"Project Runway" S9 Ep. 3 in review

On last night's episode of Project Runway, Heidi Klum came out donning a pair of stilts to announce what was perhaps the show's strangest challenge to date: designers were to create a look to be worn by a model wearing stilts on the runway. Part two of the challenge was that designers were to work in teams of two.

It's a somewhat convoluted challenge. After all, when you put any design on a pair of stilts, costume is implied, and sophisticated, ready-to-wear looks are not particularly sophisticated nor ready-to-wear when scaled to be worn by models in stilts. But the judges apparently wanted ready-to-wear, not costume, and the three lowest-scoring looks found themselves on the bottom for being too "costumey" (or just in plain bad taste).

It must be said that I hope to never again see models on Project Runway walking on stilts. They looked like freakish alien people with their weird, shuffling gaits, and it sort of made me nauseous to look at.

Hometown girl Danielle Everine and her teammate Cecilia came out on top with their chiffon silk top and pant look. I thought it was all Danielle - slightly Katharine Hepburn, slightly retro, but still very modern and feminine, though Danielle says she designed the top and Cecilia the pants. The beaded collar got high praise from the judges, as did the gorgeous sleeves of the blouse, and their decision to use chiffon - which is apparently one of the toughest fabrics to work with. "You could make someone look like a mess, and you didn't," Michael Kors said. Heidi said, "I think both Cecilia and Danielle are really good sewers." Scaled to normal people size, I think this would be a stunning look. Though it must be said: the 1960s bouffant hair is awful. I spoke to Danielle about it after yesterday's l'etoile magazine-hosted screening at Caterpillar Lounge at Thom Pham's Wondrous Azian Kitchen, and she said that it wasn't the look they were going for, but weren't allowed to have it changed. It seems sort of unfair to get looks judged by styling when it's somewhat out of designers' hands. (Do I smell producer sabotage?)


Visit Vita.mn to read the rest of my episode recap.

Video of Danielle in the workroom with Tim Gunn:



Extended Judging of Danielle Everine and Cecilia Motwani, Episode 3: