…because the designers probably NEVER thought they’d see the day they would get to go shopping at MOOD again!
I had a little “aha” moment after having seen every season of “Project Runway,” and it particularly came into light while watching this season: that basically the “good stuff” comes to the top 10. At last, the designers have free reign to do whatever they want, using the inspiration of the musical “Finding Neverland,” starring Matthew Morrisson, and they get to indulge in spending the day actually watching the show (imagine that…the entire show, not just a snippet, or merely having the star of the show give you a brief), and then get to sleep on it! By the way…NO SKETCHBOOKS are allowed in our rooms! That’s right: you can dream up all sorts of things, but you cannot look at any magazines, the internet or sketch unless you’ve smuggled a pencil and scribbled your ideas on toilet paper.
I wish there were more challenges like this, and as someone who competed on the show, it would be nice if there was more opportunity to actually have more than five minutes to think about a design and really be inspired. Everyone really lit up and it was evident that they were thrilled to have this experience. It is so stressful while being in the “bubble” that is competing on “Project Runway.” I think most of you reading this know by now that the entire season of the show, except for the finale (and period in which final collections are built at home) is filmed in FIVE WEEKS. You do the math: that is basically a challenge every other day. Take that in for a moment. Yup, it’s utterly exhausting. And creativity doesn’t have a “switch.” Like Ashley said, sometimes being given total creative license with no parameters can be overwhelming in such a short time. And sometimes the creativity is simply overall “blocked.”
Overall, don’t you agree that the designers produce better and more diverse work when they get to choose fabrics?
SWAPNIL, who was given a talking to by Tim, noticed tartans while watching the show and it resonated with him. While I appreciated the use of menswear fabric in a gown, I felt his design ultimately was overdone and a bit dated. Still, his construction prowess in a short time is impressive. He certainly did prove to Tim that he can work at more than 40 percent though.
Uh oh….ASHLEY had a bad day. She did say she was lost in this challenge and it shows. While her concept isn’t bad, this look was her least impressive to date. The result looks messy and unflattering, particularly throughout the bodice. Luckily she is safe because we all know everyone can have a bad day and she has shown us some great work.
CANDICE finally created my favorite look, which was this challenge’s winner. It was the right combination of modern, tough, feminine, and romantic. She was clearly touched by the story and the performance, and channeled it into her design. The fabric choice was great and I love the combination of textures and addition of leggings which gave the look a cool factor.
KELLY’s look was overly praised again this week, in my opinion. On the one hand she was trying to go outside of the box and succeeded in that. The color is pretty too. But in terms of the design, the split long lace sheath over the black mini. is nothing new and I wasn’t quite sure how she channeled the inspiration. Not horrible though for someone who slings cheesesteaks by day!
LAURIE, “TINKERHELL” says it all! Laurie was almost eliminated for her bizarre look which has way too much volume. I’ve been saying this about her designs for a while: who wears this, and where is she going? And how is this look related to Tinkerbell, or “chic, young, and modern” as she said she was going for? Laurie seems like a sweet person but I don’t think her POV is modern enough.
MERLINE embraced the fantasy element here and was safe. I liked her juxtaposition of hard + soft, and sci-fi vs romantic. Not my favorite, but I still find Merline’s work very intriguing.
It was nice to see LINDSEY take a bit more of a risk this week, but I still find her designs underwhelming. The green must have come subliminally been a nod to Peter Pan; perhaps the retro 60’s style was a nod to her grandmother? Her work just doesn’t have much of a signature. I’m sure she can make perfectly wearable clothes, but as far as design, she is more or less a wallflower- but a pretty one! It was time for Lindsey to go, though.
EDMOND: talk about choosing fabric! He relied a bit too much on this crazy textile, which had a polarizing effect on the judges. You either love it or you hate it. I am not sure how I feel about this look either. While I love the sporty-graphic chic, sleek pieces underneath the coat, I feel there is a disconnect between the two elements. I am not a fan of this coat, but then again he was letting his imagination go and went to fantasyland with it. I just don’t see anyone wearing it.
