Project Runway: There IS an "I" in Team

Victoria North, executive web producer

8 users recommend

Casanova wins this challenge with his couture details.

Lifetime Television

A.J. couldn't manage to stay another week, when he shifts from his usual style to try a tailored look.

Lifetime Television

Should Gretchen have been sent home for orchestrating the collection from Team Luxe?

Lifetime Television

Casanova wins this challenge with his couture details.

Photo: Lifetime Television

Add Comment
Print

This week on Project Runway, two teams of six designers were challenged to create a six piece collection for Fall 2010 based on trends for the season. Teams were asked to choose a concept and a textile, from lists provided by Tim, to use as the inspiration for their collection.

Team Luxe picked Menswear for Women & Camel for their inspiration and included Gretchen, A.J., Ivy, Michael C., Christopher, and Andy. This team was set up to succeed with all of the winners of previous challenges together in one group. With so many strong personalities, and an odd approach to garment construction, Team Luxe ended up on the losing side of the competition when it came time to face the judges. Gretchen stepped up as team leader, but couldn't hold it together under the scrutiny of the judges, and tried to through Michael C. under the bus. Unfortunately for A.J., Michael C. held immunity from last week's challenge and couldn't be sent home. An angry Tim Gunn, lectured Team Luxe for not holding Gretchen accountable for this week's disastrous showing.

Team Military & Lace had better luck working as a team as Peach, Valerie, April, Casanova, Mondo, and Michael D. showed us that underdogs can win when they work together. Casanova was the winner of this challenge with his couture details and sharp style. Tim had warned a troubled Casanova about creating a look that was too mature, but the judges loved this look. Each designer focused their energy on one garment instead of the scattered approach Team Luxe tried. This appeared to work in their favor and the judges loved the collection.

Do you agree with Tim that Gretchen should have been the one held responsible for the disastrous collection completed by Team Luxe or were the judges right to send home A.J.?

A.J. Thouvenot

Andy South

Gretchen Jones

Ivy Higa

Michael Costello

Christopher Collins

Add Comment Print

Project Runway: You Can Totally Wear That Again  

Back to List

Project Runway: Hat's Off to You

Comments (15)

junctioncats writes: Tim was SO right in his comments. There wasn't one member of Team Luxe who had the nerve to stand up to Gretchen and tell her that she had some REALLY lousy ideas...ideas that eventually put them in the loser's seat. THEN, not only does she try throwing Michael under a bus, she switches her "story" and decides that it was a terrible collection. At that point, I thought Michael Kors would throw a hissy himself. I don't mind Gretchen's designs, but they are, in my opinion, far too simplistic for someone on that show. Hopefully, after being chewed out quite openly by Tim, she'll realize that what she *thinks* isn't helping anyone, including herself.
Posted: 1:06 pm on August 30th

FunkyAndFoxy writes: i agree; gretchen should have gone home. it seems colossally unfair that aj took the bullet for team luxe. gretchen should have done so, particularly since she was the one making all of the design decisions. from the beginning, i haven't been a big fan of gretchen's aesthetic, and certainly didn't think that she deserved to win the first two challenges. i think valerie's work has been kind of underrated.
i think the entirety of team luxe embarrassed themselves with their obsequious behavior, and i was so, so ecstatic when tim called them all out on it!
Posted: 10:16 am on August 30th

knittingirl writes: I commented before that designers should not listen to Gretchen. It is the kiss of death! (Remember all her advice to Sarah) I don’t know if she is intentionally sabotaging others or if it is subconscious. She is playing to win and with two wins under her belt, she felt confident that she would not be sent home on a team loss. I am so sorry to see AJ go. Why he ever agreed to menswear in those hideous colors, I will never know. I think it should have come down to Gretchen and Ivy with Ivy sent packing only because I haven’t really seen too much from Ivy in the past, even though she is always bragging about how great she is. I like Gretchen’s designs but I am so sick of her “advice” and comments especially throwing Michael C. under the bus. That was really low. On the bright side, I was delighted to see Casanova and Peach recognized for their beautiful designs. Watch out Gretchen (and Ivy) there is more competition than you realize.

