Flower Power

Project Runway - Season 2, Episode 9

Previously on Project Runway: Zulema asked for a model walk-off and yoinked Tarah, which delighted Danzzz, shocked Andrae, and pushed Nick into the gutter and kicked him. The designers took photographs to provide some inspiration for their next dress. Nick had no inspiration, because he was too busy sulking about the model loss. Tim admonished all the designers about their recent work. Nick didn't listen, because he was too busy sulking about the model loss. Nick couldn't get involved in the creation of his garment, and considered quitting, because he was so busy sulking about the model loss. Santino did a hilarious Tim Gunn impersonation. On the runway, Zulema got yelled at, Danzzz won his third challenge, and Kara narrowly avoided elimination. Zulema's fugly sunglasses went home, taking Zulema with them. Whew! Those were the longest previouslies ever! Six designers remain. Who will be "out" tonight?

Opening credits. Who's that lady? Oh, it's Kirsten, whose sole claim to reality show fame is "that boring girl who didn't want to give up a scarf". I hardly remember her. Sad.

Morning at the Atlas. Andrae has a freshly shaven head. Nick talks to his roommates, saying that there's a new rule in effect: "Do not go out like Zulema". What does that mean? Don't make a crappy dress? Don't steal someone's model, because karma will get you? I have no idea. Nick goes on to interview that Zulema took his model (Really? How come he never said anything about it?), and that he's fairly relieved that she's gone. Chloe, brutally frank as always, interviews that she's not surprised at Zulema's ouster, since she never really pictured Zulema as being in the final three, and that her garment was the worst. If I ever need an honest opinion on something, and am afraid that my friends would sugar-coat their reaction, I'm going to ask Chloe. She'll be all like "Yep, that outfit looks like crap. You need to fix this, this, and this." Kara's just mostly bewildered that she's been able to make it this far. I know a few non-Kara fans who would agree.

Runway. Heidi comes out to introduce the next challenge. Andrae's hair has miraculously grown back. Hmmm, I wonder what the real chain of events is for this show, because it's clearly not the order that they show it to us. The designers will be making an outfit for a garden party. But of course, we first need to get through the Back To Pointless Model Selection. Zulema did more damage than she thought, because since she switched Tarah and Rachael last week, it's now Tarah up for elimination instead of Rachael. And OF COURSE Danzzz sticks with Rebecca, as he should, so the arguably prettiest model will be on her way. Bye, Tarah! It totally sucks that you're going out like this. The designers agree with me. Nick gets emotional again, and Santino calls out "I love you!" as she leaves. Aw. Stupid Zulema.

Another creepy mannequin torso finds its way outside into traffic. Are they all trying to escape? Is that why nobody could find their dress form in "Social Scene"? The men decide to go hang out up on the roof. Nick interviews that although they're all friends, there's a definite competitive vibe among them. Chloe, meanwhile, is a bit shocked that there are only two women left, and hopes that at least one female (read: her) will be in the final three. The designers go to sleep. "The next day", Tim stops by at 6AM. Everyone's already up and dressed. Yikes. I wouldn't be able to spell my name at 6AM, let alone concentrate on a competition. Andrae's hair is now magically re-shaven. Tim tells the guys that they're going on a field trip, then drops by the women's room to say the same thing. Everyone heads out. More pointless interviews in which the designers basically all say they don't know where they're going. I know they've got to fill some time as more and more people are eliminated, but they need to reel that shit in.

Tim stops at a place called The Plant House, Inc. and fully describes the challenge. The designers will need to create a dress using plants and flowers. Yaaaaaaaay! That sounds so cool! Two of my great loves are science (including plants) and art (including pretty gardens and such), so this is right up my alley. Chloe is not as happy to hear about this challenge, because it's obviously going to be very difficult. What she should really be unhappy about is what her hair's doing in this shot. Someone apparently snuck up to her, and teased her mall bangs up to 1991 proportions when she wasn't looking. Ew. Why doesn't she just go for the crimper while she's at it? Tim tells everyone there are three stores from which they can get supplies, and they'll have one hour and $100. Nick interviews that he's dreading this challenge, but kept on a smiley front for Tim. He demonstrates his hilarious fake grin, and if this were America's Next Top Model, someone would have inserted a "ding!" sound effect there. He sarcastically goes on to say "I had to stay long enough for the damn...make a dress out of flowers task." He rolls his eyes. That was awesome.

