Project Runway Recap: Avant Bored

27 Comments

1. 1
   AmyOops
   Posted October 8, 2012 at 7:38 pm

   Mrs….I must tell you that just your first page had me in stitches (and the second, third, blah blah blah). This thing just can’t be over soon because I will miss your recaps horribly!

   However, I have to say I agree with Heidi on the two looks she hated, Tara and Unibrow. Blech. And *MY* darling grey-eyed Russian hottie made a FAB suit, but avant-garde? Not so much, right?

   I am still trying to figure out how Tara got into the finals. She kinda sucked throughout the whole damn show, with a few exeptions. PR you chose the wrong peeps.

   Back to reading…

2. 2
   AmyOops
   Posted October 8, 2012 at 7:44 pm

   Oh, and Chris rocks! Smart, funny/sarcastic, talented, occasionally humble, and a cutie pie to boot

3. 3
   natural redhead
   Posted October 8, 2012 at 8:04 pm

   Heidi did see Sonjia’s dress before. On Olivia Wilde at the Emmys in 2010 (I think). The dress was a white Marquessa. The right personal went home.

4. 4
   cattyfan
   Posted October 8, 2012 at 8:13 pm

   Wow…that first dress we saw Heidi in? If a contestant sent out a dress which fit the model that badly, they would be sent packing. We could see the outline of her underwear…and what it was attempting to cover.

5. 5
   maryedith
   Posted October 8, 2012 at 8:26 pm

   I thought I read a long time ago that Heidi wears clothes by former show contestants when she hosts the show. No one on here has mentioned that, so maybe she doesn’t anymore, but I’ve always thought it explains the shittiness of a lot of her outfits.

   Could Chris have been any less surprised or overwhelmed or…anything when he got picked for the finale? The way he said “You gu-uys…!!” like the judges were his besties was extremely irritating to me.

6. 6
   Liz
   Posted October 8, 2012 at 9:36 pm

   Love the recap!

   Ugh, Heidi’s clothes were terrible this week! Wtf. I hope you’re right maryedith, because if she just thinks that’s good fashion…

   I actually have liked Tara alot this season. I liked her look this week, but kind thought those floating weird wings on dresses were more avant garde than this look (like on the L&T challenge, I think?). I think if she would have done those, but like, really huge, that would have been kind of awesome.

7. 7
   itchy
   Posted October 9, 2012 at 1:38 am

   I think you’re anti-Tara because she’s a female. I think she’s the most interesting designer this season, which isn’t saying all that much, I suppose. But still. Her stuff is always pretty great and more original than the others’.

   Dmitry’s ass aside, his stuff consistently resembles ice-skating outfits (except for this week, Avant Garde week where he made a…. suit?) I think he’s in only because he’s a great tailor.

   Chris is competent, I suppose, but his designs are cloying. Unibrow is a waste of space. Sonija is beautiful but lacks confidence. Hence the insistence on covering up that bod of hers.

8. 8
   MrsMiaWallace
   Posted October 9, 2012 at 2:06 am

   @AmyOops – you’re so sweet! I am writing recaps for this season of Homeland now as well. I don’t think I quite have the hang of recapping a drama yet, but it’s an amazing show so I’m having fun learning! Also you can always find me in the comments section of any RH recap , I can’t resist!

   @natural redhead – first off, love your username. Secondly, GREAT pull, it was the 2009 Emmys and you are dead on!

   @itchy – not sure who hates Tara, but I personally think she’s very good. Her style isn’t quite my personal cup of tea, but she’s been putting out solid work all season. I think I write the least about her because she stays out of the drama and doesn’t seem to be one of the judge’s darlings. In the one challenge she did win I loved her work although some thought it was reminiscent of a condom. I also think she should have won this challenge, if winning meant anything. Dmitry’s look did nothing for me.

   I am very much wanted Tara and Dmitry in. I’m conflicted about whether I would chose Sonjia or Unibrow. On one hand, her body of work deserves for her to stay, but I am also intrigued by what he might send out during Fashion Week. Chris I guess deserves to go, he is talented and I understand why he has fans, he has just started to grate on me with his cockiness and aw shucks facade.

9. 9
   snowshoecat
   Posted October 9, 2012 at 6:41 am

   MMW, I’m late to the par-Tay as usual, but just checking in to say that your job was never in danger. Homeland isn’t my cuppa, but I love your ‘caps.

   Now on to reading.

