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First of all, I noticed that the lipstick game happening in the girl apartment is on point. Then, Heidi and Christopher have a Top 10 adorable moment where they pull their faces back all plastic surgery-like. The designers go to the flagship Lord & Taylor, which is not as exciting as it sounds. The challenge is to create a cocktail dress in honor of the tenth season of the show. As templates, the designers have dresses created by the seasons of designers, which are also going to be produced for Lord & Taylor. They all look like mother-of-the-groom for a night wedding. Everyone but Sonjia seems pretty confident and excited about the challenge. They don't go to Mood, as all of the fabrics and notions are provided by the people that manufacture the dresses.
Elena also seems to have problems. Her aesthetic doesn't seem to jibe with Lord & Taylor's. Also, she's feeling like the judges don't get her, since she has never been in top. Melissa chooses fabric based on what other people didn't choose. It's weird, the girls get, I don't know, almost a little pejorative with their Silk Chifonies thing, not that it was meant as a compliment before. But Sonjia finally says something about how the guys were more feminine than the girls and it's true in a way, but I don't know. It felt weird. Of course, Ven's right there on the flipside saying that men generally make better designers than women. Elena freaks out when Tim consults because she says she's not a mass-market designer. Her pain is pretty palpable. Gunnar really reaches out and tries to offer her some encouragement: Stage Two of the Gunnar's Nice arc. Tim tells Melissa to go back to the drawing board in regards to her fabric. She decides to fit her model and then decide what to do.
Melissa's model liked the fabric, so she decided to go with it. In fact, the models and their opinions were a major focus of the first fitting. Melissa doesn't like the fit of her dress, so she decides to recut the entire thing. Elena points out that all of the girls are struggling. Later that night, the girls discuss it further. Melissa is really behind.
For the final fitting, Sonjia is not done and she melts down. Melissa isn't finished either and it's so sad. Tim has to talk Sonjia off of a ledge and he tells her to "channel [her] inner winner" which I find kind of profound. A lot of the dresses look so cute. Christopher's color palette is so Lord & Taylor. Dmitry's dress is gorgeous.
After the show, Ven, Dmitry and Sonjia are safe. Seriously, Sonjia looked like she was about to shit. Fabio, MELISSA and ELENA (I need a caps caps lock for that) have the high scores. Gunnar and Alicia are in the bottom, though I don't really think it's fair that Gunnar is there. He is a good sport about it though. Christopher is just sort of in the middle top? No. He is the winner! Fabio is in. So are Elena and Melissa. Alicia is...in. Gunnar is out! For a dress that is really not bad at all. That's sad. Wait!!!!!!!!! Gunnar is in too. Wow. Everyone seems really excited for him too. That was scary.
Want more? The full recap starts right below!Previously: The designers had to make-over average women. Ven acted as though he'd been asked to give pedicures at a leper colony (no offense to the leper community -- he really did act like that). Gunnar showed himself to have a really generous spirit as he showed his client the time of her life. Ultimately, Fabio won the challenge while Nathan, sadly was dismissed. Nathan was so nice.
So, I've been thinking about the last challenge a lot and while I'm solid on the fact that Ven was a grade-A jackhole, I do think there was something a little fishy about the "random" assignment of the clients to the designers. For instance, there's maybe no one on the universe who is a more appropriate client for Fabio than Ko-Rely was. And, the fact that Alicia was assigned the only girl who was like "PINK!!!"? I don't know. Doesn't seem very random to me. That said, there wasn't even anything that extraordinary about Terri, Ven's client. It's like, yeah, she's bigger -- MAKE THE DRESS BIGGER. Proportionally, contrary to his monotonous bitching, she wasn't that bizarre. Also, I realize that I mixed up Terri's and her friend Theo's names SEVERAL times in the last recap. Apparently, two short-ish, kind of androgynous names starting with the letter T are just too much for my feeble mind to keep straight. Sorry for the confusion.
