“Project Runway” Recap: Teletubbies Need Clothes, Too
The Challenge: Create an avant-garde look inspired by a painting that you produce with a high-school art student. Make it work.
The Drama: Tonight the designers were given license to thrill with experimental looks from the farthest corners of their imagination. Turns out, Farthest Corners of the Imagination is not a place all the designers are comfortable spending their time. Some dared to dream, but the Talented Mr. Olivier was all hand-wringing and head-scratching, and in the end he chose to be a spectator from his isle of comfort instead of unleashing his crazy to win the challenge. At least his lifeless, drapey concoction resulted in Michael Kors coining a catchy term for his flatline aesthetic: valium fashion.
One contestant who was comfortable traveling to Zanytown was Bert. He surprised us not only with his wacky, hot mess of a design (booty-enlarging riding pants with a jumbled heap of pastel, geometrical pincushions sewed on the breast region), but with his newfound can-do attitude. His sudden likability merits a moratorium on last-week’s Bert the Brat nickname, and prompts me to say this: I’m confused. Bert, you were so great in the first episode; remember I called you a sweetheart? We had a good thing going. But you were insufferable with Viktor and Anthony Ryan, so I gave up. I’m thrilled you’re emerging from your curmudgeon cocoon, but will it last?
Joshua C. (Mr. Bowtie) went home for the second time last night for failing to be hungry like the wolf (in his painting).
The Winner: Anthony Ryan Auld
Other Looks We Liked: Joshua M. and Anya
Quotes of the Night:
“I just hope it doesn’t look like a House of Dereon dress.” —Viktor expressing his deepest, darkest, and pretty well-founded fears about his Beyoncé-compatible garment.
“It looked like something a Teletubby would wear to a party.” —Michael Kors discovering a target demographic for Bert’s pin-cushion faux pas.
Want to own something from tonight’s episode? Check out www.projectrunway.com to bid on the original garments from this episode and to stock up on all your Project Runway needs.