10. 10
    Escapee
    Posted October 9, 2012 at 7:02 am

    Here’s Olivia Wilde in a much better version of Sonjia’s design: http://www.justjared.com/2009/09/21/olivia-wilde-emmy-awards-2009/

11. 11
    Lisa
    Posted October 9, 2012 at 7:05 am

    I got over Dmitry a long time ago. Chris for the WIN!!

12. 12
    MyrnaTyrna
    Posted October 9, 2012 at 7:55 am

    I thought that Sonjia’s dress would have been soooo much more organic-looking if the waistline hadn’t been so straight-across. It really sliced the whole image, and made it look very “here’s the skirt, and here’s the kinda goofy top quickly stitched onto a bodysock” as opposed to a drapey, leafy Adam & Eve vibe…which I thought was the intention.

    Unibrow’s ungapotch was just a nasty hot mess…made her model look like a sad, fat recycle bin. And just turning the jacket upside down is what you’d do in art school if you were DESPERATELY trying to squeak by with a D.

    I agree that my leatherman Dmitri played it safe, but I don’t think he was worried. He knew he had the chops to get to Fashion Week, and didn’t want to screw it up on this challenge by going all iParty on them.

    I also agree that Chris’ cutesy-poo fakery bullshyte is terribly annoying. He’s trying too hard to be twee and it comes off totally insincere. And his look – without those featherarms, his dress would NOT have been much more than a Disney villainess madame.

    Tara R.’s look, while a little Pop Art, did work well with her “Muse” idea, and though it wouldn’t have succeeded in any other challenge, it fit the bill here.

13. 13
    Pegalicious
    Posted October 9, 2012 at 9:52 am

    @MrsMia, between your mahvelous recap and Flipit’s hilarious ReDub, you have just made my lunch hour (well, lunch half-hour)! Thanks!

    Still on the Dmitry bandwagon; Chris just irks the bejayzus out of me and as for the remaining designerszzzzz……. (Oh, sorry, fell asleep for a moment there.) Frankly, I find them boring.

    Nevertheless, am looking forward to home visits and the final runway.

14. 14
    NatPatBen
    Posted October 9, 2012 at 9:59 am

    On tom & lorenzo, I saw the dress Heidi wore (at judging) in its designed format. It was much cuter then (though it looked young for Heidi, in my opinion). Heidi hiked it up and added a belt, which ruined the look.

15. 15
    NatPatBen
    Posted October 9, 2012 at 10:19 am

    The picture of what Heidi’s dress originally looked like here: http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/10/pr-judging-the-judges-week-12.html

16. 16
    juddfan
    Posted October 9, 2012 at 1:05 pm

    That red-dub was so funny, I must go comment on it!

    Guess I agree that overall Sonji deserved it more than Unibrow . . . I don’t see a lot of people wearing his looks, and the straps on the top needed a sheer to hold them in place.

    I hated the color of Sonji’s dress, and OMG! Good call, @Natural Redhead!!! You are dead on!!!

    I like Tara, but I’d rather it be Elena . . . . This was the epi to do that front panel thing she keeps doing.

    I loved Dimi’s suit, I agree, it’s more secretary, but I do see the castle aesthetic, and I think if he added the jacket to a more completed flowy bottom, it would have been more Avant Garde (my autospell hates this word!) but none of them really were.

    oh well, meh and snore . . . can’t wait for the finale!!!

17. 17
    VelocityBird
    Posted October 9, 2012 at 3:43 pm

    Was anyone else grossed out when Kors said the comment about Sonjia’s model, how the skirt “cupped her ass”? I dunno if it was the comment itself or the way that Orange Ewok said it, but eeeuuughhhh.

18. 18
    Aunt Dorsey
    Posted October 10, 2012 at 1:10 am

    Mrs.Mia thanks for the great recap, as usual.

    @NatPatBen thanks for the link to Heidi’s lace dress. It was so hideous, my eyes were glued to it. Had to remind myself to close my mouth, I was in danger of catching flies. It looked better before she “tweaked” it, but not by much. Does that woman dress herself for the show?

    Loved the redub too.

19. 19
    blueberryPancake
    Posted October 10, 2012 at 5:20 am

    Re: Heidis judging dress vs original in the link – I don’t get the whole ” I’ll just put a belt with it” look ? It wasn’t designed with a belt for a reason!

    Her Caesars Palace cocktail waitress dress in the beginning was of Xtina style quality fit and sizing !

