Project Runway Season 9/ Episode 1 Recap: Come As You Are or American Idol

Welcome back to NYC, American Idol !, erm Project Runway. I had reckoned on writing my Season 9 Episode 1 review last week but alas time has gotten in the way of things. Again. So back to business, this season begins with Twenty fashion hopefuls; a motley crew of familiar character repeats including verbally incontinent guy in skinny jeans explaining away an awfully dated collection, and small-town girl from another planet who thinks outerwear is underwear. One notable designer is Cecilia Motwani who sounds exactly like Nina Garcia if you just close your eyes...

The new season plot twist? Four designers will be sent packing before they even get a chance at drama and hot tears as they face our Fab Four judges sitting behind a table, looking eerily like a fashion remake of American Idol. At this juncture it is unclear whether we are in fact watching Heidi Klum or if she has secretly been replaced with Paula Abdul... Being neither here nor there and twenty mixed collections later, Tim and Heidi deliver the final Ins and Outs. Now we can all breathe, have a cocktail party, and get on with the first challenge...

The following morning's crack of dawn 'Come As You Are' workroom challenge can only be viewed as a very rude trick by the producers. After a slightly humiliating march past Bryant Park in matted hair and many states of undress including pj's or underwear, or both if we're lucky, the designers receive their first challenge and must design an item of clothing using only what they are wearing plus a bed sheet, plus some PR sponsored zippers, buttons, and dyes (and we need some bras people!). As a coiffed Joshua 'what just happened?!' McKinley puts it so well: "This is what Project Runway is all about!"...

 Meanwhile Anya 'Miss Universe' Ayoung Chee is still figuring out how to thread the machine, Bert 'Bill Blass' Keeter is turning his boxy shorts into glamorous evening wear, and Rafael is sporting Antoine Dodson head wear. Hopefully Tim Gunn's workroom medicine can make miracles! It's finally Runway time and lip-plumped actress Christina Ricci is guest judge. What exactly does she know about fashion besides having to wear it? Not much apparently judging by her completely useless and sophomoric remarks. The looks that come down the runway are pretty impressive considering we are looking at expertly dyed pyjamas and bed sheets. Some standouts were Bert's rumpled-chic cocktail dress, Anthony Ryan Auld's lace striped tank, Fallene Wells' whimsical clown vomit dress, and Miss Universe's impeccably constructed miracle pants. Either we are gigantic fools or she is a designing genius, and only time will tell. Meanwhile I ain't buying her "I've never draped, sewn pants, or worked with silk before!" routine, I just ain't! 

And the winner is Bert! Absolutely well deserved, a pair of boxers has never looked so good. It also means so long to Rafael and his creation of a no good horrible very bad fitting pair of sweatpants....In the meantime we are already down to 15 designers and it's Auf Weederzein until next episode!! xo RP