Project Runway: 10/8/08

The designers had lots of time (2 months) and tons of money ($10,000) to create 10 looks, including a wedding dress which is their final challenge. The wedding dress has to represent them as designers and represent their line.

Before heading off, Tim and Heidi told the designers that they want to be amazed. Kenley got in some more snotty attitude before heading home, claiming that the other designers completely sabotaged her at the botanical challenge. Surrrre.

A month later, Tim visited Korto first. Her designs include her own bead work, with some ethnic colors, but not too insane. Tim worried about the possible sexual imagery of a dress that had a big ... um .... slit down the front. Her wedding dress is gold, and not traditional at all. Tim urged her to do something to make it more obvious wedding instead of red carpet. Korto's family seems super sweet (her daughter is absolutely adorable), and Korto did a drumming performance for Tim. It was wonderful. I like her a lot, as a designer and as a person.

Next stop for Tim is Leanne's, in Portland. Leanne's boyfriend seems suitably sweet for her. Leanne's collection is based on wave patterns, and it is intersting. Tim worried about some of her whites being too white. Her wedding dress is pretty neat, but Tim worried it didn't have the "ease and flow" of the rest of her collection. I understand that. She then brought Tim out on a Tandem Bike ride to a beautiful outdoor area that was very peaceful.

Off to LA, where Jerell was waiting. Jerell's grown himself a goatee, and it's a little weird. Jerell is working with a lot of different textures. Some of it looks like a little too much. One of his dresses looks like it's made of chain mail. Tim urged him to edit edit edit. Apparently when he was a child, he made a dress with a train out of a tube sock. That's cute. His mom said she was always sure that he would be doing something creative.

Over in Brooklyn, Tim meets up with Kenley. Turns out Kenley's inspiration was her grandmother, who was a calendar girl in the 40's. Sadly, she passed away a couple of months ago. Kenley did some garish-looking (though well done, I suppose) painted flowers onto fabric, and another dress has a strange rope collar, which Tim thought was reminiscent of people hanging themselves. This idea had never crossed Kenley's little mind, and she is insistant that she is just into ropes. Apparently it's because her dad was a tugboat captain. There is one really beautiful feathered dress, which Tim really loves, and so do I. If that is her wedding dress (and I think it is), the bitch might just make it into the finals. Damn.

Back in NYC, Leanne and Korto arrive first and get to room together, sticking Jerell with Kenley. Poor boy. Kenley arrived and claimed that she wanted bygones to be bygones. I just cannot stand her voice. At all. Tim sent them some champagne, and everyone drank toasts.

The next day, they all got to unpack their work in the workroom. Tim showed off to announce that they have one more challenge. They have to design a bridesmaid dress to accompany their wedding dress. Groans all around. They have only until the next day to finish their dress, and $150. Product placement for Brother Sewing Machines. There's a groan from me.

Kenley got bitchy at Korto (but while laughing, does that make it better? Not in my book), and Jerell said he didn't need to make his dress pretty, because bridesmaid dresses are supposed to be ugly. Enter Tim. Kenley is doing a bubble skirt dress, which I hate. She seems ambivalent, and Tim is worried. Jerell's dress looks homemade and messy. It could be pretty, but the fabric is weird. Leanne's new wedding dress (which is entirely redone) is really gorgeous. and the bridesmaid dress is really pretty. Tim urges her to go shorter rather than longer. Korto's bridesmaid dress is so close in color to her wedding dress that Tim worries they will compete with one another. Tim broke down a little before leaving them to finish their work for the night.

There was less "Make it Work" from Tim this season, and I am saddened by that.

Kenley is pissy when Leanne and Korto also have short bridesmaid dresses, because apparently she had the monopoly on short dresses. Um... no.

Runway time!

Heidi, Nina and Micheal are the sole judges this week.

Jerell's Wedding Dress: Yipes, there's a lot going on. The thing looks wrinkled and crumpled and it didn't help that he stuck a bouquet on top of her head, the poor thing. The tulle is half exposed on the bottom and it looked like perhaps half of the skirt ripped off. Not good.

Jerell's Bridesmaid Dress: The color is nice, the shape could be nice, but the top looks ill-fitted and the whole thing looks crumpled. Tafetta? hmm

Kenley's Wedding Dress: I actuall love this dress. The feathers are fun and well done, and the tulle looks like it's supposed to be exposed, not like the model got snagged on something on the way onto the runway and decided to go with it. The color is nice and cheery, a pale yellow, without being canary. Somehow, even with all the feathers, her model does not look like a demented bird, but a lovely bride.

Kenley's Bridesmaid Dress: Damn it, this is nice, too. It's a lovely blue color, and though it isn't anything new or exciting, it is well done and actually compliments the wedding dress nicely. I still hate the bubble skirt.

Korto's Wedding Dress: I was not fond of the top, because it looked like coffee filters stuck to her arms, and the fit was weird and not flattering, with a bubble look from waist to mid-thigh. Since when did that look good on anyone? Not sure about this one.

Korto's Bridesmaid Dress: Quite nice, actually. I'm a little in love with the belt, and the silhouette was quite flattering.

Leanne's Wedding Dress: Stunning. Does that dress have pockets? Nice. I could have used The bubble on this one is from waist to mid thigh, but in a more flattering way that Korto's - perhaps because the waist is more fitted and there is more flare. It is interesting and definitely something I can see actually being in a wedding.

Leanne's Bridesmaid dress: I love the color, and the details go very well. Again, I am not fond of the bubble skirt, but it's not as in your face as Kenley's bubble, so it is nice.

Michael loves Leanne's wedding dress, and Nina thought it was modern and dreamy, and she loved the bridesmaid dress. Heidi called it fantastic.

Michael said that he loved Jerell's wedding dress from the empire waist down, but said that the top looked like it had wings over her boobs, over a layer of jeweled boobs. Very very unflattering. He called it garish. Heidi said that it looked messy, and called the bridesmaid dress "mumsy." Nina said that the grey tulle in the wedding dress made it look dirty.

Kenley's wedding dress is called a little Alexander McQueen, and said that it was done well, and still looked Kenley. (Kenley, who claimed previously to never look at other's collections, claimed that her dress was nothing like anything seem from Alexander McQueen. I wouldn't know, but I'm just saying). He called her bridesmaid dress the cutest damned dress he's ever seen. Kenley is pleased to get some praise. Heidi said that she could see Kenley wearing the dress for her own wedding someday, and called the two dresses crazy good.

Korto's dress was not well received. Heidi said she would never want to be the bride. Nina said that she didn't see how the two dresses related to each other, and Michael said that the wedding dress looked overworked, and the bridesmaid dress looked underworked.

After the judges confer, Leanne and Kenley are swiftly announced as safe, and I have to say, they both deserve it (even though I don't like Kenley, her dresses were beautiful). Korto will be the third designer to show at fashion week, and I am happy. I like what I saw of her collection, and I did not like Jerell's at all. The chainmail top was just way too much.

These three women will show three completely different shows. It's fun to have it between three women. Looks like next week there is going to be some more Kenley talking back to Tim, and how could we end the season without more of that?

At this point, I think I am rooting for Leanne. I like her wavey stuff. It's unique and new. How about you?