Project Runway Recap: Premiere Party Games

Image via Lifetime

We recap the first episode of Project Runway Season 15, and cattily judge the catty and their clothing.

The designers are back at Parsons for another year of Project Runway! Along with them come the terrible attitudes, the catty remarks, and this year, as part of a Season 15 special, we have a bonus terrible laugh, that the sound people clear enjoy putting the reverb on. Do I already wish I could fast forward? Ah Project Runway, never change.

The party is a sham, of course Lifetime doesn’t pay for these about-to-be-abused for our entertainment chum to party. It’s an Unconventional Materials challenge and the party is merely the fodder for the coming outfits. The designers act horrified, as if somehow they failed to watch Seasons 1-14. A few protest to the cameras they’ve never worked with Unconventional Materials. How, after so many years of the show, does one show up having not practiced with Unconventional Materials? Or act ignorant that the first challenge, ever since Season 1, has almost always been that?

Tim Gunn does seem to be just slightly over it when the protest noises come at the revelation that this is a one day challenge. Once again, like these guys have not watched from Season 6 onward and seen that Lifetime has cut the budget to the quick, and that there are only one day challenges, except when logistics simply force there to be a second day. “Welcome to Project Runway!” he snapped and walks out looking like he just can’t believe these people.

Image via Lifetime

Let’s see how their critiques go, and meet them all:

• Brik: He grabbed “big bowls of glitter.” The glitter is glued on to the fun fitted pants. Tim laughs and wanders off.
• Ian: Pretentious boy insists he doesn’t take criticism personally and then takes it very personally when told how basic his stuff is. Of course.
• Nathalia: She has white muppet fur sleeves and silver doilies. Tim insists she must own it.
• Cornelious is making something I swear I thought was out of fruit, but it’s actually plastic. Tim is so relieved to see something he doesn’t hate.
• Alex: His place-mat skirt with napkin crinoline is clown colored but creative. Tim nods along.
• Tasha: I think her skirt is technically papier-mâché. You do you. Tim worries about her time management and points out her lack of materials means she really has a backless top and a bib.
• Erin: Her entire station looks like Big Bird. Her top is made of Trump wigs. There’s something about gumballs cutting in half and Tim does not see her finishing in time.
• Roberi is doing something rather amazing with paper lanterns, and should be left alone to complete it. Tim agrees.
• Laurence is using his materials in ultra conventional manners which could be seen as the height of rebellion, but the show just calls it lazy.
• Mah Jing: His top looks like he glued wadded up trash all over it, but Tim’s having a positive response to it.
• Jenni: She’s painting her materials to hide how conventionally she is using them. Tim is not fooled.
• Dexter: Another complete failure to use the materials in an unconventional matter. He literally took the pillow case and made it the top and deboned the umbrella into a skirt. Tim looks so hurt.

Well that wasn’t a very good first impression for most of them. The other four who got left off of the 16 must have been so dull, they weren’t worth talking too. (It also means they’re probably safe.) Alex, the one who mistakes himself to be “Tim Gunn when Tim Gunn’s not in the room” goes around being people’s therapist rather than focusing on his own outfit. That’s not a good impression either.

Day of Runway, and we have the ones who are’t terrible and the ones who are panicking. At least the Accessory Wall did not change sponsors this year, it’s still by JustFab. There’s also not divorce Wall, where the shoes are by one sponsor and the baubles by another. The Product Displaying Make Up People are still brought to us by MaryKay, and the Brand Dropping Hair People are still Sally Beauty. This is the first time in quite some time where the show has held all their sponsors from season to season. Let’s appreciate that, even if we don’t appreciate what turns out on the runway.

Speaking of which….it’s time to go down to the runway and see how badly everyone did.

Next: Runway Results