Topic: Project Runway Canada II
...and once again I take my place on my end of the couch and eagerly await the start of Project Runway Canada Season Two. According to the advance previews the designers go camping. In two of the three tents are previously eliminated designers, and the challenge is to make something out of camping gear. The big twist is spoiled by the previews.
You have no idea how intriguing and inspiring I found this concept. A ball gown from a camp-stove and flashlight bulbs! Camping gear is made of synthetics such a nylons, polyesters, olefins, mylars, and other long chain polymer fibers sold under a variety of brand names. How about a cocktail dress from camp cookware and a port-o-john? These fabrics look lustrous but can be difficult to sew. An evening gown from mosquito netting, mylar thermal blacket...and...and...Sleeping bag! How creative and innovative do they want? Or do they want fashion and wearability first, innovative material use second? Oooo! A bustier from a backpack and a skirt made of propane tanks! I've always enjoyed camping, forests, nature... here's the best idea so far: fishing rods, tent pegs and shock-cords woven together into a sporty shorts and jacket set perfect for camping.
Why don't I wait for the show to start, and the challenge to be given for real?
Iman makes her entrance, she's in black high waisted skinnies and a sheer blouse with a high neck ruffle. Finishing the look is enough gold chains to make Mr T envious. Once again she's gone for a slightly futuristic look this time with a romantic twist. The designers do the model no-shuffle and she tells the designers to go back to the mansion for a good night's sleep and to prepare for a real back-to-basics adventure. The designers wonder if they will be off to somewhere exotic, like Paris, New York, Los Angeles... Yes, nothing says back to basics like Los Angeles California. Next morning dawns and they find back packs and a note, they are to pack warm clothes because they are going camping.
Mute trumpet goes wah-wah. Jessica hates camping. Adejoke hates camping, Sunny doesn't like camping. Kim says you don't send fashion kids camping. Kim packs like a true Canadian: seventeen bottles of beer, a fox stole and leg warmers. In the car they all sing annoying in the car songs and Jessica looks mortified. Kim sings "seventeen bottles of beer in my pack! Seventeen bottles of beeeeer! Take one down pass it around...but not asian dude and fat chick who are better designers than meeee! Sixteen bottles of beer in my pack!"
At the campsite they meet Brian, in our last episode he played the wise Galactic Guardian to our troop of intrepid, dysfunctional yet oddly endearing group of superheroes. Today he's camp counsellor Brian, imparting the wisdom of the ancient forests. He tells them they need to pair up in teams, Sunny picks Jessica, which leaves Kim and I'm sooo screwed...I mean Adejoke. Then Brian says there's one more team and out come Genevieve and Jason from two of the tents.
The challenge is spelled out: It's titled "Gimme Shelter" and the designers must create two looks from camping and survival gear. One look must be avant garde and push the boundaries of fashion while the other is a ready to wear interpretation of the avant garde look. They must select the materials from the survival bag and the tent contents, the materials selected will go back to the work room and they will use the rest for the overnight stay.
A few go swimming, and a few sit on the shore and stew about how unfair life is. Kim, Jason and Genevieve have a good time splashing in the water and fooling around, which is where I would be. If there isn't something flirty and romantic going on between Jason and Kim I will eat my backpack! Only Jessica and Sunny have a tent, to which they retire after a campfire. The others sent the tents back to the workroom. There's nothing more relaxing and peaceful than a campfire. I think they are at the Ottawa Municipal campground, just off the Trans Canada highway.
Morning arrives and Camp Counsellor Brian wakes everyone by banging a wooden spoon loudly on a camp pot. They all moan and groan and return to the workroom. They pull out camp chairs, tents, sleeping bags, screen tents, tent covers, mylar survival blankets, sleeping bag stuffing. Everyone hate Jessica and Sunny in the way that six year olds hate the kids who get the most gold stars in class.
The teams work as follows: Kim will do the avant Garde look while Adejoke does a ready to wear interpretation. Brian reminds them the their workmanship must be perfect.
Sunny will do his teams avant garde look, he's inspired by the crystal formation outside the Royal Ontario Museum using the thermal blanket for the crystals. Jessica will do the ready to wear look. Again, Brian wants impeccable technical skill to shine through. (Theres quite a bit of internet chatter about dangly threads, wiggly seams and quality issues with all the designers this year, and these issues are allegedly magnified in the final three fashion seek shows.)
