Project Runway - Takin' it to the Streets

Victoria North, executive web producer

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Emilio set out to create a sophisticated old world Harlem look.

Lifetime Television

Seth Aaron created a daytime look inspired by the demin and color of Harlem.

Lifetime Television

Amy missed the mark trying to capture the Upper East Side, and was sent home.

Lifetime Television

Emilio set out to create a sophisticated old world Harlem look.

Photo: Lifetime Television

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This week, the designers were paired up into teams and each was assigned a neighborhood in Manhattan to use for inspiration. Some of the designers excelled with their partners, while others had a harder time getting along. Anthony and Maya found inspiration in the paper laterns and architechture of Chinatown. Amy and Jonathan traveled to the Upper East Side to see what they could find there. Emilio chose Seth Aaron as a partner and they headed to Harlem, where they were excited by the use of denim and the artistic quality of the graffiti. Jay and Mila had the most difficult time working together, but were both happy to explore the East Village for their inspiration.

The top two teams were Emilio/Seth Aaron and Anthony/Maya. For the first time there were two winners for a challenge with Emilio and Seth Aaron sharing the honor.

The bottom two were Jonathan and Amy. Amy was sent home for not capturing the spirit of the Upper East Side with her designs.

What did you think of the designs this week?

Anthony Williams & Maya Luz (Chinatown)

Amy Sarabi & Jonathan Peters (Upper East Side)

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Comments (2)

Joanne2493 writes: Anthony and Maya's Chinatown looks were good but needed more color. They both commented about all the red when walking in town especially on the Chinese paper dragon. They copied this look in gold but I think red inside the design would have really poped.
It was very hard to concentrate on the fashions this week with Hiedi's outfit competing. THe design on her right breast was like a eye. I kept waiting for it to wink at the camera. It is amamzing to me that she can judge fashion and not see in her mirror what she is wearing sometimes.
I think they need a judge on the panel who is a regular person who would be shopping in the store, posibly with some sewing knowledge. Because I do not know where some of these outfits would be worn.
Posted: 2:58 am on March 25th

Soli writes: I think I was expecting more, yet again, or something different. One of the problems overall was giving the designers yet again only a single day to finish their work. I think they've all proved that they can do quick and dirty; if you're going to use NYC as inspiration, at least have the courtesy to give them enough time to do outstanding construction. Having said that, once again, Seth Aaron and Mila were tops in construction even with the limited amount of time and the rest were a little questionable. Although I did really like Maya's jacket, which reminded me a little of classic Armani, there was no organic reason for the red inverted pleats in the skirt, and they didn't quite work as decoration for me. I think it might have been prettier to create a bias tube of that red fabric and use it at the side seams of the skirt and then thread it through the cutwork on the sleeves, but that's just me. Honestly, I saw nothing that said Chinatown in that outfit, but it was about a B grade for my eyes. What is it with Anthony and black. Early in the competition he was using really garish, questionable colors, and black seemed to be a little safe for that dress. I did like the oragami-like folds of the gold trim, but would have preferred to see red/gold or red/black in his evening look. I didn't notice the issues that Tim Gunn brought up on his blog and in his FB video about the lapel and uneven hem, so maybe the intent of the origami was to distract from construction issues. However, as Tim pointed out, messy construction shouldn't be happening at this point in the competition. I had a feeling that Amy would be sent home. Her palette was awful and more representative of Palm Beach than the Upper East Side. I wanted to see Audrey Hepburn or the modern day equivalent, and I think that her look was too messy and not streamlined enough to represent the usual sleek, slim look of Manhattan socialites. There was some justification in saying that she gets too caught up in her concepts. In this case, her big shirt made the skinny model look like a puffy pillow tied in two. Think of how that would look on a real woman. Jonathan's dress was pretty in a fussy way. If he just would have left the darker, heavier fabric off the sides and back, and left those portions undecorated, it would have worked for me. It could have been a Nouveau-Edwardian take on femininity, with it's slender silhouette and delicate materials, but the balance was upset by the heavy elements. I did like Mila's outfit (surprise, surprise); her tailoring was impeccable as usual. If you check out her portfolio on the Lifetime website, neutrals are pretty typical for her, so she is staying true to herself. Using the red tights in the styling injected a shot of color that was welcome. I have no problem with limiting the palette in a wardrobe. It makes it a lot easier to get dressed and add pieces over time. And of course, the trendy colors can be added in with moderately priced tops and accessories, so I'm all for her aesthetic. It's workable in places like New York, Milan, London, Tokyo, etc. Jay's jodhpurs, on the other had were a mess. Tim had a valid point that most women don't want fullness in the part of their body (thighs in this case) that they're trying to minimize. This is something, however, that I've seen him do time and again. He may have already made up his mind that he's only going to design for 3% of the population. Whatever. The top was a mess. At least they both remained professional on the runway when being questioned about what it was like to work together. Neither threw the other under the bus. As for the winning team, I don't understand why Emilio's look was so praised. It didn't fit the model. The construction looked messy next to Seth Aaron's perfectly tailored ensemble. I see the 30's Harlem silhouette, but it was stiff and uncomfortable looking with that big zipper. When I think of Billy Holiday and the other female jazz performers in club environments, I think of sensual materials like satin and silk charmeuse, furs, even cashmere, or a thin luxurious wool crepe. Fabrics that drape over the body softly and enhance it's contours. I don't think Emilio came close to delivering that kind of sensual vibe. As for Seth Aaron, this wasn't my favorite of his looks, but it was perfectly tailored yet again, and also very representative of his point of view. I can see it on a young, tall, thin pop singer, so I think it works. I'd like to consider the win more of a reward for Seth Aaron's work than Emilio's. I still think Emilio is a b.s. slacker, and I didn't like his machinations, nor his protestations that he's really a nice person. If you have to spell it out for the camera when your behavior has been indicating the opposite, it's pretty safe to say you're not a nice person. I don't think he deserves to be this far along in the competition, and I'm wondering what we're not seeing on camera that has kept his sorry tail in there to this point.
Posted: 9:59 pm on March 21st

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