It's morning at the Atlas Building and Fabio is futzing with his white kicks. Gunnar is applying mascara. Dmitry is steaming a t-shirt that he is already wearing with a technique that I'm certain he learned on the Eastern European ballroom circuit. Dmitry's hard to read, no? I think I find myself liking him a little more all of the time for that fact. Fabio says, as he's readying some Visine for his lamps, that he's glad the three roomies (he, Dmitry and Gunnar) were in the top three for the last challenge. Dmitry says drily that they will have to put a star on their door.
Christopher tells Ven that it feels so weird being the only two guys left in their apartment, due to Nathan's departure. He interviews that Nathan leaving really upset him but he's there for a reason and hopefully he'll be in an apartment by himself in a few weeks. He punctuates this with a Cher teeth-licking hair toss. Nice. So, I guess it's take-backsies with how I felt about Christopher earlier. I do think he was a little disrespectful to Andrea on the runway, but he's clearly the unicorn of this season. He's got all the charm.
In the girls' apartment, Elena is wearing the most intense pink lipstick and Sonjia has donned this amazing glossy nude color. It's on. Let's do this, girls. Sonjia says that she was sad to see Nathan go, though she didn't want to see herself go either. Obviously. Then, she says that they need to kick more of the guys out of the competition. Sonjia interviews that men design clothes that they want women to wear, while women design clothes that they really want to wear. It seems like she's much more combative in her interviews than she is when she's just talking. I feel like they get her riled up somehow when she sits down. The mannequins are like whispering, "That guy killed your puppy" or some shit. I mean, her statement is just not accurate, first of all. Plenty of women love to wear clothes designed by men. You could also argue that a certain kind of man has a point-of-view/appreciation of a woman's form that some women designers are not going to be able to access. The converse is obviously true as well. Also, women don't all want to wear the same thing. Exhibit A-- Bjork and Jennifer Aniston. Then, she gets personal and says that what they women in the competition are producing is edgier than what the (eye roll) Silk Chiffonies are making. Alicia menacingly adds, "One Chiffonie at a time." Creepy. They're getting ready to leave and Sonjia jokes that they need to go see what the challenge is so they can figure out who to sabotage. Laughs.
On the runway, Heidi greets the designers wearing fabulous sequins and her hair slicked back. She asks them if they're tired yet and Christopher says no. Then, she frowns and makes a huge swiping motion under her eyes to indicate dark circles. BITCH. I love it! You know that's an old modeling thing. The pretty can be so cruel. Christopher shrieks in horror and covers his eyes (which, frankly, are bearing some signs of bagginess). Then, he jokes and pulls his face back à la a nip and a tuck and says no again. Heidi fakes pulling her face back as well and says, "I feel the same way." Christopher's all "Please." What a fun little exchange. It's like the Christopher and Heidi Show on the runway these days. It's a complete and total delight.
Heidi tells them that they will travel to 5th Avenue now and Tim and a special guest will be there to tell them about their challenge. They arrive at the flagship Lord & Taylor (which I think is like two blocks from the Atlas Building). Gunnar interviews that it is a very classy, timeless store. It carries clothing for generations. That last part is true. The first part? Maybe timeless. I don't know how classy it is, mostly because department stores have lost a lot of their glamour. I'm not even kidding. There's just something sad about a lot of them now.
Tim greets the designers and introduces them to Bonnie Brooks, the president of Lord & Taylor. Oh my goodness, she has the most delicious voice. It's like Patricia Neal in Breakfast at Tiffany's on helium. You know how I know I'm gay? I just wrote that. So, Lord & Taylor is celebrating the tenth season of Project Runway by have a collection of cocktail dresses, each designed by a different designer from each season of the show. Jay McCarroll is represented, as is Bert Keeter and Seth Aaron and Mondo and Korto. There are more, I just don't see them all. The challenge is to create a cocktail or evening dress that will fit in with the collection. The winner will have their dress produced and sold at Lord & Taylor! That's big! Fabio says that this is the biggest challenge they have had so far. Tim adds that the dresses will be available online as well, including the winner of this challenge. That's really huge. I looked online and Chris March's dress, which is pink and gorgeous, is my favorite, I think. It's also the most expensive. The dresses are all really pretty though.
