Discovery

(S04E09) It’s strange to feel this way about a program all about imagination and creativity, but I think Project Runway may have lost its voice. Don’t get me wrong, I’m a huge fan of the show and I understand that programs often evolve into something different from the original season. However, this season’s constant use of special clients/judges like (Sarah Jessica Parker or the high school girls) and big company sponsors (like Hershey’s or Levi’s) makes me feel like the show has sold out.

Previous seasons had some challenges that were incredibly bizarre but were at the same time open-ended enough to let the designers work with their own voices. They didn’t have to cater to a very specific client each week, the way this season’s designers do. Just take a look at the recent avant-garde challenge. Even with the high stress and drama, the contestants made some of the best work of the season.

Gallery: Project Runway: Episode 9

Normally I’d jump right in and just flat-out say that this season’s designers are crap, but I honestly believe that they haven’t had quite the same opportunities as previous contestants.

Can you tell I’ve been in a crummy mood all day The night’s winning announcement didn’t do much to improve my surliness, actually.

This episode challenged the designers to pick from a variety of different denim items from Levi’s and construct an outfit that reflected the attitude of Levi’s iconic clothing. Wow. More sponsorships. Hurray.

Also, tensions were especially high in the workroom this week. Jillian almost broke down after she realized she had taken on way more than she could handle. I wonder if Jillian was the person that Tim Gunn was talking about when I saw him at the Baltimore Book Festival. Many of the designers also expressed how they were fed up with Christian’s cockiness and Ricky’s apparent undeserved spot in the workroom. Ooh, drama, drama, drama.

Christian: It’s a good thing Christian usually makes good stuff, because if he didn’t, he’d just be a lying, overconfident jerk. Instead, he’s just an overconfident jerk. Christian was the only one that didn’t make a dress-like outfit, for he took the well-tailored shirt and pants route. The pants that he made were totally stunning, especially with that strange detailing along the bottom. The jacket was beautifully made, even though I don’t think anything but a stick figure could wear it and look somewhat decent.

Rami: This piece was well-tailored and, like Tim, I really loved the zipper detailing. The area along the neck was also very fashionable and I think that’s what Jillian was attempting but failed to achieve. The overall piece had a great shape and I think I would have chosen this over Ricky’s dress.

Jillian: [ALMOST AUF’D] After last week’s spectacular coat, Jillian decided to try her luck one more time. Either she was just too exhausted or she ran out of magic, because this week’s coat wasn’t quite as epic. I liked that she tried to make a more interesting collar and brought the red labels into the works, but there was just something a little… off… about her execution. I trust in Jillian, so I hope it was just exhaustion that put her in that spot.

Chris: Oh, Chris. Chris, Chris, Chris. It still baffles me when designers blatantly disobey Tim Gunn. Have they learned nothing from the past three seasons All the things said about his piece on the runway were already said in the workroom during Tim’s visit. That said, Chris’ outfit wasn’t terrible, but I think he could have made it so much better.

Ricky: [WINNER] I’ve been having a really, really terrible day. I mean, I spent most of the evening before Project Runway sulking in my room and ignoring people. The few people that I did talk to, I said, verbatim, “If Ricky doesn’t get sent home tonight, I don’t know what I’m going to do.” Thanks, fate, for not even getting that one right. So how did Ricky manage to not only evade an Auf-ing but win the challenge I say voodoo magic. Sure, his creation was nowhere near as hideous as the rest of his work this season, but I honestly don’t believe it was worthy of being in the top spot. Maybe the judges were so blown away by the sudden decrease in SUCK that they felt obligated to give it to him. Oh, and what was up with Michael Kors’ remark about Amy Winehouse Yeah, the model had a funny Winehouse-like beehive ‘do, but I hope Kors now knows that telling someone that they look like Winehouse is a massive insult. That is, unless you have 24/7 coke boogers, because then you’re just asking for the comparison. Anyway, the win triggered Ricky’s waterworks, of course, and I was left no choice but to attack the first thing I saw. Unfortunately, I was standing next to a mirror and I am now bleeding rather profusely.

Sweet P: This was a so-so dress. I didn’t think much of it, to be honest. I’m not sure what Kors was smoking, but he said something else that greatly confused me. He said that Sweet P’s creation had some sort of “slimming voodoo” and I literally rolled out of my seat. It’s like he’s never seen Sweet P’s little wafer model before. Well, I’d love to be able to take credit for someone’s jutting collarbone too.

Victorya: [AUF’D] Finally, Victorya was Auf’d. What she lacked in volume, she made up for in attitude. After thinking about it for a while, I realized that if Ricky had already been Auf’d a long time ago, when he should have been, Victorya would be the next logical choice. Last month I probably would have picked Sweet P, but she’s made some good improvements in the last few challenges. Anyway, Victorya’s weird denim jacket with attached miniskirt was sad and looked like something that I could have made. Yeah, it was that bad.

Sigh.