It's morning at Le Parker Meridien. Merlin looks like he's wearing a shirt with a racer back, backwards. Oh, Merlin. Andrew, while studying a pair of underwear that are hopefully his own, says that everyone underestimated him because he's an underwear designer. But, they'll see who comes out on top.
At the workroom, Isaac is all hands. He introduces Laura Brown. She's going to present the Harper's Bazaar Mini Challenge, though he's still talking. He says that the designers are going to have to step out of their comfort zones. Yeah, this show has been real comfy for them so far. It's a "baby step," though. Isaac reveals a table of women's shoes and we hear interviews where everyone says how much they love shoes. Lidia says that she has over 50 pairs. How does her accent get thicker with every show? The shoes were designed by Elizabeth Olsen, and she joins Laura in the room. Her company uses only vegan and non-cruel practices. Laura says that the challenge is to design a shoe that will go with Elizabeth's line. They have 90 minutes to design it, and they can only consult with their team members. The best design from the winning team will be sold on bravo.com. Still haven't heard from anyone who has bought any of these clothes. Johnny complains because there are multiple materials. Reco interviews that he's going to make a short heel, something with fringe, that's in the mainstream but also different. Reco talking about his designs is like that game that you play with fortune cookie fortunes, except instead of adding "in bed" you add "for strippers." Keith is adding flowers and nature stuff to his shoe, because they're for an organic company. That's really literal-minded of him.
Johnny is still whining. He asks Haven if the glue is going to work and she informs him that she doesn't know anything about the glue. She does advise him to glue instead of sew. Ouch. He's going to try to make a wedge shoe, if he can make a single goddamn thing with his hands. Daniella is having problems. They are all working on a plain, white ankle boot, and she decides that she's going to cut hers down to a pump. Her first attempt leaves a broken razor blade in the side of the boot. That is not non-cruel. Merlin adds a bunch of red ribbons to his shoes and Angel slaps her head in an interview and says that their team is definitely going to lose. Haven laughs that this gluing business can't be the way that actual shoes are made. Reco sees that Andrew has fringe on his shoes similar to his own design. "Walks like a duck, talks like a duck, acts like a duck." It's not that different of an idea. You see lots of fringe on short boots all of the time. That said, Andrew should probably start working against that perception, no? Reco shows his shoe to Daniella, who is sitting near Andrew, and casually remarks, "It looks like Andrew's shoe!" Johnny is nervous, because he's the only one who made a wedge. Poor Johnny is losing confidence by the minute, isn't he?
Afterwards, Lidia's team presents first. Elizabeth is critiquing. She doesn't like the dramatic appliqués added by James-Paul, Angel and Merlin (though she does like his color). She likes that Lidia cut into her shoe and made it architectural. Isaac calls Reco's team "Darlings" and asks them to come forward. He reminds me of Kay Thompson in Funny Face. Elizabeth is grooving on Johnny's wedge. It does look really cute, too. He combined white, gray, and black. She liked the colors that Haven used, as well as her use of the raw patterns in the shoe. Her problem with Reco's shoe is the "Halloween colors" that he employed. Leaving the door wide open for Andrew to run off with the win again! Daniella's team is up. Keith has sprouting plants running along his shoe and Elizabeth likes it, combined with the fake snakeskin of the boot. Apparently that's not too dramatic? She likes Daniella's use of elastic as an ankle strap. She likes what Anna cut away from her shoe. She thinks it looks like a designer shoe. She thinks the fringe on Andrew's shoe "has been done" and Reco raises his eyebrow, but that pertains to him as well. Fringe short boots are everywhere. Reco's team wins! Johnny is the big winner! His shoe is very cute.
