Mar 6 2008
All Eyes on Friday
Christian revealed that the Fashion Week runway show is on Friday and the final 3 all talk about how excited they are for that day. We are too, but at the start of the show, it was only Tuesday, so there’s 3 whole days to get through first. Or at least, 25 minutes of filler in this episode before we can actually see the collections on the runway so. . .patience.
Tim's Final Thoughts
Tim visited the contenders in their workroom and gave them final assessments on their collections. Tim was concerned about a sweater in Jillian's collection (black and white with big, white sleeves that looked like mops) and she confessed that she wasn't sure what to do with his critique. Tim loved a new, lace piece in Rami's collection and Rami told Tim that he had taken his advice and scaled things back a bit. Finally, Christian revealed that he hadn't changed much (if anything) since Tim's last visit, and Tim expressed the same concern - that Christian's 'over exuberance' in his designs might not translate well.
Casting Call
The final 3 went to a models casting call and Rami and Christian both had very clear ideas on what they were looking for. Rami noted that the models fell into 3 categories - 'great,' 'okay,' and 'tragic.' Christian, meanwhile, was looking for models with 'fierce tallness.' Only Jillian seemed to struggle with the casting call, revealing that she had never done one before, and she was indecisive about a few of her choices.
Hair, Make-Up and Fittings
The final 3 also spent the days leading up to the runway show consulting with L'Oreal Paris (for make-up) and TreSemme (for hair) on their models. They also did fittings for the models they had selected earlier. In other words, they were doing what they would normally do for those runway assignments, except they had days as opposed to hours.
Mismatched
Jillian discovered, upon viewing Polaroid photographs of her models, that she had made a mistake in the casting. Her models didn't seem to 'match' - they were all different looking and of different heights, which she thought lent a disjointed look to her collection. She tried to call the casting director to see if she could make some changes but was told that wasn't possible. She brooded over this for quite a while, to the point where Rami, usually her closest ally, deemed it 'annoying.'
It's the Shoes
Christian selected some rather uncomfortable looking shoes for his models to wear and when they complained, he noted that he had walked around in those shoes for 'a week in my apartment, [and] if I can do it, these ladies can!' As one model put it, 'it's not about comfort.'
Last Gather 'Round
Tim gathered the final 3 for one last pep talk, where he declared that this season had the highest level of work he'd ever seen. He told them to 'trust that you are superb' and that they were all 'an inspiration to me.' How could you not group hug Tim Gunn after that?
Finally!
'Friday' finally arrived and the final 3 got up (at the crack of dawn!) and head for Bryant Park. They all 'ohhhed' and 'ahhhed' at the runway where they'd be showcasing their collections before disappearing backstage and into the hectic mayhem of pre-show preparations.
Familiar Faces
Many of the previously ousted contenders are in the audience of the Fashion Week runway show, as well as former contestants such as Laura Bennett (S3) and Nick Verros (S2).
Very Posh
Heidi opened the show by welcoming everyone and introducing the judges - the usual suspects Nina Garcia and Michael Kors - and the special guest judge, Victoria Beckham, a.k.a 'Posh' from The Spice Girls.
First Impressions
Jillian was the first to show her collection and she stated that she was very inspired by it and hoped the audience would be as well. Our initial impressions of her collection were that it had very few colors - lots of brown, black and dark colors (like olive green). There were lots of jackets and skirts ensembles. Our favorite piece was a long, black evening gown with fitted bodice and a skirt that ‘rippled’ as the model walked down the runway. Rami was second and he said his collection was a 'celebration of women.' Our first impressions of his collection were that he used more colors - although some of them were rather bland - teal blue, muted pink for instance. He had a lot of dresses with intricate weaving and of course, his signature draping. He also closed out his show with 4 very beautiful evening gowns (all strapless). Finally, Christian came out and rambled a bit about his family and his excitement and told the audience, 'everybody looks fierce.' Our impressions of Christian's collection were that there was a lot of black. Lots and lots of black slacks and ruffled blouses with very high, very dramatic necklines. There were also a lot of hats. The outfit that Tim had concerns over - a big, beige, ruffled neck piece, paired with thin pants, black tailored jacket and a big, wide-brimmed hat reminiscent of the hat Kate Winslet wore in the opening scene of Titanic - didn't work for us. In fact, we couldn't even see the poor model underneath all that fabric. His last piece, a two toned, beige/dark brown, feathered evening dress was stunning.
