Sep 4 2008
Random Musings
As the designers prep for another day (and challenge), there are random tidbits from various designers. Stella wonders how many “spoons” of coffee to put into the coffeemaker, while noting that being in the bottom 3 last week caused her to almost “seriously [bleep] my pants.” Suede commented that he was sad to see Keith go because Keith was his last roommate and after Keith’s ouster, Suede was placed with the other remaining male designers, and for him, “it was like the first day again.” And Blayne wistfully placed his arm into a sunbeam streaming through the window in order to get some tanning done.
Sticking with It
Leanne decided to stay with her model so once again, there was no models swap. So far this season, the designers have stayed very loyal to their models of choice.
Designing for a Legend
After making a “special appearance” on the runway, Tim Gunn took the designers to the offices of a “fashion legend” – Diane von Furstenberg. Diane told them that for this challenge, they were to create a look for her Fall collection, which is inspired by the film, “A Foreign Affair.”
Not Just Tim!
Blayne mused that he liked Mary-Kate Olsen, and “[he] wants to marry Mary-Kate. Who doesn’t? Well, except for Tim Gunn.” We’re pretty sure Tim’s not the only person who doesn’t want to marry Mary-Kate Olsen.
Better Than Mood
For this challenge, instead of being given money to spend at fabric store, Mood, the designers were given access to Diane von Furstenberg’s sample room, which made many of them gleeful. Given 15 minutes to pick their fabrics, they practically wrecked the room as Tim looked on in consternation. They were then given one day to complete their designs.
Keeping it too Simple?
All of the designers opted to go with a layered look and create multiple pieces – except Kenley. Moved to tears by meeting Diane von Furstenberg, who is her favorite designer, Kenley opted to simply make a dress with a bright, printed fabric.
Escalating Tension
The tension was escalating in the workroom as the designers made catty comments about each other, and refused to divulge what type of clothes they were designing. Joe noted that Terri was a “one trick pony, [always making] a blazer and pants [ensemble.].” Meanwhile, Leanne’s curiosity about the other designers’ outfits was met with a tight-lipped response, causing her to remark, “people are really competitive and closed off. It’s every man for themselves.”
Being Diane von Furstenberg
There was a moment of levity when Jerell and Korto agreed that getting judged by a fashion legend like Diane would be tough since they didn’t want her shooting down their ideas. Then mimicking Diane, they pretended to critique some designs. Jerell said, “I would just like to say “ick.”” And Korto chimed in with, “it’s just too much!”
How About Domestic?
Leanne revealed that she has never traveled abroad so, “[she’s had] no foreign affairs.”
Tim’s Early Prognosis
The designers seem to be wising up and realizing that taking Tim’s comments into consideration will often save them from elimination. However, whether they’re successful at applying his critiques to their final products is another thing entirely. Tim thought Suede’s dress was ill-fitting at the waist. As Tim noted, “visually, I’m not getting it.” He noted that Kenley’s dress may be too simple, but the dress itself was lovely. Finally, he thought Stella’s ensemble may be lacking cohesion again, which was also her problem last week. Stella didn’t seem phased by this, noting that the judges weren’t “open-minded” when judging her designs, and then managed to throw in a dig at Rachel Zoe, saying that “the stylist with the oversized muumuu dress and the waistband didn’t know any better.”
Still MIA
Nina Garcia was still MIA this week, so filling in for her was Fern Mallis, who puts together Fashion Week at Bryant Park. And obviously, Diane von Furstenberg was the guest judge.
Good Designing
The top 3 designers were Korto, Leanne and Kenley. Korto’s zebra print long halter dress with bright yellow accent and a black wraparound jacket was deemed “great [and] beautiful” by Diane. The judges thought it was “very, very interesting” and that her look could be both “international [or] New York.” Kenley’s Shanghai-inspired sleeveless dress was called out for being too simple by Heidi, but Kenley argued that she wanted to do something different than what Diane normally does. While the judges didn’t seem to be impressed by her rather simple approach to the challenge, they did concede that “it was a very beautiful dress” and that it was “chic, wearable [and] saleable.” Finally, Leanne’s midnight blue evening dress with a gray cropped jacket was thought to be “new and different” and “very Ingrid Bergman.” Diane said simply that the outfit showed “a lot of good design.”
