On last night’s episode of Project Runway the designers made men’s wear for up and coming rock group, The Sheepdogs. Unfortunately ¾ of the designers had never sewn or cut a pattern before, let alone made men’s wear, and the other ¼ had only one concept of rock ‘n roll and that era ended before most of them were born!
Heidi Klum meets the designers on the runway and announces: “Image is everything!” before sending them on their way to meet Tim Gunn. When they arrive, Peter Butler, consulting stylist of Garnier is there with Tim. Apparently Garnier held a contest with Rolling Stone Magazine to find the next great, unsigned band. The winning band, The Sheepdogs, will be the models for this challenge and the designers have to help this band create a new image while also keeping it true to the musicians’ style. Did I mention they are ALL men?!
CLICK THE CONTINUE READING BUTTON TO READ THE REST!
The designers are randomly divided into two teams of four and each team must put together a look for the whole band, however each designer will be responsible for the head-to-toe look of one band member. Cohesion as a collection is not necessarily important, but Tim directs that the band members do need to look like they come from “the same planet.”
The winning look will be featured in a Marie Claire advertorial and worn in Rolling Stone. It will also be worn at a live Rolling Stone Magazine event.
Team Harmony: Anya, Laura, Anthony Ryan, and Bert. Laura is just so annoyed she is forced to work with Bert again and she lets us know this many times. Really, just get an “I Hate Bert Keeter!” button to wear around the workroom. Do you think the producers are telling her to strike up some anti-Bert vendetta for drama purposes? Anthony Ryan tries to see the positive in being saddled with Bert – he experienced the 70’s firsthand, but sadly his memory from that decade is a little foggy. A little too much Studio 54, Bert? The pairings are as followed: Anya and Sam, Laura and Leot, Bert and Ewan, and Anthony Ryan and Ryan
Team Untitled: Kimberly, Viktor, Eyebrows McSequins Joshua, and Moody Moments Olivier. This team doesn’t have any issues as a group. I give the credit to Kimberly, who pretty much refuses to start drama with anyone – even Joshua. The pairings are as followed: Kimberly and Sam, Viktor and Leot, Olivier and Ewan, and Joshua and Ryan.
The designers are given 30 minutes to sketch and choose their rocker and then they are off to Mood! At Mood Olivier starts things off wrong right by choosing his normal collection of slurry beiges – it must be very easy for him to shop there as he purchases the SAME materials every. single. time. Nothing says rock ‘n’ roll like chino!
Tim reveals that the individuals on each team who share a band member will meet together with Peter Butler to consult on the hairstyle. Those poor band members looked so appalled and confused during the styling product consultation!
Bert is in trouble and he reveals he only got 1.5 yards of fabric (why?!) and he isn’t even sure if he has enough to complete his garment. Bert decides to dye his fabric and is hoping for navy, but gets purplish and then mixes it with a purple liberty print floral shirt which Tim and poor Ewan deem “too feminine.”
Olivier has no interest in designing for his client at all, neither his size nor his fashion ideology. He chose wallpaper to construct the top (it had swans on it!!!). It was more figure skater than rockstar. Olivier, who is a MEN’S WEAR DESIGNER, complains about having to dress a “plus-sized” Ewan. Tim ends up assisting Olivier in the fitting of his pants after having a coronary at the sight of the crotchal/waistband region. Then Olivier leaves Ewan sitting on a stool in the workroom -in his underwear – for an hour while he sews something.
Tim announces there will be a Rock Concert fashion show! The Sheepdogs will play two songs, changing outfits in between songs.
The guest judge is Adam Lambert! He’s a good judge when Michael Kors stops trying to impress him with his zingy one-liners and let him get a word in edgewise.
Ok, let’s trash discuss some very dated, uninspired, cheesy costume looks!
Anthony Ryan – Well, it’s certainly 70’s! I liked the sheen on the pants, but I wish they were a little tighter. I think the print on the shirt was interesting, but the fringe vest was so Kenny Loggins. Truthfully it wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good – it was pretty predictable, but well constructed. The print on the shirt was the only thing providing interest to the look. Heidi dubbed the look “ok,” but Michael described the pants as so polished it was a “Golden Girl goes rock ‘n roll moment.” Nina described the shirt as looking like “a woman’s blouse” and Adam liked the print of the shirt, but didn’t think it necessarily went with the pants.
Laura –I liked Laura’s t-shirt, but I’m not really sure about the color of the pants. Heidi and Adam loved this look. Heidi thought the fit of the pants was great and the fringe kind of worked. Adam thought it was 70’s but also contemporary. Michael and Nina did not like it. Michael wasn’t a fan of the tie-dye and thought Laura could have done more to push the look. Nina, well she hated it all. She actually said the jacket looked like a women’s blazer with a scarf purchased at the mall. The look on her face was PRICELESS when she was emphatically stating that she basically hated this whole look.
Top Three:
Congratulations Viktor! My first impression was ‘nice 80’s Chuck Norris Bomber Jacket’! Pleather is so cheap and terrible, even from afar. I was not loving the shirt, especially tucked into the pants – it was like business on the bottom and rocker hippie on top with the fringe jacket and the headband. Strangely the judges LOVED the jacket and praised it as expensive-looking. Adam, the only judge with musical experience (other than being married to Mr. Kiss From A Rose), praised that Viktor’s look had movement. Good point, Adam. Michael was excited that Viktor made “real jeans” and thought they were “sexy.” We have different opinions of ‘sexy’.
