The Year in Project Runway Fashion

The Year in Project Runway Fashion–Thus Far by Roxanne McDonald

The approach of the new year always makes for good retrospective—looking at who did what, who had what done to them, and how they all came to do….

As in what challenges turned “Project Runway” season 4 designers in and out:

EPISODE ONE

“Sew us What You’ve Got,” a.k.a. Make it Work with the Worst(ed) :
A literal race on foot to a booth of fabulous fabrics and faux furs—to express their

personal silouettes–yields a last to pick (but sour grapes happy) Chris, a groovy Elisa who spits on fabric to mark it and imbue spirit into it, and a first-to-be-auf’d Simone LeBlanc.
EPISODE TWO

“I Started Crying,” a.k.a. I Started Crying and Never Stopped:
Marion Lee and Steven Rosengard’s team design for Sarah Jessica Parker’s challenge was so complex and left so little time to perfect before runway that it rendered Marion right out of the competition. This made Ricky cry. Okay, this isn’t why Ricky was crying—again—and will cry—again and again. Who knows why Ricky is crying this time? But he has that right, as an artiste. So back off.

EPISODE THREE

“Fashion Giant,” a.k.a. Oh. My. Gawd. Another Celebrity to Impress, and This One Has a Penis:

While the presence of Tiki Barber, Today Show correspondent and former “legendary” running back for the NY Giants, may not have wowed too many of the designers, the chance to work with hunky, delicioso, drool-inducing (for everyone ‘cept Rami and Elisa) male models did.

And this episode in particular challenged this viewer (whose only claim to design knowledge is in a history of having a mother who sewed all her and her sibling’s clothes, but who, nonetheless, knows what she likes). This viewer asked—okay I…, I asked—what was up with overlooking some of the sharpest designs. My sister also happened to come in and get her first “Project Runway” experience (being a bright girl who doesn’t watch television and who instead does her own brilliant art twenty hours a day) and watching the runway agreed with me on the coolest of designs: the sleek dark (which Barber said he liked when introducing the challenge) casual and sexy designs like the jacket with the Nehru collar and tailored backside and fitted slacks. We didn’t question, however, poor Carmen’s bungled mess of what Tiki’s wife called a Members Only throwback and what was bunched and puckering at the zipper and screwed up at the pant waist and was really distinguished by the absence of any shirt at all (a folded material ascot-style instead).

EPISODE FOUR

“Trendsetter”, a.k.a. Don’t Get Any Ideas about Bringing Back That Members Only Look:

After the menswear malaise of week three, they shoulda learned. But alas, the debacle is

a sequel. The designers are teamed up (which they hate, which I can’t blame for hating) and given a fashion faux pas (or outdated trend) that they have to revise, contemporaneize, etc..
Elisa, Ricky, Victorya (with Victorya bitching and bulldogging her way to usurping team leader Ricky’s role) transform a 70s thing, overalls, and poodle skirts. Christian (leader), Kit, and Jack revamp pleather, fringe, and the zoot suit. And Sweet P, Steven, and leader Chris modernize shoulder pads, baggy sweaters, and dancewear.

They all have their moments, all have a struggle, but Chris takes the fall for the fallout, which leaves several remaining contestants quite down, loving Chris as they do for his optimism and wit.

EPISODE FIVE

“What’s the Skinny?”, a.k.a. Designing for Death on a Stick is So Not My Idea of Design

We don’t have to miss Chris for long, however, as when, sadly, Jack determines a staph infection renders him contagious, he pulls out, and to retain the integrity of the show (said to maintain the high standards of challenge, but we know, hey, it’s to keep the number of weeks “Project Runway” is scheduled to run going), the producers, Heidi, and Tim bring back the last to leave: Chris March.

Challenged to design a new look from an old outfit worn by a woman who has lost anywhere from fifty to 150 pounds, the designers take to the projects with respect for the newly transformed. ‘Cept Steven is so paralyzed by this horrid lace and chiffon and satin gargantuan number known as a wedding dress the woman wore when she was huge that he uses maybe six inches of trim from the thing and buys all new material instead. Oopsie, that was against the rules, so auf wiedersehen, kiss-kiss Steven.

So as of week 5 of season 4, “auf’d” are…

Simone LeBlanc
Marion Lee
Carmen Webber
Steven Rosengrad
Jack Mackenroth (who auf’d himself)

And still in are…

Chris March (brought back by popular, er, production value demand)
Christian V. Siriano
Elisa Jiminez
Jillian Lewis
Kevin Christiani
Kit Pistol
Rami Kashou
Ricky Lizalde
Sweet P
Victorya Hong

I’m thinking that if egos were ousted (Victorya OUT, please), and if freaky-deaky doesn’t prevail, either Kit, Rami, and Kevin (or maybe Chris) will do the final runway. My choices, anyway.

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