Project Runway Rewind

*Warning-spoiler below

Last night was Project Runway’s first episode of the season, which is now showing on Lifetime, instead of the usual Bravo. I always look forward to a new season of designer cry babies as they deal with gasp! “reality.” For those of you who missed last night’s episode and don’t want to know who was kicked off, beware of a spoiler below.

The designer’s challenge this week was to design a dress for the red carpet, and they could pick any red carpet event they wanted. Here are the 16 designers in order of first appearance with my first impression of them, followed by my impression of their design on the runway:

Ra’Mon from Chicago, IL
First Impression: Med school? Designer? Wow. That takes guts to go from “Hi, I am in med school studying to become a neurosurgeon. What do you do?” to “Hi, I am trying to become a designer and hoping to make it on Project Runway. Can I borrow some money for the subway?”

Runway Impression: It’s really awesome that Ra’Mon has a profession to “fall back on,” but this guy is soooo not going to need it. His dress was awesome! Of course, he will have to shake it up a little in the future as the competition gets fiercer, but for now, I’m digging him.

Logan from Seattle, WA
First Impression: He plucks his eyebrows. Really, that’s all.

Runway Impression: This dress was red carpet ready for the Cate Blanchett-style crowd, with a very elegant look, but I felt the gray color looked more old and matronly than hip.

Johnny from LA, CA
First Impression: Woah, another recovering addict? Project Runway’s had one before (anyone remember Jeffrey, who made that girl’s mother cry???). At first I was not too sure about this guy, but I definitely give him props for overcoming a meth addiction and for giving new meaning to the phrase “try, try, TRY, again” (he added that third “try” in there and finally succeeded in getting on Runway!)

Runway Impression: Ok, after a breakdown on day 1, I was ready to write this guy off. I have a personal problem with people who CRY on reality TV-especially over a DRESS! But this guy got some Tim Gunn advice, locked it up, and made a spectacular runway dress. BTW-I did love the red, even if Michael Kors wasn’t a fan.

Gordana, Charleston, SC
First Impression: This woman has the drive to succeed. She emigrated from former Yugoslavia and now owns her own shop. That doesn’t just happen without a lot of hard work and talent.

Runway Impression: Her runway dress was very futuristic, and although I did like the color and style, the top around the bust was a little too avant-garde for my taste.

Malvin from NYC
First Impression: He has a look about him that screams “I am dressing weird and provocatively, but acting like this is totally normal, but really I am just bursting inside knowing that everyone is staring at my asymmetrical hair and flannel top that is now cool thanks to Lauren Conrad on The Hills. Oh, and also, I know everything. Even more than Heidi and Tim combined. So ha.” At some point on this show, the whistling sound you hear will be his ego deflating.

Runway Impression: Oh Malvin. His dress, although it had interesting details, looked like it was made in a time before dye was discovered. The dress was the color of a wheat sack, which completely washed out the nice detailing on the front and back. Also, it was more suitable to wear on a Sunday stroll with your significant other than on the red carpet.

Carol Hannah from Charleston, SC
First Impression: I don’t have a clear first impression of her although I believe she has had some success as a small-boutique dress designer.

Runway Impression: Her dress had a unique shape to the bodice, and I did like it, but it was not a top pick for me.

Qristyl from NYC
First Impression: She designs clothes for all sizes and shapes. This will be a problem in the future, as the models Project Runway uses are tiny. However, I do love her, “I don’t call it plus-size, I call it plus-sexy” mantra.

Runway Impression: This dress looked like my third grade bedroom curtains threw up over a bolt of purple satin fabric. Not a fan.

Shirin from Richardson, TX
First Impression: Her name means “sweet” in Farsi. How come I have a feeling that “sweet” won’t last too long on this show? However, she is from right down the road from me, so I feel the need to provide her some Collin County support. Also, I love that she features items that can be worn two ways, which is great for us gals on a budget.

Runway Impression: She gets props for creating two pieces, a dress and a shrug-which solves that tricky problem of what to wear over a nice dress on a cool night. However, I am not wowed by the color or the styling of the dress, although the back was creative.