Gunnar says that Lord & Taylor has "launched so many huge designers." OK, Paul Ryan, that's a nice thought but I don't think that's true. I mean, maybe Lily Pulitzer? I don't know. I just don't think that Lord & Taylor really has a reputation for launching anything. You go there to find the thing you can already picture in your head, not the thing that is going to be new and surprising. Bonnie adds one thing: the winning dress will be featured in the windows at Lord & Taylor. My talented friend, Michael Arthur, had his drawings displayed there! He's the best. Christopher says he would never leave the sidewalk if his dress were in the window at Lord & Taylor. Tim says that they will be designing for a woman who loves fashion and that's apparently the Lord & Taylor customer. Bonnie adds that their customer has good taste. Gunnar says he gets their customer and he's excited for this challenge.
Tim tells the designers that they will have one day to complete the challenge and they will not be going to Mood. The fabrics and notions are provided by the group that manufactures the dresses. They begin sketching. Gunnar says that everything seems refined, which fits in with his aesthetic. Sitting amongst the other designers, he whispers, "I just had a stroke of genius." Someone actually said that out loud. Sonjia says that it's another challenge for Gunnar. He says that his dress is similar to the dress that Jay McCarroll designed, with a mix of sheer and solid. Christopher notes that there are seven cocktail dresses and two gowns, so he's going to make a gown. He says that he's going to make the "best gown ever" then notes that he sounds like a tool. Heh.
Dmitry decides that he is going to make something really simple, which he says is a big challenge because you can't hide any flaws. Elena interviews that making simple stuff is difficult for her. Those are the exact opposite points of view and the reason that this season will almost inevitably end in a death match between Dmitry and Elena. She says that she loves details and seams and texture. She's going to try to make something clean and sleek and commercial. Melissa spends a lot of time thinking about how to fit in with the collection while standing out at the same time. Sonjia's getting really nervous since she was in the bottom during the last challenge. Christopher feels like he has a leg up for this challenge because his aesthetic is romantic and commercial.
They start choosing their fabrics and it looks like everyone is doing OK. Christopher tells Fabio that he's going to do employ his old shredding technique again and Fabio makes a little sound that sounds a little like "Bitch, please." He knows it will be a risk but he's doing it anyway. Melissa knows that she wants to use a fabric that no one else is using.
Elena is bitching about how she's having a hard time adapting her aesthetic for the challenge. In the workroom, Gunnar asks her what she's going to make and she says that she doesn't know. She tells us that she hates this challenge. Gunnar, meanwhile, is all smiles and lightness and is thrilled by the lace fabric that he found. Fabio tells us that the dresses are going to be sold for between 200 and 300 dollars, so they have to design with a mind towards production costs.
Elena seems like she may be over-thinking this challenge. She's even stumped by whatever the traditional hem length of a cocktail dress might be. Jesus, it's a party dress. Make a dress that a girl would wear to a party. I guess that makes sense that she would have such a problem with that. She makes dresses for women who are warlords in science fiction wastelands or eating children. Party dresses would probably seem pretty foreign to her customer. Gunnar wants his dress to pull together some of the "loose ends" from some of the other dresses and make the collection more cohesive. Bert's use of lace and Jay's sheer cap sleeves will be elements of his dress.
Christopher points out that everyone seems to be making a cocktail dress, even though most of the collection is that as well. He's making a gown, of which there are currently only two in the collection. I'd be interested to see whose dress sells the most when this is all said and done. Sonjia jokes aloud as she's working on her dress form that she needs to keep her head in the game and knock some more of the guys out of the competition, then she looks over at Dmitry and feigns not knowing that he was in earshot. Ven seems to have it all figured out. He's familiar with pricing and factory production and he's also being mindful of the customer.
