Feb 28 2008
Getting Right to It
The remaining four contenders were greeted by Heidi and told that their last challenge would be to create a collection of 12 looks. Given $8,000, they would have 5 months in which to retreat to their 'home base' to work on their collections.
In Case You Forgot
Rami and Chris, of course, had more at stake in creating their collections as they would have to, upon returning to New York City for Fashion Week, cull their 3 strongest looks for the judges to decide who would get the third, and final, spot at Fashion Week.
Last Toast and Catwalk
The contenders, along with Heidi and Tim Gunn, went to the rooftop of New Gotham apartments for a last toast and the final four, guided by Christian, did a catwalk across the rooftop much to Heidi's and Tim's amusement.
Fast Forward. . .
. . .3 1/2 months and Tim's traveling to each of the final 4 contenders to check on their progress and collections. Tim didn't have to travel very far this season as 3 of the 4 remained in New York City.
Small Space for a Large Project
Tim's first visit was to Christian who was working out of a tiny apartment in New York City. And when we say 'tiny' we mean it. His sewing/work space doubled as his bedroom, which basically consisted of him laying out a thin mat on the floor to sleep on. Christian explained that he grew up in Annapolis, home to the Naval Academy, and being 'different' was hard. He began to work in a hair salon at 13, and that's how he was introduced to the fashion world. He declared that studying design in London was one of the 'best things I've ever done.' Christian pointed out some photos of his family (mom, sister, mother's boyfriend) but we do not meet them.
'When Do I Not Need Something?'
Christian's inspiration for his collection was 'romantic, gothic' clothes. Tim found some pieces 'costume-y' and advised Christian to consider whether each item would hurt or help his collection. Or in Tim's words, Christian needed to consider, 'when do I not need something?' Christian confessed that he would think about Tim's advice but he wasn't sure he was going to change much. He also declared that winning the competition would 'change [his] entire life.'
Is Bigger Better?
Tim's next visit was to Jillian and her apartment was the antithesis of Christian's - roomy, airy, with a killer view. She explained that she quit her job at Ralph Lauren to concentrate on her collection which was inspired by the last challenge (art pieces at the Museum of Art). She researched lots of pieces in that period, including 15th Century armor pieces. Tim offered up some rather generic advice and opinions on her pieces but Jillian declared that Tim had 'a lot of wise things to say' and that she would take it all in consideration.
Long Island Psychic Phenomenon
Jillian invited Tim to visit her family on Long Island. Jillian's family (and boyfriend) all seemed star struck by Tim, who was his usual, charming, sweet self. Jillian's mom revealed that prior to Jillian's birth, she had visited a 'clairvoyant lady' who told her that she would 'have 3 children and one of them would be famous. For reasons that we never got to hear, Jillian's mom determined that Jillian would be the 'famous' one and has been pushing her since. Jillian took it in stride but we must say, that's an awful lot of pressure to put on a child, based on a psychic reading.
Long Way from Home
Next stop for Tim was Los Angeles to check in on Rami, who introduced Tim to his two best friends, but no family as they were in the Middle East. Rami explained that he was born in Jerusalem and that his mother had always had a great sense of fashion, having been Miss Jordan in the 1960's. Sadly, she died when Rami was 5, but Rami said that his stepmother is incredible, to the point that he calls her 'Mom' as opposed to 'Stepmom.' Rami explained that he was hesitant at first to reveal his desire to be a designer to his family because of his Arabic background, which doesn't consider designing 'very masculine' or 'appropriate' for a man to enter into. However, once his parents discovered his passion (courtesy of a nosy brother), they've been incredibly supportive of him and are 'very proud' of how far he's come in the competition.
Heavy-Duty Designs
Rami took Tim to his studio, which is huge and the most impressive of the final four. Rami revealed that his inspiration was 'Joan of Arc.' Tim loved some items but found that a lot of the pieces lacked a certain 'softness' and that they looked 'heavy-duty' as if they weighed as much as the chain mail that inspired them. Tim wondered if he should 'pull [Rami] back a little.'
The Monkey House
Tim's final stop was back in New York City and Chris's work space, which kind of fell in the middle between Jillian's impressively large loft and Christian's tiny, cramped apartment. Chris revealed that his inspiration was 'beauty with a quirk.' He explained that he wanted to stay true to his background as a costume designer, but that he didn't want to do a 'parade of costumes' down the runway either. When he showed Tim some pieces that were made with real, human hair, Tim said that he felt that Chris may have lost some perspective. Elaborating, Tim explained that when one first visits a monkey house, one immediately thinks, 'this stinks' but after some time there, the smell begins to diminish until one gets used to it and doesn't notice it at all. Tim then told Chris, 'you've been LIVING in the monkey house.' Chris took it all in stride and said he'd take Tim's advice but that 'there's definitely going to be some hair.'
