Project Runway Season Three: Episode Ten Recap - 9/14/06

Heidi plays it coy when announcing the challenge for episode ten. She says that Loréal Paris will be holding a party for the designers, and they will be given details about the challenge at the party. She also says that some special guests have been invited and that they will be an important part of the challenge.

Jeffrey, displaying his amazing powers of prophecy, says that he knows it's not a party. "It's a trap."

The designers show up at a club called The Pink Elephant and get busy sipping away on their champagne. You can't have enough champagne when you're under as much stress as they are. Although Laura is probably fake drinking, since she's preggers.

They wonder who the surprise guests might be.  Laura thinks it might be a celebrity or even a whole rock band. Kayne is rambling about Destiny's Child.

Heidi appears and brings in the first guest.  Oh my God, it's. . . drum roll. . .

Vince Libretti. Huh? Wasn't he just Auf'd last week?

Now the second guest comes in. It's. . . drum roll...

Angela Keslar, who was booted from the show two episodes ago. 

What's up with that?

The two ousted designers join the others, gauging their reactions, which are strained yet polite. The designers look at Vincent and Angela as if they've just encountered two poos that refuse to flush down the toilet. Or, as Kayne later puts it, "Like cockroaches that keep coming back." But I'm sure he means it in a nice way.

You can spray and spray, but they won't go away!

Heidi explains that Vince and Angela have been invited back because they each won a prior challenge. Angela (with the help of teammates Michael and Laura) had won the INC outfit challenge, and Vince won the "Everyday Woman" challenge. In this challenge, everybody who has won a prior challenge is being given a second chance.  That is, except for ousted contestant Keith Michael, who was forced to leave the show in disgrace after he took heroin and vomited all over the apartment back at Atlas. No, wait a minute. It wasn't heroin. It was pattern books. He was kicked out for having pattern books in his room. Same difference.

Vincent and Angela will have a chance to compete in this challenge and will be eligible to make it to the next round, but only if their outfit wins this challenge.

The challenge is to make a cocktail dress using only black and white materials. They will have to incorporate every inch of the material that they buy at Mood, so they will have to get the measurements on the material as exact as possible so as not to have lots of extra fabric left.

And oh yes, three designers will be eliminated at the end of this challenge.

The other designers are not very happy.  They've worked hard to make it this far, and now these clowns are being a second chance?

Vincent or Angela? It's hard to tell under that makeup.

Laura has been worrying that she's skating on thin ice since her outfit in the last challenge was ripped apart by the judges. It's never a good thing when Michael Kors says all your model needs is a feather duster to make her a French maid. Laura is still stinging from that, and pregnancy hormones and stress are making her weepy. Don't go all droopy now, Laura! We need you to be all steely and stylish, the way we love you to be. 

Laura questions whether Angela should be there at all since her "win" for the INC challenge was certainly helped along by Laura and Michael.  They were the ones who had to perform a rosette intervention. Without their intervention, Angela's INC outfit would have been headed back to Holly Hobbie territory.

Aargh!  Make it go away! So terrifying!

Jeffrey is also an unhappy camper. Angela is the last person on the planet that he wanted to see again. He tries to look on the bright side, but fails to find one.

At Mood the designers pick out their black and white fabrics. Vince somehow ends up with an extra yard and a half of fabric which means he'll have to add something to his design. 

In the workroom, things are quiet and tense.  Angela and Vince are feeling it and just trying to go about their business. Stilll, you can cut the tension in the room with a pinking shear.

The weapon everyone wants to use on Vince and Angela about now

Kayne is busy adding some weird plastic looking details to his dress, which is a perfectly innocent black garment that doesn't deserve it. Michael does another intervention. To the camera he confesses that Kayne's outfit is headed into "Working girl" territory. But he gently tells Kayne that the details he's adding sort of "cheapen" the dress and that maybe he should rethink some stuff. Kayne listens to his buddy Michael. Whew! Whickety wack attack averted! I'm giving Michael one Mystic Point for his garment doctoring skills. He's truly a healer.

