Katherine Gerdes

Season 4: Episode 1 “Sew Me What You Got”

15 November, 16:36 - thus far 9 insightful comments have been made

Yeah! Project Runway is back! Hopefully you guys are as excited as I am! Personally, I’m really hoping that the extra time they took to edit and put this season together will make it a much stronger show this time around.

Before I start, I just want to make a quick disclaimer… I don’t know anything about the new show, or any “behind the scenes” details and I’ve never met any of the new designers. I know as much about this season as you guys do, so my opinions are based purely on what I see on Wednesday nights. I’m definitely not looking to offend or tear anyone’s designs apart (Project Rungay is where I go for that… Love TLO!), but I’ll try to explain why I like or dislike the designs as nicely as I can. Please feel free to disagree with me, but as the season goes along, know that I’m not trying to pick on your favorite designer or dislike their designs based on the designers’ personalities.

I just have to say quickly, that overall I was really impressed with the construction quality of most of the garments. I wasn’t into many of the actual designs, but the construction looked pretty good for almost everyone!

You can check out all the designs on one page here. I’ve organized my recap starting with the top left and working left-right through the rows, click on the image for a larger version (Thanks to the awesome folks at BPR for putting that together!).

On with the show:

Christian: I liked Christian’s overall design and thought it was very well made and had some interesting details, but the colors of the fabrics really bothered me. The various tan colors just didn’t work well together with the jacket having really warm tones and the skirt being in the cooler range. If I blur my vision a bit, I really like the overall shape and just wish the browns went better together.

Elisa: My initial reaction to Elisa’s dress was probably similar to yours. I thought Heidi’s “Pooing fabric” comment was dead on. I was pretty sure she’d be the one going home, but the judges made some good points as to why she should be kept around. She definitely had a point of view and made something more interesting than Simone’s dress. Her dress also looked fairly well made (with the exception of the junk on the back) and it was impressive that it was cut with one seam. Hopefully in the future Elisa can control her “sculptural” side and make some really cool garments!

Jack: Jack’s dress was in my top picks for this challenge. I really liked how he used the print and how fresh it looked when paired with the bright blue trim. It is a fairly simple silhouette, but I thought it was executed well and the long keyhole in front was cute without being revealing.

Jillian: I liked Jillian’s dress a lot more on the runway than in the photo. Something in the way it moved made it look a little less 80’s prom than it does I the picture. The shape is a little plain, but it looks well constructed and fit pretty well. I don’t remember the back at all… was there anything interesting back there? Did anyone else think that Jillian’s model looked eerily similar to Jillian?

Chris: I have to say that Chris’s dress really surprised me. I thought he was going to produce something very showy and much more theatrical, but his dress was actually very pretty. The large bow on the back was a little out of proportion for my taste, but the criss-crossing and shape of the back was interesting and the purple color was gorgeous.

Carmen: Overall I didn’t mind Carmen’s design too much, but I think it’s the pants in Carmen’s outfit that really bug me. The vest/jacket thing is a little over the top for my taste, but it’s an interesting shape and I think the styling works for what she was going for. The pants are definitely too “I Dream of Jeanie” for me, and the fabric looks plain and cheap compared to the top.

Kevin: I don’t remember his name, but Kevin’s dress reminds me of that guys design in season 1 or 2 where the model gave the finger to the camera? Anyways… I don’t really have much to say about Kevin’s design. There’s nothing bad that sticks out to me, but then there’s nothing really good either. It’s just okay. I do like the pairing of the red trim with the pinstripe, but not sure about the silver thing around her waist.

Sweet P: Sweet P’s dress is cute, but I would have liked to see a bit more shape somewhere. I think if you’re going to go with a bubble or sack shape, it’s nice to have a fitted bodice and unfortunately Sweet P’s dress looks a bit sloppy up top. On the plus side, I really like her choice of fabric and I love the red trim (especially around the hem). I’m not so sure about the shoulder straps though… the almost look tie-dyed to me?

Marion: I don’t get Marion’s design at all and taking a second look at it, I’m a bit surprised it wasn’t in the bottom. Is that denim on the skirt? With a lace bodice and denim straps? I kind of like the way the skirt layers fall, but with all the layers of fabric, her hips look mighty big and overall it just looks sloppy. I’m crossing my fingers that Marion gets better because I like his personal style and want to see more of his work.

Kit: The asymmetrical aspect of Kit’s bodice (is that red thing a “jacket?”) is really bugging me. It looks like the left chest slipped out of the jacket or something. Also (and I don’t know if this was intentional on Kit’s part), when you’re using prints with circular motifs you need to be very careful where the print lines up. I can’t help but look at her dress and think that center of the flower is perfectly placed anatomically over the model’s chest. Add that with how the left chest is highlighted … well, you get the picture.

Rami (WINNER): I loved Rami’s draped gown as soon as I saw him working on it and knew that it would be a contender for the win. I really liked the overall shape and varying layers of gathering. I think the tricky part with draped designs is that they look MUCH easier to construct then they really are. If you don’t have experience with draping, then it might look like Rami just pinned some fabric around a dress form and stitched it down in a few places, but I’m willing to bet that his garment is much more complicated then that. Even from the photo you can tell that his technical skills are there (See how nicely the layers are hemmed? Not easy to do with silk georgette.) Also with draping, you have to put a lot of effort into making it gather and bunch in the places you want without it pulling and distorting the smoother areas. My one nit-picky thing is that it did appear there were some fit issues with the bust area.

Simone (OUT): I hate to say it, but I kind of agreed with the judges on this first cut (it’s not often that happens!). First off, I really liked Simone’s color combination. The acid yellow with the pale pink and cream was really unique and interesting. I also think that although it was simple, had it been better constructed it would have been a cute little dress. Unfortunately, on Project Runway, cute and simple are not the way to go (I’ve definitely learned that one!) and with poor construction you’re asking for it. I also liked the patterned fabric she picked for the jacket, but wasn’t a fan of the actual jacket or how it paired with the dress.

Steven: Steven’s outfit is really hard to comment on because it’s difficult to see the details since it’s all black. It looks really well constructed, but unfortunately it also looks a little stewardess uniform to me. I think there is some unique button details on the front, but can’t really tell. I do like that he did something very tailored and it stands out for that reason.

Victorya: I thought Victorya’s dress was cute, but honestly was a little surprised that it made it in the top 3. Again, it’s hard to tell because of all the black, but on the runway it didn’t look like the best construction and I couldn’t get over thinking that her bra straps were falling down! I’m also really against the idea that the straps were so constricting she couldn’t even put her hands on her hips. If it’s an evening dress for the red carpet, I can see sacrificing some comfort and movement, but for a dress like Victorya’s I think that’s a major flaw.

Ricky: Ricky’s dress was cute and I liked how he used the trim on the bodice to bring in his lingerie background, but I agree with the judges that he could have done something amazing with his lingerie construction skills. Overall he fell into that trap of cute, but boring and we know how that plays out on PR. I do like how he angled the stripes on the bodice and gathered them in so they fan out around the bust.