Well, I’m finally here to talk about Project Runway (remember, you can always watch episodes online!) And it’s taken me a week to do this post because–aside from normal busy-ness–I decided that the 1st episode was just so-so. Not trying to be a downer here. It’s sort of hard in the beginning when there are so many contestants and so much going on. But I really didn’t love anything I saw. I liked some stuff. I’m just banking on the season showing more interesting designs.
First off, thanks for the input on the Runway Rundown posts. I’m glad some of you like them. I’m glad some of you don’t mind if I slack here and there. And for those of you in other countries who are concerned about seeing spoilers on my posts….I’m not sure really how to combat that other than this….I’ll always have the title “Runway Rundown” in my post so you’ll know what it is before you click. And if you use Google Reader or other blog feeds, you only get short snippets of each post, without photos….so no spoilers there.
Okay.
Boring stuff.
Let’s talk Runway!
The premiere started out with 20 contestants but we quickly learned that they would be knocked down to only 16 in the very first episode. Each contestant was asked to come before the 4 judges, show their portfolio of previous creations, and sell themselves to the judges. Why should they be in the top 16? A couple designers jumped out at me. Bert! First off, I swear he’s Martin Sheen’s brother. But he’s also so down-to-earth, older, had a rough patch in his life and is trying to come back to the fashion world, and is totally up on the current fashion scene. He took a pair of boxers and made that cute dress below. 3 cheers Bert!
And Anya.
Now let me say this. I think she’s adorable, I kind of like the overgrown fauxhawk thing (or whatever the hair is doing), her accent is soothing, and she’s gorgeous. But seriously….she comes to this competition, having only sewn for 3 months?? What??
In fact, in her portfolio nothing was actually sewn by her! It was all done with assistance.
So, my first thought was, what kind of screening did these people go through?…to get to this point and not really know how to sew?
Then my next thought was….well, I guess they’re going for the American Idol angle? Throw in some wild cards for shock value? In fact, I didn’t really care for the first 15 minutes of the episode where they stood before the judges. It felt very Idol-esque but without the fun Cowell factor. I just didn’t find it interesting.
But now I’m thinking that Anya’s “I just learned to sew” thing is kind of an act.
Maybe?
I mean, she pulled out a killer pair of pants (never having made a pair of pants her life) and was in the top 3?? Now it could be that I’m just jealous of her insta-skills. But I have a feeling she knows more about sewing than she let’s on to.
Time will tell.
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Okay. Let’s talk about the challenge.
The episode was called “come as you are”…..which means that when Tim Gunn shows up in your bedroom at 5am and tells you to come with what you’re wearing and a bed sheet, you should definitely grab your bra. The contestants then walked from the Atlas apartment to Parsons, through the streets of NY in their pjs and sheets. It was pretty funny to watch.
Then they had one day to transform whatever they were wearing–plus a bedsheet–into something cool and fashionable. They were also given fabric dyes and trims to embellish where needed.
Here’s what they came up with…
THE GOOD
LEFT: Bert’s dress won hand’s down (though Michael Kors hated the hair and styling). I love how he incorporated the bedsheet by dyeing it and playing it against a gray T-shirt.
MIDDLE: I thought Becky’s dress was cute though she ended up being safe in the middle
RIGHT: Anya’s outfit came in the top 3. I absolutely hate the top. But the pants were really cool. I like the subtle pleats and wide legs.
And that was as good as it got. I guess where I was disappointed is that I loved what the designers were wearing more than what they created! How cute is that scalloped dress below? And Becky’s vintagey yellow dress? Even Christina Ricci was darling (and not as strange/odd as I thought she would be).
JUST OKAY
LEFT: This ensemble ended up somewhere in the middle. But ugh. That top is ghastly to me. Totally unflattering. Let’s hope a draft of wind doesn’t blow by!
RIGHT: Anthony Ryan’s look also made the top 3. I like the shirt but I’m not into that skirt. Tim warned him about placing strange things in the crotch area and now that’s all I see when I look at that skirt. No thanks.
THE BAD
LEFT: I wish I had a better close-up shot of the red shirt. It’s really, really bad, with a huge added piece of fabric in the middle to make up for sizing problems. And those shorts are definitely too snug. I’m glad Joshua didn’t get the boot though. I think he has more in him.
MIDDLE: My first impression was….that hideous pink fabric print! But then I was glad when Nina pointed out the strange pants. You can’t see very well in the picture but what was with the strange bunchy sides at the waist? Very unflattering.
LEFT: For sure, WORST outfit. The second the girl walked out I made a face. Dreadful! Those pants!! That model’s probably got a rocking body and they make her look horrible. I can’t imagine who would ever wear that….along with the strange peek-a-boo shirt. Sorry Rafael. Bye bye.
And that’s a rundown!
I’m hoping for a better challenge next week and more inspiring designs. I think Becky and Faliene have cute stuff up their sleeves.
If you still have chatter left, what are your thoughts?