Shopping ensues. Kara's a bit flummoxed, and doesn't even know where to start. Nick looks for bendable plants. Santino will be working with mesh. Chloe picks leaves, because she knows they're not as delicate as other plants. Good idea. Andrae brags that he used to work in florist shop, so he knows exactly what he's doing (let's call that Andrae tempts Fate, #1). Um, so what? I used to work at a donut shop, but that doesn't mean I can create a dress out of the damn things. Andrae finishes shopping in half an hour, and stands out on the sidewalk, smarmily grinning about how he'll just have to wait for everyone else to finish (#2). Kara is still just buying materials she hopes will lend themselves well to construction. Santino wheels and deals. Danzzz spends almost every cent he has. Just as time runs out, Chloe finishes up. Everyone loads up carts of greenery, and they head back to the workroom.

The designers get started. Danzzz interviews about winning three challenges, and how he'll just keep staying the course as far as his design ideas, since the judges seem to like it. I like how he's able to sound proud of his wins without sounding conceited or egotistical. Chloe jokingly tells him that it's a bit sickening that he's good at everything he does, and he plays it off by saying he was abysmal at basketball. Hee. Everyone's so likable in this episode! Tim gathers everyone for an announcement. It's a big one. Whoever wins this challenge will have immunity for the next challenge. Everyone's agape. Andrae interviews that it'd be nice to win, since that'll get him automatically to the final four, which is his goal. That doesn't make much sense to me. Everyone else's goal is to make it to the final three, because that's when you get to really show your stuff at Fashion Week. Making it to the final four, while impressive, is still being eliminated through regular show challenges, essentially making it the same as being eliminated first. I don't get Andrae at all. The designers have until midnight. Now, things really get started. It looks like they can cover their dress forms with fabric, as long as all of that fabric is going to be covered by plant material. Of course, that means the fabric will still lend some structural integrity to the final dress, and that would have influenced my shopping choices, so it seems a bit unfair. We'll touch on it again at the judging. Danzzz starts making a woven pattern of leaves, and it's already beautiful. Kara recognizes that this challenge is a do-or-die one for her. Santino would like to win this challenge, because it'd give him the opportunity to do something really offensive for the next one. Hehehehe. Commercials.

When we return, we get to hear about the ideas everyone has come up with. Chloe is going to do a summer dress with overlapping leaves in such a way that from afar, you wouldn't even be able to tell it's made of plant material. Kara is braiding raffia, but not really sure what she's going to use it for. "I've got a pile of green," she says. "The main thing I want to do with it is smoke it, to tell you the truth." Hahahaha! Chloe cracks up. Santino's design is typically Santinish; very whimsical and arty. Danzzz has ferns for the bottom, and some absolutely beautiful purple-blue flowers that he'll use on the bustline. Andrae is using Spanish moss, baby's breath (ugh, I hate baby's breath - even the name is so cutesy-poo, it makes me want to hurl), and dried lavender. He goes outside to start gluing moss down to the fabric. Nick's explanation isn't very helpful. He just basically says he's going to make a skirt, then put plants on it. Thanks, Nick. Tim checks in a bit later. A couple of Chloe's leaves fall off the fabric, and Tim tells her that can't happen on the runway. She seems to be very behind schedule. Kara is still just creating as she goes. She's wound the braided raffia around the breasts of the mannequin so that it forms a kind of bra, but it goes up to form the neckline as well. That sounds icky, but it's really very cute. Tim is worried that she doesn't have more planned out, but she just shrugs it off, and says that the dress is happening "organically". I really don't think she meant that as the horrible pun it is, or I'd start to believe that she's been possessed by my father. Danzzz seems to know exactly where he's going, but worries about the time limit. Nick does not have a lot of material to work with. Santino doesn't seem to have done much of anything so far.