Jason and Genevieve are pulling out all the stops, going all the way over the top because if they don't win the challenge then they are both out. Genevieve tackles the avant garde, using mylar and nylon to make a ball-gown and jacket. Jason takes on the ready to wear interpretation. Brian, once again is tough and tells them not to hold anything back.
They have two days to complete this challenge, which should be adequate time. As they work I am thinking: JASON AND KIM: get a room guys...or maybe a tent.
Morning of day two dawns and the designers are allowed one phone call, much like the recently arrested are allowed. Jason calls his mom, because as we are all so painfully aware he was raised by a single mom yadda yadda. Sunny calls his boyfriend; Adejoke calls her mom; Jessica and Genevieve make mystery calls and poor Kim gets voice mail and busy signals. Our eyes are moist with pity as Kim relates her sad life story.
They return for day two of the challenge and we should see lots of sewing machines humming, irons belching steam and scissors flying. We should see the designers focus their energy and attention on the task at hand. We do see some of that but mostly we see them putting down everyone else's designs while bragging how superior they are to everyone else. As the sewing machines sew and the designers design the hands of the clock spin furiously and it's now down to one hour. The tension between two of the designers is unbearable. Once again: Kim --Jason GET A ROOM!
Another commercial break and I slip into my happy camping place. The fire burns brightly as I return from a mushroom expedition. We have chanterelles, black trumpets and icicle mushrooms for dinner, varnished conks to decorate the living room when we get home and a couple unidentifiable boletes to examine carefully. There's also cattail-on-the-cob -that is: the unopened flower buds that can be boiled and served with a bit of butter, salt and pepper. From the pond I gather water lily buds, delicate and tasty, and also waterlily tubers, which look and taste like slightly flower-perfumed potatoes. While the commercials run I also think that I need to make myself a long day gown, a maxi dress. I have some pucci inspired print stretch silk satin, that would be perfect. For camping?
Day of the show dawns and the designers are in a sewing frenzy. Brian arrives with the models and they have two hours. Kim has a few fit issues and must sew her model in. Adejoke complains that she might be pushed out because of Kim. (Cry me a river, says Carly Wong. At least the incompetent partner goes with you, unlike weepy Megan who shafted Carly) Kim's 20U machine makes an odd ping and bang noise. That's never good.
The designers go to hair and make-up. Jason and Genevieve are confident and the team gives them an amazing hair and make-up look to go with the dress. Kim and Adejoke go for a pale and pure look. Sunny wants conehead hair and Jessica wants flushed-from-the-cold cheeks. Fifteen minutes remain and there is an insane flurry of shoe straps, needles, threads and sprinting designers.
More commercials and a news break! Our top story! Someone stole a penguin, leaving only his feet attached to the ground! It was a statue...couldn't they have said that first? I'm thinking about my long day dress, I'll make it tight at the rib cage, draped at the neck and sort of flowy to the bottom, like every other day gown I've seen this year.
It's time for the show and Iman is once again stunning in mellow yellow. Quite stylish! The judges are introduced, Comic relief Shawn, Rita the plastic robot, and Rachel Roy. That's Rachel ROY designer, not Rachel Ray, TV personality who makes me feel all stabby when her show is on. The runway show starts.
Sunny shows a quilted dress with a very high neckline and silver peaks on the one shoulder. Jessica shows and not quite ready to wear quilted short sleeve dress with a similar constricting neckline.
Genevieve and Jason show an over the top ball skirt from nylon with mylar ribbons. Jason's ready to wear dress is a bit too short and reminds me of Brandon's bad figure skating dress for Elisha Cuthbert. The top cancels out the bottom, it's very good.
Kim shows an avant garde jumpsuit that is completely out there with a padded high collar and huge bell bottom pants. It looks a bit clunky but the concept is good. Adejoke shows a capri length jumpsuit that I don't like, but I think the judges will love. I don't personally like or wear capris, and jumpsuits have never fit me, ever.
They line everyone up on the runway and the designers explain and defend their dresses.
