Project Runway Season 5 Nick Verreos Recap--The Fugly Edition

The Not-So Fantastic Four:
We are coming to the end of Season 5 of Project Runway, and to be honest, it has been a disappointing season, overall. Talk on the street (and webosphere) is that characters overruled talent, and the quality of the work--especially coming on the heels of the Christian's and Rami's of the previous season-- has been less than stellar. With that, there was much at stake for this last episode where the designers who would make it to New York Fashion Week would be chosen. And now, my "Uncle Nick" recap...

First...a Nick Verreos "Model Shout Out" Moment:

I have been thinking about this for a while, so let me just get this off my hairy Greek-Venezuelan chest: It is so sad for the models to be kicked out for NOT DOING ANYTHING!!! I know it is NOT A MODEL SHOW, so people may argue and respond with a "Who Cares?". Well, the agencies who send these girls for the casting, the models who go, and so on. Why even do it, when there's always that chance you will be "auf'ed" for not even actually modeling. It's a bit ridiculous and there has to be a better way.

The Challenge:

After taking a drive outside Manhattan, the remaining designers, Jerell, Korto, Leanne, and Kenley, arrive at the New York Botanical Gardens, where they are met by Tim Gunn, and another one of his "pocket gays", this time it was Collier Strong, Consulting Make-Up Artist for L'Oreal Paris. The four designers are asked to create a gown inspired by nature. This challenge, also dubbed the L'Oreal Paris Challenge (is it in the Vendor Contracts to have at least one challenge named after them? You may remember "the Saturn Challenge" and others) was their last moment to prove to the judges who definitely needed to be at Bryant Park.

Mood Shopping:

When the camera began showing what these kids were choosing in terms of fabric, I knew we were going to have trouble. There was a lot of FUGLY fabrics being displayed on the tables and FUGLY fabrics=FUGLIER creations. I was frightened for Korto's orange satin and quinciniera lace. But I just kept thinking "Oh, Miss Korto will Make it Work!" In case you want a defintion of Fugly. Click HERE.

The Workroom:

Kenley vs. Everyone Else:

From the beginning of the episode, the scenes and interaction between the remaining designers at the Atlas Apartments hinted to us that this would be the Nail-In-the Kenley-Is-A-Bitch coffin. This was continued to the workroom. Jerell, Korto and Leanne all got along swimmingly, but Miss Cut-and-Cry Kenley was the "odd (wo)man out". Now, a lot of people will again, cry "Oh, that's just editing...I'm sure she is so sweet..." But, listen people: THREE people do not like her. Not just one. All THREE!!! It's one thing if one person has a problem with you, that's expected. But THREE? (that we know off) It is painfully obvious that someone "done did Kenley wrong" in the past, and she needed to work that out prior to arriving on set for Project Runway

Kenley: The Santino of Season 5?

Like I suggested last week in my recap, who knew that Kenley was going to be the Santino of this season. Never. The flower in her hair, the I-Love-Vintage style, the almost folksy demeanor. As a viewer, I never saw "Bitch" coming. I do feel sorry for her, in terms of being in that workroom and knowing and feeling that no one likes you. But child, you dug your own fashion grave on that one.

Kenley vs. Tulle

This was best exemplified when she needed tulle and all the designers had extra that they were not using in their gowns. Yet, not one gave her their unused tulle. Madness. I'm all about helping people out, but in this instance, I also might have gone along with the rest of the designers. Luckily, a Mood Fairy Godmother came to her aid. Kenley left a bag of tulle she had already purchased at Mood Fabrics and was allowed to return to the store and retrieve it, much to the rest of the designers' snickering chagrins.

Kenley vs. Tim:

Oh kids, if you thought there would be an Andrae-Loves-Tim Saga played out during this season with Tim and one of the designers, you were clearly mistaken. Just the opposite. It's the Kenley Disrespects Tim Love Story on Season 5. When Tim makes his rounds to see what the designers are working on, he comments on the designers, and most take it with respect and aplomb. Not Miss Kenley. She has to bite back, roll her eyes, and make some snide remark about "What does Tim Know?" Sit down girl, get some red wine, and I will tell you... Tim is a bigger man than me, because (like I said in one of my previous recaps), I really would have bitch slapped her from here to Timbuktu by now.

