Project Runway: Natural Disasters

This week’s episode of Project Runway takes inspiration from nature, and naturally some of the designers have no clue.

First off, let’s go to the usual recaps. Last week, Emilio was in the bottom two with his roommate Jesse. While he is saddened by this, of the two of them, he’s happy that’s he stayed. Mila and Maya take a moment to connect. While Ben, Anthony, Seth Aaron, and Jay Nicholas marvel that they are still together. They are the only apartment that has not been broken by elimination, this is incredible and, I immediately expect, ending soon.

With Heidi at the runway, the designers are informed that from now on they will no longer receive immunity for challenge wins. So, from now on, winning will have to be its own reward.

The designers are sent to Tim Gunn to “channel [their] natural creativity.” So, of course they’re going to the roof. After contemplating the beauty of a concrete (man made) New York, the designers are given their next challenge. The challenge: design a look inspired by one of nature’s four basic elements: earth, air, water, and fire. In tangent with the design the Garnier stylists will create the perfect hairstyle to match. Because of his last challenge win, Jay Nicholas gets to choose first and he chooses air. The other designers must pick cards to discover their element. Maya and Ben pick water. Mila and Emilio have earth. Anthony and Amy get fire. And Seth Aaron chooses the other air.

In the design phase the designers get to work trying to capture their elements, and some of the designers express their unhappiness at the way the changing winds. For Ben’s design, he plans to think not of water, but of sharks. He plans a very structured piece that will show another side of design. A couple of designers play with the fabric. Jonathan plans to create a textile with fabric that will give the impression of airiness. Jay wants bold stripes that create movement and Emilio wants something that will show off his model’s skin tone. On the unhappy side, Mila doesn’t know how her element would fit in with her style of design, but decides to go with a mineral inspiration. Seth Aaron doesn’t know what to do with this assignment, but shortly after, inspiration comes as he decides to design the midnight air in New York.

In the work room all is quiet as the designers are all focused on their work. The ambiguous theme seems to make the designers nervous. And while Amy worries about her time management, Jonathan wants to be more of a threat in the competition.

The designers meet with Phillip from Garnier to decide how they want their models to look and Tim returns to the design room to see how the designers are doing so far. Tim is impressed with Jonathan’s and Seth Aaron’s looks, calling them stunning and believable. He is in turn worried about Ben and Amy. Seems Ben’s subtlety isn’t picked up by the judges on the runway, and Amy is having a little trouble focusing on her design. But this is a “make it work” moment.

The judges on the Runway are joined by designer Roland Mouret.

Best in show:
Seth Aaron, whose look Heidi called astonishing and Mouret expressed jealousy over.
Maya, whose look Nina called perfectly beautiful, while expressing concern that Maya always draws from another for inspiration, this time sirens.
Jonathan, Nina loved that it played up the model’s skin and Mouret called the draping perfection.

Bottom three:
Ben, all the judges were stumped by this outfit. It comes out that Ben has never made a suit before, why he would do so here for the first time is a complete mystery. Michael called it ill fitting, while Nina called it a real mess.
Mila’s look was very normal and all the judges have seen it before. Nina didn’t understand what she was going for, and Mouret thought she went in the wrong direction.
Amy, Mouret looks shocked at Amy’s look which Heidi aptly called a cat in a baby sling. Truly it was awful what she did with that hair. In fact the judges were so distracted by it that the model’s hair completely took over the outfit. Turns out once the hair was removed the outfit wasn’t that bad.

The judges deliberate on the interesting work they have seen and for the final results.
Winner: (not that it matters) Jonathan.
Going home: Ben, breaking up that four pack.

All in all, this was a pretty decent episode.  It was worth it just to see Heidi’s face when she called Ben’s outfit bizarre. Do you know that painting “The Scream?” It was sort of like that.

Season 7, Episode 8: The Elements of Fashion (originally aired March 11, 2010)

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Photographs courtesy of Lifetime, David M. Russell, and IMDbPro