Project Runway 2, Week 9
Manolo says, Ayyyyyyyy! The tension! The tension! It felt as if someone’s head it was going to explode!
When the designers were standing on the runway, or sitting in the back waiting for the judges to pass their judgement, one could smell the sweaty desperation, one could see the veins popping out on the foreheads. It was indeed excellent television.
And the challenge it was likewise excellent.
The making over of the designers it has been the Manolo’s fondest desire from the beginning of this season of the Project Runway. Except for the Chloe and the Emmett, and to the lesser extent the Nick, the designers they have looked like the touring company of the Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome, the Musical!
They make the worst fashion choices for themselves, which are then displayed each week for our amusement. The idea that the fashion designers, as the class, they are themselves frequently the fashion victims it is something that the Manolo has explored in the past. (viz. Vera Wang, John Galliano, the Evil One, et al.)
Indeed, many designers they will simply give up and dress themselves in all black all of the time, thinking that non-color will deflect from them the criticisms of their poor fashion choices.
And so, as you can imagine, the Manolo he laughed out loud when the Michael Kors announced last night that he “would not wear the vest with the pink back”.
Of the course not, Michael Kors, you would not wear anything except the jeans, the black jacket, and the black t-shirt with the stretched out neck. (Yes, perhaps it did cost $300 of the American dollars, but it still looks as if you’ve been wearing it to the YMCA for the vigorous games of pick-up basketball.)
So the making over of the designers, it is something the Manolo has longed to do, to transform them from the random shambling heaps of hair balls and cleaning rags, into something more like sentient beings.
In the best of cases this it would not be the easiest of the tasks as the designers of the Project Runway, they are not the handsome peoples.This it is not the handicap in the world of fashion, as it is also true that many of the famous fashion designers, they too are ugly.
The Manolo, he theorizes that this it is because the ugly they are naturally drawn to the beauty.
So, the Manolo he could not but agree with the crude Southernism of the Santino, that this challenge it was like trying to polish the turd, trying to take what is natuarlly not attractive and make it into something that at the least does not repel.
In the end, the correct decisions were reached. Chloe made the Nick look great. Nick made the Daniel V. look silly. Kara made the Santino mildly less repuslive, if only by having his scraggly beard shaved, and taking away some of the crazy wickety-wack of his usual outfit. The less said about Daniel V’s dressing of the Chloe the better. And the Santino, he turned the Kara into the futuristic, natural-fiber, space hooker. Ugh.
Good bye to the Nick. You are the nice guy, who has much talent, and the Manolo he wishes you well, but your outfit it was not good.
Finally, the Manolo he asks the rhetorical question, other than the Chloe who would you hire to give you the making over?
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Comments
Eric3000 19 years ago
Thank you Manolo,
I agree this episode was exciting and the judging pretty fair, though it is always difficult to chose between the bottom designs that are almost equally bad. Many people are complaing that this was the worst episode ever and that it has finally proven that the judging is completely fixed but I enjoyed it and thought it was a good challenge. The judging has always been a little off but I didn’t find it more so in this episode. Oh, and yes, I think Chloe is the only one I would allow to dress me.
furlagirl 19 years ago
Speaking of ugly designers, a few years ago I was in a restaurant in London and sitting at the next table was a fat sweaty bloke in a too-small t-shirt, enccasing what we call here a beer belly, with thighs oozing over the edge of the chair. It was Alexander McQueen.
Oh Navel 19 years ago
Speaking of non-ugly designers. Two words. Tom Ford. The Vanity Fair cover is smokin’ hot.
the barb 19 years ago
The Barb laughed, too about m. Kors’ comment on the pink-backed vest. Even the Barb’s muy macho husband would wear pink at the back of the vest.
I thought rigged, too. I thought Santino’s outfit uglier, and although Nick’s didn’t work as menswear, it could have looked nicer if it were in a dark color (flaws would not have shown) AND IT DIDN’T FALL APART. Remember that Zulema was sent packing for her poor craftsmanship. Santino should have gotten the aufiedersehen (don’t check my spelling). Fixed. Fixed. Fixed. I despise Santino.
And cannot believe that I care enough to despise the man. I know people who can redirect conversation–no matter the subject–to themselves the way they showed last night. Despise them, too.
LOVED how he basically thought he had to direct Kara and himself…hey, no skin of his back if he walks the runway nekkid, right? Guaranteed boot of the Kara…
Meg. A. Lo. Ma. Ni. Ac.
The Barb
Twistie 19 years ago
The Twistie, she dares to disagree with the superfantastic Manolo about the judging. It is not that the Twistie considers the judging fixed. It is not even the fact that the Twistie has been longing for the booting of the Santino for what feel like the eons. It is most definitely not that the Twistie fails to recognize the badness of the Nick’s design for The Daniel.