The Runway:

Harvey's Girl

Heidi walks in, in funeral black (is this how she really feels?), and introduces the judges, as well as the Guest Judge for this all-important Going-To-Bryant-Park episode, and it is the beautiful Georgina Chapman, designer of Marchesa. Her gorgeous gowns make it on the bodies of every A-list "It Girl"-from Jennifer Lopez, to Anne Hathaway. One look at Wikipedia also enlightens us that Georgina is the daughter of Brian Chapman, British Millionaire businessman and owner of coffee empire, Percol and as most of us already know, happens to be married to Harvey Weinstein.

The Good Nature
Well, where do I begin? There was a lack of pretty this week, unfortunately. I was dismayed and disappointed at their gowns. Maybe they were tired, maybe they do not like creating gowns, who knows. But this wasn't their week. As a gown designer, I always get perturbed when these kids can't design a gown. And it also frustrates me when people (sometimes those judges) think it is so easy. It is not. As it was evidently proven in this episode. If I had to pick, I would have agreed with the judges and chosen Jerell. Yes, the hems were unfinished (an omen of what was to come for Bryant Park?) and it was, as my good friend always says,"a little JANKY". But it was the Best of The Worst, and since the judges had to pick a winner, then the prize reluctantly went to Jerell---for the THIRD Time!

The FUGLY Nature

The look on the judges faces spoke VOLUMES of how they really felt. My dear Nina Garcia

looked as if she was angry that someone had wasted her time and she could have been having a manicure instead of sitting for hours watching these "Nature Gowns" pass before her well-eye shadowed eyes. The judges expressed disappointment in the designers' creations--echoing the "Oh No They Didn't " sentiment which I am sure a lot of viewers were thinking as well.

Leanne's gown was very "Hello Dolly", as biting Michael Kors commented. Carol Channing and Barbra Streisand would have been proud! The unintentional back bustle, the bland color, the hand-pleated "Leanne-esque" detail-- none of it screamed Beautiful Flower. It was more like a sad petal floating in a pond, unfortunately.

Korto's Orange Hot Quinciniera Mess was well constructed (I mean, really take a look at those mitered corners in the top portion of the gown: Flawless!), but the color, silhouette and fabric choices were all cheap and tacky, which put her in the bottom (or so we thought).

Personally, I thought Kenley's was the worst. It was such a predictable, uncreative gown. The supposed petals at the bottom of the gown looked like fish scales and the fabric jacquard-like print didn't help. What was more painful was that it just looked like a Student Project (and I can say that--after all, I am an Instructor at FIDM, and I've seen many in my years of teaching).

If someone had to go home, it should be her. However, I still had that gut feeling that the judges would keep Kenley because the show needed "a Bitch" in the Final three, for good viewing, so I was afraid Korto would be crying her way back to pack her belongings.

In the end, all four remained of course (now Nina is REALLY PISSED she wasted her time "judging" instead of having that mani-pedi!).

Jerell, Leanne, Korto, and yes, even Miss Kenley were allowed to create a collection for Bryant Park, unfortunately one of them will be cut before the Finale. Hopefully, NONE of them, will try and do evening gowns. Leave that to Rami and me!

See you next week kiddies!

Project Runway Season 5 Nick Verreos Recaps!!!!

Make Me OVER!!!!! MTV Style

Soon after this episode aired on Wednesday, a very good friend emailed me and the "Subject" line of the email read "Things I Learned From Watching This Episode of Project Runway". I was intrigued. I scrolled down. There was only one sentence:
Jerell's Junk-In-The-Trunk, and Kenley Should Have Been Gone.
Well, there was more to this episode, but...I will make sure to include something about those two saucy things...

The Challenge:
In a season filled with "Strolling-Down-Project-Runway-Memory-Lane", it would be fitting that this episode (the same episode where yours truly was eliminated), would re-hash my season's "Make Over Challenge". But of course, there was a 2008 Season 5 twist: The remaining five designers had to make over themselves but they had to be inspired by various musical genres. And I'm not talking about "Musical", as in Judy Garland/Chorus Line/Bob Fosse Jazz Hands Musical--if only it could be!!!

