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

Project Runway. Season 16 Episode 9 on LIFETIME. judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Zac Posen. Guest judge: Kate Upton. Host: Heidi Klum. Mentor and co-host: Tim Gunn.

Episode 9: A “Little” Avant Garde

The twin saga continues. After Michael storms off because Claire won, Margarita goes to find him while Batani starts to tell Heidi about the measuring that Claire [and Shawn] did. Michael tells Tim Gunn that Claire has a retractable ruler and measures garments back at the hotel. Michael comes back onstage. Heidi looks titillated that there’s a storyline, that there’s drama.

“Michael, Why are you running off the stage?” asks Heidi.
“I couldn’t stand here and listen to a win I think wasn’t well-deserved,” Michael responded.
“But are you a judge?” Yolanda asked.
“No but I see what goes on in the workroom and back in the apartments,” Michael stated.
Heidi: “I think you all borrow from each other.”
Nina says: “You all know your own strength and your own creative power.”

BATANI is OUT.

Meanwhile . . . Tim backstage: “If Claire used a measuring tape outside the workroom there will be consequences.” Margarita feels awful about how it all went down and how it made everyone look. She regrets not bringing up her concerns before the runway show. Talk in the green room is pretty tame. No yelling. No tears. Claire’s relatively composed. She’s a restrained upset. Tim comes in and with a crackling voice asks: “Is it true that you have had a measuring tape in your room?” Claire doesn’t look at Tim and in a monotone, responds: “I have a measuring tape.” Tim says: “Is it true that you have been measuring garments in your room.” Claire says that she has done. Tim says that they have to rescind the win and send her home. Dixie will now used dream machine Brandon’s design. Batani will stay after all.

This week’s sponsor is something called Shopkins. Little kids come out with dolls in hand and get assigned to designers. The challenge is to create an avant garde look inspired by one of the young people’s favorite Shopkins “shoppie.” Shopkins will create a one-of-a-kind shoppie inspired by the winning design. Also a 5,000K cash prize. They have 30 minutes to consult with the children and to sketch and one day for the challenge with a budget of $300. Brandon’s kid wants him to put chocolate on and in the design. Brandon looks befuddled. Ayana doesn’t want to be safe anymore. Her design with tiers of ruffles looks amazing.

Amy gets behind because she chit-chatted with the girl instead of getting input on design. There’s a lighter mood in the workroom without the twins.

Tim comes in for critique. He likes Margarita’s smart idea. He tells Ayana “it’s a lot” and that she needs to edit. To Michael, Tim says: “You can’t hide anything with a look like this.” He tells Amy that her look is a mismatch of different looks and her textile looks like “cheap pantyhose.” He wonders why it’s taking Brandon so long: “This challenge is difficult for you isn’t it?” Of course Michael thinks that Brandon’s relying on Kentaro too much for ideas. Just STOP Michael! As Nina said, you need to just MYOB and do your thing. Of course more drama=more camera time.

Guest judge this week: Kate Upton

Runway notes:
Brandon—pretty color and design
Batani—package
Kenya—another mermaid dress
Ayana—super cute
Kentaro—bridal
Amy—interesting lines
Margarita—flowing
Michael—futuristic disco

Heidi announces, “It was an amazing runway show. Very exciting.” So good that there are four high scores and only two low. Oh, and in his spare time, Zac Posen wrote a cook book, Cooking with Zac. If you follow him on Instagram you’ve seen his dishes.

SAFE: Kenya and Kentaro

HIGH SCORES:

AYANA

Kate: “It’s a show stopper. I love the entire look.”

Heidi: “I love the imagination.”

Zac: “Surrealist Bo Peep. Fun. Expressive.”

Nina: “Sophisticated but child like.”

MICHAEL —he explains that he wanted a disco ball melting away look

Nina: “It looks so well made.”
Kate: “I definitely want to go dancing in that look.”

Zac: “I totally got this liquid melting quality. It captures the imagination.”

BRANDON

Brandon: “I think it’s really cool. I think it’s really great work.”

Nina: “I respect the fact that you kept to your aesthetic.”

MARGARITA

Heidi: “I love this look. It is beyond stunning. It is like a cloud.”

Zac: “You can feel the sensuality and emotion in it.”

Nina: “I love that you took different fabrics with different textures and built this 360 explosion.”

LOW SCORES:

BATANI

Heidi: “I’m not in love. A lot of scraps come together. It doesn’t look intentional.”

Nina: “It looks like you ran out of time.”

Zac: “I wrote down laundry day.”

AMY

Heidi: “I was not the biggest fan of this look.”

