Project Runway 2, Week 10

Manolo says, so long to the Kara, you were most annoying, and not terribly talented, and usually your clothes they looked as if they’d been grabbed from the rag bag.

Ah, Santino, Santino, how the Manolo would love to hear that you have met with the unfortunate machine gun accident at the toll booth.

The Manolo cannot remember when he last saw this level of groundless, unjustifiable narcissism…oh, right. Never mind. Clearly you and your spangly wickety-wack are destined for the great things, perhaps designing workout clothes for Bobby Trendy to sell at the Wal-Mart.

Once again, the Daniel V. displays his talent for taking beautiful shapes, forms, and materials and giving them the merest, slightest, tiniest twist, so as to make them seem ever so slightly barely different. It is the talent for the small details, and the Manolo, after viewing the pictures of the runway show, is completely convinced that you will win the whole thing. Look for the Daniel V. to soon be working for the Ralph Lauren or the Calvin Klein.

As for the Chloe, the Tim Gunn was exactly right, the Chloe produced the gown that made the rail thin model appear to have the giant ass. Bravo to that! Once again, the Manolo must repeat that she is boringly good, and that her collection at the runway show was meh, whatever, fine.

Notes from the rest of this episode: Mamas don’t let your boys grow up to be Austin Scarlett, because he’s always aflame and hankering for fame, even if there’s not much else there. And Jay is still the delightful Jay, but the fifteen minutes they are ticking away fast.

P.S. As always there is so much more at the Blogging the Project Runway.

Comments

JayKay 19 years ago

“Ah, Santino, Santino, how the Manolo would love to hear that you have met with the unfortunate machine gun accident at the toll booth.”
Couldn’t have said it better myself, dear. He needs a good open-handed slap to his scraggly face to bring him down from the heavens in his own mind…
I agree, Kara lacked vision but her turquoise/bronze halter gown from fashion week was stunning. I wish she could have shown a little of *that* kind of design during PR. Oh well.
What a blah episode all around, though. I’m underwhelmed too, Michael.

furlagirl 19 years ago

spangly wickety wack – fabulous.

Twistie 19 years ago

(dreams of that machine gun accident wistfully)

If only the Kara had bought a lovely, bright print instead of ordinary black, perhaps the Santino and his circus tent from Hades would have been kicked to the curb. If only she had had the courage to do the racer back in the more extreme way, she might have been safe. Alas, the judges were correct that the Santino was the only one presenting a point of view on the runway. Alas, too, that the vision of the Santino was created through an overdose of LSD and Cher cds. The Twistie believes that the Santino has the brilliant future as the designer of the terrifying bridesmaid’s gowns. No bridesmaid wearing a creation of the Satano will outshine the bridezilla on her most glorious wedding day.

Farewell, Kara. If you had trusted your abilities, you could have knocked that self-absorbed jackass out of the competition. If you had told the judges last week that the jumpsuit from Hell was uncomfortable and falling apart, you might have saved Uncle Nick. If you had not turned on the boring, yet unquestionably talented, Chloe, I would have felt bad for you leaving on a more personal level. As it is, the Twistie shall not miss your nerves or your timid designs. The only reason the Twistie now cries at your elimination is that she will have to sit through whatever horrors the Satano creates for fashion week.

Despite his betrayal of the Chloe on the runway, the Twistie continues to root for the Daniel. She is most saddened by his choosing Chloe as the weakness of link, but cannot deny the talent of the Daniel.

Austin, call me! We need to talk about that barber shop drape you wore to the party. Stick to your Diana Vreeland meets Yves St Laurent impression. It is by far more flattering.

Now speaking as someone from London who has never seen Project Runway but has just looked at the slide-show I would say that Daniel’s clothes are safe, okay, boring. I’d be happy to buy/wear them, but they have no wow factor. As for the others – derivative, rip offs of what you can buy at Chloe(the other one)/Top Shop.

At the risk of damaging the Anglo American alliance I would say that US style is very tame compared to the UK.

dillene 19 years ago

None of the evening gowns really set me on fire. And what was with Santino’s nervous breakdown when the judges told him he was in? If he has a heart attack and dies, does that mean that Kara can take his place at fashion week?

CK 19 years ago

While viewing the disappointing runway designs, I tried very hard to remember how tired and uncertain all of the designers must have been feeling. Because that was the only excuse. Perhaps while filming the producers need to give the designers more of a break so they don’t look so haggard and out of ideas at the end.

I have nothing interesting to say about the designs, because none of them were interesting.

As for Austin Scarlett: is it wrong for me lust after his skin? How does he keep it so milky white? Powdering? Oatmeal facials? Bathing in the blood of virgins? How, Austin, how?

joseph duemer 19 years ago

The producers really lost me with asking the designers to pick the loser. If any of them had had any class they would have refused to answer such a demeaning question. The whole fun thing sort of went off the rails for me there.

metro*b 19 years ago

unrelated, but i think i channeled you today when commending a friend for purchasing good quality yarns for knitting rather than cheap acrylic imitations. it is not unlike the dilemma of the poor girls to the super fantastic shoes. observe:

“if i am going to spend (typically) months creating a masterpiece, i want it to be out of a yarn worthy of the time commitment. i don’t begrudge anyone on a budget. i’m a working girl myself, and was laughing with my lys owner the other day about wanting to substitute alpaca & silk for a pattern that called for cashmere & silk because “i’m a working gal, i can’t afford $470 for a sweater someone else made, much less myself!” but as the manolo says (www.shoeblogs.com) the poor girls, they must save the monies and buy the [yarns] of the quality, so that they will last forever and make the wearer the most happy.” and trust me, the manolo, he remembers what it is like to be poor, so poor that you must fashion the yarn out of the discarded flosses of the fashionistas rummaged from the dumpsters of soho.

