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The designers are challenged to create new looks for real people who are the friends of other real people (who nominated them for the makeover). Per usual, most of the designers are MORTIFIED that they are working with normals; except, oddly, for Gunnar. This challenge is perfect for him and his client is even more perfect. She's just a sweet lady who wants to look pretty, which, luck would have it, is exactly who Gunnar's target audience is. Ven is really put off by having to design for a plus-sized client, which is ironic since he is plus-sized. I understand that the genders dress differently, but he dresses himself so why does it seem like such a freaking Sisyphean feat to dress someone else like that? Seriously, he can't stop bitching about it.
Fabio's feeling really confident and he should because his client is adorable. Also, he gets to talk to his boyfriend, Jason, on Skype. The boyfriend is really cute, obviously. We finally get to see him speak and stuff and it's awesome! Nathan's client is looking for something that really verges on vulgar. Tim comes in and advises Gunnar to edit some of the colors that he has intended. Everyone is disappointed and offended by Ven, who talks about how his client has no style or shape. Alicia is working with pink and frilly materials, so she seems a little out of her element.
Maybe the editors are unfurling the Elena Redemption Arc? Even though she's her traditional abrasive self, it's inflected with a lot of humor. She backhandedly compliments Gunnar's design and he just laughs it off. Also, she works really well with her client. The clients come in for a fitting and they've already had their hair make-over. She's still a total animal though. Fabio's model loves his dress when she comes in for her fitting. Ven makes his poor girl feel really fat. It makes EVERYONE uncomfortable. Man, he really can't stop talking about how easy everyone else has it with their skinny models.
The day of the runway show, Ven is so rude to his girl. He makes her feel like a total cow. Is Ven not aware that he's double the size of any other designer on the show? It just seems like he wouldn't want to make anyone else feel like that. I mean, it's only fair to point out that his client also has the personality of a wet dishrag, but he's not exactly a glass of champagne.
Alice Temperley, British fashion designer, is the guest judge this week. Honestly, I think a lot of the dresses look pretty good. Gunnar's and Fabio's seem like highlights, though Christopher's look is really cute too. Melissa, Christopher, Elena and Alicia are safe after the show. Dmitry, Gunnar and Fabio have the high scores, while Ven, Nathan and Sonjia are in the bottom. While the winners are being praised, the losers go backstage and Alicia says to a whining Ven that his client's size is not the problem with his look. Awesome. Fabio wins the challenge! Yay! This is the best.
When it's elimination time, Heidi says that one or "maybe more" of them will be out. Then, she tells Nathan that he's out. He's a good sport about it but he's so upset. Sonjia is in. Then, it's just Ven on the runway. She tells him that he's in. Tim comes in and tells Nathan that he's sad to miss someone with as much character as him. Gosh, I wish we'd gotten to spend more time with him.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: The designers were creating pieces for a collection for the working woman. Gunnar was feeling a lack of respect from his fellow designers. Also, he's not a fucking tailor. Alas, he did receive some grief from the judges for his fairly dowdy look. Elena was a nightmare, which is no surprise. Melissa finally won a challenge! And, Raul was sent home again.
It's morning at the Atlas Building and it looks like no one wants to wake up. Melissa calls gently from her bed over to Elena and tells her that it's time to wake up. If Elena had screamed at me the way she did at Melissa during the last challenge, I'd let the bitch sleep, at least so long that she wasn't able to properly brush her hair before leaving. In the boys' apartment, Christopher (who I've been told I'm being too hard on; I say that he may be ultimately a fun and nice dude but the Andrea Runway Moment sticks out in my head as a particularly mercenary moment in the history of this show) is sleeping and Ven wakes him up by pulling his blanket down. He does NOT like that and kicks Ven. They both sort of laugh though so it's all in good humor. Christopher says, "God! Make me some coffee." Ven complies.
In the girls' apartment, Sonjia says that she thinks it's time to get rid of some of the guys. "Get some of these Silk Chiffonies out of here." OK, so I touched on this briefly during the last recap, but someone said "Silk Chiffonzies" in the beginning, which is so much better. And seriously, with as much manipulation as you know takes place behind the scenes, someone couldn't have said, "Hey, go back to that other way of saying that. It's better?" Bugger.
