Mila Hermanovski Blog

Prom Duckie

Posted By laurareineke 4:25am GMT

It's the unconventional challenge! Wait, didn't we already have one? OK, it's a sponsored product placement challenge! The designers are introduced to Fred the duck as their hint. All I could think of was Aflac (now thatʼs some good advertising and marketing). No, it's DUCK Tape. At one point, someone decided it would be clever to brand duct tape as Duck Tape, just to confuse the masses. What did you do with duct tape in college? In art school in the late '80s we'd patch our combat boots or even our vintage men's wing-tip shoes (worn with cut-offs or a babydoll dress and black ripped tights) in the old-school silver variety. My boyfriend's niece made him a duct tape wallet and messenger bag. Throughout the years, duct tape has been used in very fun and innovative ways.

For this challenge, the designers have a myriad of newfangled, novelty colored and printed DUCK tapes to choose from to create a prom dress as a team, in ONE day (not the 24-hour kind of day, but more the 8-hour variety). That afternoon, they will be judged by high school students first, before the regular judging panel; the student vote supposedly accounts for 20% of the final scores.

The producers are ready to shake things up a bit, so the teams are shuffled by drawing names and those who are called are able to select a partner. It's about time! Stanley is over Richard, so he chooses "someone who can teach him something," the younger Layana, whom I actually thought was about 22 but in fact is 28 and acts like 19. While I don't know that Layana is going to teach him anything, Stanley could not have made a better move than dumping Richard. Kate picks Tu, so she can have the upper hand. Michelle chooses Amanda, and they become BFFs. A rejected Richard goes with Daniel, and that only leaves Samantha with Patricia. Samantha is "buggin'" over this, but I can tell she is trying really hard not to dis Patricia in her interviews, but rather emphasize that the two of them have such different points of view. At least she's trying to be diplomatic!

Layana, honey, Richard isn't jealous of you. He's just got a bruised ego. So he takes all the gold tape so no one else can use it. Bitter and spiteful, or just competitive? Either way, it was kind of an asshole move. And speaking of tape choices, Michelle and Amanda are each gravitating towards different printed tapes, both of which would be pretty yucko for a prom dress: Camouflage and tie-dye. Thank goodness they agree to disagree and work it out to come up with a new idea, to make their own giant houndstooth print (infinitely better). I found myself wondering: Do they plant those ugly prints, just to see if the designers will go for them? Probably just the sponsor wanting all their product out there...but still, it made me think. Patricia and Samantha seem to be working together rather sheepishly. Seems there is some tension and both ladies are aware of it. Samantha makes TWO bodices since they can't seem to merge their designs. Certainly there could be a more efficient way of using her time/working, but then again, if she has time to make two bodices, go girl! I recall when I was paired with Jay ("by chance") in a team challenge and it was so awkward. It sucks when there is tension and whether or not you are able to rise above it, it's still there, and you find yourself envious of those who are working synergistically.

Lone Wolf and Amanda are an example of a team that had that synergy. They were having a grand old time together and that energy helped produce a WOW moment of a design. The dress was unique, bold, fun and cool. Most high school girls want something fun for the prom. This dress is definitely for a certain girl. Not everyone could pull it off, but it was fab. I love that they created their own pattern, well engineered by Michelle. I could have done without the side cutouts, but other than that it was a great shape. And Michelle has a coup at last!

Layana and Stanley receive high scores. Stanley is on a roll. He is pretty much guaranteed a place in the finals at this point, methinks. It's always good to get some wins under your belt early in the competition because it makes the judges notice you, and if you do slip up, they are less likely to give you the axe. The dress these two produced a super cute, well constructed design. It appeals to that "Glee" girl: Youthful, flirty, fun. While I like the touch of pink, I did think the bow was a bit much. Perhaps it could have been scaled down a bit. The crinoline was marvelous. Nice job!

Moustache and Richard, low scorers, produced a mess of a dress which was '80s in a bad way. Funny enough it truly reminded me of a dress I wore to a prom back then. The underlying silhouette of the dress was the most simple cut (the princess foundation), yet was not fitting well. The sweetheart bodice and the ruffles, all in gold, made it look cheap and dated. And all that faux-lattice on the sides simply got lost. But thank god they didn't touch that leopard print tape that was on their table! Guess that move of hoarding all the gold tape didnʼt work out so well for you, did it Richard?

Kate and Tu also flopped. While the dress at least fit well and was well-constructed, the color was dull and drab and too mature for a high school girl. I don't necessarily agree with Nina that all girls want short dresses. I think Kate is right that most girls seldom (if ever) have an opportunity to wear long gowns, so some of them want to use the prom as an opportunity to do it to the nines. That said, the dress is not the most forward. I was an editor at Your Prom magazine once and the dresses I saw and that we featured really ran the gamut. And in a "shocking elimination," BOTH Kate and Tu get the axe! Personally I think it would have been more interesting and appropriate if Tu and Richard had been eliminated. The two low scoring designs each had issues, and at least this gown fit well.

