Previously: Wendy won the challenge. Starr was tearfully sent home, or to Bellevue. Only nine designers remain!
The designers are sitting to the runway when Heidi enters. They lamely greet her. She asks them if they are "weddy" for their challenge. The designers take a leapby assuming she is saying "ready," and reply in the affirmative. Fashion and music go hand and hand, says Heidi. And sometimes, they go hand and hand before fashion's baby with another man is even a year old. Not judging; just observing. Okay, Heidi is wearing an off-the-shoulder top that makes it appear as though her right arm is missing at the shoulder. "This week, it's going to be all about rock and roll," says Heidi. Her announcement is met with a peculiarly canned-sounding "ooh" from the designers. I almost feel like they are making fun of her. She tells them that they will be designing for a "rising rock star." Then, she shows them a music video. The "artist" is Sarah Hudson. The track is "Girl On The Verge" from her album Naked Truth, which -- as I write this -- is #31,858 in sales on Amazon. I don't have any idea why they chose her for this show. Her song is derivative, her lyrics are insipid, and the whole concept of her is like ripped-off Meredith Brooks. And, Meredith Brooks was a rip-off, so we're talking copy of a copy here. The quality is not good. The video features Sarah in punk-y hair and girly dresses, rolling around on the ground. Nora says in an interview that she was instantly inspired by Sarah's video. Nora is a damn liar, too. There's no WAY she likes this girl. Nora is far cooler than this Sarah Hudson character. There's even more character in her name. Kara Saun reminds us that she has worked with actually successful musicians (Queen Latifah, Eve, etc.).
The video ends, and Heidi welcomes Sarah to the runway. She is wearing a black skirt and a wife-beater with a fluorescent yellow t-shirt underneath. Her dyed red hair has that stupid shape that was cool for, like, twenty minutes two years ago, where it's pinned tightly on the sides and poofed very narrowly on the top. Like, a faux-hawk for girls. She's doing that insincere coy-gawky-anemic thing that is also very irritating. Heidi announces that the challenge is to create a look for Sarah, from head to toe. So, hair and makeup are included in that, basically because they need to plug L'Oreal.
Heidi tells the designers that they will be pitching ideas to this beast, and asks them if they have any questions for Sarah. Nora asks her if she is planning on keeping the same look she had in the video. Sarah replies, "Yeah, I think something sexy, but girly. Kind of little-girl-gone-crazy, but, you know, classy at the same time." Man, you're a real fucking original, aren't you, Sarah Hudson? How did you get a record deal? I'd say the most she can hope for is having a song picked up to play for six seconds during an episode of or some shit. By the way, Nora seems totally incredulous as she is asking Sarah that question, so I think she was bullshitting in her interview. There's no way she is inspired by that girl. Then, Austin tells Sarah that he really loved the Alice in Wonderland motif apparent in the video. These guys are getting desperate, because that seems really uncharacteristic of him. Is Austin usually a kiss-ass? Well, he has a measuring tape wrapped around his neck like a scarf, so we've made up. However, Sarah Hudson's reply is the most annoying thing I've heard on this show up to this point. It trumps Daniel Franco's follow your bliss speech as well as...Daniel Franco's Picasso/Duchamp pile of crap: Sarah says, "Yeah, I mean [scratching head], definitely Alice in Wonderland is like the epitome of, you know [hands outstretched for emphasis], lost little girl in this, like [hands near head for emphasis], crazy environment." I'm not exactly sure why this so enrages me. It might be because arguably each one of the designers is infinitely more talented than Sarah Hudson. And, they are pitching ideas to her. That's wrong.
Sarah Hudson leaves the stage, and it is time to choose models. All of the models enter wearing their black slips. Melissa says in an interview that she is getting more worried with each successive model choosing, because she does not want to go home. Wendy gets to choose first, and chooses Morgan. Robert has to choose the last model again, and Josiane is eliminated. She starts crying, and Robert looks so upset. The models hug her backstage. I think I heard some bones cracking. Good luck, Josiane!
