Project Runway After Party - Season 4

Episode 5: "Eye Candy"
(or, alternatively, "Sweet P, you better stop listening to Christian, y'hear?")

And we’re back! Did you miss me?

Kevin laments at how they’re “dropping like flies” at this point. Sweet P’s “elated” that she’s made it this far. Kit is looking fierce with her scarf.

At Parsons, Heidi goes on her spiel about the models, etc. Two models have to go, yadda yadda. Are the models genuinely happy to be paired with a certain designer, or are they just in it for themselves? I ponder this question while the rest of the designers go through the boring process of choosing their models.

Hey Bravo, next time, when you bring out the models, make sure Heidi’s not wearing the same kind of dress they are, mmmkay? Fabulous.

Heidi tells the designers that they have a field trip coming, but that they should go back to the New Gotham apartments (or whatever it is you call their accommodations) to rest. What, are they filming this shot at 2 a.m. or something?

At 6 a.m. the next day, Tim Gunn wakes the designers up and tells them to get dressed and meet him in the lobby. Kit’s cracking up because she answered the door in her pajamas.

“I didn’t even have my bra on!”

I hear you, girl. That’s totally embarrassing.

I see one of the girls with what appears to be a canvas shopping bag from Mood. I TOTALLY WANT ONE.

So Tim leads the designers to Time Square, their destination? The Hershey’s store.

“Great, we get to make shit out of candy,” Christian says.

You got it, sister!

The Hershey’s store representative is a little too “on” for my taste. As in, someone totally rehearsed her talking points!

Budget? No budget, thanks to Hershey’s I begin to daydream back to the days of Season One in which the product placements seemed a little more subtle.

Chris grabs all the pillows. Miz Robot picks Twizzlers. Christian decides he’s going to use Reese’s peanut butter cup wrappers for his garment.

Time’s up, and the designers leave with their goodies, while the Hershey’s rep wishes them a “sweet day.”

Seriously. She did. Ugh.

Tim tells the designers back at Parsons that they have until midnight to finish the garments. Double ugh.

Christian! You are throwing away all of those perfectly good Reese’s peanut butter cups. You bitch. Still love you, though.

Elisa decides to make a dress for her daughter, Calliope. She tells us that she got hit by a Porsche in London as she was about to launch a clothing line in London. She sees this stint on Project Runway as a way to reclaim the life she could have had if she didn't get hit by that car.

Do you smell that? It smells like foreshadowing!

Christian is done with his garment early, so he decides to offer feedback to the rest of the designers. He manages to dissuade Sweet P from continuing with her original garment, a teal blue and brown dress that incorporated smashed-up coffee mugs in a mosaic pattern. He tells her it needs a bit of editing, so Sweet P decides to make another skirt.

Girl, don’t give in! This is a competition? Do I need to remind you?

Kevin vows to mention, in every forthcoming interview, that he will off him. Christian, that is. Surprisingly, I don't object this time.

Tim comes around to critique everyone’s dresses. Elisa’s dress is apparently inspired by Someone Von-Something’s take on a Hansel and Gretel dress. I know, I don’t get it either. Tim is worried. Jillian shares her concern about the tedium involved in making the Twizzlers bodice. Sweet P is starting over on a new skirt, per Christian's instructions. Tim says her new skirt looks like a coffee filter or a MAXI PAD. I almost spit out my tea at that. Understandably, Sweet P is freaking out. Tim Gunn, you're so nasty. I love it!

Midnight is quickly approaching, and Elisa is quick to point out the Cinderella parallel. Meanwhile, Sleeping Beauty --- er, I mean, Chris --- is snoring on the couch.

The designers go home for the evening, and Jillian’s Twizzler bodice is falling apart.

The next morning, Christian proclaims that the workroom is a “tranny mess up in here.” Is that code?

The models come in for a fitting. I’m surprised none of them have dived into Christian’s garbage can full of Reese’s peanut butter cups.

Don’t act like you wouldn’t.

Jillian’s model decides to help her hand-stitch the Twizzlers. Christian proceeds with the shit talking.

On to the runway!

Heidi just said something about proceeds going to some organization that helps fight breast cancer and I totally missed it. Let’s start the show!

Ricky’s garment was totally fun and playful. Chris’s dress was surprisingly toned down. Yay Chris! Kit’s dress is made out of Kit Kat wrappers (of course!). Elisa’s garment reminded me of fleurchons from seasons past, causing me to convulse. Kevin’s dress was super elegant, even if it did have a bolero jacket. Christian’s dress was really pretty as well, even though I still won't forgive him for wasting pounds and pounds of perfectly good Reese's peanut butter cups. Sweet P’s dress was very feminine, but something in the finishing left much to be desired. Rami’s dress looked very futuristic and sexy. Jillian the Robot's Twizzler dress totally worked. Phew. Victorya’s ruffled concoction looked like an off-kilter lederhosen-y dress. Zac Posen looked disturbed by it.

Ricky, Christian, Kit, and Kevin make it to the next round.

That leaves Jillian, Rami, Elisa, Victorya, Chris and Sweet P to stay behind for critique.

Zac says that Rami’s dress was well constructed and fits her perfectly.

Oh yeah. Zac Posen's the guest judge for this episode. Moving on ...

The judges love Jillian’s dress. Kors says it’s “deliciously chic.” I agree - she really worked hard to make this dress work, and it shows. I'm not really a Twizzlers fan, though. I'm a Red Vines kinda girl. I think it's a regional thing. But I digress.

Kors says that Elisa's brown velvet dress looks like something from the flea market. That it robbed him of his joy. The judges obviously have a problem with Victorya’s dress – it’s not wearable. It’s Dairy Queen in lederhosen, for crying out loud!

Chris says he tries to recreate something Warhol-ish. Kors thought he was going to go over-the-top, but that he made a great editing choice. NINAGARCIA throws out the “would I shoot this for Elle?” standard, which Chris passes just fine.

Sweet P’s dress, according to Heidi, was boring. NINAGARCIA thought it looked too easy. And sad. Kors is again robbed of his joy. I was underwhelmed. Shoulda kept the mosaic, girlfriend.

During deliberations, we learn that it’s neck and neck between Rami and Jillian. Rami’s got her on the detail, but Jillian might have an edge because she actually used something edible. The judges also decree that Chris actually does have taste after all, contrary to popular belief.

Rami wins the challenge and gets immunity will have immunity for the next episode.

Elisa is out, and I’m really sad to see her go!

I still think Sweet P should have stuck to her mosaic dress. Girl, you got lucky this time.


UPDATE, 1/4/08: Hot damn, I do love me some recaps from Season One Winner Jay McCarroll:

"some people are cute when they sleep...chris march snoring...not so cute."