It's the first part of the finale! Which means it's the part without the actual finale in it, so strap in for some filler. There are still five designers here, although only Dom and Bradon are definitely in for Fashion Week. Alexandria, Helen, and Justin are also making collections, but they have a pre-FW runway to convince the judges they're not worthless bums. They get $9,000 and six weeks to make a ten-look Spring collection. And also, one of their looks must be made with unconventional materials, which makes me sad again that the judges didn't like Chris March's dress made of human hair. I'm not over it! Heidi warns the designers to make sure the materials really are unconventional. You know, this season already had too many challenges with unconventional materials, Heidi. Tim will be making visits, which will eat up a lot of airtime.
Back to the hotel, where everyone packs up and gets out. Helen points out that they'll see each other again really soon. And they're off!
Four weeks later (so everyone should be two-thirds done) Tim hits Philadelphia to check in on Dom. She's at some kind of outdoor cafe, and she introduces her family, including her boyfriend. She's working as a hostess at this restaurant at night and working on her collection during the day. Yeesh. She credits her mother getting dressed up to go out as being a big influence on her love of fashion.
Her studio is rented from a gallery space above an art supply store. That sounds handy! She explains that she's really into Blade Runner so her collection is about Retrofuturism. I love Retrofuturism! It's basically what people used to think the future was going to look like. Because she's Dom, she's having a lot of giant prints done to her order. Tim recommends doing it all in knits, and Dom loves it. She's also got some silver spandex going, which is very Blade Runner. Her unconventional material is these metal door-hanger things. Tim is a little concerned about her time challenges, because she doesn't even have the textiles she needs for most of her looks. She vows to do work.
Los Angeles! Twelve days until Fashion Week. Bradon welcomes Tim to his home, and to the back bedroom that's full of mannequins. He was inspired by crocuses pushing through the snow, which is very Spring. He likes the bright colors crashing against the snow. His unconventional material is bandage elastic. No, wait; that's just one of his regular looks. His actual unconventional material is clothesline and "painter's plastic," which I think is dropcloth material. Tim hates it, because it doesn't fit with the rest of the line. Bradon is willing to lose it, although it represents five days of work. Tim gets to meet Joshua, who's engaged to Bradon. They have a scruffy little dog, and they go off to the beach to talk about how they met. Joshua was studying opera and Bradon was a dancer. Remember? Tim assures Bradon that his collection looks really great.
That takes care of the two people that are definitely in Fashion Week. With eleven days to go, Tim is in San Mateo, CA for Alexandria. Her goal is to make something that's edgy, modern, and strong. She's got thirty pieces done, which seems like kind of a lot. Tim is pleased that she'll have options. Her name for the collection is "Neo Nomadic Punk," although her sign also says "Urban Warrior." There's no color anywhere, although I should admit that I'm wearing all black myself. She has pants with gloves where the pockets should be. That's not crazy, is it? If you just put your hands in your pockets a lot and don't store your keys there, why not make them gloves? I'm on board. For her unconventional materials challenge, she got the kids at her fashion camp to weave some phone books together. And then Tim gets to go there, because what Alexandria is really excited about is showing off Camp Couture.
The kids are not that excited about seeing Tim Gunn, because they're all working at sewing machines. Tim is sincerely enthusiastic about everything, especially the dolls the kids have sewn. There's a Tim Gunn doll! And also the other designers from this season, but the Tim one is the best. Tim leaves, and Alexandria has to get back to her stuff.
Helen is . She's in Union City, NJ, and there are only nine days to go. She's working in a big empty warehouse space. It looks great in there. Her inspiration is "clairvoyance," which translated into a textile based on a close-up of an eye. She's also got some red dresses, which Tim finds kind of un-Helen-like. She's also got some shower mats that she's trying to match to her textile. Tim recommends more innovation, because the dress by itself is dull. She decides she's going to add capes to everything. I'm a little worried about that decision.
Helen takes Tim to her parents' house to meet the folks. And also the boyfriend. They've been watching the show, so Tim asks how they feel about seeing Helen's occasional lapses in confidence. Helen admits that she also comes off really, really cocky sometimes. Helen sounds confident when she says she'll be in the top three, but she's less confident when she adds that she's going to win.
We end with Justin, who lives in Raleigh, NC. Tim is at a dinner table and proposes a toast. And I might be wrong, because the camera moves very quickly, but I think the show's ASL interpreter is also there, and she has a plate of food. If I'm right, good for her! Justin's sister would never wear what Justin designs, which is how it goes sometimes. Justin also painted a picture hanging on the wall, because he's responsible for all the art in the house.
