Unconventional materials challenge everybody! One of Heidi’s favorites, and one of mine. I hope this isn’t the only one of the season because a) it’s so early and b) it wasn’t that unconventional.
The Challenge: Create a look with Hallmark Signature greeting cards.
Paper isn’t fabric but it’s not vegetables or trash or candy. Plus some of these cards included fabric, as well as baubles and gems and ribbons and a lot of glitter (shout out to the editors cutting from Amanda rolling her eyes at glitter to Amanda dancing around the workshop wearing a shirt in support of glitter:
Srs, editors on point.) I guess my point is this was a pretty tame unconventional materials challenge and generally disappointing in the creativity department. Now for specifics:
SAFE:
Designer: Ashley was crying over the sewing machine again despite winning last week and having immunity for this challenge. I like Ashley a lot but I worry a little about her temperament.
Look: She escaped the bottom due to immunity which quite probably saved her because this is way more muslin than card and not nearly as cute and fashion-y as David’s (see below).
Designer: Candice continues to be memorable only because she looks JUST LIKE Emily the Strange.
Look: This is some B-Movie Sci-fi realness and it works for me.
Designer: Who?
Look: What?
No, seriously, what? I would really like to know what she going for with this …. dress. Ashley likened it to a vagina and she’s not wrong? To me to looks like something my cat spit up after getting into the yarn. I don’t think it belongs in the bottom, but I don’t get it or like it. Sorry, Gabrielle, whoever you are.
Designer: Continues to fly under the radar (by design I’m pretty sure).
Look: So this is literally an envelope dress made of envelopes. Having the model take a card out of her bosom on the runway was trying too hard but fine. I think my favorite part of the entire thing is the gold casual shoes from the JustFab wall. No heels! Rock.
Designer: I still don’t remember him being on screen.
Look: Kinda love it, especially the way it sparkled as it walked down the runway. Basically just an LBD but would wear.
Designer: I’ve narrowed down who Jake and Joseph ARE but not which is which…
Look: Awful. Top is cute, but skirt is AWFUL. Awful silhouette, awful execution. It looks like one of the envelopes is falling off in this picture. This is a mess and should have been called out. But I guess being completely unmemorable is helpful in these early days.
Designer: She hasn’t really made an impact.
Look: Kinda gladiator? Which I like?
Designer: Still has a lot of opinions but didn’t get much screen time this week.
Look: Yawwwwwwwn. I mean, it looks like a dress. But so the boring.
Designer: She was so sedate this week compared to last.
Look: It was described as a manatee penis. I would describe it as a pile of papers glued to an unhappy model. Come on now.
LOSERS:
Designer: I like how mad she was about being in the bottom and how the editors called out the designers/dresses they (accurately)assumed the audience would dislike. She’s a bit of a brat but that’s not automatically a detraction in my book.
Look: Everybody agrees the top is lovely and the skirt is a disaster. Including Amanda. It’s a mess but guest judge Ashley Tisdale (love her!) commented that she didn’t know what the hem was doing —
–while wearing a skirt with the same hem. So yeah, sorry, the pink monstrosity skirt on Joseph’s poor model is worse.
Designer: Oh David. Tim called his exit a “self-fulfilling prophecy” because he just didn’t seem to have that Project Runway (over) confidence. He got in a weepy call to his husband and a teary explanation of growing up with a homophobic dad. Then he messed up the challenge and went home.
Look: The judges except for Nina really liked the look, but it was far more muslin than greeting card. This is available right now in places like Nordstrom and tbqh David shouldn’t feel bad about not being reality tv material. He has a supportive husband, he makes clothes people like, he’ll be ok.
WINNERS:
Designer: I hate him.
Look: Hello Barbie dress! My ten year old wants to wear this but “too bad it’s made by that jerk.” It’s a cute cocktail dress and I like that he pretty much made a Sharpay Evans dress without being aware Sharpay Evans was the guest judge.
Well played, Blake. I still hate you.
Designer: Continues to be my favorite and the judges are already pulling out the “it’s a question of taste” phrase on cue.
Look: So cute. Zac said it looks like something Katy Perry would wear as if that’s an insult. She was on the top and the judges were falling over themselves to distance themselves from any suggestion that they liked it. The best was when Zac said to Ashley “It’s not my taste but it’s yours.” in that same ‘Katy Perry Ew’ voice. Designers who design for young women, how horrid!
Anyway the skirt IS a bit much but that top is ADORABLE.
Designer: Poor Swapnil. For the second week in a row a designer (Blake this time) made offensive racist comments right to his face! At least this time the other designers (and the editors) cared. Swapnil says he’s an established designer in India and he clearly has skill and talent and en eye for design. He deserves better than these people.
Look: I was thrilled that this “Alice on Acid” outfit got so much praise. Ashley Tisdale would wear it and so would I. Smart boots too.
Designer: Is not here to make friends! This is a competition! He was pretty against the card (material) swapping that went on in the work room…but only in the testimonials, he barely seems to talk to anyone while working.
Look: So Edmond won because he had the audacity to make a Hallmark Signature Wedding Dress. And even dressed up as the groom. It’s clever and it’s pretty and it was destined to win. So it did.