Hello, Le Parker Meridien. Daniella greets Reco, which is interesting, since they bickered so much during last week's challenge. He interviews that he doesn't trust her, but he'll tolerate her. Haven, who is in curlers, interviews that she is thrilled that she won the challenge last week. She feels like it took her a while to find her voice, but she has it now.
At the workroom, Kelly, Isaac and Laura Brown are there to present the Harper's Bazaar Mini Challenge. I wonder, is it really necessary to introduce Laura every time. This is not Jay Leno. We, designers included, all expect her to be there. Isaac starts his Mini Challenge lecture. He tells the designers that it's important for them to know their fashion history. While counting fingers on his sassy hands, he mentions Halston, Chanel, Christian Dior, Madame Gres (Johnny nods in a really brown-nosey way), Emilio Pucci, Gianni Versace and Yves St. Laurent. They are going to get a quiz. Reco interviews that he didn't go to FIT or Parson's, he doesn't know the history of fashion. He just "does" him. You don't have to be all Da Vinci Code to learn shit about fashion. Pick up a magazine, such as Harper's Bazaar.
Isaac dramatically reaches for Kelly and says that he will play Alex Trebek without the moustache. Then, he gives them his profile (it's like he's dancing, really) and says that the winner of the challenge will have a special advantage during the elimination challenge. Anna interviews that she is a teacher, so she's very interested in knowing about fashion history. Kelly selects a name at random and begins with Anna. Isaac asks Anna who created the little black dress. Then, he gives her multiple choices (Dior, Chanel, or YSL). There can't be an easier question in fashion history, can there? She gets it. He repeats a quote of Coco Chanel's-- "You dress a chambermaid like a lady and a lady like a chambermaid." Isaac asks Merlin who is credited with the quote, "Fashion fades. Style is eternal." He guesses Yves St. Laurent and he's right! Isaac asks Haven what Pucci's nickname was -- the King, Premiere, or Prince of Prints. I would think that the rhyming would have given it away, but Haven guesses King of Prints. She's wrong; it's the Prince of Prints. I see what Isaac is saying; it is definitely vital that they all know this stuff. Haven interviews that she should have been asked something about Gucci. She knows about Gucci. Well, just enjoy your new knowledge and have a seat. Isaac asks Reco what celebrity always wore Halston in the '70s-- Farrah Fawcett (R.I.P.), Cher or Liza Minnelli. He whispers that he doesn't know shit about Halston, then guesses Farrah. Oh, Reco, you couldn't be more wrong. Laura is practically outraged. "Liza Minnelli, man!" I understand her ire. For REAL, Reco. Frickin' Liza wore the SHIT outta that shit, back then. He interviews that, where he's from, people don't know about Halston. Then, pack your bags, baby, it's time to move. Isaac asks Johnny what signature Pucci incorporated into all of his creations. Johnny guesses "Emilio Pucci" and he's wrong. It's just "Emilio." Isaac asks James-Paul for what artist's 1992 world tour did Versace design the costumes. His choices are Prince, Madonna and Elton John. He chooses Madonna, but it's Elton John. Isaac shakes his giant, histrionic finger at James-Paul and says that he, Isaac Mizrahi, would never associate Madonna with Versace. That period was when she was wearing the Jean Paul Gaultier stuff. True enough, but didn't Madonna do some Versace ads some years ago? I guess that was Donatella, but suck it, Isaac. She can still be associated with Versace. Isaac asks Daniella what, in addition to the cardigan jacket, did Coco Chanel popularize -- bell-bottom pants, shorts or long skirts. She guesses shorts and she is wrong. Coco popularized bell-bottoms.
It's down to Merlin and Anna, the only two designers to get even a single question correct. Isaac asks Anna who designed for the House of Dior after Christian Dior's death in 1957. She guesses Yves St. Laurent and she's correct. Awesome, Anna! Isaac asks Merlin who popularized light, wrinkle-free jersey material for dresses. His choices are Pucci, Madame Gres, or Yves St. Laurent. He chooses Yves St. Laurent and a simple analysis of the nature of quizzes, especially those given on TV, would have eliminated that answer -- since the last answer was Yves. But, he does not complete that analysis and is wrong. The answer is Pucci. Anna wins! She interviews that her students would have given her shit had she not won.
Isaac tells the designers to meet him and Kelly at The Fashion Show runway in a few minutes. Then, they all go there. The challenge is to pay homage to one of the fashion greats that they mentioned this morning. They have vintage dresses by the greats on display. Isaac says that they are going to be looking for a tribute in their designs, but they also want the signature styles of the designers to shine through. A mere knockoff would be an insult to the dead fashion greats.