Elena says to Gunnar that God loves him. She's very religious, didn't you know? Apparently, Elena spends a lot of time talking to Sky Tim Gunn. I mean, it's obvious when you register the peace so obviously warm and nestled inside the briar patch that are Elena's insides. So, Elena tells Gunnar that the last couple of challenges seem like they were written for him and she doesn't really say that with any sort of appreciation. He replies that the challenges have merely been for everyday women and she says that she just hopes that she's there after this challenge. He reminds her to keep some of herself in her design and she snaps that she's trying but she thinks the judges only want to see flow-y shit. She interviews that the judges don't seem to get her. She tells Gunnar that her passion is in avant-garde. She doesn't like editing her vision too much. I just wish she'd edit her attitude for the most part. Gunnar tells her that he likes her dress. She reminds herself in an interview that she just needs to make a dress that someone would want to wear. Crazy, I know.
Sonjia looks at Christopher's design for his dress and wanly approves. She says that she hasn't gotten anywhere and Elena says that it seems strange to her that all of the women (except Alicia who is working on a drop waist Chanel-inspired look and seems to be happy with it) are having problems with this challenge while the men seem thrilled. Melissa remarks that she was really hoping for a hardware store challenge. Gunnar says of course she wanted that and everyone laughs. Then, Christopher says, "Hi, I'm Melissa and I'm into leather (mimics cocking a shotgun). What's your style? (shoots gun)." Sonjia interviews that the guys make more girly and feminine pieces. Wait, she rolls her eyes while she's saying this too. She says the guys are more feminine than the girls.
Maybe I'm being too sensitive, but I'm not fond of that. First of all, there seems to be some implication that the guys are less serious because their work is feminine. I don't like that. With the exception of Ven, who is probably sexually attracted to rocks, all of the guys are obviously gay or have told us they are. There's just something a little too easy about slamming them for making pretty dresses. Someone sings "Johnny Chiffonie" in the workroom and Fabio giggles. Of course, Ven comes in with his own broad generalization. As we're watching Sonjia sort of non-verbally describe what she wants from her dress, Ven says that men are generally better designers than women, while women tend to be more practical. I do think his was less a pejorative statement than the one that Sonjia made, but it's still pointless to make those sorts of blanket statements.
In the sewing room, Gunnar sees that Christopher is doing his shredding thing again. Christopher says that he feels like it's his signature and Gunnar agrees with that. Alicia interviews that Christopher repeats himself a lot. She thinks he's talented at what he does but she's tired of seeing the same stuff from him.
Tim comes in for a consultation. He starts with Gunnar, who seems so positive about his look. Tim seems to like it too. Gunnar's concern is that the dress might be gaudy, but he tries out some adornments for the dress in Tim's presence and they're all super tacky, so I'm not sure about how this is going. At one point, he puts something on the waist, then he and Tim agree that it looks too "matador." Then, Gunnar wonders aloud why everything he makes goes matador. I mean, we're laughing and everything right now, but find out the answer to that question. Dmitry interviews that Gunnar's construction skills are not very good and most of his dresses look pretty bad. He decides in front of Tim to cover his entire dress with the lace.
He goes to Alicia who seems pretty happy with her look. Christopher thinks that no woman would want to wear a dress with box pleats at the crotch and butt. Touche. Tim tells her that the dress has an element of "Joan of Arc" armor happening and she's really defensive in her interview and says that is better than a "princess dress." See, no one told her to make a fucking princess dress. She has to make a dress that fits in with the other dresses in the collection, plenty of which were designed by women. While an actual "princess dress," whatever that is really, might actually be more appropriate for the collection than a suit of armor, no one has told these ladies that they have to design with feather boas and trains and powder puffs. They need to get over themselves.
Sonjia tells Tim that she's really worried about what the judges are going to think and he tells her that she cannot think about the judges or she will work herself into a psychotic lather. Fabio tells Tim that he wants to work with an exposed zipper, similar to the one that Uli's design is sporting. Fabio has considered how expensive his dress would be to produce and Tim commends him for that. Tim tells Elena that her dress, as it is currently, probably couldn't be mass produced. She starts crying and saying this isn't how she works and he tells her that this is an opportunity to bridge that gap. She keeps on crying in her interview and says that she has worked for years to become the designer that she is and there is no one making stuff like hers. She doesn't understand why she keeps ending up in the bottom. She goes into the hallway and cries to Gunnar that she doesn't know how to make her work any simpler. He tells her that they all know what she can do. Then, he tells her that she can't let everyone know that she has a heart with all of this crying. That does the trick and she starts laughing and he hugs her. She interviews that she loves him and he helps her during stressful moments.
