The challenge this week is presented by Heidi on the runway. She brings out a group of everyday women. They have all recently lost a significant amount of weight, and are wearing their favorite outfit pre-weight loss. So, the designers' challenge is to create an everyday look for the ladies, using the materials from before they lost weight.
Meanwhile, Jack begins to suffer from a staph infection in his face that made his lip swell like crazy. He calls his doctor, who recommends aggressive treatment, so Jack tearfully leaves the show. Before his dress form has even cooled, though, Tim brings back Chris March!
Some of the designers have a pretty easy time, while others are stumped from the get-go. Steven works with a lady's white polyester wedding dress. Hideous. Chris is behind everyone else in terms of progress on his design, so he is allowed to work overnight in the workroom.
Ricky's model tells him that she feels pretty in his design and he starts crying. AND he cries about it again in an interview. Don't anybody loan Ricky your Terms of Endearment DVD. There could be problems.
On the runway, the highlights are Christian, Kevin, and Jillian. Jillian doesn't even use the original garment, but the judges don't seem to care since the dress she made is so good. Kevin turns a blazer into a really sexy top that the model really seems to love. Christian updates his client's jeans and black shirt look without offending her rather staid preferences. He wows the judges and is chosen as the winner of this challenge. He gets immunity for the challenge!
The bottom three are Chris, Steven, and Elisa. Chris is once again told that his work is too costume-y. Elisa's design looks like her, but it doesn't look like the client. Patrick Robinson, the head designer for Gap and the guest judge, thinks that perhaps Elisa was pushing her own ideas onto her client. Steven's outfit is a mess. It looks like a French maid outfit, or so say all of the judges. Michael Kors is practically speechless. Heidi still has her voice, though, and she informs Steven that he is out.
Previously: The designers created modern collections from outdated trends. Chris missed the memo about the "modern" part and got booted for his irrelevant, costume-y outfit, while Jillian won the challenge.
Here we are, and it's morning at the New Gotham apartments. Jillian is eating some tasty-looking pastry, which surprises me. I mean, she's thinner than the models. How do pastries fit into that lifestyle?
Sweet P laments, via interview and in the apartment, the elimination of Chris. She loved him, and feels that there will be a void in the workroom now that he's gone. His energy was joyous and delightful and she thinks it really sucks that he won't continue in the competition. Hear, hear.
In the boys' apartment, Jack is holding a cold compress to his mouth. Uh-oh. Is it just me, or has news of this moment been impossible to avoid? I tried my best to avoid it, but the scene with him crying was shown during the previews for the season, and it was talked about virtually everywhere. Anyway, I already knew something weird was going to happen with Jack, and a cold compress is never a good sign. Jack wonders aloud to Kevin if he can sew with one hand for a day, while covering his apparently deformed face. Jack then interviews (looking totally normal) that for a few days, he has had what he thought was a pimple in his nose. It's interesting that Jack looks to be preparing to tell us about a grave health matter, yet still seems embarrassed to admit that he may have had a pimple. Then, back in the apartment, we see a glimpse of his face without the hand. He looks bad. It's like The Joker; his upper lip is swollen to the point of immobility. I'm also reminded of Meg Ryan circa 2002. I'm just being descriptive here; I don't find his situation funny at all. He continues his interview, explaining that he has had several staph infections before. He hopes that this flare-up isn't a staph infection, but he's concerned. With good reason -- from what I've heard, the recovery from a staph infection is pretty arduous. (I can't stop writing "staph infection.")
Jack makes a joke to Kevin about having collagen injected. Then we see Ricky and Rami sitting around, and offscreen, Christian (I think) mumbles, "I'm tired." Ricky says, "Get over it. Let's go." If you weren't listening closely, it really looked like Ricky told Jack to "Get over it." I'm no Ricky fan -- for real, the crying is killing me -- but let the record show that he didn't tell Jack to "get over" his staph infection.
At Parsons, Heidi greets all of the designers. She's wearing a tight black top with a black-and-white houndstooth skirt. She looks like she's wearing Bear Bryant's hat on her ass. I don't like it. She says that before she tells them about their challenge, she will bring out their models. Then we see what appears to be the silhouette of a samurai warrior behind the runway scrim. The music gets all ominous, and the designers seem a little freaked; Christian looks actually physically afraid. Sweet P interviews that she thought it was a "crazy fairy princess" or a transvestite. Those things aren't really similar at all.
