After nine seasons going strong, Project Runway has come back for its tenth season with a whole new cast of 16 designers, claws out and eager to prove themselves in the fashion world. Although most seemed confident, nerves and excitement quickly spread as it was announced that they would be showing their first designs to an audience of thousands in Times Square. However, half of this weeks challenge was done before the cameras even started rolling. Before each designer arrived s/he had to create a garment and bring it with them. The challenge was to create an additional piece to accompany the first look. Easy enough? Not for all of the designers.
From the beginning it was easy to spot out the strong competitors and even more obvious to pin point the weak link of the bunch. Christopher, Ven, Melissa and Gunnar were the few that seemed to exude confidence in their skills while the most obvious weak link, Beatrice, simply lacked the skills required to be a fierce competitor.
Once in the work room, personalities began to clash. From the very beginning Gunnar and Christopher were ready to claw each others eyes out – with most of the instigating coming from Gunnar. For each sly remark that was said, there were about three dirty looks to accompany it. It was something right out of a middle school love story, the way those two bullied each other. Who knows, maybe the hostility will spark into something positive later in the season – or it might just cause an explosion. Either way, those two will be entertaining to watch this season. Let’s just hope they last long enough. Another pair that seemed to be clash a bit were Buffi and Dmitry. Buffi’s loud, flashy personality seemed to just irritate Dmitry who quietly focused on his projects in a secluded corner of the workroom. Oh, and let’s not forget the wildcard of the bunch, Kooan, who looks like he could be in Gwen Stefani’s Harajuku posse, and acts even crazier.
When Tim Gunn announced that time was up, all 16 designers made their way to Times Square, greeted by thousands of screaming fashion fanatics and a slew of photographers. Accompanying the regular judges: Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Heidi Klum were actress, Lauren Graham and a guest judge returning from season 1, Patricia Fields.
Many of the looks pleased the judges such as Dmitry’s long shimmery gown and the technical skill in Ven’s blossoming bustier. However, Andrea’s two dresses struck me as mod meets maternity and Kooan’s pieces just sent up red flags and question marks into my head.
In the end, Kooan, Melissa, Beatrice, Christopher, Lantie and Ven were the six with the highest and lowest scores. For Melissa, her point of view came across well to the judges and according to Lauren Graham she seemed to “tell a story of coolness.” Ven’s ability to relate his two pieces and his perfectionism got him noticed by the judges as well. But the looks that shut the rest up were Christopher’s dresses and his ability to manipulate fabric. That set him apart from the rest and allowed him to snag the first win of the season.
On the other end of the runway, the judges just couldn’t find the story in Lantie’s looks and even mentioned that she was more of a stylist instead of a designer. Kooan’s strange pieces simply came off as a joke to Michael Kors. But no one failed more than Beatrice. One of her pieces was described as a T-shirt meets a sack dress and because the judges couldn’t get a feel for who she was as a designer she was the first competitor sent home — which did not come as a surprise at all.
Memorable Quotes:
“This is better than sex!” -Raul
“But my thing about clothing is, I do make clothing because of love. I like making love.” -Kooan
“I wouldn’t be Tim Gunn without saying, ‘Make it work!’” – Tim Gunn
“Yeah, I dropped out of college, but you know what? Talent is talent … I can sew like a mother f**ker.” -Christopher
“I’m an old fart. I’m like the grandmother of Project Runway.” -Andrea
“This isn’t Project Obnoxious. This is get your $h*t together and put it on a runway!” -Christopher
“I don’t shop, I’m a Freegan.” -Fabio
“Buffi, she drives me nuts. She’s so loud, like her look.” -Dmitry
“It’s just, it’s like a diarrhea.” -Dmitry
“Kooan’s look kind of looks like Liberace threw up.” -Gunnar
“I could just kiss him. But I don’t” -Christopher
“He should be on Toddlers and Tiaras, not Project Runway. Wrong show!” -Christopher
“Looks like it’s made out of muddy mosquito netting.” -Michael Kors
“So she’s like a snuggie designer?” -Michael Kors
“I believe in python bibs.” -Michael Kors
Check out our favorite site devoted to Project Runway: Blogging Project Runway!
–Jamie Wilson
Photos: Lifetime
Don’t forget my favorite quote of the week…
“THANK YOU PEOPLE NEW YORRRRRRRK!!!” – Pixie Nymph Kooan