Pretty In Tape

S11E07

This show is so weird. Heidi greets the designers with a goose on a leash. Now, I'm no zoologist, but I'm fairly certain I'm talking about a goose. It's a goose. Maybe a goose and a duck are the same thing? My point is, everyone called the goose a duck. I felt so alone. Daniel loves ducks because he had one as a pet. Tu hates them because a duck once chased him. The doose is a clue. She tells the designers to meet Tim, who will tell them about the challenge. Oh, it's duct tape. That's the challenge. That's why they acted like a goose was a duck. They have to create prom dresses with duct tape. This is a fresh hell that would make me give up on sanity forever. Does anyone else want to marry Stanley? Just wondering.

Oh my God, Kate says that Layana, Amanda and Michelle are bitches. This is so perfect, considering the high school element. Then, Stanley gets to choose a new teammate and he chooses Layana, which just makes Richard want to set his Trapper Keeper on fire. Tim pulls out the button bag after that. Kate stays with Tu. Michelle chooses Amanda. Richard chooses Daniel. That leaves Samantha and Patricia together.

Richard takes all of the gold tape, which really just causes a stir. Michelle says that she expects something boring from them and she KNOWS they will be in the bottom. Honestly, I hate her. Tim worries about Samantha and Patricia, who also seem worried about themselves. He tells them that they need to work more as a team. Kate really does hate Michelle and Amanda. Tim doesn't like her dress either. She's freaking out.

They have a showing in front of a bunch of high schoolers. Everyone is terrified, obviously. The kids love the dresses. Richard feels like a pagaent mom. Again. No one talks to Amanda and Michelle, which I really appreciate about the youth of America. Kate insists that their dress is a costume and not a prom dress. The kids give thoughtful advice and they hav a little time to make changes before the show.

Designer Chris Benz is the guest judge. On the runway, I have to say that all of the dresses look pretty good. I mean, Jesus, they were made with duct tape. Kate and Tu get slammed for making a dress that the judges deemed matronly, though Zac defends it and FACES Nina Garcia in the process. Daniel and Richard get knocked for making something that the judges felt was old-looking. Michelle wins the challenge. The losing team is Kate and Tu. Ultimately, Tu is out. Kate is also out. That's sad.

Previously: The designers created looks for old ladies. Stanley won the challenge. The doomed team of Benjamin and Amanda ended up in the bottom again. Super surprisingly, Ben was sent home. I mean, guys, that dress that Amanda made... I don't know HOW she didn't get the boot. It was truly one of the ugliest garments that has ever been on this show. Seeing the model walk down the runway, it looked like she had been run over by a steam roller.

It's morning in the Atlas Building and Richard is moving to the other boys' apartment. Times are tough and it's time to consolidate. Richard says that he was sad to see Benjamin go, but he's excited about the opportunity to get to know Stanley better. Sounds like somebody's got a little crush. If you're getting empirical, Stanley really is probably the most crushable dude of this season. Tall and mysterious and very serious- he rarely smiles. A friend and I were talking about that recently. And he so handsome when he smiles. Usually, it's a fun thing for me to talk about one of the guys like he's a member of One Direction, but this year's squad is oddly sexless. So that means that Stanley gets to be the focus of my inappropriate, possibly reductive (but I used to moon over former ICC prosecutor Luis Moreno Ocampo, so one man's reductive is another man's evaluating the subject completely) and slobbery attention. Stanley says to the guys that he thought Amanda would have been eliminated during the last challenge.

Kate interviews that she thinks Amanda will be the eliminated designer, because she is the weakest designer in the workroom. I do find it kind of extraordinary that she has lasted as long as she has. She seems like a perfectly lovely girl and she's the kin of a rock star, but come on! She hasn't been able to truly think in a creative, confident way the entire time she has been here, with the exception of her dress for Miranda Lambert and I would argue Ben and Tim Gunn had more to do with that than is cool for a real winner. Amanda knows that everyone expected her to go home. She interviews that being "saved" in the last challenge shows her something and she is trying to draw from that instead of feeling like a loser for being in the bottom. Well, that's a really positive point of view to take.

At the runway, Heidi appears behind the scrim with a duck on a leash. Layana is like, "What is that?" Someone answers "a duck." She says, "I know that, but why?" I don't know why I enjoy that so much. I probably do know but it's a latent misanthropy that I like to keep latent. Daniel is nearly jumping out of his seat with excitement. He interviews that he knows it may sound dorky, but he really likes ducks. You're right, Daniel, you sound like a dork. I feel like he has to turn everything into some sort of reverie and it ultimately makes everything lose its flavor. Once duck has lost its flavor, you've gone too far. Because it's delicious.

