Justin is grateful that Tim saved him. Well, that makes sense. He promises that he has the passion and the fire to continue. He wasn't sent home for a lack of passion or fire; he was sent home because he made a hot (glue) mess.
The designers assemble at the runway. Heidi walks out, and the camera lingers weirdly on her feet. I mean, I find it weird. If you're into feet, you probably found it long overdue. She says she's sending them to the Marie Claire Fashion Closet, which no one's ever heard of. It's full of shoes, which explains Heidi's weird shoes, which look like they're gold foot-cages.
Alexandria tells us that she hopes this is the hardest challenge ever, because she has immunity. That's an interesting take on the situation! Mostly people just tell us how lucky they feel to have immunity, which is not interesting.
Everyone is whisked away to a giant room full of shoes. If you liked seeing Heidi's shoes earlier, this is blowing your mind. Tim introduces the Editor-in-Chief of Marie Claire, who cheerfully perpetuates the stereotype that women love shoes. So the point is that this is a shoe challenge. The designers will be inspired by a pair of shoes, which will then be worn by the model. But before anything that straightforward, there's a trivia quiz! There will be a series of questions on fashion history, and whoever buzzes in first with the correct answer gets to choose their shoes first. Ken is a little concerned, because as a self-taught designer, he missed out on the extensive historical grounding he assumes that all educated designers must have. Everyone's picking from a specific set of shoes. Oh, and Alexandria gets to just go first because she has immunity. She takes some knee-high black gladiator sandals. If you're wondering how sandals can be knee-high, don't blame me. I didn't name them.
The first question is about Christian Louboutin's inspiration for his famous red soles. Ken gets it right (it was an employee's nail polish), and he's promptly kind of smug about all these so-called educated designers not knowing their history. He takes a short pair of gladiator sandals. Jeremy knows that Dior introduced the full-skirted silhouette known as the New Look. He takes some dominatrix boots. Karen identifies Marc Jacobs's design school as Parsons, and she takes some pink-and-yellow strappy high heels. Helen recognizes Jessica Simpson as having been called "Fashion's Billion Dollar Baby" by Women's Wear Daily and goes with some black shoes with studs all over the toes.
Then we don't hear all the questions, but the answers include Alexander McQueen and Kinky Boots. Bradon knows that the ruby slippers from The Wizard of Oz were auctioned off, and he gets some yellow slipper-like shoes. When we're down to Dom and Miranda, neither of them knows that Coco Chanel invented the Little Black Dress. But Dom knows that Random Task was in Austin Powers. She rejects some normal red shoes to take some silly-looking neon pink-and-blue-and-purple brothel creepers. Miranda goes last and takes the normal red loafers.
Everyone takes some time to sketch. The ladies have the sense to try their shoes on. Ken and Jeremy take a moment to laugh at people not knowing who invented the Little Black Dress. Jeremy thinks pretty highly of himself for knowing things. But I do the same thing, so I guess I shouldn't mock him for it. I will, however, mock him for planning to make a cable sweater out of white chiffon, which he's never done before. I feel that trying things you've never done before is best left for a non-competitive environment. Kate is going to try to avoid the Hair Metal vibe her studded shoes might give. Ken is going to make a jacket dress with "volume" around the hips and in the sleeves. I think the sketch looks kind of silly. Miranda is going to make an outfit she would wear, which is an awful idea. Alexander's plan involves plaid pants. Yeesh.
Off to Mood! Everybody shop! Bradon wants something a little gold and sparkly, but not too gold and sparkly. Ken looks for shoulder pads. Tim gets his ear licked by Swatch. Miranda is going to make a plaid pant that uses the same red as her shoes, so she gets a tartan fabric. And Alexander has also picked out a tartan! He notices the fabric in her bag before he gets his cut, but he doesn't have time to pick a different one. Well, this will provide some drama!
Back at the workroom, everyone's cutting out patterns. Alexander has realized that not only is he using the fabric as Miranda, she's also making pants. Bradon does not think it was coincidence, but it probably was. A split-screen comparison reveals that the plaids are not identical. Miranda's has more white in it and after a little too much time on Google, I'm going to declare it to be the Royal Stewart tartan. I am unable to identify Alexander's, but as it's also a red-based tartan, I feel that the judges would probably comment on the similarity if he were to also make pants.
Kate's shoes are crazy. They're red on the outside and yellow on the inside and they look like someone took some plastic and wrapped it in a spiral around a foot, and then took the foot out. It's apparently called a "Mojito." Alexandria's knee-high gladiator sandals turn out to be thigh-high instead. They're pretty crazy, and she needs to make a short dress to stay out of their way.
Jeremy tells Alexander about his plan to make a cable-stitch on his chiffon, and Alexander says it sounds good. Bradon is using a crazy French draping technique, and it looks really neat.