It is the fact that the Santino created the garment that made the Kara look lumpy and even more ridiculous, and even moreso that said lumpy, ridiculous garment actually fell apart on the runway. The Daniel at least looked comfortable, if not good, while the Kara looked like the massive tool that would wish for the runway to open up and swallow her whole.
Ah well, with the help of the Chloe, at least the Nick looked beyond superfantastic as he was auf’ed. The Twistie wishes the Uncle Nick the future most bright.
And if the Twistie never hears the Santino speak of the polished turds again, it will be far, far, far too soon.
CK 19 years ago
I was torn between who should go. I am finally at peace with Santino staying, because I believe that Santino’s outfit, while poorly executed, was well-conceived. The fabrics were great and the design was actually quite striking and suitable for Kara’s figure. Had it been sewn better, Kara would have looked utterly chic, in that weird, ridiculous way that Manhattan women can pull off. However, Nick’s design was poorly executed AND poorly conceived. All of his choices–design, fabric, construction, fit, accessories–were wrong, wrong, wrong. That is why he went.
As for who I would let dress me…this will be an unpopular statement, but I would choose Kara. She understands how women wear clothing. I think some of her designs (including the Hilton one) are lovely, clean, and well-made.
LizaBet 19 years ago
I’m sure the producers phoned in on this one. If anyone should’ve gone last night it was Santino. Not only was his jumpsuit unattractive AND unfinished, he arrogantly put Kara in a no-win situation. Of course the poor woman looked uncomfortable–if she’d moved a single muscle, even to breath, the entire outfit would’ve unraveled and left her standing nekked on the runway! But she couldn’t tell the judges that on the off chance they hadn’t noticed the full scope of his shoddy workmanship. Nick’s outfit was poorly made as well, but at least it was finished.
That said, I’d pick Chloe to make me over. Maybe she’s boring in her consistency but her designs are clean, crisp and woman-friendly.
Miss Dove 19 years ago
The Miss Dove, she would also choose the Kara. As she demonstrated last night, the wishes of the client come first, and she has an affinity for the casual sportswear that sadly, the Miss Dove, she lacks. The Miss Dove, she wonders why the Michael Kors is so averse to wearing the color pink on the back of a vest. Is he worried that someone might think he is gay? Methinks the MK should not be so homophobic. Unfortunately, the Miss Dove, she thinks that the Santino, he will be the winner of PR2. While most of his designs they are the execrable rags, he is the only designer left who has a singular vision, albeit an ugly, ill-fitting one.
Eric3000 19 years ago
CK is exactly right, if you are going to make a boring design it has to be perfectly executed. Chloe’s design wasn’t innovative or exciting but it looked perfect. Santino’s design was a mess but it was an interesting concept. Who on earth would have thought of making a jumpsuit?! Brilliant! And CK is also right that if it had been made better Kara would have looked pretty damn good in it. So, as has happened time and time again on this show, when it comes down to two bad outfits, the interesting mess beats out the boring mess every time. (Remember, Zulima was not out only for bad construction but also for a boring concept)
fashionpolice 19 years ago
I also feel that the Santino will walk away the winner of PR2. I think he designs rags that I would not put in my trash can, much less on my body but alas… I am not the judge. I think I would let Daniel dress me if Chloe was unavailable. And I loved the way MK described Daniels outfit for Chloe. He was just so evil looking.
Phyllis 19 years ago
No fair Manolo – you first!
Maryscott O'Connor 19 years ago
I would hire NO ONE to make me over. The MSOC, she is perfect just the way she is, and has had enough department store make-up makeovers to know that what the MSOC finds hideous, inevitably the makeover mavens think the height of style and class — when in the fact it is nothing short of criminal.
Speaking of criminal — the MSOC was recently shorn against her will by the charming Frenchman who gave the staircase layered cut to her formerly long, long locks. The MSOC is now the fuming wearer of the PAGEBOY, and would like to know why it is not possible to sue for the malpractice of haircuttery.
Tammy 19 years ago
So Nick made Daniel too feminine? Come on! I was very unsatisfied with this show. I was also very confused. Doesn’t a “make over” mean you look different? Santino looked exactly the same. And poor Kara looked like she wished her hair was longer to cover up the horrid thing she was forced to wear.
Sheas 19 years ago
I loved Nick and I’m sad to see him go. :(
eliz 19 years ago
Kara, because she would follow my designs and not her own.
Lorraine 19 years ago
I believe last night’s judges were the officials from the Superbowl in disguise. The calls, they were not what everyone else was seeing. The horrible and ridiculous suit Kara had to wear was a) ugly, b) clearly uncomfortable and 3) not even SEWN! Nick’s suits had flaws to be sure but at least he used needle and thread and not Elmer’s glue. The Santino, he should have been out. And the Seahawks should have won. Life, she is not always fair.
dillene 19 years ago
From what I could see of the previews for next week’s show, it looks like everyone there thinks Santino should have gotten the boot this week.
never2manyshoes 19 years ago
I am confused.
