In the most important challenge of the season, the six talented remaining designers were given the task of creating looks inspired by street art. Tim Gunn revealed that this would be a double elimination challenge, and, like the Tour of Terror, everyone’s heart dropped. The dreaded button bag was brought out and each designer was assigned a work of art to not only use as a source of inspiration but as a challenge to come up with a complementary look.
It was also revealed that the winner of this challenge would appear in #Seventeen Magazine. For these designers, going to Fashion Week and presenting collections like those of Nicole Miller is the ultimate goal. While some designers rose up to the challenge, some could not handle the pressures of potentially living out a dream.
The challenge and its challenges
"project runway" editors have become masters at making the audience empathize with the “struggling” designer. In this episode, we saw the eternally wacky Chelsea continually question her design aesthetic and struggle with time management.
Tieler continued his trend of fit and proportion issues. Tim Gunn's critique left Tieler searching for answers, and, with only a day to finish his look, he did not have much time. For someone who constantly talks about his many achievements, the fact that he still doesn’t know the definition of too short, is troubling. Other contestants, such as Molly, struggled with the overall theme of the challenge and found it difficult to incorporate their own design into such a foreign concept.
A shocking elimination and a not-so-shocking twist
As the judging began, I was shocked at the how much the judges (including Christian Siriano) loved Chelsea’s design. Her garment (at best) looked like an average papier-mache project.
She won the challenge and skipped into the finale. It was quickly revealed that Chris and Izzy were also safe. That left the consistent Molly, the sometimes brilliant Tieler, and the disappointing Hawwaa in the bottom three.
Hannah #Jeter revealed that Molly was eliminated due to an “uninspired look.” In the world of fashion, being called uninspired is almost as bad as being called fat. In an all too familiar twist, it was revealed that neither Hawwaa nor Tieler were eliminated. Instead, each designer would have to make a collection, present it in front of the judges, and then one of them would be allowed to showcase their designs during #Fashion Week.
Can you imagine going through all of the stress of making a collection just to be told that your efforts are not good enough?