‘Project Runway’: Double the trouble

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I don’t know really who I want to win ‘Project Runway’ still but I know who I don’t want to -- Kenley Collins. Her overflowing self-confidence, bullheadedness and enjoyment of putting other people’s work down had already not endeared her to me. But then she went ahead and did something like disregard Tim Gunn and his opinions, which would have been the last straw, had it not been for her giggling, yet again, at one of the other contestants on the runway. (I loved it that the Bettie Page look-alike called Suede a ‘poser.’) The only thing more disgusting than her behavior was that she had a little crony, this time, in her client, tee-heeing along with her, like the little tiny guy in ‘The Island of Dr. Moreau.’ It pains me that Kenley’s consistently 40’s-themed cutesy designs are in fact cute because it would be much more pleasurable if she were a weaker designer. Fortunately, her salty near-eye roll when she didn’t win the challenge was satisfaction enough for me tonight.

Even though I don’t think either of them were strong designers, I was bummed that either Joe Faris or Suede Baum had to be eliminated -- they both seemed like decent humans (despite Suede’s third-person thing). I actually thought Suede’s print dress was quite pretty on his model, even if the judges excoriated the jacket, so I’m glad that he stayed. Joe got a few things right this season, but he did seem a little out of touch.

Tonight’s challenge involved the designers creating a first-job look for recent college graduates, with their mothers hovering overhead. While I didn’t think Jerell Scott’s winning design was superior to some of the others (the skirt didn’t seem to fit right, and it struck me as more dowdy than androgynous), his client, Caitlin, was adorable to me, so I’m glad she’ll get to be featured in Elle along with the outfit and its designer.

When will Kenley’s reign of terror end? Hopefully soon, as the previews for the next episode seemed half to do with her being a brat. If Tim Gunn told me I was being too sarcastic and facetious, I wouldn’t pout; I would cry, and then be secretly happy that he used a good word on me.

-- Claire Zulkey

(Joe Francis model photo courtesy Bravo)