Because she won the mini challenge, Anna gets to choose which fashion icon she wants. She chooses Coco Chanel. Kelly asks why and she says it's clean and modern and Coco did a lot of jackets. Anna also gets to choose what the other designers get! Yves St. Laurent is . She gives him to Haven, who hugs her in return. Haven says that a lot of her inspiration comes from YSL, which you can totally see. Christian Dior is and Anna chooses Daniella. She gives Gianni Versace to Johnny. Madame Gres is , and James-Paul interviews about how much he loves her. But, she gives him to Merlin. This part's strategy, because the Madame Gres dress is blousy and modern. Heh. Not very Merlin. He says that he has never heard of Madame Gres. Isaac gags. It really would have been perfect for James-Paul. In fact, I think he has designed the very dress that is on display. Anyway, she gives Pucci to James-Paul. He interviews that he loves Pucci, too, so Anna has made a mistake. Then, she gives Halston to Reco. Everyone giggles and Anna interviews that Reco makes intricate, corseted designs, while Halston was simple. Isaac asks Anna if she was employing a strategy, and she says that she was. Reco looks really pissed and says it's OK, "Make sure your friends are taken care of, but that's OK." I'm not sure if he's saying that Anna took care of her friends or that he is her friend and she should have taken care of him. I never see or hear of Anna as part of any clique, so he should just relax. He interviews that Anna is trying to "throw some salt in a pimp's game." Keeping it classy. Isaac warns them that those who don't learn from fashion history are doomed to hang by a thread. That sent a shiver up my spine.
With two hours remaining in the day, the designers shop for supplies with a budget of $230 each. James-Paul is, of course, poring through prints. He says that he's going to frame his skirt, a la Pucci. Haven and Johnny both seem like they're on the right track. Merlin says to James-Paul that "these bitches, they set us up." Isn't he the one who was barking from day one about how this was a competition? Well, this is COMPETING. He says the girls are threatened by him, Reco, and James-Paul because they are original.
At the workroom, they have an hour to work. Reco interviews that he thinks the other designers have written him off because he doesn't know who Halston is. Well, he thinks he's going to show them a thing or three. He's designing a corset to show off the waist of his dress. Um, not sure. Anna interviews that Halston didn't do corsets. She says that she tells her students that fashion is about knowing everything that came before you. Halston was about draping and simplicity. They are supposed to have their own style come through though, yes? But, I guess a corset could be changing the core of what Halston is about. Whatever happened to the Alec Baldwin Halston biopic that everybody was talking about a couple of years ago? I bet he didn't want to drop the pounds. That would have been an amazing movie, though.
Anna is making a flapper dress in traditional boxy Chanel style. She's adding pleating as her own signature. Haven says that she loves how YSL made women look very feminine in suits that looked like they were for men. She sounds a little unreliable when she's talking, though she didn't say anything that wasn't true. Merlin is having a problem because he has never seen Madame Gres' work. James-Paul interviews that Madame Gres' work is like a Greek statue with a lot of draping. Merlin jokes that he's going to try to invoke Madame Gres and ask her to come to him in his sleep.
The day, Merlin tells the designers that Madame Gres did, in fact, come to him in his dreams. She said to him, "Don't fuck up, bitch. I'm Madame Gres." She was a salty one, that Madame Gres. Merlin is going to make a geometrical evening gown. Doesn't sound very drapey. Daniella says that, when she thinks of Dior, she thinks of an old photo of a woman in a white jacket and black skirt. She says to Haven that she's thinking of making pants and Haven says that's not Dior. And, it isn't really. The New Look was all about that cinched waist and hourglass shape. Hard to reproduce with pant, unless you make another harem pant. And, no. Daniella feels like a skirt would be old-fashioned and justifies in her interview that they are supposed to show themselves in these designs as well. Anna agrees that she should go with her instinct.
Models arrive for a fitting. Daniella asks Haven if her pants look modern. She replies that she doesn't know what to tell her, and she should do what she thinks is best. Reco's model asks him if his inspiration was medieval. That is not a good sign. "Hell to the no," he says in his interview. Haven is worried that her suit won't live up to YSL.
Kelly and Isaac interview to torture them. They seem to be making fun of Johnny's design, and I don't know why. He is using pleather and says that he was trying to be eco-friendly and Isaac scoffs that Gianni Versace was anything BUT eco-friendly. Well, that's nothing to be proud of, Isaac. They move to Reco and tell him that Halston was the most modern designer in the world. Kelly spills some drivel about how much of a woman you feel when you're wearing Halston. There was so little content in her sentence that my freaking DVR, like, rewound. There's extra time in this show now. Isaac points out the corset. Reco interviews that Isaac was probably telling him to get rid of his corset, but his dad always tells him to take a chance. I guess, when faced with the uncertainty of Isaac's lame passive-aggressive consultations, you have no choice but to trust yourself. Maybe that's what he's doing? That's brilliant! Haven is freaking. She is worried about having enough time and making the right decisions. Isaac and Kelly quietly back away from her. They talk to Anna and don't seem to believe that her jacket pays homage to Chanel.
