Project Runway: Client on the Go
October 6, 2017 2:40 AM - Season 16, Episode 8 - Subscribe

The designers are tasked with creating an on-the-go look for friends and family of the Project Runway crew, but the good spirited challenge takes an ugly turn when accusations of cheating cloud the results of a contentious runway.

No outfit photo recaps yet, though maybe nobody does those in the brave new world of to-be-continued drama.

Forfeit after episode 7: Shawn
Top 3: Claire, Kentaro, Kenya
Bottom 3: Batani, Margarita, Michael
Winner: Claire
Eliminated: lol, that quaint old tradition?
Walked off, tbc: Michael
posted by carbide (21 comments total) 1 user marked this as a favorite
 
Kentaro's look was such a good match for his client, and the details were great. I felt like none of the designers did a brilliant job with the print challenge but his was a good palette expansion and integrated well. Is there any reason, beyond drama, why he didn't win?

Claire's print, and the judges' enthusiasm for it, was lousy. It was about as exciting as distressed denim?

I was sad to see Batani bottle it where she should have thrived, and I'm nearly sure Kenya's peplum problems match some she's worn herself (but managed to carry off because she's fucking radiant), and I wonder how much real drama was going on and if it explains the off week.

But I guess we'll see, in another pointless 5-minute intro.
posted by carbide at 4:28 AM on October 6, 2017


Also, it was amazing watching what happened when Shawn had to work by herself. You can't fire me because I'm leaving on this very high horse.
posted by carbide at 4:29 AM on October 6, 2017 [3 favorites]


Shawn couldn't do *anything* by herself. So she quits to avoid getting called on it. Coward.

Clare's win was a steaming pile of baloney- much more deserved by Kentaro or Kenya. They better snatch that win away from her at the top of next week. Also, to have a cliffhanger episode two weeks in a row is baloney, too. Start showing some respect for your audience, Project Runway!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 5:24 AM on October 6, 2017 [3 favorites]


Shawn's concession was fascinating because she sure seemed to think that (if she could have come up with an idea, any idea) it was obvious she'd have beaten her sister. I think she does think she is the more talented sister, or at least wants everyone else to think so.

This cheating "scandal" is going to be weaksauce. They're going to need more evidence than "Clearly, anyone can see that ..." and they don't have it.

Kenya needs to step away from the peplums.
posted by julen at 5:43 AM on October 6, 2017


I hope that if the "scandal" is ultimately based in differing understandings of what is and isn't allowable inspiration or design that this basis is mentioned. See: some Asian cultures (China maybe?) highly valuing collaboration and their students having to have plagiarism explained, and the concept taught, when they come to US colleges.

I'm not saying that Claire or whoever doesn't already know that copying and lying about it is wrong, just that knowing the exact degree of "originality" required for a thing to be allowed in polite society might not be something people are born with.

Of course if there's some explicit Project Runway rule baldly being broken, that's another thing.

Also: I alternated feeling really angry that the judges were making otherwise delighted people feel bad about their once-in-a-lifetime Project Runway designer original outfits, and glad that the judges were being honest.
posted by amtho at 6:56 AM on October 6, 2017 [1 favorite]


I always have a hard-time with the real-people client challenges, where the judges review the outfits with the real-people models standing right there. Oh, glad you feel great in that outfit, I think it looks like vomit garbage, but at least you are happy, you style-free simpleton. Not sure being a PR "real person" model would be that much fun.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 7:03 AM on October 6, 2017 [6 favorites]


Claire's outfit was ridiculously unexciting, especially compared to Kentaro's. She very obviously won because her boring-ass print design on the pants would look better on a Dixie cup. Which is of course a stupid reason to win. As soon as Nina said, "If that design was on a Dixie cup, I would want that Dixie cup", you knew who was going to win. It's a print we've all seen a million times. Dullsville!

