I was surprised at the outcome of this week's Project Runway because the judges were slamming Ping for the same Drapey McDrapperson dress they praised in the first go-round. The model had that same long extension of fabric flung over her arm and she looked like a little girl playing dress-up. But it was fun to watch Ping and Jessie fight when they had to work as a team. You could tell it was coming when the pixie-ish designer said in one of those "confession" interviews about being a team captain: "I'm very good at giving clear instructions" and then when she was actually called on to lead, she was like the proverbial designer chicken with its couture head cut off. I did like her glasses, BTW. In the end the elimination choice was between kooky Ping and funny Anthony. Funny was safe and kooky bit the arsenic cookie.
Another highlight was seeing the contestants on the brink of tears when in the presence of the classic gowns at the Met. I get the same way when I find a mint-condition Batman comic.
So I'm glad Ping was finally ponged and that the young model pointed out she didn't even fit the dress on her. I bet the models have been told off-camera by the producers "If something dramatic is going on, be sure to bitch about on the runway--or scrunch up your face so Heidi will say 'You look like you're bursting to say something.'" The same with the designers when chosing their models--Jesus just had to say something about Sophia being "difficult" because of her allergy.
Which leads me to say I'm actually not hating Models on the Runway this season. This group of ladies is actually interesting compared to the Barbies last time. I really like the older-vs.-younger-model dynamic with Brandise (love the name), Sophia, and that Irish girl going out for drinks while the little kids stay at home and whine about how nobody likes them and begging for a hug. (I also love to hear the Irish girl talk. Her accent is great.) It's also spikier with the designers not always chosing the same model, so at least there's a modicum of suspense. These designers have no loyalty which is fantastic because it shows they don't give a shit about the models' feelings--they want to win!
Back to the main stuff: Mila's jacket did deserve a win. She and Jay are emerging as consistantly strong. But I'll bet Mila's teammate Jonathan was pissed that she won because he did all the work--and she didn't even thank him, at least not on camera. Also Maya seemed to be the leader of her team even though Jay was the titular captain. Her Jane-Jetson-at-the-Miss-Galaxy-pageant gown was very risky. It could very easily have become a supervillainness costume from Star Trek, but it was elegant without going over the top.
Speaking of fashion, earlier this week I watched Unzipped, the documentary on Isaac Mizrahi. It trailed the designer while he put together a new collection and all the work that goes into mounting the show. One of his conceits was to have a scrim in front of the backstage area so that when lights shone through it, you could see the mayhem of the dressers and models scrambling to make their entrances. Just as the camera was taking us behind the scenes, so was Mizrahi. It was a fun and quirky look behind the curtain of a glamorous world. You would see the camera crew in many shots. The director--too lazy to look it up--filmed mostly in black and white and at odd angles, sometimes using grainy film. It offered a weird perspective. Also ironic that Mizrahi's label went bankrupt a few years later and then he was designing for Target. Now he's doing Project Runway knock-offs--will that thing ever come back? It least it was better than Launch My Line.
More reality is on the way with Kell on Earth and the return of Shear Genius from Bravo and of course, The Amazing Race on Valentine's Day.
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