, we see the designers at the Project Runway Workshop at Parsons. Tim Gunn tells them that each designer has five minutes to pitch an image makeover idea to Sarah. He wants them to expire her. Pardon me. My mistake. He wants them to inspire her. (Wishful thinking on my part.) When Tim tells the designers that they will only have a day to finish the design, everyone is shocked. SHOCKED! Tim tells them, "It's called 'make it work.'" I find that infantilizing and titillating at the same time. Damn this confusion, Tim Gunn!
Everyone starts sketching their ideas in order to show them to Sarah. They're all pretty good, despite the puerile confines of Sarah Hudson's "look." Jay says in an interview that he is going to pitch his design as something from the year 2040, because no one knows what anyone will be wearing then anyway. It gives Jay license to bullshit Sarah. I love that Jay is talented enough that he can call his idea "bullshit" yet know that it will still rock. Sure, we're talking about this episode in retrospect (and therefore the majority of people reading this knows what the outcome is), but does anyone have any doubt that it will look good? You know it's going to.
Austin is the first shown pitching his idea to Sarah. He mentions a blend of a decaying Victorian doll with Little Bo Peep. It has been a long time since I've written or said "Little Bo Peep." It's a really weird-looking phrase.
Alexandra -- who, it must be mentioned, is wearing a top that is both bulky and inappropriately revealing at the same time -- tells Sarah that she wants to mix corsets and hardware.
Robert, who is wearing a "Reality TV Runner-up" t-shirt, tells Sarah that he wants to make a tie-dyed t-shirt for her. Maybe hers can just read "Reality Runner-up." Robert tells Sarah that his ideas are "graphic Edwardian" "controlled out-of-control" and "circus." He presents all but the last of these ideas with an up-talking delivery, making them sound like he is asking her questions. He says in an interview that he doesn't want to be mediocre "anymore." Sarah seems really excited by the circus idea.
Wendy tells Sarah that she wants to create "classic, erotic, pornographic" lingerie. Some -- I'm not going to get into it, but some -- would say that those three adjectives describe three totally different types of lingerie. I'm calling bullshit on Ms. Pepper, but I think it's justifiable bullshit. She couldn't care less about someone like Sarah Hudson.
Jay sells the shit out of his idea. He sounds totally in charge and says that the "multi-media" skirt on his design will be removable like a seatbelt. Sarah's drooling. Jay says in an interview that an assignment like this is totally in his comfort zone. Then, he adds that Sarah Hudson "totally wants to fuck [him]." That's a beautiful moment, people. Jay has this thing...I can't easily describe it. It's a quality that only the greatest reality-show denizens seem to share. It's sort of part provincial, part Dorothy Parker. The closest example I can think of right now is Julie from the first season ofThe Real World. (That's not the best example, but it'll do for now.)
Vanessa's idea is a merger of an old-school pin-up girl and Marilyn Manson. That sounds like the potential offspring of Manson and Rose McGowan, had those crazy kids been able to make it work. It's just too sad.
Nora's idea is simple, yet evocative: "A girl ran through a chandelier." Sounds good, but why stop at a chandelier? Nothing's too good for our Miss Hudson -- I say make it a sliding glass door.
Kara Saun has a wealth of research with her. I'm talking a lot of sketches and found pictures. Her idea is "debutante gone bad," which Sarah Hudson thinks is perfect. Or, so she says.
After some deliberation time (as well as a quick edit reminding us that we are in the Parsons School of Design), Tim Gunn lines up the designers. This is the first time I notice that Vanessa is sporting a hedgehog hairstyle. It's like Princess Leia do, but really messy. Somebody got in a fight in the L'Oreal lab. Tim explains that Sarah has chosen three designers. The three chosen designers will each choose a team from the remaining designers. The teams will work on creating the design conceived by the chosen designer, and the finished designs will be judged. Sarah chooses Jay, Austin, and Kevin. They each give Sarah a hug, and Kevin says "I thought I was too soft-spoken" so softly that it has to be subtitled. Kara Saun says in an interview that she thought Sarah liked her design, but from experience, she has noticed that female artists often choose male stylists. Hmmm. You know, I think she has a pretty good point. Both Kara Saun and Nora had fleshed-out, exciting ideas. Jay and Austin both really sold their ideas, so they aren't an issue, but Kevin? Maybe Sarah took his whispery baby talk as quiet confidence. If he had been a woman, though, I think that he would have been perceived as lacking in confidence. Also, I'm noticing that Kevin is a mouth breather.
