'Project Runway': Cat in a baby sling

The parameters were purposefully broad in tonight's challenge, as the judges wanted to encourage the designers to be innovative and interpretive, which led to some unintentionally hilarious results like a cup of hair (more on that later) and some unanswered questions, like, Anthony Williams, why exactly did your pastor burn his house to the ground? Insurance?

The designers each had to create a look inspired from earth, wind, fire or water (I'm a fire sign: how about you?) They all seemed to stretch when it came to interpreting the inspiration so as not to seem too obvious (no use of red for the fire dresses, no blue for water, for instance).  Ben Chmura decided that when he heard "water," he thought of sharks, Jonathan Peters thought "laughter" for air, and so on.  The contestants all worked diligently and even helped each other out, although Anthony couldn't help but make a snarky comment about Amy's "explosion"-inspired look that was a black dress filled with the model's blond extension hair. "She needs a Nair affair up there!" he said, giggling, although he wasn't wrong.

On the runway, Amy's look was completely overpowered by the hair gimmick, to the point where it was difficult to judge the actual design. The whole thing looked like a second-rate Lady Gaga outfit: the look on Nina Garcia's face when it came down the runway was priceless. When Michael Kors had Amy remove the hair and commented that it looked so much better, Nina said, "It's OK." She really hated it.  The judges also didn't care for Ben's white shark-inspired suit, claiming that it looked like the first suit he'd ever made and that the pants looked more like a jock strap.  Additionally, they didn't care for Mila Hermanovski's earth-related look, with its sparkly, asymmetrical knit vest. I thought they were a little harsher on it than they needed to be -- no pun intended, but I liked that it was a little down-to-earth -- but I realize that that wasn't what the challenge was about. As guest judge Roland Moulet put it, there was no showpiece involved.

In the "good" pile, Seth Aaron Henderson's interpretation of a swirling dark New York night came out in an astonishingly tailored black leather jacket that grew on me the more I looked at it, since I wasn't sure at first about the bustle in the back, but it was a truly impressive garment. Jonathan's "laughter" dress actually came out looking exactly what it was supposed to emulate: a breath of fresh air. I loved the shape of it so much, wrapping gently around the model and up above her head, that I didn't even notice at first his handmade textile and that he matched it to his model's complexion.  I thought he did the best job interpreting the element he was given and was glad that he won, and was also glad to see that Anthony seemed happy for him.

Ben got eliminated for his shark suit.  On the one hand, I would be pretty mad that I lost to hair cup, but on the other hand, if I were Amy and I lost, I'd be mad that I lost to jockstrap-pants.

--Claire Zulkey

Photo: Designer Roland Mouret joins the judging panel with Nina Garica, Michael Kors and Heidi Klum.
Credit: Lifetime

Comments

[Erica Stephens]

Honestly,I didn,t see earth wind fire or water in any design,

[Project Dumbway]

I'm tired of the manipulation, last season took the cake and the mose unispired vile contestant won - despite a late reveal that a key element of 'her' look was blatantly copied without any acknowledgment.

This season we've seen the judges and challenges all noticably structured to guide the winners / losers. In at least three episodes we've seen the worst overall dress not be eliminated based on body of work - despite the claim each week is supposed to be judged on its own: in fashion, sometimes you're in ... sometimes you're OUT.

This is especially true of the tired looks for the resident old lady - finally M. Kors pointed out what we've all noticed, just like the previous crotchety old lady - the dresses all have a familiar ring to them and that's not necessarily a good thing considering the uniqueness of each challenge.

Bad boy's look was amazing ... to work leather and denim into that shape ... in a day ... brilliant. You see something extraordinary and you know it's his ... that's not the same of the ol' hag - how many V neck / two tone color combinations must we eundure.

Bleh ...

[janet]

seth aaron is SO FRICKEN TALENTED!! I love his designs. I hope he wins. I have never wanted to buy anything from any designer on project runway before like I have from him!! ^_^

[Misha Johnson]

I think this is very hurtful to the babysling community. Babies die in high chairs, crawling around on the floor, sucking on toys and a thousand other ways. I won't stop using my baby sling. I love my baby sling. The site I bought my baby sling from has safety videos and some safety article. My child loved being in the sling and I love carrying him around in it. I bought mine at http://www.modmum.com

[Misha Johnson]

I think we need to make sure we take everything into account and proper perspective. People need to make sure their child is safe, we also need to take into account the fact that there are more deaths from stroller and crib accidents.....we all need to take personal responsibility for our actions and take care of our babies.

Misha Johnson
www.modmum.com

[baby slings]

Nina's expression over Amy's piece was priceless haha!