    Dimitry’s Frankenberry Suit was well made but a NOT “out there” avant – still love him tho …don’t worry Dimi

    I kind liked Taras the best- considering the stupid makeup commercial they had to deal with and the “characters/colors” they had to use…it was a stretch.

    Did you see Elenas decoy collection:
    http://www.tomandlorenzo.com/2012/10/pr-elena-slivnyak-decoy-collection.html

20. 20
    timgunnssister
    Posted October 10, 2012 at 8:26 am

    IMO, none of the designers really embraced avant-garde. Had they done something more outrageous with the hair and makeup, it would have helped all the looks. Avant-garde ISN’T about making wearable fashion – it’s about experimenting with shape, color and design. Much of McQueen is avant-garde, yet do you ever see real people actually wearing those pieces? Not often. BUT, you do see elements and adaptations of his fashions in wearable pieces. Avant-garde should provide new directions, fabrics, shapes, etc. for more commercial designers to draw from. None of the contestants achieved that.

    As to what Heidi’s been wearing, I don’t know why she doesn’t just come out naked – she might as well be. And, unfortunately, the ones that aren’t 5 sizes too small are a total snooze.

    And Christopher, I wouldn’t be surprised if he didn’t take the win. PR has been under fire for the last few seasons for picking the winner early and bending over backward to ‘assist’ them in reaching the end. It’s possible this is all so they can say “Hey, it make have looked like we chose him in episode 2, but since he didn’t win, that’s proof we don’t do that!”

    Um, no, it really isn’t. And I love Dmitry but thought Elena’s decoy collection was the best – too bad she couldn’t win.

21. 21
    timgunnssister
    Posted October 10, 2012 at 8:28 am

    Oh and MrsMia, this says it all – “Flamboyant men in suits. Only one of us is doing it right”.

    I bow to your fabulousness.

22. 22
    juddfan
    Posted October 10, 2012 at 10:15 am

    @blueberry, I’m so sad Elena didn’t make the finals, coz her collection is really amazing!!! A clear winner. Of the rest, I can’t tell who’s gonna win . . . I really can’t, but part of me just can’t wait to hear them justify why it’s Chris’s . . . .grrr . . . it’s like Gretchen all over again . . . . well, actually, Gretchen had one of the worst collection’s I’ve seen . . . just awful, awful!!! But what do I know about fashion . . . .

    I still think Elena would have rocked this avant-garde challenge . . .

23. 23
    timgunnssister
    Posted October 10, 2012 at 10:55 am

    Looking back over previous challenges, Sonjias candy dress was more avant-garde than what she turned out for the avant-garde challenge. I think she is still struggling with her identity as a designer. Having a ‘signature’ that doesn’t make your designs one-note, repetitive or boring would, IMO, be difficult if it doesn’t come to you naturally. Ven’s is an example of a signature that simply doesn’t work. Dmitry’s does – you can tell a Dmitry design when it steps on the runway yet his garments don’t all look the same. They are close so he needs to be careful, but they are not the same. Sonjias looks were, for the most part, great but wildly different and I saw no real signature.

    Chris realized quickly that his shredded fabric signature was too distinctive and would sink him if he continued using it. I actually like Elena’s signature when she tones it down. And, though most here won’t agree with me, I like Fabio as well. I do wish he’d use his personal style (I like it) in his designs more than he does.

24. 24
    AmyOops
    Posted October 10, 2012 at 2:45 pm

    I agree with you, @timgunssister! Fabio is very, very “quirky-cool”. I love his personal style.

25. 25
    blueberryPancake
    Posted October 10, 2012 at 5:24 pm

    @juddfan I loved Elena’s collection too. Going back and looking at all the decoys on tomandlorenzo hers is by far the best. colorful and unique

    Chris IS this seasons gretchen..but less evil!

26. 26
    LAC
    Posted October 11, 2012 at 9:24 am

    Mrs. Mia – thank you for the great recaps – all that jetsetting has not affected you.

    Based on Heidi’s assessments, I can safely say that now I know why I wince everytime she comes out behind the stage. Who is designing her outfits? The “WTF” line found in Dress Barn?

    I am sorry to see Sonija go, but that dress could have been better made. Fabio did capture the spirit of the challenge and I was intrigued by the style of the jacket.

    Yay, home visits with Tim!!

27. 27
    JHart610
    Posted October 15, 2012 at 7:16 am

    Am I the only one who thinks Elena’s collection looks ridiculous? Yes, it goes together and is a “collection” but there isn’t a single attractive or wearable piece in there. Just my two cents. Anyway – love me some Dmitri!