Justin's got some signs of support at NC State University, which I guess is where his studio is. His inspiration is sound waves, which means that he's printed out some squiggly lines. His goal is to tell a story about himself before and after he got his cochlear implant. Justin's very into this thing about telling stories through clothes. And he's got a 3-D printer, so he's made some curvy shapes. That's neat as hell, guys. No wonder he's at the University, because those things are expensive. He shows Tim the machine itself, which is in the middle of a 108-hour print job. He's also doing a gown covered in test tubes. It's impressive stuff. It's all in white right now, so I think it needs a little more. Tim gives the usual hug, and we're done.
One week later, it's back to the hotel. Dom and Bradon are the first ones there, and Bradon thinks the judges will wimp out and let all three of the others show at Fashion Week. The other three show up and there is a frenzy of hugs. Then they stand around nervously before dividing up beds.
Back to the workroom. It's been changed in ways that are not obvious to the viewer, but the designers seem excited. Dom breaks the silence by being the first to walk around and poke at everyone's collections. Everyone's surprised at the red dress standing out in the middle of Helen's collection. Justin is really interested in Dom's, because he loves her prints. In return, she loves Justin's 3-D necklaces. Helen thinks Bradon's a little nervous because everyone else is much fresher. Alexandria shows off her collection, hoping that her sheer number of pieces will intimidate them. I see her glove-pockets are now on shorts, not pants. Bradon suggests that she has so many pieces that she might have problems dividing them up into looks.
For no reason on Earth, a woman from a popular detergent company comes in to give them a new challenge: a new look that can go in the washing machine. But that's just for the people at Fashion Week. Alexandria, Helen, and Justin should focus on what they'll show to the judges for now.
After a little more filler, Tim comes back in with a facial wound. He fell down the subway stairs and got some stitches. But he's still in a great mood and is here to do his job. Because he's a professional. Although I notice he's only being shot from the right side now. He checks in on Alexandria first, and he likes the lightness and translucency she's working with. He doesn't want a bra top under it, because he likes the proportions. Helen doesn't like any of it, and I kind of agree. Tim recommends showing at least one of these weird feathery crowns she's made.
Justin's , and he's got a dress that looks like fur but is actually test tubes. Tim is a little concerned about the top of the other dress, pointing out that a seam looks "puckery." There's a dark dress that Justin splattered white paint on to make it more interesting, and Tim recommends bringing the looks together somehow.
Finally, Helen. She's showing a red dress to surprise the judges, and Tim likes it until it gets to the shoulder. Alexandria thinks it looks like "student work" that's "difficult to wear." Helen's dress has tails in front and back that look kind of diaper-y. Tim wonders why there aren't more capes. And there's a bustier that looks really rough. Helen needs to polish up these three looks as much as possible.
Tim gets a little emotional at the thought of anyone going home, and he takes refuge in telling them to make it work. Justin also gets emotional about anyone going home, but I have to think he mostly means himself.
It's the day of the runway show! Sewing and ironing and more sewing! Dom finds it weird to not be part of the chaos. Tim checks in to warn them about models and hair and makeup and accessory walls (the thoughtful use thereof). Then the models are here! Alexandria has bracelets made by a ten-year-old, which is great. Less great is the interview where she describes Helen as "a student, unable to detach [herself] from [her] work." Sure, she's insecure. We've established that. Lay off. Hair and makeup continue to be of no interest to me, regardless of how they might lead to "beautiful, glowing models."
With twenty minutes to go, Helen decides to finish the inside of her dress with bias tape. I don't know what that means, but it sounds ambitious. Dom helps out, because she doesn't have anything else to do. Bradon helps Justin get a model into the test tube dress, which is obviously a weird garment to manage. Helen calls Alexandria's collection "raggedy," which is accurate. But that's clearly on purpose at this point, right? She likes raggedy. And so have the judges. She should also lay off.
It's time for the runway! Everyone's sitting in the chairs, even the two of them that aren't showing tonight. Heidi announces, "There are five of you still in the competition. And after tonight...well, we'll see." The three who are fighting it out will be showing three looks each. The judges are Zac, Nina, and Tim. No guests! Let's go.
Alexandria's first look has a black leather top that looks like a trash bag with the bottom cut out and some pants with strings hanging off the legs. The second look is cleaner, although I don't get the jacket at all. The third look has pants that are buttoned all weird. I'm not into any of this at all. It is, indeed, raggedy. But Heidi loves it, so what do I know?
