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Project Runway, Episode 1 Recap

comments (13) August 21st, 2009     

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_nikki_ Nicole Smith, contributor
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This weeks winner! Christopher Straub combines edgy textures with feminine ruffles for one stellar dress.
Ramon-Lawrence Colemans second place Oscar worthy gown.
Sorry Ari! Ari Fishs losing hexagonal design
This weeks winner! Christopher Straub combines edgy textures with feminine ruffles for one stellar dress.

This week's winner! Christopher Straub combines edgy textures with feminine ruffles for one stellar dress.

Photo: mylifetime.com
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Oh the tears! The drama! The fashion!

Last night marked the kick off of the new season of Project Runway on Lifetime, and I must say... It's about freaking time!

This episode did not disappoint with plenty of sweat, fabric, drama, and of course, crying. Lots of crying. What was Ari thinking? Can Qristyl get the plus sized market to start calling themselves "plus sexy"? Will Christopher need to invest in sewing vocab flash cards? And why does guest judge Lindsay Lohan look as though her doctor is giving her bad news no matter what is on the runway?!

Episode One started things off with a red carpet inspired challenge. Each designer was given $200 and 2 days to create an award ceremony ready gown fit for a starlet. I was extremely surprised and excited that they decided to start things off with a red carpet challenge. It seems like the ultimate challenge for most and this sort of topic is usually held until later on in the season.

Of course the challenge was filled with expected hiccups, the biggest of which seemed to be Mitchell's model who lied about her measurements (he ended up draping a barely-there dress straight onto the poor girl moments before the runway show.)

And it was so long to Ari who made what Michael Kors referred to as a disco soccer ball. Maybe Ari's outfit wasn't the best fit for the red carpet, but I would have liked to see more of what she's got churning in that quirky brain of hers.

But it was Christopher who walked away with the grand prize. I literally gasped when he said that he had no idea what a godet was (hopefully he knows how to sew one, despite his lack of sewing vocab). I agree that truly amazing design skills aren't something that can be taught, however I am very interested to see how far this home-taught sewer can go. Thank goodness he has immunity for the next round!

 

Ari tries to explain her vision to Tim (I feel like I may have gotten that same look from my dad when I was 16 and I was trying to explain to him why I broke my curfew.)

Mitchell and his dress pre model debaucle.

Mitchell post model debaucle.

Mitchell sewing his model (who looks rather doubtful) into her sheer dress.

This week's winner! Christopher Straub combines edgy textures with feminine ruffles for one stellar dress.

Johnny Sakalis drapes red satin for a contemporary elegant look.

Shirin Aksari's stunning satin dress.

Irina Shabayeva's elegant lace, satin, and chiffon gown.

Sorry Ari! Ari Fish's losing hexagonal design

Nicholas Putvinski's woven satin creation.

Mitchell Hall's barely there dress that almost sent him packing.

Louise Black's gorgeous two-toned, vintage-inspired dress.

Gordana Gehlhausen's origami-like dress.

 

Ra'mon-Lawrence Coleman's second place Oscar worthy gown.

 

Carol Hannah's intricately adorned dress.

 

Malvin Vien's pleated dress.

 

Qristyl Frazier's asymmetrical dress.

 

Epperson's dramatic red carpet gown.

 

Althea Harper's satin and chiffon dress.

 

Logan Niettzel's two-toned gown.

 

So, what did you think of the episode? Did you agree with the judges?

 

posted in: sewstylish feature, project runway, SewStylish
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Comments (13)

