PR 18 Ep 8: The Producers Are So Sheer Transparent

As we open the show, Dayoung isn’t feeling well … still … and Vicki Victim is complaining about being the bottom … still; luckily Delvin’s there with some kind words:

“Get over it.”

And luckily it’s time to head back to the runway where Karlie and Brandon introduce the designtestants’ task this week: create an editorial look using sheer fabrics that celebrate a woman’s body.  Victoria asks:

“What is sheer?”

Nancy and Sergio both explain that it’s a see-though fabric, and Nancy points out that Karlie’s look is sheer. Explanation enough, right? Not for Victoria. Even after Brandon explains it … again. And they take it a step further when the wall on the runway becomes sheer and you see the models behind it; and yet still, Victoria asks:

“What is sheer?”

Then the hits keep coming: it’s a one-day challenge and Dayoung is sick again:

“My body is telling me, you’ve done enough. At the end of the day, I’m a human before a designer.”

Dayoung decides to leave the competition to focus on her health.

And then there are seven … until the visit to Mood where Christian surprises them all with the return of … Marquise.  I love it because I like Marquise, in bot his style and his hotness, especially during the show when he wore a long oversized—this is how it’s done, Nancy—sheer t-shirt.

I took a minute to calm down, so let’s rip …

SAFES

BRITTANY It’s cute, it’s pink, it looks like something you’d sleep in. So, yeah, it’s kind of a snooze.

DELVIN His is two pieces, with the bottom full skirt being sexy and the crop top seeming like an afterthought.

TOPS AND BOTTOMS

SERGIO

He learns that his model Nora is German and married into a Chinese family, so he’s going to use that story for his design. What? No political designs? No upcycled looks? What happened to Sergio. Oh, wait; he tells us up front that he’ll win this so yeah, the ego has landed.

But then he’s all about helping Nancy and for some reason we learn that Nancy likes him and appreciates him, though we’ve not seen this at all in the whole season. We also see very little of Sergio in this episode, though he patted himself on the back while explaining to everyone why Vick1 Victim was having a melt-down.

WHAT HE SAID

Nora looks perfect. The movement of the fringe is so romantic.

WHAT I SAID

The fringe looked like straps of fabric until she began walking. That’s nit-picking because this really is a gorgeous gown. Ouch, it hurts to like Sergio.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

He tells another story … this one about mixed marriages and cherry blossoms at midnight, in the rain. But, it’s a great look. Elaine called it gorgeous and the tailoring perfect.  Brandon said “head to toe she looks perfect … From Mars, you could see it’s a well-made garment;” he loved the fringe movement. Nina called it editorial and loves the fact that it looked lined even though it was sheer, and the fabric was strategically placed to cover the bits and pieces. admires how strategically the fabric is placed to conceal how truly naked she is underneath. Guest judge, model and activist Paloma Elsesser thinks the dress could be worn by every model on the show.

VICKI VICTIM

She spends the entire show complaining about her bad English and how she doesn’t know what sheer means even though Karlie and Brandon and Christian and Nancy and Sergio explained it to her.

And she’ll take the sheer fabric and make the exact same look she’s made for weeks … and weeks. Christian sees her sketch and says:

“You can’t keep doing this dress. You keep doing these half, high-low, one-side, one-sleeve, power-shoulder, long-sleeve things. You’ve done it in like five looks.” 

Vicki Victim says this look is totally different … because it’s yellow, I think.

And cue meltdown … Vicki Victim, in the middle of a one-day challenge decides to quit the show because she will be in the Bottom and she can’t handle people criticizing her work … in fashion! And she takes time away from every over designtestant who has to come and prop her up with praise while she lays on a chaise and whines about sheer.

I am so over her. And I’m over her once again not following the challenge because when she gathers up the scraps of her fabric, she makes a dress that is not sheer, except for a couple of spots on the waist and at the knee.

WHAT SHE SAID

I don’t want to look at it.

