PR 14 Ep 13: The One Where They Saved The Best ... The Most Adorable ... For Last

What? Tim saved Edmond!?! I never saw that coming. Still, I was happy that he did because Edmond should have always had a spot at The Tents, and not just because he’s so adorable.

But let’s get down to bidness …. The Final Four! Final Four! meet Heidi and Tim on the runway to get the details: seven weeks, $9,000.00 and ten looks … and a twist—when returning to New York City the designtestants are told they must create a $250 eleventh look … not really a twist since they do this every year—and the news that they will show three looks to the judges before The Tents. Go!

THE ADORABLE EDMOND™

Tim finds Edmond in Atlanta — which, for the record, is just four hours from Smallville, so maybe Edmond needs a restraining order against a certain blogger — working on a collection that focuses less on the ‘sexy’ Edmond, and more on the ‘glamorous and beautiful’ Edmond. He tells Tim he’s doing dresses, gowns, suits and swimsuits, but when Tim asks if he wants to be that kind of designer, Edmond says, ‘No,’ so he ditches the everyday for gowns and cocktail dresses. Tim loves his looks, but finds some of the textiles stiff and unyielding; he warns Edmond to keep it moving … and he warns Edmond to get it moving because he’s redoing his whole collection in just days.

Back in New York, Tim comes into see the “Extra Look,” and the two other pieces for the judges to, um, judge, and he again warns Edmond — who has called his looks ‘light and airy’ — that the ruffled gown is anything but that. And he’s worried because Edmond has yet to start the new look, and all he has is a sketch and an idea.

WHAT HE SAID

I feel like I’ve shown sexy … now I want to emphasize glamorous and elegant.

WHAT I SAID

I kinda wanted some color, somewhere, and the gown is so Morticia … do it in leather and it’s a Candice look.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Heidi says she knew right away which one was the Extra Look because it was far simpler than the others. She also says the collection lacks cohesion—and black-and-white doesn’t make it cohesive—and says it looks like three different girls; she also wants some color, though she loves the white dress because it’s a ‘Wow’ piece. She, like Nina and Zac, is not fond of all the ruffles.

Zac likes the modernity of the Extra Look, but is worried that Edmond’s POV is ruffles and trim. He calls the gown a costume, and says the collection is missing the Edmond Attitude.

Nina says Edmond is sex—and Nina, honey, you ain’t never been more right—and calls this collection too pretty. She likes the white dress, but calls it ladylike; she asks that the gown be removed from her sight, and she demands that Edmond “bring the sexy back;” make it edgy, fix the styling, get back to work!

KELLY

Kelly heads back home to Massachusetts, where Tim finds her creating a disco-infused, Studio 54 meets New Wave street collection. It’s definitely Kelly, right down to her handmade fanny packs. And she has some cool fabric choices, some that look like metal and some that look like wood-grain; I’m not sure where it’s all going, but it’s gonna have a good time.

And Tim likes it, though he’s concerned with some of the flesh-toned mesh insets in some pieces and says it looks kind of cheap. But Kelly assures him she’ll use models with darker skin tones to, forgive me, make it work.

In New York, Tim once again loves what Kelly is showing, and loves that she’ll show the judges just one fanny pack. He also loves that she had leftover fabrics from her original looks to use for her Extra Look, though he worries about the proportions.

During her model fittings, Kelly doesn’t have a model with the right skin tone for the mesh dress, so she switches it up for some sequins and tight pants.

WHAT SHE SAID

I honestly feel amazing… what I’m showing is me times a thousand.

WHAT I SAID

It’s definitely a Kelly disco-street POV. I do love the disco hairstyles.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Zac likes this more ‘refined’ Kelly, but then urges her to up the glamour and the sparkles; he loves her Extra look, and calls the collection kooky. He dubs her collection Street-Day-Sparkles-Disco.

Heidi is not happy; she calls the collection boring and, ouch, cheap. She urges Kelly to go full on over-the-top is this is her POV.

Nina thinks the looks lack luxury and hates the high-waisted tight shorts with the hip pockets. She does like the styling and that Kelly has created many pieces for each look, but she says it’s not special, and needs to be amped up.

ASHLEY

Before leaving for home, Heidi encourages Ashley to create a plus-sized collection and says there will be plus-sized models for her to use; Ashley says that’s what she wants to do, and it’ll be a PR first.

At home in San Diego, Ashley tells Tim she was inspired by Mexico City in the 1950s. And she’s doing hand-dyed lace and crop tops and sexy looking clothes; and she’s doing floral head-pieces, which remind me of an old photo I once saw of Elizabeth Taylor. It could be chic, it could be seen as a gimmick, but Ashley wants them.

When she says she might pair the pastel laces with white pieces, Tim puts the kibosh on that and tells her she needs some richer jewel tones.  And she does that for her Extra look, once again dying lace in a beautiful dark lavender number.