Then a lady walks onto the runway in a blindingly white, really huge wedding dress. Seriously. Other ladies, also wearing big clothes, follow her. Jillian remarks that the clothes are "tremendous" and they're hanging on the women. Steven interviews that, at first, he thought maybe the models were the sisters or mothers of the other designers. Then he realized that he didn't know any of the women. Surprise! Today, Steven, you're being reunited with your real mother! She's the one in the David Byrne blazer!
Heidi says that the women onstage will be the models for the challenge, and the designers have probably noticed that they're wearing oversized clothing. The clothes don't fit because each of the women has recently lost a significant amount of weight. The clothes that they're wearing were their favorite outfits before they lost the weight. Okay, this could be cool. God knows I love a makeover. Heidi has the women introduce themselves; they tell their names and how much weight they lost. Laura, the wedding dress lady, has lost 136 pounds. Holy crap. The designers are appropriately impressed by this. Sylvia has lost 58 pounds. Erica has lost 60 pounds. You just had to show up Sylvia, didn't you? Tracy has lost 102 pounds. Elyse has lost 48 pounds. Sweet P gives such a huge reaction to each of these. I mean, if I lost 136 pounds, I'd want people's jaws to drop too. I don't feel like she's putting on at all, and I really like Sweet P for this. Lisa has lost 56 pounds. Penny has lost 65. Kerry has lost 45 pounds, and actually doesn't look particularly happy to be here. Ory has lost 139 pounds, and apparently the rest of her name. Alicia has lost 160 freaking pounds. Chris has lost 100 pounds. Naturally, the women all seem thrilled with their weight loss. Heidi says, "All right, I think we have to have a big applause for all these women."
The challenge? Heidi says that the designers have to make new outfits for the women, using their old clothes as raw materials. Kevin seems immediately excited. "I love it" are his exact words. Christian interviews that, holy shit, he's going to die. This is so not him at all. Not fierce enough for you, Christian? Heidi has the button bag, and will start with Laura in the wedding dress to determine which designer is with which woman. I like this -- it's uncomfortable when they get to choose from normal people. Most of these ladies were probably chosen last for the kickball team their whole lives; like they need to be judged on Project Runway.
Before Heidi pulls out the first button, Kevin interviews that everyone was anxious to see who would get the lady in the wedding dress, because the look of the dress was really "weird." And the wedding dress goes to…Steven. Normally, I'd say this was perfect -- weird look with weird designer. Steven doesn't seem happy, though. Getting the wedding dress felt like "death on a stick." The mannequins are like, "You got a problem with things on a stick?"
Sylvia is with Jack. Erica is with Jillian. Tracy is with Elisa. Elyse is with Kevin. All of the designers are giving very nice smiles to their models. Lisa is with Rami. Penny is with Ricky. Kerry is with Christian. Ory is with Victorya. Alicia is with Kit. That leaves Chris for Sweet P. The models leave the runway, and the designers go to the workroom to get some more details from Tim. Seriously, Jack's face looks really fucked up. In addition to what I think have been one or more cosmetic procedures performed on his mug (Botox? Permanent eyeliner? Cheek implants?), this infection is doing a real number on the poor guy. He looks kind of like a duck right now. Jack Quackenworth.
In the workroom, Tim tells them that they will have until midnight that evening to work. Then he notices that Chris March left a note on his dress form for all of the other designers. "Sweet and wonderful Chris," Tim calls him. Here's what it read: "To All-- 'I had this incredible dream that I went to a faraway place -- It was beautiful. And you, and you, and you were there. Still, all I kept saying is, I want to go home. And they sent me here…' Keep Going! -- Chris And to Tim Gunn -- Thanks for being a guardian angel on Earth." Wow, that's really dear. At around the time this episode was airing, I was at Carnegie Hall to see Kiki & Herb's holiday show. As I was taking off my coat, I looked up in the mezzanine and saw Chris sitting there. He wasn't talking to anyone and just staring ahead, so I was thinking, "Poor Chris." The show was good, except Kiki flubbed so many lines that I'm worrying that she has early-onset Alzheimer's. I saw Rufus Wainwright there too! Anyway: Tim reads the letter aloud (omitting the little postscript to himself), and by the end of it, Sweet P is crying. Tim says that Chris will be missed, but that the eliminations will only get harder.