The choosing of the teams: Tim Gunn has Heidi's black velvet button bag. He's pulling buttons to see in what order the teams will be chosen. Kevin is first. He's wigged by the idea of choosing. His first pick is Nora. Jay chooses Kara Saun, whom he calls the "sewing bunny." Austin chooses Wendy Pepper. Kevin's second choice is Alexandra. Jay now has to choose between Robert and Vanessa. Vanessa seems bothered. Memories of being chosen last for cricket teams in ye olde gym class, eh Vanessa? Jay chooses Robert, and Austin quickly hugs Vanessa to welcome her to his team. Jay mentions in an interview that Vanessa makes a habit of talking about her poor sewing skills. Vanessa, as well, acknowledges in her interview that she probably turned everyone off with her "can't sew" stories. Austin explains that Vanessa was left over and that he ended up just "gitting" Vanessa. Suddenly, I'm feeling as if New York City was not Austin Scarlett's birthplace. Then, we see Wendy, in an interview, delivering the party line of "this is a competition" and how Vanessa is "vulnerable." Then, she says that Vanessa's elimination would "unfortunately" be to Wendy's own advantage. Now, this is presented as one of Wendy's evil moments, but she is only stating the obvious. It would be to everyone's benefit but Vanessa's if she were eliminated. Sometimes, I feel that Wendy's mortal flaw is her uncoolness. Granted, that's generally considered a greater crime in the fashion community than most things, like -- I don't know -- say, arson or mail fraud. For that matter, I guess you can throw in animal cruelty and illegal child labor. But Wendy still hasn't exhibited any actual evil behavior. Either the producers know something that we don't know yet...which, of course, they do. I mean, maybe they're setting us up for Wendy Pepper's evil coming-out party.
Tim Gunn tells the designers that each group will have a $150 and an hour to shop for supplies. As well, they must plan on the go. What's the rush, Tim? Sarah Hudson isn't going anywhere. And, by that, I mean she's going nowhere, save the $1.99 bin.
In the Workshop, the teams strategize. Jay's team seems happy. We hear Jay tell Robert that his job will essentially be running errands. Austin says that Sarah really likes "poof." Well, she's in the right place, then. Vanessa complains again about not being able to sew. So learn, woman! Jesus H., you could have knitted a pool cover with all the time you've wasted complaining about not being able to sew. Kevin's group seems together. When Kevin expresses a little anxiety about the challenge, Nora assures him that she "never, ever forgets details." I'm sure those words will come back to haunt her.
After the short planning session in the Workshop, the teams are off to shop. Jay explains that he is indeed treating Robert like a "slave." Which, as a premise, has a lot of promise. Nora says she thinks she and Kevin will make a good team. Kevin says something that I have to replay three times because he mumbles so damn much. He will be using Nora for her stylistic perspective. Was that so hard, Marble Mouth? Wendy and Vanessa go to pick out threads and trimmings. Vanessa is thinking outside of the box and trying to foresee any needs they may have overlooked. Wendy wants to get only what Austin has asked for. In an interview, Wendy says that Vanessa is questioning Austin's vision. That's bullshit, Wendy. She's just trying to help. We see another moment where Vanessa wonders if they should purchase a particular fabric to assist with hemming their garment. Wendy doesn't even reply, which visibly disturbs Vanessa. Vanessa nails Wendy in an interview for not wanting to speak up because she is too busy wondering if that will help or hurt her in regards to elimination.
