I was out of the country for a couple weeks and came home to a DVR chockful of television goodness. (This is why my TiVo is my best friend.) Over the past few days, I did a TV marathon to get all caught up for the new episodes this week. Yesterday’s uber-recap of Top Chef here. Video preview for tonight’s episode of Project Runway above.
We start off the “Sky’s the Limit”episode of Project Runway with only four guys left, so local designer Logan Neitzel moved into the other apartment with Epperson, Christopher, and Nicolas. The boys talk about showering and cuddling. You know, GUY STUFF.
This season of Project Runway continues to be Project Boreway with the Macy’s I.N.C. “design two outfits that are blue” challenge (yawwwwwwwnnnn). Logan was paired with Althea for the second time. She commented that it’s nice that he’s so chill and doesn’t have as big of a personality as a lot of the other contestants, while Gordana said that everyone–males and females alike–think that Logan’s hot. (True.)
Blue outfit-making is relatively drama-free for Logan and Alithea, but on the runway, the skirt on their suit rides up to near-hooha-displaying shortness. Their second outfit, however, a ruffled sleeveless top with high-waisted, wide-leg trouser jeans, is so chic that neither of them is in danger of going home. Judges Heidi Klum, Michael Kors (who has again deigned to show up), along with whatever intern Nina Garcia found at Marie Claire and a Macy’s Marketing EVP, don’t even comment on their outfits and just make them instantly safe. Irina wins for the second time, while Louise gets kicked off for her hot ruffled mess.
On the next episode, the designers face a wedding challenge, which Logan has been dreading. But it ends up being an anti-wedding challenge, as all of the women they’re designing for are recent divorcees, so the contestants have to take the old wedding gown and transform it into a fashionable new look. Logan picks Leah, whose dress has a ridiculously long train (the more material to work with, my dear). The designers only get a couple yards of additional fabric to work with, so Logan finds a nice wool to make pants out of. But when Tim Gunn sees what he’s been working on, he’s concerned, as very little of the outfit comes from the original dress. After hearing what Tim had to say, both Logan and Epperson are thinking about starting over entirely, though they both have it easy compared to poor Shirin, who had the smallest, plainest, polyester gown to work with, and a high-maintenance client who wanted a big Cher-inspired outfit with feathers and other assorted gawdy gobbledygook. Of course, everyone gets it done, though Logan’s vest and trousers are down to the wire. He feels like the final product is more the result of his client’s input than his vision as a designer, and when it comes down the runway, he says he wants to “put his head in a hole and hide.” At judges’ table, Heidi, Michael, Marie Claire intern, and the President of Jimmy Choo have nothing good to say about Logan’s outfit: it looks like Oktoberfest, it’s executed amateurishly, it’s unflattering, it’s matronly. Shirin’s turns out well (because she doesn’t listen to her client at all) and Epperson’s is also problematic. Gordana wins for her punk organza shift dress, and the bottom two end up being Logan and Epperson. But–phew!–Epperson is the one to go home, for first using too little of the wedding dress only to ultimately use too much.
This is the perfect time for the next episode’s challenge to be for the designers to make a ridiculously over-the-top Bob Mackie-inspired stage look for Christina Aguilera. Of course. It goes without saying that the gays are very excited.
The workroom is strewn with lace, sequins, and feathers galore. Logan doesn’t know much about Christina Aguilera, but he hopes she doesn’t mind zebra print or fur. Once again, Shirin is in crisis mode and scrapping her outfit entirely, after Tim tells her that her dress looks like student work. Carol Hannah and Logan are flirting, and Carol Hannah is completing distracted by Logan’s hotness. (Sigh.) Cocky from her two wins, Irina is acting bitchy and has started shit-talking people, saying that Shirin isn’t even a designer and Carol Hannah is both annoying and mediocre. We haven’t gotten to see much of Logan’s outfit the whole episode, but on the runway, it turns out to be a short sequined leopard print mini-dress with a fur capelet. Gordana’s dress is a disaster, so she’s lucky she has immunity. The judges (Heidi, Bob Mackie, Nina Garcia, who has decided to show up for once, and Christina Aguilera) don’t think that Logan took his punk look far enough, but he ends up being safe. Carol Hannah wins for her glam stunner of a black strapless sequined and feathered gown. Shirin’s out for her thrown-together witch’s costume.
At the beginning of the next episode, everyone’s excited to have made it to the final seven, and they’re already starting to think about Bryant Park. The contestants are told that they’re going to meet a top designer known all over the world, but it only turns out to be boring old Michael Kors. This week’s challenge is all about being inspired by the places that have inspired Michael Kors. YAWN. Logan gets last choice and ends up with Hollywood, so he’s thinking something boho-leaning with skinny jeans. Tim Gunn comes to the workroom and seems non-commital about Logan’s outfit, and when his model comes in for a fitting, the jeans he’s made are a little too skinny, even for a non-menstruating model. Irina continues to take shape as this season’s villain, talking about how everyone else is just getting by, while she is only getting better. Because nothing says onward and upward like a huge cowl-necked sweater. On the day of the runway, everyone is rushing to get done. Somehow, Logan’s model now fits in the jeans, so her strict cocaine diet must be working. Logan’s outfit walks the runway first, and the only thing he’s concerned about is whether or not it’s “Hollywood” enough. The judges this time around were Heidi, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia (those three have only been at the judges table together this season, what, twice?), and a completely random Milla Jovovich. Nina thought Logan’s outfit wasn’t styled enough, but Heidi liked the edge. Michael Kors had the most damning statement: “They’re clothes, they’re not fashion.” Ultimately all the judges thought that his outfit was just boring. But Nicolas and Christopher’s outfits were way worse than that. Somehow, Christopher makes it out of the bottom two yet again, so Nicolas goes home for his grey menswear pants that were not at all Greek. And ugh, Irina wins for the third time. I look forward to when she crashes and burns sometime soon.
Tonight: Althea hates Logan for copying a collar she did a couple weeks ago. DRAMA.