ENTERTAINMENT REALM

Project Runway. Season 16 Episode 10 on LIFETIME. judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Zac Posen. Guest judge: Rachel Brosnahan. Host: Heidi Klum. Mentor and co-host: Tim Gunn.

 Episode 11: Warrior Fashion

Final five: Ayana; Brandon; Kentaro; Kenya; Margarita

Designers meet Tim Gunn in a boxing ring where an AVON representative introduces them to breast cancer survivors.

challenge: create a high fashion editorial look inspired by these warrior women

Designers have 30 minutes to sketch, $200 to spend at Mood and 2 days to complete the challenge.

Margarita says that she knows what Brandon and Kentaro’s collections would look like and she’s not that interested in seeing pleats and Dolman sleeves. After the trip to Mood, Kentaro’s struggling again with designing for a plus-size model. Brandon works on drop crotch pants. Again. Brandon says: “Kentaro is my biggest competition. I just think his clothes are clean and they’re cool. But I’m confident. I’m one of the only designers here who have a consistent story on the runway and I feel like I’ve been the most well-received here.” The judges do love his work. Brandon and Ayana have two wins. Ayana’s are more recent which bodes better for her. Margarita and Kentaro have one win. Kenya’s the only designer left with no wins. I can’t recall if anyone’s made it to NYFW without winning a challenge.

Kentaro notes that Brandon’s design looks similar to his. Both have hoodies. They should work together after the show.

Tim checks in. He tells Ayana: “I’m crazy about the top. For me, it’s a real wow moment and I do not say that casually you know that.” He tells Kentaro to make sure he doesn’t have “too many competing ideas” and notes he likes his color palette more than black or navy. Brandon says he’s designing a nomadic, androgynous warrior. Tim asks Brandon if he’s doing enough that judges will think it’s “beyond” what they’ve already seen. Tim reminds Kenya she’s the only designer left who hasn’t won a challenge and tells her: “On a scale of 1-10 this needs to be a 20.” Margarita wants to capture chaos and despair associated with cancer or major illness. I love this idea but not what she’s doing at the moment. Tim likes it. He also tells Margarita: “We don’t have any control over where they get it or not. It’s what you want to say and it’s a powerful message coming from you.”

The models arrive and Liris is excited to work with Kenya. She says: “A model connects with a designer in a certain way and it translates to the runway.” Kentaro has scrapped his design to make a new one “quick like Cup of Noodle.”

Runway notes:

Brandon—cool

Ayana—chic, bold, great print

Margarita—don’t like gold with red or like the corset

Kentaro—looks like a hair salon smock

Kenya—power vibe

Guest judge this week: Rachel Brosnahan

KENYA

Heidi: “I love the way Liris looks today. Finally someone gets her 100% right.”

Nina: “This is an example that you don’t need hijinks to communicate power. Here is power on the silhouette. Her is power in the color. Here is power in the tailoring.”

Rachel: “It’s just stunning.”

Zac: “You delivered on the power of fashion.”

BRANDON

Heidi: “It is out there but I feel you are creating something new.”

Nina: “It is extremely editorial. I think you really have a sense of what is happening in fashion and that is really important in fashion.”

Zac: “You knocked it out of the park. You played with a lot of elements and it worked.”

MARGARITA

Zac: “You have some really nice draping. The containment of the corset did almost the opposite of what you intended.”

Heidi: “To me it is very literal of the wonder woman. This looks a little messy.”

Nina: “She looks like she’s stuffed in there. This looks very much like a costume.”

KENTARO

Rachel: “I can’t see her body at all and I wish I could.”

Nina: “I see more monastic than majestic.”

Heidi: “From waist down I like this look a lot. From the waist up there’s not enough.” Heidi also notes that Kentaro’s design looks a lot like Brandon’s design.

AYANA

Zac: “Wacky buy it’s impeccable and I’m blown away.”

Rachel: “It is bold certainly.”

Heidi: “She looks so strong, powerful and sexy without showing any skin.”

BRANDON is the WINNER

MARGARITA is OUT but Tim uses his Tim Gunn save