Project Runway: "Fashion Week: Who's In and Who's Out"

October 10, 2014 7:27 AM - Season 13, Episode 12

Final challenge before Fashion Week. The five remaining designers find their inspiration on the streets of New York. The first day goes well but there is a twist on the second day, when ghosts from the past make an appearance.
posted by travelwithcats (34 comments total)

Oh, Emily, Emily, Emily! Neither caring nor paying attention to a second look has NEVER been a good strategy for anyone on this show. Ever. I admire how she went out, continuing to be an adult, but the remake dress was so very disappointing. I suspect her appearance on the show will have little actual impact on her career, which is sad to say.

I would totally have supported a double-auffing. I've always liked Char, but she needs a few more years of seasoning.

I need Sean to consciously decouple from fringe. I can not believe that monstrosity didn't drag down the over-praised white number out of the top spot.
posted by julen at 7:46 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]

I like Char as a person, but not as a designer. She should never have been saved in the first place. I felt bad that she had to deal with yet more drama from Korina though.

I was looking forward to seeing more hooded outfits from Emily. I actually kind of liked all of the ones she's done so far. Oh well. Maybe she has a decoy collection? (I haven't looked.)
posted by MsVader at 8:02 AM on October 10, 2014

Sean's white dress was laughably over-praised. Laughably. I mean, it wasn't terrible, but it was like a costume from Logan's Run or some other future-distopia sci-fi. (Maybe the clone uniforms in the future-Korea section of Cloud Atlas.)

They should've kept Emily, not Char. True, Emily ignored the remake dress, and her other look had some issues. (I didn't like that it was all that print fabric - I think it should've been just a top, with the face print, then maybe black leggings, and the coat.) But Char? Her inspiration look I thought was bad - those pleat things looked terribly made and haphazard. And I don't even remember her remake look, which should tell you something.
posted by dnash at 8:16 AM on October 10, 2014 [3 favorites]

Between the part where they kept Char and their love for Sean's all-white look, I felt like I was being trolled. And not in a good, twisty way. In a baffling way.
posted by purpleclover at 8:17 AM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]

This challenge shows perfectly what a difference one day makes. With the exception of Kini, all remade looks were weaker than the street fashion looks, for which the designers had adequate time to think about.
Apropos time, did Sean say they have LESS than a month to create a collection for Fashion Week? o_O
posted by travelwithcats at 8:25 AM on October 10, 2014

Kind of interesting that there was no drama at all about Sandhya, the pre-Korina "villain" who seemed to be perfectly adept at working for/with Sean. He even fessed up to her that he got her look since it was the last one left, and they both laughed.

I also agree that Char probably shouldn't have gone on. BUT, given that this is TV, I kinda feel she earned that "extra" spot by being such a tremendously graceful adult on camera after two rounds of dealing with toddler-esque tantrums.
posted by synapse at 8:59 AM on October 10, 2014 [4 favorites]

I wonder if Korina came across even worse in person, or just really butted heads with producers, because it seemed like she got more soundbites about what a negative energy she was than I've seen for any other contestant.
posted by drezdn at 9:34 AM on October 10, 2014

Sean's white top reminded me of something last night, but I couldn't put my finger on it. It just came to me now...

I went to Catholic school as a kid. At the start of every year, I got brand new uniform clothes. His shirt fit his model just like my white school uniform shirts fit me on the first day of school - too big and creased/stiff from whatever starch/sizing is used on them before they're packaged up.
posted by MsVader at 9:41 AM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]

I didn't get why Alexander's look wasn't a possible choice.
posted by drezdn at 10:04 AM on October 10, 2014

Char's remake look was a black sheath dress with bunchy Korina fabric around the middle... and when Zac pulled on the bunchiness (right in front of the tummy), making it less bunchy, the judges acted like it was suddenly interesting or intriguing (spoiler: it was not.)

I can't even remember what Alexander's mercifully Auffed dress was ... but maybe the "real person" wanted to keep it? Wait, it was that green plaidy black horrorshow. Hrm.