Tim tells the designers that their design for the challenge needs to be suitable for everyday wear, and also express the designer's point of view. They all get thirty minutes to work with their models. The ladies come in, and there's a lot of excitement. Penny tells Ricky that she feels like a little kid. Victorya, who seems colder and colder all the time, says without looking at Ory that they want to create something that shows off Ory's figure. Ory says that she would like something that gives her length, though she already looks pretty tall. She seems nervous around Victorya. I would be too. Victorya interviews that when designing for "normal" women, the rules of design are completely different. I'm starting to find that sentiment a little annoying. Fine, when you're designing for a fashion model, there are certain things that you don't have to worry about, but a bad outfit can make even a model-perfect body look lumpy or imperfect. It's like they don't want to admit that it's their clothes that will look bad if they eff it up. Instead, it's because the model was "normal." Your clothes can still suck on a skinny girl, Victorya. Ory holds up her dress, which dwarfs her, and tells Victorya that she has a lot to work with.
Kevin is working with Elyse, and she says it's "scary" to be in her old clothes. Kevin interviews that he is so excited for this challenge; he loves to make clothes for real people. I believe him. They're trying to be nice, but some of the other designers are talking to their clients like they've got shit on their shoes.
Elisa wants to make Tracy look sexy and beautiful. She describes what she's going for with some non-words like "fwah." Tracy seems pretty amused by her, though, so I think we have a good match-up. Elisa interviews that challenges like this are what excite her about fashion.
Here's Christian working with Kerry. He interviews that she gave him a ton of stipulations. They are as follows: no prints, no colors, no dresses, no skirts, no arms showing. She wears jeans and a black top every day. Ouch. Christian says he is very scared because Kerry doesn't like anything. Christian doesn't really appear to have a soul to me sometimes. ...All the time. He coolly tells Kerry that they'll be fine.
Steven is fucked. He clearly has no idea what to do with this wedding dress, and this is before he has said a single word. Sitting with Laura, he just kind of describes the dress. Like, "Buttons." And "Here's a zipper." He's lost his words. Poor Steven. It's hard too, because even if a woman is looking much different and better, you can't really tell her that her wedding dress is a disaster. Steven is having problems creating an everyday piece out of white polyester satin that's sequined and beaded and covered in acetate lace. Understandable. Laura says she wishes him well, and he laughs that he will indeed need her well wishes.
Once the models are gone, Time reenters and informs them that they will have ten dollars for extra supplies at Mood. Steven still looks like he doesn't have a clue. I understand that none of this is easy, but come on! Maybe the dress could line something and you could repurpose the sequins, beads, and lace? It doesn't just have to be a different white dress.
At Mood, Steven still seems like a wreck. Jillian decides to make a dress of a fabric identical to the outfit of her client, rather than using the actual raw material for her outfit. Hmm. Tim tells Steven that he thinks he has the biggest challenge, and Steven agrees. He says that he plans on using the wedding dress mostly as trim for a whole other dress. Again, hmm. Steven decides to make a dress of black stretch fabric, with the white trim. He doesn't seem very sure of what he's doing, and neither am I.
Back at the workroom, we see Jack working. He interviews that he has a very clear idea of what he wants to do with Sylvia, but his lip is really becoming an issue. He seems totally fine in his interview. I'm guessing these interview spots were completed post-healing of pimple/staph invasion? Sweet P approaches him quietly and asks him if he's in pain. Oh my God, it's so hugely swollen. ...His face! He is very committed to this process. I don't consider myself that much of a baby or anything, but I would be sprinting to the ER if my face were swelling like that. Jack doesn't really answer Sweet P. He just tells her that the treatment for a staph infection is really intensive, and he thinks he would have to leave the show to get it. Sweet P interviews that his mouth looks horrible. She thinks it's kind of scary.
In another room, Jack calls his doctor. He describes what's going on with his face and says he's 95 percent sure that he has a MRSA. Sounds hardcore, huh? Jack interviews that it's important for him to have people know that he has been HIV-positive for 17 years, and his immune system is not suppressed at all. This is an entirely unrelated health issue. I hope that I don't sound ignorant here, but I would have thought it did have something to do with his preexisting condition. Jack tells us that anyone could get the dangerous bacteria that he has. Great.
