Project Runway Rundown: It's a Foreign Affaaaaaaaaaair...

During last week's preview, when Diane von Furstenberg appeared, the following conversation happened between my heterosexual male roommate (HMR) and I:

Me: OMG ITS DIANE VON FURSTENBERG
HMR: ...who?
ME: OMG SHE CREATED THE WRAP DRESS
HMR: ...what?
ME: OMG SHE'S FABULOUS
HMR: ...

Yeah, I really love her. She was the bright spot of this otherwise mundane episode. Read on for my thoughts on all the looks.



Leanne



Congrats to the first repeat winner of the season, and even more impressive, the first consecutive winner in two seasons! (Fun PR Fact: Every designer who has won two challenges in a row has made it to Bryant Park. Only Kara Saun, Daniel V, Michael Knight and Jeffrey have accomplished this.) This dress is GORGEOUS. The neckline is fantastic, and the silhouette is sexy and flattering. I absolutely love the ruffle on the back, which is only barely visible in this picture. I only have a minor issue with the look, and that's the jacket, which looks a bit slapdash and doesn't entirely work with the dress. Fortunately for Leanne, the dress is strong enough on it's own to overcome the jacket.

Korto



This was my personal favorite. I appreciate that Korto used a print in an effort to fit into the DVF universe, and I think she used it quite well. The splash of yellow really wakes the dress up, and unlike Leanne's, I think the shrug/jackety thing here works really well with the rest of the look. Korto is currently my choice to make it to Bryant Park and win this whole thing.

Kenley



I didn't really get the love for this dress. Although I like that Kenley used a print, I think this particular print looks like a Magic Eye picture. The silhouette is flattering, if a bit basic. I also don't like that she didn't layer, since that seemed to be such a feature in the collection. On a personal tangent, if you'll allow me to put on my thought-about-being-a-sociologist hat for a second, I think the styling of the model was stereotypical and downright offensive - Asian does not have to mean geisha. Also, I have a new Project Runway rule inspired by Kenley this week:

Project Runway Season Five Rule #3: Shut up, Kenley.

Blayne



I like the jacket. I even kind of like the exploding color scarf. I HATE THOSE SHORTS/PANTS/WHATEVERS. Gross and unflattering.

Jerell



After a brief hiccup last week, I can go back to being entirely baffled by whatever the hell Jerell is trying to do. This is just bizarre. The skirt is too short (and looks uneven), the jacket is too bulky, that top looks weird, and that bright blue belt doesn't fit with the rest of the look at all. Besides that, the styling (which seems to be Jerell's biggest handicap) is terrible - that little hat is way too precious, and I don't mean that as a positive. Sadly, he's probably going to make it to Bryant Park, because they're going to want at least one guy, and he's the most likely out of those who remain to make it.

Terri



I don't really get the Terri hate from the other designers - so she makes pants a lot. Most people wear pants everyday - not dresses or skirts. I see nothing wrong with this, especially when the time constraints are as severe as they were on this challenge and she knows she can whip a pair out fast. I thought this look worked really well and should have made Top 3 instead of Kenley, although Korto and Leanne still placed higher. The fireworks-adorned top is a fantastic splash of color, and the silhouette of the jacket is quite flattering. I'm really hoping Terri makes it to Bryant Park, if only because I think her collection would be different from anything this show has seen thus far.

Suede




ARGH I am so incredibly over Suede, and I'm tired of wasting my time critiquing his crap. The dress sucks. The print sucks. The vest sucks. JUST LEAVE ALREADY. At least no dead relatives helped him with his dress this week.

Joe



Oh Joe. Yow. This was bad. Really bad. See my complaint of Kenley's styling for my opinion on the "Asian" top. The shawl looks like a garbage bag draped over the top of her head. Although the construction issues aren't as visible in this picture, the unevenness in the back was horrible and distracting. Perhaps most importantly, even if this were all executed perfectly, the outfit would still look like a cheap costume. Joe's lucky to have survived this one. If I were a judge, he would have been my vote for the auf.

Stella



I actually didn't hate this. I thought the idea was much stronger than Joe's, although her execution issues were even worse than his. The cape did turn out looking magician-like, but I see where she was going with it. I really like the vest and pants if I don't look too long, but Kors was right: the crotch is INSANE. Yow. Also, each piece looked sort of cheap. Sorry, Stella, but since Joe had a slightly better past record, he had the edge on you here. We'll miss you!