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make it work
July 27, 2012

Project Runway Recap: How Sweet It (Mostly) Was

By Lauren Hoffman

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Photo: Lifetime

Was I the only one who heard “candy challenge” and fervently hoped it meant Katy Perry would turn up as a judge? (It is probably best for my dignity if we leave that as a rhetorical question.) Instead, we got Dylan Lauren, founder and CEO of Dylan’s Candy Bar and wearer of questionable ties. 

Heidi tells the designers that they are going to a “pretty sweet location” that would be “a dream come true for any kid.” Elena is wearing what looks to be an authentic executioner’s mask when this announcement gets made, and Dmitry scowls and says, “Kids and sweets? Eh. That’s not for me.” But any pessimism they stir up dissipates roughly 90 seconds later, when Tim Gunn picks up a hard candy shaped like a Lego brick and exclaims with delight, “You can build with them!” The designers have 30 minutes to buy up to $500 of candy or other merchandise (clothes, umbrellas, rainboats, pillows, and, weirdly, laptop cases), and there’s a predictable divide between designers who stock up on as much fabric as possible and those who focus most on the unconventional materials. Christopher asks for a chocolate boyfriend, Andrea uses a male employee as a dress form, Ven is inexplicably dressed like a Best Buy salesman, and then it’s back to the workroom. Bless the hearts and brooms of every single Dylan’s Candy Bar employee left standing in the rubble!

Back in the workroom, Buffi bashes apart an umbrella with a hammer to make corset boning and then immediately starts weaving together long ropes of gummy candy, while half of the other designers smash candy into little bead shards. Lantie whines around the workroom, never seeming to get started on anything. After she’s finally completed something, she ultimately says that she’s “never seen anything like” her very plain dress made of stitched-together umbrella fabric and MAYBE twenty pieces of candy. Tim comes to visit early on, and he and Sonjia have the least combative critique in the history of the show. Tim: “Sonjia, how are you?” Sonjia: “Good.” Tim: “I agree!”

Andrea explains her look to Tim as a “Victorian candy-shop-worker’s apron,” and Tim responds, “I don’t have the words to tell you how completely underwhelmed I am.” She’s upset, and it’s clear that she doesn’t watch much reality television, since she asks for the cameras to be turned off when she’s crying and expects it to work. But Tim’s right: She’s claiming to be close to done, and it’s basically a colorful paper tube. But it’s redeemable. As Tim said to Kooan, all she has to do is “get into a nice, calm zone, and work work work work.” Words for Runway, words for life.

Once the models have been securely hot glued into their looks (Ven seriously instructs his model not to sit down or turn or slouch), it’s off to the runway. Surpisingly, there’s less candy carnage left behind than I’d expected, although, according to Nina, that’s likely due to editing. Despite Dmitry’s very strong look (did the judges dislike the amount of visible fabric?) and the one-shouldered overalls over a candy bikini top that Alicia made, it’s Ven, Sonjia, and Gunnar (ugh) in the top and Lantie, Buffi, and Elena (whose look Michael called Rigatoni Mad Max) in the bottom. I know that many of the desginers’ work veered into hot-mess territory, but I still say the quality of this body of designs is much higher than the quality of the designs from season nine’s unconventional materials challenge.

Despite her attempts to sass her way back in, it’s Lantie who goes home, and when Buffi tells the others that Lantie’s going instead of her, they break into legitimate cheers. It would seem I’m not the only one who’s found Lantie’s upspeak and attitude grating. The win comes down to Sonjia’s playful, short, blue-and-white near-nautical dress and Ven’s longer and more constructed white dress with black-licorice stitching and stained-glass rock candy beading. In the end, Ven comes out on top.

Sonjia’s design was a celebration of candy; Ven’s design was a transformation of candy. There’s something to be said for both, of course, and Ven’s response to the judges when he won was incredibly endearing, but Nina said that Sonjia’s dress actually made her smile. Isn’t that worth the win?

Click through the slideshow to see this week’s looks. Who were your favorites? Why did Heidi wear a sweatsuit to judging? And most importantly: Whose design was most edible? (Nathan. Obviously.)

