We’re down to the final six designers, and while in theory that’s a good thing, it makes me sad because at this point I want them all to win. Except for maybe Seth Aaron. Because his eyebrows are so scary.
Helicopter Madness
Alyssa tells the designers that they’ll receive their next challenge from one of QVC’s hosts, Lisa Robertson at QVC headquarters in Pennsylvania. And how are they getting there? By helicopter, of course!
When they arrive, Lisa tells them that they will be creating a red carpet look for a QVC Oscar event in Los Angeles. The dress has to look great on the red carpet and photograph well. And Lisa says she wants to be able to sit, stand and walk in the garment (I know, how unreasonable).
Not only will Lisa wear the winning look, but QVC will sell a version of the dress on the website after their event.
They get time to sketch on Isaac Mizrahi’s Fabulous line set. Isaac is there and he tells them all to go for it and pull out all the stops and like a hundred other cliches. Lisa reminds them that they are the ones who set the trends, and women have to be told what’s in style now. Okay Lisa, you’re real fabulous but I’m side-eyeing you pretty hard right now.
Glam Squad
Christopher wants to make a strapless, fitted mermaid gown with a dramatic train made of tulle. It’s a jewel-colored blue, and of course as soon as Zanna walks in, she says that if she sees any jewel colored strapless gowns, there’s going to be trouble. She warns Christopher that he needs to do something dramatic to set it apart from looks everyone has seen before. He plans to use some of his feathering technique that he used a lot in his season.
After making like a zillion dresses last week, Seth Aaron swears that he’s only going to focus on making one look this week, and he’s feeling much more confident. He has a shiny striped fabric that’s nice in the front, but makes his model look a bit wide in the back. Zanna also tells him that he should ditch the train and maybe keep it calf-length to make it different from his fellow designers’ looks.
Viktor is making an old Hollywood, fitted mermaid dress with tulle on the bottom. Hmmm… sounds familiar. He’s working with a jewel-colored green, which Zanna says is never on the front of magazines because green doesn’t sell. But he can’t do anything about the fabric now because that’s all he has.
Besides the stress of the challenge, something has been weighing on Viktor. He pulls Seth Aaron and Elena aside, both whom he considers friends outside of the competition. He tells them that he’s been living with the secret of being HIV positive for the last seven years and the only person who knows is his partner. They are both very supportive and Seth Aaron is touched that Viktor felt like he could reveal something so personal. And Viktor feels better for getting it off his chest and feels like he can truly be himself on this season, unlike the time he was on the show before.
Meanwhile, Irina, Queen of Ice is working on, you guessed it, a mermaid gown with a long train. Zanna warns her that it looks a little too bridal, but there’s not much she can do about it now, because again it’s the color and that’s the only fabric she has. She runs into more trouble when her dress rips during the fitting.
Elena wants to try and do something different, so she waves goodbye to the neoprene. So she picks a shiny purple brocade and she wants to put a black fabric on top of it to create a scaly look. Elena isn’t confident in her evening wear ability, but Zanna assures her when she says she really loves the originality of the textile she’s creating.
Korto wants to make something very colorful so she picks a bright orange fabric. She’s making a short number with ruching all the way down the front and back and Zanna warns her that it looks cheap. She decides to restart her look when she sees that the ruching may not be very flattering on her model. So she starts on a taupe top with the the same orange fabric as a flowing skirt with a beaded belt tying it together. She knows she’s taking a risk, but she wasn’t confident enough with her first look.
All of the designers get a chance to see how their designs look photographed. Viktor is disappointed with all of the puckering happening in his look. And after seeing her look photographed, Korto decides to restart her design.
Red Carpet Runway
Sitting in for Georgina this week (WHERE’S GEORGINA, DAMMIT) is past winner Mondo Guerra (okay, this is an acceptable replacement, I’m sorry I yelled before). Joining Mondo and Isaac Mizrahi are our old friends Lisa Robertson and Mad Men star Elisabeth Moss.
Top
Seth Aaron- SA is like, real proud of his dress and starts his critique with an annoying proclamation of “I’m baaaaaaack.” Alyssa loves how the fabric photographs and Mondo applauds him for taking a risk. Elisabeth loves the shorter length, but Lisa is afraid that the hem is a little too “close to home.” And by “home,” of course she means her lady parts.
Christopher- The judges love the leather detail and Isaac calls it “amazing and divine from start to finish.” He also says it’s not the most innovative, but it was the most gorgeous. Mondo, however, thinks the skirt looks a bit “tortured.”
Korto- Alyssa loves that it looks comfortable, but isn’t crazy about the taupe and how it photographs. Lisa and Isaac think the look is very current. Lisa isn’t sure though if it’s glamorous enough for a red carpet look, but she really loves the dress.
Bottom
Irina- Besides the fact that the fabric ripped while her model was simply walking down the runway (which Irina, not surprisingly tried to blame her model for), everyone agrees that it’s too bridal. Lisa is concerned about being able to walk in it, but would love to wear it anyway because she thinks it’s stunning. Mondo loves the applique, and Alyssa commends Irina for always putting on a show on the runway with her looks.
Elena- Isaac thinks it’s a good dress and loves her textile. Lisa says it’s edgier in the photo than in person and Mondo simply “doesn’t get it.” Lisa calls it a little dowdy.
Viktor- Elisabeth really hates the color and Alyssa is disappointed with the fit of his garment because she expected a lot more from Viktor. Isaac says he had some great ideas, but he doesn’t love the shape or the fabric.
Lisa picks Korto’s dress to wear on the red carpet and finally Korto gets a well-deserved win.
And Viktor is safe, which means it’s either Irina or Elena going home, neither one of which has been in the bottom before. The judges decide to send Irina home, despite the fact that she has been consistently good throughout the competition, and Lisa called it “stunning.” I guess I still can’t get a handle on how these judges make their decisions.
(Image courtesy of Lifetime)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
