SUSAN PIERCE: I love that this season’s quirky challenges on “Project Runway” have added fun for viewers since the challenges have been a far cry from designing a star’s red-carpet gown or visiting a museum for inspiration, as seen in past seasons.
Two weeks ago, Tim Gunn turned the designers loose in a party store to choose their materials. Last week the designers were presented with a runway full of models wearing Philip Treacy’s one-of-a-kind couture hats.
If you’re not familiar with his name, think Lady Gaga’s silver sequined lobster hat, or that slanted, silver, lightning-bolt headpiece she wore to the Grammy Awards. Remember that wild, green-velvet flower hat Sarah Jessica Parker wore to the premiere of “Sex and the City”? That’s Philip Treacy.
So the challenge was to pick a Treacy hat, then design a gown to complement it. But didn’t you find it ironic that instead of selecting the hat that inspired them, the designers chose the models with whom they wanted to work?
LISA DENTON: That was a little weird. The designers get so comfortable with a particular model that they rarely stray to another. And when one does, the others act as if it’s an act of treason. Such drama.
Of course the hats were so outrageous that perhaps it didn’t matter which one each designer chose, even if it was based on the model. I get that it’s couture, but it’s also pretty kooky. Even the hat judge/host Heidi Klum wore to the runway show looked like a Dr. Seuss-style sprout.
SUSAN: My top three favorite creations were 1) Michael Costello’s shimmering bronze confection, 2) Michael Drummond’s knife-pleated top with the orange skirt, and 3) – I can’t believe I’m saying this because I usually detest his designs – Casanova’s classic, backless black dress.
Costello was challenged with a large orange oval hat that sat above the forehead. It had what resembled two horizontal feelers extending from a pointed pincher just above the eyes. My first thought: It’s an inverted beetle.
His dress shimmered in shades of gold and copper that enhanced but didn’t overpower that orange hat. The halter neckline drew the eye upward. The skirt swayed sexily with three tiers of handkerchief hemlines. It was simply gorgeous.
LISA: I liked both of the Michaels’ designs, so much that I would have been happy had either won. I was a little concerned that Michael Drummond’s beige top looked a bit like folded cardboard, but the skirt was a total wow. He twisted the fabric, then pressed those loose pleats into it while it was still twisted. I was surprised by how well the technique worked. And I liked the strong contrast in colors.
SUSAN: Again this week, I felt the wrong person went home. April Johnston deserved to go for those bootie shorts she paired with a vest. It was a pretty cheeky look. The judges were correct in their assessment that the white shorts resembled a diaper, but I thought the pink trim on them made it look like her panties were accidentally hanging out beneath the shorts. Totally unflattering from front or back.
LISA: I’ll bet Kristin Haskins Simms is still trying to figure out how she could be sent home for the black and fuchsia dress she made for her orchid-style hat and Johnston still be in the running. At least Gretchen Jones, who has deemed herself the front-runner, ran middle of the pack this week. I’m soooooo tired of her superiority complex.
Because we’ve mentioned it here before, I suppose the finale of HGTV’s “Design Star” Sunday night is worth noting. Emily Henderson won the competition and has an interesting premise for her show, designing a home space based on your wardrobe. Her navy pinstriped wall Sunday night was impressive, but one takeaway idea can’t make up for a generally uninteresting, uneven season.