Dmitry tells Fabio and Gunnar that he is really ready to win one of the challenges. He has been close a couple of times and he just thinks it should happen now. Fabio makes a lot of sympathetic grunt-like acknowledgments. Gunnar just sort of stares with that half-grin of his. Dmitry interviews that he wants to prove that he's one of the top designers there but he's beginning to lose his confidence. This guy is really starting to grow on me. I think the serious and affectless and not horrible designer is sort of my favorite archetype now. As they're all heading out the door, Christopher wonders aloud if they couldn't sleep in just for one day. "No," replies Nathan.
Heidi greets them all on the runway. She tells them that for their new challenge they will have some new clients. Then, jazzy guitar music and people are walking down the runway. Men and women, they don't look like there's anything particularly uniform about them. Elena says that they don't look like they have anything to do with fashion. Once they are all in place and the guitar stops, Heidi says that the people onstage aren't exactly their new clients. Melissa wonders what the hell is going on. The designers kind of groan and the people onstage giggle at their discomfort. Heidi explains that the people to her have friends who are in desperate need of a makeover. Heidi asks the designers if they are willing to help them out and Dmitry asks joshingly, "Do we have a choice?" Laughs. Heidi answers, "No."
Then, she reminds Melissa that she has immunity and cannot be eliminated for this challenge. She tells them that Tim and a special guest will meet them in the workroom to tell them more about the challenge after which the people onstage will introduce the designers to their friends. Heidi says, "Good luck, I think you might need it." Christopher turns to Melissa and high-fives her and says, "Congratulations!" presumably because she has immunity. Heidi replies, "Why? This might be a lot of fun!" Christopher just looks at her and says, "You just said we needed luck." Awesome. Heidi's looking all "Touche" and reminds them that they get to help somebody and that's nice. These guys -- if there's anything I can say about them, it's that they really seem invested in helping other people.
The designers go to the workroom where Tim greets them and is joined by Johnny Lavoy, consulting hair expert for L'Oreal Paris. What a fantastic name! I feel like he should either be a Vegas gangster or a concert pianist. Johnny is going to be assisting the designers' clients with their hair makeovers. Tim tells the designers that they have been assigned their clients randomly. It's time to meet them!
Sonjia meets Angelica and her sister Amanda. Amanda is the client. She is dressed like a soccer player. Amanda is Angelica's little sister and she's a social worker. Angelica feels like it would be nice to help Amanda, since she's always helping others. And she gets paid beaucoup bucks to do it. Social workers rake it in. I'm so glad that we, as a society, show our appreciation for jobs like Amanda's by just throwing heaps of cash at them. Tons of cash and makeovers, kids, that's what a life in social work has in store for you. (Note: also applies to the teaching profession, but, you probably already know that). It's just how we do.
Amanda tells Sonjia that she hates to shop and isn't very good at it. As delicately as possible, Sonjia wonders aloud if it's because Amanda feels like stuff doesn't look good on her. Yes, that's it. She says that she spent five hours looking for a dress for graduation (from regular person to mega-wealthy? Maybe just college graduation) and nothing looked good. She says that she's pear-shaped, kind of, in a way. She's cute as a button but definitely pear-shaped. No "kind of." Amanda tells Sonjia that she thinks she should be in a dress. Sonjia agrees a sketches a design that would be structured in the bodice and flowing down below. That last part came out wrong.
, we see Hilary introducing her friend Jenna to Elena. Hilary says that Jenna is a very bubbly person and tends to wear colors that reflect that. So, she's saying that Jenna is tacky. Jenna admits that her impulse is to wear bright colors. Hilary thinks that they should "sophisticate" Jenna's look. I don't think that word is a verb.
Michele has brought her friend Kate to this circus and Christopher is their designer. She tells Christopher that she usually wears a dress to work and sometimes a blazer. Kate just mimed the blazer. I do the same thing. Michele thinks that Kate should be in boots and a hip, trendy jacket. Jesus, shouldn't we all, Michele? Shouldn't we all? Christopher says that he loves jackets and Michele whispers, "Make a jacket."
