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“Project Runway” is heating up so much that it has gone down to its underwear. In season 20, episode seven, “Fashion, Inside Out,” the designers had to create looks featuring couture undergarments. So whose looks were sexy and chic, and who just showed their whole ass? Scroll down for our live blog with all the minute-by-minute developments and commentary as they happen.
Kayne Gillaspie was eliminated last week in “Like Totally ’90s,” leaving nine designers competing for a second chance at the “Project Runway” title: Brittany Allen (Season 18), Prajje Oscar Jean Baptiste (Season 19), Laurence Basse (Season 15), Fabio Costa (Season 10), Bishme Cromartie (Season 17), Rami Kashou (Season Four), Korto Momolu (Season Five), Kara Saun (Season One), and Anna Yinan Zhou (Season 19). The winner of the competition will get $250,000, a mentorship with the CFDA (Council of Fashion Designers of America), and a feature in Elle magazine.
The competition thus far has been unforgiving. Kayne for instance won the season premiere challenge, but that clearly didn’t factor into the judges’ decision-making when it came time to pick a designer to go home in “Totally ’90s.” Viktor Luna won the second challenge of the season only to be sent home the very next week — when mentor Christian Siriano said there would be no immunity from elimination this season he wasn’t kidding. So unsurprisingly, our predictions for who will win the season have fluctuated significantly from week to week, from Viktor to Fabio to Korto to Kara Saun. How did this week’s show affect the trajectory of the competition? Follow along below starting at 9:00pm (times listed are Eastern).
9:02pm — A continental breakfast for the designers. Laurence is basking in her win … for now. Even she knows that you only get to bask for about 12 hours before the next challenge starts and everyone is back on even footing. Meanwhile, Fabio is still reeling from two challenges in a row of hearing that his designs are too quiet and safe. If I’m being honest, though, he didn’t deserve to be in the bottom for either of the last two challenges. Not sure how Nina saw his “Like Totally ’90s” design as safe, but he’s planning to take his ideas and pump up the volume from now on.
9:05pm — Christian Siriano pops out on the runway in a sheer top as a preview for the next challenge. He introduces models who will really preview the designers’ next task. “As you can see, underwear as outerwear is everywhere,” he explains. “And breaking news … the jock strap is back!” Now the designers will create a high-fashion look showcasing couture undergarments. But it’s not lingerie. It’s about taking undergarments and “featuring them in a new cool way.” Alas, this is a one-day challenge, which makes sense since the designers are getting down to just their skivvies. Even better, there will be male, female, and nonbinary models for this challenge! I love love love when “Project Runway” goes beyond women’s fashion, which it doesn’t do often enough.
9:08pm — Laurence, no surprise here, is going to make a suit jacket mixed with a bomber jacket with half a corset. Prajje is going all-in on a branded jock strap with a corset. Fabio is using his fabric from home, and he’ll be creating briefs with sheer shorts over them and a boxer’s robe on top. Anna is working with a male model for the first time; she’s excited, but I’m worried for her. Then I hear she’s inspired by an infection she got when breast feeding … sounds weird, I’m in.
9:11pm — “Don’t go rogue,” Christian warns them at Mood. He then tells Laurence that her advantage from winning the last challenge is an extra $100 to shop with. She gets $550, everyone else gets $450. He flat-out pans Brittany’s first choice of fabric — “That’s a Christmas dress!” Back it goes. Kara Saun is throwing it back to the Tulsa race massacre of 1921, which is an … interesting choice for an undergarments challenge.
9:17pm — Korto fled war in Liberia and wound up in Canada, but her strict mother never let them forget their roots. Now her daughter likes revealing clothes just like Korto wanted to wear when she was that age. “Payback is a mother,” she says — literally. Speaking of family, Fabio stumbles on old family photos in his home fabric bag; he feels energized by photos of his grandmother at the sewing machine where Fabio learned how to sew.
9:21pm — Christian walk-throughs. Christian likes the idea of Fabio’s look, but “the shape isn’t that exciting.” Maybe harnesses instead? Brittany’s look, meanwhile, is “getting very sexy nurse.” Brittany was going for “sexy tennis,” and Christian is into that. Rami has “romantic” ideas. He needs a moment since he hasn’t had a great track record this season on the show. Two low scores and no high scores yet. Christian hears Anna’s idea of “bleeding nipple corset,” and the look on his face is about what you’d expect. Bishme has a lot of work left to do and he has nothing ready for his model fitting. “I can fit her in my thoughts,” he says.