How is a jumpsuit, something we make convicts wear, innovative?
I have never been looking through my closet and thought, “Man, I wish I had a jumpsuit to wear out!”
Not only was Santino’s crap, crappy, it was ill-fitting and uncomfortable looking.
I think Chloe will win next week and Kara will be out, just because they won’t want to get rid of Santino. God knows why!!
Not to mention, like Chloe said, she made 3 pieces and it looked great and Santino couldn’t get a ridiculous looking POS to stay together!!
ashley 19 years ago
Dearest Manolo,
Greetings from Texas. The mind wonders Manolo, are you a fan of the “Designing Women”? Seems like not. What would the super fabulous Julia Sugarbaker say to the Manolo in response to “crude Southernism”? I don’t think Santino is Southern, nor do I think that we, Southerners, have the market cornered on crudeness. Shame, Manolo, shame.
lumos 19 years ago
I do not think the Kara will be out, because the lumos, she wishes it to be so. The Kara is lame, uninnovative, and always crying. She’s been saved by freak accidents that have caused the lumos much anguish. First the Andrae…then the Nick! To be fair Andrae’s dress was stiff and doormatish…but Kara looked like a lumpy, bumpy potato. The gunny-sack jumpsuit would not be flattering on anyone ever. What ever happened to “Guadalupe, your design would have put Nikki on the worst dressed list”…”Santino, your design put Kara on the worst dressed (of all time) list.”
Liz 19 years ago
The problem with both Kara and Chloe is that they are very, very safe. Nick is too fond of the fishtail skirt and the charmuese, neither of which flatter my body. He’s also a bit whiny and, I can see him getting a bit overcome if any criticisms were made by me. Daniel presents an image of being a very sweet guy, but he is also repetitive and has displayed a nasty streak of ego that I find disconcerting. Santino has the same ego, but at least he’s up front about it.
I would probably go for Santino just for the hell of it. After all, if you can’t take a risk, why bother with the makeover? And, I have a feeling, that if he had more time, he would create better sewn garments.
Even if I hated the look he gave me, I would have laughed my head off at the Timpressions.
Eric3000 19 years ago
never2manyshoes,
I’ll try to end your confusion: the fact that you would never look in you closet and say, “I wish I had a jumpsuit to wear” is exactly why it is an innovative idea to design a jumpsuit. The concept is: let’s take something no one would think of wearing and try to make it cool. Obviously Santino didn’t succeed. Now, would I look into my closet and say, “I wish I had a nice suit to wear”? Yes, in fact I often look in my closet and say that. So the concept of making a nice men’s suit is not very exciting, but if it is done well it can still be very nice.
Tea 19 years ago
First, the David Hasselhoff video of him singing “Hooked On A Feeling” and now, Nick is out of “Project Runway”. Those are signs of the apocalypse!
mickeyblue 19 years ago
Ashley,
Santino mentioned on this episode that he’s from Mississippi. I’m from Alabama myself and always thought that the polishing remark was a saying that had a distinctively Southern origin. When I read Manolo’s post, I was under the impression that he meant that the phrase was a Southernism and a crude one, not that crudeness was cornered by the South or that all Southernisms were crude. I’m sure the Manolo can and does appreciate our distinctive charm.
Susanna 19 years ago
Yes, Santino is from MissiSomething. Missouri or Mississippi.
I live in TX, too, and I asked around and it does seem to be something they wish to take credit for. But that’s TX for you! Also they like to say, “it’s like puttin’ lipstick on a pig.”
Cassie 19 years ago
I’m in the minority on this, but I actually didn’t hate Daniel’s dress-vest thing for Chloe. *ducks flying pointy objects* If I had Chloe’s figure, I would wear it out. (And it makes me wonder why m.Kors seems to automatically see sleeveless-over-sleeveless and scream “80s bitchy!”, but that’s another comment)
And yes, Daniel would be my makeover choice. I don’t always agree with his design choices (see the Inspiration episode; Andrae had that all over, IMHO) but I think he’s talented and I love him muchly.
mooncalf 19 years ago
LOLOL, oh my! “MissiSomething. Missouri or Mississippi”
Well, I can obviously see how you could get the two mixed up… they’re sooo similar!
VeddyVeddyBadAng 19 years ago
It should be obvious to everyone why Santino stayed! The “guest judge”, whoever the heck he was, LIKED Santino’s outfit! If that guy hadn’t liked his outfit, Santino would have gone, because he would have gotten 4 strikes for the bad idea, PLUS bad construction. But poor Nick had 4 strikes for both a so-so idea and so-so construction, and no one to say anything positive about his outfit. Pure and simple. As soon as that guy said “I like Santino’s outfit!”, I knew Nick was gone. So I wasn’t too surprised when Heidi said “Santino…. you’re in.”
the barb 19 years ago
I’ve renamed Szntino to Satano.