Sandhya may have gotten the mean-girl oddball victim -> over-confident off-the-rails oblivious and obnoxious WTF? designer edit, but she was also shown being sometimes complimentary of the other designers, even if she hated their outfit, whereas Korina was as snarky about people as she was about their designs all along. Plus, Sandhya's confidence in her own designs wasn't predicated on being better than everyone else but on being true-to-herself, and that makes a big difference.
posted by julen at 10:33 AM on October 10, 2014 [8 favorites]

I loved Sean's look and it took skill to do something that stark in white where every skipped stitch would stand out like the glare of a supernova. It wasn't even wrinkled when the model walked down the runway.

I also liked the combination of Amanda's fabrics, for once, and while it ended up a bit heavy-looking, I think it's still something you'd see striding down the street.

Neither of their alternate looks were good but at least Amanda had something to work with by having Fades. Nothing could save that peach devil baby. When Sean went to buy more of the same, I thought it was foreshadowing him being in the bottom two.

Emily certainly got shafted. I didn't like her garment, thought the face fabric was creepy as well as ugly. Thought the garment looked like pajamas. Didn't think her hoodie coat went with it as well BUT it was better than Char's

Has anyone anywhere read any praise of Char as a designer? Everyone agrees she's a nice person. Isn't there another aufing before the final collections are shown? Char will exit then. Finally.

Kini. So fast. So dull. Although he was the only one who improved on the Loser garment. And he made a trench coat in one day! Sadly it's a trench that you can already buy at the mall. He really needs to team up with another designer, like he did with Amanda, so he can get a fresher perspective.

Did anyone else laugh at Korina's Endless Exit through all the rooms, followed by the camera crew. It reminded me of those rear-screen projection bits in movies, where the taxi is driving in London and they pass Trafalgar Sq and then Piccadilly and then the Houses of Parliment and then Buckingham Palace and then Piccadilly again. Who knew backstage was such a maze.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 11:01 AM on October 10, 2014

Wow, Korina. Once again, had she never seen this show before she was on it? There's almost always a challenge right around the end (either during Fashion Week or the last one before Fashion Week) where previously aufed designers come back to help the remaining designers. I was glad to see that it wasn't random producer manipulation putting Korina and Char together, like I'd thought based on last week's previews.

I knew Emily was toast as soon as she made the comment about not caring about her remake look. It's too bad, I liked her. That said, she handled her aufing with class and grace, and seemed genuinely happy for the others making it to Fashion Week.
posted by SisterHavana at 12:46 PM on October 10, 2014

I didn't get why Alexander wasn't there in the first place, either. He was eliminated after some of those people, right?

I like that Sean knows how to cut to the point. He can meet a challenge and answer a question. He's my favorite for the win.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 12:55 PM on October 10, 2014

I did laugh at the cameras following Korina through the rabbit warren of hallways. It was too funny.

I was appalled at the skirt of Sean's white outfit. It looked like a men's shirt worn upside down as a joke. I perhaps may have spent too much time on Regretsy, where there was an ongoing meme of people sending in photographs of themselves wearing upside down shirts and sweaters as bottoms, with their legs in the sleeves. That's what Sean's outfit reminded me of.

I liked Emily's hoody outfit a lot. Nina hates Emily and that's why she is no longer there. She disliked pretty much every single thing Emily did. I think that Nina is very ageist, even though she herself is probably older than Emily. Nina is all about the youthfulness of everything and everyone, and seems repulsed by anyone over 30.

Is it just me or does Amanda get prettier every week?

It really annoys me that Char is still there. There is absolutely no way they would find anything redeeming in her looks. It's almost as if they keep choosing her to make Tim Gunn not look like a fool. The judges have lost all credibility with me for continuing to choose her. She is a nice person with a really great outlook on life. As a designer she is just so very mediocre. And they know it.
posted by the webmistress at 12:56 PM on October 10, 2014 [3 favorites]

I think the whole save-the-look challenge was pretty manipulative. First, they could have provided different outfits, but no, Korina's look was chosen as one of them. Second, (it seems) they didn't tell the designers they would have to work with the eliminated designers. That was a piece of information that was shared after the fact. Even if Char would have picked some other outfit, Korina was coming back to the workroom either way! And I guess they had Alexander (and everybody else?) on standby behind the scenes? Looks like the producers facilitated drama with the way this challenge was set up.
posted by travelwithcats at 1:08 PM on October 10, 2014

Oh Emily! I was so sad to see her go, I really liked her clothes, usually the ones the judges hated. I loved that hoodie, and I thought the outfit underneath was really interesting too. But that blue dress was so boring and one thing the judges hate is boring.