By Jeff Long

Y'all, Tu hates ducks. The ducks flaps its wings on the runway and it looks like Tu's going to puke. He laughs and interviews that he hates ducks. He tells a story about how he went to visit a friend once and the friend had a duck that chased him and tried to bite him. So, no, Tu does NOT do ducks. Wow. I love him. What's going on inside of Tu, guys? Besides this giggling hatred for ducks? Was he actually afraid of the duck and just laughs off his terror now? Or, does he have an aesthetic issue with them? Or, maybe, he finds their behavior undignified and is just disgusted by how they carry themselves? I'm spitballing here, but I need to know.

Heidi says that the duck is a clue for their challenge. Layana wonders if maybe they will be designing for someone who works at a farm. I'd love to see some farm chic from these people. Heidi says that it seems that the designers are stuck, so Tim and a guest are waiting in the workroom to give them all of the details about the challenge. Then, she picks up Fred the duck and tells him to say goodbye, which he does with a quack. Impressive. As they are leaving, Kate laughs that Tu will not make eye contact with the duck. Jesus, I love that.

When the designers arrive at the workroom, we see that there are piles of duct tape everywhere. Now it makes sense. It's Duck Tape brand duct tape. Fred had to take time out of his busy AFLAC schedule for this? Lame. Bill Kahl is there. He is the Executive VP of Shurtech Brands which makes Duck Tape. Frankly, all of that sounded made up to me. Bill is actually some operative from Scientology or the History Channel sent to destroy Project Runway. Tim points out that Bill's tie is made with Duck Tape. Not sure I'd want to spread that around, but OK. Bill tells us that duct tape was invented in WWII when they needed tape that was durable and waterproof.

Obviously, their step is to make prom dresses out of duct tape. So, that's what we're doing here today. The designers are going to make fashion forward prom dresses with duct tape. Tim says that the judges want to see innovation from the designers. Daniel is excited, per uzh. He wonders how you could go wrong with a prom dress for a 16-year-old girl. Oh, I don't know, I guess you could ask every 16-year old-girl who is not a fan of the girl wearing the dress. They'll tell you how miserably you went wrong and then you'll make a YouTube video set to Regina Spektor with note cards about how bad everything hurts and you just want everyone to be Ellen DeGeneres and kittens.

By Jeff Long

Tim explains that they will have a day to complete the looks, then they will go to meet some high school students who will interact with the designs (I don't like that phrasing, ew) and vote on their favorites. I have to say, the designers look petrified right now and I love it. Samantha is not into this. She doesn't like prom dresses. She doesn't like the big personalities on high school students. You see, 17-year-old girl will be my eternal demographic. It was when I was that age and it is now. It's my forever demo, my (in the words of comic Nikki Glaser) Demo Lovato. Twenty percent of the final decision in the challenge will be decided by the vote. Layana thinks that the students will just vote on the look that shows the most skin. Well, that's as clear a directive as I can think of. Stanley says that he is confident with this challenge, because he makes prom dresses for his nieces. That's cute. I bet they're really cool.

Bill leaves and Tim tells the designers that they will be working in teams of two. Kate interviews that there is no one there that she wants to work with besides Tu. She likes Patricia but they don't really have the same aesthetic. She thinks that Amanda, Michelle and Layana are bitches that turn into catty schoolgirls when they are together. Everyone else thinks that they are hot shit, per her, and she doesn't want to deal with it. You know, that's pretty harsh but Kate doesn't really strike me as a difficult person. Maybe she's a little sensitive, I don't know. But, I'm inclined to wonder if maybe she isn't at least a little bit right about the attitudes of everyone else.

They get to choose their teams again and Stanley gets to choose first because he won the last challenge. Richard says that he is not worried about the team-choosing because he is confident that Stanley will choose him again. Stanley promptly chooses Layana. Richard's response is just a pursed lip tilt of his head in his interview. The mannequins are like, "Get this man some aloe vera, because he just got burnt." Stanley explains that he likes to learn from people and he feels like he can learn from Layana in this challenge. Richard, who seems full-blown pissed off now, says that Stanley may think Layana has a better design aesthetic, but what he doesn't know is that...PROM DRESSES ARE HIS SPECIALTY. Yeah, I made that more exciting than it really was. He caps his prom dress specialty reveal with, "Touché." I'm not sure that he's using that correctly, really. It's like he's answering himself, but whatever.

