When I was a youngin’, I always wished someone had forced me into an all-white, stiff cocktail dress shaped like a tube. Thankfully, Melissa Fleis is here to give us that!
Baby, I love you
Why is part of this challenge for the designers to take care of the “like real” babies? To make the show even harder? Man! But on the upside, there were cute toddler mannequins to be had! Most priceless expression at having the fake baby: it’s a tie for Melissa, Sonjia, Elena. Um… so actually, all the females!
Sweet to the core
The least annoyed by the babies was Fabio! In fact, Fabio talked to his baby and was really into taking care of it. We then got some helpful backstory: Fabio wants to be a Father, and his Mom wasn’t sure she’d ever have a grandkid since he’s an only child and gay. I think he’d be a really great parent, although raising a kid as a freegan might be controversial. (It’d probably build character, though he doesn’t seem like the type who’d force his kid into anything. And , hey – you know… suddenly I am very pro-Fabio getting a kid!)
Great expectations
Chris’s Mom was very specific: she likes Baby Dior (is that a THING? Mother of PEARL!) 3/4 sleeves only. No pockets. When she saw the final outfit she said “I don’t like it. Not under any circumstance.” And the judges ended up loving it and giving him the win. So take that, Mary J. Blige’s less nice sister!
Why not?
“Why are you putting a baby in a cocktail dress?” – Christopher about Melissa. Oh holy frick. Melissa hurts my heart in being so late to finish… but I also hate how she always is behind! It wasn’t cutthroat for the guys to decide not to offer to help her. It’s … fair.
The Duffster is pregnant or something…
Hilary Duff as a guest judge? I feel like she .. no. I can’t. Listen, uh… despite having a brief affair with liking Lizzie Maguire reruns, I’ve never liked Hillary Duff. She has the whiff of tacky on her. ALSO: High heels are difficult in those Project Runway judges chairs, but especially platform pumps. Rather than looking attractive and slimming, the way Hilary held her feet at awkward angles made her look like random shards of metal were stuck into her flesh. (High Fashion: Making you look stupid!) I bet her heels cost her a nice $700, too. (Psst. Just cause it’s a trend doesn’t make it right!)
What I thought of the looks
Fabio’s Mom and Son look: I really liked the Mom’s high-low dress. Well.. it did need a belt.
Melissa’s look… the vest was cute but the white dress was horrible. And the Mom’s outfit.. sigh. The judges didn’t even ream her on the ill-fitting shorts. They actually liked this look.
Dmitry’s looks were fashionable, different… playful. Crayon-like.
Sonjia’s looks were truly stunning. Both. So cute.
Christopher’s stuff… The baby’s was cute… the Mom’s… no. Designing a dress for a “real woman” is different than for a model.
Elena’s looks were simple but not bad. The best part was the stuff in the kid’s hair, though.
What the Project Runway Judges Said
Sonjia’s – Duff liked the kid could move in the outfit. Heidi called it sharp. Kors said it looked polished and modern. Garcia said it was no-fuss, but made the kid look well-dressed.
Melissa’s – Heidi loved the little vest, but the dress under it was too simple and didn’t fit well. Both Klum and Duff didn’t like the exposed zipper. Kors said the mistakes here were fabric mistakes.
Fabio’s – Kors thought this was a modern take on nautical. Klum liked that it was a one-piece so it was easy for the kid. But for Mom, it was too “Momsy” and old. But Garcia liked the dress. “He looks like a little old fashioned baby,” said Duff.
Elena – Kors thought the baby’s jacket was well-crafted. But that there wasn’t a connection between the different items. Klum really loved the jacket, too. So did Duff. But Garcia said the jacket was the problem because it wasn’t practical.
Dmitry – Kors loved how graphic the outfit was. But he feared it was borderline costume. Sidebar: A trend about capes built in to kid’s clothes. Ha.
Christopher’s – Garcia said this wasn’t practical… but Klum liked the baby’s dress too. Kors did like the special occasion dress and the headpiece. He also liked the Mom’s sheath.
Sidebar: Nina Garcia’s a Mom? But she’s so … stern and terrifying!
Project Runway Recap Results
Sonjia and Christopher were the winners.
It came down to Elena and Melissa. Elena was eliminated. I have mixed feelings on this. I feel bad for her, but she seemed pretty content with leaving. And I never loved her stuff… so… okay? I thought for sure she’d rage about being nixed out on a challenge for something like this, but she was very zen. (Defeated, perhaps.)
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Follow TV Critic Jessica Rae on Twitter @ThisJessicaRae.