Ven introduces himself to Terri and her friend in need, Theo. OK, this group creates this sort of black hole into which all energy and social grace is vacuumed. Terri is trying but everything become dissonant, like an out of tune alto saxophone in the middle of a collection of the world's first chair violinists. It's hard to say what exactly is making this go so terribly wrong. A of all, Theo has weird energy. She's a little defensive and clearly nervous right now but she obviously has a pretty big personality. B of all, Ven is so freaking cold. He's asking questions of her in a way that suggests he's maybe judging her. She tells Ven that the jeans she's currently wearing are 10 years old. He interviews and, yep, he's judging her. With absolutely zero awareness of how he sounds he says that when he first saw Theo he was shocked and disappointed. He says that her proportions are "completely off" because she doesn't have the hip and waist measurements of a model. I mean, where do you even start with that? Not to fight shitty with shitty, but I'd like to point out that Ven is, by far, this year's Project Runway Chub Club President. Like, he's literally close to twice the size of anyone else there. Three times Gunnar's size. I don't see how that doesn't make him a little more understanding in that regard.
Terri says that she would like to see Theo in a dress or a skirt. She says that Theo's 4-year old would love to see her in a dress. Terri is weird too. This whole group is weird. Terri feels like a producer or something, even though she just said that she works in finance. She's pushing for a specific sort of reality show outcome right now. She's playing the "we're gonna cry at the reveal" arc. You can see that she's a little like, "How am I going to make this happen with this lump of coal here. He's giving me NOTHING!" Ven says that he's thinking skirt and top and Theo jokes about him making her a pair of jeans. He doesn't get the joke. This is going to be a disaster.
Dmitry meets his client Angela and her friend Ellena. Ellena says that Angela values comfort over all things. Dmitry, in his odd way, is really happy to have Angela as his client. He says that she's perfect for him because she's very plain. OK? He interviews that he's high fashion but he's also timeless. I guess timeless and plain are sort of the same thing in this situation. Angela and Dmitry agree that they both like contrast.
Martina's friend Christina apparently thinks she needs a makeover and it's Alicia who is going to give it to her. Martina says that she wants men to want to marry her and women to want to be her. She wants to be the female George Clooney. This makes Alicia giggle and I think that's the most emotion that we have seen from her so far on this show.
Melissa's client is Kandace who was brought to her by Jodi. We hear from Jodi that Kandace chooses her shoes first when she's getting dressed. I've heard of worse things than that. Kandace tells Melissa that she is not afraid to not match. Also, she likes dresses.
Nathan is working with Liana, whose friend Joshua nominated her. Liana is a pop singer and she wants something that will make her look not normal. We find out that Nathan has a music degree but the only performer he has ever designed for was his mother and they were playing classical music. Liana wants to be sexy with swag. Danger. She asks for a bare midriff and she wants it to be sophisticated. This thing is designing itself.
It's Fabio! He looks particularly cute today. His client Ko-rely is friends with Judah-lev. I wonder if they're friends because they both have Kryptonian names. Don't get excited. That's like maybe the only comic book reference I'm capable of making. Fabio asks Ko-rely if she occasions to ever wear a skirt. She does but only when forced. Judah-lev says that she tries her best to not be noticed and she adds that she doesn't want to be sexualized. Fair enough. He explains that he gets what she's saying by talking about something sheer over long sleeves -- a way to suggest the feminine without getting all sexy. Fabio says that he's going to make something girly and harsh. Yeah!