By Jeff Long

Then, Tim pulls out the button bag and everyone groans. He protests the boos, telling them that this is very democratic. Patricia says that she hopes that she doesn't get stuck with Amanda, because she finds her work uninteresting. The first button he chooses is Kate's. She chooses Tu! Amanda says that she imagines Kate sincerely enjoys working with Tu, but knows that if they were in the bottom two she would be the stronger player and Tu would go home. Oh, I don't think that's part of her decision making, but I guess it's a possibility. Michelle is and chooses Amanda. Richard follows and chooses Daniel. Daniel is typically fist-shaking excited. That leaves Samantha and Patricia together, which actually sounds like a pretty good combo to me. Samantha is not looking excited though. She interviews that, though she is not sure who she would have chosen as a teammate, she's pretty sure it wouldn't be Patricia because she thinks that their aesthetics clash. This design that they are about to make will either be incredible or ridiculous. Such is life.

Tim leaves them to start on their designs. Then everyone sort of shops for their tape around the room. Richard sees the gold tape and decides that he wants all of it. He says that his inspiration is Beyoncé or Rihanna. There will only be one gold dress at this event, because he is taking ALL of the gold. I'm not exaggerating with that one. He really did take all of the gold tape and he really did announce it in a fairly dastardly way. Then Layana announces that she wants some gold for her design. Richard is adamant about the fact that they are using only gold, so they'll need all of it. Layana tries to whine her way into some gold tape, but no dice. She interviews that Stanley picking her probably upset Richard and now he's acting out of insecurity. That's probably true. Michelle and Amanda witness the whole exchange and think that Richard and Daniel are being very rude and are definitely not going to be using all of the tape that they reserved. Then Michelle cracks that they'll probably make a pantsuit. Amanda says that they are going to make a Miss America dress, so they're fine. Michelle is really one to talk. Out of all of the designers this season, hers is the personal style that I like the least. Something is so suburban idea of cutting edge to me. Her hair is punky BUT SENSIBLE! Her clothes are how you would imagine an artist described in a cheap romance novel. Meanwhile, she says that she's anticipating "power '80s" from Daniel and Richard. I'm predicting not-as-cool-as-she-thinks-she-is from Michelle. She says that there is nothing modern or innovative about Richard and Daniel's color palette and she already knows they're going to be in the bottom.

The designers get to work and Amanda interviews that she's not sure what the teens will think because she is twice their age. Not really, she says. Then, she realizes that at 31, she is indeed twice their age. Well, aren't proms usually reserved for juniors and seniors? There'd have to be some Doogie Howser-style advancement going on. Or maybe just a kid who skipped a grade. Layana is still whining about not getting to use the gold and Stanley tells her that he doesn't want any drama. Just act like gold doesn't exist. He wants to use hot pink and Layana is not feeling it. I usually trust what her choices are but MAN she whines a lot on the road to getting her way with her team. Kate interviews that Layana always gets what she wants and if she wants a certain color, that's the color they are going to be using. Stanley just tells Layana to choose whatever color she wants and she comes back with some silver zebra print. She interviews that she just doesn't think high school girls in New York wear pink. Really? I think she just likes to say no a lot.

Tu and Kate both sketch designs and compare. Tu drew a short dress with a wide skirt and Kate thinks that will take a lot of tape to cover. So, they decide to make a long dress. Kate interviews that Tu is the only person in the room whose style she appreciates who will listen to her own ideas. That said, she adds that there is only room for one cook in the kitchen and that is her. That doesn't seem to connect terribly well, but maybe Kate thinks other people are jerks for wanting their ideas heard but that same policy doesn't apply to her. Also, it could have been something completely different that she was talking about. Like, maybe she was really talking about cooking. My point is, I need to see how she got there. Stanley thinks that Tu is doing most of the legwork for his team. He sees Kate giving him tasks to accomplish. I feel like this angle is being forced a little bit.

Michelle starts talking. I can't with her. I think this may be my fever pitch with my dislike for her. She tells Amanda that she's worried about pushing the fashion envelope too far with this challenge. Yeah, that's going to happen. You are exactly THAT cool. She made her own prom dress and really wanted her dress to be the "funkiest" in the room. Amanda nixes the use of camouflage tape while Michelle says no to tie-dye tape. Amanda says "I'm a pacifist" when recommending it. They decide to make their own print, possibly a large houndstooth. They are making a prom dress for the punk rock girl. Gross. There's just something so forced about the person they think they're serving, like someone who has modeled themselves on being a punk rock girl from a movie instead of someone who just actually is punk rock.

