SUSAN PIERCE: Last week on “Project Runway” the eight designers left standing were paired up and sent to four New York City neighborhoods to find their inspiration for a day and evening look: Chinatown, Harlem, Upper East Side and East Village.
Emilio Sosa, who repeatedly clued viewers in on the fact he used to live in Harlem, took – no surprise – Harlem. From my point of view, the fact that he had lived there should have disqualified him from that choice because it gave him an insider’s edge. I think the judges should have made him choose from the remaining three ‘hoods.
LISA DENTON: I hadn’t considered that, but it’s probably true. Both he and partner Seth Aaron Henderson used denim to construct their garments, which was the prevailing fabric worn by residents shown on-camera. Of course, the styles Emilio and Seth Aaron came up with were nothing like the everyday wear most people associate with denim, so they did have to ramp it up to get their double win.
Then again, Atlanta’s Anthony Williams said he’d never been to Chinatown, but he and partner Maya Luz earned the second-highest marks for their designs. He used Chinese dragon-type folds on a dress, and her jacket had a pagoda-inspired peplum.
SUSAN: If the editing didn’t tip off viewers who was about to be “aufed,” the suspense was over when Amy Sarabi’s peach, pleated and puckered day look sauntered out onto the runway.
Amy and partner Jonathan Peters had walked the streets of the Upper East Side, but you’d have never guessed that from their designs. Have neither of them ever watched “Gossip Girl?” Serena and Blair would never wear a “shirtdress,” much less one that was so bulky it made the model look twice her size.
LISA: Amy really did seem to spiral the previous three weeks, with two Bottom 3 and one middle-of-the pack finish before being ousted last week. Remember those kooky kaleidoscope pants she made for the “Little Bit of Fashion” episode? And then the black gown with the truly weird neckline she filled with the model’s hair for “The Elements of Fashion”?
The sad thing about her shirtdress was that it had potential – OK, maybe not as Upper East Side material but simply as a wearable fashion. The problem was that it was overdone and didn’t fit well. She’s had trouble knowing when to scale back on an overambitious design, and her time management has suffered. She was the last one through the door again in this episode.
But I thought her peachy color combinations were at least interesting, which is more than I can say for the black-and-white color-blocked fashions Mila Hermanovski trots out each week. Somebody buy her some Skittles. There’s a rainbow of colors out there, Mila.
SUSAN: One last thought: I want to see more Tim Gunn! He is so underutilized. He’s witty, urbane and, in my opinion, delivers critiques that are much more interesting than Heidi Klum’s fashion verdicts.
LISA: I’m in complete agreement. I just like hearing him talk. I find myself repeating “Thank you, Mood” in Tim Gunn style every time they leave the fabric store. And the smart designers are the ones who listen to his workroom critiques and adjust their plans accordingly.