Nicolas from NYC
First Impression: Mr.“basically, I’m known in NYC as the Feather Prince.” Ooookkkay-I don’t know what that means, but I am willing to bet you are one of those people that goes around and tells people what nickname they should call you a la George on Seinfeld. Like, “hey, you can just call me Feather Prince, everyone else does.” And his BFF is like, “Dude, your name is Nick, with a “k.”

Runway Impression: This short black and gray criss-cross dress looked like haute couture for a construction worker. The gray criss-crosses along the front of the dress resembled the reflective fabric sewn into running clothes and other night gear. This dress was meant for a rave not a runway.

Mitchell from Savannah, GA
First Impression: I am trying to figure this guy out. He might be too much in tune to the business side of things, and not so much in creating designs, but we will see. Also, I am willing to bet he is a Drama King.

Runway Impression: Poor model who had to wear this dress. Think of a Victorian collar attached to a floor-length see-through cloak. Yikes.

Epperson from NYC
First Impression: Lovin’ the dreads. He is a father with kids the age of some of his fellow designers. I think the judges will be impressed with his maturity and how his life experiences influence his designs..

Runway Impression: His dress was very dramatic, both in styling and color, and although I loved the overall image of it, I did not think the tea length looked matched the high drama of the dress.

Christopher, Shakopee, MN
First Impression: Wow. Minnesota-didn’t expect that. Never went to college and completely self-taught. You gotta have respect for people who walk in to Project Runway and compete against the contestants who have been previously employed by famous designers or contestants who are already known around NYC, aka “the Feather Prince.” The “some day I will be amazing” mantra is a little corny though.

Runway Impression: Wow. His dress is exactly what the Mileys and Vanessas of today are wearing. The cute short dress was very hip, yet still had a classic shape to it. I could totally see myself rocking that dress! The only bad thing is, Chris cried during the runway show. AHHHHHH I hate that!

Ari Fish, Kansas City, MO
First Impression: She talks to fabric. This could be interesting. She seems the most conceptual of the group, and very futuristic. Also, she does not sketch, instead she meditates and stands on her head.

Runway Impression: I think when the judges say “design a dress for the red carpet” they mean design a dress so that one of their celebrity BFFs can call them up tomorrow and say, “Nina, dahling, I simply MUST have that dress I saw on Project Runway for my movie opening tonight.” I think what Ari thought when they issued the challenge was, “It is the year 2080. All the stupid people have been killed off through a process of natural selection. The only people left are beautiful and smart; therefore, it is possible that someone may be receiving an Emmy AND the Nobel Prize in one fantastic night! This woman will accept her awards in a reflective vest and hot pants because dresses will be considered environmentally unfriendly for using too much fabric.” It was a mere misunderstanding on Ari’s part, that’s all.

Althea, Dayton, OH
First Impression: She had good internships at well-known designers, but I did not get a good feel for her personality.

Runway Impression: Althea’s runway dress was surprisingly old-fashioned in a glamorous and stunning way.

Irina, NYC
First Impression: Her dog is her inspiration.

Runway Impression: I liked the dress, but didn’t think it was one of the best.

Louise, Dallas
First Impression: She has a retro look to her, and loves vintage. I think her love of 20’s, 30’s, and 40’s inspired clothing will give her designs a unique flair.

Runway Impression: Her dress was stunning again, in a vintage way. It was two-toned, had amazing detailing on the shoulder of the dress, and an interesting hemline. Also, she had constructive criticism of her own dress on the runway, which not too many designers do. I am willing to bet that her ability to think practically and not let her ego get in the way will be a good thing. This designer is one to watch.

In the end, the bottom three were Ari, Qristyl, and Mitchell, and our futuristic gal-pal Ari went home. This was a mistake I think, to send home one of the most creative and forward thinking people on the show. No Ari would not have won the competition, but I would have loved to see some more of her concepts play out on fabric before sending her home. Qristyl was my pick to get the boot, er, I mean stiletto. There is no way to overcome bad design and bad fabric choice. At least Ari had a good explanation for how she developed her design, and Mitchell had a semi-good excuse for his disaster. Oh well, I guess we will have to wait until next week to see if it was a good idea to keep Qristyl.
Any thoughts Readers?