Collier Strong, the nice makeup artist for Loréal Paris, comes in to talk with the designers and their models about makeup and styling. He has good ideas for most of the designers but makes a frightening suggestion about incorporating "Chinese opera" into the makeup for Angela's model. I think he really means Kabuki chorus, which is Japanese opera, but whatever. We see the design sketch he's done for Angela's poor model, and it's heading into scary Princess Amidala territory.

Don't do it, Collier!  Angela's model doesn't deserve this!

Tim Gunn stops by to look at the designers' work. Kayne has failed to incorporate any real white into his look, which is a problem, as Tim reminds him. Kayne says, "I'm banking on Jesus at the point." Which is fine. But adding some white to your dress wouldn't hurt, either, you carrot-topped doofus.

Tim calls Angela's aggressive ruching plans "ambitious," which is Tim's polite way of saying, "Angela, we are all so over your poofy goofy style sensibility."

Back at the apartments that night, Laura receives a video from her hubby showing him and the kids romping around back at home, and this cheers her up immeasurably. What the hell is she sobbing about? Her hubby is looking after the little monsters.  She immediately feels refreshed and renewed and ready to face the runway presentation.

Back at the workroom the designers are getting their models ready. Tim comes in and announces that poor Jia Santos, the gorgeous model who had been working with Vince, has been in a bicycle accident.  I remember hearing about this in the news at the time.  Thank goodness, Jia has since recovered from her injuries and has even been modeling again at Fashion Week in New York. Yay, Jia! I'm giving you two Mystic Points for your graceful beauty on the catwalk, which has always been there even when you've been modelling Vince's occasionally awful designs. Vince will be working with a new model, which presents some last minute fitting problems.  The model busts the zipper and he has to hand sew the dress closed.

Jeffrey's outfit is a sort of 1980's Flashdance off the shoulder special with black leggings. Not so cocktail partyish unless the "cocktail party" you're attending consists of a bunch of bikers tossing back bottles of Jack Daniels.  

Kayne says that if he were a girl, he wouldn't wear Jeffrey's dress. Good, because Jeffrey probably wouldn't let you. He's kind of a meanie that way.

Everyone has to scramble to make use of the final bits of fabric that they have lying around. The sharp tacks like Laura and Michael have already turned the scraps into cute little matching handbags, while Angela's solution is to throw the extra pieces into a purse she grabbed off the accessories shelf to "volumize" it. Huh? How do you volumize a plastic purse that already has its own inflexible red casing? Whatever. At least she didn't turn the bits into a flurry of last minute rosettes. That would have been very cruel to those poor little scraps.

Clothy McScrap doesn't want you to turn him into a rosette!

Uli has turned her extra scraps into a scary looking cloth snake, to be worn around her model's neck. Not so pretty.  And Uli's dress is off this time, too. It looks like something your mom wore to parties in the 70's when she was particularly drunk and wanted maximum coverage of her extremities because she'd been so busy birthing babies that she didn't have time to get her waist or tum-tum back into shape. There's good 70's and bad 70's. This is bad 70's.

It's time for the runway. The judges are Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and up and coming designer Zac Posen is the guest judge.

Michael's elegant dress with stunner Nazri

Kayne's dress - okay in front, but very Charlotte's Web in the back

Vincent's outfit -- he needs Debbie Harry to pull this off

Laura - she pulls together another amazing dress

Uli - something went wrong here

Jeffrey - doing his Lindsay Lohan/heroin chic look

I couldn't access the full length shot of Angela's dress -  but you'll see here it's very Interview with the Vampire, only without the mitigating influence of Brad Pitt

The judges offer their critiques. Everybody likes Michael's outfit. Michael Kors compliments him again on his presentation, saying he does well with constructing a look from head to toe. I think he should compliment him on Nazri, too, who wears everything Michael makes like a goddess.

Vincent's dress is ripped apart. Nina finds the proportion wrong, Michael Kors hates the cape, and Zac says he should have used the extra fabric to add some length to the skirt.

Uli's dress earns mixed reviews. Zac thinks it's cute, but Michael hates the snake necklace she created with the extra cloth, and Nina isn't wild about the dress.

