Project Runway: 9/17/08

Suede's little blue mohawk was flat in the morning at the apartment, and it was kind of sad. Kenley vows to stay true to her whiny self, judges be damned. Don't know if that's a winning strategy.

Instead of their slick little models, some frumpy looking older women walk onto the runway to join Heidi. They are relieved that they don't have to design for the frumpy older women, but instead for their recently graduated from college daughters. They are there for a post-graduation head to toe makeover.

Anna's mom looks like she should have been in the drag queen challenge (sorry, had to say it. That woman has a manly voice), and Anna will be paired with Kenley. She's kind of funky, so it might work. Korto will be working with Megan. Joe's got Laura, and Leanne will be with Hollie, leaving Suede with Avital and Jerrell with Caitlin.

They have 30 minutes with their clients (and their moms) to plan, and then $100 at Mood.

It is immediately more difficult for most of the designers to make designs that will make both the moms and the daughters happy. This ought to be interesting.

I dream of fabric shopping at Mood. *sigh* Joanne's Fabric has nothing on that place.

As each of the designers talks about their designs, they reveal their own first jobs. Poor Jerrell worked at McDonald's. After a while working, the clients came back in to have fittings. I feel sorry for Leanne, who's clients do not like her design at all. Suede is reluctant to make pants and plans on selling his dress to his photographer to be client. Joe is making a very conventional looking women's suit, so we'll see if he can turn something more exciting out from that.

The next morning, the clients come in for a second fitting. This time, it's just the girls, and that went much more smoothly for the designers. Making one person happy is a whole lot easier than two people. Leanne's changes were well received. Suede's dress is also well received and Suede doesn't have to make pants.

Enter Tim, along with Jeanie, the lead stylist for the Tresemme hair salon. It is announced that the winning look this week is going to be in Elle magazine! That's impressive. The hair and makeup makeovers begin.

Tim worries about Suede's pockets and sleeves not being on the same level on each side. Joe's design is worrisome as not relevant to the graphic design field, and he says he doesn't really care, and I am concerned for him. Tim thinks that Jerrell's look is stunning. Kenley refuses to listen to Tim and leaves tulle hanging out of the bottom of her dress on purpose because she "never changes anything for Tim." Hmmm. Let's see how this works out for her.

Back at the apartments, Kenley and the other girls think that Suede is going home this week. Kenley thinks he is unable to incorporate his aesthetic into the different designs, and that makes him a bad designer. Whereas Kenley just makes the dress she wants to make using her own aesthetic regardless of challenge.

Runway time!

Joining Michael and Heidi and Nina this week is Cynthia Rowley, designer.

Joe's Outfit: The pinstripes in the skirt did not look good with the shirt's wider stripes, in my opinion, and the shirt looked kind of ill fitting, or she just had a really bad bra. The jacket did not look modern in any way, and the pocket square was weird. Her hair looked great, though.

Leanne's Outfit: The dress is super cute, and the jacket is really neat, too. Her hair looked great. Some of the elements of the jacket I didn't quite get, but they were interesting.

Jerrell's Outfit: Amazing. His model's hair looked wonderful, and the dress was funky and beautiful while still being wearable, and i liked the cardigan, too. Nice job, Jerrell.

Korto's Outfit: I love love love the dress. The jacket, not so much. It looked kind of weird to me. I wasn't too keen on the cut they gave her model's hair, either. I didn't think it really suited her face shape. Still, I love the dress with every fiber of my being, so I can forgive the other things.

Suede's Outit: Interesting. Her hair was much darker and it looked good on her. The dress was quite cute, but I didn't love the jacket. The flouncy cuffs were a bit odd.

Kenley's Outfit: The dress was definitely Kenley and I think that her client liked it. I just think it's more of the same from Kenley, and I wish she had gotten someone else to work with that would have required her to stretch a little.

Heidi called Kenley on finding a mini-me and getting to dress someone just like herself. The judges can't criticize her. Joe's suit was criticized for being cliche, and Kenley couldn't keep in her juvenille giggles. Korto's client loves the outfit, and the judges like it a lot, including the jacket. The judges don't like Leanne's jacket, and are not sure if the dress is practical. Jerrell's outfit was absolutely lauded for everything. Because it is so perfect, I will not discuss the strange feathered thing that died on top of Jerrell's head. Suede's "gratuitous jacket" was questioned, and the judges had a lot of problems with his whole look.

Jerrell, Kenley, and Korto are in the top. The bottom three (Suede, Leanne, and Joe) were criticized for being dated and frumpy. I agree with that. Jerrell is utterly and deservedly the winner this week. I still forgive him that dead bird on his head. Leanne is safe from the bottom three and I am happy. It's between Joe and Suede to go, and I think it is the right bottom two. Joe is aufed this week, and though I wanted to love him, I just can't fault them for getting rid of him this week. It was a really awful look. Suede's was bad, but Joe's was worse.

The tragic thing about Jerrell's win is that his look is featured in Elle with Caitlyn, with that hideous dead bird on his head. I can no longer forgive it.

Next week, more Kenley putting down my man Tim, who in previews tells her to cut the sarcasm and facetiousness, and then she says "What does Tim know anyway?" I really hope she is next to go.