Project Runway - A Revamp of the Tuxedo

It's Project Runway night and I'm settled in front of my TV, ready to take notes as I watch the episode. As a reminder of last week's sheer fabric challenge, Sergio was the winner with Nancy as a close runner-up, and Chelsey was sent home, with Victoria clinging on by her fingernails. So, who will be sent home this week and what's the challenge? 

Brittany Allen switched up her design after returning
from Mood. She wasn't happy with the colors she had
chosen and tossed most of her fabric. That resulted in
a scant amount of fabric for the pants portion. She used
satin for shorts, and it puckered, as satin often will.
Guest judge Thom Browne suggested she would have
been better off with shorter shorts to make an impact,
and wider lapels were also recommended. 

This week's challenge is to re-invent the tuxedo. I'm going to be very interested in seeing how the desigers step up on this one - tuxedos are basic clothing, but there are so many directions for the designers to go in something that classic. The defining aspect about a tuxedo vs a suit is the use of satin. Eight eliminated designers are back and the eliminated designers, as chosen from the button box, get to choose the designer they want to work with. The models are also a grouping of male, female and other sexual identity people, not just the non-eliminated models from earlier episodes.  

Delvin McCray chose this deep forest green fabric and
accented with cranberry. I was not a fan I didn't have
problems with the long/short look, but I don't
consider it "edgy" either. It's a bit mundane. 

The group hits Mood with a budget of $600 for their two-day tailored challenge. Victoria was the final designer to be chosen and Alan Gonzalez ended up with her. Even in the early design session, Victoria is refusing to work with a partner. This will be a problem partnership. 

Geoffrey Mac decided to stay with his strengths and
designed a jumpsuit tuxedo with satin banding. The
bow tie at the top should have been more of a
string tie, but the outfit worked pretty well. 

Marquise Foster did overlapping quilting
for the entire jacket portion of his tux. He
then paired it with impeccable pants and a
half-skirt. Thom Browne suggested that the
skirt would have benefited from also being
pleated, but it was a strong design (and his
model was pretty awesome - six pack abs -
yummy!). 

Sergio is deciding to switch the tuxedo backwards, which might be quire interesting. Alan is practically chased out of the workroom onto the patio, and Brittany is questioning her rather neutral color choices, but it is what is it. The choices have been made and the designers are working on their paper drafts. The tuxedos have to be precisely tailored, the reason behind their getting help from eliminated contestants. I'm very curious about how the teams will work and how the designs will look on the Runway. Immunity is done, so the winner just gets a pat on the back before everyone is thrown into the pond once again. 

Nancy Volpe-Beringer chose a print for her tuxedo.
The lapels were all wrong for it, though, and they
were quite dated. Additionally, she's done this
pant design in the past. She needs to change up her
designs more, and she needs to work with a
different model than DD. They team well, but
she needs to show more diversity in sizes. 

Sergio Guadarrama wanted to turn the tuxedo
backwards, and even though it was beautifully
sewn and styled, apparently he's never seen
the very well-known Celene Dionne backwards
tux look from John Galliano at the Oscars
of 1999. (Check it out here.) Sergio's look
was nice, but certainly not innovative and he
has GOT to stop with the social commentary. 

After twelve hours and a model fitting, time is called. Tomorrow will be the final fitting and the Runway show. Ooof! A lot of work is going into these designs, and the result will be trimming the field from seven to six. The claws are out - designers are dissing designers. Not to their faces - I don't think they're brave enough to do direct confrontation. But the tongues are wagging and people are talking behind backs - very childish and extremely rude. 

Victoria Cocieru is a bear to work with - everything must
be done by her. Having any assistance is a waste on her.
I liked her tuxedo dress, but it seemed like a bit of
a re-do also, and I'm really NOT liking her personality
and how she treats other people. 

There were some real stand-outs on the Runway, a copy cat, and at least one total disaster. The judges want to talk with each of the designers, and that includes guest judge, Designer, Thom Browne. It's going to be a tight interview and a serious culling of the ranks of contestants. My choices, on the top I'm looking at Marquisse for the win, and I'm putting Brittany on the bottom with a good concept and extremely poor execution and appreciation for her model. Her model looked terrible in her tux and the models need to be celebrated, not torn down, by the clothing. 





SPOILER BELOW.  DON'T READ IF YOU DON'T WANT TO KNOW THE FINAL RESULTS! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED ... 





So, I've had several weeks of nailing the winners and losers, let's see if I manage to nail it once again. I just loved the pleating of Marquise's jacket, and I loved the flow of the half-skirt. I felt that was enough to pull him above the other contenders. For the win, Marquisse pulled it out. I'm quite pleased. On the other side, Brittany is being sent home, with Nancy quite close. 

BUT - there's still a Seriano Save out there, and Christian decided to use it. Brittany is safe for another round in the competition and we still have seven designers for next week's episode. I actually approve of this move. Brittany is talented and I want to see more of her designs. 

So there you have it - even on time today. Have a great Friday. I'm going to try swimming for the first time in almost a year today, so we'll see how that goes.