WHAT I SAID

Honey, no one does. It looks like a bunch of potholders from the Target Blazing Summer Sun collection are stapled together. It puts the hid in hideous.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Vicki Victim tells the judges how she struggled with the English and the sheer …What is sheer … and almost quit the show. So, the critique is less about the horrid look and more about propping up Victoria’s ego until Nina stomps on that with, “I don’t want to hear any more excuses!” And then she says it’s two halves of different garments and it’s misaligned. Paloma Elsesser  tells her to put her “big girl panties on and make lemons out of lemonade with your lemonade-colored dress” and adds that the sob story left a bad taste in her mouth. Elaine, whom I normally adore, said she liked the color and the model’s curves. High praise indeed.

MARQUISE

I’m glad he’s back; he hot and cute and sweet and has a rocking bod. But this is about fashion so let’s move on.

His model, Stephanie, is fine with a sheer look as long as he doesn’t show her butt and he says he loves a “titties all out” look.

He’s created a flowing dress that covers some bits and exposes others, and Christian’s only complaint s to maybe edit down some of the extra fabric.

WHAT HE SAID

I think this look truly represents me as a designer.

WHAT I SAID

When I first saw it Thursday night, I was worried; but then I rewatched the runway and I kinda like it.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Brandon thinks it’s “beautiful” and says he loves a second chance but did say it wasn’t the Top Look. Paloma Elsesser  thought it was “beautiful” and that he  “honored her body” by allowing the lion on the sheer fabric to cover tits and ass. Nina loved the dimension and the silhouette; she also loved that he made his own t-shirt with the fabric; she loves his sense of style—and I do too—and wants to see more of that.

NANCY

She wants to redeem herself from last week’s oversized hot mess and will create a “super prom fantasy” dress for DD, who never went to their prom.

It’s a ball gown, to be sure, and has pockets, but it needs something more. Christian notes the overdone sleeves and suggests maybe they go away and a neckpiece is made instead.

That gives Nancy the idea of creating a ‘zero-waste’ look, meaning that every piece of fabric she has was used to create the dress.

Howsabout that ecologically friendly look, Sergio?

WHAT SHE SAID

I think this look truly represents me as a designer … in fabrication, unique seaming and elegance.

WHAT I SAID

Uh, Nance? Where was all that last week when you made that monstrosity?

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Karlie thinks it’s “so gorgeous,” loves the zero-waste idea and loves a pocket in a ball gown; I’m kind of the same, though I love balls in a pocket; just sayin’. Nina admires the “drama of the shoulder” and said it was very editorial. Paloma Elsesser thinks it’s beautiful and looks expensive and that DD looks fierce; they do. . looks expensive. Elaine was really impressed with what she called an edgy, yet old style glamour look that celebrated DD’s body better than last week.

GEOFFREY

Geoffrey has picked his color palette from a pair of earrings, though he doesn’t know how that will play out in his look. He does know this model, Thijin, has no problem being nude so he’ll be all about the breasts—with, of course, nipple covers.

Christian hears his design pitch at Mood and likes where it’s going; he sees it on the model and, again, likes it. It’s stiff and structured at the top and waist and flowing everywhere else.

WHAT HE SAID

This look is very much my aesthetic … loud, bold, sheer and edgy.

WHAT I SAID

Them are some boobs in there.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Geoffrey says look was very him and exactly what he intended to create, and then Karlie drops the bomb:

“I’m sorry, Geoffrey, but it is one of our bottom looks.”

Karlie thinks it’s too sheer at the bust, but Geoffrey thinks breasts are beautiful. Brandon also loves breasts—what’s with the gay men and the titties—but thinks everything was “swimming” in the middle because the shoulder and waist were so structured. Elaine likes the design more after Geoffrey explains who his customer is: a fearless woman, often on stage; and she loves that he stands behind his look.

CHELSEY

Chelsey doesn’t do editorial so this will be a tough week. It’s made even tougher when she tells Christian at Mood that she wants to use baby blue organza and then stuff the sleeves and dress with orange feathers. Clearly she does not to editorial. Christian advises her to have a plan B and Chelsey asks the cashier to pray for her.