While sewing, Christian says, "Poor Jack." Victorya and Sweet P also express concern and sympathy over Jack's situation. Back to Jack, who says his doctor wants him to come in immediately. He starts to get emotional and says that he worked very hard to get there and does not want to have to quit for a stupid reason. He returns, still emotional, to the workroom and starts working. Tim enters and asks everyone how they're doing. Jack tells Tim that he needs to talk to him privately, and the two of them leave. Jillian doesn't get what's going on, and Sweet P says, "It's an infection," and just sort of indicates her face in a vague way. She interviews that Jack was working very hard, but the show "just isn't as important as your fucking health."
Tim and Jack return, and Tim has everyone gather round. Jack is crying pretty hard at this point. God, my heart is kind of breaking for him. This must suck so huge. Tim says that Jack has something to say to them, and Jack explains that he has this infection and needs to have it treated. Wow, this is really sad. Practically all the designers are crying. Jack says the show is the most fun that he has ever had, but he just doesn't feel comfortable being there anymore. He interviews that he was upset about not being able to continue this wonderful experience. He gets big hugs from everyone, and sweet Jesus his lip is so swollen. Jack hopes to develop further what he has learned there. Then we see him walk down the hallway of Parsons, away from the workroom, as the audio of his crying can still be heard. That's horrible.
In the workroom, everyone is sad but keeps working. Kit interviews that it was hard to keep working while emotional. Then, I want to kill myself: Ricky is wearing high heels, and making tight lady jeans. Apparently he's the same size as his model, and he's still wearing his kicky chapeau. I seriously want to disembowel Ricky right now, I'm having such a reaction to what he's wearing. He says he just wants to see how the jeans look with heels, but I think he's just an attention whore. Not that all these people aren't, but COME ON. He just seems like such a simp. I can't stand it. Ricky interviews that he wants to give his client a new outlook on who she is, because isn't that what clothing does for people? Yes, especially disguises. I wear heels, jeans, and a stupid hat when I want people to think I'm a whiny fashion designer. Whatever, he's voicing a lovely sentiment. I'm just stuck in some weird hate spiral with him.
With six hours remaining in the day, Tim Gunn enters and asks everyone to gather round. He tells them their clients are there for a fitting -- but he has another surprise for them. In the interests of keeping the show as competitive as possible, they've brought back -- Chris March! Chris enters, and everyone is ecstatic. Kevin interviews that Chris has a laugh that makes you smile, and we get a sample. It is a sweet laugh, if high-pitched and startling. There's been a lot of discussion about whether it was fair to bring back Chris; I've heard some people say he was eliminated for his design, so why should he be brought back? I get that. But I think the producers want whoever wins this challenge to have competed against ten other designers, instead of being one step closer to the finish line solely because one guy got sick. Anyway, so much for Chris looking sad at Carnegie Hall! Maybe he was sad because we weren't at home watching. We have DVR, Chris! It was a concert hall full of gays, what do you think we did when we got home? Sweet P is thrilled that Chris is back, and says simply, "I love him."
Since Chris is getting such a late start, Tim says, he will have the option of working through the night. Ouch. He was just eliminated. He's probably still functioning on zero sleep.
The clients enter for their fittings. We see Chris and Sylvia meet. Chris interviews that he found the challenge interesting because he has dieted an awful lot. He says that he calculated it, and he has lost and gained 1500 pounds in his life. Wow. And...wow.
Rami's model seems really excited about his progress. Kit, meanwhile, has made a dress of her model's elastic slacks. It looks really cute so far. Christian decides to take in his model's jeans and crop the legs. He suggests to her that they pad her butt, because he's not a miracle worker and can't make her have an ass. That's so slyly complimentary. Anyone would love to hear that. Except, of course, people who are self-conscious about having skinny bottoms. I don't understand those people, though.
Steven's model asks him why he chose black material, and he answers, "Black is what I do." Steven interviews that the fitting is going well and he may actually be done on time. He doesn't sound completely convinced, though. Like, he's only sure if what he's saying is possible, not if it's true. "Am I lying?"
After the models leave, everyone starts sewing. Chris asks Steven what he's working with and he dramatically reveals the wedding dress, which gets a big laugh from Chris. "Can I have it?" Chris asks. That's a funny thought. Chris might actually be the only one of the designers who would have big ideas for the wedding dress, but I have a feeling they would be absurdly over the top. Like, his model would be some angel flamenco dancer. Kit tries on the dress and says that she feels like the Corpse Bride.