Ven is doing that architectural stuff that he does on the bodice of his dress and Tim recognizes it immediately. Dmitry interviews that he likes Ven's dress and he considers it his greatest competition. Sonjia, who is getting increasingly snappy in these interviews, rolls her eyes and says that this signature of his is not sweeping the nation and he needs to move on. Christopher thinks that it looks like a holiday garment and I would say that Lord & Taylor is precisely the store you go to when you're looking for a holiday dress. Gunnar likes Dmitry's dress. Tim does too. Christopher presents his look to Tim and Tim seems pretty satisfied that he has done a very good job. Christopher does express some apprehension about using his shredding technique (insert interview with Elena asking if he knows how to do anything else), but he explains that he wants to be known for that technique, so that's why he's using it. I mean, I get the idea that diversity and flexibility is sort of the star of this show, but, in terms of branding, it's pretty smart for Christopher to push that technique in a way that we associate him with it.
Melissa tells Tim that she is worried she has chosen the wrong fabric. He tells her that she should explore her options, because she shouldn't face the judges feeling already that she has made a horrible decision with the fabric. He reminds her that the clock is ticking. She really is stuck in a quandary. She doesn't want to use black, because she has done it so much before and that's what everyone else is doing for the most part. Tim tells her to see how this fabric looks on her model. She decides that is what she will do, but she knows that she has to make a decision as soon as she fits the model.
Before the models come in for their fitting, we see Gunnar tell Fabio that he wants to make a dress for him when he goes home. "Please," is Fabio's response and Gunnar says that he knows Fabio will wear it. The girls come in and Melissa's model says that she loves the fabric. Encouraging. Gunnar's girl looks great in his dress, which excites him even more about it. Christopher loves the pink of his girl's skin to the pink of his dress. Alicia says that her girl loves the dress. They're telling us a lot about how the models feel today. Christopher interviews that the '80s called, from an enormous cell phone I assume, and they want everything back from Sonjia's look. So, Melissa has decided to stick with the fabric but she hates the fit, so she's entirely recutting it. Elena notes that all of the girls are scattered. Melissa is worried that she's not going to finish. She is pretty convinced that she's going to get sent home.
At the Atlas Building, the girls talk about their insecurities with their looks. Melissa is sick from the amount of work she has to complete. The day, Fabio fits himself with a floral head wreath and I love it. Gunnar tells him that he might cry if he wins.
At the workroom, Melissa really scrambles to get things done. Tim comes in and everyone is silent. The girls come in and Gunnar feels super confident. Christopher notes that Elena has put a harness on a baby doll dress and he doesn't get it, nor does he want to. Then, he just flat out says that he doesn't like Elena. Then, we see her and all of the other girls sewing in a panic. God, I love what Fabio is wearing so much.
Sonjia is fitting her girl and completely melts down. She can't get her girl into her dress and starts crying and Fabio says that it's painful to watch. Melissa seems a little weepy too but I think she's too focused to actually cry. Tim asks Sonjia why she's freaking out and she counts all the ways things were not what she wanted. He reminds her that her girl looks good and she should channel her inner winner. Gosh, I need to start channeling my inner winner.
On the runway, Heidi greets them wearing pink sequins and it's kind of fabulous -- FINALLY. She has looked kind of weird this season. She reminds Fabio that he has immunity for this challenge. Then, she introduces Michael, Nina and Bonnie Brooks. The first dress is Fabio's. It's sleeveless and black with an asymmetrical hem and a sheer overlay. There's that exposed zipper in the back. Not sure how I feel about that. Here's Melissa's dress! It does not look bad. The reason she used this fabric is that there's a stiffness to it and it stands up at the collar, almost like a space age Givenchy neckline. There's a fishtail hem, which is a little distracting, but overall she did not do a bad job. Gunnar's dress is and it's a cute little black dress with a sheer lace overlay. It's a little shiny. Elena's dress is and it's pretty cute. It's black leather and has a cute baby doll silhouette, but the bodice is fitted with a harness. She's worried that it will be too modern for the challenge.