Tim realizes Andrae's not around, and goes outside to check on him. The second he's gone, Santino starts doing his Timpersonation again. They even intercut scenes of Tim talking to Andrae with Santino so that they both say "Carry on" one right after the other. Hah! Later, the designers are still working frantically. Chloe realizes that gluing the tiny leaves one by one is going to take forever. Suddenly, a gay theme hits from out of the blue. Chloe asks when Danzzz came out to his parents, and he says that it was a year ago. Nick, in an incredulous tone: "You JUST came out a year ago to your parents?". He seems to feel it's unacceptable that Danzzz waited so long in this time of love and tolerance that we're living in. Um. Danzzz kindly (too kindly for my tastes, actually - I would have made Nick very clear on how not-his-business my coming-out timeline was) explains that he grew up in the Bible Belt, and his circumstances are a little, you know, DIFFERENT. He interviews that it was tough to be labeled a fag, and how he's found support now. That's all very nice, and I'm genuinely happy for him, but this section of the show just came out of nowhere and went nowhere, so was essentially filler. Danzzz deserves better than that. Chloe jokes that her biggest fear is to date a guy that turns out to be gay. Heh, I guess she'll think she drove him to it or something. Danzzz asks Santino to do another Timpersonation. Santino creates a little story of Andrae and Tim having a lovers' quarrel at Red Lobster, and it's insane and hilarious. Andrae has an interview in which he asks if there's anyone else in the world like Santino, and if there is, please don't call him. Hahaha! I'm sorry, I know I'm "hah"-ing and "hee"-ing all over the place, but this episode is consistently cracking me up.

Evening. Tim checks in again. Kara still doesn't have a bottom worked out. Yikes. Nick has a fan of leaves that looks pretty cool, but there is a lot of fabric showing at the bottom that he'll have to deal with. Danzzz still seems to be proceeding with great efficiency, and Chloe is still way behind. Andrae has made a huge mess on the floor, and his dress just looks like a bed of moss right now. Tim approaches Santino, and totally calls him on the impressions, saying he wants to hear more. Santino looks like he wants to crawl in a hole and die. This is so awesome. I don't know who told Tim, or if he just overheard something, but the cat's out of the bag. The other designers freak out. Santino does a little of the Red Lobster riff. Tim laughs. Oh my God, I love this episode. They don't even talk about Santino's dress. Nick runs out of material, so the dress will have to be cut fairly short. Andrae talks about how he's close to finished, but wishes he had more time so that he could elaborate more. Chloe starts to panic in earnest about finishing on time. Santino has treated his leaves with shellac, which makes them really shiny, and Danzzz pretends to pass out from the fumes. Kara works like a madwoman. Time runs out, and Chloe bemoans her poor time-management in this challenge.

Commercials. I'm willing to give Top Chef a shot, since Bravo seems to do well with its reality shows. That guy yelling "Who's goin' doooooooown!!!!!!!!" needs to be beaten with a sack of doorknobs, though. We're back, and it's the next day. Everyone's very nervous. Except Andrae, of course, who tells Nick that it won't be any of the four gentlemen going home (#3). Everyone discusses Chloe's leaf issue, but decides that really, it could be anyone. Andrae: "I'm not going home, though. It's not me." He smiles. Jesus, that's such blatant Fate-tempting, I'm calling it #4-6. Everyone heads to the workroom and immediately dives into work. Tim comes in soon after, and says that the models will be arriving in a minute, but that the designers should just send the models to hair and makeup by themselves, so that they can keep working on the dresses. They've got about two hours. Chloe asks Grace to come back after hair and makeup to help her if she's not done. Kara's typically unhelpful in her hair and makeup descriptions, telling Eden to ask for "fresh Park Avenue, not stuffy Park Avenue". Chloe has Grace get a skullcap made of the same leaves that are on the dress. That is a terrific idea. Chloe is still rushing to finish, and Kara temporarily abandons her own dress (which has come together very quickly) to come help her. Aw, that's so sweet. She interviews that it's out of female solidarity, but I'll bet that Kara would have helped Danzzz in the same way. After helping for a while, Kara mentions that she hopes the judges don't yell at her for being unfinished, so Chloe cuts her loose so that she can work on her own dress, and thanks her for the help. The models get fitted. They're all uncomfortable. Nick interviews that everyone's dress looked great, so it'll be a hard challenge to call. Chloe literally glues the last leaf on as Tim enters to bring them to the runway.