Couple of questions: Why would someone allow their wedding dress to get all chopped up for a TV show? Don't people usually cherish those? All the designers think it's hideous and made of crappy fabric, but Laura wore it as her favorite outfit. So, ostensibly she doesn't think it's gross, yet she's going to let it be destroyed. I suppose she's hoping for a really amazing new outfit in return, but that's a pretty big chance to take with your wedding dress. And who's to say that she would even get to keep it? Also, isn't Steven working on a COMPLETELY different challenge than the others? I think he's not showing much imagination in repurposing the gown, but it's much easier to make an everyday outfit out of something that was already an everyday outfit than it is to make one out of a tacky wedding dress. It almost seems unfair. Chris thinks that he could make a million great things with the dress.
Victorya asks Sweet P how she's doing, and she says that she's sewing too fast. Victorya replies that it would be great if she had that problem. That was kind of friendly and sweet. Maybe Victorya's not as icy as she has seemed prior to now.
Later, Tim comes in to inspect and advise. He asks Christian, "So, how fierce is it?" Oh God. It's pretty fierce, Christian replies. "It's kind of a big deal." Tim thinks that it's very "Christian." Tim seems confused by Elisa's design. He thinks that there's too much of Elisa in the design and maybe it won't work for the client. Sweet P interviews that Elisa's dress is a little wacky and is not her client's style.
Tim approaches Steven. He's only using the wedding dress for the cuffs and the collar of his dress. Tim thinks that Steven is "very courageous" for discarding his dress so totally. If he had his Tim Gunn Decoder Ring, Steven would know that "very courageous" actually means "batshit crazy." Chris tells Tim that he's going to make a sailor outfit. Tim advises that Chris "allude" to a sailor outfit and not fall into the costume-y trap. From your lips to God's ears, Tim. A sailor outfit? You actually just said that, Chris.
Then Tim tells Chris to make as many decisions as possible right now, instead of waiting until the middle of the night when he will have less mental faculty. "Because I've made more bad decisions at three o'clock in the morning than I can list." Slut. Chris tries to retain his composure, but starts laughing into his design. Kevin laughs too. And Steven says, "Give us names. We want names." Oh God, I love Tim Gunn. "I really am an old fart," he replies while blushing just a little bit. "My brain didn't even go there."
Chris asks him if he'll come back to the workroom at 4 AM. "I just may. After I've made my bad three-o'clock decision." It really doesn't get any better than that, does it?
With an hour remaining before everyone but Chris goes home, everyone is scrambling. Christian brags that he's finished with his outfit, and Sweet P says that she wants to know if it's against the law to kill a 12-year-old. If only Stacy Estrella, the first eliminated designer of Season Three and an attorney, were here; she'd probably know. Chris says that Sweet P would have to wait until Christian turned 12 anyway. It's getting very junior high up in there. Christian replies, "Don't they know that I'm better than all of them?" He gets a little bit of a look from Sweet P but no other response. The night is over and all the other designers leave Chris behind. He says he doesn't want to get eliminated twice in a row. Yeah, that would suck.
The morning, we see Chris sawing some logs on the couch near the workroom. He interviews that, after he woke from his nap, he couldn't remember if he'd made anything. I think we've all had the feeling of burning the midnight oil to finish a project and, the minute you've had a little rest or backed away from the work, feeling like what you did was totally weird or was done by another person entirely. It must really suck to feel that way and have to be TV-ready all the time.
Everyone starts working. We hear Kevin mumble, "I wrote the measurements on my hand and then I showered." Not good. Kit and Christian have this little battle of "mmm-hmm"s that is really funny. Chris is delirious. His outfit is done, but he's not sure it's good. Meanwhile, Steven can't finish his dress. The stress of the moment has made him seem even more like a serial killer than usual. It's weird that I'm saying that and still finding him really cute. Suddenly, I'm starting to understand all those women from 48 Hours who marry men in the pen. Kidding -- county jail is as far up the river as I'll go. Stay clean, Steven.
Tim enters and says that he's sending in their clients. They will have two hours to fit their models and send them through the hair and make-up machines. Rami tells his model that her waist looks tiny. Alicia tells Kit that the dress she has made is something she would buy on her own. Kevin thinks Elyse looks fantastic in his outfit, and he feels like he has a good chance of winning the competition.