Back at the workshop, Austin voices, to his team, his distress at having to direct the other designers. Sure, Austin is a big ol' nelly ham, but his emotions seem rather authentic. Of course, Wendy harps in her interview that, had her design been chosen -- which, might I add, Windy Pooper, it wasn't, because you wanted to dress the girl as a mixture of Anaïs Nin, Bettie Page, and Jenna Jameson; though, put that way, it sounds kind of sexy (even if Wendy would have still made her look like the mother of the bride that all of her designs resemble) -- she wouldn't care what her assistant designers thought. I really apologize for the train wreck that was that last sentence, but, folks, I've turned a corner. I officially hate Wendy Pepper. I tried to hold out, to be fair. But...she is my worst nightmare. I can't stand people like her. It's less about any specifically evil thing she has done and more about the state of dementia in which she drifts that allows her to be so damn nasty all the time and yet still believe that everyone around her has it easier or better than she does. Have you forgotten, Wendy, that they have to spend time with you? That's a fate worse than wearing your design for the first challenge. Seriously though, Wendy is acting so disgusted that Austin would actually be so callow as to care about her fucking rotten hollow feelings. She continues being nasty as Austin and Vanessa discuss the design. I would totally put up with Daniel Franco now instead of Wendy. I wish Wendy's bliss was in the Hudson River and she had to follow it there. This is a perfect time for Jay to announce in an interview that sometimes, when working in groups, people might not get along.
Kevin and Nora are shown heatedly discussing aspects of the project. I don't see Alexandra anywhere. Maybe she's sunning herself on the roof of Parsons. Nora is pressuring Kevin to pay more attention to time. Austin says in an interview that Nora is being really difficult and has gone so far as to disagree with Kevin's actual design, which he reminds us "is really up to Kevin, as the head designer of the team." Austin delivers this in such a way as to suggest that he has grown infinitely more comfortable with the idea of telling his fellow designers what to do. Jay seconds that Nora had a hard time processing that Kevin was in charge of the design. We hear her sigh, "We're gonna lose this competition." Kevin replies, "Thanks." This reminds me of when Kevin was so mean to sad Starr.
Jay's team is moving along smoothly. He mentions that Kara Saun is very helpful. Robert, he says, is just along for the ride. We see Jay at one of those infernal sewing machines at Parsons (which never seem to work properly); Robert is standing over him, not helping. Jay says that Robert is a great talker. Worker? Not so much. At the sewing machine, Robert has the energy of a boy with his chemistry set. He keeps fidgeting with the machine, practically giving Jay the vapors.
At 10:30 PM, an hour and a half before the workday is over, Alexandra and Nora realize that they can't find a pattern piece. Nora goes from calm to ape shit in like 0.5 seconds. Kevin comes in, and there's tension. He and Nora start bickering. They disagree about how long something will take to complete, and Kevin remarks, "I coulda had the skirt already done." This vaguely accusatory comment makes Nora all "I'm outta here," and she's out. Kevin tries to stop her. I'm not sure how much heart he's putting into his plea for Nora not to leave the workshop, since he never puts much oomph into anything he says. Ever. Nora goes into the hall, where she tells an innocent cameraperson, "I came here to compete. Not to be [bleep]ed around with by somebody." Like Oprah would say, if you're fighting about making the bed, you're not really fighting about making the bed. In other words, why is Nora so mad? It doesn't seem like any of the comments we saw were incendiary enough to create this kind of reaction. I guess we can chalk it up to the sleepless, pressured existence of the reality-show contestant. Even then, Nora is acting like someone just slapped her mom. Commercials.
Austin lets us know that it is now 11 PM, an hour before they have to leave the workshop. We see Austin giving Wendy Pepper an encouraging hug. Wendy shows Austin the work she has done on the bodice of the design, and Austin seems pleased with it. It doesn't look that impressive at this point, nor does it resemble the French Revolution idea he was selling. It's really not done at all yet, so let's save judgment for later. Austin gives Wendy a peck on the cheek after she shows him her work. Really, he's being so nice to her. How could she be so nasty about him in her interviews?