Tim comes in and comments that it's the quietest workroom ever. He likes that focus, although I imagine it gets in the way of the people who have to edit together some drama. He starts with Alexandria, and comments that her boots are "very S&M." Alexandria suggests that it could be a fun, winking mistress. She's hoping to do it without the bondage. Karen thinks she should be making a much more complicated dress to go with these complicated shoes. Justin thanks Tim for saving him, and Tim brushes that off. Justin's shoes are shaped like regular high heels, but they're covered in a lot of clashing and contrasting patterns. Tim thinks Justin's colors are "too matchy," but these shoes have a lot of colors on them.
Miranda introduces Tim to her high-waisted pants, blouse, and jacket. The silhouette of the blouse and jacket looks a lot like a look she did earlier in the season, and it was not successful the first time. And the blouse has tiny polka-dots, which most people don't like to combine with plaids. Miranda says that in the past, she's followed Tim's advice to go against her instincts and ended up in the bottom. So it was Tim's fault? Lady, your instincts are crazy.
Alexander is , and Tim is not that concerned about two designers both doing plaid pants. Ken's coat-dress looks dated to Tim, so he's taking out all that volume. Bradon's dress looks really neat to me. He says that in the real world, his shoes would lead him to dress down a little, and Tim agrees. But he doesn't want to dress down on the runway, because that's super-risky. Ken thinks it looks like something for a very old lady. Tim advises Bradon to consider where his model would be going in this dress. Now he's worried. He thinks he might cut his dress down to just being a top.
Kate is making a pant that is supposed to play up the surrealism of her shoes. That might be crazy! Jeremy shows his chiffon cable-stitching, and Tim advises him to work very hard on it. Dom loves her silly-looking shoes, so she's making a "cute skater-girl quilted T-shirt type...dress." Tim thinks the judges will either love it or hate it. And he likes that she's going for it. Karen is making a dress that looks just like her shoes. The straps of the shoe are the same color and at the same angle as the cloth in her top. Tim asks if that's a concern for her, and we don't see the response. Helen is doing a simple dress, but she wants to play up her construction skills. Tim says he sees Kate Middleton, which turns out to be a good thing. But if Kate adds all the appliques, it becomes Kate's mother-in-law. Tim leaves.
Since Bradon's dress has been cut down to a top, he rushes to make a circle skirt. Or at least enough of one that he can fit his model. Dom thinks his skirt doesn't fit his top. Helen tells her model that she's trying to avoid looking matronly. The two pairs of plaid pants look very similar. In the sewing room, Miranda says she's having trouble lining up the plaid in the seams. Jeremy and Alexander have a fake-angry fight over a sewing machine. They're clearly goofing around, but Ken interviews that people are fighting a lot.
Bradon calls his partner Josh. They love each other. Josh rented a cabin in Big Bear for the week, and Bradon cries about it.
The morning is Runway Day. Miranda is very confidence in her plaid pants. Alexander thinks he can beat her. Tim comes in and says the usual stuff. He points to the accessory wall, which is probably feeling a little put out since everyone's talking about these great shoes that came from somewhere else.
Bradon is hemming his circle skirt by hand. Alexandria is adding lace details. And the models are here! Alexander's ankles are too tight, and his model's heels won't fit in. He has to cut the fabric to allow her feet through, then stitch it back closed. Miranda says their pants are different, because hers are very high-waisted. Kate's model takes a few practice steps, which is a good idea because she has the nutty spiral shoes. Jeremy describes his look with a torrent of adjectives: "ambitious, modern, fresh, downtown, girl out on the town."
Makeup! Hair! Bradon says, "We have Fifties Revival in rich brown Fall tones. Sort of a nod to Bottega Veneta, and let's take it to the level." The hair stylist somehow understands what he wants. Helen and Dom talk about how trashy Miranda's model's hair comes out. Ken think Miranda's look is "Amy Winehouse after she OD'd." It's not good. Bradon doesn't think he's finished, but he's basically happy.
It's runway time! Heidi welcomes the designers and does her usual thing. This is a weird time in the episode to have someone recap the show. The judges are Zac, Nina, and Kaley Cuoco from The Big Bang Theory. And Anne Fulenwider, the Editor-in-Chief from Marie Claire. And Heidi. And Tim, kind of, although he no longer has a Tim Gunn Save. I like that Zac and Nina have been here for every episode. When they're tagging in and out, the show loses something.
Ken's black dress has a peplum about a foot higher than you expect it to be. But it looks like it's on purpose, and I like the fabric.
Alexander's plaid pants are nicely set off by the white top, which is only unusual in its asymmetrical cut. I don't see what any of this has to do with the shoes, but I like the look.
Miranda is , and her pants don't look as good to me. Her white top has polka dots on it and is not as interesting as Alexander's.
Dom's dress has big weird sections of bright colors. It looks neat! And it definitely goes with the shoes.
Justin's outfit is a sleek, black look that contrasts with the bright silliness of his shoes. I like most of it, although I never quite get the sleeves that go over the shoulders but don't reach down to the armpits.
Alexandria's shoes are so weird and interesting that I don't care about the dress. These shoes have kneepads built in!
Karen's garment is kind of ugly to me. There's a jacket that's completely shapeless and does not look at all fitted. But without it, the model would just be wearing a giant version of her shoes.
Bradon's outfit has a neat top and a generic skirt. It's pretty boring, and I think he's safe.