Kini's re-working of the red dress was beautiful, and he thoroughly deserved his place at Fashion Week. But he's definitely more of a constructionist than a designer. I think he lacks the innovative ideas to pull off a big win - but I've been wrong about so many things in this season that I'm sure I'm way off the mark here too.

I actually liked Amanda's two outfits this week too. I wish Fade had still been in the contest though. It was good to see him again.

I couldn't believe the judges preferred Char's messed-up outfits to Emily's. At least Emily's clothes were properly made. Char's second look was atrocious. She chose Korinna's outfit because it had the most material, and then she used only a tiny piece of it? WTF? And that pencil skirt she made was a hot mess. It was so badly made, yet the judges preferred it over Emily's immaculately made outfit.

I couldn't understand the judges' fawning over Sean's white outfit. It wasn't horrible, but it wasn't particularly wearable either. I think the Nina Love for it just shows the divide between what the fashion industry thinks is fashionable and what ordinary people think is fashionable.

And what's the betting Korinna will turn up in an All-Stars at some point in the future? And I hope she gets ripped a new one at the Reunion.
posted by essexjan at 1:58 PM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]

Having the show start with a series of one day challenges was frustrating. Now learning that they have less than a month to prepare a collection for fashion week is making me angry on the participants' behalf.

I am interested in seeing the best that they can make, not the clothing that they can throw together in mere days.
posted by sciencegeek at 6:00 PM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]

I don't see a reunion episode set to air between now and the finale. Don't they usually do it after the final challenge but before the finale? What if there's no reunion episode this season??? That would be awful for Korina. (I kind of imagine she would want a chance to defend herself on such an episode.)

Anyway, I absolutely loved Sean's white outfit, and Amanda's patchwork muumuu, and Kini's perfect-booty red dress with its puffed sleeve.

I thought for sure they'd eliminate both Char and Emily. Certainly Char over Emily. I have liked some of Emily's work, including the jumpsuit from this challenge, which I think was a really beautiful use of a very distinctive print. I don't know that I can remember anything Char has made that I liked. On the other hand, I couldn't even remember Emily's name before this episode, which I suppose the show producers were subtweeting when they showed Tim forgetting her in the workroom at the end.
posted by brina at 6:58 PM on October 10, 2014

I liked a lot of Emily's stuff over the season, but I have to say, I have a visceral dislike of her decoy collection. Yowza.
posted by meese at 7:17 PM on October 10, 2014 [2 favorites]

I was surprised by how much better Sean's dress was in motion - it flowed beautifully, better than the photographs. It was very very light, not quite clothes but like a blanket somehow origamid around her. I don't like his work much but that dress was strangely beautifully blank. Chars clothes seem basic to me, not specially weird or distinctive but her collection for Fashion Week is pretty good I thought.

I was sorry for Korina who had a chance and blew it for her reputation. But Emily was so great, and while her clothes do zip for me aesthetically, I think they're interesting in a grown up goth university student vintage way, very particular to her and her personality. Anyone notice the camera lingering on Sean's face when Char was talking at the dinner about why being a good sport mattered more than winning? Nice editing.
posted by viggorlijah at 7:41 PM on October 10, 2014

I think they do the reunion show after the finale - either right after the finale or the following week.

I would be surprised if Korina didn't appear on an upcoming All-Stars. Others from this season I think will be eventual All-Stars: Emily, Sandhya, Alexander, Amanda, Fade, Kini (especially if he doesn't win) and Sean.
posted by SisterHavana at 9:37 PM on October 10, 2014 [1 favorite]

I assume if they appear on All Stars, it means they're unable to then be a returning designer on a regular season?

