A week into their new digs and “Project Runway” is starting to deliver. Despite last week’s somewhat rough landing onto Lifetime’s network, this week’s episode was a perfect fit for me.
The challenge kicked off with a then-pregnant Rebecca Romijn. I liked that they were laying down the “difficult body type” gauntlet nice and early, so we could separate the real designers from the whiners.
Even though her dress isn’t really worth a mention, Irina got hearted when she was one of the few to say that maternity wear shouldn’t be this astronomical leap from designing any other form of ready-to-wear. If you know how to cut and drape fabric, handling a pregnant belly shouldn’t be beyond your abilities.
Louise, Christopher, Althea, Qristyl (I know, I was surprised too) and Shirin – who gets props for designing not just a dress but a lined and completely wearable jacket - gamely stepped up to the plate. Logan, on the other hand, complained about how difficult this would be since he’d “never really had a lot of pregnant women in his life.” Seriously dude? Why would that matter?
And then there was Malvin with the awesome hair who will always have something to say and a different way to say it each time. Okay, I admit it, I liked him. Even though he was an oddball, I appreciated his attempt to create an innovative, conceptual design with a story behind it – isn’t that what “Runway” is all about?
Yet I also understood the criticism that was flung his way - his “Mother Hen” idea was far from boring but it got completely lost in translation; Nina even said she was disturbed. Malvin, honey, you can create all day, but if a woman can’t wear it then what’s the point?
But when compared to the likes of Ra’Mon – who insists on recreating prom dresses from the early 21st century – Malvin was on the better track. Mitchell also came up short and Nina let him know his “city chic” was less than so. If I would’ve had to face her “WTH” face, I think I would have just thrown in the towel then and there.
Heidi was also in rare form last night, almost making me forget that Mr. Kors was absent, when she told Mitchell, “just because we sit down here doesn’t mean we can’t see.”