Project Threeway .2

Challenge: So, now we've finished up the second episode of Project Runway. The designers had to submit Evening Gown designs to Miss USA for her competition at Miss Universe. She chose seven designs, and the selected designers paired up with other challengers in teams of two. This is a good challenge because it offers a unique reward to the winner: Miss USA in his/her design in every form of media across the globe. I hope the rest of the challenges offer rewards that the designers are willing to fight for, instead of settling for not going home every week. (I think this was a factor last season.)



Losers: Malan and Katherine

Let's take a look at our departing designer's work. Malan Breton, we hardly knew ye. Perhaps if you had sought inspiration in your previous work, you might have created something more befitting of Miss USA. As I look at this piece from your CineMalan line, I ask myself whether we saw the true Malan or not. Perhaps you and Laura could team up later on a project that will surely delight all fur lovers.


The judges deemed that the one who designed this vertical turd must be sent home forthwith.

Is this design worse than Vincent's? I'd have to say YES, it most certainly is. The color palette and texture are too heavy. They don't emphasis the body, they are the fashion equivalent of a Klingon cloaking device. We ultimately want to see Miss USA in a dress that accentuates all of her curves. This design camouflages the body and leaves the head floating on a pair of arms.

Katherine worked well as an assistant, and offered criticism that should have snapped some sense into Malan. At least he listened amicably to her instead of shutting her completely out like Vincent did. Ultimately, Malan did not have a good plan for the hem work and allowed substandard workmanship strut down the runway. He chose the colors, and he oversaw the development of the bust that was not flattering at all. I hoped to see Malan last a few more weeks, but I agree that he was the worst designer in this particular challenge.


Winners: Kayne and Robert

Kayne and Robert work together to execute Kayne's design perfectly. Kayne seemed to take a gamble with the color selection, and I respect how Robert handled the situation.

This gown works well for Miss America, and the team should be happy with each other's performance. They both have the potential to make it to the Final Three.




My Contenders
So, let's take a glance at my three contenders.

Uli & Bonnie

Uli continued to show us why she's a Contender. The judges all agreed this was the most modern of the designer's fashions. Maybe it was a little too modern for a beauty pageant. I think the belt should have been lower on the waist, and used to control the reveal of the layers as the dress went down the runway.

Uli and Bonnie worked a little too well together, and formed a ubiquitous giggly entity known as UliBon. It seems like Uli is a capable designer that can execute a project from concept to runway. I'm interested to see more of Uli's work, and I hope we see more of her personality that goes beyond the German caricature we've seen so far. I'm surprised she hasn't whipped up a batch of linzerschnitte yet...

And who is Bonnie? Let's hope we find out sometime soon before she's cut.


Laura & Michael

Laura submitted an interesting concept that intrigued Miss USA. She took a slight gamble picking a complete stranger for a partner. Fortunately, Michael was the perfect foil for her ideas and they produced something interesting. The dress allows the model's body to speak clearly. The sparkling appliques provide the visual hook for this dress. They transform the column into a silver movement that demands your eye. Unfortunately, they didn't have enough time to complete the job and deliver the full concept Laura sold to Miss USA. It was close, and deserves praise for a job well done.

Laura and Michael appears to have worked well together. Kudos to both of them, Laura's still a Contender and maybe I'll have to make Michael an honorary Contender, too, if he continues to do so well.


Vincent & Angela

There's probably not much left to say about this Power(less) Couple. Vincent's design is either sci-fi retro chic (good) or mistakenly post-ironic (bad). The model doesn't look hip or chic, she looks like a sad young woman trapped in the early stage of some fashion yupster's nervous breakdown. (Catfish and I will probably blog about the quality of models this season sometime soon. They all look like Morose Communications students and they walk like they just finished a double shift at KFC. I'm not asking for all of them to look like Sasha Pivovarova, maybe just half of them.)

Fortunately for Vincent, Miss USA would look better in this dress than Malan's. That's why Vincent is IN and Malan is OUT.

Angela is still one of my contenders, even after all the crafty anti-maneuvering she displayed on this episode. She strategerized herself all the way to the Bottom Two, and then nearly wrote herself out of the script entirely. She's one of my Contenders, so I feel that I have to speak up for her. But there's not much I can say.

She had a right to speak up when she felt Vincent's design headed in a weird direction. He should have listened to her and worked harder to establish a dialogue. The color choice was inspired... by a linoleum countertop from 1942. He should have just put a hula hoop through the loops and complete the look. Can Vincent turn kitsch into high fashion? I doubt it. He'll be out soon. Is Angela still a Contender? Sure, absolutely. I just hope the judges will can see it.


Past Episode Commentary

Hot Tuna
Episode One
Episode Two

Catfish
Episode One