Project RunWay- New Season

This week on Project Runway, the designers were given an assignment where they could share what is on their heart – and put that into a heart-themed design.
The remaining designers seemed philosophical about Ping’s elimination, though Jesse seemed as though he’s still carrying a grudge for the onus of having had to work with her. He and Jesus both vowed they were going to show the judges they could design with the best of them. I knew when I heard that; one of them was sure to be doomed. Having a challenge that related so appropriately to Valentine’s Day was heartwarming, and heart-stirring. The designers took the challenge as seriously as it should have been taken; everyone seemed intent on expressing their respect to the amateur models and what they represented.

It was a bit disconcerting to see these “real” ladies take on their first modeling assignment, and to see them enjoying themselves, as they walked down the runway. Their walks showed a variety of expertise; some (like Seth Aaron’s model) just wanted to show their personalities. It was good to see some of them blithely accept the challenge of designing “outside their comfort zones” and make outfits for ladies whose figures were not typical of models. I was a bit stunned when Anthony referred to his model as “full figured”. How would he have labeled Seth Aaron’s model? Both were lovely ladies and, although both men were easily able to adjust their designs, it reminded the viewer of how many designers would view a woman who isn’t a size 2 or 4.

It was interesting to see so many shades of red – from the dark scarlet waves of Jonathan’s dress to the bright but soft watermelon pleats of Emilio’s dress. It was also interesting to see some of them use boldness; and include accents that weren’t the typical white – like Ben and Maya. I also enjoyed seeing many different ways of displaying the Campbell’s branding – from Amy’s subtle print accents to Jesse’s afterthought rosette.

Once again, the more telegenic designers dominated the asides and confessionals shown to the viewers. Although it was touching to see Anthony crying with his model and his tribute to his mother, and equally sweet to see the usually-assertive Seth Aaron become indecisive; when faced between the choice of his own “vision” of the challenge and to try to please his client. Finding the balance between the two is what makes him so wonderful to watch.

But, once again, we saw little of Ben, Jonathan, Anna and Emilio. Would we really have been worse off; seeing one less amusing remark by Anthony, one less freakout from Janeane, or one less burst of confidence from the doomed Jesus? Maybe the quiet ones might have something interesting to say or to watch. We didn’t get to find out, this week. I hope we get more footage on all the designers, in weeks to come.

Here are my reactions to each of the designers – and their designs. I’ve averaged their ratings from my previous scoreboard with this week’s scoreboard, in order to determine their rankings. I have no advance knowledge of how the competition comes out.