Meanwhile, Vanessa has impaled herself on something. We see her announce in her interview, "Houston, we have a problem." Wow, that line never gets old, huh? The sewing needle, it seems, snapped and was stuck in her finger. Now, half of the needle is stuck in her finger and they can't get it out. Kara Saun tells someone to get Austin's tweezers. I hope she means his cosmetic tweezers, because that's a beautiful thing. Show full of fashion-designing women and who's got the eyebrow tweezers? That's right: Mr. Austin Scarlett. Plus, they save lives. Austin, clearly not trusting anyone with his beauty tools, runs to the sewing room himself, clutching his kit. As Austin starts to perform surgery on Vanessa, who is looking pale and like she's about to bleed out (I love the phrase "bleed out." Maybe people could use that instead of "Houston, we have a problem." "I'm bleeding out"? ...I'll keep thinking), Robert is acting puppy-like and standing too close to the proceedings. He's creating a shadow over Vanessa's finger. Austin and Kara Saun tell him to go away. Austin carries it a step further and tells Robert to leave the room, lightly pushing him as he is saying it. Robert is in the way, but they are being a little dramatic. Robert relays pretty viscerally that Austin is being dramatic. By that, I mean, he's talking and I don't really understand the words, but I get the meaning. Austin then explains that Robert was being clumsy, and that, as Austin was asking Robert to back off, he -- uh oh, they're showing this in slow motion -- apparently pushed Robert. They are, in fact, showing the moment I just described five sentences earlier, but they need to talk about it some more. Robert kind of mocks Austin in his interview: "'Rob, just leave the room NOW.'" Then, he says he told Austin not to push him again. Austin explains via interview (I'm sorry I keep writing that word, so much. Every sentence they speak in real-time is punctuated by their interview interpretation of the thing they said a moment earlier. Just trying to convey that) that he didn't feel as if he violently pushed Robert. Robert tells Jay that he is going to "bitch-slap" Austin. Austin jokes that he is "bigger and stronger" than Robert is. Girls, you're both pretty. In other news, Vanessa lives. We see, amidst the Austin/Robert Push Expo '05, that Kara Saun has extracted the needle from Vanessa's bloody paw. It's a little disgusting.
Nora is still in the hallway, and she has LOST HER MIND. It seems that we were actually present for the conversation that created this explosion. I had assumed that they edited the part where Kevin tied her shoelaces together or something. No. Nora is mad because Kevin "has been in and out and he's been fumbling over things and just kind of, like, being very strange to me. And, I really think he's [bleep]ing with me. I have my eye on him." Oh my god. ParaNora then enters the Workshop and apologizes to Kevin. Then, she starts obsessing over the missing pattern piece. She chatters that she thinks it was stolen. Everyone hears her and is immediately annoyed. Kara Saun points out (in an interview) that people always think that something was stolen, instead of the more likely possibility that they've misplaced whatever it is. In the Workshop, Vanessa whispers to the others that she doesn't think anyone is stealing. In an interview, she likens the scene to "being in a total nut farm."
Vanessa interviews that she "responded to the stealing of the pattern by singing." That is an understatement. She starts play air pipe organ and screeching an impromptu song or incantation, I'm not sure. As a nod to Sarah Hudson's own awful song, Vanessa warbles something about Nora's being "on the verge of a nervous breakdown." She's SCREAMING. It's actually quite a display. She ends with "I can sew," which she holds an ear-piercingly long time, and then exits the Workshop. At this point, Jay warns, "Bitch is gonna get stabbed." They grow 'em funny in Whereversville, Pennsylvania. Nora interviews that she thinks Vanessa's singing was rude: "If you were in this situation, you would not want to hear a Broadway show about it." I wondered what show that song was from! Kara Saun replies that if she had been in that situation, she would have made the piece again instead of accusing everyone of stealing it. Nora totally loses her mind over this observation and says that she didn't accuse anyone of stealing it. It starts with a huffy "If I had accused you, you would have heard the words coming from my mouth." Uh, we did, Nora. Then, she absolutely dissolves and starts crying and mumbling: "I just don't know why Kara Saun had to say that to me!" She's totally Sally Field right now, down to her brown football-helmet hair. By the end of it, everyone -- including Kara Saun -- is trying to calm Nora down. Austin interviews that Nora did accuse them all of stealing the pattern, and Kara Saun simply called her on it. Jay is fanning Nora with a cardboard box, and Robert is trying to talk her off of her ledge. Alexandra asks them to not talk about her like she's not there! Just kidding. She doesn't say anything at all.
