Project Runway 7, Episode 9: Because You're Worth It

Welcome back, fashion fans! Last week, Garnier paid heavily for their role in a challenge inspired by classical elements. Jonathan got his first accolades of the season, winning with a laughter-inspired dress. Ben's attempt at a shark-theme got him bitten, and he was sent home.

Amy knows she has to prove herself again after falling into the bottom three, as does Mila. Maya is jealous that everyone left has won a challenge except for her.

On the runway, Heidi asks the remaining half of the starting lineup to get into a New York state of mind. In the designers' lounge waits Tim and Collier Strong, leading makeup artist for L'Oreal. Oh, great. Garnier last week, L'Oreal this week. Oh, well, I guess it pays the bills for this great show. Tim tells the final eight that they'll be sent out into the city to gather inspiration from one of four distinct NYC neighborhoods – Chinatown, East Village, Upper East Side, and Harlem. Emilio feels he has to win, being a New York resident and all.

Of course, with eight designers and four neighborhoods, they'll be working in teams of two. If you haven't already groaned, please do so. Emilio prays to God not to be stuck with Mila, especially since she admits not liking teams. Each team must complete two looks – one day, and one evening. The teams will each get $300 to shop with, and the leaders will be determined by random selection. If you haven't already groaned, go ahead.

The leaders are Anthony, Amy, Emilio, and Jay, who doesn't like being stuck with whoever is left over. Anthony chooses to work with Maya. Amy picks Jonathan, who is happy about that. Emilio gets his wish about not being stuck with Mila, as he picks Seth Aaron. That means Jay and Mila, who obviously don't get along very well, form the last team. Luckily, neighborhood selection goes in reverse order, so Jay and Mila get dibs on the East Village. Emilio and Seth Aaron opt for Harlem, a place Emilio has spent a lot of time in. Amy and Jonathan go for the Upper East Side, which leaves Anthony and Maya in Chinatown.

Now Collier gets to pitch L'Oreal's newest makeup line, which will complement each look. If you think I care about this kind of product-placement, I hope your first time reading one of my articles has been pleasing so far.

The designers have thirty minutes to explore their neighborhoods and sketch. As if it didn't take thirty minutes just to get to the neighborhoods on a good traffic day. Emilio is happy to be back home in Harlem with the familiar smells and colors. Seth Aaron realizes that the two's different style could result in disaster or an epic mesh of awesome. They meet a woman in her 70's rocking a look of jeans and blue shoes, and immediately realize the ubiquity of denim in Harlem. Must be George Will's nightmare. They stumble on a mosaic and get inspired to use the colors in their looks.

Meanwhile, Anthony and Maya run around Chinatown. Red is the clear color of choice in the busy neighborhood with narrow streets. Maya enjoys Anthony's silliness, especially as he cringes at the sight of duck in a restaurant window. Mmm. Maya notices the ladders on the buildings while Anthony gets inspiration from a paper dragon in a window.

Next stop, the Upper East Side with Amy and Jonathan. The air of luxury and sophistication is certainly not lost with Jonathan's main realization of the neighborhood's inclination towards gray and static. He's worried that Amy's style will clash with this part of the city. Amy decides on a shirt dress, thinking Upper East Siders would wear them. For a night look, the plan is to use Jonathan's textile-making to recreate the look of wrought-iron gates.

Did The Odd Couple take place in the East Village? If it did, then Jay and Mila could easily star in a remake. Jay has to get over his dislike for Mila to own the challenge as a leader. Mila loves the Village's rock-n-roll vibe, of course. The two gravitate toward graffiti and industrial textures during their tour. Mila thinks Jay is a bit scattered, popping out ideas for jackets, pants, and jumpers randomly.

Now, it's back to the neighborhood of wools and silks known as Mood. Amy and Jonathan have trouble agreeing on fabric selection. Emilio has to force Seth to change his denim for the day look from black to blue. Anthony thinks the challenge means looking deeper into Chinatown and not just resorting to red and gold. Maya is concerned about Anthony's choices, as he has had trouble in the past.

With just the one day to work, Tim reminds the teams to not assume that the team leader will be the one going home. Jay takes charge on his team's day look with pants Mila certainly would never design, but she can't question her leader's decisions. Emilio's evening look will be a throwback to the Billie Holiday/Cotton Club days of Harlem. Though Anthony is the leader, Maya quickly wrests control from his grip and starts complaining about the prints chosen. Both Jonathan and Amy are making dresses with gobs of detail, which means a race with the clock.