Because it's better to be a returning designer on a regular season.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 6:57 AM on October 11, 2014

OK, I like Char, BUT - it is completely and utterly unbelievable to me that Char got through this week. Like - a bandeau top and a puckering skirt with a gaggle of badly-executed pink wallets pouring out of one side? And that reworked dress was just laughable -- IMO it was at least as bad as Korina's one-hour look last week. Can you imagine someone phoning in something like that in Season 1 or 2, at this point in the competition, and not getting anything other than a blistering critique and an elimination? Whatever, it's not like the judging has ever been amazingly consistent on this show, but that just straight-up strained belief for me.

I am 100% on board with T Lo here: "So it’s Auf Wiedersehen to Emily, and that’s some kind of bullshit. Kudos to her for leaving so incredibly graciously. We imagine that, even if she did think it was unfair, there was no way she was going out that door the way Korina did. Smart lady. Too chill for reality TV."
posted by en forme de poire at 12:39 PM on October 11, 2014 [2 favorites]

And why did Emily make a decoy collection of camisoles and cameltoes? Emily. You're killing me here.

She did have one really beautiful look in there. (warning: link goes to a decoy look, for those who are trying to avoid them)
posted by en forme de poire at 12:44 PM on October 11, 2014 [1 favorite]

So last night I decided to watch Project Runway Australia, season 4--it's on YouTube--and it was worth watching. There are a few rule changes: no immunity but the winner gets extra money for [Mood] or extra time or first dibs on something. The first episode had two designers in the bottom but neither was auf'd. They were in their own mini-competition at the next auffing in the next ep, so two people went then.

The biggest change is if you get the win three times, you are guaranteed a spot at FW.

The biggest difference is the judges. They are not on crack. They 're steadily getting rid of the chum. The winning garment is one of two standout looks generated each week and I don't think anyone would argue that it was undeserved. So far, no one has won more than once.

The only downside is the mentor is a poser, the kind of guy who wears sunglasses at night.

But really, the judges are amazing. It's like there's no producer manipulation at all. They are very consistent.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 5:19 AM on October 12, 2014 [2 favorites]

TWinbrook8, I find that any non-US reality TV show is way more down to earth than their US counterpart. Most US shows in that genre don't care for quality but go for drama and stunts instead. Sad.
posted by travelwithcats at 5:29 AM on October 12, 2014

I am interested in seeing the best that they can make, not the clothing that they can throw together in mere days.

Yeah, when they said they had less than a month to show at Fashion Week, I thought back to Tim Gunn's leisurely visits to people like Santino, and how they used to have FIVE MONTHS to get ready for fashion week. Sad they don't give them more time like that.
posted by mathowie at 8:53 AM on October 12, 2014 [4 favorites]

I think I'll try to watch Project Runway Australia.
I hadn't really considered that as an option. Thanks!
posted by sciencegeek at 2:36 PM on October 12, 2014

Re: preview, the clip of Tim Gunn attempting to hula in his usual pinstriped suit and tie is PRICELESS.
posted by Madamina at 10:37 PM on October 12, 2014

I have watched both Project Runway Australia and Project Runway Canada, and they are both worth watching if you haven't seen them before. Australia is good, but Alex Perry, whatever his virtues as a designer may or may not be, is a toooooooooool. PR Canada has Iman as a judge, and it's AWESOME.


Char, bless her heart, should have been eliminated. Look, I like the save as opposed to, say, bringing back an eliminated contestant, but saving someone doesn't mean you're doomed to keep them if they are clearly not performing as well as the other contestants. You can eliminate them! It's OK! Look at Face Off, they have eliminated saved contestants before the finale for the last two seasons, its cool.
posted by louche mustachio at 8:30 AM on October 15, 2014

This season I have really noticed that Tim Gunn is very good at giving constructive criticism.
posted by bq at 12:31 PM on October 15, 2014

I'm up to Australia Season 2 episode 5. Thanks for the recommendation! The Korina nonsense is mostly scrubbed from my brain.
posted by Glinn at 6:51 PM on October 17, 2014

I watched the first half of the latest episode last night. Around the time it opened, I realized that if Char wins with a garbage heap of a collection, I am done with the show for good.
posted by bq at 8:29 AM on October 18, 2014

Folks, check out this FPP: On Sewing as a Universal Language
Monsieur Caution collected many (youtube) links to international versions of sewing/fashion related competition shows.
posted by travelwithcats at 2:36 AM on October 19, 2014 [1 favorite]