Avant-Garde - The Winners and Losers on Project Runway

So, with the DRAMAH, and the superfans of Shopkins expressing their desires behind them, the designers were well on their way in their avant-garde challenge. There were some pretty amazing designs made this week, both good and bad. Here's the rundown on the positive and negative looks that walked down the Runway.

First, Kentaro and Kenya were each declared "safe" and left the Runway. That left six designers. Here are their outfits:

Amy specializes in sleek designs. She was influenced
by the snap-on, snap-off aspects of some Shopkins
accessories. Her goal was to emulate that on/off look
through fabric. 

The comments from the judges centered around the fact that they considered Amy's design to be too safe - not quite avant-garde enough. I'm not exactly sure how something that can't be measured can fall short, but I do admit that the sweeping collar hinted at more than the resulting coat-dress design that walked down the runway.

Ayana made this totally fabulous hoop dress full of frills
and bows for Liris. Her styling with the bow being carried
through into Liris' hairstyle was inspired. It was a
totally wining look, and one of my favorites. 

Her superfan's request for ruffles and bows was interpreted by Ayana in this marvelous dress. Using a framework of chicken wire, she attached ruffles, straps, and a giant, over-sized, stuffed satin bow. This was a great concept and Liris carried it down the Runway with pride and a sense of whimsy. Anaya wanted to be noticed, and she succeeded in pushing herself out of the "safe zone" with this wonderful design.

Batani had her problems this week, not least of which
was the fact that her skirt refused to stay down while
her model walked the Runway. That was coupled with
a poorly designed cut-out in the back and a blue hoodie
that was unnecessary.

Batani seemed lost this week. I'm not sure if it was because she had been "sent home", then told to stay when Claire was dismissed in disgrace, and now was designing something entirely off the cuff. That could mess with anyone's head, and I suspect it played a role in her inability to really pull together an outfit for her model.

Brandon had been against the wall, unable to
design something that he really liked for his model
His superfan had requested "chocolate, more
chocolate and even more chocolate", but he didn't
want to design a brown dress, feeling that much
chocolate would just look like a pile of poo on the runway. 

After several hours of workshop time, poor Brandon was looking at an underdress of the green with white piping on the front edge. He fussed and grumbled and was generally unhappy. His "bro", Kentaro, came to his rescue by suggesting an apron-styled dress. Brandon got a lot of positives for remaining true to his personal aesthetic in this design, and the cuffs at the sides of the gown, were a big hit with the judges. I have to admit that I really like Brandon as a designer. My secret hope (not so secret now, of course) is for Kentaro and Brandon to set up shop together. They work really well together, inspiring each other to new plateaus of design.

Margarita's superfan wanted Oscar-driven fashion
with sparkles. She used stuffing to create clouds of
folded and pleated fabrics and areas of sparkles. Heidi
loved the look, calling it "beyond stunning". 

Margarita decided she wanted volume and structure in her dress, accentuated by varying fabric tones and textures, pleating and gathers, and specific locations for some sparkling glittering glam. All of the judges loved the look and gave it positive reviews. Heidi liked it so much she likened the dress to a "...cloud that came down the runway".

Michael's superfan wanted disco - she even wrote an
illustrated note for her designer, showing a hanging disco
ball melting to cover the shape of a
smiling girl. Very cute. 

Tim expressed a serious concern in his critique. If Michael didn't sew his sparkling sequin fabric precisely, every error would be clearly evident to the judges. Michael first made a translucent fitted jumpsuit for his model, fitting it exactly to her before beginning work on the sparkles and spangles. Building in specific shaping to indicate a melting disco ball dripping the sparkling mirrors over his model, he sewed carefully, fitted perfectly, and made a fabulous garment.

So, there you have it - four winners and two losers. Can you guess who won and lost?

The winner - Michael was the winner with his incredible disco jumpsuit, My suspicion is that Ayana's multi-level bow and ruffles hoop skirt was a close second, followed by Margarita.

The loser - the first loser was Batani. Originally sent home in last week's episode, she was just in a bit of holding pattern before packing up and leaving again. In a surprise twist, the judges also eliminated a second designer, saying good-bye to Amy. Their critique was that her design was just too safe, that she hadn't really pushed herself as a designer.

Next week we're having a second unconventional materials challenge and we're down to seven designers. It's getting serious. There is no more immunity, the undercurrent of stress caused by the Terrible Twins is gone, and the designers remaining are serious contenders for a spot in the Project Runway Fashion Show for New York Fashion week. I know who I want in the finals. Do you?

Have a wonderful weekend. I'm looking forward to a Sunday of football with my hubby. Now I'm off to the pool and then to work. Enjoy your day and remember to "Make it work!"