Nature Calls
Updated 2008-10-02 08:44:05
Previously: The producers and judges stopped making a mockery of their own show and got rid of Rayon. Except it's still a little bit of a mockery because, wouldn't you know it, Rayon actually wasn't the worst on the week of his elimination. Kenley was. And she was rude to Tim Gunn. So not only do her fellow designers and TV viewing audience hate her, now God hates her. Korto won the challenge, which was for the designers to create a look for their fellow competitors inspired by a totally arbitrary musical genre. Seriously, it was like Fashion Mad Libs.
Isn't it neat how these episodes all start with the designers showering and grooming themselves and end with them sweating and gnashing their teeth? This episode is no exception. It's morning and Korto is making her bed. She says that she's the oldest person on the show and she has a husband and child. She wanted to do this to show her daughter to shoot for the stars. Joe said similar stuff. Now, maybe my family just isn't this positive or something, but I can't really imagine that my folks would ever be like, "This will show Jeff that he should always go for his dreams." I mean, if I were Joe's kids I'd be like, "You could quite possibly fail when you go for your dreams. Dad taught me that I can fail horribly when I go for my dreams." That's just my family though. OR, that's just more American Idol bullshit that people like to say. I like Korto too. I can't stand that reality show rhetoric though. She says that she feels in her heart that she'll make it to Bryant Park.
Leanne says to no one in particular that she can't believe they're down to the final four. She interviews that Kenley should have gone home a while ago. She has been disrespectful to everyone there. "She's been downright rude." Kenley interviews that she's not speaking to Leanne. She thinks that Leanne sabotaged her on the runway in the last challenge by not selling her look. "She made it look like a fool's outfit." Let's be clear, it was a fool's outfit, but I think there is probably a little validity to her claim. Leanne looked like a total chump when she was walking. It was hysterical, but it probably hurt Kenley. But regardless, it still belonged in the bottom. Kenley interviews that she's not interested in even pretending to like Leanne. She's in the bathroom putting one of her headpieces and Leanne walks by and says in a high voice, "I'm not even gonna smile today." Clearly pointed at Kenley, who doesn't respond. Korto repeats the same thing in the same voice as Leanne.
Jerell, who really insists on showing his entire torso at all times, is getting ready. He interviews that he is the last man standing and, of course, he plans on winning it all. He's lonely though, so he draws faces on some fruit and pretends that they are Joe and Rayon. He must be in HEAVEN with the camera all to himself, this one.
At Parson's, Heidi comes onstage. It's model pickin' time. Katarina and Savara are the two girls on the chopping block. Korto stays with Katarina. Goodbye, Savara, we hardly knew ye. And I actually mean that. They've modeled like twice, right?
Heidi tells them that only three will compete at Bryant Park. She says that Tim is waiting to take them on a field trip. I'm over these things. Tim is in the lobby of Parson's and loads them into the van. Kenley interviews that she doesn't know what the next challenge will be. Why would she? I feel like the production folk make them answer that question and it's so completely pointless. Anyway, Kenley says that she needs to do well because she had a hard time in the last challenge. Tim, who is sitting in a section of the van with a silent Kenley (my favorite kind), asks what everyone is thinking. Korto says that she thinks it will be something like eveningwear or wedding apparel. I guess because it's the last challenge before they go home? Jerell jokes that the twist will be that the client is Hedda Lettuce and the materials will come from Gristedes . Everyone, including Kenley, laughs.
Eventually, the van pulls up to the New York Botanical Gardens. Leanne immediately thinks that she will have to make a dress out of flowers. Jerell's thinking the same thing. As they walk into the gardens, Kenley says that the wild colors make everyone feel like they are in The Wizard of Oz though I don't know how she could be aware of everyone's feelings since she's not speaking to any of them. Tim leads them to Collier Strong , who is waiting to deliver the challenge.
Collier is looking pretty good these days. Tim introduces Collier as the consulting make-up artist for L'Oreal Paris. Collier says that the garden is one of his favorite places in the city. The colors, textures, and the combination of the two give him a lot of inspiration. He reveals that the challenge is for the designers to create an evening gown inspired by nature.