Isaac tells the designers that he will present the challenge at one of New York's landmarks, at 5th Avenue and 57th Street. Isn't that where Abercrombie is? Or the Apple Store? Maybe it's Tiffany's. Or, I could just keep on watching. Oh, it's Bergdorf Goodman. They're in the shoe department. Keith admits that he has been there many times, unaccompanied by a woman. Isaac and Kelly greet them. Isaac says that many people have bought a pair of shoes without knowing when they were going to wear them. Kelly raises her hand and says that she's guilty, but Isaac is all "Yeah, you and everyone." The challenge is to create an entire outfit inspired by a pair of shoes. They will get to pick their shoes when Kelly says "go." They have a short time to choose and they have to find a pair with a The Fashion Show plaque beside it. They scramble and, of course, Reco heads straight for some leather mesh YSL boots. He screams for them in his interview. Angel can't find anything. After time is up, Isaac assigns her a pair of Stella McCartney shoes in red, white, and blue. "A nautical moment" is how Isaac describes them. She's shown sitting in silent horror in her interview. You think too much, Angel. It'll be fine. Isaac announces that they will not be working in teams any longer. Reco screams for joy in his interview. Then, Kelly says that it's all about the shoes. Then, Isaac says, "Always." Then, Kelly says, "Always." Then, Isaac... oh my God. He finally says that he wants to be the last one to say, but they kind of end up saying it at the same time, which calms Isaac's ego.
They go to get supplies. Keith is glad to not have to worry about someone else's performance any longer. Reco explains that he's going to create a futuristic design. Angel is totally flummoxed. She doesn't usually work with light blue, so this is a struggle for her. Then, she says she had a vision of a white shirtdress, like would be worn on a yacht. I like Angel. I'm hoping she pulls this out. Back at the workroom, Daniella tells Anna that she thinks that some people are going to fail without guidance from their teams. The camera pans from her saying that to Andrew at his table. He must notice that, right? He says that he doesn't care what anyone else thinks about his stuff. He's making a short cocktail dress with petal sleeves to go with his feathery Manolo Blahnik shoes. Keith is working with wedge Valentinos. Seriously, this is like watching Fargo. That accent. He's very inspired by his shoe. His design is floral-inspired, like his shoe.
They finish for the night and come back the morning. Anna and Daniella think that pleating on the bodice of Andrew's cocktail dress looks like the pleating on her skirt from a couple of weeks ago. She thinks that he can't come up with any ideas of his own. [Does she own pleating? - Zach] Angel explains that her dress is going to be like Siamese twins, but shirts. The skirt of her dress will be a mirror image of the shirt top. Haven doesn't know what the eff Merlin is doing.
Models come in for fittings. Lidia doesn't have anything for her model to try on. Reco's model says that it's time for them to win, and she thinks his shoes are the jam. After the fitting, with 6 hours remaining in the day, Isaac and Kelly return. They ask Daniella about her design. In her sketch, she has some sequin action on the shoulders, which Isaac "asks" about with a stinky look on his face. She says that she's just experimenting and was trying to bring the silver from her shoe into the design. She interviews that Isaac's questions really fuck with your head. Reco says that he cut a bunch of strips on the bias and has stitched them together. He doesn't have enough material for a jacket, but Isaac wonders if he would even have time. Oh, he could pull it off, he replies. Reco's a sewing fool. Andrew's color palette is really muted, and I think Isaac has a problem with it. Reco thinks his muslin draping looks like a substitute schoolteacher. Lidia explains her design, inspired by her Yves Saint Laurent shoes. She decided to add an accent late in the game, so Isaac asks if she's worried that she won't have enough time. She interviews that she doesn't want to play it safe. Isaac calls Merlin "Merly Sue." That's amazing. Merlin describes his dress, which is a pretty literal translation of his shoe. He says that he tried on his dress himself, and it didn't go well. He wants his dress to fly, and Isaac looks at him skeptically.
Outside, Kelly says that she is most excited to see Lidia's design. Isaac says that he's worried about her, because she has so much work to finish. Kelly displays a look of terror and disgust in regards to Reco's design. She doesn't really say anything about it, though. Isaac says that making a nice black dress is great, but it doesn't really win competitions. He is, however, really excited to see Daniella's work. If she finishes it well, he will love it. Well, you should have thought of that before you gave her the stank eye while you were in there. She's likely to change all sorts of stuff now in an effort to make you "happy."
Back in the workroom, Reco is creating some drama, which I can't say I feel bad about, considering this show is so dry. He "compliments" Keith's work by saying that now he's bringing some fashion! He's finally got some competition. He wants everybody to step it up. Anna interviews that he's really annoying and insistent that he's going to win the competition, while she says a lot of people do not think he'll win. Daniella, who looks like she's not trying to be friendly, says that confidence is the new black. Reco agrees and suggests she get some. Some confidence or some black?
