Project Runway 4, Episode 5 Unbuttoned: Everything Old is New Again

I was sad to see Jack go this week. He was definitely talented, and he was obviously really enjoying himself in the competition. I hope they’ll let him come back next season - after all, Daniel Franco was allowed to come back after being eliminated, and Jack was never eliminated. I guess his consolation is that he’s dating Dale from Top Chef 3. Now that’s an adorable couple.

Of course, as sad as Jack’s departure was, I was thrilled to see Chris return to the competition. During the commercial break between Jack’s leaving and Chris’ return, I was crossing my fingers that Chris would be brought back (like Andrea after Cynthia left in Season 1 of Top Chef). If they hadn’t, I guess they would have just had a bye week in there somewhere where no one was eliminated. This is not only better for the competition - no free passes (except for immunity) - and better for the audience, since most people seem to like Chris.

Of course, just when I get my Steven and Chris Show back, Steven has to go and get eliminated. I can’t really blame the judges for picking him to go - his dress was just ridiculous. There are a million things he could do with a wedding dress, even if the material isn’t his style. But it seems like he was more interested in complaining about winding up with the dress. I have to wonder what some of the other designers would have done if they’d gotten the wedding dress. Most of them would have made it work.

Sweet P was right last week when she said she suspects her button is just stuck to the bottom of the bag. Did you notice she was called last again this week? She’s got to start thinking there’s some sort of conspiracy developing. At least it hasn’t seemed to harm her too much so far.

And that includes Christian, who still bugs me but continues to impress the judges. He got a model who was basically the anti-Christian (not to be confused with the anti-Christ, of course), but he made her an outfit that both worked for her and included his own personality. Though I didn’t like his design that much, since I thought it looked too much like his design from the first challenge this season, he followed the challenge rules the best of all the designers.

Speaking of the challenge rules, there were a lot of things to keep in mind that made this challenge more complicated and difficult than most. Not only did the designers have to work with models who weren’t the typical skinny Minnies they’re used to, they also had to incorporate both the models’ styles and their own styles in their designs, and they were required to use a certain piece of clothing instead of getting to pick out one for themselves. The finished product had to work for everyday wear, not high fashion, and both show off the models’ bodies and make them feel comfortable. Ordinarily the designers don’t have to worry about their models’ styles, so that was definitely something new to think about.

Interesting that while Jillian didn’t use much of her original material (like Steven), she wasn’t really criticized for it. She probably would have been if her finished product hadn’t turned out so well. Still, I don’t understand why Jillian didn’t follow the rules more closely - she bought material that looked just like her original material, so what was the big difference? It would have saved her money, too, considering the designers were on such a tight budget.

I’m surprised Steven’s model let him cut up her wedding dress at all. I’ve never been married, but don’t most women want to keep their dresses around, even if they can’t fit into them anymore? Some women pass them down to their children or grandchildren, and often the dresses become heirlooms. Even if Steven’s model wanted to wear her dress in an everyday outfit, I’m surprised she took the chance that it could be turned into… well, a bad outfit, and then she wouldn’t be able to wear it at all. I hope she’s not too disappointed. Though I guess since Steven didn’t use much of the dress, the model has enough material left that someone else could make her another outfit out of it.

I loved the little moment Tim and the designers had in the workroom. Usually the designers tease Tim (mostly behind his back), but this time around he got to tease Christian by asking him how fierce his outfit was. And then he got to have a little giggle with some of the guys after he made his 3 a.m. joke. I love seeing Tim’s personality when he interacts with the designers. He really seems like a genuinely nice person who wants to see the designers succeed.

Ricky cried. Take a drink!

Jenn Brasler is an Associate Editor of Reality News Online and an aspiring writer from Falls Church, Virginia. By day she works for a court reporting firm, and by night she’s a spy for a covert branch of the CIA. You can e-mail her at luckyjenn@hotmail.com. Maybe next week Ricky will get kicked off for crying too much or something and then Steven can come back.