Korto interviews that she couldn't wait to pick out a beautiful flower to work from. They each have cameras to record their inspiration. Hmm, have you noticed any mention of Olympus this year? Methinks a sponsorship deal fell through once Olympus stopped sponsoring Fashion Week. So they all start taking pictures of things. Jerell says that he is inspired by everything, nature included. He finds a beautiful rose with clusters of rich colors. Leanne has some problems with bees -- they're doing their business on a lot of the flowers. Frankly, I'm just comforted to see some damn bees. That whole apocalyptic collapsing hive thing is pretty scary. She finds some lavender flowers whose petal shape she really loves. She tells Jerell that the garden reminds her of Portland. I have no context. Korto says the garden reminds her of the one her mother used to plant in Africa, so she's gonna win this one for Mamma. Kenley interviews that she loves this challenge because she uses bright colors in her designs and...they're around flowers.
We're on our way back to Parson's. There's that damn Mary-Kate Elle again. Seriously, let the camera crew take an afternoon and grab a little extra stock footage. In the workroom, the designers have 30 minutes to choose a photo for their inspiration. They'll have $250 at Mood and two days for the challenge. Jerell has to sift through 135 pictures. He chooses roses. Korto chooses a yellow flamenco flower. Kenley chooses this leafy flower in different shades of violet.
At Mood, Kenley is, of course, searching for tulle. Leanne finds lavender-blue fabric. Kenley goes for fuchsia snakeskin fabric that's scaly. Yes. She does. Tim questions Jerell about his choice of fabric color. He decides to go with deeper colors to effect a more high-end look.
Tim drops them all off at Parsons, then he's out of there. Korto interviews that she has no background making eveningwear. She got beaded lace to mimic the 3-D qualities of the plant that is her inspiration. Leanne says that she hates the beginning stages. Jerell agrees-- he wants to make some progress. He interviews that he likes to let the fabrics inspire him. Well, it looks like he's got about seven different fabrics in front of him, so he should have a lot of inspiration. Can we just talk for a moment about his insane, genius Olympic design ? Did you ever think he'd make it this far? Jerell says that he's not trying to be literal, but you will see his photo in his dress.
Leanne is going to create a tiered look for her dress. Later, Kenley asks if anyone has seen a bag of hers from Mood. They haven't. She thinks she may have left it there. She says that she has to move on, so she's going to use drafting paper to add volume to her dress. That's funny. I hate her. I hope this is a disaster. Kenley tells Jerell that she's freaking out. The other designers seem to think it's a little funny too. Jerell interviews that he has extra tulle that he could loan her, but she's a one-trick pony and he's not going to help her in any way. I guess he wants to teach her to move on without tulle as opposed to teaching her not to be an asshole. He tells Korto that she was staring at his tulle and he's not letting her have it. Korto says she has tulle that she won't be using as well. She interviews that she doesn't feel badly for Kenley because she's rude to Heidi and Tim. That's enough to have her executed in my book. Korto adds that when you have a bad attitude, it makes you ugly-- which makes everything you make ugly. That's really effective criticism. Seriously. I'd feel like shit if someone said that to me. Anyway, Korto doesn't feel sorry for Kenley. Jerell says with a giggle that he can't wait to see how this all turns out.
The next day, Jerell meets the girls in their apartment. Kenley isn't speaking to anyone. She's freaking about her tulle. At the workroom, they all get down to business. Kenley asks Jerell if his tulle is for sale and he says that it isn't. Korto hides hers so it isn't even a question. Tim finds out about the problem and tells her that since she purchased the stuff, she can go back to Mood later to retrieve it. He sends in all of the models for a fitting. Korto explains her look to Katarina. All she can really do is explain because there isn't much done yet. She says that she took too much time deciding what to do and now she's behind. Leanne interviews that she is really anxious about this challenge, but she thinks her gown is going to be impressive.
Kenley tells Topacio that she looks sexy in her gown. Jerell thinks the gown looks ridiculous. He calls it a "tube dress of scales." He tells his model that she's doing "that costume thing" and it's "not gonna cut it."
Tim brings in Collier Strong again. He's going to consult about the make-up look for each of their designs and assist them in choosing bold, colorful looks to accompany their dresses. Kenley gets a smoky eye for her look. Leanne gets a delicate eye. Collier uses green on Jerell's girl's eyes and purple on the lips. That one's really dramatic. He loves Korto's colors and uses a glowy gold on Katarina's eyes.
Back in the workroom, Jerell is joking with Korto that she has to make a perfect dress in two minutes. Kenley is shown scowling from the corner with the haunted PR music in the background. She interviews that she's used to being left out and doesn't know why it happens. It couldn't have anything to do with what sort of person other people want to be around , could it? Tim enters and tells Kenley that she can go pick up her stuff from Mood. She leaves and Korto says "Ciao," which Jerell finds funny. I, in turn, find it funny that Jerell finds that funny. He calls Kenley's dress a "purple-zilla costume" once she's out of earshot.
