We’ve almost made it! Just one last dress form to hurdle over and we’ll have our Fashion Week designers. Hydrate, stretch, and get ready, because the red carpet challenge is here whether you like it or not.
Our top four designers sit in their usual spots at the runway, which has been transformed into a red carpet, complete with velvet rope stanchions in case one of them gets a little starstruck and tries to attack Heidi.
Speaking of Heidi, she’s wearing a red dress on the red carpet. If you’re new to this show, let me tell you, Heidi is not a subtle woman. (Proof: Google “Heidi Klum Halloween.” Any year will do.)
The Challenge: Tim joins Heidi on the red carpet runway to give the designers the good news: They’ll be taking a trip to Los Angeles. Using L.A. as inspiration, they’ll be designing and constructing a red carpet look.
Kelly can’t believe that she’s not in the deli anymore. She’s doing a great job of endearing herself to me and I’m starting to find myself rooting for her despite her hairdo.
The designers arrive at Best Western, their Los Angeles home away from home (away from home), and meet Tim and Best Western’s Managing Director of Marketing and Advertising, Tammy Lucas, by the pool. This pool scene has a very 1960s “Valley of the Dolls” look and I am into it. Together, Tammy and Tim explain that the winner of this challenge will receive 100 free nights at any Best Western in the world.
The gang moves from one pool to another, losing Tammy somewhere along the way. “The Insider” correspondent Keltie Knight joins them by the second pool in the Hollywood Hills, looking adorable in a little nude-colored dress. She explains that red carpet looks need to have drama, color, and fit to be successful, and warns the designers against playing it safe. The group sketches by the pool, then heads to L.A.’s own Mood outpost with $400 to spend. Per person. That’s a whole lotta dough in the “Runway” world.
At Mood, everyone runs for the sequins. Ashley grabs a beige sequin fabric and a chiffon just in case the beige sequin is too crazy. Wow, Ashley, way to let your hair down. Also it should be noted that when the sequins on her fabric move, they change colors in a way that makes my arm hairs stick up. Ashley calls the color “bronze” but all I’m seeing is blah.
Did you ever read “The Rainbow Fish” by Marcus Pfister as a kid? Well, the fish died, was skinned, and now Edmond is using its remains as his fabric for this challenge.
Candice chooses black (shocker) and abandons her idea of an open back in favor of some black sequin-y mesh. She says her model is going to look like she was dipped in heaven and then adds, “My kind of heaven.” Candice’s heaven is actually just a beautiful version of hell. I want to pitch an “Addams Family” series remake just so I can employ Candice as the costume designer.
Kelly is making her own textile and I am so here for this.
In the workroom at the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising, everyone gets to work except Edmond, who doesn’t know what to do with his rainbow fish sequins. He works on creating a look from a different purple material he purchased instead.
During Ashley’s critique, Tim warns her that she may be over-designing. He suggests streamlining the look by using the same fabric (that chill-inducing beige sequin stuff) throughout, which is actually just what the doctor ordered – her look really comes together after she makes the swap.
Kelly presents a sketch of a dramatic dress but Tim isn’t sure that she’s being herself. She mentions that she’d prefer to do a jumpsuit but didn’t feel that it would be right for this particular challenge. Normally I’d be inclined to agree with her, but nowadays, you can get away with a lot on the red carpet if you have the guts (see: Rihanna).
Tim tells Edmond to ditch his yawn-worthy Plan B and go for the rainbow look. So Edmond starts cutting. And cutting. And holy Queen of Disco Donna Summer’s Greatest Hits, I do not feel love.
After two days of working, the four designers head back to New York, where they have their first and last (!) fitting with their models. Kelly is terrified that her jumpsuit won’t fit, but it does. Ashley has to add a strap to avoid a wardrobe malfunction. They have all dealt relatively well with the bi-coastal element of this challenge – again, except Edmond, who hacks off a bit more of his dress with barely any time left before the runway.
Runway:
Heidi’s orange and pink houndstooth dress looks like it belongs at the red carpet premiere of the 1995 classic “Clueless” and I love it. She introduces Zac, Nina, and Christian Siriano, who I’m sure everyone knows, but just in case: he’s a designer, a former “Runway” winner, and a judge of the upcoming “Project Runway Junior.” Tim and his Save stand by.
Candice: A floor-length black satin-y dress with a train. She’s utilized the black sequin mesh from the bust to neck and around back. It’s safe but beautiful and very on-brand for her. The judges appreciate how well it’s made.
Kelly, the winner: A fitted grey-teal jumpsuit with the leather triangle pattern she created. The model looks like a sexy reptilian alien pop princess. Kelly sells the jumpsuit idea well by saying her inspiration was Katy Perry at the VMAs. Everyone is excited by how far Kelly has come as a designer.
Edmond: A pink, purple, and blue mini-dress with long, wide sleeves. Lots of cleavage and leg and sequins and color. The judges like that he took a risk but feel that poor Edmond let himself get lost. They decide his look would be a head-turner but for all the wrong reasons, and would probably end up on a “Worst Dressed” list.
Ashley: An asymmetrical one-sleeved sequined bronze/silver dress. Nina has a point when she says, “From any angle, she’s going to look good.” I was not interested in this fabric before I saw her model in it but Ashley did a great job paying attention to her model’s skin color and how it would work with her textile choice. Good on ya, Ash.
The judges then ask the designers who among them deserves to go to New York Fashion Week and why. Kelly and Candice think Ashley should be cut, Edmond and Ashley think Candice should be cut. This is not surprising based on the friendships we’ve seen develop. No one seems to get his or her feelings hurt and I can breathe again.
Ultimately the judges have to be fair and decide that even though Edmond has been consistently great, so have some other designers, and he really dropped the disco ball in this challenge. My heart! It aches! Imagine working for something for so long just to lose right when it’s within grasp! All the crying emojis!
