The challenge: create a formal gown fit for royalty. The designers were randomly placed in teams of two:
Vitor and Kayne
Anna and Brittany
Korto and Prajjé
Hester and Fabio
Rami and Bishme
Kara Saun and Laurence
Brittany was very jazzed up about being on a team with Anna. She predicted that the look they'd make would be "one of the greatest looks in Project Runway history." I think we could all see where that was headed.
They went out for drinks. Some, clearly, were drinking a lot - - one of those glasses of red wine was FULL. Eff. You. El. El. Korto talked about how the two eliminated designers were both "O. G.," which worried her. She said in her "talk to the camera" moment that she wasn't afraid of the younger designers. She referred to them as "fresh meat," which cracked me up big time.
Guest judge: Wes Gordon, creative director of Carolina Herrera. Total cutie, strong chin. And having designed for Michelle Obama, he knows a thing or two.
Brittany and Anna: Disney princess. Is that a good thing?
Kara Saun and Laurence: oh what a horror. A wedding cake design, the black and white elements were not harmonious. If a royal personage were wearing that dress she'd be put in the tumbrel and sent to the guillotine.
Victor and Kayne: gorgeous, full of drama, but maybe too dragadelic. I like the nerve, though.
Hester and Fabio: I thought of Michael Kors, who used to say that a challenge is made or lost at Mood. The tablecloth fabric that Hester and Fabio chose was a very bad choice. My guest commentator Waldorf said, "The last time I saw that fabric, it was on page 86 of the 1974 Montgomery Ward Catalog, and it did not look good then either." He also said, "I am not sure what was worse, Hester's white makeup, going for the *Beetlejuice* look, or the fabric.... I am going with the fabric."
Hester said the other looks were "pageant-ready" and they were going against that. Well they did.
Rami and Bishme: beautiful. Tasteful but sexy.
Korto and Prajjé: so stunning, a perfect execution of the challenge and also a magnificent expression from both designers.
Nina started things by saying there were no bad looks. Was she asleep or in the loo when Kara Saun and Laurence's model was on the runway? The judges spoke with all of the designers:
They thought Rami and Bishme's gown was beautifully draped and tailored but a little safe. They thought Anna and Brittany should have chosen a fabric with more body. Elaine said Kara Saun and Laurence's dress was one of her favorites. Knock me over with a feather. Nina saw an homage to Karl Lagerfeld, not in a bad way.
Nina asked Kayne and Viktor to remove the corset and wow, what a change. It was so much lovelier and more fresh without the corset. Brandon said if it were a "stage performance" challenge they would have won big time, But it wasn't.
Thank you, Wes Gordon, for hating the tablecloth fabric in Hester and Fabio's design. The other judges thought the overall design was special, and Nina loved that the skirt was so easily removed. The judges were gaga for Korto and Prajjé's design. Elaine said they made the ancestors proud.
The judges put Korto/Prajjé and Kara Saun/Laurence on the top. I am mystified why they would put Kara Saun/Laurence on the top. But whew, Korto was the winner. Hooray.
Kayne/Viktor and Anna/Brittany were on the bottom. The judges felt that Brittany/Anna's look was too safe and dull, but then Kayne/Viktor's look was too costumey. Nina called it Vegas. And wow, Viktor was sent home! What a shocker. I love that man, I was so sad to see him go. He said exceptionally lovely things to Nina, which broke her heart. I'm gonna miss him. Waldorf said, "I think the loser should have been Brittany. That dress was horrible, and had it not been for Christian, they would have sent that dress down the runway looking like they stole a few boxes of sneakers from Footlocker."
Off topic, I was curious that there was no footage of our beloved pooch Swatch at their Mood visits. A Google search confirmed my suspicion: he died last year at the ripe old age of 15. RIP sweetie!
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