Project Runway Season 5: Finale Part One

I realized last night as I was watching that there was no reunion show! What is up with that? The best part is when they all get together, choose who is going to be Fan Favorite, and yell at the one villain the entire time. 

How can we forget Vanessa's lying about the interview she did with that one website (long since forgotten by me, when she trashed the other designers? Or how mad she was that everyone said she can't sew? And then there's the wine stain and her departure after the commercial break. 

Or how about Keith being asked about cheating? 

And here we are deprived of having Kenley the tugboat captain's daughter not having the chance to defend herself! 

This episode was very boring and uninspired. I thought Korto should have gone home, because her dresses looked like they were those woven placemats. I didn't see wedding in either of those dresses. 

My favorite was Leanne's, and Kenley's was nice. I'm sad to see Jerrell did not make it. 

Eh. Maybe it'll be better on Lifetime. 

Last Night's Project Runway Episode

Oh, the last episode before the two finales drove me nuts! What was the point? 

Jerrell won, and the judges couldn't decide between Kenley, Leanne, and Korto. So, they're letting all three come back and decide among the FOUR of them who will make it. So, Jerrell isn't even automatically in. NO ONE at this point has been decided to go on to the final three. 

So, all four get to make a collection. Big freakin' deal. So do Joe and Suede, because neither of them had been eliminated on the air by the time Fashion Week came. So, there were SIX collections. 

Last night's episode was a waste. It has been an underwhelming challenge to judge in every season. Remember the Nancy O'Dell challenge in Season One where Wendy Pepper won? All of the outfits were bad, but the judges still managed to make a decision! 

This is a huge, disappointing cop-out. 

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 10

I know I've skipped about twenty episodes, and this is probably episode 10 and not 9, but oh, well. That can all be fixed! 

I have really discovered that I love Jerrell. Now that he is interviewed more now that there are six left, his personality shines through. His stories are hilarious! 

I loved when he said, "we were all waiting to see who would get a Hedda Lettuce this time..." 

More later! 

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 9

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 7

The Saturn View Episode! 

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 6

The designers are eating breakfast, getting ready for the next challenge. Korto wonders how Daniel keeps coming up safe, and Joe does not think Keith should have won. "Swatches and strips" are Keith's style. 

On the runway, Heidi comes out and says there is a very special guest. What, no models? No, it's a hug monster! No, it's Chris March! With disco-ball boobs! He's dressed like a space-age Viking goddess. The next challenge? Designing an outfit for a drag queen. "Too much drama." 

The "models" come out. Each lady has her own persona, from Marilyn Monroe to flamenco dancer to Southern belle. Farrah Moans, Hedda Lettuce, and Sharon Needles are my favorite names. The designers are encouraged to be theatrical and over-the-top, which allows for a lot of freedom. 

Keith chooses Sherry Vine, who has a great set of legs. Heidi agrees, and Keith says, "Hell yeah." I know he's gay, but the way he said it was still really creepy. 

They all go up to the workroom to get to know each other. Tim reminds the designers that it is the designer's responsibility to be true to the persona and to be theatrical. And the looks will be auctioned off to help those affected by HIV/AIDS. Miss Understood tells Blayne that drag is smoke and mirrors. Hedda Lettuce wants everything in one outfit but be tasteful as well. And yes, she wears green. Stella, of course, wants to grommet everything on Luisa Verde's outfit. Joe seems to be completely out of his element. 

At Mood, they buy feathers and shiney and sequiny and fabulous. Keith did not get immunity last time he won and feels that he deserves it. Whatever. Joe's queen left him the bra to put on the male mannequin form. Daniel tries to borrow Kenley's bra, but she refuses. Blayne's drag name would be dragalicious. Everything is -licious. 

Terri's making a kimono and legging outfit. Joe's making a catsuit. Suede is making a green outfit with gloves that have tiny heads of lettuce on them. Hedda Lettuce asks if he's just too lazy to make a sleeve, which hurts Suede's feelings. Keith is making a fringed, tiling piece. It's mostly swatches of black, gray, and white, with nothing theatrical about it. 