9:27pm — Kara Saun is going full lingerie, so she needs to make sure her sheer dress is a real dress. Christian worries she’s going in a costume direction. Prajje is going to be “a little scandalous,” He’s got a lot of work to do since he’s making a kilt, a jock strap, AND a bomber jacket. I’m looking forward to the jock strap if nothing else. Go for it, Prajje!
9:31pm — Time for model fittings, with male models! Christian’s favorite time of the year. So have more menswear challenges, Christian! Prajje has an incomplete jock strap made. Christian wonders if it’s big enough. There’s no measurement for crotches in the model cards, so he needs to be careful not to put his model in a diaper. You also gotta cover the junk, though. Or not. That’s also a choice. Make it work! Rami’s got ripply seams in his skirt, and Christian is nitpicking. Meanwhile, Korto’s look is kind of “a mess,” and she’s got some lacy thing hanging in front of her model’s crotch. She needs to get it together, but Korto is a rock star, I think she’ll work it out.
9:35pm — Laurence is dressing Taurean, the male model everyone loves to objectify with his insane pecs and sick abs. Christian tells her not to cover him all up. “Cuties up in here today,” says Korto. “Mind your business,” says Laurence. Honestly, she could probably send him down the runway without any clothes on and win the challenge. Then Taurean would have a nice long talk with the “Project Runway” HR department.
9:36pm — Fabio loves the bottom half of his look with the beaded sheer shorts and orange underwear. He just needs to make the top work with it. I’m a little concerned about the whole thing and so is Christian.
9:38pm — Prajje is totally scrapping his jock strap idea. He’s turning it into a brief. I’m a little disappointed. A jock strap is a ballsier idea, pardon the phrasing. Fabio is feeling “defeated … psychological damage.” Korto kinda wants to throw her whole top away and start over. “I really need a hug after this shit,” says Bishme. Brittany wants someone to spoon her tonight. This one-day challenge is going to give the designers “PR” PTSD.
9:43pm — At the night lounge, the pressure is sitting heavy on Fabio’s soul. He came on the show to demonstrate that he’s still on the right path and improving as a designer, but he wasn’t even sure he wanted to finish it. But the next morning he’s refreshed from a good night’s sleep and the photos of his family looking upon him. “I am a fighter,” he says.
9:45pm — Korto is starting from scratch and working on a bralette. with her lacy fabric. Prajje’s pants come off. Anna’s shirt comes off — “The titties out!” Models are back, and this about to become a very different kind of episode of “Project Runway.”
9:46pm — Just a moment to commend the models on this show. They put their literal bodies on the line every week to showcase whatever cockamamie ideas the designers come up with, and then they’ve gotta sell it even if they know it’s a hot mess. And you can tell sometimes they know it’s a hot mess.
9:48pm — Time for last looks, and Rami is “sweating like a whore in Sunday church” trying to put finishing touches on his look. As long as the whore looks good in them panties!
9:52pm — Runway show is about to begin. Nina Garcia is MIA, but there are two guest judges: fashion designer Sergio Hudson and international supermodel Paulina Porizkova.
PRAJJE: Corset is kinda cool, I wish the briefs were a jock strap because the briefs under the kilt is quite meh. Sergio would have liked to see the jacket on and then come off instead of just carried over the shoulder for some reason, and I totally agree. Why isn’t the model ever wearing the jacket that Prajje designed? Why bother designing it? Not a winner for me overall.
KORTO: For a last-minute design, it looks good. Love the asymmetrical skirt, the bralette isn’t too bad. Another look that’s not quite a showstopper when showcasing the undergarments, but I’m not mad at it.
BISHME: A return of the big shoulders. The lace bralette mixed with the black fabric is a nice contrast. Those underwear straps peeking through the pants are also effective. My favorite look so far, but I haven’t really seen a total showstopper yet.
FABIO: I have mixed feelings about it. Maybe a different color would have shown through the beaded sheer fabric better. Fabio seems happy with the color choice, but it’s not my favorite. And the robe didn’t feel necessary except for the dramatic moment where the model tossed it to the ground. The design definitely isn’t safe, though.
KARA SAUN: I like it a lot. It feels provocative but also sophisticated. A better sheer effect than Fabio’s. Probably the best look so far.
ANNA: A really bold look with the skirt hanging from the corset and the mesh hood is a nice touch. The corset, though, looks more like a tank top than underwear. It’s not giving me an undergarment vibe, but maybe that’s just me.
