By CJ Bomb
Hello all! I have a wonderful surprise! The Lovely Les is chiming in tonight! We were supposed to watch together but I had a client dinner that ran late to she is faithfully texting me her expert opinions. It is only the third challenge in and we are ALREADY doing the unconventional challenge. I was sneaking looks at her texts during dinner and I’m psyched to watch this based on her notes already. So let’s do it.
We get a quick recap of the nice Canadian who probably had more talent in his little finger than most of these people have in their entire bodies. I can’t talk about it. I’m still mad. Anthony Ryan’s look….seriously? Irina not leaving for her Jersey Housewife reunion dress???? I can’t…. So. We are off to the airport to promote Southwest Airlines, cause…fashion people! They get on a plane and why is Jasper carrying a stuffed dog? Are they going to Mexico? Europe? Alyssa is yammering from the cockpit and Michelle rolls her eyes and quickly deduces they are going nowhere. Literally and figuratively. Southwest airlines has been repurposing their leather from older seats and turning it into accessories? For charity? So I guess they do have a fashion connection and well done Southwest Airlines. Alyssa announces the unconventional challenge which is met with both excitement and groans. Michelle remembers winning her unconventional challenge in which she had to make a prom dress out of duct tape. That was actually a good one. Jasper is freaked out because they didn’t do this challenge in UK. All the materials are flight related. Seatbelts, old leather, serving stuff, etc…as Les texts: Let’s go! Or Let’s FLY! I admire her enthusiasm. A look for modern day air travel. So leggings? And a sweatshirt? Oh, they also have to design an accessory. Winning designers get to work with the designers upcycling the Southwest leather to sell, as well as a trip and the money. We don’t have to ever speak of JCP again.
They run to baggage claim and grab all the shit they can. Juli is completely freaked out by the aggressive snatching of crap. Welcome to the USA Juli! Sean grabs shiny stuff, Jasper grabs air sickness bags and cups? Michelle grabs cocktail stirrers and reflectors. They enter the workroom and dump the goods. Christina was a rebel when she was younger so this is a great way on expressing herself. Django was encouraged to become a fashion designer by his mom which is sweet. Seth Aaron is designing a literal seat belt dress. Michelle is smashing a zillion reflectors. Jasper references Jackson Pollack, Mark Rothko and air sickness bags in one statement. I’m guessing this is the only time in history those things have been referenced together. He’s turning 500 paper cups into fringe. Sean is going to a Paco Rabanne looking tile dress with sunglass lenses. Django is having issues and is not happy. He thinks he has to quit. Les tells him to embrace the pain and forced creativity. She wishes Tim was there to help encourage him. Les, we all want that. They end the first day and Django has nothing done. Les says there are no quitters in All-Stars!
The next day Django regroups and starts putting together a halter dress. Anne comes in and tells them there’s a lot of pressure, but she’s there to help. Thanks Anne. She loves Michelle’s reflector dress but notes her accessory doesn’t really match. Anthony is doing a jumpsuit/romper he is constructing out of snack wrappers. Anne is not interrupting because he obviously has got a LOT of work to do. She thinks Django’s vomit bag dress looks like it also needs a lot more work. She’s getting nineties and horse bridle from Dmitry’s look which completely confuses him. She tells Jasper he needs to do more than cut out paper and to push himself. She asks Anya if she is celebrating the fact that she’s making her dress out of paper brochures or trying to diminish it. Anya wisly points out that if Anne didn’t recognize what it was initially, that is a good thing. Cynthia is making a Herve Leger looking dress out of belts. It has pockets! Pockets make people happy! I do love a good pocket. Les loves this look. Irina has designed a ginormous hat. Cause that’s what women want to wear to the airport.
Seth Aaron is embracing the seatbelt and made a dress that looks like a dress with seatbelts hanging off it. Anne is not impressed. She IS impressed by Christina’s funky jacket and compares it to Alexander Wang. That is a VERY good comparison. She asks Even if she can eat a bag of the peanuts he is taking the wrappers from and turning them into pants? These peanut pants make Les nervous. Sean’s dress is no longer Paco Rabanne and now just aviator glass lenses glued to a hazard vest. Anne thinks it is too literal. Juli, who has made outfits for an airline in Australia, has made an 80’s cocktail dress with “spew bags”. While I find that amusing, I’m still confused by the fact that she thinks someone would want to fly in a cocktail dress, no matter what decade it references. Anne says prom dress. Not good. Anne wishes them luck and heads off. The models come in and Seth is VERY confident with his seat belt dress. Michelle is getting car wash from it. I am too. Irina hopes the judges see the fun and whimsy in her look. Jasper is freaking out because of time. He will either win or be sent home. Les sees a Roweta iron and is very excited because she owns one as well. This is a very fancy nice iron. (I looked it up) I found our iron after 10 years when we moved. It was NOT a Roweta. Or functioning.
