The final four designers were sent home for two months of creative design work with a $10,000 budget, and a requirement to make ten outfits within that two-month time frame to present to the judges on the runway. As a reminder, the final four are Bishme Cromartie (Baltimore, MD), Sebastian Grey (Ft Lauderdale, FL), Hester Sunshine (Santa Fe, NM), and Garo Sparo (Phoenecia, NY). When Christian did a home visit to each designer, Bishme only had two outfits completed, Garo was making a lot of seeming costumes but not fashion, Hester was going overboard with patterned fabrics and Sebastian was working in a lot of muted shades of color.
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| Bishme Cromartie's style was edgy and very youthful. I really enjoyed what I was seeing in his designed pieces. |
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| This little two-piece design was wonderful. That mix of the leather and the flowing fabric really worked well. |
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| Bishme seemed to have some serious problems getting the final assigned style nailed. It was a total mish-mash of fabric and style and just didn't work either on the model or within the collection. |
After arriving in New York, Nina Garcia reviewed their collections via video in advance and assigned an eleventh outfit for each of them to design. Three of the four designers did finish ten outfits, but Bishme only had eight completed and he had been hoping to have extra time in the workshop to pull his final two outfits together. That didn't happen. Instead he had to spend that time creating a new outfit assigned by Nina.
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| Garo Sparo seemed to focus on a lot of shimmery fabrics and loose designs in his collection. I liked this gown, and the top sheer layer was easily removed to reveal the plunge-neckline more fitted design below. |
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| More shimmer from Garo. Although I didn't get a look at his full collection on the garment rack, if they were all metallic and sparkly, it's no wonder that Nina wanted to see a tailored suit. |
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| Unfortunately, the suit Garo made (in record time, I must remind you), just didn't fit well or flatter his model. He said the measurements for the top were off, but I don't think it was well made at all. |
Nina's challenge outfits were as follows: Sebastian was to design a "soft evening look" to offset the severity of his designs. Garo was challenged to design a tailored suit, bringing down the more costume looks and pulling away from his shiny fabrics. Hester's fabric preference is pattern, pattern and pattern, so Nina challenged her to design a one-colored outfit. Bishme was challenged to design a streetwear outfit based on the streetwear jacket he had designed earlier in the season.
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| Hester loves her plaids, and pulled together neutrals and brilliant red for a very upbeat collection. I really liked her look in this one - it was cohesive and unique. |
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| I wasn't as fond of this look of Hester's, but it still was uniquely her style and had a vibrancy to it that she's brought to the Runway time and time again. |
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| Hester in a single color? That was the assignment, and she almost managed it. The addition of the plaid hatbox actually worked well, and the outfit was cute, if rushed. |
Although everyone was stressed, Bishme seemed only one step away from a breakdown. Backstory was added to help the audience understand his emotional stress. Apparently his sister, his biggest supporter, had been diagnosed with colon cancer and had just started treatment. He was hanging on by a thread, wanting to be by her side, not at the workshop.
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| Sebastian chose an autumn palette and I really loved this crazy peek-a-boo outfit with the mesh skirting. Of course, I love the color, so that might have pushed me to cheer him on. |
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| This semi-sheer dress with that structured bow on the orange belting just sailed down the Runway. I loved the dress with the semi-sheet striped yoke at the top and the tiny cap sleeve treatment. |
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| Although his challenge dress wasn't quite as polished as the other looks he had been working on, it still easily fit within the collection and used his styled belt as well as the semi-sheet striping and that wonderful orange clutch. |
Hester growled after Nina's assignment, stating that her design aesthetics were being destroyed. She settled down to make an all white outfit, but after she sewed through her fingernail, bleeding all over her white fabric, she switched her fabric choice from white to blood red - a brilliant decision. (I had a sewing machine needle push through my finger a few years ago. It was seriously unpleasant, but it actually healed pretty quickly and cleanly.) The judges are joined by Steven Kolb, President and CEO of the Council of Fashion Designers of America and the Runway show began.
SPOILER BELOW - YOU'VE BEEN WARNED
So who went home? You've looked at the capsule show above, three outfits from each designer. What do you think? Who should move on to the finals? The absolute shoe-ins were Sebastian and Hester. Their work was excellent and cohesive. It came to Bishme and Garo - Garo's work bordering on costume and Bishme's not having a full collection of ten finished outfits. Garo got the nod and Bishme was sent home, but I have a feeling that if Bishme had completed all ten outfits, it might have gone the other way.
The stage is set for the final show of this season. Tomorrow night is the final runway for this new, revanped version of Project Runway. I've really enjoyed the new faces and the old. I plan to post the Runway show on Friday's post but it might take two posts.
So, be fashion forward and brave in your own creative world. Have a wonderful Wednesday and I'll be back tomorrow.
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