Helen's first dress is black and weirdly poofed out around the butt. Contrary to her claim, I do not find it either "modern" or "bad-ass." The red dress looks like it's using the acrylic belt to hold itself together. And the cape means the model can't lift her arms. Her final dress looks great to me. I love the print. The model still can't lift her arms, though.
Justin is the best. His first look is kind of a white pantsuit, but it's chic in all the ways that Alexandria's garment felt unfinished to me. His black dress has the white paint spatters, and it's gorgeous. He's the only one with the guts to put his unconventional-materials dress in this challenge, and it looks great. You can hear it rattle as the model walks, and it reads as translucent, reflective fur. Justin killed it. If they're only sending one person, there's zero drama.
Heidi warns, "Not all of you can show at New York Fashion Week." We'll see about that. Get to the judging! Justin says that his collection is about the transition to being able to hear. Phase one represents when he couldn't hear at all, so that's the white clothes. Phase two is all the sound that he couldn't handle. And phase three is the amazing test tube dress, which is when he's come to terms with it. Heidi has nothing but good things to say about the clothes, but she thinks the hairstyles he chose are silly. Zac warns him to be a little careful with the accessories. Nina loves the 3-D printer dress, and she doesn't even hate the hair.
Alexandria's . The phrase "Neo Nomadic Punk" seems to throw Nina and Heidi for a loop. But Heidi loves the pocket-gloves. She finds it all fashion-forward and cool and beautiful. Zac thinks it's luxe and modern and professional. Nina could tell it was Alexandria immediately, but she doesn't think it's interesting enough to show in New York. Alexandria admits that she's only using black, white, and taupe, and Heidi grimaces. Heidi's rooting for you, Alexandria! Nina thinks it will look boring. Ouch. Zac says something needs to happen to cause that "magic runway moment." You know, like when Justin's test tube dress came out and blew everyone's minds.
Helen explains that she had a really abstract inspiration, then just goes through each of the looks. Nina loves the silhouette and the back of the black dress. The model in the print dress attempts to move her arms, and it's not very convincing. Nina has Helen remove the belt from the red dress and it loses all its shape. Well, I guess "pillow case" is a shape. Zac doesn't like the details either. Heidi says she's an interesting designer, but she thinks the models look unhappy and not sexy. People, Heidi likes it to be sexy. Take a note! Helen tries to explain herself, and she gets all tripped up, and you can see her self-confidence plummet as she talks. It's not a full meltdown, but she's reduced to saying it's her first time doing this, and she's basically given up.
They go to the back, and Justin insists on a group hug. With that out of the way, Helen admits the judges didn't like her stuff. Alexandria points out that Nina was a tough grader all the way around.
Close-up looks. Everyone loves the test tube dress, and especially Justin's willingness to send it up there. And the 3-D printing, and the backstory. It's all great. On to Alexandria. Heidi loves the suede, but Zac is picking apart the details and is unimpressed with what is basically a tank top. Nina finds it so flat and boring. Heidi defends the raw edges and the lack of color. Zac deconstructs it: "You've the buckles. You've the washed leather. And then you have the zipper down the back; it's like all the codes of what are cool and casual that exist out there. I just don't think it's runway clothing." Heidi defends it against the other two, and Nina asks what makes it distinct from everyone else. However, nobody likes Helen's clothing. The fit is unanimously rejected, and they generally agree that it's because she doesn't have enough experience.
The designers come back out. It seems clear to me that Justin is in and Helen is out, so the only question is whether Alexandria is in. Let's see how it plays out! Heidi tells Justin how great he is, so he's in. Congratulations, Justin! He's a little overwhelmed. Heidi starts with Alexandria and tells her she's in. It's the second week in a row where Heidi was the only one who liked her stuff, and she's still in. Heidi's in charge here, people. When Alexandria goes to the back to say she's in, Dom moans, "Noooooo!" Then she realizes that's kind of mean to Alexandria, who's standing right there. And Helen is... out. Sorry, Helen. You were a lot more liked that you thought you'd be! But lighten up on Twitter, because you're acting crazy. She gets hugs in the back room and Tim comes back to talk about how proud he is of her.
week: the actual finale! Backstage drama! Runway drama! And so forth!
Follow Monty on Twitter at @monty_ashley and read his blog, Mysterious Exhortations.