As Kenley's walking to Mood, she says she was raised to be tough. Her father was a tugboat captain and she grew up on boats. She could be as loud and obnoxious on the boats as she wanted to. No one pushed her over the side? Tugboat crews are a more tolerant group that I would have imagined. She says that she imagines the tugboat living has had an effect on her personality. She says she's not afraid of anyone not understanding her-- she wants to get to Bryant Park because her line will be the best. I know it's important to feel that way about your stuff, because you need to project confidence and whatnot, but does she really need to be such a whiny dick all of the time? Is that really what they teach you on tugboats? I don't understand this tugboat culture.
Tim checks on everyone in the workroom. He starts with Korto. He's really worried about the lace that she is using. He thinks it's sleek in the front (where there is no lace) and "Catherine the Great" in the back (lace). She says that she's thinking of using lace as a trim. Tim says that she needs to use the correct amount of critical analysis. Korto says she's worried.
Kenley says that she loves her dress. Tim tells her that he's seeing fish scales, not leaves. She's all "Good, that's what I was going for." I hate when people do that. She can clearly tell that he's not reacting well to the dress. Find out what his problem is. Explain your position. Try to take just a little something from someone else's knowledge, you twit. Tim responds, "Oh, you're OK with that." At this point, Tim's been burnt by her attitude, so I'm not sure he's giving her that much. He reminds her that it's a botanical, not oceanic theme. Actually, it was "nature," right? I guess it's intuitive to assume it would be botanical since that's where they were, but still. Kenley says she loves the dress and Tim just suggests that she work on the bottom of it. She says she was "complimented" when Tim said her dress looked like scales, because that's what she was going for. Here we have a sub-juvenile game of "I know you are, but what am I?" Delightful.
Jerell describes his gown as organic. Tim likes the layering. The longer you look at it, the more you see. He thinks that Jerell needs to work on the finishing, but he thinks he could knock everyone's socks off. Tim doesn't like the back of Leanne's dress. He thinks it looks like Hello, Dolly . Tim says that he's proud of all of them, then he leaves. Leanne cries in her interview saying that she's very stressed out. She has a ton of work left. She says that she has wanted to show at Fashion Week since she was 12. She doesn't want to blow her chance.
The next morning, Jerell is ironing his morning clothes. He says to the camera (and presumably the fruit versions of Joe and Rayon) that he's excited to go home, but also sad. It's the end of something. He 's crying. This is going to be a long day. He interviews that being so close to something that you've wanted for a long time is overwhelming. Also crying. The mannequins are like, "Did I miss something? Did someone's mom die? Suck is up, dressmaker." Korto is reading her bible. She interviews that she can't be sent home today -- she'll have a breakdown. She's crying, in fact, and says she's already breaking down. She says that she has been told "no" so many times in her life. She wants this to be a "yes." In the bathroom, Korto wishes the other two girls luck. Leanne seconds the sentiment. Kenley just says "thank you." Nice.
At Parson's, Jerell jokingly pushes ahead of Kenley to get into the workroom. Leanne takes a deep breath before starting on her dress. Tim enters and reminds everyone that it is their last runway show. They have an hour before the show. Jerell tells Tim that his suit is cut very well as he leaves the runway. It does look nice, which should make the quest to find Tim Gunn's husband, dubbed "Jumpin' the Gunn" by those on the forums, that much easier.
The models enter and everyone starts fitting. Kenley says she doesn't like anything that Korto makes, nay, what any one of the other designers makes. She thinks that Jerell throws a bunch of crap together and it looks like a craft project. She says that Leanne does pleated details with a muted palette. That's been done. Actually, she seems a little bit hesitant to talk shit after she describes what Leanne does. Leanne works with a lot of skill and rigor and you really just can't call her stuff bad. Hair and make-up for the girls. Kenley is really bossy with the make-up guy. Leanne is still putting her dress together. She says that this will not be her best work. Korto screams that she is freaking out.
Heidi greets all of the designers on the runway. She introduces Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and guest judge Georgina Chapman, who is the co-founder and designer for Marchesa. The show begins.
Here is Korto's dress. It does not look expensive. In fact, it looks sort of flimsy, even from far away. It's a floor-length apricot dress with a halter-top and a plunging neckline. The neckline is the best part: sleek and flattering. The bottom is made of panels of different shades of apricot as well as that lace. There's a train of apricot satin. It kind of reminds me of the evening gowns you see for sale in these really cheapo stores in the Garment District in New York. You're like, who the hell wears those? Somebody going to a Mardi Gras ball? She says that she hopes they love the silhouette and won't be bothered by the "janky bead work." I like you're honesty, but let's be real, Korto. They're going to hate this.