Gunnar asks his client Kim's friend Catherine why she submitted Kim for the makeover. She says that Kim has a great big personality and she feels like her look should match her personality. Gunnar asks Kim why she's apprehensive and it looks like she's not. She says that she's really excited and has always wanted to do something like this. Gunnar interviews that he thinks it's important to design for the everyday person. He starts to take her measurements and we hear Catherine tell her to stop crying. Oh my gosh, she's crying. Gunnar stops and asks her gently why she's crying and she says that it's because she's happy. Gunnar asks her if he can give her a hug and then they embrace. Well, if that's not the sweetest. He tells her that this experience is going to be so much fun and he's going to make her into a fox. You know, he's a little prickly a lot of the time, but that just made him look really good. And, he's maintained from the beginning that he designs for the normal person. We're seeing him connect with his demographic personally here, even if he's not always great at connecting creatively. Gunnar interviews that Kim is going to be his driving force for this challenge. He says that it's odd how someone can step into your life at the right time and really affect you positively, even if they don't realize that they are doing that.
At Mood, Tim takes this opportunity to remind the designers that the success of the challenges begin and end at Mood. Fabio says that he has an image of shades of gray. Oh God. One of the mannequins is like, "I didn't think it was really that hot... OK, I'm lying. I thought it was really hot." The other one is like, "I still don't see why Matt Bomer can't play the lead in the movie." Fabio finds what he's looking for. Ven says that it's very hard working with plus sizes. Seriously? A plus-sized model could be hiding behind Ven right now and we wouldn't even see her. Anyway, you apparently can't design the way you want when there are fat people wearing your clothes.
Back at the workroom, everybody gets to work. Nathan explains to Sonjia that he's creating a dress for a performer. I have to say, Nathan's really sweet for not being judgmental about his client's requirements. Naked tummy and sophisticated are just not part of the same look. Nathan's just trying to give her what she wants, which I admire but I think could bite him in the ass.
Johnny has a hair consultation with each of the clients. Ven tells Johnny that his client's hair is flat. Maybe Ven is just not so good at being around people? Elena is being very friendly and easy with her client. I wonder if she's about to eat her. Fabio really sort of directs the Ko-rely's haircut, then her friend gets to cut a big chunk of her hair.
Back at the workroom, Ven is still bitching about his model. He says that it's unfair that he has a plus-size model when some of the other designers have clients with model measurements. Dmitry does. Fabio interviews that he was in the bottom a couple of challenges ago and that really took a toll on him, but he feels really inspired for this challenge. He's really happy with the fabrics that he chose at Mood.
Sonjia says that she's more comfortable designing smaller clothes, but her sister has a child and her mother is average, so the size thing is not unfamiliar territory for her. She asks who else has siblings and Dmitry says that he has an older brother. His brother was a professional hockey player while he was a professional ballroom dancer. Every family's got one. Gunnar says that he has a brother who is turning 20. They didn't get along until the brother joined the military, which I wish he would explain a little more. But, he says that he can't talk about him because it makes him emotional. He interviews that he misses his brother. They laugh a lot. He has a very happy family. Hmm. Something about that makes me not believe it. I don't really know why.
We see Fabio skype with his ADORABLE boyfriend, Jason. OK, now I'm annoyed. He's starting to push it with how cool he is. I'm only kidding (kind of). I'm very happy for him. He tells Jason that the competition has been stressful, but he's doing well that day. Jason kisses the camera then shows Fabio his... cat. Fabio interviews that Jason is so cute he just wants to crush him. That's awesome.
Tim comes into the workroom for a consultation and starts with Nathan. He is very respectful of his client's wishes. When he tells Tim that she had wanted a bare midriff, Tim recoils in disgust. Nathan explains that he's doing side cut-outs instead with mesh that is not your "typical hooker mesh." Tim gets a laugh out of that. Ah, hookers. Melissa interviews that Nathan's look is way out of his comfort zone. Christopher is making a dress and a blazer. Tim tells Gunnar to edit some of the colors out of his look. Ven chimes in via interview that Gunnar's construction skills aren't very good and he needs time to develop his point-of-view. Tim tells Gunnar to keep it clean.
Fabio explains his look. Tim wonders if the neck is too high and Fabio says that his girl doesn't like cleavage. He says that he's really happy with the direction of the dress and Tim remarks that he seems to be displaying a newfound confidence. He says that, after being in the top two last week with Melissa, he has regained the confidence that he felt like the judges tried to take away from him. Gosh, he's really lovely. Sonjia appears to be struggling. Proportion is turning into a problem for her.
