Project Runway: There IS Crying in Fashion

October 22, 2016 11:52 AM - Season 15, Episode 6

To appease this week's corporate sponsors, the designers are tasked with making cocktail dresses.

First, here are the looks.

It seems a whole of of the designers had no clue what a cocktail dress is supposed to be, which is pretty disappointing. Also disappointing was the prize. I think the vodka company could have used the winning dress in an ad spot, even a small one. Providing a dinner is the least the company executives could offer.

I would have liked to have seen more of Brik's black and silver dress. I have no idea why Cornelius picked that awful houndstooth he already used. Roberi's looked like sportswear.

The top three were Rik's leather apron, Laurence's quilted leather and Jenni's 20s inspired applique. Jenni took the win, much to Erin's disgust

The bottom three were Erin's feathers, Nathalia's pearls and Tasha's sparkly sash. Even though Nathalia's original design veered a bit into costume territory, I kind of liked it, and I don't think Tim Gunn was particularly helpful in his critique. Tasha was sent home.

posted by sardonyx (15 comments total)

I thought Brik's dress was ok, but the shoulder straps were just waaaayyyy too wide. With a narrower strap to balance it out, it would have been much nicer. It was also nothing we haven't seen before but really, with very few exceptions, there was not much originality shown this time around. Cornelius designed a dress that everyone has already owned and which has been around since the 60s. I mean.....Barbie was wearing that exact same dress over 50 years ago. I would have sent him home based on the fact that he did not use one drop of creativity, and also that he used that horrid print again. Dexter's was something you might see on a sex worker, if that sex worker had no taste.

The leather apron was really nice, but not a cocktail dress by any stretch of the imagination, especially with the industrial zipper in the back. Super fun though, would love to have it.

Jenni's was just terrible. It fit poorly (I have no problem with loose but it was baggy and unflattering and sharpei-like in the bust) and seemed really poorly sewn...ripply seams and all that. I was impressed that the editing did not show an Erin reaction shot when Jenni went into the waiting room after her win. Really disappointed that Laurence didn't win....her dress was the obvious choice. Nina called it the Bentley of little black dresses and it lost to that shapeless frump of a dress? Ugh. I actually own something with colors, fabric, and appliques which is incredibly similar to Jenni's dress. It's the shower curtain in my bathroom. It's metallic copper satin with copper coral appliques all over it ;)

It was good to see a celeb judge who actually disagreed with the panel, and who was not afraid to share her opinions, and who also seemed to be somewhat versed in the field of fashion.
posted by the webmistress at 1:27 PM on October 22, 2016 [5 favorites]

oh ha, I just remembered that I turned on my desktop an hour ago to post this episode but got distracted downloading some photos from my camera.

It's the Make A Pretty Dress Challenge! But at least they tied it in to the location/product being flogged. It was also time to beat Erin down. Her dress wasn't nearly as awful as the judges made out. It had a certain 80s Dynasty flair. No, they mainly wanted her standing next to Jenni so they could stir up a little appliqué drama over a dress that everyone could see wasn't particularly well-made.

Laurence should have won but for the above-mentioned producer interference. Of course, they had to stir the pot there too, her "usual shoulder shape" which okay, she used twice before. Rik's leather apron was clever in the inspiration but the execution was lacking, the leather he chose was so stiff.

Of the bottom three [sic], I wish Nathalia had gone home, I was more interested to see what Tasha would produce next.

Of the safe group, I liked the material that Roberi chose but was it all one fabric? Dexter with the fringe again, but not a bad look, certainly not bottom three. I don't know why Cornelius keeps picking that giant houndstooth check. Brik, forgettable. Ma Jing should have been in the bottom instead of Erin, his was a nothing dress.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 1:54 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

I forgot to mention the celebrity judge. Glad you posted about her webmistress. She actually had a both a point of view and a clue. She was a much better pick than the last few.
posted by sardonyx at 5:23 PM on October 22, 2016 [1 favorite]

How did Cornelius survive this episode at all, let alone the bottom three. Holy cow, his was terrible and boring and bad. And not a cocktail dress. He should have been standing with Tasha, and either one could have gone.

I did not dislike Jenni's as much as some, but she should have been third at the most, after Rik and Laurence at least. And I wish Rik had won. It was different and pretty kick ass. I would not have argued with a Laurence win either. I suspect Jenni may become a bit insufferable.