Samantha and Patricia ended up with the most popular dress by the students! After all that tension they cranked out a really fun design. I have to admit when I first saw it developing I feared it would look like a Hanukkah dress because of the colors! But it was a cool, futuristic, unique design. Is it the most suitable for the prom? Probably not. But kudos to them for creating something outside the box and creative!

Posted in: episode 7, season 11
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Number Ten

Posted By kim_messina 5:04am GMT

There have been quite a few "real" challenges this season on "Project Runway." Mind you, this is not a complaint from my point of view, as a designer who frankly was sick of all the "red carpet" or fantasy/costumey/gimmicky challenges I participated in on both Season 7 and All Stars. But the public love gowns. To many, they are quintessential fashion. But the reality is that hardly anyone wears gowns anymore. They are so specific to events, and unless youʼre talking prom or a wedding, gowns are for the generally for an elite or celebrity clientele (And most of time, borrowed — in other words, there is no money in the gown biz). That said, they are usually what is most entertaining to viewers.

This weekʼs show exemplifies an "industry" challenge, in which designers must consider mass market, price point, client image and must use certain fabrics within the budget. It also happens to be a big deal for the designers, as the winning design will join the other nine dresses (Each of which was designed by a "Project Runway" designer, each representing one of the nine seasons of "PR"), and the dresses will be manufactured by and sold at Lord & Taylor, which means great exposure to the public without the headaches and financial chunk normally required to produce hundreds of dresses for a retail account. I happen to know from my fellow "PR" alum colleagues that they received a small design fee for the dress and each one will then receive a microscopic royalty for each dress sold.

I must say, the work produced on many of the "real" challenges until now has left much to be desired. But this episode some of the designers stepped it up a bit. Itʼs not easy to design within set parameters, like price, fabrics, etc., and with the nine other "Project Runway" alum designs as part of their inspiration. Letʼs just say I personally was underwhelmed by many of those. Some of them were just fugly, and most didnʼt have any sort of "signature" which would indicate who created them. I was glad to see some of the Season 10 designers using a "signature" element in their design.

A really nice twist on a modern black dress. This was a clean design with just enough details to make it stand out from a sea of black dresses: the asymmetric hem with sheer bit, the back shoulder detail, the back zip. From a consumer standpoint, Iʼd rework the back, though, so a woman can wear a bra (even a racerback). Because you know we always think about that.

While I appreciate her design, I feel it is too difficult to wear for the masses, especially the L&T customer. This looks more Barneys or Neiman Marcus to me than Lord & Taylor. There was major side boob as well, which of course would be corrected before the dress would go into production. I do love the fabric, but could do without the "tail." It was also distractingly tight (no wonder Heidi loved it).

A really simple yet classic silhouette. This would probably sell well in L&T (though the lace makes it less versatile, though more interesting). Itʼs true, weʼve all seen this in a store at some point already, but I donʼt quite understand why the judges were so hard on it.

See, Elena? You can tone your aesthetic down. All that fuss over how difficult it will be to take her "edgy avant garde" point of view and "water it down," and she made a great little dress. The only thing is (like Melissaʼs), I can see it more in Barneys COOP than Lord and Taylor. (Thatʼs a compliment in my book.) On a personal note, Elena should chill on the false eyelashes!

He again defaulted on his now-signature shredded chiffon technique. Iʼm not sure Iʼm on board with this (Because after all, you want your dress in L&T to have a signature), or feel itʼs a bit tired. In any event, itʼs a very pretty dress, but Iʼm surprised the win went to his design. (What was I saying about how everyone loves a gown? Itʼs the drama.)

Oof. Just an odd dress, and reminded me of the one she and Raul made for me in a way. I think it was the "Amish" neckline. It was just a head-scratcher in terms of who the client is and where sheʼd wear this. Sorry Alicia, this one wasnʼt up to par with your colleaguesʼ designs.

Not much to say about this one except: 86 the peplum, girl! Itʼs dated and just not a great idea to bring back unless itʼs in a very modern way. Sonjia was in the weeds in the workroom, and although she pulled it off and made it through, it was not great. Itʼs a relatively simple dress with a peplum, in a fabric which also looks dated.

Ven also relied on his "signature" technique. However the exploding rose on the chest is strange. I donʼt think it would work on a variety of bust sizes, either. Aside from the exploding black rose, itʼs got nothing else.

Dmitry fits his clothes really well. This is no exception, and is a great twist on a classic, sheath dress and would likely sell a ton. The fabric is a terrific choice and makes the dress look expensive, and the seaming and neckline give it a modernity. I would have chosen Dmitry as a top scorer (again).

What was up with all the crying again?

Posted in: episode 7, season 10
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