PROJECT RUNWAY.....Project Runway Season 5 Recaps: Episode 11

Make Me OVER!!!!! MTV Style Soon after this episode aired on Wednesday, a very good friend emailed me and the "Subject" line of the email read "Things I Learned From Watching This Episode of Project Runway". I was intrigued. I scrolled down. There was only one sentence: Jerell's Junk-In-The-Trunk, and Kenley Should Have Been Gone. Well, there was more to this episode, but...I will make sure to include something about those two saucy things... The Challenge: In a season filled with "Strolling-Down-Project-Runway-Memory-Lane", it would be fitting that this episode (the same episode where yours truly was eliminated), would re-hash my season's "Make Over Challenge". But of course, there was a 2008 Season 5 twist: The remaining five designers had to make over themselves but they had to be inspired by various musical genres. And I'm not talking about "Musical", as in Judy Garland/Chorus Line/Bob Fosse Jazz Hands Musical--if only it could be!!!

The Workroom: It's Suede's time to go... I think... I am not sure why-- maybe because I had attended the Project Runway Finale Fashion Show several weeks ago and A) even a 2 year old could figure out who were the Top Four and who was not (it was THAT kind of season unfortunately) and B) since Joe was "auf'ed" last week, I had this instinctive "feeling" that it was Third Person Suede's time to say "Ciao"... With that in mind, I wondered how the editors and producers would construct this episode to, well, let's just say, not make it so obvious. Kudos to them because they did not. It was all about Miss Kenley.... Kenley: Hip Hop Confusion The Workroom environment seem to be productive for all the designers save Miss Cut-and-Cry-Kenley. Her challenge was to design a "Hip-Hop" ensemble for "Geeks Rule" mousy Leanne, From the beginning, it was obvious, Kenley had slept through Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Jazzy Jeff , and Run DMC---like all at once! I may not be a "Hip-Hop afficionado", but HUNEY, I know what a girl from that genre should look like---and it AIN'T high waisted fitted skinny jeans!!! See Lil' Mamma below. I love that the other designers were allowing her to "dig her own design grave" when she kept asking them for their opinion on what she was working on. I would have LOVED to have been right there-- in between Jerell and Korto-- because the camera would have caught me giving a "She CRAZYYYYYY" look......but telling her "Oh, yeah Kenley...that looks REALLY GOOD!!!!" (cut to my face grimacing "Not So Much") Kenley and Tim: Bitch Slap! OK, that's it: It's ON! I have had students like Miss Kenley (rarely)...who think that "they are all that" and that no one else knows any better. The result: Let's just say that "Instructor Nick" gave them a classy, if not restrained, VERBAL BITCH SLAP. I am glad Tim did the same to Kenley during their workroom exchange. Who do you think you are Kenley? It's called respect. You are not John Galliano...or Tom Ford...or Hubert de Givenchy...you are not a fashion design genius. So, be humble and listen to constructive criticsm. Tim is not trying to fail you or be in competition with you. Who would have THUNK it? Kenley is Season 5's Santino!!! I would have never guessed. I, for one, did not see it coming. The Runway: The Good: Fashion Rocks! Kenley as a Rejected Pussycat Doll Most of the Designer Make-Overs were exceptional. The best being Jerell's "Britney Is Making A Comeback" ensemble for Bitch-slapped Kenley (that's my new name for her), as well as Korto's Gay Sid Vicious Punk ensemble for Suede. Jerell transformed Kenley into a pop princess--big hair, sequined breast accents and tacky-yet-appropriate stretch mini dress and all. She looked like a rejected Pussycat Doll---which is a good thing! At least in this challenge. Suede is a Gay Adam Ant It was all about the extra time Korto took in customizing her total look--from the bleach-dyed skinny jeans to the chains which finished the look off pefectly. Suede looked like the cover of an Adam Ant record--with some Boy George added in for a bit of "gay". Miss Korto correctly became this season's Chloe Dao and won the challenge--even though her model--Suede--didn't fare so well.... The Bad: Junk In The Trunk! Leanne's cowgirl ensemble for Korto wasn't cute. It was a yawn. I think she could have taken it to another level: Add some gold fringe and maybe make some tight bootie-hugging jeans that would have screamed Tammy Wynette-meets-D Squared fashion show. The worst for me was (surprise) Kenley's supposed Hip Hop-inspired outfit for Leanne. It was more Alicia Keys, less Lil' Mamma. She missed the mark COMPLETELY. Leanne looked hot though. I loved seeing her in super-tight, albeit bad-fitting skinny high-waisted jeans. And that asymmetrical hair chignon was a vision that would make the Sheer Genius judges BLUSH! The worst, according to the judges, however, was Suede's tamed rock and roll outfit for Jerell. I have to admit that after I saw that crotch "pouch", I could see nothing else, and neither could my entire Blackberry address book of friends who were texting me with their comments! I guess we can all thank Suede for showing us Jerell's "buzinezzz", but it was not enough for him to slip through. It was Suede's time to go. Like I said, I had a feelin'. Four more to go...