Also to note: the grey dress Shawn was wearing in the beginning of the show? The top half is the exact thing Claire ended up "making". I cannot even attribute the word "designing" here. She has zero original ideas. It's so fucking bizarre how she always ends up "designing" the last thing she saw that she liked. First she tried to make Margarita's dress, and then when Tim said he's seen it before (from her, which was not true but who cares) she redid the top to be just like Shawn's dress. This is like, the 4th time she's done this. Cannot find a screencap right now, but Shawn's dress was a short-sleeved look with open gaps at the shoulders. Uhhh just like Claire's top.
posted by the webmistress at 7:34 AM on October 6, 2017 [4 favorites]


Actually, it looks like the winner is officially undeclared for the Dixie challenge:

@DixieProduct says: Now that's a cliffhanger! Tune in during next Thursday’s #ProjectRunway at 9/8c on @Lifetimetv to see the winning design!
posted by carbide at 8:15 AM on October 6, 2017 [1 favorite]


Here's Shawn's dress, which Claire was very "inspired" by in her design. She did keep in some of Margarita's pleating as an element as well. Not that Margarita invented pleating or anything, but Claire was obviously copying the winning dress from the week before, before Tim called her on it.
posted by the webmistress at 10:01 AM on October 6, 2017 [1 favorite]


I screamed at the screen when I realized there was *another* cliff-hanger. Cut it out, Lifetime, we already will watch next week, I promise.

I think the cheating scandal is going to involve Claire using clothes from her suitcase to actually build her designs. Someone said something about her having a tape measure in her hotel room and taking measurements at night, which I bet is completely against the rules. If she's measuring and patterning things not only based directly off of existing clothes, but after the official work hours are over, I would think that would get her booted.

I hope that's the case, because neither Michael nor Batani should go home.
posted by tryniti at 10:02 AM on October 6, 2017 [2 favorites]


TLo has pictures. Not a strong week overall, design-wise, but at least all the clients seemed to have a good time. I can handle drama as long as the guest clients aren't involved.

So annoying that they wasted time on the twins in the beginning for a lot of nothing. They could have used the time at the end.
posted by rewil at 10:06 AM on October 6, 2017


I liked Kentaro's look a lot, but if it was a pattern challenge, there really wasn't a whole lot of it.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:11 AM on October 6, 2017


I also really liked Ayana's pattern a lot, but I'd be surprised if Dixie Cup was willing to put Arabic writing on their cups :(
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 11:12 AM on October 6, 2017 [2 favorites]


Awkward Dixie Cup tie-in + Friends of Crew Real Women + Custom Print designed in 20 minutes. It's like they have so many ideas, each challenge has to incorporate two or three and which part gets weighted the most?

First of all, who thinks a print that's suitable for a tiny Dixie cup is going to work well in a garment? Sure it could be done, but in 20 minutes? It was funny how dismissive the designers were of their finished fabric: the repeat was bad, the color was awful, the fabric was crap so not a glowing recommendation for the fabric printer.

The last time they used actual crew members, it was apparent they were instructed to be as uncooperative and bitchy as possible so at least that didn't happen this time although Claire's "I don't wear prints" model had that potential.

Once again, Amy gets sent to the back room. It looked like black satin pajamas but the print? element, a folded ribbon, was kinda interesting. Getting a bit bored with Brandon, did not like his print at all.

Michael, I don't think he should've been in the bottom. He listened to his client and he took a chance, unlike Claire who did another basic mall outfit. It was funny when the judges complained about the edging on the open sleeves because Heidi had almost the same edging on her open sleeves. The blanket effect, yeah it was not the best proportion for his apple-shaped client but it was interesting. He could've played it safe and put her in skinny pants. He took risks. I don't think he would be auf'd for it though; if the Claire cheating drama* is a bust then it's Batani who is out. Her look was dreary drapery.

(* I agree with tryniti, I hope she is bounced for measuring her own clothes after working hours are done. Copying the look of her sister's dress isn't really just cause for dismissal; they all are basing their on-show designs on their previous work.)

Kentaro deserved to win this one, He transformed the stiff print into a kimono jacket, his color combo was fantastic, and the pleated back was brilliant. I loved how it hung down beneath the jacket. Heidi was way off base when she criticized it and it was funny how Zac and Nina immediately shut her down.

Kenya, I liked her color choices, the print was okay, but the empire peplum was a bad idea.

Best quote: Ayana(?) "We all do ruching at some point."

Scraping the bottom of the barrel with the guest judges now.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:42 AM on October 6, 2017


Yeah, I don't know why Margarita was so pissed. Claire's dress did start out as looking like her shirt dress, but then she changed it after Tim's critique. So . . . she didn't win with Margarita's design at all. Confusing.