By Jeff Long

Patricia says that she's trying to bring color and pattern to the surface of the tape by actually stripping the tape. Samantha is not sure what Patricia's doing, because the results of her work are different from how she heard her initial explanation. You know, Patricia seems willing to change directions to make Samantha happy, but she doesn't really ask for anything specific. She just tells Patricia that she's nervous.

Daniel feels like their dress is resembling a giant baked potato. Well, that's not good. He decides to make the muslin part of the dress and add the tape to that. I thought that was what they would all be doing. Maybe they're doing the tape part together on their table first? Anyway, Richard is happy with the results. He interviews that he loves working with Daniel and their chemistry is great.

Tim pops in for his consultation and starts with Stanley and Layana. Tim thinks they need to make the dress pop, at which point Stanley says he had been thinking of using hot pink. Kate interviews that no one in her school would have worn zebra print and fluorescent pink to the prom. Well, would they have worn a dress made of duct tape in the first place?

Tim moves on to Samantha and Patricia. Patricia admits that she is terrified. Samantha says that they both sketched their ideas and put them together. Tim notes that they are working on two different bodices, but Samantha says that one of them was just a test to look at texture. He says that he can tell that they are working hard, but he wonders if they are working smart. Amanda interviews that she would have a hard time working with Patricia, because she is a textile designer and is not used to the quick pace necessary to succeed on the show. Well, she has made it through six challenges already, so she's not failing that miserably. Tim tells them that they need to really work together because their work resembles wrapping paper at the moment.

Tim leaves and Kate doesn't know what to do. She considers letting Tu take more of a design role. Daniel says that Amanda and Michelle are doing a great job. That's the first nice thing that any of them has said about another designer's dress today. Patricia feels bad because she can feel Samantha racing to try to match a bodice to her skirt. Samantha says that she thinks Patricia is talented, but she doesn't think that their talents work together well.

The models come in for fittings. Daniel and Richard are thrilled with the fit of their dress. Samantha says that they started adding ruffles to the skirt and it ruined it. Michelle thinks she's a badass for being able to sew a zipper into duct tape. Kate thinks that the students are going to like their look because it's the most realistic. She's being awfully safe with her thinking. Patricia is really happy with their look, Samantha less so.

They go to a high school gym. Patricia is terrified. Tim enters to applause from all of the kids. Daniel says it's exciting like, "Woo woo, we're in the gym in high school." He has a problem. Tim explains the challenge to the students and tells them that they will be voting on the looks. The girls walk out and we see reaction shots of girls in the bleachers laughing, which is brilliant. Their laughs probably have nothing to do with the designs, because they all look pretty good but it does a great job reinforcing how scary we find teens. Then, the girls all ask designers questions and look at the dresses up close. A lot of boys ask questions, which I think is great. Samantha asks the students if they have any constructive criticism, because they will have time to make some changes the day. No one really talks to Amanda and Michelle. Tu says that it's because they made a Halloween costume.

The day, the morning shit talk includes Richard and Daniel saying that they will be in the top, Michelle saying that the worst dress was Patricia and Samantha (and she didn't understand HOW Samantha could let that happen) and Kate saying that Amanda and Michelle's was not a prom dress. Patricia kindly stays above the fray, which is interesting since so many people have talked some smack about her in their interviews. She really never has anything super crappy to say about anyone.

At the workroom, everyone adds the finishing touches to their looks. Tim comes in, then sends the models in. Samantha and Patricia add a little volume to their skirt. Michelle, with all of this faux dignity, says that she is not changing anything about her design. They go through hair and make-up and Scott Patric, make-up daddy, is wearing a particularly tight-shirt. Michelle is super excited when a hair bow is proposed as an idea for her hair look.

Everyone is fitting their models. Kate still hates Amanda and Michelle's dress. Daniel thinks that the Patricia/Samantha dress looks like a JiffyPop container. Wow, it kind of does. Tu thinks that it looks like Wonder Woman. You see, I like popcorn and strong female characters. Neither of those things is bad to me.

On the runway, Heidi greets everyone. She tells Patricia and Samantha that they won the student vote! She introduces Zac, Nina and guest judge Chris Benz. Cute, with pink hair. The show begins with Michelle and Amanda's look. It's a black and red houndstooth pattern in a short cocktail look. Lots of angles and asymmetrical. It's really cool. Michelle is obviously thrilled and Amanda feels that she got a chance to think bigger than she has previously.

