality show phrases, along with buses and things that you throw under them. Can you imagine being a bus driver in a world where people are actually throwing things under your bus? Don't bother. It's stupid. Heidi tells the designers that all four of them will be creating collections, but only three of them will present at Fashion Week. Anya interviews that, tired as she is, the competition has just started. They will each get nine grand and five weeks to create their collection. Josh, sounding more and more like Mrs. Howell from Gilligan's Island with every sentence escaping his blindingly white teeth, says that five weeks is a short amount of time to create a 10-look collection. Tim enters the runway to applause. He reminds the designers that he's going to be visiting them at home. Heidi tells them to wow the judges. Then, she and Tim leave the runway and do a little dance behind the scrim.
The boys are packing at the Atlas Building. The girls are doing the same. Anya admits that she didn't totally unpack at first because she didn't think that she would be there as long as she was. She interviews that she's nervous, exhausted and maybe sad about leaving. She tells Kim that it doesn't feel real. Kimberly interviews that she doesn't know how to feel. She's going to give herself a couple of days to just "be." On his way to the subway, Viktor says that he knows the other designers are going to "bring it." Josh, also taking the train, says that it's time for him to go home and build a beautiful collection. Kimberly interviews that she'll miss...wait. It doesn't seem like she misses anything.
3 weeks later, Tim is visiting the bucolic vistas of White Plains, Maryland. Kimberly lives there. He walks up the sidewalk to her house, as if he walked all the way from New York. They were just like, "Tim, here's the address. You have three weeks to get there." Kim greets Tim at her front door. She interviews that she's very excited to have him there. She's gorgeous and Tim says she doesn't look like a person who has been toiling away on a collection. She promises that she has. She interviews that she hasn't slept since leaving the show. She takes him to her studio and he remarks that she has so much space as compared to New York. Regarding her inspiration, she says that she grew up in pre-gentrified Brooklyn but elevated herself. She wants to design for the same girl. "Brooklyn transformed." She shows him some stuff, including a leather jacket, sweat pants and some jewelry made with rope that resembles gold. Tim tells her that the collection is "her." He tells her to take some risks. She interviews that she doesn't want to bore the judges. "We don't want to bore Nina!" Jesus, no. We don't want that.