Project Runway Recap: Premiere Party Games
By Ani Bundel
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Heidi is wearing animal prints, because she’s Heidi Klum and don’t you bloody forget it. Zac Posen and Nina Garcia have both come to work this week, and they’re joined by Savannah Guthrie of The Today Show. Her major project she’s shilling turns out to be building a human lifeform from scratch. We are reminded that the Tim Gunn Save™ and the AnthonyRyan Rule™ are both in effect currently.
Let’s hit the runway.
Mushy Middle
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Mah Jing: From afar it looks like a digital print. Up close? Madame Trashheap.
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Jenni: She completely cheated. Everything is fabric, even the Big Bird jacket.
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Sarah: There’s always one Unconventional outfit that looks like this.
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Nathalia: Tin Foil + Muppet Fur Victoria’s Fully Clothed Angel.
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Rik: Wrapped in plastic, it’s fantastic! Robot girl, robot girl, move your arms a few degrees more.
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Linda: A paper outfit for a paper doll model.
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Kimber: Gold Christmas paper tinfoil tube
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Laurence: Is that just a tablecloth made into a dress with some schmutz on it?
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Alex: Placemat skirt+napkin floof has been done before, but the sheer volume here is impressive.
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Cornelius: I didn’t know those were plates until he said it. I thought they were melon rinds and this outfit deliciously edible (though probably sticky). I’m surprised it’s not in the top.
Top
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Tasha: The bib top is still a thing, but those pants saved the day. (Even if they don’t match at all.) Nina calls it “very effective.” Savannah loved the bag.
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Dexter: He didn’t listen to Tim at all about the top, and wound up with a terrycloth dust mop to surround it. Zac calls it “Alaskan Poodle, ” but it’s not a bad thing. They decide that using the rug (which is why his model looks like a walking rug) is unconventional enough. I disagree and pooh-pooh this decision.
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Erin: She finished! And not only that, but (as long as the yellow isn’t killing your eyes) it’s actually surprisingly well designed and doesn’t look like she finished it with ten minutes to spare. The judges are bowled over, thought Nina admits it’s teetering on the edge of BigBird. Zac calls it “magically muppety!” She walks away with the win, however improbable that was.
Bottom
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Roberi: I know it’s made of paper lanterns, but it’s so damn clever, he gets extra points for it. I love the swirling maelstrom that does not move around her, like she’s a frozen cartoon panel of action. For the judges, this is a split decision. Nina was bored. Savannah has no taste. But Zac and Heidi are for it. Heidi tells Nina she’s wrong, they have not seen sculpture like this before, and she scolds the others for not appreciating it.
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Brik: The show focused so much on the pants, that the top took me by surprise. In a good way! But the judges dislike it because the hat top and the glitter bottom don’t go together. They like each piece individually, which leads to a merely so-so critique.
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Ian: It’s a paper bag with a pretentious bib. The judges huff. It’s a basic shift dress with some stuff drapped over it. Ian, once again turns out not to be able to handle criticism and gets very defensive. The judges try and be nice about it. But their faces to not look pleased every time he starts talking back.
With one split bottom critique, one so-so bottom critique and one contestant who clearly cannot handle the situation in the slightest, it’s pretty obvious the proper choice for the judges to make. But Nina defends Ian during the close ups, which is never a good sign. Good we really lose Brik and his pretty hair and his southern drawl so soon?
Of course not! Thank heaven for that. Ian walks out insisting he liked his dress. That’s nice Ian. Goodbye.
Next: NYFW Spring 2017 RTW: Christian Siriano
Project Runway airs Thursday at 9pm on Lifetime .