Now it's time to hear from Ven. He tells Tim that he was shocked when he first saw his client because he has never worked with plus-size before. Tim's reacting to what Ven is saying and says, "What size is she?" Mostly because Ven is talking like he's having to dress Gilbert Grape's mama for the Oscars. Ven giggles and is like, "Oh my God, like a 14?" Doesn't he have her measurements? Why is he guessing her size? The other designers are looking over at him and expressing some distaste. It's good to know that this is seen as bad behavior to the people were nearby and not just us at home. He says that she has no shape and no sense of style, whatsoever. Fabio interviews that Theo is beautiful and curvy and came to their workroom hoping to get some special treatment. He says she's stuck with a designer who is not going to give her what she wants. He laughs again to Tim and tells him that the before picture is a nightmare and the after picture will be drastically different. Elena interviews that she lost respect for Ven.
Then, Ven calls her old. Jesus, this guy is just an asshole. Tim seems sort of flummoxed by Ven's attitude. He moves onto Dmitry and questions whether the look he has created is too simple. Elena thinks it's really boring. In the sewing room, Elena asks Gunnar how he created this sheer overlay thing. She tells him that she loves it... and it's different from what he ALWAYS does. Everybody just sort of laughs at how blunt she is. Gunnar interviews that sometimes she rubs him the wrong way, but sometimes he gets it.
The clients come in with their new hair. They look great! Ko-rely loves her dress! Also, Elena hugs her model and Dmitry interviews that it's the first time he has seen her be nice. "It's about time," he says. Ven says that Alicia is in trouble. She's making a pink dress and everybody's talking about how it's just not in her wheelhouse. Nathan's girl likes her dress, but that doesn't really help things. Kim is worried about her figure being too full but Gunnar tells her that she's going to look great on the runway.
Theo comes in and Ven tells her that her hair is great. Then, he immediately talks about how he's going to put her in black, because it's slimming. Ew. This woman has never said that she was worried about being fat. Then, he tries on belts, all of which are too small. This guy is an idiot. Everyone in the room sees what's going on too.
The day, Fabio, Gunnar and Dmitry discuss who they think will go home. They feel that both Nathan and Ven are in trouble. Fabio thinks that Ven's treatment of his client was neither sophisticated, refined or elegant. In the other apartment, Ven is still bitching about his model. He says that he had the biggest model, but I don't think that's true. I think Kim is just as big, but she had a designer who was inspired to help her.
Back at the workroom, Tim greets all of them. They have a little extra time (an hour extra) for hair and make-up. The fittings begin and Ven is such an asshole. Finally, Theo tells him that he's made his point and it's embarrassing. She knows he thinks she's fat. He interviews that he didn't say anything like that and I think he is legit clueless. Seriously. All of the designers are offended as well as the other clients. And, he's just sort of bleh. He's really a shit heel. Terri even starts crying at one point. Theo has a talk with him about how her friend is unhappy and he shows very little emotion. He just chalks it up to a designer and client not connecting. He makes an attempt to try to calm her by saying that he was surprised by how great her hair looked when she walked in. Wrong again. As Terri is walking out of the workroom, she tells Terri that she would never wear the outfit Ven made.
Christopher is down to the line with finishing his garment. But he does! Heidi greets all of them on the runway and her dress is finally cute. The friends are sitting to the designers. She introduces Michael, Nina and guest judges Alice Temperley. She has designed for J. Lo and some royal. Not LuAnn. Nathan's dress is first and it looks pretty cheap. Poor Nathan. His client really looks happy though. Elena's look is and it doesn't have crazy shoulders! She's wearing a black pencil skirt and pale pink top. Very cute. Melissa's look is . It's a cute dress, but she's wearing this enormous scarf. The judges wish they could see what's under the scarf.
