Project Runway - 11.12.09

Finale, Part 1.

The final three each have several months to create 12 pieces, with $9000.

Tim first visited Carol Hannah, who moved from Charleston to Huntington, NY, to her friend's house.  She took inspiration from Duke University.  She had a very interesting silver thing, and Tim worried that she should edit and not add more stuff.  He also worried that a little cape she made was matronly.  And she's made pants!  I am liking her collection so far.  As a surprise for him, her parents and her sister have flown in and want to treat him to a Southern meal, and he gets to help make biscuits.  He wears an apron, and it's adorable.  She is self taught.  I did not know that.  Very cool.

He next visited Irina in Manhattan.  She has a little poodle named Princess.  I am not surprised.  She took her inspiration from Coney Island.  She has t-shirts she's made to go under her looks, big, tacky t-shirts.  I'm not so sure about that idea.  Tim likes that she is taking risks.  He urged her to make sure her things look natural and not forced.  Can I say, I really don't like a lot of her stuff.  Mostly, it looks like stuff you could wear on Hoth.  She brought him out to dinner with her family and friends. 

Lastly, it's time to visit Althea in Dayton, Ohio, traveling to her workroom in a service elevator and looking nervous about it.  Her inspiration is sci-fi movies.  He worried that some of her things are too costumey and old, and urged her to edit and keep true to herself.  She brought him to her parent's house to meet family and friends.  She got a sewing machine for Christmas in 5th grade, at her own request.

10 Days before Fashion Week, Irina got a call from Tim, and she doesn't have the rights to use the Coney Island images on her t-shirts, because they are images from someone else.  Ooooops.

And, Bwah ha ha, because I don't particularly like her.

Time for the designers to return for Fashion Week. Irina and Althea are still having some tense moments.  Althea doesn't forgive Irina for saying that she stole her design.  Where is Carol Hannah?  She's got a terrible, contagious stomach virus, according to Tim.  Oh no!  Well, at least there is champagne from Heidi.  Poor Carol Hannah!

4 days before the Runway show, they get to the workroom.  Just the two of them.  And then, Carol Hannah showed up!  She spent the entire previous day throwing up (15 hours, according to her), but she is back to work.  She stayed as far away from the others as possible.

Time for Tim's collection tour. 

Althea had a sparkly jacket that Tim thought looked really grandmothery.  I would agree.  It looked like something my grandmother wore in the 80's.  On special occasions.  Althea spent a lot of time knitting.  Tim worried about her cohesion.  Irina looked pissed, because you know she invented knits.  In fact, Irina accused Althea of copying her.  Again.  Yug.

Carol Hannah is next, and edited away a gold jacket over a simple gold dress.  Tim warned her to keep some youth and get cohesion.  I really am loving her long gold dress.  Can't wait to see it on the runway.

Irina is numb over her work, and did some burnout and silk screening.  Her whole collection was black and gray, but mixing materials.  She also made some leather pants that Tim thought looked like chaps.  Irina worried about her finale dress, and Tim thought the look itself was not cohesive.  I think Tim almost had an aneurism.

Time for model casting.  There was minimal fighting over girls and everyone got their models picked.

Enter ... Nina and Michael!  Cool.  I don't know what Nina was wearing.  It looked like she had giant doily stitches down her front.  Anyhow, they were there to give them tips, and reminding them to be themselves, and Nina said that color is something to think about, and warned that an all black collection is hard to pull off.  Irina looked like she wanted to pull her hair out.

Enter the final three models!  They have to decide what pieces to put on them, because that is the piece that will go back before the judges for the final Q&A.

And then, enter Heidi!  There's going to be a twist.  As in previous seasons, they have to make a 13th look to fit into their collections.  Their muse model will be casting the model for the 13th look.  For help, Logan, Christopher, and Gordana are brought in.  Althea chose first and got Logan.  Irina got Gordana.  Carol Hannah got Christopher.

They have 30 minutes to sketch, and $250 at Mood.

I totally love the fabric that Carol Hannah picked for her 13th look.  It's a very gorgeous blue.

Oh no!  Carol Hannah got back to the hotel and was sick again.  Althea was super nice and put ice on the back of her neck.

I hope that Carol Hannah gets better!  I totally want her to win, so anything else would make me sad.