Tim walks in. The clients walk in, but they are not in drag. Blayne seems almost shocked that his client is actually a boy under all that outfit. Korto has this huge flame outfit, fire everywhere. Jarrell's client wishes that the collar wasn't covering so much of his face. 

Tim makes his comments on the outfits. Blayne's looks like a "a pteradactyl from a gay Jurassic Park." Tim is worried about Daniel's outfit, as it isn't really drag enough. Daniel is still talking about his taste level, how his outfit is more couture, blah blah. 

The fashion show is fabulous! It's so over-the-top, so much fun, probably the best runway of the season. Ru Paul is the guest judge. So awesome! They're sashying, dancing, and hamming it up for the camera. 

The bottom three are Daniel, Jarrell, and Keith. 

The top three are Joe, Korto, and Terri. 

The winner of immunity? Joe! 

Auf'ed? Daniel. 

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 5

Season 5 of Project Runway has been bringing in the big-name stars for some of the competitions. Natalie Portman, Sandra Bernhard, and Apolo Ohno have already made an appearance, and this week is Brooke Shields's turn. 

Daniel and Keith are working out, which I find hilarious in Daniel's case. He's so skinny, and I'm thinking those dumbbells are hollow. 

Moving on the model pick, Korto gets first pick as winner of the last challenge. Korto keeps her model, Katarina, and Alex is out. Everyone else has the same models. Heidi says that they will be designing for a high-powered and glamorous professional woman. Blayne hopes it's not Hillary Clinton, because there's no way he's going to design a neon pantsuit. I'd love to see Hillary in neon! 

The speculation includes Nancy Grace, Heidi Klum, and even Sharon Osbourne (from Stella, natch). Tim comes in the workroom and introduces--Brooke Shields! The challenge is to create an outfit for her Lipstick Jungle character Wendy Healy. She's a high-powered studio executive and mother of two. Her look is bohemian, and each designer gets looks from Season One of the show, and the other criteria is that it be a day-to-night look. The designers will be working in teams of two. After sketching, each will pitch their design to Brooke, who will pick six of the twelve to bring their design to life. And the winning look will be worn by Brooke during season two! 

Brooke's picks are Korto, Terri, Kellie, Keith, Jerrell, and Blayne. The teams are: Keith & Kenley; Korto & Joe; Terri & Suede; Jerrell & Stella; Kellie & Daniel; and Blayne & Leanne. 

At mood, Kenley goes for these wild prints, but Tim says, "Can I be honest with you? Look around." Daniel felt that his choices were more "high-end", because Kellie chose too much leopard and lace. Back at the workroom, the designers have ten hours. Tim comes in and announces their is NO immunity! 

Kellie likes to do things herself, and this belief is cemented when Daniel's skirt ends up crooked with a "swobbly" zipper. She makes him re-cut it. Tim is dubious about the look. 

Suede doesn't want to cut the top because he's worried about the amount of fabric, and Terri tells him to cut it. Suede is "really uncomfortable", and the look of concern on his face is stressing her out. Tim likes the look and thinks the neckline is gorgeous, making Terri's day. 

Jerrell and Stella seem to be working well together--Stella is in her element with a leather belt. Of all the teams, they seem to have the least angst working with each other, which is really great since Jerrell didn't have a choice but to pick Stella. She was the last one. Tim loves the color and the waistband and says it looks like a true collabo. 

Joe says that he loves the sleeves and loves the top Korto designed. But when Tim comes in to offer his opinion, Joe is less than positive about it. Tim says it looks like a "big sweet potato", and Joe agrees with him, saying it's baggy pouffy. Korto says he never mentioned it before, and Joe says that it's her vision. 

Terri is not happy with her garment, the shirt being "jacked up". Kenley asks how his shirt is, and Terri goes, "it's horrible." 

Blayne's bermuda shorts look  too sporty, too casual. 