Kevin surmises that Nora needs to grow up, and that three hours were wasted on her crying. Well, when we got back from the commercial break, it was established that they only had one hour left in the Workshop.... Anyway, Nora interviews that her crying jag allowed her to focus. Then, they get to work for the remaining one/three hours remaining. Austin says, "Goodbye, dress." And, they leave for the night.
The morning, the designers wonder how elimination will take place that day. Austin finds it "tricky," because they worked as teams, and Alexandra adds that the losing designer or the entire losing team might be eliminated. Nora has an idea: "I think I'm going to be going home today." She thinks that the team leader will be given the option of eliminating someone and that she will get the axe, "although [she] saved Kevin's ass by making him do work." Her take on her breakdown? "I had to psych out a little bit last night. It was the only way to get through." Oh my, Dillusionora. That was not a "psych out" that we witnessed. A "psych out" doesn't usually draw so many people into its sticky, highly dramatic web. time, keep your psych outs in your psyche. Then, Nora anticlimactically bets no one in particular a whopping $10 that if she is eliminated today, she will not cry. Are you psyching us out again, Nora? She usually seems much cooler than this. She is the youngest person there; maybe this is all just a little too much pressure for her.
At Parsons, sexy Tim Gunn, resplendent in his monochromatic blue suit and tie, welcomes the designers. He reminds them that they have two hours remaining to work. As well, because this is the L'Oreal challenge, they have to make sure that the hair and makeup they create supports their design. He gives them a "Carry on," and he's off.
Nora, draping a mannequin, dryly says, "We had a really fun time last night. That's why we're all in a good mood." Alexandra wisely sticks to her habit of not saying anything at all.
Austin -- at a sewing machine, with curlers in his hair (you've come a long way, Baby!) -- explains that he is completing the final touches on his design. When he gets back to the Workshop, Vanessa tells him that, though she doesn't want him to "get cross" with her, she is sewing down this massive ribbon that is at the waist of their dress. Austin totally gets cross and steps on that idea. Then, Vanessa holds up the ribbon (which sticks with their Little Bo Peep motif) and whispers to the camera, "Completely disgusting." Wendy, in a shot with Austin working in the back, looks off-camera and makes a really annoyed face. I'm assuming she was looking at Vanessa's display.
Tim Gunn flips over the bodice of Jay's design. It's on the mannequin, and is a black leather corseted bodice, with a plunging neckline, a stiff upturned vinyl collar, and feathers at the shoulders. It looks pretty cool, and it's a neat merger of both Jay's and Kara Saun's styles. It's got the sleek, low-cut look of a Kara Saun dress, but the punk/asymmetrical look of Jay's designs. Tim says that the bodice is "a work of art in itself. Incredible!"
Now, on to hair and makeup. We hear Jay tell a hairdresser that he wants his model to have cornrows. Since each of the designers chose a model, each team gets a choice of three models to wear their design. Austin's team chooses Morgan. As slow-motion shots of Morgan acting all kinds of crazy are shown, Jay explains that Morgan has been difficult, dramatic, moody, and, uh yeah, crazy. We see that Austin is summoned to counsel Morgan because she is crying about something. He takes a frantic elevator ride to see her. Robert, meanwhile, interviews that Austin can overreact to things. They could have picked a better example for this. Morgan could provoke just about anyone. Morgan is upset because she is being asked to dye her hair red, but has been booked for a job the week for which she is supposed to be blonde. That actually sounds pretty fair. I wouldn't cry about it, stupid Morgan, but I would certainly balk at having my look changed if it was going to cost me future employment. However, under the gaze of the cameras and all of the people paying attention to her, Morgan relents: "Fuck it. Just dye my hair." Why do they persist with this lunatic? As the girls are being made up, we get to see all of the lovely L'Oreal products used to make it happen. Eventually, Morgan's hair is a muted strawberry blonde. Nothing to freak out about.
