By Jeff Long
So, here we are. It's the top 5. This all makes me nervous. Heidi tells the designers that this is the final challenge. She tells them that she's sending them far away, where they will meet Tim and he will tell them about the challenge. They travel to Oheka Castle in Long Island, though the designers act like they were dropped there from a helicopter or something. Maybe they were? Tim explains that it's an avant-garde challenge. It's part of the launch of a new make-up line from L'Oreal. Everybody seems like they're in their element initially. Everyone is assigned a character that is part of the new line of make-up, all fairy tale related. They get to use the big estate as inspiration, which seems just a little bit like a waste of time.
The designers have a $400 budget, which is the biggest so far. Melissa has a hard time at Mood, because she wasn't assigned the fairy tale character with black in the palette. Tim comes in for an early consultation, because he doesn't want them to screw up too much before he talks to them. Christopher and Fabio have the same palette and we hear a lot in regards to them being sort of pit against each other. Tim tells Fabio that his coat seems borderline costume, which, of course, I found personally devastating. He tells Sonjia that he doesn't feel that she hasn't performed to her potential as a designer. I haven't been doing that either.
The second day of the challenge, everyone seems fairly flattened, except for Sonjia who seems really energized from her talk with Tim. She gets to the workroom and starts doing different stuff with her silhouette. Fabio changes his design. Also, he reveals to us that he used to wear buttoned down shirts as pants. I still love him. Billy B., the consulting artist from L'Oreal is the big guest and his clothing is straight up clownish. That Tim didn't stop him before he wore this stuff on camera is some sort of sin. Fabio turns his jacket, which Tim hated, upside down ala a buttoned down shirt and Tim loves it. Melissa, per uzh, is a time management concern.
The day of the challenge, everyone is feeling poignant about it being the last runway challenge. Hair and make-up is super pushy with those damn L'Oreal products. Zoe Saldana is the guest judge and we have a long history, meaning I've seen all of her movies and I can't really understand why she gets work (except for her role in the Britney Spears vehicle Crossroads - opening day, bitches). Even though it's made beautifully, Dmitry's look seems really similar to his other stuff. Sonjia made a green dress with floating bodice pieces. I don't know. Melissa made this leather get-up that frankly looked like a dashboard to me.
Michael (hates it) and Heidi (loves it) really disagree about Sonjia's dress. Zoe Saldana is annoying and I think she should stop it. All of it. I'm completely off in my personal judging. I thought Fabio's was pretty amazing, but maybe I had a stroke or something. Heidi asks everyone why they should go to Fashion Week and who should go with them. Melissa says Sonjia and Fabio. Fabio says Melissa and Christopher. Dmitry says Christopher and Fabio. Christopher says Fabio and Sonjia. Sonjia says Melissa and Dmitry. Jesus, Christopher wins again. Dmitry is in too. Melissa is too. So, it's down to Fabio and Sonjia. My heart is breaking. Fabio is IN! Seriously, I'm so thrilled. That means that Sonjia is out though, which I find completely shocking.