Manolo says, Paris and the Project Runway? C’est Magnifique!

Jetsetters?

Ayyyy! Let the Manolo be the first to say that this is not the possee that the Manolo would want to take with him to the Ibiza. The Manolo usually associates with the better class of drama queens, airheads, recovering junkies, and befuddled old men.

But, one must “make it work” and so this motley crew went at their appointed task with the vengeance, producing the outfits that were mostly fit for wearing to the Salvation Army, where they could then be exchanged for something more stylish and au courant.

For the example, the Ulli was ready to jet set it out the back door and onto the Magic Bus for the mystical journey to the Humboldt County with the Manson Family. Very 2006, that.

And at this point the Manolo thought…One. Trick. My. Pretty. Psychedelic. Pony.

Then there was the “costume” produced by the Kayne, the costume which the Tim described as “too much Elvis”.

To which the Manolo immediately replied, there is no such things as the too much Elvis. It is impossible to have too much Elvis!

In the fact, the Manolo is of the opinion that the world needs more of the Elvis. Fat Elvis, Thin Elvis, Young Elvis, Old Elvis, Elvis giving away the pink Cadillacs to the strangers, Elvis treating his friends to the fried peanut butter, bacon, and banana sandwiches, Elvis spreading joy like glitter everywhere he goes!

Yes, we now mock the Elvis for his fashion choices, but we forget that Elvis was always of the moment, and that even when he appeared in the be-rhinestoned jumpsuits he was representing the pure and distilled essence of the 1970s show business.

The problem with the outfit of the Kayne was indeed not too much of the Elvis, it was too much cheap Elvis.

Of the course, the worst of the worst was the outfit produced by the Angela, who combined so many awful elements that the Manolo fully expected the very Earth to open up, rent asunder by the rift in the space-time continuum caused by the concentration of too much crap, and swallow her down to Hell.

Sadly, we who were offended had to be satisfied with the Angela being sent away, although not as one would have hoped covered in the tar and feathers.

Laura produced something that looked good, although not something the Manolo would have thought was for the travelling. And the Vincent made the outfit that the Manolo himself would have worn, but only if it were correctly tailored and the jersey made from the triple cashmere.

And when the Michael Kors criticized this outfit for being too basic and boring, the Manolo thought that undoubtedly the Kors believed it could have been greatly enlivened with the addition of the basic black blazer, which could never be removed, and which would also look good on one’s mother.

As for the winner, Jeffrey, the Manolo asks you, did we not see this very outfit on the Mick Jagger in the year 1990? Although, the Manolo doubts that the Mick would have been so silly as to have called conspicuous attention to the lack of bulge in his crotch.

Again, it was the Michael who impressed the Manolo most. Not because it was to his exact taste, but because he took something the Manolo despises–the baggy goth parachute pants with the superfluous external straps– and made them into something the Manolo can almost tolerate, simply by making them out of the seersucker. This was the most amusing and impressive display of wit, and it worked.

Manolo says, this episode of the Project Runway, it had it all: the anger, the tears, the ladies of the certain size, the Micheal Kors and the mother of the Michael Kors in the Mommy-and-Me outfits!

Ayyyyyyyy! Such fun!

First, allow the Manolo to say, adieu, sweet Barbie Prince Bob. Yes, everything you made looked as if it was something you had just purchased down at the Ross Dress for Less, but you were still the nice guy and you had the big gym-made biceps.

Second, allow the Manolo to congratulate the crazy Vincent for designing what was the superior outfit of the evening. Even the better, Vincent turned out to be the mensch, the person who knew when it was appropriate to apologize and was not afraid to tell someone so. Yes, he is wound three turns too tight, but he is not the bad person.

Speaking of the bad person, the Manolo cannot help but think that the Jeffrey must have been the much more pleasant person as the junkie. Indeed, slumped against the wall in the heroin stupor would be infinately superior to the rude, angry, aggressive, petulant child he is sober.

And here the Manolo he is risking much scorn and anger from the recovering-addict-American community, but what can he do, there are those people who would simply be better company stoned.

The Jeffrey he does have the sympathy of the Manolo, as he is undoubtedly tormented in ways we cannot know, but this it is not the excuse for being abusive to someone’s mama.

As for the rest of this episode, the Manolo loved the mothers, this was the wonderful, stupdenous idea from the producers. Here, the Manolo thought, was the chance for these aspiring designers to dress the real, everyday woman in all of her glory. Brilliant!

There are few things that test the true ability of the designer than having to dress the woman who is not the skinny teenager with the protruding hip bones and the stick legs. Just ask Alison from the last week’s challenge.

The Manolo thought that the outfits produced by Michael and Uli were quite good, and that the Kayne did much better than the judges gave him credit for. Laura’s outfit made the Manolo think of something the executive secretary of the certain age would wear to the office, definitely not something to be worn on the cruise. As for the Jeffrey’s and Angela’s…ayyyyyyyy! Only in the mind of the Angela could the shaky-shaky fringe = Audrey Hepburn.

Finally, the Manolo loves, loves, loves the Joan Kors.

This woman she needs her own show on the Bravo Network: The Joan Kors Koffee Klatch. Just Joan sitting around drinking the coffee, chain smoking the Lucky Strikes, discussing whatever happens to be in her mind at that moment with whatever guest happens to drop by. The Manolo would definitely watch that.

P.S. The super fantastic Laura K. of the super fantastic Blogging the Project Runway, reminds the Manolo that this latest challenge, like at least two of the previous challenges, was first suggested and discussed by the very canny readers of the Blogging the Project Runway, long before the producers ever “thought” of them.

For the past several months the Manolo has considered the Blogging the Project Runway to be the single most important resource on the internets for the Project Runway television show, indeed, it is far more important and informative than the filled with fluff and nonsense website of the Bravo. (The Manolo only goes to the Bravo site to hear the Tim Gunn’s podcasts.)

If you love the Project Runway you should be reading the Blogging the Project Runway.