Project Runway 3, Episode 5: Worshipping Icons

Last week we said goodbye to Bonnie on the runway and Keith in his apartment. Bonnie was “auffed” by Heidi for not being fashion forward while Keith was “Gunned” down at the Atlas Apartments for having contraband material. He was then placed in the Reality TV Hall of Shame .

This week the power has moved from the designers to the models. Heidi tells us that the models will choose their designer this week rather than the other way around. She will randomly draw names out of the Velvet Bag of Button Love, and the models will each take a turn choosing their designer. The two models whose names are not chosen will be eliminated. Personally, I think this is a little unfair because the models aren’t being kicked off due to designer loyalty or because they fell in their high heels or because they ripped the rosettes off of their outfit and shoved them down Angela’s throat until she suffocated on them. Then again, that might gain them some fans. I don’t like that it comes down to random luck.

So how does it all shake down?

• Alexandra picks Alison
• Clarissa picks Angela
• Amanda picks Kayne
• Nazri picks Michael
• Lindsay picks Uli
• Danielle picksRobert
• Marilinda picks Jeffrey
• Camilla—Laura
• Jia picks Vincent
• Katie picks Bradley

Katia and Javi are out by random draw which SUCKS for them. It’s especially painful for Katia since she was Kayne’s model for quite some time and wore the winning Miss Universe pageant gown. Now, the models have even more power. The designers will be modernizing a fashion icon and it’s the models who get to pick the icon.

The models change into their street clothes and I have to say that some of them looked better in the black sheath. Tim shows them the photographs of our “fashion icons” some of which I immediately recognize (Audrey Hepburn, Madonna, Farrah Fawcett) and some that I couldn’t readily identify (Pam Grier and Cher who I mistook, for some reason, as Elizabeth Taylor). Danielle says that she knows as soon as Tim gives to word to select their icon, it’s going to be an all out catfight.

Let’s face it. Catfight is polite for what we saw happen. Actually this was more reminiscent of when Filene’s Basement does their $99 wedding dress sale (or is it $199 now?). It’s this HUGE event where all of these designer gowns that are no longer in season or in vogue or whatever are put on sale for a ridiculously low price. It draws people from all over the country. It’s so infamous in wedding circles that news crews come to film the opening of the doors as people rush in to grab as many gowns in their size as possible. There’s even someone standing there with a stopwatch to see how long it takes before all of the racks are cleared after the doors are opened. I think the record is 45 seconds.

No, I’m not kidding.

The designers will each have $150 for supplies and two days for this challenge. They will have 30 minutes to meet with their model and sketch out a concept.

The models just start snatching pictures and actually they seem to do a pretty good job of matching the icon’s fashion to the designer as well. Angela gets to modernize Audrey Hepburn and all I keep wondering is how many rosettes will she make for this dress. At this point, I’m expecting her to make an entire outfit out nothing but rosettes. Or maybe just one REALLY big, body sized rosette. Heck, she can do whatever she wants this week. She has immunity, right? There are a lot of girlie screams and jumps and I think I busted an eardrum over it.

Michael gets Pam Grier and I think this is a situation where the model, Nazri, already resembles her icon and it’s only going to make a greater impression on the judges – for better or for worse. Michael is pretty much wetting his pants over this one and calls Pam Grier, “the bomb.” He also adds an extra adjective in between her first and last name that rhymes with “brother puckin’.”

Danielle joins the chorus of screams as she reveals to her designer, Robert, that she snagged Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis. This seems to be a perfect match for Robert who likes the clean, crisp lines and refined look that Jackie O. was famous for during her heyday. However, if a pillbox hat comes down the runway, I’ll puke.

Jeffrey, our rocker designer, gets to modernize Madonna. Of course for those of you that missed the show, you’re wondering which Madonna did they have up there? Was it Vogue Madonna? Pointy Bra Madonna? Cowboy Madonna? Kabbalah Madonna? Nope. It was 1980-whatever Madonna trying to say she was like a virgin when we all knew she was a nasty, dirty, trashy girl. And we loved her for it.

Kayne’s model scored Marilyn Monroe which, I think is perfect for him since he likes that whole gown and glamour mystique. He even says that there’s no one he would have wanted more.

Uli has Diana Ross and I’m really at a loss here to see how this fits with her since I’m not too familiar with anything other than that hideous wedding gown I saw her in, in People a few years ago.

Laura gets a slam dunk when her model Camilla pulls Katharine Hepburn from the pile. If Laura loses this challenge I will be shocked. There is no other person more perfect for her than the four time Academy Award winner who bucked tradition and the fashions of the time and made pants on women look great, stylish, and even, dare I say, normal? I say that because in Kate the Great’s heyday, women did not wear pants that often and when they did they were accused of wanting to be men. I cannot wait to see what she does with this.