Ep 06: Revenge of the Bridesmaids

This will be a quick one, PR peeps. Driving to Richmond from the DC area to attend katspouse's 4-year-old cousin's birthday party. Long May You Fish, Maria!

The show begins with pretty much all the designers reviling Michael C and his supposedly non-existent skills.

"Some people don't like me very much."

 Let's quickly review what Michael C, who has never been in the Bottom 3, has sent down the runway so far:

Outside of the hooker skirt in Ep 01, he really hasn't made a misstep. To paraphrase my other favorite reality contest show, this isn't Top Seamstress. See Carole Hannah's blog on Lifetime.com for a great explanation of this. I'm not sure what about Michael C is drawing everyone's ire, but I think now it just has a life of it's own, fanned by Team Mean Girls.

This week: the Real Woman challenge:

Designers, remake these bridesmaid dress into something these women might actually wear again.

We can always depend on Valerie to sum a situation up in one facial expression.

Designers will choose their client/models. And we know all how this is going to go. Sure enough, Casanova explains that he's choosing the woman who looks most like a model, regardless of dress. Mondo chooses a bridesmaid because she's wearing a rosy pink dress, and he likes the color.

Surprise, Mondo!

There's one really awkward moment near the end.

Heidi: "How come the two of you are left?"

When I saw this on TV, I thought she might have made a faux pas, obliquely referring to their sizes. Now that I see it again, I think she's talking about the screaming red and pink colors.

Anyway, I wonder if this had anything to do with Christopher's client, who was of normal body size, quitting?
Christopher gets a new client in the workroom.

As the designers meet with their clients, it becomes clear that April has the requisite Difficult One.

Off to Mood, where is there no "dancing" and no Swatch.

Grendel's, I mean Gretchen's, mother - cheap shot, couldn't resist.
Sorry, Gretchen's mom, I'm sure you're very nice.

Gretchen is able to  bring the perspective she gets from her mom to her discuss with Tim in his Walkabout.

Gretchen shows maturity, Tim shows professionalism. 

Tim tells them that the next day, they'll be having a showcase where "real People" will view their work and vote. Excitement/trepidation all around.

At the showcase, the crowd seems to really like everyone's work. There are some major issues: Michael D's black netting overskirt makes his client look pregnant, Gretchen's client is showing a serious amount of what Michael Kors called side-cleavage, and Peach's garment is just plain awful.

The designers each have a fishbowl, and the guests at the showcase vote by putting a button into the bowl.

Michael C and Mondo seem to be getting the most buttons.

Ivy starts saying that Michael C is telling the crowd not to vote for her, because she is "the bitch of the show." Well, when you are rude, dismissive, and say to the judges that someone is either lazy or ignorant, what do you expect? Anyway, she makes a big schoolyard thing of it.

Later, Andy mean-girls to Michael C about it. Michael C says it didn't happen and tries to talk to Ivy about it, but she shuts him down. He can do no right with this group.
Runway time! The judges are Michael, Nina and guest Cynthia Rowley.

Ankle socks with strappy sandals? Only if you're Cynthia Rowley.

She's guested several times, and I don't always agree with her, but I do love her clothing line. The clothes are cool but wearable by all ages. I'm lusting after the Twilight Dress. I wish katson was old enough to get married - it would be the coolest Mother of the Groom dress ever, and I'd be able to justify spending the money.

