Katherine Gerdes

Episode 11: What The Elle?

2 October, 18:20 - thus far 6 insightful comments have been made

Phew! No one is going home! Is this the happiest ending on Project Runway ever? It’s been so hard to not slip and let it out that there was no “decoy” fashion show this year! At least I don’t have to worry about that anymore. I know it might just seem like a plot twist from Bravo to let all 4 designers compete for the final prize, but I really think all 4 of them deserve to show and it would have been really hard to cut one. Here’s the way I see it… I think it is going to be really interesting to see what Laura will put out on the runway, because you know the style it will be, but she was told specifically NOT to show 12 plunging v-necks and I’m curious to see what else she can do. No matter what, you know Jeffery’s collection is going to be entertaining and not boring or safe in anyway! Uli falls under the same category as Laura, really pretty designs, but what will she do for the runway when she knows she can’t send out 12 printed, flowy frocks? Michael is the wildcard. He has such a broad range that you really have no idea what he’ll send out and that makes me curious to see it! To be completely honest, this is not the final 4 designers I would have picked, but if this is the final 4 that the judges chose, then I want to see ALL of their runway shows.

Okay, on to the challenge. I don’t know about all of you or the other designers, but for me, I think this challenge would have been the hardest. I find it much easier to work within a “box” of rules and try to push the boundaries of what I can and can’t do. It also helps when they narrow it down for you; “today you must design a dress,” see how much easier that is then “today you can design whatever you want?” You know it has to be a dress, and now you can spend time thinking about how to make it “your” dress and something that no one else will do. I’m guessing this is why both Michael and Uli struggled for a while on this challenge, well that and the stress of it being the final elimination!

Jeffery: I didn’t dislike Jeffrey’s dress as much as the judges seemed to. I liked the colors and different fabrications he used (although I wasn’t too keen on the embroidered bees) and the proportion of the dress seemed to work well. I also liked that he tried to design something that the judges weren’t going to expect and he tried to listen to what they had said in the past and put more elegance into the design. My main concern with this design is that it looked a bit messy/unfinished to me. I think his original sketch had a frayed, ruffled edge at the waist and hem, but it seemed to unfinished for the dress. I also don’t think the skirt shape was very flattering and think it might have worked better if it wasn’t gathered into a tulip shape and left full?

Laura: I don’t know what to say about this dress; other than we’ve seen it before and I feel like I’ve talked about it before. Of course it was well made and fit beautifully, but after the success Laura had last week with the baby doll dress, I thought she might take more chances with the silhouette this week. Guess not. I did like the scallop edge on the v-neck this time, but I feel like I’ve even seen that before (maybe something she’s worn?). I’m glad the judges warned her against making 12 plunging v-neck dresses for fashion week!

Michael: Other than the way-too-large-to-be-sexy keyhole on Michael’s dress, I actually really liked his dress. I do agree with the judges that eveningwear is not his strongest skill and probably wasn’t the best choice for this final challenge, but I didn’t think the dress was that bad. Like I said before, the keyhole was way too large to be sexy, but the concept looked good in his original sketch. I liked the weaving on the waist, although I think it could have been brought down a little bit to cover the “pooch” area of the stomach…not that Clarissa has a stomach, but I think where the weaving hit, emphasized anything that is/would be there. I also liked the criss-cross strapping at the top and thought the color was beautiful. I’m happy that the judges were able to see the potential Michael has to bring to fashion week!

Uli (WINNER): I love, love, loved this dress! I was actually watching this episode with my mom and she made the comment “I like it, but it looks like all her other dresses.” I’m sure there are a lot of people thinking this, so I’m going to throw this out to think about: What if you made this dress and all Uli’s other dresses a solid color? It is true that in the past some of her dresses looked similar (long, flowy, etc), but this silhouette is very different from anything else she has made. I loved the little open slit in the front and thought it was very tastefully sexy and wearable for many women. The neckline was also new and different from the usual strappy halters Uli designs. I loved the placement of the print on the sides, and it actually creates a slimming effect because the shape of the print pulls your eye in. Can’t wait to see it in Elle! Oh… and I think Uli’s photo was the best by far! You could really see that photo in an editorial shoot and it captured Uli and her dress perfectly!