They ask Angela what she was going for and she says "Modern but Edwardian looking." Nobody buys it. The dress part was actually kind of nice but the "shrug" was more of an "Ugh."

Michael Kors thinks Jeffrey's outfit looks a little cheap, and that he could have tempered his usual rock and roll style with more elegance. Nina wants to see a different look from Jeffrey.

Everybody loves Laura's pretty dress. She created a look that was more youthful this time but still recognizable as "a Laura."  Kors compliments her on the silhouette, Nina says it's "adorable" and Zac glowingly says "This could be in stores now."

You go, Laura! There's my girl.

Kayne's outfit fails to impress. Zac says it's very "Jeckyll and Hyde" when comparing the front to the back. Nina compliments him on trying something new, though.

The judges have a private conference. They are unanimous in saying that they would like to see something new from both Uli and Jeffrey, since their outfits have been similar throughout the competition. And they are all very happy about how Laura managed to go off script and venture beyond her usual, more mature styles and went elegant yet youthful with her dress.

It's time to send three people home. Who will it be? They bring everyone back out.

They pronounce Laura the winner of this challenge. Yay! It's about time. She's the best thing to come out of this season - other than my dear soulmate Michael Knight, of course. I'm giving Laura two Mystic Points not just for this outfit but for her cumulative and abundant good taste in all that she designs.

The judges tell Angela and Vincent that they are both out - again. Why did they bring them back, anyway?  They seem like nice folks, but there's no way they deserved another chance after being eliminated.

One more needs to be eliminated.

Kayne gets the ax. They tell him he didn't really use the white color in his design, which was part of the challenge, and they express concerns for his taste level.  But Kayne's so sweet and talented, they can't really say too much negative stuff about him.

So, Kayne must go.

Backstage, things are bittersweet. Nobody wants to see Kayne go, but somebody had to be eliminated this round. Jeff says it was an honor working with Kayne - he can be quite the softie when you least expect it, that Jeffrey.  And Uli says Kayne has been "our sunshine."

We love ya, Kayne, and we know we haven't heard the last of you.

And so it's down to the final four designers - Uli, Laura, Jeffrey, and Michael. As I write this Fashion Week is happening in New York, and we're assuming that all four designers are presenting collections as has happened with the other seasons of Project Runway. Usually there are three who have "official" presentations and the fourth person is sent along as a "decoy" so the press won't know who the final three are just yet.

Last season, Kara Janx did the "decoy" collection, and it turned out absolutely fabulous. She did some amazing color combinations with her designs that were so bouncy and new.

I couldn't be happier that Michael, Laura, Uli, and Jeffrey are presenting in New York. Each designer has real talent, and I can't wait to see their collections.

Here is the schedule for upcoming final episodes:

On September 20th Bravo will be repeat the Black and White challenge (this one I just recapped. So no new recap from me that week.

September 27 will be the final challenge. (I'll be recapping that one.)

October 4th will be the Reunion. (I won't recap that.)

October 11th will be the Finale Part One.  (I won't recap this.)

October 18th will be the Finale Part Two (I will be recapping this.)

I'll be awarding the final Mystic Points here after I see the final collections, and I'll be announcing the Mystic Winner here!

Please note that for the Lipstick Mystic competition, all FOUR designers are eligible, since they are all presenting in New York. So any one of the four might win!

When I post the final recap, I'll also be telling you about something special that you'll want to check out - it's a secret right now, but it's something I know you're going to love!  If you love sassy commentary about fashion, humor, and celebrity gossip, you won't want to miss it. Stay tuned to this site to find out more!

Oh, and I would be remiss if I didn't post the link to images from Malan Breton's fabulous show that he just presented at Fashion Week. Remember that lush, elegant, uniquely European style that Malan showed us on the first two episodes before he was eliminated? You will LOVE the gorgeous looks that he presented. He took his inspiration from the fabulous icon, Josephine Baker. 

Go here to see:

Wire images of Malan Breton's Collection at Fashion Week

Also, if you're a fan of designer Daniel Franco from last season's Project Runway, he gave a gorgeous presentation at Fashion Week, too!  Images of Daniel Franco's Fashion Week Show

That's it for this week!