Commercials, then showtime. The judges will be Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and design team Mark Badgley and James Mischka. Heidi is wearing a hideous maternity dress, which I only mention because all of the others have been lovely. She looks like she just rolled around in a tablecloth, then came straight to the runway. Danzzz is wearing one of his purple flowers at his lapel. Nice. Let's start the show. Normally, I just post the picture of whatever I found prettiest or ugliest on the runway, but since so many of these are great, I'll post them all. Rebecca is first in Danzzz's dress. It's very nice. The skirt is a mass of ferns with a small trail of the purple flowers. Those flowers also make up the entire bustline. In between, the waistline is made of the woven leaves Danzzz made, and it looks absolutely fantastic. There's also one of the flowers placed at dead center on her back. The only real problem I see are the shoulder straps, which are what's holding everything up, but aren't making use of plant material. That seems...well, not like cheating, but a little unfair. Next is Rachael, in Nick's dress. It's interesting. There are large, wraparound leaves for the bodice and shoulders, some dried lavender at the bustline, and the bottom is filled in with baby's breath. Also, it looks like the shoulders and bustline are connected with the last of the material Nick had, which are stems of some type. The whole thing is capped by a crown of yellow thistle. I don't know that I like this dress as much as some of the others, but it is very creative and technically proficient. Next is Grace in Chloe's dress, and while her rushing is reflected in its simplicity, it still looks lovely. The entire thing is overlayed with the small holly leaves, including the skullcap. Chloe has added a belt made of raffia (I think), and a bright purple flower. This looks the most dress-like of all of tonight's designs. If I saw this dress from across the room, I wouldn't know on first sight that it was made of leaves, because it actually looks like clothing. Very nice. Next is Heather in Santino's dress. The bodice is made of treated ficus leaves, as is the sole shoulder strap. At the hips, the other, more colorful leaves form a small layer, and the skirt is made from floral mesh. I don't know if that technically counts as plant material, but since the judges don't have a problem with it, I guess I don't either. The mesh does work well, giving it a very airy, springtime look. As with Nick's, I'm not wild about the overall product, but it's very well done nonetheless. Danyelle in Andrae's dress. Hmm. It's not ugly or anything. It's actually very cute. But, it's too plain to stack up to the other dresses I've seen so far. The entire thing is a bed of Spanish moss, which Andrae has accentuated with a hair accessory, a neckline, and a hemline of baby's breath. Below the hemline is a small skirt of raffia, which is what makes the waistline as well. He's sewn a zipper into the back, which is nice, I guess, but really breaks up the line of the dress, and makes it look a little tacky. Finally, we have Eden in Kara's dress. Kara has sort of been coasting in this competition so far, and seemed to have no ideas until very late in this challenge. So for her to produce this was a pretty fucking monumental achievement. It's gorgeous. In the front, the braided raffia forms a line around the breasts, continues up around the neck, and winds around the back. The open areas of the raffia are filled in with purple flowers. The rest of the bodice is a light green mesh of Spanish moss, with the skirt being a darker green bed of Spanish moss. The contrast of colors helps define the parts of the outfit in a really attractive way, and the skirt poofs out a bit at the bottom to make it show more movement than a lot of the other designs. The back is equally awesome. The bodice is composed of horizontal lines of dried, brown raffia, which is accented by a waistline of purple flowers. This dress is not only beautiful, but shows a lot of different ideas incorporated into the different areas of the outfit. Considering Kara pretty much pulled this dress right out of her ass, I feel this is the clear winner of this challenge. The judges tabulate their scores, and the designers step onto the runway. The models emerge. Heidi opens by saying she's surprised that people went with so much greenery rather than rose petals. I'm holding my tongue. Mark and James ask Nick why he didn't use more color. Still...holding...tongue. Nick explains that he was looking for bendable plants that would hold up. Still not getting it, Nina jumps onto the why-didn't-you-use-more-flowers bandwagon.

OK, that's it. These judges could not need to shut up more. 1) Flowers are fragile. I would invite Heidi, Mark, James, and Nina to try to construct anything entirely out of flowers and not destroy them in the process. 2) Flowers die. Quickly. If the designers put together an outfit made of flowers, or even just featuring flowers, they would have wilted overnight, and looked terrible. Danzzz told us earlier that his time crunch came from attaching the flowers at the last minute, because that's when you HAVE to put them on. 3) Flowers are expensive. New York is expensive. So flowers in New York are... You got it! Expensive. Nick spent almost every cent he had, and still didn't have enough material. If the designers had concentrated on colorful flowers, they wouldn't have been able to afford to create an entire garment. 4) Were the designers told that there would be an underlay of fabric? If so, fine. If not, they were under the impression that the plants they purchased would have to hold everything up, which flowers cannot do. In short, yes, flowers are wonderful, but they would have been ineffectual for this challenge, and it's really scary that only Michael seems to get that. Anyway, moving on.