Uh, Isaac only sleeps 4 hours a day, per the mid-commercial break tidbit. I don't believe that's healthy, and it's probably part of the reason he's unable to authentically engage with anyone around him. He is seriously always waiting to talk when others are speaking.
Keith tells us that he grew up around fashion. His family owned a couture dress shop. He tells Daniella that his first experience with draping was when his neighbors threw away their old bed sheets. He stole them from their trash and made clothes that he made his brother try on for their parents. Daniella says, "I think that was your first experience with a lot of things." I seriously could not have said it better. I have to say though, he's a very serious guy, this Keith.
It's two hours until the fashion show, and everyone is scrambling. Angel says she feels like she's working in a sweatshop. She had to glue gun the buttons onto her dress, which she's embarrassed about. But, she's desperate. Even James-Paul is frantic right now, because he has a lot of hand sewing that needs to be completed. Daniella is very impressed with herself and her design. Reco makes a remark that her dress is simple and she tells him that she's getting tired of his comments. He replies that he hasn't made any comments to her, but he should have. Then, he leaves mumbling something about how he has talent. Daniella interviews that she's becoming less impressed with Reco's ability to finish his designs so quickly. Meanwhile, he takes a nap in the lounge.
Anna says to Johnny that Lidia's dress is pretty, but he compares it to a bridesmaid's dress. He says it's the sort of thing that you would throw away and burn. One or the other. Isaac greets the designers. Their models are downstairs. Lidia's having problems with her design. Isaac peeks in on Reco and wakes him up, then says that he "didn't mean to wake him up but yes he did. That was weird. The show is in 30 minutes.
The designers hang their outfits up backstage, and Haven gets a good look at everyone's work. She says that this is a telling challenge, because you can see what direction people are going in without influence from their teams. The models start getting fitted. Lidia's still having problems. Daniella's design fits her model like a glove. Lidia can't get her dress zipped and Merlin doesn't think she's going to be able to make it in time. There's Fern in the front row! George Malkemus, the president of Manolo Blahnik USA is sitting to her. Lauren Goodman, who is a fashion consultant, and Chuck Amos, who is a celebrity hairstylist, are also in the audience. Andrew seems to be having an easy time with his fitting. He interviews that he's excited to show the judges what he can do on his own. Daniella interviews that she's not excited by Reco's work. It's three seasons ago.
There's designer Jeffrey Banks in the audience. Angel says that she's always worried that she's not going to finish, but she is able to access her inner superwoman. The show is beginning.
Keith's look is first. It's a one-shouldered cocktail dress with petals on the skirt. It's a pretty literal translation of the shoe. Andrew's is . It's a champagne bodice with petal sleeves and long black skirt that is short in the front. He's happy with it. Isaac points out to George that Andrew's girl was wearing Manolos. Here's Haven's girl. She's wearing fringed Christian Louboutin shoes, and her design has a ruffle at the collar that mimics the shoe. The ruffle is red, while the rest of the dress is gray and black. Very cute. She's psyched. Here's Merlin's design, coupled with cork wedge Giuseppe Zanotti sandles. The dress is pretty much a translation of the shoe, but it's very dramatic and pretty. Isaac says the same thing about the translation. Merlin says that he likes the dress, but thinks the color may be a bit loud. And we know how muted and prim Merly Sue is. Johnny's dress is a high-waisted cocktail dress in black and brown, with a purple ruffle on a diagonal across the bust. Anna made pants and a shirt with a pleated short-sleeved blouse. She acknowledges that the top is too short, but she didn't have time to fix it. James-Paul's dress is draped all over the place and he seriously has the best model there. Everything always hangs on her like a dream. Lidia's dress is a disaster. It's a tight, white strapless with black mesh covering it, so it manages to make the poor model look both fat and dirty. Kelly looks afraid.
Daniella's dress is . It's a leather/vinyl maxi dress with transparent purple material at the shoulders. It fits wonderfully. Daniella tells us that she wants to be an influential fashion designer. She wants to convince people of what they should be wearing. Isaac says that he loves how her shoe has nothing to do with the dress, but they work perfectly together. Here's Angel's dress. It's adorable. It's the Siamese twin thing like she said before, but it's so great. The skirt has a lot of volume and two light blue panels on it. Angel interviews that the other challenges have just been a warm-up for this one. Here's Reco's short black strapless cocktail dress. Yawn. It has a bubble skirt, which indeed is very three seasons ago. Kelly thinks that it's a lot of fun, and Fern notices the workmanship that went into the dress. Isaac cheers for the designs as they walk back out, and everyone cheers with him because he is Isaac, dammit.
