- Avant-garde in fashion can suggest the innovation and application of new concepts and techniques. Such legendary designers as Viktor & Rolf, Yamamoto, Jean-Paul Gaultier, and Balenciega have challenged cherished norms with new materials and fresh ways of cutting fabric for decades. These remaining designers must break new ground in fashion-their challenge is to create an avant-garde look inspired by an astrological sign. To do so they will be paired with an eliminated designer. Design teams have two days for the challenge and thirty minutes to decide whose zodiac sign will be the inspiration. Tandems pick a muse and then breakdown what traits of the sign they want the garment to exude.
- Welcome to another exciting episode of -- you know what? Let's give Heidi the honors. "This is Project Runway!" she squeaks. Indeed it is, Heidi. Indeed it is.
Stella is gone. Rather than lament the absence of the leather-lovin' designer, some contestants are downright pleased to be down one more competitor. "Will I miss Stella?" Terri asks herself. "No. That's one less person to worry about." Cold but honest.
Heidi, meanwhile, introduces last week's winning and losing models. Leanne, she of the back-to-back victories, decides to keep Caroline -- sending Kendell home. The brunette double kisses Heidi and heads out.
Now on to business.
"For the next challenge, I have some special guests," Heidi says.
But who, Heidi? Why, it's all the designers who have been kicked off thus far. "Oh my God!" Terri gasps. Heidi explains: "For this challenge, each of you will be working with one of them to create an avant-garde look."
Back at Parsons, Tim clarifies the rules of the challenge: "This look must be inspired by the astrological sign of one member of the team." Also: the teams have two days to complete their outfits.
Tim then pulls names from a black velvet bag to determine the pairings:
Korto draws Kelli. Kenley draws Wesley. Joe draws Daniel. Leanne draws Emily. Blayne draws Stella. Terri draws Keith (uh oh) Jerell draws Jennifer. Suede draws Jerry.
The teams start brainstorming, picking which Zodiac signs they will use and how those signs will translate into something a super-skinny model can wear. Keith and Terri, meanwhile, are getting along like, well, Keith and Terri. "I don't understand why he can't grasp the concept," Terri tells the camera.
Shopping quickly ends and the teams head back to Parsons with their $250 in materials. With 10 hours to go before the end of the day, the creative process commences posthaste.
"We decided on Jerry's sign Libra because we wanted to move away from the whole animal look," Suede says. Terri and Keith continue bickering. "Maybe he can count the pins that fall on the floor," Terri says. Ouch. Joe and Daniel will be designing a look inspired by the Ram. Kenley wants an "exaggerated silhouette" to compliment her Aquarius theme. She relays this bit of information quite loudly -- drawing a "look" from Leanne.
"I can see Leanne and Emily rolling their eyes and sort of just acting like, 'Oh, I'm so sick of her,'" Kenley says. "I'm just having fun and some girls don't like that."
Tim enters to do some evaluating. He worries that Blayne and Stella's Libra creation (including leather straps, natch) might lack cohesion. Jerell and Jennifer's Sagittarius "archer" look has the Tim man just plain "perplexed." "It's like you took a schoolmarm's old winter coat," he says.
Leanne and Emily's Scorpio dress, meanwhile, has a hard exoskeleton -- which intrigues Tim mightily. Kenley and Wesley show off their sketch of a "plaid shirt underneath a bustier with a zebra printed belt and floral skirt." Tim says there is a fine line between avant-garde and costume. Kenley brushes him off.
And guess what? Terri and Keith continue to fight over their Leo-inspired look. Tim encourages them to "make it work." Good luck with all THAT.
The next morning, the designers head back to Parsons to find a note from Heidi. More rules. One, there will be a special "show" that evening for "special guests." Two, a pair of designers will be sent home after the following day's elimination! "We ain't playing right now," says the already-eliminated-but-still-quite-enthused Stella.
With three hours to go before the show, Terri and Keith are still getting along like fabric and fire. "I ask her what I can do and she continually tells me nothing," Keith says. "I'm not going to stand here looking like a fool because she is an angry, bitter person."
Tim enters with MORE rules. "There will be no immunity for this challenge," he says. "Nor for any future challenges." The contestants become even MORE serious -- if such a thing is even possible.
Later that night, the designers and their models arrive inside the planetarium at the American Museum of Natural History. Those aforementioned special guests? Why, it's assorted designers from previous seasons of "Project Runway!" Champagne is poured. Toasts are made. Models are examined.
The criticizing begins. Heidi gets the action off to a good start by lambasting the bustier on Kenley's puffy-shouldered creation. The designer respectfully disagrees. "If Heidi's talking nonsense, I'm going to step in and kind of set her straight," Kenley tells the camera. Uh huh.
First thing the next morning, Tim sends in the models and the designers make adjustments based on suggestions from the night before. Kenley relents and adjusts the bustier on her dress. Terri reworks a fur collar that past winner Christian didn't think was so fierce. Not surprisingly, Terri ignores Keith.
"It makes Suede really sad that two people will be going home tonight," Suede says.
Time is up. Enter Heidi. "Hallo!" says the chipper model. "Welcome to the runway. As you know in fashion, one day you're in and the next day ... you're out!" Next, she introduces the judges: Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Francisco Costa.
The models emerge to strut the designers stuff. And can you believe it? The designers just LOVE their own creations. Judges, what do you think? Well, the judges think Korto, Jerell, Leanne and Joe did a good enough job to temporarily leave the runway. Heidi promises that one of them will eventually be named the winner.
"The remaining teams have the lowest scores and two of you will be out," Heidi explains.
First on the chopping block: Blayne. Nina calls the Libra look "haphazard." Francisco calls it "costume-y." Michael says the model is "pooping fabric." Yeee-ouch!
Next up: Terri, who immediately begins fighting with Keith in front of the judges. Bad idea. Michael admonishes the two and then declares the design reminiscent of a "princess in hell." None of the other judges leap to Terri's defense. Nor does Keith for that matter.
Now it's confident Kenley's turn. Nina says the dress has nothing to do with the Zodiac. Michael tells Kenley that her design looks familiar and that avant-garde means "something we haven't seen." Kenley couldn't disagree more.
Finally: Suede. His "refined" look borders on the "expected," Nina says. Francisco wishes the designer would've taken it to the "next level." Michael thinks the outfit looks like it came from a department store rack.
Now for the big announcements. The winner is ... Team Jerell!
"Our 'Project Runway' alumni liked your design the best and we did too," Heidi tells the overjoyed contestant.
The losers are ... Blayne and Terri. Keith doesn't look too terribly upset.
"Bye guys," Blayne says to the designers. "Love your faces!"
Bye, Blayne. Love your face too.
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