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1 / 15 Photos
Alicia Hardesty I'm still not sure how this episode didn't end with Alicia on a plane back home. And I'm very sad not to have heard what the judg... Alicia Hardesty I'm still not sure how this episode didn't end with Alicia on a plane back home. And I'm very sad not to have heard what the judges thought about it. Her dress seemed mostly unfinished, unless the top was meant to be one-half muslin and one-half candy, and it was unflattering even on a very thin model. I respect that she made an effort to make the challenge her own (overalls, baggy cuts, and single straps are squarely in her wheelhouse), but this was not a success.
Andrea Katz Andrea argued with Tim and with herself so much over this (a shame, too, since she'd said her Halloween birthday gave her a special c... Andrea Katz Andrea argued with Tim and with herself so much over this (a shame, too, since she'd said her Halloween birthday gave her a special connection to candy) that I'd expected the judges to react strongly to it, too. I'm not sure why she wasn't in the bottom three. The bustle makes her garment interesting — or at least more interesting than a candy-buttoned paper tube would have been — but it's not impeccably constructed, and if anything, it makes the look even more costumey. Also, did she put her model in some sort of heeled clog? Still, her design got "I'd play Twister on that" out of Christopher. Not too bad.
Buffi Jashanmal — Bottom Three The positive here is that it seemed like Buffi truly enjoyed making this dress. Unfortunately, the judges liked ri... Buffi Jashanmal — Bottom Three The positive here is that it seemed like Buffi truly enjoyed making this dress. Unfortunately, the judges liked ripping it apart just as much. They came down hard on all the designers in the bottom three, but only Buffi got hit with "It's like a pink explosion of messiness," and "There's a difference between fun and just insane. If you saw her wandering down the street, someone would put money in a cup!" (Dylan Lauren, sweetly, called it “fun.”) This challenge was an open invitation to be all the things Buffi should avoid (bright, tacky, over the top), but she'll have to deliver something very different soon if she hopes to stick around.
Dmitry Sholokhov Dmitry's absence from the top three baffles me, and if you rewatch the scene, you'll see exactly how much it baffles him too. Th... Dmitry Sholokhov Dmitry's absence from the top three baffles me, and if you rewatch the scene, you'll see exactly how much it baffles him too. The only explanation I can think of is the judges didn't like how much non-candied fabric was showing. But his design was the only truly wearable one of the bunch (when I say “wearable,” I mean it's the sort of thing a person could wear to her cousin's wedding). Candy and colors and sunshine aren't in his aesthetic wheelhouse, but unlike Elena, he found a way to get around that and make something that met the requirements of both the challenge and his own taste. (No pun intended.)
Elena Slivnyak — Bottom Three Before Elena started working on this design, I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as beige candy. She said th... Elena Slivnyak — Bottom Three Before Elena started working on this design, I wasn't aware that there was such a thing as beige candy. She said that she was inspired by how linear the licorice was, and that was her main focus in the design, but her preliminary sketch was basically a rehash of last week's look with licorice pasted on top. The whole shtick where she doesn't like colors or feminine cuts just feels so contrived to me. Those aren't the things you like? Fine. But you're also on a television show where you design the things you're asked to. And no future client or employer is going to see that show and choose NOT to hire you because they saw you made a pink, fluffy candy dress. Glue some gummy bears to the muslin. Everything will be okay.
Gunnar Deatherage — Top Three What terrifies me most about Gunnar's design is that it made Nina mention peplums being a big trend for women this ... Gunnar Deatherage — Top Three What terrifies me most about Gunnar's design is that it made Nina mention peplums being a big trend for women this fall, because I find peplums (even those that aren't made out of black-and-white licorice) unflattering on everyone. Gunnar said last week that he designs for older, southern women, and this dress is right in line with that. This wasn't a bad design, but I don't think it was as strong as Dmitry's, and I'm surprised the judges weren't more critical of the back, which looks a little like a stitched-up wound. Then again, if he hadn't been in the top three, no one would have been able to hear him mispronounce "homage."
Kooan Kosuke When Kooan's model came to the workroom, she asked very sweetly whether the garment she was going to be wearing was, in fact, a dres... Kooan Kosuke When Kooan's model came to the workroom, she asked very sweetly whether the garment she was going to be wearing was, in fact, a dress. And it was, kind of! Here's the thing about Kooan (with the disclaimer that, yes, that dress was one part dreamcatcher and one part used wad of bubble gum): He's creative, and he cares about what he's doing. His designs have been off the rails so far, and it will be interesting to see how he pulls off meeting a client's requests in the next episode, but I'd take a million Kooans before I asked for a single Lantie.