Tim likes what he sees back in New York, but worries that Ashley is so dead-set on the floral “crowns” that she might get herself stuck. Ashley says she’s showing the crowns on all three pre-Tent looks.

WHAT SHE SAID

Watching my look[s] … I wanna cry.

WHAT I SAID

I think her styling, especially the makeup, is th4 best of all, and I love that her plus-sized models aren’t in caftans and muumuus, and instead look sexy and feminine.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Zac says her clothes have fit issues and if she wants to go plus-sized the fit needs to be impeccable. He points out an ill-fitting crop-top and some wonky zippers, and the fact that one look has a bra seen underneath it. He says her collection is pure Ashley and cohesive, but the sloppy fit needs fixing.

Nina also sees Ashley in the collection and also wants the details ironed out, and straightened and fit. She is also not a fan of the crowns — which, like a garden of roses is kinda growing on me — and asks if Ashley wants people to talk about her clothes or her head-pieces.  She also worries that the flowers make the looks kind of one-note-mother-of-the-bride.

Heidi, though, loves the flowers, but wishes some crowns were huge and others were smaller. And she loves the cohesiveness of the collection and says it’s an elegant Ashley.

CANDICE

Tim finds Candice on a beach in San Francisco—Tim, in a full suit, no socks, leather shoes … on a beach; fabulous. Then it’s off to Candice’s work space where a cage-skirt stands outside because it’s too big to be taken indoors. That’s worrisome, I think.

Candice says she was inspired by Asian fashion, and has leather pieces, lace leather pieces, hats and gloves, all in reds … a surprise … and blacks … to be expected. One piece—a laser-cut leather kimono—is so heavy Tim can hardly lift it, and the cage-form dress borders, as Tim says, on drag queen. He urges her to tone it down.

In New York, her Extra Look is a riff on her Red Carpet look from the Final Challenge, and she’s showing only black because she doesn’t think a red piece in the middle will give the judges the idea of cohesion. Tim shows her that one piece in color doesn’t disrupt the flow, so Candice follows his lead.

WHAT SHE SAID

I have a very strong collection … there’s an attitude to it.

WHAT I SAID

It’s all a bit much, but, man OH MAN,  it looks like an amazing “show.”

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Zac says it’s kinda costume town, witchy-bitchy, but, to me, that’s Candice. And the Extra look, with the hat, he calls Gothic Ascot.

Heidi says it’s all clichés, from the hats to the gloves to all these tricks; she is not a fan of the red look, where the lining of the coat matches the pants, and she doesn’t like the styling which, again, to be fair, looks like Candice.

Nina tells her to lose the hat and then says it seem a little too referential and not so much Candice; she says, “Alexander McQueen can do Alexander McQueen. You cannot.” Ow.

So, the designtestants have all been shot down, with just hours to go before The Tents, but this happens every year. Edmond needs to sex it up, while Kelly needs more glitter; Ashley needs to lose the flowers, while Candice is warned to tone it down.

That’s all well and good, but how can the judges be so harsh seeing just three pieces out of ten? I think when all the looks walk, there will be cohesion in their collections will work. This is all just drama to drag the show out an extra week and I’m okay with that because … Edmond.

So I’ve been very queer, er, clear about crushing on Edmond this whole season, but let’s take a minute and remember Edmond’s father, Edmond Jr., who is just as fine … as in Edmond’s younger brother, Patrick. Adorable Newton’s all around.

And Tim hugging Edmond when he saved him? Totes adorable. Had I been the mentor I would have found any and every excuse to hug him. “Edmond? I found your scissors.” Hug. “Edmond? You’re needed for a confessional.” Hug. “Let me get that door for you,” Hug.

And I’d hug Tim Gunn, who I just love. For someone who seems kind of a fuss-budget, and always perfectly attired, he slips into these odd situations with such ease; strolling though the sand, eating at a greasy spoon with the Newton’s; walking into a deli, and donning an apron to make tortillas. He is just simply fabulous.

Best Lines:

Kelly, Edmond’s switch from sexy to glamorous: “He’s done sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, sexy, and now this.”

Edmond, on Ashley’s floral hats: “We’re fashion designers, not florists.”

So, as for The Tents … If Candice sticks to her aesthetic — even while dialing things back a bit like losing the gloves … but keeping that hat … I love that hat — she will put on a fierce show; and it should be a show. And people will love the show of it all, and when they want a Candice look she can dial it down or even amp it up, for the client in question.

Ashley’s collection I loved, and a lot of that was because of the make-up. But the clothes are so sexy and cool and fun, and, yeah, Nina, I like the flowers.

Kelly’s looks are Kelly; they aren’t my favorite but I love her outside the box, self-taught style, and I think there are clients — younger clients — who would rock Kelly-wear.

As for Edmond … I love his clothes, but I do think he can bring the sexy back and still keep things elegant. I’d love him to keep the ruffled gown but find a way to sex it up and show the judges. And then maybe I can give him a hug, a lingering hug?

What did YOU think?