Jillian says that she thinks it's pretty clear she didn't use the material from her client's outfit to make her garment, and she thinks the judges will know, but she also thinks she'll get respect for making a great-looking dress.
Christian is really happy with his outfit. He interviews that he thinks it's one of the best. He says that Chris's outfit is "pure costume." Steven's is "god-awful hideous." Elisa's is also "god-awful hideous." Then he says that thing about the judges might die over it or they might die because of it. Hasn't he already said that? I'm sure he has. That's annoying. Stop saying that.
Elisa says that Tim was worried about her outfit, but her client really liked it. She says that the client is the "ultimate judge." That's the sort of thing we say when we think we're about to be eliminated.
Shit. Ricky interviews, while crying, that working with Penny has reminded him why he works in fashion. In the workroom, we see her tell him that she feels really good about herself, and he immediately starts spraying tears out of his head. "Thank you." I CAN'T TAKE HIM ANYMORE. Dead to me.
Kevin offers to help Steven because his garment is so unfinished. Then he does something he says he has never done before -- he uses glue on the hem. He interviews that it made him sick to his stomach. When Tim comes to the workroom to get the designers, Steven's still not finished. Victorya helps him finish, too! Okay, I take back what I said about her. She's misunderstood. Commercials.
The question of the week is as follows: "Which designer from a past season would you want to return?" A) Daniel Vosovic, B) Jay McCarroll, C) Laura Bennett, D) Santino Rice. Hmm; I only know that I wouldn't say B. The rest would be cool to have back.
On the runway, Heidi arrives, wearing a mini-dress that I think is pretty damn ugly. It's a pattern that almost looks like faux bois crossed with jungle, both of which are personal unfavorites of mine. You're in or you're out. She introduces Michael, Nina, and Patrick Robinson, who is head designer for the Gap.
The show begins with Chris, in Sweet P's design. It's really cute. It's an olive-colored halter dress that falls just below the knee. Originally, it was a huge muumuu-looking garment. It looks great now. The bust is feminine and dainty, but has a strong structure to it. And these ladies have lost a lot of weight and all, but let's be real, they're not looking to hang their junk out everywhere. There's still a modesty to this dress, while it's also kind of sexy and flirty. There's pleating along the bust that creates a draping quality over Chris's hips and waist. It's so incredibly flattering. I'm not sure how it would look on a woman who had lost 100 pounds and didn't have the skin elasticity in her arms that Chris apparently has, but I'm going to assume that Sweet P knew what she was working with. She interviews that she's really happy with her design, particularly because the raw materials were so drab.
is Erika, Jillian's model. She does this incredibly awkward pose behind the scrim before she comes out. I know they're just having fun, but that looks awfully dorky. Erika is wearing a red halter dress with a low v-neck. There is a black seam that runs up the front of the dress behind the neck and down the front of the dress, which has a very slimming effect. I'm sure Erika would remind me that her losing a hell of a lot of weight also had a slimming effect. Touché, Erika whose comment I just made up. The dress falls below the knee and has a full, bouncy skirt. Jillian is very happy with the dress and feels that she made Erika look very elegant. Erika poses again before she leaves the runway by throwing one arm with a locked elbow above her head.
is Penny in Ricky's outfit. She looks like she's ready to go to the club. Tight jeans. One of those short dress tops, with an empire waist, champagne-colored. The neckline is plunging and has black trim with gold coins on it. It's a huge update from what she was wearing earlier -- sexy, but kind of trashy. Finally, though, Ricky seems to be showing a little proof of this lingerie-designing career we keep hearing about. It's very flattering to Penny and looks very well made. Ricky is proud to be a part of Penny's transformation.
Here's Sylvia in Chris's design. She looks like she fell off the bus of a touring production of Lil' Abner. The outfit, which was originally pants and a half-sleeve blouse, now consists of a sleeveless blue top with a seashell bust. It's coupled with a black skirt that has a red sash. There's this triangular panel of red at the center back that's in a sort of mermaid/kick pleat. It's ridiculous. Chris interviews that he's glad he got something completed in such a short amount of time.