BRITTANY: I think it’s a really strong look. Love the bow on the bralette — a lot of bralettes on the runway. The skirt reallly works for me. It feels like it has Brittany’s personality in it.
RAMI: He killed it. Great use of lace, the best sheer look on the runway so far. Could finally be a winner for Rami.
LAURENCE: Just looks kinda like a suit to me. There’s a corset underneath and a boxers waistband, but it’s another look that I don’t feel quite executes the challenge effectively.
9:59pm — Top looks for me are Rami, Kara Saun, and Brittany. After that there were a lot of mid looks for me, nothing terrible. Prajje and Laurence disappointed me the most, surprisingly, given the potential their looks had. Fabio may be at the bottom again too I’m sad to say, but I might be completely off this time. I don’t feel like many people really pushed the envelope on what could have been a fun and spicy underwear challenge.
10:04pm — Brittany, Bishme, and Anna are all safely in. That makes sense to me. I’m certain Rami and Kara Saun are at the top, but I wonder who joins them. Bishme actually gets a note on his way backstage: the judges are tired of seeing those big shoulders from him. He might have been at the top were it not for that.
10:05pm — The first top look is Rami‘s! Brandon was impressed by the craftsmanship of the skirt. There was little puckering, which showed strong technique. Sergio thought it was amazing. Paulina thought it was like a “whisper” of lingerie that doesn’t hit you over the head. Elaine thinks it’s “effortless.”
10:07pm — The first bottom look is Fabio‘s. Paulina thinks the fabric looks like a shower curtain caught in a fishing net. It’s visually confusing. Sergio liked the nod to lingerie, but the stomach piece should have just been removed. Brandon thought he turned up the volume too high. There was too much going on that covered the star of the show, the short, and he needed to edit.
10:09pm — Another top look belonged to Prajje. Huh. Paulina thought it was “wonderfully gender neutral.” It was “a statement, an original.” Elaine thinks the pieces are familiar, but he keeps it fresh. Sergio loved the styling, it spoke to an urban but high fashion sensibility. Brandon didn’t love the look, though, because the jacket was on the shoulders. I’m 100% with Brandon on this one. Prajje has been amazing all season and I think he should have won two of the design challenges where the judges picked someone else. But this was not it for me.
10:10pm — The last top look was Kara Saun‘s. Amen to that. Sergio gasps happily. He thought the design was luxe and restrained. Elaine thought it was “in a league of its own” and her costume design background really benefitted her. Paulina thought she was looking at a beautiful movie star and it was “incredibly titillating,” but not vulgar at all.
10:12pm — The next look is a bottom look, and it belongs to Laurence. Sergio doesn’t think it’s bad at all, but it wasn’t a shining moment, whether it was the color of fabrication. He’d wear the suit, though. Brandon thought what I thought, which is that the undergarment part felt like an afterthought. It might have won another challenge, but didn’t really fit the bill for this one.
10:13pm — The last bottom look was Korto‘s. I understand the judges’ decision on this one. Looks good to me, but the bralette is kinda just okay. Paulina loves the skirt, but the bralette is like “huh?” It looks like an old table napkin stuck to her chest. The top feels ill-fitting to Elaine. Brandon didn’t think it was that innovative. “The outfit maybe didn’t make the mark today, but that doesn’t mean I’m not the bomb.” I love Korto.
10:18pm — I think Fabio is out, sadly. I think he’s great, but he just got so mixed up by the judges’ critiques that he got caught up in his own head. In particular, Nina telling him his last two looks were too safe set him against his own instincts.
10:25pm — Prajje is called safe from the top three before the winner is decided to be … Kara Saun! Her first win of the season, and well-deserved! To think she was almost eliminated in episode one, and ever since she has been killing it.
10:27pm — Laurence is called safe by the judges, leaving Korto and Fabio as the bottom two. And the eliminated designer is … Fabio. Very sad to see him go after struggling for three weeks in a row. Honestly, if Nina hadn’t called his look safe in “Like Totally ’90s,” which baffled Fabio, I think this challenge would have gone very differently for him.
10:30pm — Fabio says in his exit interview, “There’s something so magical about challenging yourself and coming into this roller coaster ride and leaving still wanting to be here. I roll with the punches to show myself not only that I still have fight but to reassure myself how much I love this. I never compromised, and I hope that’s inspiring.”PREDICT‘Project Runway’ now and keep updating your predictions until Thursday night’s show
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