Zac: “I don’t feel that it’s that risky.”

MICHAEL is the WINNER

Both BATANI and AMY are OUT

Project Runway. Season 16 Episode 7 on LIFETIME. judges: Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Zac Posen. Guest judge: Asia Kate Dillion. Host: Heidi Klum. Mentor and co-host: Tim Gunn.

Episode 7: The Ultimate Face-off

As annoying as the twins are I still feel empathy for them and perhaps it’s just good editing and producing. Claire’s freaking out about being in the bottom two twice. Shawn notes that she’s also been in the bottom. “I just want to get out of this rut and move toward the top where I belong,” Claire says. She’s been saying that for weeks so either she’s out or she makes a massive comeback. Although in past seasons I’m not sure anyone has been able to make it to the final four after being on the bottom for that many challenges.

This season isn’t all that interesting or surprising and it’s unclear how Project Runway can change up the show to make it more interesting. I like most of this season’s designers okay but nobody stands out that much. I look forward to Project Runway Jr. to return.

The designers are at JC Penney. This doesn’t scream fashion to me. As Andy Cohen said in his Andy Cohen Diaries it’s “low rent.” They’re in the menswear department so everyone freaks out a bit until Tim tells them that they’re not designing menswear but using menswear as inspiration. Cue the “boyfriend” sweaters, jeans, shirts etal. It’s a team challenge. The designers will work in teams of two. First they’re assigned JC Penney fabric. Yuck. The they pick teams and can’t pick someone who has the same fabric. The teams are: Kentaro and Brendon; Amy and Kenya; Claire and Shawn; Margarita and Batani; Ayana and Michael. They get 30 minutes to sketch and will get $100 for notions, trims and supplemental fabric at Mood. I have NEVER bought an item of clothing at JC Penney. The last time I entered a JC Penney was to look at a Sephora inside the JC Penney. A dirty, messy Sephora. At Mood it’s Swatch’s tenth birthday! So cute. He’s wearing a crown. There’s a cake.

Claire: “I think Shawn has relied a lot on me for the last challenge. It’s frustrating. I too want to succeed in this competition.” Brendon and Kentaro seem to be the frontrunners. Amy and Kenya say they respect each other and work well together. During the critiques, Tim tells Margarita that her design is “a lot of work.” He’s concerned about Amy and Kenya’s look being matronly. He tells Ayana her design “looks like a hospital gown.” He dubs Brandon and Kentaro the dream team as they have similar sensibilities, good skills and have both won. Margarita seems particularly spiteful and catty every time she’s interviewed about other designers. Michael hopes that being dubbed the dream team does to Brandon and Kentaro’s heads and they “crumble.” Tim tells Michael he doesn’t understand his look but notes: “I could be wrong. I’m an old fart.”

Shawn asks Kentaro if she can design a legging boot like he’d designed for the prior challenged. Model Liris gets in the mirror to say that she’s a 14 with a “badonkadonk” and that the twins aren’t used to designing for plus size. To be fair, as Tim said when they mentioned this, none of the designers are all that used to designing for plus size women.

Guest judge this week: actress Asia Kate Dillion [Billions]

Runway notes: Amy’s look is constructed well. The hoodies that Brandon and Kentaro designed are super cute. Batani’s look is lovely. Margarita’s dress is pretty. I’m not keen on any of the fabrics but I’m not the target shopper. Underwhelmed by this week’s runway.

Ayana and Michael are safe.

HIGH SCORES:

Kentaro design

Brandon and Kentaro

Heidi: “I’m in love with both of these looks.”

Nina: “I love the effortlessness. There’s a lot of versatility in these outfits.”

Zac: “Nice casual quality. By far the most cohesive on the runway.”

Margarita design

Batani design

Margarita and Batani

Heidi: “I love both these looks too. I am a huge fan of yours Margarita. The fit is so nice.”

Zac: “I’m in love with your dress. It is just a little bit different.”

Nina: “It’s so polished and sophisticated.”

Asia: “They look comfortable. They look effortless.”

LOW SCORES:

Claire design

Shawn design

Zac: “I don’t feel the cohesion. This t-shirt is just bad design. The world doesn’t need this.”

Nina: “Why do we need these clothes?”

Amy and Kenya

Amy design

Kenya design

Heidi: “Kenya, I think what you presented is too boring.”

Asia: “These looks feel like flight attendant uniform rejections of the 70s.”

Nina: “Even the way you styled these girls, they look old.”

Margarita is the WINNER

the twins will have a one hour faceoff challenge.

to be continued…

One of the twins will likely be OUT but we won’t find out until the next episode.