Kerry is , wearing Christian's outfit. This looks good. Originally a long-sleeved black oxford shirt and jeans, the design has been transformed into a half-sleeve black tuxedo shirt and fitted, cropped jeans. Underneath the half-buttoned shirt, she's wearing a little tan t-shirt that stretches a couple of inches below the bottom of the shirt. It's so cute. Christian rightly adds that Kerry is a "pretty fierce walker." He says that, though his look was commercial, he feels that it had the most direction in terms of designer personality.
Victorya's design, worn by Ory, is . It's a cute little green cocktail dress. I feel like Victorya's raw materials were a real bitch and she still made something great out of it. Ory's original outfit was this green velvet tunic dress that could not have provided a lot of inspiration. The current version is knee-length, with half-sleeves and a pretty high neck that shows off Ory's collarbone. The bust is made with a non-velvet green fabric, which adds an interesting textural touch to the garment and accents Ory's newly svelte figure. This dress won't be winning any awards, but Victorya really tackled the meat of the challenge. I think she did a great job.
Tracy is in Elisa's design. The outfit was originally a long red shirt and black slacks; now it's a black dress with a short red jacket. Okay, before I say anything about the dress, I want to say that I know it's all wrong. This woman should not be wearing this. That said, it's a pretty fucking cool outfit. The dress has an asymmetrical skirt that kind of defies gravity and is bunched in weird places, and there's a longer slip that extends beyond the skirt. The jacket and skirt are longer in the back, creating a bustled effect. It's a very bohemian design and does not seem to reflect the client, but it's still really cool. Elisa interviews that Tracy has a wild side, which apparently Elisa's helping get some air. She also says Tracy has an "increased sexuality." She will be making love to her outfit later. Before she leaves the runway, Tracy does these awkward "rock out" signs with her hands that she was clearly prompted to do by someone. Fire that someone, Bravo.
Here comes Alicia in Kit's design. It's a dress with a high waist and a flowing skirt. Melon appears to be the primary color, though the original outfit was a black-and-white print blouse and black slacks. There are panels of the original blouse on the sides of the bodice of the dress, and criss-crossing panels of fabric on the bodice that are very flattering. The skirt is entirely melon, with a crinoline-like underskirt with the pattern of the original blouse that extends below the skirt. Kit likes the dress, but fears that it won't be fashion-forward enough for the judges.
Here's Elyse in Kevin's design. It's a very short dress over black leggings. The dress is strapless. There are three buttons along the front, as well as black stripes that create interest at the waist and accentuate the bust line. Kevin made this from a canary yellow blazer and a black top and pants. Kevin says that everyone was impressed when Elyse came down the runway because she was so confident. He feels like he made her look amazing -- like one of Charlie's Angels. She looks terrific, for sure.
Oh my, it's Steven's turn. Here comes Laura, or her grandmother, wearing a black dress with half-sleeves that end in white cuffs. There are white panels over each shoulder, creating a square neckline. There's also some scalloping at the neckline that's interesting, and…that's it. Otherwise, it's horrendous. It doesn't fit her well and it's SO OLD. I'm having a hard time figuring out who this design would be right for, but it certainly isn't Laura. ["Laura Bennett, maybe, but only if it's fitted properly, which this ain't." -- Sars] Steven says that he's not confident about his outfit. Poor guy, of course he isn't. He says it all got slapped together with "glue and a prayer." One of the two was not strong enough.
Rami's client, Lisa, arrives on the runway. She's wearing a high-waisted brown skirt and a white satin top. The top is sleeveless with a plunging neckline. It's super flattering, especially the skirt, which emphasizes her pert bottom and skinny waist. Rami says that a different side of Lisa came out on the runway. He must mean the odd, bouncy side who poses HARD with her big smile at the end of the runway. Weird. Rami likes what he put together, and notices that Lisa feels very confident in it.
All of the designers are onstage when Heidi starts calling names. Steven (I guess we know which group she's calling), Christian, Chris, Kevin, Jillian, and Elisa. The others are free to leave. The models return and stand by the remaining designers.
Heidi asks Elyse, Kevin's model, how she feels in her outfit. She loves it. She'd walk out wearing it if she could. Gap Patrick, whose hair is big and amazing, says that Elyse seemed very confident. Nina seconds this. Michael feels that the leggings weren't very imaginative, but he loves the rest of the outfit.
