'Project Runway': Sueded!

Tag : Bronze Strips

Only Suede (sadly) is making sense at this point, as the designersconsult with their model-client hybrids: "There's a reasonthey are asking us to consult with our models, and it's not to justchit-chat, it's to listen to what they like."
The person to watch in much of the early sewing is Stella. She'sagain spouting forth about her rock 'n' roll style and how hermodel is really sort of hippie and how they just don't gibe at all."I'm very urban," she keeps saying. You don't say! I wantto scream "Make it work!" at the TV, but Tim will takecare of that. ""I have no strategy. I'm confused. This isnot what I do," she says. (What are you doing on this show?)This does not bode well. Eventually, she decides, "The judgesneed to know who I AM" and begins make a dress that's prettymuch completely different from what she was asked to make.

Blayne's busy explaining that he's calling Heidi"Darthlicious" (another piece of bad advice from awell-meaning friend on how to stand out on the show?) because she's"dark inside." Right. This also does not bode well.
The final piece of not-boding-well comes when Korto says her modelhas a "figure" and she wants to enhance it. Uh-oh.
But I think my favorite part of the frenzied activity is Leannemocking Suede in front of the camera, saying he needs to stoptalking about himself in the third person. Third person! Fourthwall! I love it.
Day One beings to wrap up with Tim making the rounds. He tellsKorto that she can't express herself through the seaming she'sdoing because it will be on the inside of the dress, and she setshim straight. No, those ragged strips are indeed part of the outerdesign. There's a long pause, and then an "Ohhhhh" fromTim, who follows with, "Everything about this has to beperfection, or it's going to be a hot mess."
Suede is "crazy doing strips" (bias strips) and Tim lookspleased. (Why?) But he's worried about Leanne's dress and tells herto edit. She says she wants to do a few more "foofythings" (lack of specificity = do not proceed!) on her bronzesatin dress-thing.
Tim has an announcement: The winning designer's dress will be soldon Bluefly. They're a-flutter again! And there will be a guestjudge, a young Hollywood "starlet."

We go back into brief cutaways: Suede whines about all the sewinghe has to do, Daniel frets about time left, and then Blayne startsmocking Stella's love of leather. She gets wind of it, calls him 12years old, and then tells him to pick the leather out of his frontteeth. I'm not sure why that was the best put-down of the day, buteveryone seems to react like it was. (I'm sure there was a betterone in there about his leathery skin.) They hug. Day's over.
Tim tells the designers the next morning they were supposed to bedone last night (they were?), and they do their fittings in ahurry. Suede's dress looks interesting, from the two inches we cansee of it as he blocks the model from the camera. Then he ruins itby saying, "Suede is rocking it!" and shooting fingerguns.
Twenty-two minutes left, and we're already on the runway. The guestjudge is Natalie Portman, and the designers are extra animated asHeidi goes over the "You're in, or you're out," speechtwice.
There are still so many designers that we haven't seen all thedresses in the early part of the show. There are the expectedchampagne and bronze satin short things, a floaty gray and orangejersey dress from Jerell, a cute short black satin dress fromDaniel (he finished!), a navy (black?) and white dress that I LOVEfrom Emily, a hot pink and black short thing from Blayne, andSuede's bias-cut-and-sewn red and champagne top with a HUGE tulleskirt. Wha? Most of the dresses I love the most are immediatelysafe (sniff, bye, friends, guess I won't be buying you on Bluefly).
The top/bottom six are:
-Kenley (a knee-length champagne silk dress with a black belt andhigh collar). The judges love it, and the Michael Kors calls it"chic."

-Wesley (a short bronze suede ... thing). He says he originallywanted something more voluminous, and the judges say the dressdoesn't fit, is overworked, and the bow tie is just goofy. (NataliePortman tries to be nice and says she loves the tie. Of course youdo, Natalie.) Elle editor Nina says that "tiny, short and shiny is the quickestway to look cheap." (I'll keep that in mind.)

-Stella (an off-the-shoulder-but-one-arm-is-a-long-sleeve champagnesatin short dress with lacing up the side). The judges like this?!I am shocked and appalled. Michael Kors keeps saying that he likesthat she got her attitude and style into the dress, which isimportant. (Really?) Heidi says she's "much improved."

-Korto (yellow, with outer seams that essentially look like " Star Trek goes to the ball"). They call her seams "fins" --yes! Her focus on her models curves make a size 0 girl look ... notlike a 0. Not good.

-Suede (champagne and red mishmash top and tulle jutted-out shortskirt). Natalie loves it. Nina calls it creative. And they all likethat he did something different with new fabric. Heidi says she'dwear it if she were 10 years younger. What am I missing here? Thisdress is a nightmare!

-Leanne (bronze satin short dress with loops, pockets, off-shoulderbits, lots of detailing.) Leanne says she likes short dresses, butwhen asked, her model says it's not what she pictured. Uh-ohhhh.Natalie says it's like Peter Pan. (Yes! It is!) Kors says its fivedresses in one. (Hee.)

We go backstage, where Leanne is wiping tears away, while thejudges confer. They reach an agreement, and everyone tromps back onthe runway. Heidi gives her third "You're in ... or you'reOUT" speech of the night. We immediately find out that Stellais in (why?!) and Suede wins (WHY?!). He, of course, goes with theclassic "Suede rocked it!" into the cameras, with somesort of devil horn/finger gun hand motion. I start to feel a littlesick to my stomach.