If you missed my earlier recaps, you'll find them here:

Articles index

Lipstick Mystic Points Awarded So Far:

Vincent Libretti:      1 Wacky Mystic Point from first week; 3 Mystic Patience Points from second week; grand total: 4 Mystic Points (eliminated - and then eliminated again this week!)

Alison Kelly:       1 Cute and Kittenish Mystic Point from first week; 1 Enthusiasm Mystic Point from third week; 2 Sweet Ingenue Mystic Point from fourth week; 1 Sweet Moonbeams and Fairy Dreams Point from sixth week: Grand Total: 5 Mystic Points (eliminated)

Robert Best:       2 Funny and Fabulous Mystic Points from first week; 1 Remember You're Fabulous Point from fifth week; 1 You Rock Mystic Point from sixth week; 1 Sweet Soul Point from seventh episode; (eliminated) Grand Total: 5 Mystic Points

Malan Breton:       2 Mysterious and Villainous Mystic Points from first week; 2 Mystic Patience Points (for not killing his evil mother) from second week; sub-total so far: 4 Mystic Points (Eliminated second episode; we'll miss you, Malan!)

Laura Bennett:       1 Cool Mom Mystic Point from first week; 1 Well-Dressed Pup Mystic Point from third week; 2 Taming the Rosette Mystic Point from fourth week; 1 Mystic Pregnancy Point from seventh week; 2 Mystic Taste Points from this week; sub-total so far: 7 Mystic Points

Michael Knight:       1 Fierce Talent Mystic Point from first week; 1 Underappreciated Genius Mystic Point from third week; 2 Taming the Rosette Mystic Points from fourth week; 1 Zen Master Mystic Point and 1 Well-Deserved Recognition Point from fifth week; 1 Mind Over Matter Mystic Point from sixth week; 1 Wickety Wack Intervention Point from this week; sub-total so far: 8 Mystic Points

Jeffrey Sebelia:       1 Pageants Are Weird Mystic Point from first week; 2 I Finally Get You Mystic Points from fourth week; 1 Villain Point from fifth week; 1 Ugly/Beautiful Mystic Point from sixth week; sub-total so far: 5 Mystic Points

Keith Michael:       1 Model Strategizing Mystic Point from second week; grand total 1 Mystic Point (eliminated fourth episode)

Uli Herzner:       1 Dining Mystic Point from third week; 1 Model Strategizing Mystic Point from third week; 2 Uli Love Mystic Points from sixth week; 1 Party Girl Mystic Point from eighth week; 1 Uli Love Point from this week; sub-total 6 Mystic Points

Bradley Baumkirchner: 1 Trust Your Vision Mystic Point from third week; 1 Best Roommate Ever Mystic Point from this week; total 2 Mystic Points (eliminated fifth episode)

Angela Keslar:       1 Dr. Evil Mystic Point from second week; 1 Incomprehensible Aesthetic Mystic Point from third week; 1 Wow You Have Talent Point from fifth week; 2 Mystic Patience Points from this week; grand total: 5 Mystic Points (eliminated - and then eliminated again this week!)

Darlene, Angela's mom: 2 Mystic Patience Points from seventh episode

Tim Gunn: 2 Adoration and Worship Mystic Points from fourth week

Kara Janx: 1 Viva La Janx, Long Live the Janx Mystic Point from sixth week

Kayne Gillaspie: 3 Mystic Weight Loss Points from seventh week; 1 Country Star Mystic Point from eighth week; 1 Pretty Design Point from this week; sub-total so far: 5 Mystic Points (eliminated)

Jia Santos - 2 Grace and Beauty Modeling Mystic Points this week

New Shop Opened for Runway Gear!

"Full tilt boogie quilted extravaganza of puff"

"Proud member of the Michael Knight Secret Admiration Society"

And more goodies, check them out!

And if you missed out on Season One & Season Two, check out the DVD's:

 Project Runway Season One - The Complete First Season

 Project Runway Season Two - The Complete Second Season