Posted: 11:32 pm on August 29th

JoleenKnits writes: Have to agree with all of the comments. Gretchen's cowardly, bullying, immature behavior influenced all of the other designers. She and the equally officious Ivy have turned the other designers against Michael C., who I find quite talented.(I thought the judges picked the right designer for the hat challenge!) Her previous wins played on the insecurities of the rest of the team. The collection was just ugly and unwearable. Those shorts with that jacket--yuck. The always fabulous, incredible, dignified, amazing Tim Gunn was absolutely right to chastise her. Did anyone notice that all she did was play Little Miss Victim? Didn't listen at all.

Gretchen may be talented, but so what? So is my 19 year old niece--she's an amazing designer currently studying design. Fashion is a business like any other. She's no Alexander McQueen. No one is going to put up with her behavior for very long. I, too, will be glad when she leaves. With Ivy a close second.
Posted: 10:58 am on August 29th

WOODSLEY90 writes: If Gretchen is not a truly awful human being she sure is doing a good job of pretending to be one. Gretchen was miffed when Michael C won last week and Gretchen is not a gracious loser. Personally I have yet to see her talent.What moment of madness made Michael C pick her I cannot fathom. Gretchen's plan was to humiliate him and I'm so sorry he let her bring him to tears. The day that Gretchen and Ivy gets kicked off the show my neighbors are going to think I have lost my mind because I'm going to scream and cheer so loudly.
Finally, THANK YOU, THANK YOU Tim Gunn for taking her down a peg (she won't stay there though). Gretchen should have gone home because she was the chief architect of the whole mess.The ONLY decent garment on the losing team was from Michael but his "teammates" steered by Gretchen, unfairly thrashed him.
Posted: 9:46 am on August 29th

deemail writes: They picked white, camel and gray as a palette and ended up with a collection that was blaaaahhhhhhh......what a surprise. Each of these great neutrals needs contrast AND value changes to show design lines, shadows, details and fit. Even when they put red touches on the leggings and a few accessories, they picked a highlighting color that was darker than their entire palette. Huh?

And what's with the construction problems...both teams need simple tailoring practice on zippers. The zipper on the white, short skirt was waaaay too long for the garment and looked atrocious. The camel pant had an exposed zipper, which is fine for a fun finish on a sporty garment, but why was it placed on what was supposed to be a tailored, dressy garment? Even Peach, who obviously knows how to sew well, put a zipper into a crooked or stretchy (couldn't tell which from pictures) seam so that it puckered. The exceptions were Mondo and April. April's exposed zippers, were a theme throughout her ensemble and looked like jewelry...good for her 'sporty, lacy, cocktail pant outfit.' Mondo's outfit was sporty enough to be okay, but what's the point? Learn how to do a flat, tailored narrow, lapped zipper closing and it won't be the only thing people notice. Casanova appears to know how to do it right, but I would have chosen a really thin overlap, severely pressed to go with the general line of his pants. By the way, I think his pants were absolutely wonderful....and the hard lines of the white, slim, narrow silhouette, trimmed with the gold rivets.....perfect foil for the beautifully tailored, scalloped-edge evening blouse...a perfectly shaped, open back took this blouse from the senior's department to the red carpet. Casanova.....listen to your model, you know what you're doing and if you go home, you go home. You still have your talent and your vision and people will want what you design. Trying to please the judges as the ONLY criteria for design is a ticket home.

Most underrated factoid? The wonderful adaptability of the collection. I wish that someone would have pointed out that Casanova's top or Michael D.'s top both could trade places with no strain. Mondo's sporty, military top and April's big-collared look would both darling with Peach's skirt...and April's dressy black pant would give Casanova's top another dimension. One of the reasons to see a 'collection' is the way in which each of us would play with the pieces and the various looks that could be achieved. I certainly look at what I already own when I start planning a new piece. I want to get something that will 'fill' a hole, or stretch the usefulness of items I already own, or provide that 'spark' that makes the humdrum something special, and I think most women do. I just thought it was worth mentioning that the team made a lot of separates that would have gone miles further with each other.

Most overlooked garment? Michael Drummond's lovely cocktail dress. The girl walking in the room presents a simple, black lace top with nude lining, over a slim skirt, suited for the extremely fit young woman. Then as she comes in the room and passes you, you get a glimpse of fun, military shoulder cords, and an asymmetrical back treatment that still managed to show off the lace edges! WOW!!!!