Tim asks where Kenley's floral print is, and  Kenley pulls it out. Tim was right! The bottom of the dress is brown "fringe" with a different floral print top. 

After the designs are scored on the runway, the following teams are safe: Terri & Suede, Korto & Joe. The rest are either the winning teams or the losing teams. 

Heidi loves Jerrell's design. Michael says it is well-made, sexy without being cheap, and good-looking. On Kellie's outfit, Brooke didn't like the shape, saying it looked "so much cheaper than I thought it could look." Michael's take? "Hello! Slutty slutty slutty." Daniel should have said something. Daniel says his taste is impeccable, and Kenley starts laughing. Brooke likes Keith's outfit, saying it looks rich and expensive. Nina isn't sure if it's "day enough", but says it's beautiful. Blayne and Leanne's outfit is just too sporty and not night enough. Nina doesn't think Blayne listened and is surprised Leanne let it go. 

The winner? Keith and his swatchy dress. Kenley is safe. 

Blayne and Leanne are also safe along with Jarrell and Stella. 

Out? Kellie. Daniel is safe, and Kellie is auf'ed. 

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 4

Heidi welcomes everyone and brings out the winning and losing designers models, and Kenley has the option to stay with Shannon or swap with another designer. She decides to stay with Shannon, meaning Leslie is out. 

No explanation from Heidi for the challenge; instead, Tim is taking them on another field trip. This will be the third one for them. They all hop into vans and contemplate what their next assignment will be. Blayne talks about how much he wants to go tanning. Suede still talks in third person. 

They arrive at the Armory Track, where they are greeted by Apolo Ohno, who is racing around the track on in-line skates. Apolo tells the designers about the challenge. They get to create a look for the US team for the Opening Ceremonies. They will be designing women's wear only. Armani designed for the Italy team, and Ralph Lauren designed the 2008 uniforms. Ohno is the judge for this challenge. 

They all head over to the Armory Track's museum of all things Olympics and sketch. There are varying levels of knowledge about the Olympics. Daniel has never seen the Olympics, while Joe and Terri have both seen the Games. 

Stella drops a bomb-shell by saying she likes fur and leather. 

Drama comes when Keith picks up the fabric Terri chose and placed on the table, but he has already cut a piece out of it. Drama? Please... 

Back at Parson's, they have until 1 am and the winner has immunity. Joe is going to make a skort. I hate skorts. Daniel is leaning towards a modern 40s cocktail-type dress. Blayne's getting paler and paler and weaker and weaker. Terri is making a bustier and pants. Jennifer is making a skirt, camisole, and sweater jacket. Keith is mixing silk with fleece. 

Tim comes in to see how they're doing. He says Blayne's is looking Sergeant Pepper's, and Blayne looks absolutely confused about that reference. He doesn't get it at all, which cracks me up. He has seen Across the Universe, though, so I guess that counts for... nothing. It counts for nothing. Tim questions Jerrel's horizontal stripes on athletic women combined with the stripes and patterns on the top. Tim says that Jennifer's looks matronly again, especially with the sweater. 

Joe and Daniel get snippy with each other over who uses which machine. Joe has been using one machine for three challenges, and Daniel has rethreaded his machine, which Joe has threaded with white. "Is he for real? Is he psycho? What a baby, honestly." Joe's response? "There's too much drama with all these queens around." Terri says it's too high school and she wants to go to college. 

The next day, Tim sends in the models. They all get ready, tug the zippers up, button buttons, and hope that all goes well. 

Heidi comes out and gives her usual spiel of being in or out and recapping the challenge. Then she introduces the judges, including Apolo Ohno. Then the show starts. 

