Project Runway: Honey, I shrunk the models!

This week, Project Runway decided to let the designers’ kids do the work! No, I’m kidding, but there were kids. And they were the models. In the words of my favorite designer, Jesse: “Oh crap. This is gonna be a nightmare.”

Designers were assigned the task of creating a look for children. It had to be appropriate and fashionable. Each designer was paired with a little girl. Okay, so it was kind of cute how nervous the little ones were. I’m a sucker for cute kids, so sue me!

They had a budget of $50 and until midnight that night to work. Tim also informs them that they won’t see their “models” until tomorrow. Trust me, that’s a good thing. The work room is a little tense but mostly playful as everyone works with ease. Jonathan does some hilarious Michael Kors impersonations, and they even challenge Anthony to see how long he can keep quiet. Final result: 14 minutes, 56 seconds. This is a record for him, sadly. Also, the word “romper” keeps getting thrown around, and since I’m not very fashion savvy, I looked it up. For those who also don’t know, a romper is a child’s one piece outer garment. Ohhh. Okay. See now I know why they called it “Romper Room on crack”.

Now that I’ve digressed, let’s talk about Tim’s visit to the room with that sly little look of his. A whole day without Tim and now he’s here with a smirk? Gotta be a twist. “These looks will not be walking down the runway today.” Cue obligatory awesome Jesse moment: (in Tim Gunn style voice) “REALLY?” Silly man even got Tim to laugh. Loves it. Anyway, the twist is that the designers now must create a corresponding look for their actual models, with $100 and one day to do it. Jesse: “You want more genius? God..” Did I mention I love him?

The children attack the work room with their “moms” and all of a sudden it’s loud. Children playing with fabric, dancing in the sewing room. Nightmare! Anthony sarcastically asks them “do ya’ll have an off switch?” only to be thwarted by a response of “what’s an off switch?” Okay, that kid looked like she was 5 or 6 years old and you’re telling me she doesn’t know what an off switch is? What are they teaching kids these days? Oh forget it, let’s go to the runway.

Our guest judge this week is American designer Tory Burch – some lady who makes clothes for all ages so she supposedly has knowledge of children’s fashion. It’s definitely an interesting show. Personally, I like any challenge that has two garments. The more the merrier. The three that stood out to me specifically were Seth Aaron’s rockin’ outfits, Janeane’s cute outfits, and Jesse’s “Madeline” inspired outfits.

The top three were Seth Aaron, Jesse, and Jay. (Well two for three ain’t bad!) The judges agreed with me about Seth’s looks saying they were “super strong”, “what a little girl would dream of wearing”, and even Michael acknowledged his jacket as the “best tailored jacket this season.” Sweet. Jesse’s adorable dresses caught the judges’ eyes as well. Tory liked the unusual colors and again Michael commented on the “real tailoring”. Jay’s look was pretty and definitely a recognizable mommy-and-me look. Nina thought the pair were “striking, modern, urban, New York, and cool”.

Amy, Jonathan and Janeane landed in the bottom three. Janeane’s looks – which I did like, but that goes to show how far off my fashion sense is – were too plain and simple for the judges. Heidi said it looked like a “cheap mall outfit”. Yeah, I kinda see that now. Moving on, Jonathan’s mini look was cute but the adult companion was a mess. Michael said it best: “it looks like a tornado of toilet paper.” Amy, on the other hand didn’t do enough work on her garments. Initial thought: interesting idea but terrible execution. Judges deemed it “confusing and circus-like” and Heidi herself said it was “hideous”. Ouchies.

The winner this week was Seth Aaron (finally!). His edgy designs and knack for “hardware”, as he likes to call it, earned him immunity for next week’s challenge. Janeane was sent home in tears. Literally. There’s no crying in Project Runway! Where’s Tom Hanks when you need him?

For another take on this episode, check out Think Circus by Keshaunta Moton.

Season 7, Episode 5: A Little Bit of Fashion (originally aired February 18, 2010)

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Photographs courtesy of Lifetime and IMDbPro