Thursday, August 17, 2006

Project Runway in Nutshell #5

Challenge: Create an innovative and creative outfit using recyclables from the New Jersey Waste Management.

Yes that’s what I said. The designers were woken up by a preternaturally preserved Tim who told them “no open-toed shoes... for anyone.” Before leaving, Alison couldn’t resist snarking on Laura’s riding outfit, you know, because they already did a dog outfit, why not one involving horses? The designers were taken to Newark, New Jersey to a warehouse. When the door rolled open, eyes were abuggin’. Robert was the most appalled I think.

Aside: did anyone else find Kayne’s hairstyle Howdy Doodyish?

Cut to a shot of all of them, including Tim, wearing fluorescent vests and hard hats. I think it added a little something-somethin to Laura’s outfit. And they suited Jeff extremely well. Designers had 30 minutes to scramble around, find stuff they wanted to create an outfit out of, and fill three bins each. Then 15 minutes at an art store for extras, you know, to help disguise the fact they are using trash to make some clothes. During the mad rush, Kayne cheerfully admits his white trash roots and tells us that he and his sister are pro dumpster divers. Vincent declares he’s going to make art. Anyone else tired of him? Michael “human beat boxes” it with Laura doing a poor rendition of a homegirl bouncing to the beat. She just needs to stop trying to be a sista’, she’s way too white to pull this shit.

Back at the school, busy busy busy coz they only have til midnight before all the trash turns into haute couture clothes and their pumpkin leaves. Angela goes with “what she knows” which is patchwork. Michael lets the fabric “speak to him”. Alison is working on stripes. Robert tells us he “recycles boyfriends”. Kayne is working on a big white dress with lime green. Laura informs everyone that Kayne’s outfit “is the dog in the room” and Kayne responds that “it looks like a toad exploded all over it”. Jeff is off doing something with newspaper and paint. Uli is making mylar and white twists. Vincent is swearing, bitching, and moaning over a white sheath. Laura tells the public that Vincent is “not mentally stable”. Like we didn’t already know this.

During the food break, Kayne and Robert start trash talking like the gay Southern boys they are. They must have inhaled too much of what they were working with coz they got all giddy and stuff. They mostly rag on Laura – Robert hopes Kayne isn’t going to get a rash from Laura’s kiss and Kayne declares she designs for herself as straightjackets are her specialty.

Tim makes his way through the trash dispensing raves and advice. He tells Vincent he needs to be more than one dimensional (like Vincent doesn’t already have a 24-7 bad party scene occurring in his head). Alison had abandoned the stripes and was working with cream colored paper when Tim reminds her to keep her “zaftig” model in mind. He advises Michael his skirt needs something but the gold bodice is beautiful. Uli’s is beautiful. Jeff’s is beautiful. And Kayne… Tim’s face does this writhing motion, almost like Kayne’s toad got under his facial skin and was roaming around. He tells Kayne that his creation looks like a high school craft project and “amateur hour”. Kayne whips the skirt off and has an hour to come up with something less toady.

Runway Day:
Apparently working with trash has influenced most of the designers because the trash talking continues on a more intense level. Kayne and Laura get into it. For a truly “throw up in your mouth” moment, Vincent informs us that he “gets off on his dress”. Anyone else utterly creeped out? I think Vincent made a poor choice when he cashed in his 401K.

In: Uli with her silver and white wedding top confection. Angela with her silver and purple holographic patchwork thingamajig. And Robert with his silver dress with the flirty bottom. Hallelujah BarbieMan’s back and the designers are gonna be in trouble. Hey now Hey now BarbieMan’s back.

Best three: Michael with a gold bodice, white pencil skirt, and plastic wrap (judges said it was fantastic, chic, and he understood innovation). Jeff with a simple blue and yellow painted dress (the judges thought it was the only dress that “moved” like fabric, the belt was fantastic, and the dress was “ugly beautiful”). And Laura with an uncluttered high-waisted white dress with a black flower and “Only For Nuts” on the model’s backside (“an elegant joke” is how Laura put it, Michael Kors LOVED the whole ensemble).

Worst three: Vincent with his white sheath with crap plastered all over it. Alison’s cream puff creation on a plus-sized model. And Kayne with his Lime-ade topped with major silver bow-age.

Judges pretty much went all out on the worst three – Vincent’s was a “mad scientist’s project”, Alison’s “was a nightmare of a dinner napkin crumpled up”, and Kayne’s was “an out of bounds piñata”. I felt bad for sensitive Alison who was lambasted for not keeping her model in mind when designing her outfit but not for Vincent who again announced he “got off on his dress design” (UCK!). Kayne admitted he made a poor choice and took his razes with disarming Southern boy charm.

Winner: Michael again! I would have preferred Jeff despite his crappy “me me me” attitude, but Michael’s was nice.

Out: Alison. The judges were surprised a woman designer had designed an incredibly unflattering dress to the female form. Poor Alison. I thought the dress was cute and that her model made it look all frumpy. Although the hair choice was bad. Scary bad. Hair bow? Oh no!

Cut to everyone saying their goodbyes to Alison. The trash fumes obviously continue to go to Laura’s head and she practically verbally attacks Vincent and his dress. She throws the “F” word around, probably much more than we were treated to. Vincent tells her to “put some Harry Winstons up her nose”.

Does anyone know what this means?

Kayne tries to be the voice of reason, reminding the two fighting pit bulls that it was Alison’s time. And end scene.

3 comments:

Deborah Boschert said...

Did you notice Laura using one of those flossing picks in one scene? Ew. Also that when she got up to push the button on the coffee machine, she was still wearing the same white button up shirt from the day before? And how about those endless shots of her boobs almost slipping out of that low low low cut item she was wearing for the runway bit? She'll be around for a long while. As far as being a good designer, she certainly has figured out how to "design" herself as the villian.

Joanna Stein said...

Harry Winston is a jeweler. A fancy pants jeweler for the uber wealthy.

Deborah, that woman has no boobs, she has a man chest with couple of the bottle caps Kayne didn't use.

Joanne S said...

I think he meant she should put a few hundredK's worth of "something" up her nose.

He may be saying old Laura is a coke head????

Her washboard chest---- oh, gawd! And she does love to flaunt it. She makes the same stuff all the time--but you know she makes it really well--even out of peanut sacks. Too bad no one had a peanut allergy. Would that have been exciting or what???