Project Runway: Avant-Garde Means "Pack Your Bags, Bitch" In German

Hallelujah, this week’s episode of Project Runway marks three weeks in a row of solid reality television from super-German Heidi Klum and her coterie of fashion fanatics. After kicking Kevin off last week instead of, say, Ricky, who, week after week underperforms like a Texan president, a new challenge was issued to our beloved league of designers: create an avant-garde look inspired by the outrageous hairdos of their models.

What outrageous hairdos? Well, the ones they were wearing when they showed up on the runway, duh – including giant waves and, in one instance, a sectioned Mohawk of sorts that would’ve looked hot in Luc Besson’s The Fifth Element. Designers immediately flipped over the challenge, though that excitement turned to short-term panic for most when they heard they’d be yet again teaming up into two-person teams for it. Some people play better in group settings than others, like Christian and Chris who practically got up and danced when they were named partners. Kit and Ricky were equally thrilled. Sweet P was, too, but only because, being a relatively uninspired designer, she was paired with Rami. Then there was Victorya and Jillian, two time-challenged gals with a fear of the one position no Project Runway designer should ever covet: team leader. While Christian, Kit, and Rami all stepped up with little to no whining, these two had to flip a coin before they could move forward.

With a budget of $300, our teams went to work creating forward-thinking designs that didn’t have to be practical or even particularly wearable. Just ambitious. For example, Jillian, working with Mohawk Girl, created an elaborate post-apocalyptic trench coat to match with Victorya’s more practical pants and blouse. Christian and Chris, who turned out to be the perfect pairing for this misadventure given their love for high fashion and, in Chris’s case elaborate costumes, created what…well, I don’t know how you’d describe it. With a remarkable 45 yards of fabric, they layered hundreds of pieces of material into a dress and fan that stretched from one shoulder to the opposite neck. When it eventually made it before the judges, jaws dropped.

Kit and Ricky also turned out to be a wonderful pairing, if not creatively, in disposition. Unfortunately, they didn’t really bother to look forward enough when the challenge called for something extremely fashion-forward. Rami had the same problem, opting to drape yet again; but, more importantly, he did not work effectively with Sweet P, and he shut her out of most of the design.

As day two kicked out, many designers were freaking out. How were they going to get these insanely detailed creations done? Then Tim Gunn threw a wrench in the works, the kind viewers eat up. Instead of just creating the avant-garde look, the designers also had to create one ready-to-wear design, inspired by the look – a move all the biggest designers have to make these days. In other words, Victorya and Jillian were screwed. Sweet P was just about the only person excited by it, and then only because she could design it independently of Rami to help save herself during judging.

In the end, Christian and Chris, as you probably guessed, won the challenge, while Christian, as the leader, walked away with immunity – for the first time, despite episode after episode of bragging. Victorya and Jillian, who apparently work best under pressure, took second. Rami was chastised for his hard-on for draping (translation: lack of experimentation), while Sweet P was, as she hoped, praised. Kit and Ricky, however, were openly mocked for their cheap-looking design. Being the team leader, Kit was sent packing for her lack of creativity, while Ricky survived to cry again another week.

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