Project Runway: Transformation

Are you ready, folks?  We have not one, but two recycled episodes here: The makeover challenge, combined with the prom dress challenge.  Instead of the prom, the designers will have to create a new look for recent college graduates transitioning to adulthood and real jobs.  Mothers invited.

On the runway, Heidi pairs up the designers with the graduates and their mothers.  At the workroom, Joe wrongly says that if the daughter likes something, the mother won’t, so how’s he ever going to design one look for two people?  Wrong, Joe: that rule only applies when you’re a teenager.  My mother and I agree on many things.  Hell, my mom picked out my sister’s fiancé.  Shout out to Mama Campos!

And not for nothing, while I’m hating on Joe, but PR did a good job picking out these ladies.  These are all funky, creative women with some style, so really, this challenge should be a breeze.

Kenley lands Anna, who loves vintage and could be Kenley’s younger sister.  Kenley loves her because Anna loves Kenley.  Korto collaborates with Megan on a dress.  Jerell works with his female twin, Caitlin, who wants a feminine, androgynous look.  He says the design is “flirty and sexy in its own little awkward way, just like her.  And me!”

Leanne gets Holly and Holly’s stage mother.  Mom offers opinions until you want to shoot her, and we only see twenty seconds of footage, so bless Leanne’s non-violent heart.  Mom decides a dress will be appropriate.  Suede meets photographer Avital, who, because of her profession, tends to wear pants, “which is not Suede’s thing.”  Joe brainstorms with unemployed Laura, creating a skirt suit with pinstripes because she’ll be interviewing.  There is nothing about Laura that screams “straight-laced.”

While they work, we hear about the designers’ first jobs.  Boring!  Until Jerell says his first job was at McDonald’s, where he “got all sorts of free Big-n-Tasties.”  Insert your own inappropriate joke here.

During the fitting, Caitlin loves the simple, clean dress that Jerell is creating for her.  Avital dislikes how professional Suede’s outfit looks.  Mom politely suggests that Suede get a little funky with the design (which is usually something the designers would love to hear), but Suede whines about losing his Suede-liciousness if he does everything they want.  You can almost feel bad for Hedda Lettuce now, can’t you?

Laura doesn’t like the pinstripe Joe has chosen for her.  Mom correctly calls it “conventional.”  Kenley congratulates herself while fitting Anna.  Jerell interviews that “[Kenley] can make one hell of a ‘50’s/‘60’s dress…And that’s all she serves up.”  Holly’s mom hates Leanne’s dress, calling it “unflattering.”  Jerell says they “were all…waiting to see who was gonna get the Hedda Lettuce in this challenge, and it seems like it might be Leanne.”  Indeed.

Everyone makes adjustments.  Suede really doesn’t want to do pants, so he’s going to convince Avital a dress is better, and “it’s so much more Suede.”  The less Suede, the better for me.  Joe explains to Jerell that his jacket looks great, and that he’s going to give her a pocket square to add a punch of color.  Jerell looks at Kenley and asks, “Do most girls have an assortment of pocket squares at home?”  And I have to laugh, because Jerell is awesome in this episode, and that is the funniest thing I’ve heard all night.  And true!  I told you Joe wasn’t an Aries.  Pinstripe suit?  Unoriginal!  I want to see a birth chart!

Kenley calls the suit bad ‘80’s, and if anyone knows outdated fashion, it’s Kenley.  Jerell teases Joe some more about the pocket squares, and as I laugh, Joe interviews that Jerell teases everyone to make himself feel better.  Unlike Joe who called Terri a one trick pony and criticized Kenley’s designs.  At least this season, the designers are fun because they’re so willing to trash each other behind the scenes.  The reunion is going to rock.

Day 2, and the girls arrive sans mothers for a second fitting.  Holly loves Leanne’s changes, and Avital agrees to wear Suede’s outfit as a dress.  He interviews that she “has fallen in love with the dress,” which is a bit of a stretch.  Tim introduces Jeanie Syfu of TRESemmé to discuss the makeovers and announce that the winning look will be in Elle magazine.

Tim Time.  He tells Joe that the suit looks “lawyer, banker.  Not graphic designer.”  Joe is “really not that concerned” about Tim’s opinion, because it’s about a professional look, not a personal one.  Tim thinks Jerell’s outfit is stunning.  He suggests alterations to Kenley, and Kenley says, “Tim doesn’t really understand me as a designer…I’m not going to listen to that.”  My heart skipped a beat.  What’s with all the disrespect to Tim?  Suddenly, I’m okay with Kenley going home today.

Later, Kenley interviews about Suede, calling him a poser, and I remember the 7^th grade when we used that term.  That was the worst!  The next morning, Jerell calls Suede’s outfit “so 1992.”

Runway!  Guest judge: Cynthia Rowley, fashion designer.

Joe: Unflattering.  Leanne: Very nice, unnecessary jacket.  Jerell: Stylish.  Korto: Hip.  Suede: Impractical.  Kenley: Cute.

Heidi calls Holly Kenley’s “mini-me.”  Kors says it’s the right clothes and style for Holly.  The judges criticize Joe for going with a suit when there are so many other options.  To Kors, it’s a 60-year-old’s idea that professionalism is a suit with a pocket square.  At that, Kenley and Holly lose it.  Kenley’s bitch-tastic this episode, isn’t she?  Nina says it’s a “total cliché.”  Kors calls Korto’s dress current, and Megan loves it.  Nina declares it young, yet professional.  The judges all agree Leanne missed the mark, but they love Jerell’s dress and the casual cardigan.  Of Suede’s concoction, Kors says, “in a zillion years, I would never guess… photographer.”  Nina has a lot of problems with the outfit.  The jacket “is the tip of the iceberg.  I will say no more.”  Flashback!  Kors once told us that the worst review is no review.  Is Suede going home?

Deliberation.  Jerell created young and sophisticated.  Kenley finds interesting prints and patterns.  Korto tailored perfectly.  Suede aged Avital twenty years, while Leanne’s was frumpy and old-fashioned.  Joe was completely out of touch and badly-tailored.

Bring them back out, and Jerell wins again!  Kenley seethes silently.  Leanne is also safe, and between Suede and Joe, Joe goes home!  Awesome!  Never a great designer, and slowly became jerk-licious over the season.  And even better than that, Perlow’s Top 4 takes another hit!  I hate to sound like Kenley, but it’s hard to be right so often.  Such a burden.  Someone owes me a drink.

Next week: Sabotaging Suede, Tim bitch-slaps Kenley, and LL Cool J!  LL! Cool J!

 

For another opinion on this episode, check out Let the River Run by J.B. Perlow.

 

Wednesdays, at 9pm EST, Bravo

Photographs courtesy of BRAVO