Project Runway 8/6 (Open spoilers!)

Cafe Society
1

I loved this challenge! I never would have suspected how much it would throw people off their game. Some of the designs were just like WTF? Could they really picture the athletes marching into Olympic Stadium wearing a cocktail dress? Seriously? Or that crazy hat of Jerrel’s?

I pretty much agreed with both the top 3 on this one, although I actually liked both Joe and Terri’s designs better than Korto’s (especially Terri’s…I really think she should have won…the jacket alone was worth the win, IMO).

On the other hand, there were a whole host of designs that I could have seen in the bottom 3. The 3 they picked were pretty bad, but there were several other designers who I think skated by narrowly…Suede, Stella, and Kenley’s designs were all pretty ridiculous, too.

Jennifer keeps using the word “surrealism” to refer to her work, but I don’t get it. I see the Holly Golightly, but I really don’t see the Salvador Dali. What am I missing there?

2

I have to admit that I wasn’t really impressed with any of the outfits. The skort was a good idea, but what happened with the length? I liked Terri’s jacket but the tube shirt was weird and hit the model at a weird place on the chest. Korto’s outfit was too white and I really hate when you can see through the pants to the other side of the seam. I probably would have gone for the skort the most.

Jerrell’s outfit didn’t work for the challenge, but I liked that he was brave enough to make the hat and smart enough to listen to Tim Gunn and change the stripes. I think the right person went home, but either one of the bottom two could have gone. They both totally missed the mark. I really do wonder what happens when you get half way through the challenge and notice that everyone else is doing something completely different, especially when you didn’t really understand the challenge in the first place.

3

Holly Golightly had better taste.

I get the impression that she doesn’t really know who either of those people are, she just thinks the names sound cool - and so do her design school friends.

I really wonder, have any of them ever seen the opening ceremonies? Because nearly all of the outfits were a miss for me. (That Stella didn’t get called out for the dreck she threw up there is unfathomable). Of the three “winners,” I thought Korto or Joe. Terri’s looked like the models boobs were flopping out over the top of that shirt. I thought that was a sure loss. Though the opening ceremonies ratings would probably be much higher if they featured topless female olympians.

Of the bottom three - my gosh, that hat.

4

Yeah, that really bothered me. Every time I looked at that outfit, I just wanted to wince…Not flattering.

But it was hilarious to think that this was what the designers thought Olympic athletes should wear to the opening ceremonies. Cocktail dresses? Gigantic hats?

Blayne’s starting to look a bit better.

5

I think the right person went home - I mean Jennifer didn’t even get the colors right, much less the context or occasion.

Joe was very literal but his outfit looked more like the tracksuit that you’d unzip right before mounting the uneven bars than a formal opening ceremony.

I think a lot of people skated by on this one…ha ha ha pun intended.

Apolo is hot!

6

I agree that even after looking through the museum the designers didn’t get it. Have none of them watched the opening ceremonies? I actually liked some of the garments, but not as “marching in high temps in a group of several hundred wearing the same thing”. Stella’s “Well lots of bikers watch the Olympics” line made me wonder if she realized that those bikers weren’t going to be the ones deciding whether she stays or goes. Terri’s tube top was just unappealing - it made the size 0 model look like she had big layers of flab hanging over. Jennifer’s outfit was cool, but certainly not designed to show nationalistic pride and athletic prowess. That weird purply-blue dress looked like a candy-striper’s outfit or something.

I’m surprised at how quickly Blayne seems to be losing his tan. He looks almost human now. I didn’t hear Suede refer to himself in the third person, but he didn’t get much airtime. Stella doesn’t seem to understand that her harping on her “rocker chick” designs just make her look one-note.

StG

7

I think some of the best designs were not in the top 3:

Leanne: I liked the high neck with the very structured top, cute shorts
Suede: Sporty, right colors, fashionable
Blayne: Cool-looking, though the piping was in the wrong colors

Korto’s pants were too transparent for me, and too high waisted. That linen would be a wrinkly mess in about 10 minutes on a real person. Terri’ would have been perfect except for the muffin-top she created. If the fit were better there, it would have been a clear winner. I also liked Joe’s and thought it was excellent. Probably it was the most literally on-task and most like what they will be wearing (I bet Ralph Lauren’s looks will be very tennis/golf/Polo), because Joe probably knows the most about sports of any of these folks.

Stella went too far with the exposed navel on hers. Kenley is lucky she has immunity, because her outfit was ass. I think that Daniel and Jerell showed that they haven’t the slightest idea of what one would wear to the opening ceremonies of the Olympics, and Daniel showed active contempt for it. His colors were off and he couldn’t admit it. Republic of CocktailLand (I want to go there!): “If her sport is drinking…” He’s lucky Jennifer’s was worse. Jerell’s outfit just cracked me (and The Duchess) up. Meshugenah it was. But it didn’t bore Nina at least.

However, Jennifer had to go. The only thing surreal about her look was that she thought it belonged in this challenge. It was blah and she just doesn’t get it. At last, all the bland white girls have been narrowed down to a memorable few.

Now, for the personality stuff: Kenley is ANNOYING! Did she steer Daniel wrong on the cape or would he be out now without her advice? That hyena-like laugh is irritating and seems to play a role in next week’s ep too.

