Project Runway: Season Seven, Episode 5

WIN: Anthony
AUF'd: Anna


First of all, I want to say that Anthony's winning reaction was priceless. He is a hoot! And unlike many contestants, his quirkiness is true. It doesn't seem like some contrived personality made to stand out on TV. I believe he truly was that surprised and happy. As he should be! A COVER picture on Marie Claire magazine? Amazing. And as Tim Gunn pointed out, it has never been done in Project Runway history. And for Heidi Klum to be the model, well, that's just icing on the cake!

I feel that when the challenge involves a celebrity actually wearing the garment somewhere, it basically has to come down to what they prefer, so a designer who plays to their personal style will always come out on top. (With Tiki Barber really suffering the most with that horrible menswear challenge a few seasons ago. That was painful to watch.) Anyway, Anthony's dress was truly stunning. If you know me at all, you know that the shade of blue he chose is my asbolute favorite, so I was leaning towards his dress anyway. Add to that the gorgeous scultpura detail that went from the shoulder down the front of the dress, it was really masterfully done. Nice job, Anthony! I'm so happy for you!

As for Anna, after being in the bottom last week, I think we all sort of saw that one coming. Janeane has been sort of under the radar, but I'm sure you all notice that remark she made about it coming down to her and Anna in the bottom. Anna's outft was WAY too teenie-bopper-cute. And let's be honest, a top like that is barely flattering on someone stick-thin, but Heidi will be in a post-pregnancy body, meaning big ol' boobies which would only make that top worse. The vest was so boring and forgettable and the shorts were cute, but the fabric was so blah-office-worker-esque. Basically, the entire outfit was just boring. Unfortnately, she seemed to focus entirely on perfect construction and not so much on great design.


Finally, I agreed with the judges in all three of the top choices- Emelio and Ben also made stunning, spring-magazine-worthy dresses. I especially loved Ben's dress because he made bold color choices, but the end result was not busy or distracting. I could absolutely see it on a magazine cover. And Emilio's gorgeous cherry-red concoction was so flattering and it was one of the few dresses with really nice movement. I guess movement isn't something to consider for a 3/4 photo, but when I saw it move on the runway, I instantly felt like it was a harbinger of spring. Nicely done, guys!


I also agreed with the judges bottom choices for once- Mila's weird color-blocking is definitely getting old and to be perfectly honest, her construction looked poor. The points of the chevrons were puckered all over and even the straight sides of some of them looked like they were rippling a bit. Also, is Mila going to turn into a one-trick pony? Is that all she can come up with? Color blocking? I'm not a fan. Also, her remark about the other designers not cheering for her 2nd place status last week was odd. Umm, Mila? Maybe they're not psyched because they think your designs are ugly?


And poor Janeane. What was up with that fabric choice? The color, the weight, the stiffness- everything was terrible! And then to pair it with a weird organza shrug- I didn't get it. If her inspiration was ocean waves, she picked fabric that did not lend itself to that inspiration at all. She's on thin ice for me. 

Inspiration... sort of...

Last night, I opened up the February 2010 edition of Marie Claire magazine and saw a dress that LITERALLY made my heart skip a beat. It LITERALLY took my breath away. I fell in love. Completely and utterly. I gazed at the glossy picture for several minutes, just taking in every detail of this amazing dress by J. Mendel. I then tried to Google it so that I could share it with all of you. What I found was not a little disappointing. Here is the photograph as it appeared in Marie Claire (scanned and cropped by yours truly for this blog- the one that took my breath away):

I believe my exact words upon seeing this dress were, "I want to live my life in this dress." I still do. But here's the dress as it appears via Google:

Honestly, I think it looks sad. It has no life, no spark, no excitement to it. The model's stance, hair and facial expression are not helping the situation. I still love the dress. I would still DIE if I had the opportunity to wear it and would probably risk jail time to keep wearing it as long as possible. The first picture shows a vibrant, exciting dress. The second picture would never catch my eye. I'd gloss right over it. It makes me wonder what on earth they were thinking when they took this photo. Even slight adjustments to hair, make-up and the direction the model was given would have brought the life back into this dress. But enough about their issues. I'm just happy I saw it in the 'zine first. And back to how I feel about it. I would STILL die to wear it. Do you think when they say "Price Upon Request" that means I can request it for $20? Just kidding. If I had the change to drop on a couture piece like this, I would. But I'd throw a petticoat under it so that it had the a-line, 50's silhouette that is so essential. It's a large part of why I love it so much. Case in point, my red dress. So even though the second picture was incredibly devastating to discover, I still have hope for the dress. It needs the following, though:

1.) A petticoat

2.) A SMILE on the face of the person wearing it (no problem if I'm the one we're talking about!)

3.) A hair style that doesn't say, "I just got out of bed and came to my photo shoot without stopping at the hair & make-up trailor."

4.) Nude Louboutin round-toe pumps

5.) Maybe even a pair of white leather vintage or reproduction kid gloves (for me, I understand that doesn't work for everyone.)

So do me a favor and tell me what you think of the FIRST photo of this picture. Let's pretend the second one doesn't exist. Life is better in denial, sometimes.