Bright lights of Broadway, Tim Gunn is gunning for ya! The remaining eight designers meet in the lobby of the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre where the musical “Finding Neverland” is performed and are met by Tim and Matthew Morrison (formerly of “Glee”), the star of the show.
This week’s challenge is to create a wearable look for $250 inspired by the play after they see a performance. The designers can create anything they like, but it can’t be a costume perse. For a few of the designers “Finding Neverland” was their first Broadway show and you can see many are moved by the musical. Each took something a little different from it to use as their inspiration.
Then the designers are off to Mood where they have just a half hour to shop. That’s not a lot of time. While shopping they begin to share their ideas and direction.
I love Laurie’s take. She was inspired by her own religious childhood in Chicago. She spent a lot of time at the Baptist church and confessed she would pretend the church aisles were a runway. How cute is that?
Edmond tells Tim he dreams in color so he wants to make something very colorful! Lindsey (the Waffler as I call her) wants to create something whimsical, but of course second guesses herself which is odd since she was one of the designers who seemed most moved by the performance. Commit girl!
Merline wants to think “outside the box, but is stuck inside the box.” She has this whole dialogue with the camera/herself I find hysterical. Candice was inspired by a quote from Hook where he tells Peter to embrace his dark side. No surprise there that the Queen of Leather will run with that one.
Kelly (the odd fanny-pack wearing duck) is growing on me. She gravitated to some photos she saw on the wall while in line waiting to use the restroom where women were dressed up back in the day to see plays. So she wants to bring old-fashioned glamour back to modern times.
Back in the workroom Tim has a heart-to-heart with the designers. Aside from Kelly who has immunity, they need to step it up big time. It’s anyone’s game. You can’t help but feel this pep-talk is (thinly veiled) directed at Swapnil. He admitted last week he has been skirting by and Tim calls him out on it this week. Tim knows Swapnil has more in him and tells him he had better bring it this week because while he has been on the top 5 times, he has yet to win a challenge and that will no longer be unnoticed by the judges. Swapnil says to the camera he now fees he owes it to Tim and the judges to show them he can work hard so he is cutting back on his smoke breaks! (Quit smoking dude. It’s 2015!).
For the first time we see Ashley struggle and you just know it’s not going to be a good week for her. Laurie’s design looked like it’s headed for disaster as well. She’s got too much going on and it’s all tiny. She has coochie shorts, an oversized jacket, a lace top and it’s all ivory and beige which is not very Broadway-like. Edmond is making this tacky purple confection that renders even me speechless, but what’s underneath (black pants and a Versace-like strappy crop top) are pretty stellar.
Then there are fit issues. Ashley’s top doesn’t fit her model and Laurie’s model’s ass is hanging out. Oh Lord. She tried to add fabric underneath, but you can tell she is in TROUBLE.
Off to the runway! The judges this week are Zac Posen, Nina Garcia, Heidi Klum and guest judge, model Coco Rocha. Tim Gunn is also there, but as usual remains silent.
The Top Three
I just need to say I am honestly shocked Swapnil is merely safe this week. I thought for sure he would have been in the top three since his look was killer! What is wrong with these judges? Swapnil is surprised too since he really brought it. I just hope this doesn’t set him back. I digress. On with our regularly scheduled programming.
Kelly: Her tight black mini-dress with matching handmade elbow-length opera gloves and a long sparkly black and green open robe (robes are in ya’ll) just works. None of the judges are quite sure about the mini dress part, but the robe and gloves move them.
Edmond: His dark purple “dream cloud vest” is more like my worst nightmare. It’s ridiculous and unflattering. However, underneath the monstrosity hides an “insane” (per Heidi) perfect pair of cigarette pants and a crisscross crop top that wows the judges.
Candice: Her black leather corset bustier with a a dress/jacket in a beautiful dark print that fell off the shoulders is a glam pirate look which is appropriate for the Finding Neverland, a romance novel with Fabio on the cover and a night on the town. She’s the winner.
The Bottom Three
Ashley: Poor Ashley, the only kind word any one had to say was that the purple in her ombré material looked good on her model. Nina said instead of draping she tortured the material and managed to accentuate the bad areas by overworking it. The poorly fitted sweetheart neckline and Tattered unfinished hem of her gown brought everyone to tears, but mostly Ashley.
Laurie: When she says her inspiration was her daughter’s favorite, fairies – you wonder why her’s was practically naked. Nina nails it when she says, “This is not Tinkerbell, this is Tinker-hell.” Enough said.
Lindsey: The green color is pretty, but that’s the only kind word any of the judges say about this dress. It has a weird bib top, is uneven and worst of all, is boring. Lindsey looks defeated and has no defense. She’s sent home..
MEMORABLE QUOTES
“I should have never saw that play … it’s making me into a cry baby.” – Candice
“If you don’t sing you are out of the game.” –Laurie (singing)
“I dream in black and white…and shades of grey.” – Tim Gunn
“You’re telling me I can go outside of the box, but I go back in because now everybody is outside of the box. Maybe that’s the problem.” – Merline
“So the 100% happens today.” – Swapnil
“I have a bedazzle problem.” – Kelly
“I feel as though you have two different people here. You have this modern warrior of sorts, and then you have her mother. You need to beat back the old lady.” – Tim Gunn
“If that what you can do you’d better do that times ten on steroids.” – Candice
“I’m going to have to make a strap across the back to keep her lady bits in.” – Lindsey
“Her rear-end is hanging. Out. For all of us to see.” – Candice
“My grandmother calls them coochie cutters.” – Laurie
“Obviously, I love purple.” – Zac (see judges photo above)
“It looks like she had a fight with the drapes and the drapes won.” – Coco Rocha
“Whoa!” – Nina
“It looks like the top is glued on.” – Zac
“This is not Tinkerbell this is Tinker-hell.” – Nina
“There’s not much fabric but it’s still frumpy dumpy.” – Zac
“I love the color but that’s about it.” – Nina
“It looks like an experiment gone wrong.” – Nina
“Green is the color of hope but this is hopeless.” – Nina
“For some reason, these are two separate stories.” – Coco Rocha
“I say take the purple haze away. To me it’s polluting the outfit.” – Zac
“Lose that Muppet.” – Zac
“Tinkerbell needs to go to rehab.” – Zac
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– Lauren Dimet Waters
Photos: Lifetime
