"The Fashion Show": You should take it very personally

By Eric Rezsnyak on May 22, 2009

We're now three episodes in, and I feel like I'm starting to get a real handle on the competitors. Once again I found both of the challenges this episode to be smart and legitimately useful in the fashion industry, unlike many of the "Project Runway" tasks (create an outfit for a female wrestler!). Unfortunately, once again I was left cold by the majority of the looks that stomped down the runway. I keep waiting for these designers to inspire me, and so far two, maybe three, of them do anything for me at all.

I'm not going to do a blow-by-blow of the episode. All you need to know is that the short challenge was a garment-repair relay race, which Team Tiny (Merlin, Lidia, Angel, James-Paul) won to get... I have no idea. Anybody catch their prize? And the elimination challenge tasked the same teams as the previous two episodes (they desperately need to start switching those up) with designing a coat for each of the four seasons. But not just any coat: the garment had to have some kind of extra functionality, the more creative the better.

Team Daniella won -- and rightfully so, as they were the only designers to create actual wearable garments instead of shit that looked like it came from an "Inspector Gadget" episode -- and it came down to Andrew's short spring coat that turned into a long trench with rain hood, or Anna's gorgeous tweed winter coat with gloves hidden in the sleeves. As the judges praised Andrew for his look, Daniella had to be a total bitch and interrupt to say that she was the brains behind most of the garment's elements. She clearly consulted with Andrew on the look, but as team leader THAT WAS HER JOB. The guest judge, some cat-looking woman I don't know, gave her a verbal bitch-slapping for the diva move, and ultimately Andrew won the episode, robbing poor Anna for a second straight week.

Team Fail (Johnny, Markus, Haven, led by Reco) ended up in the bottom, mostly because three out of four of its members cannot sew. Seriously, how do you come on a fashion competition not being able to sew? It's like going on "Amazing Race" and not knowing how to drive stick. With the exception of Reco's cool snowsuit all of the team's looks were awful. But Haven's ugly cosmetics-holding smock thing and Markus' poorly constructed mess with a removable collar to hold extra jewelry ended up in the bottom 2, and Markus went home. Fine by me. I just wish they'd cut both of them. They were both pretty useless.

It seems to me that at this point the front runners are emerging pretty clearly. In the top tier you've got James-Paul (although his kooky tendencies could bounce him before his time), Anna (best designer there, for my money), Reco (sews like the wind, inventive), Merlin (batshit crazy, but the guy has talent), and Daniella (I cannot stand that shrew; she is the new Kenley Collins, but the judges seem to love her).

In the middle of the pack you've got The Forgettables, Lidia, Angel, Keith, and Andrew, whose win this week was undeserved. They might be able to design, but they have no discernible personalities, and I can't remember a single thing they've sent down the runway.

And then we have the Bottom Feeders, Haven and Johnny. Neither of them can sew, both of them have terrible attitudes. Johnny may make it farther because he seems to have some legitimate talent, but I hope not. He's completely unlikable, between his bitch move last week about how he didn't know this was "America's Next Top Seamstress" to his hissing in the confessionals about Reco "showing off." (Johnny, I think you meant "carrying my lazy ass," because you think you're too good to learn how to sew.) There is not enough whatever in the universe for that slob.