Liz, When did Daniel show ego? When he took criticism on the runway, I just thought he was acknowledging differing opinions…
Seemed appropriate.
The Barb
dowdydiva 19 years ago
I would reach back into the ranks of the ‘out’ and have Daniel Franco design for me a beautiful outfit.
Anne 19 years ago
I was shocked, I have to say, SHOCKED, that Santino did not get kicked out for making Kara wear something that MADE HER CRY. It was not sewn but glued, and he blamed HER for moving around too much and making it fall apart. It was not remotely flattering and if an actual model had been forced to wear it I have visions of a beautiful scene where she tells him of for being a talentless hack and then quits.
Anyways, it seems clear to me that Daniel will win and the two girls will be in the top three with him. Santino has been kept on for entertainment value but he will be gone when the world wants something other than “wearable art” that is not remotely wearable for real women. Santino needs to join the real world and if he would do that then I might have some respect for his artistic vision. But he made poor Kara look godawful. If he had pulled off his oh-so-original vision I’d think twice, but has he EVER pulled one off successfully? They’re just artistic stunts to get attention.
Kara’s designs have been improving a lot in my eyes, I was surprised that she didn’t win the garden party challenge, her dress fit much better than Daniel’s did (oh those orchids, they saved him!) and I wouldn’t mind having her make me over, I think it would be interesting and flattering.
If I ad a nice job in corporate America where I got to dress up every day, I would obviously want Chloe to dress me so I could look that perfect. But I still don’t understand Daniel’s appeal. He turned Chloe into a Fem-Bot! It is always interesting when the designers have to use real bodies instead of models.
twistygirl 19 years ago
Twistygirl would pick the dishy Daniel V to give her the makeover, not so much because she liked what he did to the Chloe, but because then the Twistygirl could have contact with her secret love the Daniel V. and ask him to closely measure her bustline many times, just to make sure the fit is correct.
And ayyyyy! Lorraine, please let us not get into the war of the words over the Bowl that is Super but was not so Super this year, Twistygirl lives in Seattle but is from Pittsburgh and loves her Men of Steel and hates the Hawks of the Sea.
Lady Prisspott 19 years ago
Her Ladyship wonders if dearest Manolo has ever perused the “Buy Runway” section of the Bravo web site. It is always interesting and edifying to see how the designs fare in the marketplace. The market disagrees with the judges in this challange, currently Daniels design for Chloe is in second place in the bidding.
Christie 19 years ago
I’m going to disagree with you. Santino should be gone. Sure, he’s won two challenges but everything since then has been a total mess. Nick, although his suit may have been poorly executed, was finished! Daniel wasn’t crying as he walked down the runway. Kara’s sleeve was falling off! The garment wasn’t complete and when she was asked how she felt in it, she didn’t even get a chance to answer, Santino jumped in and said that he thought she looked great. I don’t want to be entertained by the designers antics, I want to be wowed by their designs. Santino is just irritating beyond belief and his designs are truly one note.
19 years ago
I have rarely agreed with the judges so far. This most recent episode was just a farce. Santino is just irritating. His “vision” is a lot of talk…thats what he does is talk talk talk and in the process irritates and distracts the others.
I’m half tempted to stop watching altogether….
thnx for letting me vent.
Ronikins 19 years ago
IS it apparent only to me that the only reason Santino has been on this long is:
RATINGS!!!
All television is about the ratings, and people tune in each and every week to see Santino in all of his rude, ill-manufactured, crude and egotistical glory. Everyone loves to hate Santino….eke…BTW, I listened to Tim Gunn’s podcast of this episode. Apparently, the group got so caught up in the spirit of the “makeover” they all insisted on getting manicures and pedicures, which took up a tremendous amount of time they should have been working on their projects. Thusly, we the viewers, get the results, rush jobs….with the exception of Chloe, who is extremely talented, as well as quite disciplined, or so it seems to me.
Christina Jones 19 years ago
I still don’t understand why Santino was not booted this week. There is no rational reason why he is still there, unless, of course, it is due to ratings and the show is fixed. Very disappointing.
Martha 19 years ago
Sigh. I really feel sorry for Kara, who made Santino look like, well, not a million bucks, but at least 50 cents…and then had to do the Walk of Shame in that hot glue-dripping mess.
Manicures and pedicures: the enemy of inspiration. I’ve always known this.
Herbert Pledgeknacker 19 years ago
“…to transform them from the random shambling heaps of hair balls and cleaning rags, into something more like sentient beings.”
Bravo! The invective, it is fabulous!
You so rule, dude.