By Jeff Long
It's the morning after the Simon Doonan challenge, and everyone is sad that Eduardo is gone. Cesar says that it's weird to not see him in the morning. Wait, not everyone is sad. Calvin, always dependable for a dose of nasty, says Eduardo was nice but only made one dress over and over again. He, for one, never thought Eduardo would make it to the finale. Well, that's that.
The super-secret letter is slipped under the door. Iman apparently hates texting. She summons the designers to the west side of Manhattan, where she reminds them that for this challenge they are making their last effort as a house. House of Emerald has only won two challenges. That's sad. Their challenge is to design collections inspired by the elements earth, wind and air. The winning team will get a freaking car! Each of them will. They won't have to share. Can you imagine Calvin and Dominique fighting over who gets the car on Oscar night?
They go on a boat ride on the Hudson. Cesar and Jeffrey get to work. Jeffrey is inspired by clouds. They work in tandem per usual. Calvin is hit by a concept. He's thinking ancient culture and how black represents water and white for air. He's thinking camel shades for the earth.
Back at the workroom, they start to work on their storyboards. Jeffrey is finding pics of the sky and water. Cesar says they are like sisters and have each other's backs. Remember: as an award for winning the last challenge, Jeffrey gets to choose an accessory from New York Vintage. He chooses this giant tiara thing to create a "regal air/water goddess?" Hmm.
Calvin says that he feels more focused than ever. He wants to do something spiritual. Well, of course he does. It's written all over him. Dominique is exhausted and doesn't feel that she can really think of anything right now, much less argue with Zen Master Calvin's vision. We see flashbacks of last week's criticisms, when people were telling Dominique that her work was jokey and over-the-top. Calvin recognizes her fatigue and is ready to push her. He gives her a little rock and roll fist pump.
Isaac arrives for the consultations. Cesar says they are combining all of the elements in their designs. Jeffrey describes a column dress that Isaac loves. His air-goddess-thing look scares Isaac, because he's worried about the movement of the skirt as described. Cesar's looks seem solid. Jeffrey says their strategy is to trust their work.