samsstuff writes: I love Project Runway! I missed the first episode, so sad. Judging from the photos, I have to agree with the judges, though as far as who got sent home, there are some close seconds. Some of the designs are a bit bland & others are just not right for the red carpet. Some great looks, some near misses & others that don't quite work, typical for any group of designers. Can't wait to see what in store for the rest of the season! There's something interesting in every episode.
Posted: 9:55 pm on August 28th
churunga writes: I and my boyfriend, Lowell, really love Project Runway. I sew and understand the difficulty of construction. He is a fashsion critic and believes that Americans dress badly overall. I felt that the winning dress was nice but a pretty standard red carpet design. Lowell totally approved of Ra'mon's dress and I did too. I can see it in violet with a jeweled strap and jewel accents on the other shoulder. I thought Louise's dress would have been better with a tighter bodice and a shorter skirt. Lowell did not like it. Lowell thought that Gordana's dress looked like a slip. I agreed that the front of Qristyl's dress did not work. I would have had the patterned fabric down the center with the purple framing it on the sides. Lowell thought that Ari could have explained that her design was the result of temporary insanity. I felt that a better design and execution could have saved it. I felt bad for Mitchell and I hope that no one chooses that model again. I believe that he could have saved the dress by lengthening it in a creative manner. Both Lowell and I believe that in a competition such as this one, the designs should be simple and the flair should come from the fabric and execution.
Posted: 9:52 pm on August 27th
CampNiNi writes: I totally agree that Korto should have won the all-star challenge. I really didn't care for Daniel's stuff this time. As for the new season, I liked Irina's dress the best but I was happy with Christopher winning. It's good to see the humble, self-taught guy get one. I think it was smart to send Ari home. She seems to be the type to just make whatever she feels like, dispite the focus of the particular project. And she says she doesn't sketch so how do you sell your designs when you don't have sketches? When it gets down to the final two to send home, I always ask myself, which one would I want to see more from? I really didn't care to see more from her. He probably won't make it far but I think Mitchell has more talent and ability. His issue is he's a perfectionist and they always crumble right off the bat.
One more thing: Remember the HIV psitive guy that had to leave early last season because he got Mersa (sp?)? They brought Chris Knight back to replace him (LOVE him!) Anyway, I would have loved to have seen him back this season. He had great designs.
Posted: 2:45 pm on August 27th
GAJ writes: I, too, would like to put in a vote for Koto, the wonderful designer from last season. Her work was consistent: well-designed, exquisitely executed and wearable. Nothing she produced denigrated the woman wearing the outfit. Some of the designers act like petulant children, but Koto maintained her dignity. I hope she succeeds despite her second-place ranking by the judges. Looks like some of this seasons contestants are in it for shock value only.
Posted: 10:06 am on August 27th
GAJ writes: I, too, would like to put in a vote for Koto, the wonderful designer from last season. Her work was consistent: well-designed, exquisitely executed and wearable. Nothing she produced denigrated the woman wearing the outfit. Some of the designers act like petulant children, but Koto always maintained her dignity. I hope she succeeds despite her second-place ranking by the judges. Looks like some of this seasons contestants are in it for shock value only.
Posted: 9:55 am on August 27th
Jhadur writes: I love Project Runway and watch every episode, however I feel that 90% of the time they pick the wrong person as the winner. They did it again on the challange. I am not sure of her name but the black lady, I think they call her Koto, and she was on in a previous year, should have won the challange. She created four perfect outfits that anyone would love to wear but they gave the prize to the man that knew nothing and his design was so so in my opinion. I was really disgusted to see that again the wrong person got the prize and the one that should have got it came in second, that's not fair. Those "so called" judges disgust me.
I do enjoy Tim Gunn's comments to the contestants and he is always pleasant and helpful to those willing to listen to him. I hope the right person wins in the end.
Posted: 6:34 am on August 27th
seacrab writes: Sewinlove, you can watch PR episodes on www.mylifetime.com. Unfortunately not in real time, but last week I saw it there on Saturday, so you're only a few days behind. Better than waiting months for it to come out on dvd (thanks, Lifetime!).
Posted: 11:21 pm on August 26th
sewinl0ve writes: I don't have cable anymore and now SOOO regretting it! Project Runway was the only thing worth watching! Now that it's back I'm wishing I could see it! Thank you for posting the photos, THREADS!! Irina Shabayeva's dress is amazing! Three's company when it comes to gorgeous fabrics - combining lace, satin, and chiffon was an exquisite choice! Most of the designs were expectedly elegant but still original. I sense a very inspiring season ahead. It looks like they're recognizing true talent early on. But seriously, this Ari person can't even sketch to save their life it seems, so why bother?? If it's the future she's seeing, then fashion design is definitely NOT in hers...
Posted: 10:56 pm on August 26th
seamripperkristen writes: I love Shakopee (Christopher)!!! I loved his creation. I also loved Althea's vintage-drama-like gown as well, but I think she may be too full of herself. Christopher has much to learn, but he has the heart, the drive and the creativity to give the rest a run for the money!!! So far, he is my fav!Go Shakopee Go!!!
Posted: 3:48 pm on August 26th
SnickerDoodle_Kids writes: Mitchell Hall should be thnking his lucky stars. I too wished he had been eliminated. I hate whiners. But, what planet was Ari from? I'm looking at this collection of dresses and like Irina's the best. If she had put that dress on a model with dark skin, Yowsa! Just the wrong color!
Posted: 2:47 pm on August 26th
sunnyb64 writes: In a way, I'm a little sorry that Ari went home instead of Mitchell-- it sounded like he was just making excuses, and Ari would have been rather entertaining. I wrote on my blog that Ari's dress basically looked like something out of a b-grade sci-fi flick that would have gotten skewered on Mystery Science Theater 3000, and seeing what she came up with for future challenges could have been interesting!

I love that you showed the sketches next to the final results. Definitely linking to this on the blog post.
Posted: 10:58 pm on August 21st
_nikki_ writes: Are you suggesting that handstands are counter productive? Perhaps I should stop doing all those gymnastics in my cubicle.
Posted: 5:04 pm on August 21st
VictoriaNorth writes: Tears!! There are always so many tears when it comes to reality TV. It isn't a good episode if someone isn't crying. Also, completely agree that Ari deserved to go home. Hanging out upside down instead of sketching probably wasn't the best plan.
Posted: 5:02 pm on August 21st
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