On runway day Jasper is still running around like crazy. Django asks if he has to completely cover his muslin. If you want to stay? Yes. Anya loves Juli’s look. Jasper is tutoring his model and its a bit weird. Ok it’s a LOT weird. Irina went Paco Rabanne and it works. It’s cool and funky. Sean? Not so much. Or at all. Jasper’s look is pretty amazing. Seth is still VERY confident in his look. He’s the only one.
Alyssa is wearing massive Ariana Grande ponytail. Sigh. Tamron Hall is the guest judge and Les is very excited. She notes that Tamron used to talk to Prince 3 or 4 times a week which is very, very cool and she’s also besties with Andre Leon Talley which is EXTRA cool. She then writes: who is Martha? She Martha Hunt, a model. AND she is legit. Ok, moving on…
Ok, Anya’s is cute! The pattern she made out of tickets worked. Les thinks she nailed it and it looks timeless with a modern twist. Les thinks that Christina’s dress didn’t have wow factor on runway and that the hemline was off. She loved the vision. I think it worked beautifully. She writes that the quitter (Django) might be the winner and is very impressed by the use of materials. While I agree with that, my question is who is wearing this to the airport? It’s also got a lot of ruffles and I have a ruffles issue. But that’s personal and I’m seeking therapy. She writes that “Peanut Pants” (aka Evan) edited his look and made it feminine and she likes it. I like it too, but have now decided that this challenge is not airport chic, but airport cocktail dress chic. Did I miss something? Digging the shoulders on this though. I want Michelle’s dress. That is all. Les chimes in: I need to own this now! We can share it. Our mutual fave so far. She says that Seth Aaron’s is a porn star dress for a challenge on the Playboy channel. She then apologizes because she is nice. I’m less nice. This sucks.
We agree that Juli’s look is simple and safe. Christina’s look is youthful and cool in a way that Anthony Ryan’s was NOT last week. Les thinks it’s modern and that she’ should be in a great place. Les is very impressed that Jasper went from virtually nothing to this in a few hours. We both think it is busy though. And we both hate Sean’s lame-ass sunglass dress. I like Dmitry’s dress at which point Les chimes in: CJ’s look by Dmitry. What??? Is it the black??? We agree that Irina’s cool armor is working on the runway. Thank God there was no hat. Les loves Anthony’s look but thinks he needs to stop recycling the same silhouette. I like the bag. Les picks Anya, Michelle and Jasper for top three and Seth Aaron, Christina and Sean for the bottom. Jasper for the win. I pick Michelle, Christina and Irina for the top, Sean, Seth Aaron and Seth Aaron again for the bottom. I pick Michelle to win because I am an eternal optimist, but it will probably be Jasper. He was featured so much this episode it’s kind of obvious.
Georgina thinks that Michelle’s look feels like a real dress, not a gimmick and is very smart. (British smart). Isaac thinks it comes off expensive but wants a little more volume. Tamron loves the look and Martha would buy it. Alyssa loved it’s wonderful energy. Georgina congratulates Irina on turning it around this week. She loves the proportions of the look and the handbag. Isaac doesn’t like it…he ADORES it. Tamron wrote down: intense, fierce, fun. Martha loves the details. Georgina wants to like Seth Aaron’s more than she does. Isaac thinks he didn’t take it far enough because if Seth Aaron was going for a witty approach it just looks like a dress made out of seatbelts. Tamron feels like she’s looking at a reluctant dominatrix which Les TOTALLY agrees with. Alyssa thinks it didn’t work.