Suede, Kellie, Leanne, Stella, Keith, Blayne, and Kenley have made it on to the next level. That leaves Jennifer, Terri, Joe, Korto, Daniel, and Jerrell. The models are brought back out and the Inquisition has begun! Everyone likes Terri's, with Nina calling it versatile, smart, and sharp. Jennifer used inspiration from the 1920s, but Heidi doesn't seem "Olympic" or "modern" or even "American." Nina feels that Jennifer has a problem separating the challenge and her design inspiration. Joe's turn is next. Nina likes that he incorporated sports into the design. Daniel used a 1940s inspired cocktail dress, and Ohno did not see Olympics in it. Ohno! Then he gets called on the color of the dress, which looks purple, but Michael Kors biggest problem is the lack of America in the design. Korto's is more athletic as well, and both Nina and Heidi like the outfit. Ohno agreed with Korto that it is very '08. Jerrel's outfit was like a 1920s outfit, but it didn't look anything athletic. Nina is puzzled and said it "looks like Mary had a little lamb." 

So, the "Out" group is Jerrell, Jennifer, and Daniel. 

The "In" group is Joe, Korto, and Terri. 

After the judges discuss, they bring the designers back out. 

Joe is in, and I thought he'd be the one that would win. The winner is.... Korto! How great! She was in the bottom three during the cocktail dress challenge and was so defeated, and now she has immunity for next week. 

Jerrell is in. We're down to Jennifer and Daniel. I'm thinking it's Jennifer at this point. 

And Jennifer is out... 

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 3

This week on Project Runway, I'm waiting for a villain and some drama. Oh, and some inspired fashion. Last week really hurt my feelings. 

This week, for the model assignments, the winning and losing designers' models come out. Suede has a choice, he can keep Tia or swap with another designer. "Suede loves Tia. Suede's going to keep Tia." So, Alyssa's out. 

Heidi sends them back to Atlas to meet Tim, who's going to take them out on the town. They cheer. No, you idiots! Out on the town is a challenge! Nothing is free! Jerell things that it may be a nice dinner or go out. Stella thinks Tim is going to take them to a nice bar or restaurant that may be his favorites. Going out to the clubs? Well, they'll at least be out in the rain. THey come out wearing ugly orange ponchos. 

The destination of their challenge? A City Sights NY tour bus! They all go up to the top deck in the rain. Oh, how I love Tim! The challenge is to create an outfit inspired by NYC at night. Four stops, a group gets off, and they have to take photographs in an  hour. 

Ah, Kenley and Stella argue when Kenley walks in front of Stella's shot. Okay, some drama. But enough? 

Back at the workroom, they have half an hour to pick their photos, and the shopping budget is $100. And, they can choose their own fabrics for the first time. The winner has immunity for the next challenge and cannot be eliminated. 

Kenley is looking for some 40s/50s stuff. Stella is probably looking for leather. Leanne was looking for charmeuse, and Terri--wait, who was Terri again? Either she's out this week or she's in, because they're focusing on her a bit! Suede is giving flecks of color. Keith is also getting more air time as well, and we haven't heard anything from Korto. Everyone has an opinion on Keith's dress. Stella is hammering and making people mad. 

Tim checks in. Jennifer (who is Jennifer?) has a bad hemline that she needs to work on. Tim is worried that Keith's dress won't have shape. He loves the silhouette of Kenley's dress, but it looks costumey. Terri is into street culture, and the influence of her picture is clear in her outfit. 

Keith's model had to drop out of the competition and Alyssa would be coming back to take her place. Sandra Bernhardt was the guest judge. 

After the scoring, Heidi calls Keith, Kenley, Emily, Terri, Jennifer, and Leanne. Those not called were qualified to move on to the next round. 

Keith, Emily, and Jennifer are on the bottom. Kenley, Terri, and Leanne are the top three. I think Leanne did a really good job of not overthinking this design. I think Jennifer's was the most boring of the lot. If they're going by boring, then Jennifer's out. If they're going by execution, then it's Keith; if they're going by Nina's lack of a comment, then it's Emily. As for the winner, I like Terri's. 

The winner is.... Kenley. She has immunity for the next challenge. 

The auf'ed contestant is... Emily. 