Lauren liked Reco's dress. Jeffrey Banks liked Johnny's dress. He thought it well-executed and fashion-forward. Chuck Amos liked Angel's dress best. The designers return to the runway, where the judges await. Isaac congratulates them all for doing a terrific job. He reminds them that one of them is going home tonight.
George Malkemus is the guest judge. Isaac thinks that it showed that they were having fun and was the best fashion show yet. The audience favorites were Angel's, Daniela's, and Reco's dresses. 90% of the audience said Reco's dress was fashion-forward. He says that he wanted to create something modern. Isaac says that the cut of the boot makes the length of the dress really important, and he feels that Reco got the proportions correct. Reco also says that he created the hat that his model is wearing because he was bored. George compliments him on bringing the lattice of the boot to the head. Fern compliments him on the intricacy of his work. Kelly tells Daniella that an audience member called her design "sleek and sexy." She says that she wanted to be forward, and she didn't want to match her shoe too completely. She liked the "moodiness" of the eggplant color and the contrast of fabric. Kelly thinks she pulled it all together beautifully. Fern compliments her for truly being inspired by the shoe. Though the colors don't match exactly, the stitching on the front of the bodice matches the shoe. Isaac likes that the shoe has nothing to do with the dress, except in Daniella's crazy imagination. He says it reminds him of a butterfly. Really. George loves that her design makes you look at the whole woman, not her shoes. Kelly tells Angel that some people in the audience thought her dress would be great for the Hamptons. Kelly loves it. Isaac commends her for creating this design when she was given the shoes to be inspired by. George thinks it looks like a girl in a double shirt was dancing and got hot and tied it around her waist. He loves it. Fern asks her for her inspiration and she says that she just got the idea of a simple white shirt. Then, she tries to explain how the dress can be worn as a double shirt and I don't understand. The judges are all very impressed though. George says that Bill Blass once said to him that the hardest thing to design is a simple white shirt, which she has done. Fern congratulates all of them. The winner is... Reco! He's thrilled. Eh, I think it should have been Angel.
Now, for the losers. Isaac says that two of them stumbled. They are Lidia and Andrew. Hmm. I wasn't expecting to see that. And, he's cute. The rest are safe. The audience thought that Andrew's design was boring, uninspired and average. We see Haven and Anna smiling and nodding at each other in apparent approval. He says that he was trying to play with shape -- and he was thinking about salability. Isaac says he should have been thinking more outside the box. George disagrees with him, as a salesman. Isaac punches back -- this isn't The Salesman Show. Okay, but George thinks that a lot of women would buy this dress. Fern just wanted him to be more inspired. There's no color, and she really wanted it to be better. Kelly tells Lidia that her dress made her model look like The Nightmare Before Christmas. A favorite of many. Again, more laughs from the fucking peanut gallery. You'll have your day too, Anna. She says that she would have improved the design with more time, but Isaac reminds her that he warned her about time. Kelly asks her what she would have done with more time. George thinks that her design is amateurish, like she just got her first Vogue pattern, and someone sent her home to make a dress. She gets a little teary and says that she probably pushed her envelope too far. She tells them that she quit her job to be here and this is her chance to pursue her dream. George replies that her work today is not an example of why she should have quit her job. Ouch.
The judges deliberate. Fern says that Lidia was off her mark, but wonders if it's unforgivable. Isaac says that at least her mark was interesting, whereas Andrew's is a bore. George doesn't care-- Lidia's was a "coffin cover." Fern says that she should have saved her outfit, before letting it walk down the runway. They've made their decision.
Isaac tells Andrew that he was safe and boring. He tells Lidia she was bold and disastrous. Andrew's out. Boo. Not to be rude, but, other than Angel, there's nothing cute about this show anymore. Hello, casting: less fug, more mug. Andrew is a little weepy. He says that he feels like his design was better than Lidia's. This hurts his ego, but he'll brush himself off.
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