Here's Kim! Damn, hot bitch struts her stuff. Heidi says that she loves the way she's walking. She's wearing a black dress that's pretty adorable. Alicia's pink dress is here. You know? Not bad. It's a little tacky but not too much. Christopher's dress is cute, but the girl took the jacket off right at the beginning and you couldn't even see it. Ven's look is . It's a draped aqua satin top and black skirt. Terri is a fairly good sport about her walk too. Here's Dmitry's look. It's a tailored blue dress. Pretty simple but it looks great on his client. Her hair is pretty amazing too. Fabio's look is ! It's fantastic. This gray color-blocked look that is sleeveless with a high neck. She looks great. Sonjia's dress is SHORT. It's a draped dress with a knot right below the bust. Sonjia likes it.
After the show, Heidi calls Melissa, Christopher, Alicia and Elena. They're moving to the round. Backstage, Christopher is relieved because he thought he, Alicia and Elena were going to be in the bottom. He wants to do a cartwheel to celebrate.
Onstage, Heidi tells us that Dmitry, Fabio and Gunnar have the high scores. The losers go backstage and Ven says that his client was fashionably challenged. Alicia speaks up and says that it had nothing to do with Terri's size. Then, she interviews that not being able to adapt means that you're not a designer. Dmitry explains that his look is structured but comfortable. Angela says that she didn't know this kind of change was possible for her. Nina likes how she's styled. Michael thinks that Dmitry made a great fashion choice. Alice thinks that the neckline could have been lower. Fabio says that he wanted to create a powerful yet feminine silhouette. Ko-rely excitedly says that she loves her look and Heidi laughs at how she sounds gangsta. Alice doesn't like the belt that Fabio used. Michael says he thinks she's a dress girl now and it took a boy in a dress (Fabio's kind of wearing a dress) to make her like dresses. Gunnar says that he had a good time working with Kim. Heidi tells her that she was the best walker on the runway today. Michael says she could teach Giselle how to move. Heh. Alice says that Kim has a beautiful body. Nina thinks it's great but wishes the neckline had been lower. "Show them if you have them." Backstage, the top 3 told tales of their sweet judging.
Time for the losers, Sonjia makes a case for her dress. Amanda seems happy with it too. Heidi doesn't like the knot, nor does she enjoy how short it is. Alice says that the proportions are all wrong. Ven says that this is the first time he's worked with a "real woman." Both Terri and Theo say that they weren't happy with the look. Heidi says that she finds it so odd when someone talks about "real" women. She can't see Terri wearing the outfit. Nobody likes the fabric of the bodice. Terri admits that she and Ven didn't get along. Theo gets emotional and says that Terri has four kids and a husband who stays at home (Sexist? She acts like that is one of her hardships) and she travels four hours for work each day. She wanted a day when she could feel special. Nina likes the skirt but really hated the top. Michael thinks that Ven didn't want to delve into the life of this real person. Heidi says that it's Ven's fault and they don't love his outfit. Nathan explains that he was creating a stage costume. Heidi thinks it looks cheap. Nina thinks it's a mess. Alice doesn't know what "hoochie mama" means. Michael teaches her.
The judges confer. They are insulted by Ven's "real women" attitude. He showed no concern for his client. They felt Nathan was a seamstress. Nina thinks that he should have led her. Heidi thought that Sonjia's dress looked like a maternity dress. Alice doesn't seem like any fun at all. Michael thinks that Fabio had the biggest challenge and created something special and unexpected. They feel like Gunnar helped Kim unlock her personality. They love the choices that Dmitry made for Angela.
The designers return to the stage. Fabio is the winner! Yay! Christopher hugs him backstage. Gunnar is in. Dmitry is in. Heidi says that one or more of the remaining three will be out. Nathan... is out. Aw. Sad. Nathan thanks everyone and leaves. He cries in his interview and says that he likes to alter people's lives with his clothes. Heidi tells Sonjia that she's in. It's just Ven left alone on the runway. Heidi says that he didn't do his client any favors and they wonder if he has flexibility. He's in. Boo. Backstage, he says that he doesn't think he should have been the last person there because some other looks were really weak. Then, Tim comes in and says that they are losing someone with "profound qualities of character." What an interesting juxtaposition. Nathan was such a sweet guy. I'm sorry to see him go. Ven, you're dead to all of us.
Jeff Long is a writer/performer in Brooklyn. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @jblong. He works with real women all of the time.