February 15, 2006

"Project Runway."

Spoiler alert, obviously.

I'm glad they're using such a fair and straightforward task to make the final cut before the Fashion Week three. They're designing evening gowns, and the style is supposed to represent what they will do if they get the chance to design for Fashion Week. The edit is very Santino-focused. We're shown that no one likes him and that being nice is the key to being a successful fashion designer. I lock onto Santino without meaning to. Now, I find, I just want him to make it. Screw everyone else, who is supposed to be so damned nice. Are they, really? And why does it matter? Stop picking on my Santino! I didn't mean to take this frame of mind. I've just got it.

At about the halfway mark, I'm thinking the key is that Iman is going to be one of the judges and that she's going to wear the winning design somewhere. This is like the first season, where Wendy made it through by making the dress the celebrity chose to wear. So will Iman pick Santino's gold, spangly thing? The other three are too similar and too safe. I can't believe all three of them will get through and only the different one will fail. Iman is going to pick the gold spangles, isn't she?

The judges ask the designers to turn on each other. Chloe picks Santino to be cut, but then all three of the others pick Chloe. In the discussion with the judges, it seems that Chloe and Kara are most at risk, but I predict it will be Kara who will be eliminated, because she played it safe, and she hasn't been winning on other competitions, as Chloe has. So Chloe is the one that deserves to stay.

Santino makes it!

Daniel wins (though Iman tells him it was "borderline boring").

And Kara is out!

It all makes perfect sense.

8 comments:

Adam said...

Underwhelmed over at ALOTT5MA. Where was the personal vision, gang? Daniel Franco could've made three of those gowns.

That said, Daniel V and Chloe were clearly ahead of the pack from pretty early in the competition, so I'm glad to see them make it here.

reader_iam said...

Makes sense is right!

Talent is frequently not nice, and it's full of quirks, and other stuff as well. But that's not its point, after all.

(Btw, that doesn't mean Santino's my choice, even now.)

Jen Bradford said...

It's kind of disappointing to have everything diverted to who is likeable from one week to the next. Obviously it's part of what makes the show fun - but I'm not particularly excited to see a collection from any of them.

The editing is so manipulative that you wind up getting attached to people, and then suddenly find them a little creepy. I felt this way about both Nick and Daniel V. I still adore Chloe, so she'll probably say something to alienate me next week. I'm such a sucker!

price said...

When Nick was eliminated it felt very unfair... as though none of his previous accomplishments were factored in. In this case, it seemed like the top three actually deserved to be there, beyond simply the gowns they created tonight. It's a good top three.

What's ironic is that apparently Kara also presented some designs at fashion week last week as a decoy and apparently her designs were the crowd favorite. I really hope the final show makes reference to how Kara participates with her decoy show.

Craig Ranapia said...

Professor Althouse:

I got give the proverbial toss whether Santino is "nice" - I've worked with people who have the people skills of Josef Stalin but had the talent to make their attitudes (barely) tolerable. I'm sure you have too - what would academia be without the socially autistic? But no matter how "entertaining" he is, Rice has consistently shown an utter lack of professionalism and, IMHO of course, hasn't been consistently turning out good work.

knox said...

slideshows of everyone's work at fashion week. I think Kara's stuff is adorable!

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/fashion/fashionshows/designers/bios/projectrunwaydesigners/

Unknown said...

Maybe Santino's attitude is a pose, something to get noticed and keep the camera interested. His sequin thing was ugly!

I looked at his collection at the link from knoxgirl, and it was great--finished well, womanly, pretty. Hmmmm, strategy?

Unknown said...

Well, I agree, tcd, I don't think he's a genius. I think he is posing as one. I don't know what genius is anyways in fashion--but I would actually wear the clothes in his collection. I like them, that's all.