Outside the workroom, they don't make any comments about particular designers. Inside, Anna is pissed about their method of walking through and planting seeds of doubt. Listen to Reco's daddy! Reco and Merlin both say that Anna's jacket is for an old lady.
For our little mini segment, Daniella asks Haven who she would fuck, marry, and kill of erstwhile designers Johnny Day, Merlin, and Reco. She says she would kill Merlin, because he wouldn't want to fuck her. She'd fuck Johnny Day and she wouldn't enjoy it. And, she'd marry Reco because he's fun. He hugs her and says that they would have great sex and a lot of kids. No, thank you.
With two hours before the show, Haven is making final touches. James-Paul says ominously that he has seen Haven's sketch and, with YSL, the shape is very important. He also mentions that suits are hard to make. Isaac enters and tells them that their models are coming in. Daniella is worried about her decision to make pants.
Backstage at the fashion show, Haven says that she's not sure who is winning and who is in trouble. Reco interviews that Anna picked the right designers for her friends, but he thinks it's going to backfire on her. His rationale? When given the options, the judges choose shit over bullshit. Hmm. The audience is filing in. There is my archgoddamnedenemy Kelly Bensimmon. And, she looks pretty good. I hate her. There's Mary Gehlhar, the author of Fashion Designer Survival Guide. There's "fashion expert" Judy Licht. Raul Melgoza, creative director of Luca Luca. He looks like he was drugged. Backstage, Johnny interviews that he was inspired by this challenge and really wants to win. Celebrity fashion designer Peter Som is sitting beside Fern and is our guest judge! Haven is having problems with her zipper and waistband meeting. She says that she's on the verge of freaking out. That horrible guy comes in and drags all of the models out of the room.
The show begins with Haven's suit. It's a short-sleeved suit with a cowl neck. There's a purple shirt beneath. The slacks aren't great, but this is not a completely unsuccessful design. Daniella's design is . It's a classic Dior-shaped jacket and she was clever to belt it and have a little flare beneath it; creating the New Look silhouette without a skirt. The pants are satin and the shine is really modern. Anna's dress is . It's freaking awesome. The jacket is totally Chanel, so I don't know what Isaac was talking about. It has short sleeves and a short waist, but there's not mistaking it's Chanel-inspired. The dress is a black and white print and flapper-style. The bottom portion of the dress has vertical pleats that give a lovely sense of movement to the dress. Here's Reco's dress. You know, it's not... horrible? It's a floor-length red dress with a corseted waist. It falls off of one shoulder and has bell sleeves. It's nothing I would recommend anyone wear, but I think I see his inspiration. I definitely see Reco. Isaac says that he doesn't like an elastic off-the-shoulder look. Johnny's look is . It's a pleather bustier overlay on a blouse with sheer sleeves and décolletage. The skirt is pleated with a pleather border at the bottom. There is a belt-buckle strap on one shoulder. Totally cute. Isaac asks aloud if the outfit is too on-the-money Versace and Kelly says that it isn't. James-Paul's is , and it is beautiful. It's a Pucci print top and black skirt in his trademark asymmetrical draping. Really cool. Here's Merlin's design. Wow, it's amazing. It's one-shouldered and blue, with a drop waist. Amazing draping all over this shit. Merlin says that he learned how to be uncomplicated from Madame Gres.
Mary Gehlhar says that Reco's Halston dress was NOT Halston. His corset was more Renaissance fair. She admired the boldness of his choice though. Raul Melgoza thought that James-Paul made an interesting choice in softening the bold pattern of the print. Judy Licht thought that Johnny's look really captured the toughness and seductiveness of Versace. Juliana Cairone, the owner of Rare Vintage NY, the place where the vintage inspirations were found, says that Haven's look had the color and jeweled buttons found in YSL. She thought that the pants were a missed opportunity, though.
It's judging time. Isaac introduces the panel, including Peter Som. He has won the Golden Thimble Award. Hmm. Kelly says that the audience favorites were Daniella's and Anna's. And, Johnny's! Kelly says that an audience member said Johnny's look was a great mix of materials and really captured Versace. Someone also said that they could see Kelly Rowland herself rocking Johnny's outfit. Johnny agrees. Fern asks him what key Versace elements he tried to use. Johnny says that leather, hardware, and body consciousness were his guiding principles. Peter says that his look has a sense of refinement. Isaac thinks that the whole look, hair and shoes included, is spot-on. Kelly says that she is so proud of Johnny for taking what they've told him and learning from it. Johnny looks a little like he's thinking, "I have learned shit from you people. You're just liking the flavor now, is all."