Prayers won’t save a feathered stuffed sleeve girl.

Back in the workroom she shows Christian a different look, that he calls  baby doll nighty with hard strappy sleeves that don’t jibe. And when she tells him she wants to do an overlay over the sheer dress, he reminds her that the sheer needs to celebrate the body, not be covered up by a different fabric.

Chelsey pivots; and she goes sheer trench with a teensy bra and skirt made from the ribbons. Sadly, the skirt doesn’t fit, and if it doesn’t fit you must a’quit. And she does, using a nude slip instead of a skirt which is never a  good look.

WHAT SHE SAID

The garment is sophisticated and modern in the sleeve, but not what I intended.

WHAT I SAID

Nipple bands are the new bra? I do like the idea of a nude trench, but the nude slip underneath is all kinds of bad.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Brandon asked if that was a bra and learned it was strips of ribbon; he worried about a nip slip from the tittie hammock. Karlie wondered if the sleeves were always part of the look because they, yes, don’t jibe. Elaine thought the fabric choice was wrong because it had no “fluidity” and it was not editorial. Paloma Elsesser thought Chelsey could have done than just a “cuckoo” sheer mini trench. Nina was no fan of the slip instead of a skirt and says it’s clear Chelsey ran out of time.

The judges like Marquise but know it’s not a top look; it comes down to Nancy and Sergio. I loved both, but if I am to be fair—though why start now—the win should go to Sergio.

And it does.

While Geoffrey’s look was a bottom dweller, it was run through a paper shredder, as Brandon noted, so he’s safe; it comes down to Chelsey and Vicki Victim. I’d go with Chelsey because at east her look looked like something and not just scraps hot glues and stapled together, but I’m no judge.

And that is made clear when Vicki Victim is safe, and Chelsey goes home.

So, where was Marquise when he got the call to come back? I mean, was he strolling through Brooklyn looking for skinny jeans and a hipster hat?

I’d hoped Christian was going to use his save, because, while Chelsey isn’t a favorite of mine, I like her.

Cue rant…

It’s quite sheer, er, transparent, that the producers had a vote in keeping Victoria because there really is no excuse why she didn’t go home. I mean, she makes a version of the same look every week—when she’s not ignoring the challenge—and yet she’s safe?

Victoria says her poor English makes it hard to understand “sheer” and I call bull sheer. She can’t design out of her little box, so she plays like she doesn’t get it; last week prints, this week sheer. Next week?

And her little Quit Fit™? Dayoung almost killed herself to stay in the competition, and Marquise came back after being eliminated, but Vicki Victim doesn’t like criticism? Boo-effing-hoo.

Rant over.

Lines of the Night

Chelsey, on Vicki Victim’s Quit Fit™:

“I don’t buy it. It was explained on the runway and Karlie was wearing it.”

Seriously.

Chesley, to Vicki Victim, during Quit Fit™:

“You’re tired? We all are tired, babe … I wake up almost every day and want to quit because of how hard it is, and how tired I am, and how draining this is. But you cannot quit. There’s nothing wrong with you. You have no physical ailment.”

But her English …

Karlie, after the runway:

“It was clear to us that this was a one-day challenge. Some of you rose to the occasion, and some of you did not.”

Oh, the shade.

The Tents? Sergio is up, Vicki Victim is down. Delvin and Brittany are even. Nancy stretched a bit, while Geoffrey took a misstep. And Marquise? If he doesn’t design for The Tents can he at least walk the runway in that sheer shirt again?

Next week: reinvent the tuxedo. And the eliminated designers are coming back as helpers. I’m already seeing a half, high-low, one-side, one-sleeve, power-shoulder, long-sleeve thing from Victoria.

Oh, and My-Husband-In-My-Head, and last year’s winner, the oh-so-delicioso-with-the-hot-Latin-accent,  Sebastian Grey is visiting next week too. I’m. Dying.

What did YOU think?