Project Runway 4, Episode Seven

Manolo says, savor these words, dear internet friends: “New Jersey High School Prom.”

Such delicious and horrifying images are conjured up, no?

And yet, for the most part, the young women who were selected to be the “clients” were smart, and sophisticated, and somewhat knowledgeable about fashion. And they seemed to provide enough guidance to the designers so that some of them were able to produce attractive and flattering gowns.

Undoubtedly, some of this precocious knowledge is attributable to Project Runway, itself, for it has popularized the production of fashion like nothing before it. Certainly, the fashion blogs also deserve much credit here, as they have demystified fashion and made it accessible, so that for the first time the voice of ordinary enthusiasts can be heard and respected.

This is all so encouraging to the Manolo, who hopes for nothing less than the complete democratization of fashion, in which talented young peoples in New Jersey, and Manitoba, and Minas Gerais, and Botswana can produce beautiful clothes and sell them to people on the other side of the world.

But back to the Project Runway, and to the designers who were confronted by these young women who had definite ideas of their own. Predictably, Christian, who is the most immature of the designers, had the most difficulty adjusting to the demands of his outspoken client.


Christian Prom Dress
Yes, this girl had the difficult personality, and was misinformed as to her own competency, but had Christian been more mature, and less of the cry baby, he could have ameliorated the situation. In the stead, he sabotaged himself, producing the gown that was unsuitable for this girl’s shape, and then attempting to shift the blame for his failure.

As for the result…you may remember the Manolo saying this last week…

The most satisfying moment occurred when the little boy Christian was sent off the stage in the first round with the okay-but-not-great finishers. One could tell that he was crushed by the knowledge that his outfit was not judged among the best. Oh, such deliciously sweet and nougaty schadenfreude! The Manolo would go into diabetic shock if this puffed-up pipsqueak were to ever land in the bottom two.

Ayyyy! It was true, the relegation of Christian into the bottom two was more delicious and wonderful than the Manolo could have imagined.

Sadly, he was joined on the platform of ignominy by Kevin, who designed the horrible object of cheapness. This was too bad, because Kevin does have talent and is the stand up sort of guy. So, of course, he had to go, because Christian must be kept around for dramatic purposes.

The Manolo agrees that Kevin’s red dress was far worse than Rickey’s wan sack, but still, the Manolo had hoped that Ricky would be sent away this week. He is tiresome. (Although, at least his tears seemed far more genuine than those of the certain unnamed person who also should have been sent into retirement this week. )

The Manolo loves Rami, and thinks he will win the competiton, but the less said about his gown the better. The “risk” he took was that he produced the exact dress he would have produced if left to his own devices. And it was far too old for this young and lively girl, and his petulant response when this was pointed out was unsightly.

As for the winner, the Manolo felt that Sweet P’s classical gown was the best, indeed it was vastly superior to Victorya’s be-yoked blue dress. Likewise, the Manolo also preferred Chris’s green floor-length gown. But, the judges are the judges.

Perhaps, the Manolo is living in the distant past, but aren’t prom gowns supposed to be floor length?

It was so long ago, when the Manolo stood outside the gym, his nose pressed against the rain-slicked glass, watching the beautiful girls in their long gowns and the handsome boys in their powder blue tuxedos. Let us just say, that those long-ago prom goers were lucky the young Manolo had failed, despite repeated and earnest attempts, to fully develop his telekinetic powers.

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