Project Runway: Sleigh the Runway

December 20, 2019 8:02 AM - Season 18, Episode 3

The designers are awakened by a surprise visitor who may or may not have arrived by chimney. Tis the season for holiday parties and the designers will be challenged to show their sense of spirit in the perfect party dress. They quickly learn that this isn’t a conventional holiday affair… it’s the unconventional materials challenge! Channeling their own holiday memories, the designers have two days to transform a winter wonderland into a wearable wonder, and then it’s up to the judges to decide who’s been naughty or nice.
posted by Anonymous (8 comments total)

Yeah, at this point I'm wondering if it's a throwback to the Bravo years and he's created a "persona". After all, we knew his name from the first episode--and just this week I saw a woman whom I hadn't noticed before (long blonde hair). He certainly showed his skill level this week, that garment had mindboggling construction skills to fit the model so perfectly. Last week, he did the mullet hem gown for streetwear but other than the flaunt-the-challenge floor-sweeping train, I grew to like it. It really suited his model (more than the flower petal/velvet-ribbon-waist dress that Shavi created this week for her) and if he'd cut off the train and put his model in cowboy boots, he would've gotten a pass for Texas street wear at least.

I had to go to TLo to see the results because the actual runway seemed EXTRA brief this episode. Also the show spent so much time on the designers who were struggling that I have no idea how people like Geoffrey and Delvin created their looks or if Nancy actually used the Christmas ornaments that she was smashing up.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 4:38 PM on December 20, 2019 [2 favorites]

Here's the Bravo recap and pics.

I too, am still struggling with the editing. There is just SO much less about the designs. And that's something I love about the unconventional challenges - HOW are they using materials? WAY too much focus on weird drama. And yeah, Sergio is driving me insane. I wouldn't want to hire a designer with his attitude, regardless of whether or not it's a character.

MY top 3:
Geoffrey - That was a BEAUTIFUL silhouette and great use of materials. He made shoulder architecture out of boxes! The glitter chevron felt rich and pretty.
Marquise - I would DIE for the punk holiday look. Again, I'm sure my style would get roasted on PR given what they seem to like. But I loved it. Great use of materials, great styling.
Dayoung - It was really pretty and different. There was a lightness and ethereal nature - like a snow elf. I found the use of materials interesting.

I kinda hated the top 3. I get the construction on Sergio's. But I found it pretty bland.
I get the fun of the petal dress from Shavi. But I've glued petals on a bra before. It's not unique. And I found the side silhouette really bad. You could hide an entire holiday cookie stash in that shelf of the top. Just too bulky (And it's not due to amazing the model. IMO it's poorly fitted in the top and waist.)
Victoria's had too much going on. I just overall hated it.

I'm fine with Alan going home. I would have also been fine with Tyler leaving as well. Did anyone else think Tyler's snowflakes were going to be on their own? Like stitch together to actually make an actual lace? Why did it get glued onto ugly fabric?

Anyway. I'll continue to watch, because I guess I like torture. But I do hope we see some cool stuff and cool challenges and more actual design.
posted by Crystalinne at 8:02 PM on December 20, 2019

Sergio is just so exhausting. But I generally find people who are full of themselves exhausting, and I don't even care whether it's a persona or not. His dress was cool, but I honestly thought Daiyoung's was way more interesting. ANd yeah, Geoffrey did good this time, like he got out of his head a bit. (Sergio loves to trade on the thing he made for Billy Porter, but that thing was horrible, so. Yes, a star wore your thing, but it doesn't mean your thing was good.)

I felt bad for Alan, I don't know why, because he's exhausting in his own way too, but he said some things in this episode that really made me feel for him. I hope he gets some more time to develop.

I wasn't impressed by that petal dress from Shavi either. It felt like some serious producer manipulation. Victoria is tacky.
posted by kitten kaboodle at 12:22 PM on December 22, 2019

I think the part I was most curious about, was they're all just hanging out in their bedrooms, where they were presumably told to stay? None of them noticed the production interns setting up multiple trees? Or were remotely suspicious that it might be the unconventional materials challenge?

I felt like without the hat and poncho, I could have grown to like Alan. I have to question how those boots ended up on the accessory wall in the first place.

As a plus size lady, there's no way in hell I'd ever have voted for Shavi's look. Where was Michael Kors to point out that you don't want to make a lady's hips look bigger? Those proportions were just bad. (And I'm kind of curious how/why the berries shrunk. Just as a scientist.) And Victoria's (and a few others) - I remember when you'd get in trouble for using fabric of any kind.

Do we think they're just going to pressure wash the sewing room to get rid of all of the glitter?
posted by librarianamy at 5:21 AM on December 23, 2019

They must have told the designers to stay in their bedrooms so they could make a production of the decorations. Ugh, the decorations. And not only did no one get called out for using mostly fabric/ribbons/skirts, Victoria with her whole skirt made of fabric was in the top. So that's twice she's been in the top when other designers have answered the challenge better.

I think Tyler should probably have gone for the terrible way-too-short thing. But it was going to be Tyler or Alan, and Alan should not have made all the excuses. He was kind of sweet and entertaining so it's too bad he went. I did not hate Shavi's as much as some of you.

I don't recall seeing Melanie before, either. The larger cast at the beginning must make it hard to get everyone in. Hope Geoffrey can make it through.
posted by Glinn at 3:52 PM on December 23, 2019

> And I'm kind of curious how/why the berries shrunk. Just as a scientist

They didn't give us more than a second to see what happened to the piece, but I think it's more that the berries sorta deflated and shrunk away from each other. I'm guessing that the spherical integrity of the berries didn't play well with the hot glue once the glue began to cure.

For the record, I though his dress was just okay, and thought perhaps its inclusion in the top three was more for contrast than actual achievement? The materials lent themselves to a lot of angular and form-fitting dresses, and Shavi's was one of the few that felt a bit more "fun" and soft. But arguably, that goes for Victoria's as well. (I liked her dress this week better than last week's strappy weirdness, but I do not understand the judges' enthusiasm for her. Christian doesn't seem to share the love either, based on his workroom comments to her.)
posted by desuetude at 10:40 AM on December 27, 2019

As for Alan, good lord. He gobbled up allllll of the materials and then designed something that looked like he'd been left with floor sweepings. He could have made something safe in a few hours. FFS, he played with that velvety tree skirt forever, he could have tailored it into a cute little strapless dress as a base blinged up with all his favorite ribbons, plus a little fascinator for her head made out of ornaments, since he likes hats so much.
posted by desuetude at 10:50 AM on December 27, 2019

We may not get the full T. Lo treatment this series but the sainted R. Eric Thomas at Elle is doing priceless recaps:
Episode 1
Episode 2
Episode 3

I was so glad they saved Tyler, mainly in the hope something like his plutonium-grade read of "Saint" Sergio will be repeated.
posted by Gin and Broadband at 2:23 PM on December 29, 2019 [1 favorite]