Here's Leanne's work. I think it looks great. The bodice is especially lovely. There's a strap of petal-like pleating that covers one shoulder and climbs down the bodice and around the back. It's a darker lavender than the satin used for the bodice. The model looks GORGEOUS in this color. The skirt of the dress is made with the same fabric as the pleating, which does create a nice, flowing effect. The problem is, it makes the bodice look sort of like a girdle. The pleating creates a ruffled edge to the bodice and it covers the model's behind. If she had a little more time, she probably would have been able to incorporate the bodice into the skirt a little more seamlessly, no pun intended. There is a panel of darker blue in the back of the skirt that looks totally tacked on. Leanne says she likes the movement of the dress, but I don't think she's thrilled with it overall.
Next is Jerell's look. It's a strapless gown with a empire waist. The short bodice is fitted with a bejeweled bust that looks to be made from red snakeskin and some green leather. At the center of the skirt, the dress expands and opens to reveal different colored taffeta. The top layer is brown, with red underneath, and it looks like some green below that. The brown taffeta creates a train behind Nicole. Jerell feels like he accomplished what he wanted. This is a cute dress. I feel like you can still sense a lot of the construction problems that Tim was talking about earlier, but it's pretty. Also, the make-up is great. This looks very expensive.
Here's Kenley's dress. Oh my God. It's a floor-length, sleeveless, high-necked, fitted evening gown. Made of fuchsia snakeskin. Who even knew there were fuchsia snakes? They all died for this? Anyway, so it's floor-length. There's a thin black belt around Topacio's waist. At the knee, the dress flairs. There are little petals (some would say "scales") around the circumference of the bottom. The tulle has been used to create volume. OK, the silhouette is not horrible. Well, it's not great, but it's sleek and very defined. And the dress fits very well. But it's ugly. She says that the gown looks exactly like her picture and she's going to make it to Bryant Park.
After the show, the models return to the stage. Leanne is asked to describe her design. She says she wanted to recreate the structure of the lavender plant. Georgina likes the balance between the structured and soft -- she thinks that the bodice was well done. Nina likes that Leanne tried something soft and feminine, but she has problems with the bodice. Michael thinks that the blue panel of fabric in the back of the dress was distracting. He thinks it looks like it just got thrown back there. Heidi thinks it's a matter of just not having a lot of time.
Korto describes her inspiration. Michael says that it's made beautifully and is very flattering on Katarina. Korto is already waiting for bad news though, and here it comes. He thinks it looks like a beauty pageant dress. It's not sophisticated. Heidi thinks it's a pageant dress too. Someone fashion forward would not wear this dress. Korto starts crying. Dear Jesus. This episode is very cry-heavy. Georgina thinks that it was a bad fabric choice. Nina thinks it's gilded and overworked and not sophisticated. She thinks there's not much of Korto in the dress. Korto sobs that the dress is her -- it's classic. Er, that's a stretch. Nina gently tells her that she went overboard and threw a lot of elements into the dress.
Jerell explains his rose inspiration. Heidi loves the top but wants to pull it up, because it doesn't fit great. Nina says it's the most youthful, but there are a lot of technical problems. Michael says that the dress is "off" in an interesting way, but then it's all "hack and sew" at the bottom. He says that he would have done better with more time and Georgina asks him what he would have done with more time. He says he would have lined the taffeta and connected the layers to emphasize the billowing effect. Michael reminds him that he often has problems with messy construction and it worries him.
Kenley describes the scaly look of the leaves from her photo -- she says she wanted to get away from the typical look of a gown. Georgina says it doesn't look very organic. That would be a problem when you're supposed to create something inspired by nature. Nina thinks it looks like a reptile, but not in a cool way. It's "kinda creepy." Kenley says that she wanted to stay away from "pretty" because when she thinks about gowns, she thinks old. Nina says that her model actually looks old in this dress. That was amazing. Nina says her model doesn't look young, hip, or cool at all. Kenley says that she wanted to stay away from cliché, and Michael pipes up to say that he wrote "cliché" on his notes. Ouch. She says it's not cliché. Heidi says that the petals at the bottom of the dress don't look elegant and Kenley snaps, "I wasn't going for elegance, Heidi . You DID NOT. God is apparently asleep and doesn't strike her dead with lightning. Heidi reacts with a look like, "I guess I can't speak on my own fucking show, can I?" Nina says that Kenley gets defensive -- it's as if she knows "too much." I wouldn't go that far. Heidi says that her attitude is annoying. Kenley rolls her eyes and Heidi says, "Like right now." Kenley's all, "What?" Heidi says that if she doesn't feel it, then she doesn't know. Michael says that Kenley is flippant and smug and cocky and makes them think that she doesn't care. He reminds her that if they didn't like what she did, she wouldn't be there.