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 2

Okay, here we go, Episode 2! 

At the beginning, the designers get to choose their models, and the models file off the stage as they are picked. Then they come back on the stage, which confuses everyone. Ah, but it's  a twist on the wedding dress challenge in Season 1. The models are their clients, and they are to make a "green" cocktail dress. Then another twist--the models are to do the shopping! Most of the designers are shocked; what does a model know about good fabrics and notions? 

What, indeed? The models are given half an hour to shop. One model asks immediately for organic fabrics (you go, girl!) and another asks how much is in a yard (yeesh). Some models have the same fabric, one is rushing around with peacock feathers, and the designers are scared shitless. When they return, the models and designers have 30 minutes to caucus. 

There are a couple of challenges in here: what the models want; working with clients; and working with the materials that the models brought in. It's a challenge to see who is innovative and can use what's available to them. I have a feeling that whoever had trouble with the Gristede's grocery store challenge is not going to have a good time with this one. Take Stella, for example: her client is earthy and wants something beachy, while Stella is urban rocker chic. Stella had a problem with the previous challenge as well. 

And then there's Suede, "a bisexual Sagittarius who likes long walks on the beach", who talks about himself in third person. 

Wesley, Joe, and Leanne have the same fabric. 

Tim Gunn comes in and shocks everyone with two announcements. 1) No immunity, with the winner's dress being manufactured by Bluefly.com. 2) A famous young starlet is going to be the guest judge. 

On elimination day, Tim says the group is turning him into a wreck with the amount of work left to be done. Sounds like he's as unimpressed as the previous challenge, when all those slackers used tablecloths. 

And everyone is loving it that Natalie Portman, environmentalist and starlet, is the surprise judge. And which designer (apart from Leather Stella) is going to go on the record saying that they don't like using green fabrics? 

Once the "safe" designers leave the stage, we are left with Kenley, Suede, Wesley, Stella, Korto, and Leanne. Leanne, Wesley, and Korto are the bottom three, with Wesley and Leanne have the same fugly brown satin. 

(On the poll, Blayne's tanorexia came in with 37%, while Suede's use of third person came in with 47% of the vote as craziest thing, but they circled Blayne's 37%.) 

Stella is in, Suede won, Kenley is in, Korto is in, and we're down to Wesley and Leanne. Both of them had the fugly brown satin. Wesely's dress is unflattering with a poor fit, while Leanne had too many ideas and she couldn't edit. Heidi called it a school project. I say Leanne's out. 

Nope. She's in! Wesley's out. I suppose a school project ranks higher than poor fit. 

Project Runway Season 5: Episode 1

I have loved Project Runway since Season 1. I had stumbled across it while flipping through the channels and caught up on four episodes on Saturday afternoon. I was hooked.  Then I had some cable issues and I didn't see Season 2, and I went through massive PR withdrawal. 

Luckily, I was back in cable with the third and fourth seasons. I loved it all! The fashion, the drama, the villains! Oh, the villains! My favorite so far is still Wendy Pepper, for the way she sucked everyone in with her motherly attitude and then willingly turned on them. Jeffrey from Season 3 I didn't see so much as a villain because I agreed with most of his feelings about whiny Angela. I just have to shove aside the fact that I wouldn't want anyone to talk that way to my mother, but sheesh, was that woman hard to work with! And the fleurshons? WTH? What grade are we in again? 

So, Season 5 began again this past week. I caught up on the episode today, and I have to admit, I was disappointed. 

Oh, it was all there--the mix of designers, Tim Gunn, Heidi, the grocery store challenge, and Austin Scarlet. But wow, what a lack of creativity and imagination. I remember the first time that Nina Garcia ripped into a designer for using trash bag couture, which has been so done. There was some seriously ugly going on there! I lost track of the amount of tablecloths that were used as the main part of the garment.  

I'm hoping that the designers kick it up a notch with the next episode, and I hope that a really great villain emerges. One episode was not enough for me to pin down who that person would be, but time will tell.