Austin takes another frantic elevator ride back to the Workshop, during which we once again hear Robert interview that Austin is a drama queen. Austin keeps pushing the buttons in the elevator. We all know that does nothing, Austin. He keeps doing it, though, and while the Austin Button Montage plays out, Jay interviews in his mink stole and Björk buns that everyone is exhausted, which brings out their worst behavior. He concludes, "And I think, 'Yeah, bring it on.'"
It's time for the runway show. Heidi presents our judges: Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and Sarah Hudson. Nina Garcia does not want to be sitting by Sarah Hudson. I decide to subscribe to Elle. They make Heidi plug Sarah's album. Heidi says that the challenge was about teamwork and leadership, two necessary characteristics of a successful designer. But, don't you get to pick your teams in the real world? And, I mean pick your teams. Nine people do not make a talent pool. To me, this challenge is best described in the words of Tim Gunn: "It's called 'make it work.'" Make it work with your crappy team and the model you're stuck with because the show is in five minutes. However, it was still a thrilling challenge to watch, so I guess that's just a question of semantics. Before the show begins, Heidi says that the winner of the challenge will be the designer of the winning look. So, Austin, Jay, or Kevin are the only potential winners.
The show begins. Morgan's first, wearing Austin's design. It's very pretty. More milkmaid than French Revolution. It's pure white with blue trim. Lots of lace. Morgan's hair is kind of French Revolution. Also, the front of the dress is translucent, revealing Morgan's panties and garters in a kind of prostitute-like way. Otherwise, though the design is pretty, I don't see the things Austin discussed with Sarah. As well, I don't see the trademark "Lost Girl" bullshit that she told everyone about in the beginning. Austin disagrees, I think. He calls the dress "a glorious masterpiece of design." Wendy interviews that she doesn't think the dress is Austin's strongest design, but that she sees Sarah responding to it; so she's not sure. Also, she reserves judgment because Sarah picked Austin and not Wendy. See? That's the Wendy Pepper Dichotomy! She, for just a moment, was totally reasonable.
God, they're playing that girl's awful song. Kevin's design is . It reminds me of something from Kidd Video. It's a very bright pink, with a bustled skirt. The front of the skirt is cut thigh-high. The neckline of the dress has asymmetrical ties and feathers and stuff all over it. Also, she is wearing makeshift leg warmers and neckties are tied around her legs and flapping all around. Kevin interviews that rock and roll can be tattered; it just has to be cool. He's got the tattered part down. The hair on their model, Melissa, is pretty cool. It's cornrows on the side of her head, with a big multi-colored Mohawk on top. Her makeup is severe, with bright pink eye shadow liberally used. Nora interviews that she thought the dress looked great.
Erin is modeling Jay's design. The corset bodice described earlier is being worn over tight black pants cut at the calf. There's a skirt that essentially creates bustles on both hips. It's brightly colored and shredded. When Erin reaches the end of the runway, she removes the skirt like a belt (just like Jay described in his pitch to Sarah). The pants beneath are very slim and black with buckles and little asymmetries all along them. Pretty cool. I'm remembering that someone mentioned on the forum that Sarah Hudson does not have the body to pull off this design. Whoever that was, you were right. You have to have pretty skinny legs to pull off pants cut tightly on your calf. As well, they are just a really slim fit altogether. It's a pretty hard outfit for anyone to really sell. Erin look good, though. When she turns around, we see really cool stitching on the back of the bodice. It looks like there's some sort of shamrock on her ass as well. Her hair is cornrowed on the right side, as Jay had earlier requested. She has a multi-colored bouffant piled high on her head. The interest of her makeup is a bright red, shiny lipstick and silver eye color. Kara Saun interviews that she, Jay, and Robert had a nice dynamic together.