Lantie Foster — Eliminated If you get sent home before the person whose dress is literally falling to pieces on the runway, it's a pretty clear s... Lantie Foster — Eliminated If you get sent home before the person whose dress is literally falling to pieces on the runway, it's a pretty clear sign of how the judges feel about your work and your attitude. Her claim that it was her second dress and that she had to start over doesn't really hold up. She didn't switch from making a dress completely out of candy to making her final design; she started off making a dress out of iPad covers and wound up making a dress out of an umbrella. The right designer went home.
Melissa Fleis I hope Melissa knows that she can't use liking black as her identity as a designer in the competition. She likes black so much she ... Melissa Fleis I hope Melissa knows that she can't use liking black as her identity as a designer in the competition. She likes black so much she is getting a “liking black” edit from the producers of the show (there was a lingering scene in Dylan's Candy Bar where she stood next to a display of all-black candy and looked delighted). Comparatively, her dress was fine, although it looks cheap in pictures in a way it didn't on the runway. I'm still semi-disappointed that she didn't take the opportunity to play with color or challenge herself, but to be fair, making a skirt out of licorice wheels is probably challenging enough.
Nathan McDonald Nathan is, by far, the winner of my unofficial Most Edible Design prize, and he's fortunate that some of his riskier decisions di... Nathan McDonald Nathan is, by far, the winner of my unofficial Most Edible Design prize, and he's fortunate that some of his riskier decisions didn't end in disaster. The skirt of his dress was more than twenty pounds, and much of it was chocolate, which the other designers stayed away from because of its melting potential. The end effect is someplace between genuinely wearable and too costumey, and the cutaway back is a little tacky, but it would look very nice on any sort of candy-land princess. In this challenge, that's a compliment.
Raul Osorio Raul's work got solid praise from Tim in the workroom when it was in its early stages, but its full effect on the runway was pretty f... Raul Osorio Raul's work got solid praise from Tim in the workroom when it was in its early stages, but its full effect on the runway was pretty forgettable. The skirt he added to what was initially a nice, promising bodice was odd all-around, but the choice to have a cutaway stomach on a dress made out of food was the strangest of all. It's much, much better from the back than from the front, but he's going to need to figure out how to focus his work soon, before there's no middle left to hide in.
Sonjia Williams — Top Three I loved this design. It's playful, it's fun, it looks great on the model, and it takes several very different compone... Sonjia Williams — Top Three I loved this design. It's playful, it's fun, it looks great on the model, and it takes several very different components and makes them into a cohesive look, which is particularly exciting given the variety of textures. Sonjia was impressively articulate about what inspired the design and how she carried it out. It was great to see her do well this week, after a strong showing in the casting special followed by two forgettable designs in Times Square. I'm looking forward to seeing more of her energy and creativity when it's back to designing with conventional materials.
Christopher Palu Everyone had an opinion about what Christopher should do with his immunity. Tim joked that he should take a nap, while Gunnar cl... Christopher Palu Everyone had an opinion about what Christopher should do with his immunity. Tim joked that he should take a nap, while Gunnar claimed that if he was the one with immunity, he'd be going all the way over the top. In the end, Christopher's design was fine — nothing particularly remarkable or on the level of last week's, but not a fiasco, either. It does seem like he's ignoring Michael Kors's feedback about being "too wedding party" when it comes to styling, at least when it comes to eye makeup.
Fabio Costa When Fabio was designing, he said that he wanted to make a candy dress that Jackie Onassis would be willing to wear. That idea is pre... Fabio Costa When Fabio was designing, he said that he wanted to make a candy dress that Jackie Onassis would be willing to wear. That idea is present as a starting point in his design, but it's not something he was able to fully execute. The top half of the dress is nice, but the fit is a little off, and it ultimately looks like an interesting bodice paired with a cheap, stiff skirt. It's not possible that his commitment to freeganism made him conflicted about participating in a challenge that wastes food … is it?
Ven Budhu — Winner As I said last week: I get that Ven is talented. He listed the awards he won at design school himself, and there were a lot of... Ven Budhu — Winner As I said last week: I get that Ven is talented. He listed the awards he won at design school himself, and there were a lot of them. You don't make a dress like his without obvious skill and vision. But once again this week, it's pink, and it's a flower, and it's a constructed silhouette. What worries me most is that Heidi's begun to talk about Ven the way she talked about Anya last season, so I hope this isn't another case where she's already starting to pre-inaugurate the winner. And it's hard to truly get excited about his work when his own response to it is so sedate and soft-spoken.
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