Stanley and Layana's look is . It's a black and zebra dress with a pink belt. It's really cute. The skirt is paneled and has a lot of movement. The top has an outline of a sweetheart neckline, but with straps. It's cute and graphic. Both of the designers are happy with what they made.

Richard and Daniel's look is . It's a gold strapless dress with a lot of ruffles at the bottom. There is lattice work up the sides of the dress. I don't know. It seems a little dated. It reminds me of the dress that Shelby loans to Darryl Hannah in Steel Magnolias. Granted, I could probably find a parallel with every single element of this show and Steel Magnolias but this one just really jumped out at me. The designer are thrilled. To that, I tell them to get off my bench.

Kate and Tu's look is . It's a floor-length gown in a denim colored tape. There's a little bow at the neckline. Kate is very happy with it. Tu thinks the girl looks stunning. It's a pretty dress and I actually think that my junior prom date wore something almost identical, but that was like fours ago, ahem. It's not terribly modern or innovative.

Samantha and Patricia's look is . It's black and blue and silver. The bodice is silver and the skirt is Patricia's neat textile. It's short in the front and long in the back. The volume they added was a really smart choice. It's really cute and sexy without being over the top. The designers feel confident, especially knowing that they won the student vote.

Afterwards, they speak to Patricia and Samantha first. Patricia explains her textile technique, which is a little heady. She laid down all of this color, then stripped it away, revealing the design. Nina loves the closure on the back of the bodice. Zac loves it too. Samantha says that Patricia should win if the their dress wins.

Kate and Tu are . Kate says that she knew she wanted a long dress. Heidi asks Tu if he wanted a long dress. He says that he deferred to Kate because she actually went to prom and he did not. Heidi doesn't think that it's fun. Chris thinks it's old-fashioned. Nina thinks it's SO old. She can't imagine an 18-year-old wearing it. Zac disagrees about the length. He says that girls in America do want the long dress as part of the fantasy. They really kind of fight about it and its great. Zac says that he dresses girls for prom every day. I think he means that in an esoteric way, but he really sticks to it. Chris says that he wishes people would take him to proms more often and I think he means for Zac to ask him out. Zac Posen doesn't do the asking, Chris. Get some nerve to go with that pink hair and just do it. A prom might be in your future. Heidi and Nina both lament that they didn't get to go to prom. Seriously, it's not really that great. Kate takes the responsibility for the design, but Heidi says they are both at fault.

Layana explains that they wanted to exaggerate with their dress and have fun. Stanley felt like it was sort of a cartoon. Nina loves the panels in the skirt. Heidi wants to be friends with the girl wearing the dress. Chris likes that it has some fetish elements, thus worrying moms across America that designers are trying to make their daughters look like the gimp.

Chris loves Amanda and Michelle's dress. Zac thinks that the shape of the dress is great, though he thinks that the cut-outs are a problem. Nina doesn't mind the cut-outs. Heidi loves it too. Amanda says that Michelle should win if the design does. I just can't stand her.

Heidi tells Richard and Daniel that their dress looks like it's from twenty years ago. She likes the tailoring, which Zac disagrees with. He doesn't like that the lattice work is underneath the arms of the models. Chris thinks that it looks like old clothes. Nina says that they went from heroes to zeros. She thinks that the girl looks like a train wreck, which is maybe overstating things.

The judges confer, while the designers are all biting their nails backstage. They return to the stage and freaking Michelle wins the challenge. She gets to give five grand to the charity of her choice and she chooses an autism charity. Backstage, Layana congratulates Michelle in front of Amanda and says, "You deserve it more than anybody," which is maybe a bit rough to say in front of her partner. Whatever. These kids. Stanley, Layana, Samantha and Patricia are all safe. Richard and Daniel are "barely" in, says Heidi. She tells Tu that she feels he is getting lost in the competition. Tu is... out. Kate hugs him and cries and says that she's sorry. He's such a good sport and interviews that he deserves to go home. Kate is out too. What? Seriously? THIS is the challenge where you send two designers home? That seems really bogus. Everyone is shocked backstage.

By Jeff Long

As they leave, Tu says that he didn't expect to make it this far and he was thrilled to see a model walking in his clothes. Kate tearfully says that you have to believe in yourself even if no one else does.

Jeff Long is a writer/performer in Brooklyn. He can be reached at jeff.long75@gmail.com and followed on Twitter at @jblong.