Joe maybe overreacted a bit about the sewing machine, hard to say who was in the right there. The “too many queens” comment is generating some controversy, but he seemed to also be talking about Kenley, so maybe he meant drama queens? Not sure. But Daniel is turning out to a whiny, defensive twerp.

Blayne is actually quite funny. At first I hated him, but he’s growing on me. Can’t believe he doesn’t know who Sgt. Pepper is, though.

8

I definitely agree that the top 3 looks had construction problems…the hem of Joe’s skort was weird, the tube top Terri made didn’t fit right (and, how hard is it to make a tube top?), Korto’s linen pants were wrinkly and needed to be lined. But they at least seemed to get the point of the challenge. Rubystreak, you are right when you say that people didn’t seem to have any idea what the opening ceremonies look like. I guess I understand that they don’t watch it, etc., but geez, have a little imagination. It’s a sporting event. Not to mention that the last thing Tim said when describing the challenge was that it’s supposed to represent the USA. What each designer should have done is closed their eyes, and imagined 500 athletes all walking into Olympic Stadium in the outfit, and asked themselves if it looked like it made sense in that context. Picturing that with Daniel’s or Jennifer’s dresses makes me laugh out loud.

9

Actual Olympic wear.
Terri (had it not been for that weird boob thing), was closest to what might actually show up on Friday. Maybe some of the other designers can work for the Hudson’s Bay Company.

10

I think Blayne came pretty close to what I’d expect to see at the opening ceremonies. He went for modern theme which the olympics always seems to do with their cutting edge architectural stadiums.

Stella could have pulled hers off a bit better if she had went with a really dark navy blue rather than the black.

Korta did deserve the win and got it right by going sleeveless. Female, atheltes. Of course they are going to have ultra tones arms and shoulders to show off.

Daniel’s was dreadful. I’m suprised no one said it looked like a dress for Minnie Mouse or Snow White.

The rest of them seemed to miss the mark too. Instead of saying “athelete” to me a lot of them said “airline stewardess”.

11

I know it says that the official designs for the opening ceremonies are secret, but if they are anything like the preppy, tennis-y looking clothes in the top picture, they are going to look awesome.

12

I don’t believe for one second that he doesn’t; I think it’s part of the whole stupid personality he cultivates for himself. The only thing genuine about him is his intense and obvious desire to be this season’s “character,” which Bravo is playing along with.

He’s clearly quite talented, but I find him loathsome.

13

I think the funniest part of the show was when he did, on the bus heading to the stadium! It was very quick and just in the background chatter (as opposed to the interview or in the sewing room), which demonstrated that he does seem to do it all the time! Still, I think he’s funny and fairly mellow (as is Blayne, who I don’t doubt doesn’t know what Sgt. Pepper is).

I liked Joe’s design the best, and I suspect he was probably a bit pissed that he lost this one, though I think all his designs this year have been solid if not spectacular (his was the only brown eco-dress that didn’t suck). The tube top did make for some weird flesh exposure, so I’m glad that didn’t win either.

14

Jeez. The Canadian outfits are HORRIBLE. And the Aussies all look like flight attendants.

Hampshire, you’re absolutely right–Daniel’s dress was perfect for Snow White.

15

I just thought of who Jennifer’s dress would have been perfect for…my 4-year-old daughter. If I saw that dress shrunk down and on the rack at Gymboree, I would seriously consider it for her holiday dress this year.

16

I would have sent Jerrel home in a heartbeat. His outlooked utterly ridiculous to me. Tim Gunn nailed it: Lucille Ball goes to the Olympics. I would have gone with Terri for the win. Her outift was stylish and elegant.

Most of the rest were just laughably bad.

17

I’m kind of wondering that, too. I’m not sure. I mean, I definitely would be listening to Tim and not any of the contestants since they don’t have a vested interest in the others looking good.

But yeah, she’s irritating as hell. I was glad she wasn’t in the top three again…really hate how they always gush over her. Apparently she’s either in the top or bottom three next time, though.

18

I’m pretty sure the unawareness was genuine. This is a tanorexic wannabe hotshot, not a manipulating mastermind. In any case, if he was making himself into a character, why make it so… stupid? Is that the public image somebody up-and-coming wants to have?

In this competition, there were a lot of pre-1950 designs. The designers were obviously a bit damaged by the Olympics museum. In any case, I think Leeanne’s dress was the nicest looking of all.

19

Air steward/ess seems to be the general theme of most of the olympic outfits.
There are, however, reasons for that.

Big teams, so they have to be cheap enough to mass-produce and suit everyone from the gymnasts to the weightlifters.
Most are made from a polyester blend.
Wool is too heavy, and large teams of people to iron and press cotton and linen suits professionally isn’t going to happen for a lot of the teams.
Don’t forget the outfits often travel in the athletes’ individual luggage and will get crumpled in transit.
National colours- often very bright and clashing.
Outfits need to be smart- but smart office, not smart black tie
Outfits need to be modest.

Hence a general theme of chinos/shirt/blazer with tie or scarf.
Do that in, say, the colours of the South African flag, and it’s really, really hard not to look like cabin crew.

My dad still has his Irish 1980 olympic blazer in his wardrobe, it’s a particularly hideous shade of green, but he keeps it for sentimental reasons.

Joe’s outfit would have been good for the closing ceremony, but it is far too casual for the opening ceremony. My favourite was Terri.
Can’t wait for next week.

20

Daniel’s dress looked like it was designed for the Joan Crawford Wooden Hangers relay race.