No time is wasted this week in getting to the Harper's Bazaar Mini-Challenge. Laura Brown comes out and the designers all pretend they're pleased to see her. She tells them as a successful designer, they need to know how to sew. Johnny and Haven immediately feel nauseated. The challenge this week is a sewing relay in four parts: 1) fix a shoulder pad; 2) sew on missing buttons; 3) repair a zipper; 4) hem a skirt. The team to complete the most tasks in 35 minutes wins, and the designer who completes his or her leg of the race the best wins this challenge and immunity from elimination in the next.
And...they are in the same teams as in the last two weeks. John-Paul-George-Ringo's team wins, and Lidia gets immunity. Mehrleen then says something about "dey unwesterwestermate our qualeetee."
After this, each team gets to appoint a new leader: Lidia, Daniella, and Reco.
Just really lucky, I suppose.The Elimination Challenge is then announced: each team must design coats for the four seasons, each with its own unique functionality. And the four coats per team must form a cohesive collection. The designers get together to pick seasons and discuss themes. Reco has decided on "Aeon Flux." Or, as he puts it to Isaac, "a modern day excursion to Mars." He thinks he's completely brilliant.
After a cursory trip to the fabric store, the designers get to work. Because Reco Not-So-Suave has to work with a bunch of Can't Sew Morons, he opts to make their patterns so he can gloat about his immense talent.
Somehow Johnny doesn't think that sewing skills are all that important. "This competition isn't strictly based on sewing," he whines.
It might be more entertaing if it were.
After a cursory trip to the fabric store, the designers get to work. Because Reco Not-So-Suave has to work with a bunch of Can't Sew Morons, he opts to make their patterns so he can gloat about his immense talent.
Somehow Johnny doesn't think that sewing skills are all that important. "This competition isn't strictly based on sewing," he whines.
It might be more entertaing if it were.
By the looks they get as they enter the room, it's easy to see they are fast becoming every designer's favorite. Doesn't Haven look distressed?
They visit Andrew first, and he tells them about his short jacket that has a hem that magically gets longer when it rains.
They don't seem impressed. Kelly suggests that he's been playing it safe, and Andrew claims he'll work on the concept to make it more interesting. The Terrible Two then move on to their next victim.
James-Paul tells them his grandiose plans:
Wait - the Puffy Coat. Didn't Norma Kamali invent that hideous thing decades ago? After Isaac and Kelly leave, Daniella tells Andrew that he has to push the envelope and make the coat more extreme. If it gets longer, make it very long.
When the models come in for their fitting, Reco takes the opportunity to tell us that Markus has a "good sense of style, but his execution is a negative 10." Nice to talk about your teammates that way, Reek.Finally the sewing is done and the show must go on. The whole time, Reco obnoxiously tells everyone how much better he is than they.
As if to prove the point, Angel's zipper breaks and she is not allowed enough time to fix it before the models are gathered to go out.
Sad, when a model can't figure out a zipper, huh?When James-Paul's sleeping bag coat comes out, Fern Mallis remarks to Isaac, "it has a casket-y feel that makes me uncomfortable." To which Isaac replies, "oh, I'm into caskets." WTF? TMI!
Back in the Room of Doom, Kelly and Isaac are with Fern and Puffy Coat Queen Norma Kamali. Isaac tells the designers they did well overall this week, which was kinda shocking coming from him, especially considering all the eyerolling and smirking he did during his visit to the workroom earlier in the show.
Lidia's team is safe and goes to sit on the side. Daniella's team is given the win, which makes Reco's team the losers. Anna's coat - which is gorge - and Andrew's are the top two. Daniella tries to take credit for his design, being that she did give him lots of ideas and instruction, plus chose the fabric. Norma admonishes her, however, saying that a design director often doesn't get credit and that Daniella should have kept her big mouth shut. And maybe to spite her, they give Andrew the win.
Out of team Loser, they loved Reco's Martian snowsuit. An audience member had even called it "wearable" which was ridiculous. It's a jumpsuit, people. As outerwear. Fine for 5 year-olds, but not so practical for an adult. But they couldn't give a prize to the best look on the losing team so they just went on to ridicule the other designers. Haven, whose coat was called a "hairdresser's smock with Mickey Mouse ears" was in the bottom two, along with Markus, whose coat exhibited some shoddy workmanship. Isaac said they were worried he was more of a dreamer than a designer, and that Haven posessed more skills than she thought she had but lacked confidence. And lacking confidence was not as great a sin as being a dreamer, so Markus was given the boot.
And that's all folks. I can't do this anymore. No recap next week. Or the week after. Rinse and repeat.
