Project Runway: Welcome Back Designers

Project Runway’s back! And the banishment to LA is over as the aspiring designers travel to New York City for their shot at fame. After the bore that was season six, the start of season seven brings a fresh wave of relief as the show brings familiar places, vibrant designers, and the return of two of our favorite judges.

To begin, let’s just get it over with. MICHAEL AND NINA! MICHAEL AND NINA! MICHAEL AND NINA! Yes! They’re back, people! They’re back! In their seats right where they belong; no lame excuses, no filler judges, just the sound of two of our favorite judges ripping the designers to shreds and tearing apart the hopeful dreams of the unworthy.  Is there any greater joy?

The designers meet up at the apartments, and it is with great pleasure to notice that quite a few of the designers have brought more personality than we could possibly know what to do with. There’s Anthony, my personal favorite, with the quick wit and fabulous personality. I’m not sure I’d like him in person, but for a tv relationship our love is strong. Then there’s Ping, the physical therapist who views everything as if she was from another planet. Also you have Janeane, the crying girl; Jesse, the Johnny Depp impersonator; Ben, the comic book guy; and Christiane, the girl who keeps repeating herself. (Yes you like colors, but what’s your name?) The other contestants don’t really make as much of an impression, but maybe that was editor’s choice, but here are their names at the least, Jesus and Jay Nichols, the dramatic designers; Emilio, the costume designer; then there’s Mila, Amy, Seth, Ana, Pamela, Jonathon, Maya. We’ll learn about them in coming weeks, hopefully.

This week the designers’ challenge was to show the judges who they are in the design of their garments. I was a little disappointed in this challenge, although I know it’s by no means easy. It just didn’t seem challenging enough. Tim took the designers to some park because apparently Mood fabrics got sick on the way home from a party and threw up all the fabrics onto the streets. So, the designers had to pick through the wreckage like “a Vegas buffet” (thank you Emilio) grabbing everything that they could in three minutes. Now, this would work if there was less fabric, but since there are plenty of fabrics to choose from this is uninteresting. (Side note: wouldn’t it be cool if they had to tear apart a jungle gym and make something, or maybe a swing. But perhaps I am asking too much.)

In the workroom, Ping shows her unusual design approach. And while the idea is great, seeing her execution of it just leaves me with a feeling of distaste. I’m trying really hard to like her. Her ideas are good and are logical in a way that I don’t expect. Then she carries them out in a manner that I really, really do not understand. A prime example of this she shows in an ensemble that resembles something of a body diaper. The other contestants are somewhere between loving their designs and crying over them. Yes, the crying person was Janeane, and yes it is totally annoying. At the last two hours Janeane scraps her dress completely and decides to start over. Yes, she cries over this as well. The models come in, fitting, then the Runway.

On the Runway all the designers love themselves, the judges call back six.

Seth’s look they call youthful, they want to know more. Emilio’s was in Michael’s words, “deceptively simple” and the judges loved the cut of the skirt as well as the fabric choice. Ping’s look was unusual. Funny, I thought it was hideous, who in the world would ever want to walk out in that—Nicole Richie volunteers. And the winner is: Emilio, who totally loves winning first by the way, because it makes him a threat.

On the losing end are Jesus, whose look Heidi called unfashionable; Anthony whose dress Michael says looks like two dresses glued together; and Christiane whose sophisticated draping was destroyed by the combination of fabric. And going home is Christiane, because the judges still have no idea who she is as a designer. Hope those colors work out for you next time.

Season 7, Episode 1: Back to New York (originally aired January 14, 2010)

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