Jason and Genevieve are first. Shawn really likes how they pulled out all the stops and went over the top. Rita likes it too, so does the guest judge. They think Jason's' skirt might be a bit short but they love his jacket.
Rita thinks Kim showed that she is an excellent avant garde designer, but Shawn thinks it's a little too Toronto Queen West Rave scene. Guest judge and Iman aren't as happy, pointing out construction issues. They all love Adejoke's jumpsuit saying it's the best she has done and they think it's absolutely perfect.
Needless to say Rita loves Jessica and Sunny. They could put burlap sacks tied with sisal rope on the runways and Rita would love it. I don't think her programming allows her to dislike Sunny, or maybe it's merely an error in her AI's algorithm. Guest loves the crystals and spikes on Sunny's dress. There's some concern that Jessica's dress isn't ready to wear or commercial enough. Shawn does have a good eye for what will sell and what won't, but he's merely comic relief so they ignore him.
The designers are dismissed to the green room where we see the usual tiresome crap, the designers who got a bad review open up a can of woop-ass hater-ade on those who got a good review. Whine whine whine. Jason...Kim...keep your hands to yourself!
To the judging: The loved Sunny's Avant Garde more than Jessica's RTW, saying it wasn't RTW enough. But they did like some Jessica's technical details such as the pin tucks, which as we remember completely flummoxed poor Margarita. The knock against them was the their clothes weren't the most wearable.
They like the concept of Kim's Avant Garde, but they felt the construction let her down, it wasn't well made. They loved Adejoke's jumpsuit, but it didn't link up with Kim's making the pair un-cohesive.
They like Genevieve's look, calling it well made. They loved Jason's jacket more than the skirt. They say that they made a good cohesive team and they are a potential for the win.
It almost sounds like they don't want anyone to lose this one.
Commercials, and I really do like the maxi dress design I've scribbled out, but it would look better in a floral print rather than an abstract op-art. So what will Kim do if Genevieve and Jason knock her out of the competition? These three have been thick as thieves, to use a cliché. Would it mean no more noogies for Jason and no Christmas card for Genevieve? The survivor theme is quite appropriate in this series, especially this episode. This bunch has plotted, complained, sabotaged and done everything to defeat the other contestants, whether by means fair or foul. The quality of the challenge and the way the designers rose to the challenge barely offset the bickering.
The show returns and all get a big heartfelt congratulations on a job well done. They all rose to the challenge. There is a surprise in the judging, two teams have won, Sunny and Jessica; Genevieve and Jason. This means that Kim is the real loser and Adejoke gets royally butt****** by Kim.
M. Night Shamalan couldn't have come up with a worst twist than this. I'm mad that Adejoke is gone, she deserved to sty to the final three. Kim was let down by her lack of technical skill. It really doesn't matter how brilliant your designs are, or how pretty your sketches are, if you lack the knowledge and ability to turn an idea or a sketch into a finished wearable garment then the brilliant creativity means zilch. fashion design is at the heart, about making clothes. Drawing sketches is fashion illustration, design involves actual fabric and clothing. If Kim works on making her designs, she could be brilliant. All she really needs is a bit more focus and a bit more practise.
Coming next week:The final four and the pressure intensifies! They are making dresses and there is another twist as Brian opens the workroom door to some help! and once again we hear the mute trumpets go wah-wah.
Here's the sketch I did for this challenge, no porto-johns, no propane tanks. The left look is made from camp chair webbing, tent nylon and mosquito screen. It's twisted dress, boned under with carbon fibre tent supports and webbing and backpack buckles over the bone channels, the entire dress is cut with a twist and the seams are slightly ruched and gathered. Under the dress is mosquito netting cut in random jagged peaks and gather to form a tulle-like underskirt. The idea is a forest fairy or a forest spirit, a sylph who lives among the trees and the ponds. The right side is a trench coat with padded lapels and a poofed out padded hem, There would again be webbing and buckles used anywhere that there are tabs and loops on normal trench coats. Backpack pockets would be transferred to the coat. Some of the details would be worked out in contraction, such as one shoulder or two in the dress, and if the coat would have ruched seams.
Next week decides the final three: Sunny, Jessica, and Jason? Or Sunny, Jessica and Genevieve?