Elisa is asked to explain her design and she says that, since Tracy is a mom, she wanted to create a "day trousseau" for her. Fancy. Heidi asks Tracy how she feels, and she says that she feels "wonderful." That's not good enough for Heidi. She says that it doesn't look like Tracy -- she should be wearing something more classic. "Tell me more about myself, Heidi Klum," housewife and dieting mom Tracy is thinking right now. Patrick says that a designer has to make sure not to force his or her ideas onto a client. Michael thinks that the choppiness of Elisa's outfit was not flattering to Tracy. Nina agrees with all the criticisms. The outfit is very "Elisa," not so much "Tracy."
Heidi points out that Jillian didn't use the raw materials for her dress. Instead, she made it with $10 in supplies, which is almost even more impressive. Michael thinks it's a sexy dress, yet not inappropriate. Patrick likes the "hint of a corset" created by the black stripe on the dress. Nina wishes that Jillian had used the original shirt, but she thinks Erika looks sexy and tasteful.
Oh no, it's Steven's turn. He tells them that he used the wedding dress for the sleeves, the neckline, and the string of pearls that she's wearing. Michael says the dress left him speechless. Nina says he took his client from a wedding to a funeral. Michael thinks that Steven had really interesting fabric, but he reminds them that it was white polyester. But the beading was interesting, and Michael thinks he should have been able to make something from it. Nina thinks the black was a poor choice -- she looks like a French maid. Or a French maid at a funeral, says Michael. Der.
Patrick thinks that Christian really captured Kerry's personality. Michael thinks that it's very "Christian," yet it's commercial. Kerry says she's not taking off the outfit, which gets a laugh from everyone.
Chris seems like he's about to fall over from sleep deprivation. Sylvia says that she wanted something sexy and sophisticated, so she's happy with the outfit. Patrick thinks that Chris detracted from the top (which he likes) with all of the red accents in the skirt. Chris thought it would have been too dull for Sylvia's personality without the splash of color. Michael thinks it looks like Shirley MacLaine in Irma la Douce or Sweet Charity. In any event, one of the times she played a hooker with a heart of gold. Chris gets the reference, and giggles in sort of agreement. Michael thinks that Chris needs to consider clichés and avoid them.
Once the designers are gone, the judging commences. Michael thought Kevin's model, Elyse, really worked it and was confident. Patrick says that it's not easy to have someone be confident and comfortable in a bustier top, but Kevin accomplished that. Michael says that Christian really used Kerry's clothing, and created a great new outfit with it. Nina thought the clothes looked like Christian too. Patrick thinks that Christian is very young and cool. Michael thinks that Jillian's dress was impeccable. They acknowledge that she didn't use the original fabric; however, she made a gorgeous dress.
Nina didn't like Elisa's dress. She thought it looked like Elisa, not the client. Michael thought her outfit made Tracy seem short and stumpy. Michael was totally lost by Steven's dress. Patrick says that he was so excited to see the wedding dress transformed into everyday wear, and then…not so much. Nina emphatically agrees. Heidi, seeming a little baked, says that Nina was right on when she called Steven's dress a French maid outfit. They agree that Chris's top was nice, but the skirt was very costume-y. Michael brings up the Paris hooker thing again. We get it, you know a lot about whores.
With their decision made, the judges bring the designers back onto the runway. Commercials! And Daniel Vosovic receives a whopping 42 percent of the votes, America appears to still be nursing its crush on him. I understand.
Jillian is in. And the winner is…Christian. He smiles a little. Heidi tells him that he has immunity for the challenge! Crazy. He's more excited about that. He interviews that he was happy to win the challenge, because it showed that maybe he could be a commercial designer. He hugs Jillian backstage and says, "Finally, I won a fucking challenge." That's the spirit!
Kevin is in. Chris is in. Go take a nap! Elisa is told that her look was more about her than her client. Steven turned a joyful wedding dress into a French maid outfit that was boring and clichéd. Ouch. He looks really cute when he's getting insulted. I know, I know. It's weird. I felt the same way about French Stewart. It's not something I'm particularly proud of. I'm just telling the truth. Anyway, Steven's out. Elisa seems stunned, and leaves the runway. Steven quietly leaves the runway also. He hugs Jillian backstage. Tim says that they will miss Steven terribly, but it's time for him to clean up his shit. Steven interviews that he's not sure if he will become a recluse a la Greta Garbo. Huh? He doesn't know where he'll end up. You know, he was fun to have around. I think I'll miss him.