Project Runway: Movie Madness

I was so disappointed by last night’s results on “Project Runway” that I literally threw my remote control in disgust.

(Full disclosure: I threw it into the soft, waiting arms of our living room recliner. I wanted to make a grand gesture to convey how disgusted I was, but I didn’t want to actually break the damn thing.)

Then again, I suppose that means I’m officially invested in this season.

How else to describe my (faux) over-the-top reaction to what was probably the most infuriating episode in years.

In case you missed it, the challenge for each designer was to create an outfit inspired by one of five film genres (they’re in L.A. now, you now): Action-adventure, science fiction, period piece, film noir and (the apparently/inexplicably dreaded) Western. (Have none of these people seen “Deadwood” or “Firefly”?)

Well it was dreaded by Epperson anyway - who got stuck with the last pick for what seems like the umpteenth time this season – and he and Shirin had no choice but to tackle Western, the genre no one else had picked.

At first, I thought this was going to be a team challenge, but I was happy to see multiple designers tackling the same genres because it would yield different interpretations. (Except in the case of budding showmancers Carol Hannah and Logan, who both made black leather outfits despite having the entire scope of Action-adventure to work with.)

Everyone else (especially Ra’mon and Nicolas with sci-fi) seemed generally excited about the challenge (for a change). Tim came by for his usual consults. Among his nuggets of wisdom, he told Gordana to make the back of her flapper dress lower (she did), he warned Ra’mon that his scaly, alien-inspried outfit (pictured, left) could be sublime or a hot mess (he scrapped it) and he advised Christopher to add sleeves to his Victorian dress to make it more authentic (Christopher did not). When I saw the still-sleeveless dress on the runway, I thought Christopher might be heading for a world of hurt (you don’t ignore Tim’s advice).

Instead, Christopher ended up on the top 3, along with Epperson and Nicolas. It seemed like Christopher was careful to leave “Victorian” out of the description of his dress and concept so the judges couldn’t attack him on the sleeveless front. Instead he inserted the word “vampire” because they’re so hot right now. Nevertheless, I like the look, since it seemed to represent an updating of the “Victorian” concept, rather than a literal interpretation.

That’s actually the same reason I thought Epperson should’ve won. In the middle of the workroom, a light seemed to go on in his head and he realized that “Western” could really mean “period piece”, resulting in a fierce look (holster included) designed for a woman who’s left to manage a farm when her husband goes off to work. (It also resulted in a pseudo-creepy comment from guest judge John Varvatos to model Matar: “You can manage my farm anytime.”)

Then again, the challenge was NOT apparently to make a fashion-forward look based on one of the genres (otherwise Epperson or even Christopher would’ve won) – it was to create a literal, costume-y and slightly tacky interpretation. How else to explain Nicolas’ ice-queen dress taking the top prize? I liked his concept infinitely more than I liked his dress, which the judges even admitted would look better on film than in person. (Silly me for thinking they were supposed to judge what they saw, not what they could hypothetically see.)

Of course, my feelings are probably the result of my intense distaste for Nicolas. He’s always been annoying, but yesterday he actually played the “I’m not here to make friends” card. Ugh. I hate how much screen time the show’s editors are giving this creep. (And, no, dude: you do NOT look sexy no matter how long you stare into that wall mirror and play with your disgustingly-moppy hair.)

End of rant. At least until we get to who was eliminated

The bottom 3 consisted of Ra’mon (no surprise), Gordana (well-made flapper dress, zero-innovation) and Louise (not-as-well-made flapper dress with zero innovation.)

Let’s be clear here – Ra’mon dress was an unmitigated disaster and probably the worst look of the evening. However, the judges (especially sympathetic costume designer Arianne Phillips) acknowledged that he, at least, took a risk, so I figured he’d be safe.

Wrong! Instead, they hung on to Louise, whose dress was described by Zoe Glassner as a “snooze fest” (usually the kiss of death on “Project Runway”), and Gordana who essentially committed the exact same mistake she did last week – well-made dress, hopelessly unoriginal.

I honestly could NOT believe they got rid of Ra’mon. (For the record, I would’ve booted Gordana.) Besides being my Ridiculously early-pick to win it all, he seemed like a talented, exciting designer who had proven himself on the show (he was a previous challenge winner and had made more than one trip to the top 3). On top of that, he was certainly one of the most likable people on the show. I mean, why would producers want to keep a guy like THAT around, right?

(Michael, who is in next week’s previews, and Nina need to come back soon and stop the insanity!)

So what’d you think of this episode? Did Althea’s noir look deserve a place (Nicolas’) in the top 3? Did Ra’mon REALLY deserve to go home? Finally, on a scale of 1-10, how insufferable will Nicolas be next week since he has immunity? (I’m going with 35.)