On to Anna -- Kelly tells her that 84% of the audience thought her garment was well-made. None of them like the jacket, though. They say it's not Chanel. Maybe the purple color isn't, but that shit is Chanel. They're so nasty about it, too. Isaac asks her to remove the jacket, because they really like the dress. Fern asks her how the dress was Chanel, and she says that the drop waist and black and white print were the Chanel elements. Fern also asks her if she played to people's strengths or weaknesses when she chose inspirations for designers. She answers that she definitely was interested to see what a few people would do with designers they didn't know. Reco mumbles that he's glad she finally admitted it. Seriously though, why the hell would they even offer it as a reward? It's to fuck with people. Get over it.
Kelly tells Daniella that an audience member said her design was a great interpretation of Dior. Peter asks her about the choice of pants for the look. She says all of the skirt she sketched didn't feel young enough. Peter agrees that the look is very modern. He thinks the slim pant is very rock and roll. Fern tells her that she would have liked to have seen more color in the design, but Daniella says that it's rare for her to use any bright colors at all. Isaac says that EVERYONE has to open themselves to color, because it's lazy to reject them reflexively. I guess that's true, but Isaac uses COLOR. Not everyone is going to do that.
OK, this is shitty. Kelly says that, though the audience voted on three designs, the judges are only choosing between two-- Daniella and Johnny. So, it sounds like Anna was first or second in audience votes and they didn't like the outcome so took the 3rd place vote-getter as well. Hmm. That sucks. And, Johnny is the winner. He's thrilled and interviews that he wants to make the top 4.
The winners sit down. Isaac says that two designs really sucked. So, Haven's and Reco's models walk out. Haven giggles with shame. Kelly tells Reco that 90% of the audience said they would not buy his dress. He says that he was trying to create "sensualness" with the corset. Peter says that it actually looks a renaissance fair (wow, unanimous interpretation there). Isaac starts laughing, and Peter adds that the big sleeves maker her look more village wench than Studio 54. Isaac asks how Reco could possibly make it through life without knowing Halston. He replies that he just never took the time to sit down and study him. Kelly asks him, if he had the chance, what he would do to save his dress. He starts to cry and says he has no idea, he'd change the color? No, Fern says that's the only thing he got right. Isaac tells Reco that, when he looks back, he'll be surprised at how much Halston is actually in his own work. Kelly then asks him how much he wants to be there, though the tears streaming down his face would answer that question for me. He says he has been struggling for seven years and really wants to be there.
Kelly tells Haven that an audience member said her pants "fit weird by the butt." Heh. Kelly says that the judges thought it was boring. She replies that she was shooting for the '80s era of St. Laurent. She loves how he would make men's suits feminine for women. She says that her vision did not translate and she knows it. She describes the things that she would have done differently. Fern hates the color. Isaac says the top of Reco's dress is more YSL than her look. He says that she had so much to choose from with YSL and went to the fabric store and chose brown wool.
Isaac says that they are very disappointed in both of them and have to talk. When they walk away, Haven turns to Reco and holds him while he sobs on her shoulder. Then, she takes his hand and says, "Come here," and they sit at the edge of the stage. Wow, that's good people. She hasn't really been a jerk or anything, but I'm surprised at how sweet of Haven that was. Backstage, Fern says Reco failed huge. Isaac says that he was more off the mark than Haven, but Fern hated her outfit, too. They point out that Haven gave them her look and actually is familiar with her inspiration. Peter says that Reco's biggest sin was ignorance. Kelly says that this has been the hardest decision.
The judges return. Isaac tells Reco that the only thing that resembled Halston in his look was the red, and he didn't even know that. Haven knows YSL and couldn't even translate it. He says that this isn't just about sewing... it's about knowing. This should be a PSA on Logo. They're not buying Haven. She's totally a good sport and hugs a crying Reco. "It's been a true pleasure," she says, like the best sport in the world. She hugs everyone and Isaac wishes her luck before she leaves. Kelly tells Reco that he's hanging by a thread, and, I swear to God, she almost starts crying. Reco thanks them and says that he will do a better job week.
Haven goes backstage and zips up her outfit. She says that she would have loved to have gone all the way to the end of the competition. However, meeting Isaac and getting his advice has been hugely important to her. She plans on employing those lessons in her daily life and designs.
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