Project Runway: Episode 5 Recap

Designer Elena sure has a bad attitude.

In this episode, entitled “It’s My Way on the Runway,” the designers were tasked with designing 5 work looks that would be part of an editorial photo shoot for Marie Claire.  They had to split into two groups, which as always, caused trouble.

Tim Gunn designated the names of the two groups based on the amount of members in each.  Team 6 consisted of Sonjia, Elena, Melissa, Dmitry, Alicia, and Raul, while Team 5 was Nathan, Ven, Chris, Fabio, and Gunnar.

Team 6 decided to split up the work by giving everyone a specific garment to design.  Like Sonjia designed the skirts, while Raul had to make some shirts.  Team 5 just gave each person an outfit to design.  Gunnar hated the dress he had to make, so he decided to restart halfway through the day.

Team 6 had huge problems thanks to Elena.  She exploded throughout the entire episode, and just kept complaining.  Elena first was upset when she left her bag of wool at Mood.  Then she yelled at Dmitry for using navy colored fabric for his dress rather then the bright blue the others were using.  The final straw for her group seemed to be when she kept yelling and freaking out over their photo shoot.

In the end, the runway proved to be an interesting one.  I thought the outfits seemed to be rather cohesive.  On hand as a guest judge was editor in chief of Marie Claire magazine Joanna Coles.  This week’s runway was a bit different because both teams ended up with the same scores, meaning anyone was fair game to leave as well as win.  Team 5 was loved for their cohesive collection and what looked easy to wear, while Team 6 was applauded for their range of clothes and commercial appeal.

The judges deemed Dmitry’s navy and black dress, Fabio’s black and white dress, Nathan’s awkward pants, Sonjia’s blue skirt, and Ven’s repetition were safe.

In the bottom this week were Elena, Gunnar, and Raul.  Heidi hated Elena’s puffy jacket and couldn’t see anyone wearing it in the office.  For Gunnar’s dress, the judges hated how unprofessional it looked.  Heidi commented on the awkward boob situation the model was having, and how it looked like a soufflé.  Raul’s ruffles were deemed too much and a bit dull.  In the end, Raul and his ruffles were sent home for the second time.

In the top this week were Melissa, Christopher, and Alicia.  Melissa’s blue dress was beloved by the judges, with Nina even calling it a show stopper.  Christopher’s skirt and jacket combo was adored by the judges.  Nina loved that he transformed the matronly print into something hip.  The judges loved Alicia’s pants and Nina was really impressed by her creating a pair of wide legged and skinny. Melissa ended up winning her first challenge.

Overall, I did like this week’s episode.  The drama from Elena was a bit much, but otherwise the challenge for the week was one that I liked.  I appreciate when the show thinks about the average person and what they’d want to wear.  Which is why I’m excited about next week, since the competitors will have to design an outfit for a style-challenge client, who happens to be a regular person (and not a model!).

So, what’s your opinion on the show?  Do you think the right designer was eliminated and the right designer won the challenge?  Tweet us your thoughts @TheFashionFoot.

Written By: Joanelle Navarro