Sweet P eliminated on Project Runway
I was expecting one more week of regular challenges before the designers went to Fashion Week, but we find out at the beginning of the show that this would be the last challenge before the finalists showed in Bryant Park. Heidi also begins the show telling the remaining five designers that it would be a double elimination – only three would be showing at Bryant Park.
Heidi sends them on a field trip to meet up with Tim Gunn, who is in front of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Tim takes them inside to give them the challenge – to choose a piece of art from the vast collection to serve as inspiration for the design of their choice. Since there are so many thousands of pieces of art work in the Met, the designers have three galleries from which to choose their inspiration: The Greek and Roman Sculpture Courtyard (I’ve been there and it is amazing); the European Painting Wing (ditto) and the Temple of Dendour. The designers were given digital cameras and 15 minutes in each gallery to take pictures of the artwork.
Here’s what each designer used as their inspiration:
Christian – A Spanish military painting – Don Andrew De Andrade Y La Cal by Bartolome Esteban Murillo.
Sweet P – A picture by Melchior D’Hondecoeter called Peacocks.
Rami – The Marble Statute of Aphrodite by Kallimachos
Jillian – the picture Scenes from the Story of the Argonauts by Unknown Master of the Argonauts.
Chris – a portrait of a noblewoman – Marie Francoise De La Cropte De St. Abre, Marquise D’Argence by Jean Marc Nattier.
Surprise, surprise Rami picks a piece from the Greek and Roman courtyard where all the statues are draped. Draping is going to be the death of him – even though he does it beautifully and his dresses are really nice. Rami even admits that he knows he will be taken to task by the judges but wants to go ahead and do it anyway to stay true to himself as a designer.
The guest judge for the runway show was designer Roberto Carvalli. The judges liked the designs of Christian and Jillian. I did not like Christian’s work at all – I agreed with Jillian who said it looked like puffy marshmallows. I liked Jillian’s but she did a jacket again and I think she has a jacket fetish. I personally liked Sweet P’s dress but the judges took her to task, saying it was a nice wearable dress, commercial, but not showy enough for the runway. Michael Kors said this was the dress you sold in the showroom, not the one you show in your runway show. Roberto Carvalli loved Chris’ design – he called it couture and the most artistic of all the designs. However, the regular judges thought it was too reminiscent of the dress he created in the avant-garde challenge. Rami’s dress was described as too normal. Kors said he expected more from him and it was too predictable for him to do a draped garment. It was not a risk.
The judges named Christian the winner, commenting on his strong point of view. They also put Jillian through to Fashion Week. Sweet P was eliminated, leaving Rami and Chris on the runway. The judges decided to let each of them do a collection for Bryant Park, but they would have to compete to be able to show there. They would show their three strongest looks for the judges and then one of them would be sent home and one would be able to show at fashion week.
Next week is the reunion show. Hmmm….15 catty designers in one room. This should make for good television.
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February 17th, 2008 at 10:07 pm
I really hope Chris pulls this one out. I don’t think he has a chance at winning (I think that will be Christian), but I like Chris – he’s my favorite. And Rami – God bless him, sometimes I want to strangle him with a draped dress. Enough already! His designs are so clean and immaculate, but honestly, they are just boring me now. I liked Sweet Pea, but I felt about her as I did Ricky – she had barely been holding on for a while now. Her dresses are cute, but I think she is just out of her league when compared to the others.