No way Erin belonged in the bottom, but in the middle. At least Heidi acknowledged that Jenni borrowed some of Erin's ideas.
posted by Glinn at 6:55 PM on October 22, 2016

I think I say this every season, but I hate that the judges give a parting kick to the designer with immunity. I think part of immunity should be freedom from hearing their bitchy comments about a look they don't even really have to judge.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:08 PM on October 22, 2016

Tasha referred to the challenge as an after 5pm look which made me wonder. How can the idea of "cocktail dress" still be stuck in a time when a whole lot of women didn't work outside the home. I wanted to see what her brain was conceptualizing with street wear "cocktail" dress. This challenge always ticks me off since it seems to auto eliminate anyone without a ton of world experience or money.
posted by Lil Bit of Pepper at 7:24 PM on October 22, 2016

I didn't mind Jenni's dress. It's something I'd wear. I was also glad to see the smugness wiped off Erin's face when it dawned on her that she was on the bottom. I bet she was convinced when her name was called as one of the six that she was the winner. But I think the judges also up-voted Jenni's partly because they thought it was Erin's.

When I saw Dexter using that fringe, I thought Heidi would love it because, as we know, she does love teh fringe (remember that winning dress she wore to a red carpet a couple of seasons ago that looked like a car wash? And who can forget Amanda The Fringe Queen?). The judges seem to like Dexter too. So it was reassuring to see that the over-use of fringe is not a guarantee of success.

I was sorry to see Tasha go, as I really like her personality. I've not liked much that she's made though, and this week's dress looked like something, well, that I'd make, and I can't sew for shit.

I thought Brik's outfit looked like a sci-fi costume, although it was beautifully made. Nathalia's first dress was romantic and pretty, and I think she should have stuck to her guns and just modernised it slightly rather than a re-make. Dexter's houndstooth was dreadful and the proportions of his dress were all wrong - that long, long skirt with that teeny-tiny top. He should have been in the bottom.

It was great to have a guest judge who knew her stuff and wasn't afraid to disagree with the judges. Good call on the producers for picking her.
posted by essexjan at 7:50 AM on October 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

That's a good point, the judges drive-by slam of Dexter's fringe dress was not helpful to him. They didn't like it, fine, but he needed to hear why. There are designers who spend their entire run on the show in the safe category, then they find themselves in the bottom and are out. (The King of Fringe was Sean, two? seasons ago)

I don't think for one minute that the judges mistook Jenni's dress for Erin. The execution was just too sloppy. Erin's finishes are meticulous.

Tasha, if only she was able to conceptualize Rhianna at a cocktail bar.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 8:22 AM on October 23, 2016

I meant Cornelius' houndstooth, not Dexter's.
posted by essexjan at 10:26 AM on October 23, 2016

Oh man, I'm so glad to see that I'm not the only one who hated Jenni's dress. I was positive she was bottom three when they called her out at the end, and as soon as the judges started gushing I thought I was taking crazy pills. It definitely wasn't the absolute worst. but it was so, so far from the best.

I think Laurence should have won, but at this point I by and large think she's a flawless angel who can do no wrong.
posted by Itaxpica at 7:36 PM on October 23, 2016 [1 favorite]

I wonder if the judges' evaluation of Jenni's dress was affected by their inference that it was Erin's. One could just see "Erin" and think "cool because it's unusual", which would lead to a more generous evaluation.
posted by amtho at 2:49 AM on October 24, 2016

I thought Brik's outfit looked like a sci-fi costume, although it was beautifully made.

My notes say "fancy hotel bathroom wallpaper."
posted by psoas at 8:52 AM on October 24, 2016

Wait, we were supposed to take notes? You have notes?
posted by amtho at 11:43 AM on October 24, 2016 [3 favorites]

OMG you are not ready for the exam.
posted by psoas at 12:45 PM on October 24, 2016 [1 favorite]

I thought all the focus on Jenni stealing Erin's technique was total bullshit. Only one person has ever thought to do applique before? Did Erin trademark it and I missed it?

Up until this episode, I really liked Erin. I thought her stuff was interesting (even if I didn't really like it). Thanks to the magic of reality TV editing, they really started to turn her into a brat. Boo.

But I think that Jenni did a better job with the applique than Erin ever did. I always thought the applique was the worst part of Erin's looks - it looked so out of place. I liked the effect Jenni created with her dress. She shouldn't have gotten the win for it though. Laurence's dress was the clear winner.
posted by MsVader at 2:54 PM on October 27, 2016