Kate loves her look. The model is allegedly wearing pants, although both legs are slit up the front all the way past mid-thigh. So all we see are legs with some fabric trailing behind. The shirt has some interesting construction in it.
Jeremy's shirt looks awful to me. It feels cheap and badly made. And then you've got a miniskirt and thigh-high boots, which are not the classiest look in the world. I am not a fan of this look.
Helen made a black dress with a cape. If there's something interesting about it, I can't see it from here.
Heidi calls out Kate, Karen, Dom, Justin, and Alexander. They're all safe. And they're pretty happy about it. Kate again exults in making the top ten. She did that last episode, and she was wrong, since Justin wasn't really out. That leaves Bradon, Ken, Miranda, Helen, Jeremy, and Alexandria. I don't have a strong opinion on who the best looks are, but Miranda should be out.
Heidi starts with Alexandria. She explains that she made a simple dress to stay out of the way of the shoes. Heidi loves the shoes, and she approves of the decision to make a soft, feminine dress to go with the hard, powerful shoes. Nina agrees that it looks "very editorial," which is a phrase I don't think means anything. Zac doesn't like the shoes, but he understands the look. Anne doesn't add much, and neither does Kaley. We have a lot of judges to get through.
Jeremy points out his gold sequin top behind the chiffon top he's so proud of. Heidi thinks it's not current or modern. Kaley thinks there's too much going on. Zac thinks it verges on trampy. Jeremy denies that he was trying to recreate Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, but Heidi doesn't believe him. Zac is starting to question everything about Jeremy, including his techniques and taste level.
Helen points out that the shoes she's wearing are a lot like the model's. Nina was very happy with her simple, well-tailored black dress. Kaley wrote "I want. Now." on her card. Zac says it's fantastic, chic, and sophisticated. Anne says it's stunning. Helen can barely keep from laughing with glee.
Miranda claims that she got the shoes she wanted, which I think is kind of unlikely, since she picked last. She claims her look is a little "rock and roll." Heidi asks about Alexander's similar pants, and Miranda says they figured it would be fine. Heidi says the model doesn't look that cool. Zac defends it as being nerdy, which he assumed was on purpose. Nina thinks it looks "very Christmas," and I don't see what she means at all. It's very red, which she hates, I guess. Kaley thinks it felt forced, and she apologizes a lot for not liking it. Anne thinks it looks like Miranda ran out of time with her top.
Ken does a great job of explaining his look. He says he wanted to be edgy (which Miranda got dinged for not doing) and highlight the legs (which Alexandria was praised for). Then he explains the woman he's dressing, which Jeremy had trouble with. He's very aware of what the judges are looking for. Heidi thinks she looks very sophisticated and hard. Zac loves the fabric, although he's not into the bag. Nina is glad that although she's showing a lot of leg, she's very covered up. She's not that covered up. I don't the model could get out of a car in this dress. Anne thinks the hem could be an inch or so later, but she quite likes the silly peplum.
Bradon says some silly stuff about swing dancing, and the judges don't like that idea. Nina speculates on a completely different look that she would have preferred. Zac hates the silhouette and the fabric. Even though it's well-executed, he doesn't like its use. Anne tells him it's her least favorite look. Kaley calls it a "bad bridesmaid's dress" and immediately apologizes.
The designers go to the back room and update everyone on who's on the top and the bottom. Jeremy is not happy to be in the bottom, but he figures the judges just don't know what they're talking about. That's right. If nothing else works, a total pig-headed unwillingness to look facts in the face will see us through.
Tim brings out what Heidi calls "the pretty outfits." The judges like the lace that Alexandria added to her dress. Nina's very happy with the exact level of casual-ness that the dress achieves. Everyone examines Ken's fabric, and they all want to feel it. Zac and Heidi were pleasantly surprised that Ken did this dress. Helen's dress was designed to demonstrate that she can make a well-fitting dress, and she achieved it. They like the cape a lot. Anne says, "With that cape, it could walk down any runway in Paris." That's something!
Bradon's look just causes everyone to say, "terrible!" a lot. Nina continues to call Miranda's look "very Christmas." Tim hates Jeremy's look and makes it clear to everyone that he questioned it. Heidi points out that Jeremy's been in the top and the bottom. Tim leaves. And again there's no deliberation shown; they just show Heidi verifying that they have a decision.
The top and bottom designers are back out on the runway. Heidi observes that the top three looks are all sleek black dresses. And Helen wins! The lesson is that simplicity can be the right call. Ken is annoyed that he didn't win, but he's in. Alexandria is also in. Jeremy's in, which leaves us with Bradon and Miranda. Bradon is in, so Miranda's out. Seems fair. Bradon's lesson is to look at the big picture and not just get excited about using a neat technique. Miranda cries about how she's going out with something she actually liked. Isn't that better, though?
Miranda goes to the back room and tells everyone to keep in touch. Tim comes in and says he's proud of her. But go clean up your space anyway.
week: designers run around!
Follow Monty on Twitter at @monty_ashley and read his blog, Mysterious Exhortations.