Josh: Once again, way too literal a 70’s reference, but I liked the pants (minus the back pockets). I loved the print of the tank, but then he covered it up in all that god-awful sloppy looking fringe. The vest could have been really great if he removed the fringe! Heidi loved almost all of it but the fringe. She also stated there was too much going on. Adam really liked the pants, and both Heidi and Adam loved the sex on a stick zipper. Truthfully I did too. It is very rock and roll and it is very hot in a Led Zeppelin sorta way. Nina, again, commented about Joshua’s proclivity to go overboard with “tricky” details and thought the outfit looked “unnatural.” Everyone really liked the tanktop.
Bert: All said and done, I kind of liked it. Bert was the only designer who did not totally copy 70’s fashions, but instead reinterpreted the style in a more modern way. I’m 100% positive it did not suit his client’s style, but the look itself was interesting. I agree with Heidi – I hated the braids! I also don’t think the shape of the pants suited Ewan’s body necessarily, but otherwise good showing Bertram! Bert said he wanted to stay away from bell-bottoms since he wore them originally, so he did a straight-legged, striped jean. Adam really liked the layering of the tops and Michael was shocked that Bert has a “rocker vibe.” He also commented that Bert gave Ewan something that was not a costume. While Heidi did not like the pigtails, Nina and Adam adored them and Heidi felt Bert gave Ewan an identity. I’m really shocked Nina was so into the braids….
Bottom Three:
Auf Wiedersehen Olivier: OLIVIER IS A MEN’S WEAR DESIGNER! I just had to repeat that again since this look was so terrible!
Poor Ewan. Oh that shirt! Olivier interpreted the challenge as wear men’s wear HE would want to wear. And sadly what he wears is not suitable for 70’s influenced rockstars – or anyone, really. The pants could have been OK with better fit, construction, and color. The color was shamefully awful and dull. Ewan was very tactful about offering feedback to the judges, but did admit he would have preferred a darker colored pant. Also, that shirt did not fit. The judges ripped Olivier a new one and were thoroughly unimpressed with this entire look. Heidi found it “really boring,” she also commented that the pants looked like “dad jeans.” And yes! I agree! Adam didn’t think anything fit and Nina described it as “too feminine.” Heidi made Olivier roll down the sleeves of his shirt only to discover it wasn’t finished and there were actually no cuffs! Olivier tried to blame the size discrepancies between Ewan and the mannequin, but Heidi quickly pointed out it was a time management issue instead! Busted!
Kimberly: I really did like the print on the fabric, but she busied it all up with the details. The trim on the neckline was unnecessary, the buttons were ridiculous, and I think she should have done something different entirely. The pants seemed to fit really well. Kimberly admitted to getting lost in the construction of the shirt and Sam agreed. The judges, who have vacillated on whether or not they like orange and brown, (sending Fallene home for the color combo and then rewarding Joshua with a win in the avant garde challenge for the same color pallete) decided in this challenge it was drab. All the judges had different ridiculous ways to describe Kimberly’s first foray into men’s wear; Michael dubbed it: “Peter Brady at the autumn harvest,” Nina: “old man’s pajamas laying around the house, dirty,” Adam: “Scooby-Doo, Where Are You?” and Heidi: “Forest Elf – Tinkerbell’s Boyfriend.” Kimberly remarked that Sam was lucky he was in a shirt and a pair of pants!
Anya: Ugh – bad Native American Halloween costume. She was right to call it sloppy – it was a complete sloppy mess! Nina and Heidi called it Pocahontas and way-too literal. After looking at the pants (which were splitting in the back), Michael pointed out that they finally got to see that Anya had only been sewing for four-months. Really it’s been obvious all along, except in a challenge when she couldn’t rely on floaty garments and prints it became abundantly obvious. Michael called this “reggae Jesus.” Adam referred to the tunic as looking like it came from an “8th grade production of Hair” and explained that it didn’t look like fashion.
The judges ultimately decided that Viktor beat out Eyebrows McSequins and Bertram to take the win. Finally, after being the Susan Lucci of this season! After deliberating over who was the absolute worst designer on the runway, Kimberly was spared and Olivier was sent home.
Viktor is shown shooting his advertorial or whatever and after seeing that outfit again, I am more convinced than ever that it was just so suburban dad trying to look hip. It did not suit his rocker’s style at all; it was boring and middle-aged looking. I mean the jeans weren’t distressed – they were brand new with holes ripped in them! The jacket was super 80’s in a bad way (I actually just saw a lady on What Not To Wear getting that same jacket thrown away!). Of all the great designs Viktor has put out, I feel the judges rewarded him for his worst showing so far!
The real problem with this challenge was that NONE of the designers used any ingenuity or forward thinking, but instead went for refried, reheated, already done a zillion times stereotypical ideas of how a “rock star” should look (i.e. dull and cliché). This was teenaged boys start a rock band and try to dress the part before they can play the instruments. The band looked way hotter and way more rock star when they were wearing their OWN clothes than after they got their new image from the super-awesome Project Runway designers. These designers didn’t make clothes for rockstars, they made rockstar costumes and it was terrible.
The other thing is, none of these looks had any stage or sex appeal. Michael Kors kept referencing The Brady Bunch to describe the clothes on the runway – and precisely! They all looked like 70’s teen idols! Also, not modern, not hot, not interesting! They didn’t give these musicians a new image, they dressed them up like The Partridge Family.
Next week: The designers go back in time. Anya loses her money at Mood. And Laura spends more time critiquing Bert than she does working until Tim sets her straight!
Thoughts on the episode? Was Olivier and his sizism the right choice to be auf’d? Out of the three top looks, which one did you think deserved the win?
