PROJECT RUNWAY Recap: S4, Ep 2

Wow! It just feels like I was finishing up the recap of last week’s premiere of PROJECT RUNWAY and here we are at the second episode. That whole thing about time flying…I think there’s something to that.

If you saw any of the promos for this week’s episode of Project Runway, then you knew that a huge style icon was going to be involved in this week’s challenge. I really had no idea who it was. I thought it was perhaps a big time designer like Ralph Lauren or Dolce & Gabbana or someone amazing like Madonna. But then I got thinking about the “style icons” of the past that have visited the show (um, Nikki Hilton) and I got nervous that the icon was going to be a big let down. So when the icon was revealed to be Carrie Bradshaw herself, Sarah Jessica Parker, I was pleasantly surprised. I like Sarah Jessica (enough to wear her perfume everyday…don’t laugh until you smelled ‘Lovely’, I get more compliments on it, but then blush when people ask who makes it and I answer ‘SJP’ because I’m not fully comfortable with announcing the world that I wear a celebrity scent. It’s like saying, ‘oh what am I wearing? It’s Electric Youth by Debbie Gibson’. But if they still don’t know who SJP is, I tell them because I believe the world would be a more harmonious place to live if everyone smelled better and I wouldn’t want to deny the planet peace just because I was a little too embarrassed to admit I wear a perfume by Sarah Jessica Parker). So yeah, I like her.

Tim and Sarah Jessica inform the designers that for this week’s challenge, they need to produce two articles of clothing for SJP’s new clothing line, Bitten. Bitten is all about accessible fashion for women of all shapes and (purse) sizes. The design must be able to retail for $40 (gasp) and therefore must be produced for $15 (double gasp). The designers damn near faint at the thought of creating an affordable piece of clothing, but decide to give it a go in the same of Sarah Jessica Parker.

Only seven designs were making it down the runway. Each designed had a few minutes to present his/her idea to SJP and then she in turn would pick seven designs to see come to fruition. The designers chosen to construct their outfit picked a fellow designer to assist. Since it was only week two and there wasn’t too much animosity yet, there weren’t a ton of good designer-designer cat fights. The only spec of drama came from the pairing of the space cadet Elisa and Sweet P. Sweet P was the last kid left on the playground yet was still all pissy about working with Elisa. Then again, after Elisa’s week one disaster, I didn’t blame Sweet P one bit (although I get physically ill every time I have to write ‘Sweet P’). We learned last week that Elisa thinks she’s special because she’s one with the earth. This week we learn that she thinks she cool because she spits on the fabric to mark it. She gave us some BS about her saliva infusing energy into the dress but she’s full of it. Honestly, does she really think spitting on some fabric gives it some kind of cosmic value or does she just say and do this stuff because she thinks she’s better than everyone else? Yeah, I think that too.So the designers stress, they look at the clock, they bicker, Tim comes in and says ‘make it work’, they look at the clock more, they sleep, they go back to Parsons, they bicker some more, the models come in, they visit the salon and makeup rooms, they looks at the clocks and then Tim calls them down for the runway show.

One by one the outfits make their way down the runway for the judges, and guest judge Sarah Jessica Parker. I actually thought these $15 ensembles were on the whole much better than the fashion don’t we saw in the premiere.

• Rami & Jillian – I really liked this shirt dress and could see it working in the Bitten line. It wasn’t all that unique, but it was something the everyday woman could wear.
• Christian & Carmen – Ugh, ugh, ugh. The outfit looked like something LaToya Jackson would wear to a business meeting in 1987. Christian should start listening to others and realizing that he isn’t the fashion god he thinks he is.
• Ricky & Jack – I thought this dress was really cute and I could easily see my friends wearing it. I thought the neckline was interesting and although I didn’t like the particular boots it was paired with, I do like the look of the dress and the boots.
• Elisa & Sweet P – This dress looked much better on the runway than it does in the photograph. I was surprised to see just how unique it was and the way it moved was fantastic. And two pieces for $15? Surprisingly, one of my favorites of the night (even though it had been spat on).
• Kit & Chris – This was a really cute top with built in pockets. Definitely more my style, but compared to the other designs I thought it was really safe…too safe. But then, it did fit it perfectly with style of Bitten so I can see why SJP liked it so much.
• Victorya & Kevin – This babydoll dress with pockets and vest didn’t do much for me personally. I thought it was cute but I could not get over the length. I have friends that wear adorably short dresses during the summer, but I can’t imagine any of them in this. It just didn’t scream ‘every woman’ to me. But I can’t deny that it was well designed and well made for $15.
• Marion & Steve – This outfit screamed burlap sack. But then again it reminded me of an afghan I once had. So maybe it was a burlap afghan. Either way it was hideous.

auf Wiedersehen and Congrats (not necessarily in that order)…
This week we said congrats to Victorya and auf Wiedersehen to Marion.

Kath’s Picks…
No real complaints from me on the judges picks. I had an outfit I liked less and one I liked more, but I’m ok with who is staying and who is going this week.

Jennifer’s Runway…
Each week I’ll be directing you to my favorite Project Runway recaps, written by the hilarious Jennifer Eolin.

First – Elisa and Sweet P. Hoooo boy. Let’s just get to it. The “spit mark.” THE SPIT MARK. SHE spits on clothes to mark measurements and “to imbibe it with energy and essence.” So many things come to mind:

1. Wha–?!
2. It’s called chalk, buy some!
3. Spitting should only happen in a place of business if you’re a dentist or a hooker.
4. Who raised you to think this is a good idea?
5. I’d hate to see how you mark walls for hanging pictures.

(continue reading at Jennifer’s MySpace blog)