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

 Episode 10: Driving Miss Unconventional

Final six: Ayana; Brandon; Kentaro; Kenya; Margarita; Michael. I’ve liked Ayana from the beginning. Otherwise I’m not terribly excited. This lackluster season will easily be forgotten.

Unconventional challenge sponsored by Lexus. Tim reminds designers to create “looks that do not conform to rules” and to “think outside the box.” No driving around this time. Instead designers have three minutes to grab rescue/safety materials for their designs from a few SUVs. Margarita says she plans something with an “athletic vibe.” Michael is fetish-inspired. Is that his aesthetic? I don’t know and should by this point. Kentaro tells Brandon that Lyric has “trunk in the junk.” He’s working on a crop top and pleated skirt. Blah. Kenya plans to make a dress out of seatbelts. Ayana wants to make something big.

Tim comes in for critiques. He tells Margarita she’s over-thinking and he was “at first dubious” but once she explained her plan he understood. To Ayana: “This has the potential to be incredibly chic.” He questions Kenya’s textile construction and her all-black look. He tells Michael that it looks like he’s creating two different looks. Tim’s concerned that Kentaro’s using fabric as fabric and it’s not unconventional enough. Tim says to Brandon: “This is the second challenge in a row that you’ve been visibly flummoxed.” Brandon replies: “It’s tough one Tim.” One of Tim’s favorite words is dubious.

The model chit-chat to the mirror isn’t adding anything to the season. Maybe if it were edited better it might work but I don’t find much merit in it. This is a show about fashion designers not models. If we want to find out about modeling then we watch America’s Next Top Model.

Michael says that Ayana’s looks is “so beyond, so over-the-top in the worst way possible. She might be in trouble.” Oh Michael, you HOPE she’s in trouble but that look is amazing and you’ve designed some Frederick’s of Hollywood off-the-rack look. He’s been pretty catty all season. Margarita too. Bringing the drama. A sleeve falls off Ayana’s design right before the runway. She glues it. Kenya has a zipper break. Eek.

Heidi reminds the designers: “Every single stitch counts. There’s no more room for error.” Was there ever room for error? Isn’t that the point of this competition?

Runway notes:

Brandon—great colors. Not flattering. Bell shape.

Kentaro—bad cultural appropriation costume

Michael- pretty blue

Ayana—yaaas girl! Gorgeous, amazing shape and textile

Kenya—cool style

Margarita—trash bags

Guest judge this week: Carly Chaikan [Mr. Robot]

HIGH SCORES:

BRANDON

materials: liferaft; hose

Zac: “I adore this. This is spectacular work.”
Nina: “I love seeing you play with movement.”
Heidi: “It’s flirty but hard at the same time.”

AYANA

materials: lifeguard float; reflectors; mesh netting; danger tape

Heidi: “This look is so fantastic. It’s sleek. It’s modern. It’s chic.”
Zac: “This is hot. This is bold. This is big.”
Nina: “She looked like she was on fire. There’s a sense of drama, a sense of elegance.”

KENYA

materials: seatbelts; plastic boat

Heidi: “I think this is very good. It has a lot of detail. You created a cool dress.”
Nina: “This is an example of ow you can do drama and not put everything but the kitchen sink in.”

MARGARITA

materials: caution tape; reflectors; knee pads; hard hats; safety harness

Nina: “I really like this. I’m getting a superhero vibe.”
Heidi: “This girl is very modern.”
Zac: “The textile you created was really inventive. Your use of materials is quite wonderful.” He says that he doesn’t know Margarita’s style yet.

LOW SCORES:

MICHAEL

materials: bungee cords; harness straps; ace bandages

Nina: “It lacks drama. She looks like a backup dancer for a music video.”
Carly: “She looks very hookerish. A little tacky and cheap.”
Heidi: “It looks like you didn’t work as hard as everyone else.”

KENTARO

materials: firehose; yellow cone

Nina: “I see a lack of vision.”
Heidi: “She almost looks like a doll.”
Carly: “It feels a little basic.”

AYANA is the WINNER

MICHAEL is OUT