Isaac thinks there is something unresoved about Sean’s dress. Tamron doesn’t think this look reflects the caliber of talent on the show. She is very proud of her pun. Georgina thinks he’s almost there, but it went in the wrong direction. Alyssa loves it. Not sure that’s a compliment Sean. Alyssa loves Juli’s dress and thinks it all works. Georgina on the other hand is bored. She needs a stronger pot of view. Isaac says it’s made of air sick bags and it makes him air sick. Tamron says she played it safe tonight using safety items. I text Les that Tamron is on fire tonight. OMG. Jasper references Peggy Guggenheim as his inspiration. Les was at her house in Venice this summer!!! Peggy was a MASSIVE patron and supporter of Modern art. Georgina is amazed by the work that went into it. Isaac says she doesn’t come across as Peggy, but as a tongue and cheek bimbo and he likes it. Um…..ok? Tamron got Michelle Obama which is about as far from bimbo as one can get. Martha thinks it is finished and polished.
Irina wins! Wow. Well done and nice turn around. THANK YOU LORD SETH AARON GOES HOME. I thought it would be Juli because she’s not enough of a personality but FOR ONCE they make the right decision. This dress was BAD. Sorry for so many caps, just really really happy. Seth is even cocky in his departure. I look forward to seeing what new iPad covers he comes up with. Hopefully Les and I will be together next week in front of the show AND a bottle of wine. Have a great rest of the week and holiday weekend! Xoxo CJ.
I was so relieved that they sent the right person home!
Loved this recap.
Great recap. I like the tidbits of info from Les.
There are so many talented designers on this season. It is a pleasure to watch. A couple of weak links, (looking at you Anya now that Seth Aaron is gone), but overall, a very talented group.
I’m glad my fav Michelle was in the top! I didn’t get what the judges meant when they said Seth Aaron should’ve straightened out his hem, bc how would u straighten metal more than it was?
Seth’s “hem” – his metal buckles were all jiggidy jaddedy, not uniformly lined up. Even if he had lined up the buckles it was still a hideous look. He thought it was so cool looking??? I’m glad he went home.
Yes, man I got it now. Yeah that was bad, thanks cuz b4 I saw it as a hem bc it was at the bottom. But a hem is more than clutter at the bottom (of whatever- skirt, shorts pants)
The buckles were not lined up evenly across the them, they were up and down. Even if they were lined up it was still an ugly look. I’m glad Seth went home. It was finally a fair call for the losing look. I don’t like that they let Anya and Anthony slide the first week. For some reason the judges favor both of them? I don’t understand it.
Good Recap CJ! Love your humor.
I didn’t think my first post was submitted so I wrote a second. Oh, well.a little craziness hey?
I was really surprised how well all the contestants did with their unconventional materials challenge, but I thought it was a really crappy move on the part of Project Runway to let them think they were going somewhere. when they weren’t. All it was is an ill-disguised advertisement for Southwest Airlines. Cheap shot, Project Runway!! I would have been really disappointed if I had been sitting in an airline seat and then had to disembark without going anywhere. Of course, I love flying, especially the takeoff, so maybe not everyone thinks like I do. Some might have actually been relieved, who knows?
The use of everything from seat belts to sun glass lenses really showed the genius of the contestants – they weren’t previous winners for nothing. Still, I was very disappointed in Seth Aaron’s choices– the seat belts could have been used in a more imaginative way. Just hanging down with the buckles making the hem was too easy and obvious for me. I thought it was the right decision to send him home. He said he didn’t want to be safe, but I thought that’s exactly what he was. He deserved to go home.
Hopefully, Isaac calling Jasper’s beautiful outfit something that looked like it belonged on a bimbo was just said for shock value. It was gorgeous and looked extremely high class to me. I could see her boarding first class and enjoying luxury treatment from takeoff to landing. I thought he should have won, and I wasn’t particularly overwhelmed by Irina’s design. To me, her model looked like some kind of koi with red scales.
I missed the second episode of Project Runway, and haven’t got the names straight yet, but I thought it was an amazing episode and can’t wait for next week. I’ll probably watch Episodes 2 and 3 again on On Demand, so I can get a better idea of their personalities.
Now that I think about it Jasper was the only one who created a sophisticated travel look. And I love Jasper. He’s adorable.
So, not to bring up painful memories, but last week, Sunny was sent home for using a blue broach and not blue fabric in his graduation dress.
This week the challenge was to make a sophisticated travel outfit. I was disturbed that none of the people knew the term and some seemed perplexed as to why anyone would want to look nice while traveling. GASP! Back in the stone age when I was a wee first grader, I was dressed in a dress, white bobby socks, and Mary Jane shoes with my hair perfectly coifed by my mother who wore her best pantsuit and silk scarf. I looked adorable using the sick bag for much of the 17 hour flight. I don’t know what my Father wore because he was booked on a different flight. Something about parents not both flying on the same plane with children. I guess my brother flew over with him. So if one plane went down the entire family was not wiped out. Perhaps this information explained on the plane in respond to one of my eleventy billion questions exacerbated my nausea. Really? We might die? Daddy might died? Thanks for that, mom.