Heidi asks Jerell why he should go to Fashion Week and which two designers should go with him. Damn. He says it's his dream and he's consistently shown his point-of-view. He starts crying, but I have to say these tears look a little forced. He must have cried himself out earlier. He says that he thinks Kenley is a great designer, but the 50's silhouette has been done. She pipes in and says that's not all she does (it is). He replies that he's not trying to throw her under the bus, but he thinks Leanne and Korto should come with him. This is so savage. Kenley says that they didn't ask Jerell to elaborate on why he didn't think she should go to Bryant Park. That's actually true, though I'm glad, after all of her nastiness, to see her get some smackdown. Jerell gets kind of crazy and tells Kenley she can start speaking when they get to her. Then he says real crazy-like, "Yeah, so Leanne and Korto and Jerell at the tent, is what I'm trying to say. At the teeeeeyants .
Leanne's up next. She says that she will not present a boring show. She thinks that Korto and Jerell should come with her. She thinks they are on the same level as her, while Kenley keeps presenting the same shapes. Kenley just kind of scrunches up her face at this.
Korto is crying from the beginning. She says that she will show parts of her culture in her fabric choices. Her collection will show who she really is and wow them. She would take Leanne and Jerell with her, not just because of what they do, but also because of who they are as people. Kenley throws her head back and laughs at this.
Before she begins, Kenley remarks that she's just been thrown under the bus. She says that she takes the most risks of any of the designers. She says she will put on a show. Then she starts crying and says that, regarding fighting with people, she feels like she's been fighting her way through life (on tugboats) and it's a force of habit. She truly apologizes. She grew up tough and that's just her. She thinks Jerell and Leanne should come with her. She doesn't think classic puts on a show, and people want a show at Bryant Park. You know, Kenley's greatest problem is that she's immature and careless. She's probably not some horrible person, but she's definitely toxic at this stage in her life. Get some Oprah, girl.
While the judges confer, the designers wait backstage. Korto says that Kenley shouldn't have said anything about her. That's kind of lame since Kenley just got ripped to shreds onstage. Plus, the line about what kind of people Jerell and Leanne are was clearly pointed at her. Korto gets all in her business and Kenley says that she just went through what Korto went through "times 10." Korto says that she didn't say anything about Kenley, but she's not telling the total truth.
Onstage, Michael says that this wasn't the designers' best moment. Heidi says that they are anxious. Nina liked the softer Leanne. Georgina says she could tell that was Leanne's dress by looking at her. It makes her want to see more of her stuff. Michael feels like her pleating is sad and somber. Georgina thinks that Jerell's dress was intriguing. She wants to see more. They're worried about his construction though. They thought Korto's look was very pageant. Michael loves her construction. Nina loves that she's not afraid of color. Michael says that Kenley has a way with fabrics and color. She lost all of her taste in this challenge. Georgina says that she can't see any of what they said about her past work in this challenge. Then Heidi brings up her attitude. Michael says that, talent aside, her attitude is out of control. Heidi says she's still interested to know what she would do at Fashion Week. They all think this is a difficult choice. They want to make sure that the Bryant Park show is exciting and diverse.
The designers return and Heidi says that this is the closest runway show they've ever judged. Leanne and Jerell have the highest scores. The winner of the challenge is Jerell. Wow, that's three for him. He starts crying. Now Heidi says that there is no loser. They're all going home to create collections. Don't get too excited. Only 3 will compete. One will be eliminated when they return to New York -- Jerell is up for elimination too.
Tim greets them backstage. He hugs all of them but Kenley won't join. She interviews that it's annoying that the other designers hate her. She says it just makes her want to work harder. Hasn't she been talking shit about them all along? Whatever, I can't figure her out.
P-Run isn't P-Run without its design-savvy cast of heroes and villains ... get a load of our favorites from seasons past and the ones we love to hate in our Who's In, Who's Out gallery .
Jeff Long gets lunch at Bryant Park sometimes. You can reach him at jeff.long75@gmail.com.