This was an extremely satisfying show. The underdogs just went to work and stayed true to themselves and walked away with the prize....congratulations!
Posted: 1:56 am on August 29th

MerrySunshine writes: Yeah Casonova! That outfit was gorgeous and so was Peach's. Loved the winning collection and seeing each designer step up to the challenge as a team, and respecting each others strengths. Well done.
As for Gretchen, well what more can be said. I hope she has learned something from this. Makes me wonder what her collection would look like at the end of the season if she were one of the top 3.
Posted: 6:56 pm on August 28th

Antonia_M writes: The main problem here were the designers who were really jealous of Michael C's win. They are not true designers if they don't have an understanding of how under the gun, last minute work can be more successful than slow and diligent work! Team Luxe also were to cocky and were unable to see the train wreck they were creating. I really hope Gretchen was knocked down a few pegs and isn't so full of herself from now on.
Posted: 5:41 pm on August 28th

Dancemom22 writes: this was my favorite Project Runway shows so far! It was SO entertaining. and I think Everyone was Rooting for the "Underdogs" I don't like to call them that because they also had the most creative people on their team (the designers capable of thinking outside the box). the otherteam so easily jumped on the Gretchen Boring band wagon. so strange....
Posted: 2:29 pm on August 28th

mwnjw writes: Well, I'm glad that there is justice in the world and the underdogs won! Personalities aside, I think the judges made a call her that could have gone either way. On the one hand, AJ did deserve to go home. That shirtdress was just not him. On the other hand, after Gretchen established (as did the team) that she'd been the leader and was responsible for all the designs, she should have gone home.

I think what impressed me the most was the way the winning designers got behind Cassanova -- the Diva of the Day. While his behaviour was understandable within the pressures of the show, let's face it: nobody else had that kind of a meltdown. But they didn't hold it against him when he produced a beautiful garment, and that was to everyone's credit. Well done, Team Military & Lace! And Tim Gunn, for calling Team Luxe up short there at the end!
Posted: 1:10 pm on August 28th

grandmommy writes: Team Luxe all agreed with Gretchen in the planning, except Michael, so they are all to blame. I'm not Gretchen's fan either but they were all, "yeah, yeah that's great" and when Michael tried to talk they ignored him. They respected her opinion. Too bad for them they didn't bring their individuality together but they were wrong and they were all responsible. Everyone blamed themselves and they were right to do so. Saying Michael C. was weak was counter-productive because it only made Team Luxe look immature and petty. Maybe he was weak but the judges didn't care, he had immunity. Gretchen couldn't complete a cohesive thought or even agree with her own statements. I think it was a toss up on who should go home and A.J. lost because he only completed one piece and it was plain. Gretchen wanted to shine as being the leader and her quantity of garments she created. Besides the fact the collection stunk like a piece of raw hamburger meat left out in the sun. Instead, she came off like a dull penny...not worth a dime.
Posted: 12:47 pm on August 28th

Dameia writes: Gretchen should of went home. I applaud Tim for what he said to that team.
Posted: 12:46 pm on August 28th

26051 writes: Besides Gretchen and her fence riding.
All 5 of those designers should have been sent home.
The whole collection was an ugly mess.
Maybe next time Michael will get a stronger back bone and voice his opinion more strongly.
He was the only one that half way bulked at Gretchen.
Because he did not stand up for his self his confidence as a designer fell by the way side.
I give A.J. credit for standing up for his self on the runway and admiting his garment was not up to runway standards.
Some people need to recognize a viper is a viper.She will take you down.
All the so called top designers(in their own minds)got exactly what they deserved.
Good going Tim.


Posted: 12:01 pm on August 28th

fabricstitcher writes: Tim was absolutely right in his comments to the team. They should all have been ashamed of themselves for letting Gretchen ride roughshod on them. The fact that they tried to blame Michael as the problem instead of Gretchen shows what crowd mentality is all about. The wrong person went home.
Posted: 11:24 am on August 28th

SereDesigns50 writes: Miss Gretchen made me absolutely sick! She couldn't make up her mind about anything except that it wasn't her fault. She so embarassed herself and all the others.
Posted: 9:49 pm on August 27th

You must be logged in to post comments. Log in.