The hidden tape measure/pants in the bathroom seems MUCH more suspicious.
posted by chainsofreedom at 5:30 PM on October 6, 2017


Yeah, but Margarita's distraction started when it looked like Claire _would_ use that design. Then she kept stewing over the pronounced tendency Claire had to appropriate close-at-hand things, PLUS the fact that Tim _didn't even notice_ that Claire had copied the most prominent features of her _winning_ design from last week. He didn't even notice! Understandable -- Tim sees a lot of garments -- but still a sharp thing to feel.
posted by amtho at 6:28 PM on October 6, 2017 [1 favorite]


KENTARO WAS ROBBED
posted by Itaxpica at 8:55 AM on October 7, 2017 [7 favorites]


"It gets better." Amy interviewed for a radio program (can she do that without inciting the wrath of producers? Maybe she just has zero fucks to give.)

Her take of the Margarita/Michael walk-off drama is that it had been building all season vs The Twins. The producers knew it, the designers knew the producers knew it, and the controversy--whatever the exact details--was carefully nurtured until it erupted this episode.

However, there is more to come. Amy thinks it will be in the upcoming episode but she says, who knows with all the editing, but it sounds like it occurred just after the Dixie Cup challenge in real time.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 10:15 AM on October 7, 2017 [2 favorites]


Obviously the producers knew, you could see it all over Heidi’s face. Never seen a reality show host successfully shit-stir while maintaining deniability.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:06 PM on October 7, 2017 [1 favorite]


TWinbrook8: Scraping the bottom of the barrel with the guest judges now.

Imma let you finish (oh you're done, nm), but Lucky Blue Smith (vapid model/artist type boy-kid) was the worst. Dude was straight up stoned, and added nothing of value to the conversation. I didn't feel out of the loop, I just felt cheated from another point of view from a coherent person. At least "the product of Stallone’s third marriage to Jennifer Flavin Stallone" (Vanity Fair's questionable description of three adult women who have their own lives and careers) had comments on the fashion.

Any way, this was the shittiest of shit from Lifetime. I agree, two weeks of cliffhangers are dumb and stunty, made worse that none of the looks were particularly inspiring. Even Kentaro's was not inspiring. Different and bold for him, but it was just a ton of fabric that draped and flowed very well.

The only reason the twin won was because she made a Dixie cup-type print (you know, like the Solo Jazz pattern of the 1990s, but now black and white). Now I want to see their demo material - did they submit as a pair, or were they individually strong enough to get on? Maybe it is just the tight time limits and other features of this show that Shawn couldn't handle, but it honestly seems like she's incapable of producing anything without her sister. Oh well, she's gone.

Two things I picked up from this episode: 1) the designers had two minute to make a print design with the computer-using young people, which could lead them to winning $25k, and 2) Michael was talking with Margarita about Claire working in her hotel room after hours.

Someone said something about her having a tape measure in her hotel room and taking measurements at night, which I bet is completely against the rules. If she's measuring and patterning things not only based directly off of existing clothes, but after the official work hours are over, I would think that would get her booted.

Exactly -- as noted on the Project Runway article on Wikipedia:
While on the show, the designers are prohibited from leaving the apartments without authorization, making unauthorized communication with family or friends, or using the Internet to research designs. Designers are also forbidden to bring pattern books or similar how-to materials with them during the show, or risk being disqualified from the competition (as was the case of Keith Michael in Season 3).
So both A) taking measurements from her other clothes, and B) working after hours would be disqualification-worthy marks against her. But we'll see - it's harder to have proof of after-hours work and measuring from her own materials than it is to have pattern books in your room.
posted by filthy light thief at 5:03 PM on October 7, 2017 [1 favorite]


filthy light thief - I think they had 20 minutes to design the print, IIRC.

I can see from the production side, this was fake drama if, as Amy says, they all knew about it. But for the contestants, who go from one challenge to the next with little rest or time off, this is their 'reality' and for many of them there is a lot at stake. So anyone not playing fair must really grate with the remaining contestants. That might well explain Margarita's meltdown, even after the shirt dress copy had been ditched.

I didn't like any of the designs this week. I hated that under-bust peplum Kenya made for her client. It was beautifully made but that whole outfit was like something I used to wear in the 80s. But, what do I know, maybe the 80s is back. I'm typing this wearing baggy sweatpants and a sweater that lost its shape in the wash over ten years ago.
posted by essexjan at 11:47 AM on October 8, 2017


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