To this day, you will not find me in my beloved sweatpants or GASP PAJAMAS on an airplane. I will be dressed up and wrapped in my black cashmere scarf/blanket. The fact that people don’t dress to fly anymore distresses me.
My longwinded story is to say NONE OF THE PEOPLE MADE ANYTHING THAT COULD BE COMFORTABLY WORN ON A PLANE! Thus they did not follow the challenge. This pisses me off even more over Sunny’s unfair early departure.I hold out hope for some sort of twist where he comes back and wins.
That said, I like the peanut sack pants. I think they would have come closest to the stated assignment. Not that the judge even took the challenge directions into consideration, apparently.
THANK YOU IN ALL CAPS! You eloquently said everything I wanted to say — minus your early traveling experience. With today’s “miracle” fabrics, it is almost effortless to be comfortable AND chic while flying.
NONE of the top 3 would have done well in travel. Can you imagine sitting on those crunkled red reflectors? Spainted paper held together with (what?) would have been in shambles upon landing and Jasper’s gorgeous outfit would have torn before cocktails were served. OK, this was the unconventional challenge, and the top three were exceptional in looks, but DID NOT meet the parameters of the challenge. On the heels of Sonny’s disqualification/elimination for an ethereally lovely dress, THIS PISSES ME OFF!
Just when I thought we were not going to hear JCP.com … there it was again. How difficult to edit out 30seconds of dialog? It makes them look stupid and underscores the Weinstein debacle.
ONE MORE THING: I love vintage clothing and objects — at least half of everything I own was used, about half of that by strangers. But who wants an accessory made out of old airline leather seats? Leather is porous and I would not want to carry a bag with buttjuice and hair pomade and baby fluids in its pores. Yuk.
I can also remember the days when you dressed in your really good clothes to travel. Even when my family visited my paternal grandmother in Northern Ireland each summer, going on the train from Southern England to Liverpool and taking a decidedly non-luxury boat to Belfast, we looked like we were going to lunch with the queen. By the time we got there, we were fairly bedraggled looking, but wouldn’t have dreamed of wearing anything different. In later years, when we drove our car and took the car ferry, we still did the same. I must admit, I much prefer wearing tennis shoes and comfortable clothing now, but I still look fairly put together when I travel. I guess if I were rich, I’d wear pajama bottoms and a hoodie, and not give a damn, but when you’re old and fat it just doesn’t look as cool.
No one dresses up to fly anymore? No one dresses up to go ANYWHERE anymore. Pajama pants in the grocery store? Yeah! Flip flops to a wedding? Sure! You can be the best dressed person anywhere simply by putting on pants with a ZIPPER
I’m guilty of the grocery store thing depending on the store. Cashmere sweater over men’s fleece pajama pants with actual shoes though. If I go to Whole Foods I actually break out my lovely Luis Vuitton hand me down and either throw on a dress or pants with a zipper. Then on the Internet I saw a meme about Walmart clothes with a Louis bag and realized I had been discovered. Amazon Fresh just delivered my sanity water (though I need to make sure all the bottles are there the bags say 18 and there should be 22. I wanted 36 but I have once again bought the store out. WHY DON’T THEY CARRY MORE WATER?) problem solved. My problem is I taught school here for many years and live in the district. So I cringe when I hear MS TATTLES! DO YOU REMEMBER ME???? Y’all know I can’t remember the names of the people I recap once a week. So it’s a problem. Plus I am um, not alway freshly showered for the unexpected hugs.
Oh and I was THRILLED to have Les back for this recap! I was kind of afraid to ask where she was. Apparently she was off doing something fancy. Like, you the casual mention that Les hangs out with Peggy Guggenheim in Venice. As one does.
Lol- her house is now a museum in Venice.
Oh it appears she is dead. Who knew? Well I mean other than you and Les. That’s what we have you for.
She died in 1979.
And the house was amazing! Not in grandeur as she was a renegade wealthy American and never had the plans built out to finish the house in the “typical” style of Venice. It looks mostly like a traditional ranch house on the Grand Canal of all places. Her house, now museum, displays the most Jackson Pollacks in 1 location. So Jasper was right on his creative designing!