Christopher's dress is . He feels like it looks very intricate. It's a fitted evening gown that is pale pink on the top and black on the bottom. The colors seem absolutely perfect for Lord & Taylor. I could see a lot of ladies wearing that dress. There's a cut-out in the back that is really pretty. Alicia's dress is and her girl looks great walking in it. Alicia notes some problems in the waistband, but I think silhouette deviating from the norm was a cool thing to do. Sonjia's dress is and it's simply a fitted silhouette with a little half-skirt ruffle deal at the waist. It is pretty '80s. Ven's dress is . It's a sleeveless dress that is fitted. The bodice is a shiny fabric with his architectural flower stuff happening and the rest of the dress is matte. He thinks that he will either be in the top three or safe. Dmitry's dress is up now and it's really pretty. A fitted silver dress with visible vertical seams that are really slimming. He's very happy with it.
After the show, Sonjia, Dmitry and Ven are safe. Sonjia is thrilled. Dmitry is really upset that he wasn't in the top. They can't really figure out who is in the top and bottom. Heidi says that there were four clear high scores and two in the bottom.
They love Fabio's dress. Nina thinks that you could wear it a lot of different places. Michael doesn't think the zipper really works. Heidi thinks that Christopher's dress is beautiful and loves the pink top. Michael says that, though they love the shredding technique, they don't want to see it again. Nina thinks it's pretty but won't work on a lot of bodies, though it does fit in with the rest of the collection.
Melissa had one of the high scores! Michael thinks that the neckline is surprising. He thinks that the hem of the dress is too much. Heidi thinks it's stunning and a show stopper. Bonnie loves that she was able to make a strapless dress with that much structure at the collar.
Heidi tells Gunnar that he had one of the low scores. Nina says that she has seen it before. Michael thinks they probably already sell a dress like this at Lord & Taylor. He's pretty shocked that he's one of the low scorers.
Elena? High scorer. She immediately bursts into tears and Heidi asks her what the problem is. She says that she has just struggled to give the judges what they want and still be true to herself. Heidi thinks it's a salable dress- girly with an edge. Nina loves the back, with the harness. Bonnie thinks it's very French. Michael reminds her that fashion is about balancing art and commerce, which he believes that she managed with this challenge.
So, Alicia must know that she has one of the low scores. She says that she doesn't really make girly dresses. Heidi says that she likes the dress, but she doesn't like what Alicia just said. Bonnie doesn't think it's really a cocktail dress. Nina understands that she was trying something different, but she thinks it's dowdy. Michael says that it looks like a field hockey uniform. Does it? I don't know, I feel like there have been several dog whistle comments happening on this episode. What are people trying to say?
Backstage, Elena is elated and Gunnar is so upset he can't even talk. The judges confirm and note that there were no train wrecks. No one did a really bad job. They think that Christopher's look was in incredibly good taste. They find Fabio's dress versatile, but Heidi -- noting that she is wearing a pink disco ball -- thinks that it wasn't fun enough. Melissa's dress is deemed the most dramatic but the hardest to sell. Michael thinks maybe Elena's dress was a little too young, though Bonnie and Nina disagree. They don't think that Gunnar's dress was special enough. Heidi's still hung up on Alicia saying she doesn't make sexy work.
They bring the designers back to the runway. Christopher is the winner! He goes backstage and Ven tells him that he deserved it. Fabio is in. As he's leaving, he tells Bonnie to call him if she wants one of his dresses. Melissa is in. Elena is in. Alicia is...in. Wow. She goes backstage and Dmitry interviews that he's sad to see Gunnar go. Onstage, Heidi tells Gunnar that he's...also in!! I knew they were going to do something like this after half of the show dropped out. I'm happy for him. He tells Bonnie that he loves her store before going backstage. Elena is so happy when she hears that he's in and it makes me really like her. Tim comes in and is thrilled that he doesn't have to send anyone away.
Jeff Long is a writer/performer living in Brooklyn. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @jblong.