Manolo the Shoeblogger 19 years ago

The metro*b well she has learned the lesson of quality. This it would be especially, doubly true for the knitting, where the investment of time is so great.

Suma 19 years ago

Like Santino’s long lost father, the Rasputin, it’s going to take a lot more than a machine gun accident at the toll booth to get rid of him. On the other hand, thank goodness Kara is gone…she really was rather bland and just full of talk.

Lorraine 19 years ago

I like Kara and wish she had shown us more but there you go. Still, as it did last week, it GALLS me that the judges nitpick the sewing on better designs and let Santino’s crappy work stand. (I shall never forgive the falling off sleeve). Also, I don’t know who decided that Michael Kors is the be all and end all of “fashion forward” but I grow weary of him. Mr. “Doris Duke in Hawaii in the 40’s”, beh! In the venacular of evening gowns is there much left to be said? And if there is, I don’t believe you say it by swagging something all over with glittery hoo ha and calling it original. Santino, I hear the Vice President is looking for a new hunting partner….

Rachel 19 years ago

Project Runway is such a lesson in how the camera changes people. I’m really worried about the effect it’s had on the creativity of the brilliant Jay and the general decency of Austin (I really think that the whole story of Austin and Project Runway has been the slow conversion of a guy who is flaming in an aesthetic, Oscar Wilde sort of way into a guy who is flaming in a way that gets him attention. We saw it in the slow creative decline of his designs all last season, in his obvious depression as the decoy at Fashion Week, and we see it now in the increasing Queer Eye-ness of his public persona.)

In some ways I thought Kara’s lovely Fashion Week collection was actually this year’s PR happy ending. Looking at it now, I feel like she found her voice somehow through being rejected by reality television.

The Neighbor 19 years ago

So true Lorraine – and I also agree with joseph duemur – I wish the producers would not have stooped so low for “good tv” by asking the designers to pick the loser. That was completely unnecessary and disappointing.

tinka 19 years ago

It is most disappointing to discover that, in the end, we have two pleasant people and three mediocre designers. I do hope that the producers try harder to find extremely talented designers, and to change the judging process so that the best are most likely to last. Without real talent, the show is boring. The personality clashes are no substitute!

I’m astonished by the overpraising of Daniel V. He’s very charming, but his designs are very Club Monaco(if a little blander) or BR. Maybe he’ll be seasoned in ten years or so and sick of merely competent, clean lines.

Anne 19 years ago

I agree, Daniel is clean but bland, and the whole show ended for me when they asked the designers to pick the loser. Santino lost for me with the whole jumpsuit sleeve debacle and I can’t just let his flamboyant fabrics save the day. Now I loved the black racerback, too bad I couldn’t see whatever was wrong with the bottom of the hem. And if Daniel had chosen that milky gold that was Santino’s base fabric everyone would have fallen out of their chairs for him. He’s consistently a little bit more interesting than everyone else without being as freakish as Santino, I wasn’t at all surprised that he won. I just wish they could have not been so safe and gone all out like every little girl dreams of (and, apparently Santino).

Miss Poodle 19 years ago

Blah Blah Blah…blah blah blah…I wish I wish, I saw a single hair of creative vision, or effort for that matter, in any of those 4 gowns. Even, my still crush, Daniel V made a dress that Jennifer Garner would wear (and that is not a compliment!). All the other gowns..no comment (but I have tried them on before at the Vera Wang Bridesmaid dress salon). Santino…you are not a designer, you are a mildly good artist, who designs strictly for himself, without any consideration for a sexy and stylish woman’s needs. Underwhelmed yes. I never want to see silk charmeuse again…what is wrong with organza, tulle, chiffon or raw silk…was Mood fabrics running low????

Kyla 19 years ago

Manolo, the picture of Santino Corleone at the tollbooth made me laugh* in my drab cubicle and brightened my day. Thank you.

*Possibly laughing at a picture of being shot hundreds of times says something about me.

Gorgeous Things 19 years ago

Santino and roadrage – what a mui fabuloso combination! The Holland Tunnel never looked so appealing!

On another note, one can only hope that after this season (to paraphrase The Manolo) “The Project Runway mania for the charmeuse, it is over.”

Liza 19 years ago

I can’t understand why on this site and many, many others, people seem to think joking about violently taking out a Project Runway designer is funny, it’s really low class and “beyond the pale” to quote Tim Gunn and man with class and style.

Virginia 19 years ago

Iman should have asked for Andrae’s gutter water gown.

albaluccia 19 years ago

The turkey feathers… the glue gun…the disco spangladesh…in spite of everything, the Santino he remains the Emperor with no Clothes.

Iman would look gorgeous in Andrae’s gutter water gown. It was as magnificent as she is.

VeddyVeddyBadAng 19 years ago

I guess I’m the only one who kind of liked Satantino’s gown. Daniel’s was fine but “meh” â€“ we’ve seen it before from him. Even the same navy charmeuse fabric, for God’s sake! He bores me.

“The metro*b well she has learned the lesson of quality. This it would be especially, doubly true for the knitting, where the investment of time is so great.”

i bow to your wisdom. never again do the abominable & unbreathable plastic & pleather shoes imprison my feet, nor the plastic, squeaky yarn offend my needles.

Jenzilla 19 years ago

I thought Daniel’s dress moved very nicely and was the clear choice; however, I agree that Andrae’s gutter water gown would have been awesome on Iman.

IMO, the easiest way to save money while buying high quality yarn is to knit lace – the yarn weighs much less per yard, so you can buy a huge amount of yardage for very little money.