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PROJECT RUNWAY.....Season 11 Project Runway Recaps: Episode 1

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Team Twist:

Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn--Season 11 Project Runway Lifetime

Last night was the Premiere of Season 11 Project Runway on Lifetime. The big news: The Season was going to be about TEAMS. Yes, Project Runway Teams. Each of the 16 new designers were put into two different teams--here they are:

Team "Keeping It Real" consisting of designers (top row) Amanda Valentine, Richard Hallmarq, Joseph Aaron Segal, Kate Pankoke and (bottom row) Daniel Esquivel, Layana Aquilar, Patricia Michaels and Stanley Hudson

And..."Dream Team" (top row) James Martinez, Benjamin Mach, Michelle Lesniak Franklin, Samantha Black and (bottom row) Matthew Arthur, Emily Pollard, Tu Suthiwat Nakchat, and Cindy Marlatt

The Challenge: Their challenge was to design and create a look that best exemplified who each designer was--even though they were working in a "Team" setting--and getting critiques form the rest of their team to make better each design (one assumes). Their inspiration was New York City--with each team getting a "different" perspective of the City. One team went on a boat ride while the other went to the rooftop of The Atlas Apartments (their home away from home) to view the skyline--and things/people below.

The Runway/Judging:

Judges Sit Up: (left to right) Season 4 Winner Christian Siriano, Nina Garcia, Zac Posen (replacing Michael Kors for this season) and Heidi Klum

 Designers Benjamin Mach and and Tu Suthiwat Nakchat--The Losing Team was "Dream Team" but I did LOVE these two designer's creations...

Benjamin Mach (Left) and Tu Suthiwat Nakchat (right)

The Best Of The Night Were:

There were three top designs--all from the competing "Keeping It Real" Team--which had the highest votes from the judges. These two above were among those top three: Patricia Michaels' hand-painted tunic (left) and Richard Hallmarq's gray and black jersey asymmetrical dress (right)

The Winner: was Daniel Esquivel's black exaggerated peplum jacket and skinny cropped pant look--all in black crepe fabric. The entire ensemble was made impeccably and fit perfectly. The look also evoked directional and very "High Fashion" emotions. Zac Posen hinted at the similarity of Esquivel's design to recent Paris Haute Couture looks. I venture to guess that Posen was talking about Belgian designer Raf Simons' Christian Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2012 Collection:

Dior Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2012--black peplum strapless bustier top and cropped skinny trousers

LOVED his Givenchy Spring/Summer 2012 Men's "Bird of Paradise" printed gabardine jacket. The jacket retailed at $4,350. So, needless to say, inquiring minds (me!) want to know if he payed full price (and if so, why is he on the show if he can afford such an expensive jacket), and if he got a discount, I need to know from WHERE!!!!

The Bad: Dream Team...

Cindy Marlatt--from the "Dream Team" created a printed maxi dress that was more "Carnival Cruise in Aruba" than NYC. The dress' print was interesting but the style was not innovative and the geometric waistband...questionable. Poor thang, is all I kept thinking.

 James Martinez--was also on the "bottom three" of the "Dream Team" and his outfit was also not very creative, and looked pedestrian, according to judge Zac Posen. I agree. It was so...(you can read my MyLifetime.com Recap to see what I really thought about this!)...

But the Worst was:

This mess above from designer Emily Pollard--Emily was sooo HBO's 'Girls' character in her demeanor, look...everything. And she was very "I'm gonna win!" which you knew right away meant "She Gone!". Between her half-glue gun-ed awful top and the fact that she needed one of her teams designer's (Cindy) make her skirt all culminated to a big #fail. I just feel bad for whatever designer did not make it on the show...because she was chosen instead.

And now, here's my Lifetime.com Recap---Let me know what YOU thought of the episode and as always, please leave me your comments after my recap--I ALWAYS read 'em!!



Collaborate, Communicate, Eliminate

It’s a new year, a new "Project Runway" season—and a new judge to boot! We’re onto Season 11 if you can believe it, and immediately, the familiar faces of Heidi Klum and Tim Gunn pop up on the screen to announce that this is going to be a "different" type of season, one with a "little twist": TEAMS! Every challenge for this new season is a Team Challenge, they declare. Klum and Gunn say that this will be a chance for the designers to work together, collaborate and communicate (yeah right!). Oh, and they forget to say CAUSE FABULOUS REALITY TV DRAMA. I have two words for it all: Oh Dear! Also, Thank GOODNESS I didn’t wait until Season 11 to be on the show. Amen.

Casting Gold
The new batch of designers has no idea of this "little twist" as they make their way to Manhattan and Parsons. We are introduced to our Season 11 cast of characters, which includes everything from a cute Latina (Layana Aguilar), African-Americans, Whites, a Native American (Patricia Michaels), a funeral home director (Cindy Marlatt), the gays (naturally), straight boys (?), foreigners (Australian Benjamin Mach), a mustachioed guy who can somehow afford a $4,350 "Bird of Paradise"-printed Givenchy Men’s Spring/Summer 2012 jacket (Daniel Esquivel), a girl who looks like everyone’s fun hairstylist (Michelle Lesniak Franklin), a guy whose last name is Hallmarq-yes, like the Birthday Card—but with a Q!—and a cute girl straight out of the HBO series "Girls" (Emily Pollard). This last girl instantly declares that she’s going to win it all and all the other designers should begin packing and go home. My sixth sense tells me she'll be regretting every word she said.

I Remember…
I had the pleasure of being one of the casting judges last year for Season 10, but little did I know that we were also choosing the designers who might also make it to Season 11 (slaying two birds with one casting stone, as it were). I remember seeing Benjamin (Australian), Cindy (funeral director), as well as several of the others and saying "yes or maybe" to them all. I was happy to see that they actually made it on the show, even if it was a season later.

Oh HAILLLL No!
After all 16 designers are assembled, Heidi and Tim enter the room to much hootin', hollerin' and OMG's; it was very "America’s Next Top Model" when the models meet Tyra. Their faces quickly turned from...

Click HERE to read the rest of my RECAP for this Premiere Episode of Season 11 

3 Responses to "PROJECT RUNWAY.....Season 11 Project Runway Recaps: Episode 1"

Kirk D said...

Agree with all your comments. I'm so rooting for the old broad to prove she's got it, but she better pull something more than a checkerboard out of her ass!

MoHub said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Mellie said...

I couldn't bring myself to watch an entire season of team challenges until five years after it aired, but, having nothing else to do, I'm starting the binge....with a hypothetical question. If middle-aged female contestants are "old broads," what did you all end up calling the male contestants who were, er, above a certain age? It appears that there are a couple of them as well, no?