Nick makes the mistake of telling the judges that he's trying to stray from his "Paris Hilton goes to a resort" aesthetic. The judges wrinkle their noses, because designing for Paris Hilton in the first place is kind of gross, given that she's just a giant, walking vagina. Also, this is still a very Nick-like design. If his intent is to stray from what he usually does, he failed. I think he would have been better off sticking with the bendable plants argument. The judges tell him it still looks pretty unsophisticated. I will say that his would be the most inappropriate for a garden party, which is what the designers were originally told to design for. Chloe is told that hers looks the most clothlike, and the most wearable. I'd agree with that. Mark tells Kara hers is the best-fit dress up there. He loves everything about it. Michael agrees, saying the texture differences are nice, and that Kara was very creative in her design process. Andrae's dress doesn't fit Danyelle well, and is too stiff. Plus, it's simple to the point of being boring. Michael says she looks like a doormat. Andrae rolls his eyes a little bit and smiles at Danyelle (#7). Danzzz's is adorable, and he used a lot of color. The judges ooh and ahh over the fact that he used flowers, and although I love the ones he picked out, the judges are waaaaaay too impressed with that. What really blows them away is the basket-weave on the waistline, which is quite amazing. Santino. Mark doesn't like the waxy look of the leaves, and again harps on the you-should-have-used-flowers point. SHUT UP. Santino explains that he treated the leaves to preserve the color, which is a good point, but Nina responds that by doing that, he's made them look very plastic, which is also a good point. Heidi likes that the leaves are shiny, which Michael jokes is because she's German. Heh. She shoots back that maybe his plants need dusting. The designers are sent off.

Deliberations. Finally, a judge (James) seems to realize why more flowers weren't used. Apparently, one of the Season 1 dresses was made of corn husks which shriveled on the runway. Heidi likes Kara, Chloe, and Danzzz's dresses. Everyone agrees about Danzzz's dress, and how wonderful it is. Chloe's looked the most like fabric, and she really thinks about women's bodies. Kara used texture in a smart way. Nick didn't explain his dress well, and Michael thinks his dress was a bit vulgar. These judges need a smack with a dictionary. Emmett's figure skating skirt was not vulgar. Nick's plant dress is not vulgar. True, I think it's a bit risque for a garden party, but it's not like anything was hanging out. Andrae's was boring and stiff. Santino cares more about creating wearable art than with the woman wearing the dress. That's a fair point. They recognize that he's creative and talented, but he needs to think about the client more. The designers are called back out. Commercials.

This week's fun trivia tidbit to avoid tiresome, repetitive show dialogue: Ten chysanthemums in the first New York florist shop I Googled cost twenty dollars. So, 1/5 of the designers' budget would cover an area about the size of the models' boobs.

We're back. Santino is in. Kara is in. She hugs Santino and has an interview in which she thanks the judges for recognizing the detail that went into the dress. And now the winner of the challenge. Danzzz. Nina AGAIN tells him how nice it is that he used flowers. Of course, Kara used flowers, too, but they were not as lush, so I guess they didn't "count". I do like Danzzz's dress a great deal. But he did not deserve this win. My cynical side thinks there may be a shiftier reason for Danzzz's victory, in that I suspect that the producers would like to cut Kara next week, and wouldn't be able to do so if she won immunity. He interviews that he's happy about the win, but sad to see someone else go. Chloe is in. That leaves Nick and Andrae. Andrae's dress was poorly fit, and not innovative enough. Nick's taste level wasn't there. Fate looks down, lines up her shot, and fires. Nick is in. He hugs Andrae and starts to cry. Andrae tears up while laughing and says "Oh, shut up. Only one person's allowed to cry on the runway." Heh. He thanks the judges and flounces off. Backstage, everyone hugs him as he gets ready to go. I have to quote his exit interview verbatim.

"When I was in the competition, I felt like I was this angel, and that I kind of just floated above the street. And now, I just feel like I'm walking in the crowd like everybody else, and that's kind of tough." Um. Yeah, that pretty much sums up Andrae in a nutshell.

Next week on Project Runway: A head-to-toe makeover for a fellow designer. Crap, I wish Diana were here for that! Santino and Nick get into a fight, and Nick starts in with the silent treatment, because he's seven. Chloe is anxious about her ability to design menswear. Santino is mad at Kara for being indecisive. Kara cries about something or other.

Overall Grade: A