The Workroom:
It's Suede's time to go... I think...
I am not sure why-- maybe because I had attended the Project Runway Finale Fashion Show several weeks ago and
A) even a 2 year old could figure out who were the Top Four and who was not (it was THAT kind of season unfortunately)
and
B) since Joe was "auf'ed" last week, I had this instinctive "feeling" that it was Third Person Suede's time to say "Ciao"...
With that in mind, I wondered how the editors and producers would construct this episode to, well, let's just say, not make it so obvious.
Kudos to them because they did not. It was all about Miss Kenley....

Kenley: Hip Hop Confusion
The Workroom environment seem to be productive for all the designers save Miss Cut-and-Cry-Kenley. Her challenge was to design a "Hip-Hop" ensemble for "Geeks Rule" mousy Leanne, From the beginning, it was obvious, Kenley had slept through Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Jazzy Jeff , and Run DMC---like all at once!
I may not be a "Hip-Hop afficionado", but HUNEY, I know what a girl from that genre should look like---and it AIN'T high waisted fitted skinny jeans!!! See Lil' Mamma below.
I love that the other designers were allowing her to "dig her own design grave" when she kept asking them for their opinion on what she was working on. I would have LOVED to have been right there-- in between Jerell and Korto-- because the camera would have caught me giving a "She CRAZYYYYYY" look......but telling her "Oh, yeah Kenley...that looks REALLY GOOD!!!!" (cut to my face grimacing "Not So Much")

Kenley and Tim: Bitch Slap!
OK, that's it: It's ON! I have had students like Miss Kenley (rarely)...who think that "they are all that" and that no one else knows any better. The result: Let's just say that "Instructor Nick" gave them a classy, if not restrained, VERBAL BITCH SLAP. I am glad Tim did the same to Kenley during their workroom exchange.
Who do you think you are Kenley? It's called respect. You are not John Galliano...or Tom Ford...or Hubert de Givenchy...you are not a fashion design genius. So, be humble and listen to constructive criticsm. Tim is not trying to fail you or be in competition with you. Who would have THUNK it? Kenley is Season 5's Santino!!! I would have never guessed. I, for one, did not see it coming.

The Runway:
The Good: Fashion Rocks! Kenley as a Rejected Pussycat Doll
Most of the Designer Make-Overs were exceptional. The best being Jerell's "Britney Is Making A Comeback" ensemble for Bitch-slapped Kenley (that's my new name for her), as well as Korto's Gay Sid Vicious Punk ensemble for Suede. Jerell transformed Kenley into a pop princess--big hair, sequined breast accents and tacky-yet-appropriate stretch mini dress and all. She looked like a rejected Pussycat Doll---which is a good thing! At least in this challenge.

Suede is a Gay Adam Ant
It was all about the extra time Korto took in customizing her total look--from the bleach-dyed skinny jeans to the chains which finished the look off pefectly. Suede looked like the cover of an Adam Ant record--with some Boy George added in for a bit of "gay". Miss Korto correctly became this season's Chloe Dao and won the challenge--even though her model--Suede--didn't fare so well....

The Bad: Junk In The Trunk!
Leanne's cowgirl ensemble for Korto wasn't cute. It was a yawn. I think she could have taken it to another level: Add some gold fringe and maybe make some tight bootie-hugging jeans that would have screamed Tammy Wynette-meets-D Squared fashion show.

The worst for me was (surprise) Kenley's supposed Hip Hop-inspired outfit for Leanne. It was more Alicia Keys, less Lil' Mamma. She missed the mark COMPLETELY. Leanne looked hot though. I loved seeing her in super-tight, albeit bad-fitting skinny high-waisted jeans. And that asymmetrical hair chignon was a vision that would make the Sheer Genius judges BLUSH!

The worst, according to the judges, however, was Suede's tamed rock and roll outfit for Jerell. I have to admit that after I saw that crotch "pouch", I could see nothing else, and neither could my entire Blackberry address book of friends who were texting me with their comments! I guess we can all thank Suede for showing us Jerell's "buzinezzz", but it was not enough for him to slip through. It was Suede's time to go. Like I said, I had a feelin'.
Four more to go...