The judges are tabulating scores. Heidi is just staring at one of those Project Runway judge's cards. I guess it's not in her contract that she has to write. Jay, Kara Saun, and Robert are dismissed, because Jay's design is neither first nor last. It's first in my book, Jay!
Kevin and Austin and their teams are left on the runway. Austin, wearing a lavender matador's outfit, clutches the hands of Vanessa and Wendy. The models come back onstage. Heidi asks the designers to talk about their creations. Kevin blandly repeats the Edwardian bit, and says that he feels his dress is very "sterile." He can sound so creepy sometimes. Austin says that he combined his ideas of eighteenth-century princess and little girl.
Heidi asks Michael Kors to describe the importance of teamwork. Michael says that leading a team and moving "foward" [sic] require the ability to weed out the weak members of your team. Heidi tells Kevin and Austin that they must say who was the weakest member of each of their teams. Austin says that he doesn't think he could do that, because he loves Vanessa and Wendy. Then, he starts to cry the most dramatic, yet strangely patrician cry ever. It's really kind of beautiful. Commercial break.
After the break, Heidi clarifies that everyone will be saying whom they felt was the weakest on their team. Nora chooses Kevin, because he wasted time. Alexandra chooses Kevin as well. Kevin then reveals that Nora lost a pattern piece and was crying for "five hours." Nora repeats that getting so upset allowed her to work harder, but Michael Kors is not buying it. Obviously, Kevin chooses Nora. Nora interviews that Kevin gave the judges a bunch of "bullshit," which makes me think he has been stretching the length of her time in the bell jar.
Wendy says that Austin "could have done a better job at leadership." Austin very quickly turns his to the side to glare at Wendy. Luckily, his matador costume includes a thick black lace ascot, which undoubtedly saved him from the whiplash that should have resulted from this move. He interviews that "that is complete bullshit," because Wendy never asked him any questions. Vanessa says that she would choose herself as the weakest link, because she is the worst sewer. Vanessa interviews that she knew she was fucked as soon as the "verbal diarrhea" came out of her mouth. Before he chooses, Austin says that he felt he was a good leader. Then, he chooses Vanessa because she can't sew. He does say that she is inspiring and talented, which is nice.
The judges deliberate. Sarah loves Kevin's design. Michael Kors agrees that Kevin's design is image-conscious. Sarah says that Austin's design is not the color they discussed, nor is the hair the same as they had agreed on. Meanwhile, Vanessa is comforting a crying Austin backstage. Michael Kors is disgusted that Vanessa would call herself out. He says that you have to find a way of making yourself the strong element of the team. Nina Garcia announces, "This is a competition." Backstage, Nora is ready to pack her bags. It sounds like she'll go nuts on the judges if they eliminate her. Michael Kors voices the audience's confusion about the disintegration of Kevin's team. Something happened besides what we saw and what they told the judges. Backstage, Nora and Kevin are bickering. Nora says that Kevin could not have finished without her, and he says that he would have finished faster without her.
The designers having come back onstage, Sarah chooses the winning design: Kevin's. He is the winner of the challenge. Nora looks really unhappy. Wendy is "in." Alexandra is "in." Austin is "in." He's really relieved. Nora and Vanessa are left. Heidi says that Vanessa sold herself short, and Nora cracked under pressure. Nora is "in." Heidi tells Vanessa that she essentially eliminated herself by calling herself the weakest. Her reply? "Can I go now?" Heidi practically has to tackle her on the runway to get a handshake and say "Auf Wiedersehen."
Vanessa interviews very nakedly, "I don't know what to say. I guess I fucked it up." Austin has thrown himself on a sofa and is sobbing backstage. Vanessa just kind of looks at him. After Jay gives her a kiss on the cheek, she says, "I feel like I should be singing, but I'm not quite sure what to sing." That's actually a pretty beautiful thing to say. I don't know why, really. It seems like something said at the end of an old-school weeper movie. Vanessa concludes that she is really disappointed she didn't make it to Fashion Week. There's always Houston Fashion Week. I think it's the first week of February at the Galleria.