Mondo Major accomplishment! This dress is gorgeous, creative, flattering. Mondo even managed to make the tab sleeve attractive. It's too bad the client doesn't have better posture, but she looks really great in the dress. Reverse Side of the Satin - very smart. My rating: Top 3, the clear winner
Ivy Well, I finally got to delete what was becoming Ivy's mantra "Dowdy, awful, sad." There's nothing special about this look, but the top is a pretty color. Personally, I hate capri pants, but in this case they're proportionate with the volume of the top. And Ivy appears to have jumped on the Reverse Side of the Satin (2) bandwagon. My rating: Safe
Valerie Oh, Valerie! You made it 5 episodes without being in the bottom. That's over; this dress is really unfortunate. It makes the client look dumpy and big in the middle. Someone with an hourglass figure and a bit of a tummy need a a full skirt/tight waist combo. The bow says, "Look at the tummy I'm trying to hide." Reverse Side of the Satin =3 My rating: Bottom 3
Gretchen The overdress is very cool. The underdress is very ugly. It would have been better to either cover the burgundy skirt with lace or not use it at  all. Also, where is this woman going - maybe a Clan of the Cave Bear-themed  rave? The styling is perverse; you can't keep Gretchen away from those suede boots. My rating: Safe
Peach My girl Peach absolutely lost it. The whole thing is unflattering, and that green satin half-peplum is Hid. E. Ous. This is one of the worst-ever garments from all seasons of PR. We'll miss you, Peach. My rating: Bottom 3, and as much as it pains me, auf
Michael C It's a good thing this dress is all black because otherwise it qualifies as a "whole lotta look." There's the draping in the front, the pleat over the bust, the bow in the back, the pleated sleeves. Good for Michael for making the lace work, because the client is so much more comfortable with it than without it.   My rating: Safe
Andy I think the word I'm searching for is "hoochie." The top might have been fine with a Reverse Side of the Satin blue skirt or walking shorts.  My rating: Safe
Christopher Nice. Christopher lucked out; the fabric looks great against his client's gorgeous skin. I'm not much of a fan of the one-shoulder -expose-one-boob look normally, but the fact that the unpatterned fabric is so close in color makes it OK. If he covered the other side of the bodice with the patterned fabric also, this would have been Top 3. My rating: Safe
Michael D Michael helped the dress a bit by taking out some of the excess material in the skirt front, but the jacket absolutely sucks. The one cute part of the dress, the bodice, is now covered. And what's with the hairdo? His client not only looks like she's going to a prom in 1962, she looks like she actually went to HER prom in 1962. Just awful. My rating: Bottom 3, and he's really lucky Peach made such a travesty.
Casanova Gotta give Casanova props - he made skin-tight teal not-quite-bermuda, not-quite capri leggings look chic. And the volume of the top works perfectly with them. My rating: Top 3
April This is so April, and very cool. I can't say I'd want a pleated satin napkin cascading from my button placket, but it works really well with the rest of the look. I'm glad she stood up to her client, who wound up looking fantastic. My rating: Top 3

Well, that was OK. I feel like several of the designers (I'm looking at you, Gretchen, Ivy and - sorry to say it - Andy) are so convinced of their own awesomeness that they're not really trying very hard. Mondo, Valerie, Casanova, Michael C, April and Christopher are trying to work to their potential. Valerie made a misstep, and I think Christopher's taste is just a bit bland. Peach and Michael D got irretrievably flummoxed.

Safe: April, Ivy, Andy, Gretchen, Casanova (Heidi purrs)

Backstage, everyone figures Valerie is in trouble and Michael C has - you guessed it - construction issues.
On the runway, the judges start with Michael D. They hate the ugly, cheap black chiffon and think the dress looked better before. The client is very supportive, even though Mikey D put her in that ugly hairdo.

Christopher fares better. While Michael likes the bottom, he thinks the top looks like two dresses glued together, and Nina loves the top but thinks the skirt is too short, Cynthia loves the whole thing.

Peach explains that she was inspired by the client's angel tattoo and her strong shoulders. Everyone rightly hates it. Michael has a quip fest.

Holly Hobby halter, avecado dishtowels,  peplum napkins, goiter...

Mondo wanted it to be "classy and a little sassy." They love the dress and call it both feminine and tough., not so much the hair though.

Valerie explains that she tried to flatter the client's top-heavy figure with color blocking, but everyone informs her that it didn't work.

Michael C gets a whole lotta love for his whole lotta look - they adore the proportion, the fit, the way he handled the fabric, the mix of fabrics - everything.

Deliberation time. Backstage, Peach is philosophical, Michael D is resigned, and Michael C is a bit defensive.

The judges mostly repeat what they've said already, with a few additions.

Heidi dishes over Michael C being thrown under the bus last week.

Cynthia says that, from a distance, Valerie's dress made her client look like a weird cartoon character.
Michael thinks Peach might have a taste level problem.

Now for the verdict

It's Michael C vs. Mondo for the win and immunity for next week.

The Winner

Mondo, Christopher and Valerie are safe, in that order. Peach and Michael D are on the block.

OUT

She's very gracious. I'm sure she knew there was no way she was going to win, so she appreciated it for the experience.

Favorite Peach quotes:

"Hey April - no sanity, no dignity."
"It's going to be short, but not so short you can see the good china."
"Oh, for the love of God and all that's holy, what did i do to this girl?!?"

Peach, you are a breathe of fresh air! Any time you're in Silver Spring, MD, look me up!

Next week: Party on a boat. Last time that happened (Season 3), I believe they were in Paris. Watch out for flying eggs, designers!