Always glad to be back!
I really hope they bring Sunny back I have seen some of his designs online and he can pretty much out design any one of the contestants left
It is my fantasy that they have a PR version of Last Chance Kitchen and that Sonny will rock it enough to come back. It could happen … if Anya can come up with a decent design (albeit no sewing) ANYTHING can happen!
If it goes back to Bravo, maybe they will do that idea. I love the suggestion. I recall 1 or 2 other episodes in PR history that they had an hour to redo their “mistakes”. So something similar but it was instantaneous versus being a separate show.
When it goes back to Bravo…not if…
Jasper’s was my favorite, very sophisticated looking, but also an outfit you might see on a “glamorous traveler” (in cloth, not paper)
I did like Juli’s top, but maybe I’m just partial to that blue. The skirt, while pretty, doesn’t work for me in white. I would never travel in white because I would never make it to my destination without collecting stains along the way. I remember going on Spring Break with a dear friend who looked gorg in white pants, until she sat in a seat at the gate where someone had spilled half a can of coke. In the dim terminal, with shiny dark seats, we hadn’t noticed the liquid until it was too late.
About traveling in fancy clothes, I get it, but I prefer to be dressed ready for an emergency, like a trip down the slide. Crazy, I know. And I love to fly. I even had a pilot’s license. But, I like to be prepared, just in case.
Thanks for the recap, CJ and Les!
It’s possible to look like you belong in your first class seat and still be dressed to take a trip down the slide. 🙂
For anyone else. I would flash someone or trip and cause a pile up. Best I travel in yoga pants and sneakers, even in First Class.
Ha. Me, too. For my last trip from cold to warm climate, I wore a sundress with jeans and a sweater, and carried sandals in my carryon. I stripped down right off the plane. TT would be appalled.
This was a much more satisfying episode. Will not miss Seth Aaron. But I wouldn’t travel in any of those outfits except maybe Christine’s.
Thanks for another stellar recap, and welcome back Les!
I loved Michelle’ s dress. It glistened and was so beautiful. I know they want the newest fashion, but I didn’t think Irina’s outfit was new fashion. It seemed like something that has been done before. Jasper’s coaching the model to pose and twist and knit picking every little move was OBSESSIVE and weird.
Does anyone remember the Project Runway: Models series? For the most part, it was enlightening and fun. Except for an instance or two of minor mean girl drama, the models were very supportive of one another.
These days when something happens with a model, I wish I could hear the conversations after the women leave the workroom or walk off the runway.
This season, one model was stuck with sharp objects during her fittingand another was covered in red paint.
I’m sure Jasper’s model would’ve had a lot to say about his direction and critique, but she seemed to follow his advice and “make it work.”
I do remember when the models after show. Sort of their version of Untucked! LOL
I liked it. I also remember the models having more screen time with their designer and I liked hearing their input. A Lot of times the helped their designer, either physically or verbally or both. They are young and I believe would be a welcome viewpoint regarding the overall look, i.e., hair, makeup, shoes, accessories.
Agree, Chris! Great points
I guess I have a different take on this. Seth’s dress was awful but he had not been in the bottom EVER. Last week when he should have won (IMHO) he made 2 dresses. Since Irina, Anthony Ryan and Anya all have had a pass and some more than one, I believe Seth should have stayed and Juli who has yet to do anything memorable should have gone home.
When I was in college I worked for a frequent flyer program. When we traveled we were required to “dress” and actually had a dress code. If we violated it, we were denied boarding. One time on the way home from Hawaii people in the exit rows had their “lap children” (the ones they did not want to purchase a tix for) sleeping on the floor in front of them. Travel had changed…..
I was a gate agent briefly in a former life and when I flew I was required to dress. At that time gate agents were required to fill any seats up front that had a first class meal purchased and the passenger didn’t show. We were told to look for well dressed people to fill those seats. I was always selected and usually already had first class pass.
Since I haven’t been flying, lately, I am about to hit 200K skymiles.I can’t wait to use them… EVENTUALLY.
Didn’t know where else to post this.
What do you all think about Valentina playing Angel in “RENT”, airing Jan. 27th?
I hope she’ll be fantastic. Not sure if she can sing, but she will have no problem
with the character.
Five hundred thirty five thousand six hundred minutes….Can’t wait!