This episode was all about Heidi.  She has her own line of lingerie, Heidi Klum Intimates, and the designers were to create a bra and panty set that fit into her line.  Halfway through the challenge, Heidi sprung a third piece on the designers: a coordinating cover-up.

So as not to make things too difficult in a one day challenge, the designers were given sample bras to use as forms.

My Top Three:

1. Kelly Dempsey

I thought it was a shame that this was just considered safe!  The mix of lavender and lime green was really creative and sporty, and her cover-up was a cool take on a wrestler rove that coordinated beautifully with the rest of her design.

2. Merline Labissiere

I understand why this look was declared a winner for Heidi's line.  It was definitely a risk for Merline to create her own bra shape, but it paid off.  I appreciated Nina's comments that it would look good under a white shirt for an editorial shoot, and that makes it a piece that's more versatile and can be used beyond the bedroom.

3. Ashley Nell Tipton

This look was super cute.  I have always loved the mix of lavender and dove grey, and Ashley made an intricately designed bra and a soft, beautiful robe.

My Bottom Three:

1. Blake Patterson

I can't believe Blake went from such a high point the past two weeks to this.  I'm sorry, I don't care if you're gay and you "don't know what's going on under there."  There's no excuse for this.  The strap design had some promise, but to create an underwire and then not use any padding in the bra, and then to take a scrap of fabric and call it a cover-up was a mistake that would never get past the judges.

2. Jake Wall

The judges were right on about this one.  The polka dot fabric and the front t-shirt bra shape was cute, but the sexy straps didn't go with the cute factor, and the fit o the straps were poor and gave the model some unfortunate lumps and bumps.

3. Candice Cuoco

This was a little all over the place.  I understood the vibe Candace was going for, but the lime green on top of the bra looked sloppy and like an afterthought, and the ties that represented "garters" looked like they were cutting off the model's leg circulation.  The garter belt was great, the rest not so much.


So.  I don't know what we're going to do without Princess Blakey, but I'm sure we'll all manage together.

This episode was a train wreck.  You may have seen me rant about it on twitter, but it was essentially an episode dedicated to proving the notion that women become catty and horrible when put in groups together.

In this challenge, the designers chose their teammates and formed two groups.  The groups had to compete against each other in a paintball war to "capture the fabric," but the fabric they were fighting for ended up being their supplemental fabric, and it was revealed that their main fabric needed to be their paintball-stained jumpsuits.

Once they got to the workroom, the teams were given extra white sheets and more paint to work with.


TEAM BOYS + MERLINE

Blake's Look
I, once again, have to eat my words with Blake.  He didn't really participate in the paintball activity, which left him with clean white fabric to work with.  The textile on the bottom half is gorgeous, and I would wear this dress in a second.

Joseph's Look
Joseph used the jumpsuit in it's entirety, which was really smart and successful.  He shrunk the top into a jacket, cut the bottom into panels and made a skirt, and turned the sleeves into the tie around the waist.  Still a little bit on the matronly side, but significantly better than his other looks.

Swapnil's Look
This was such a beautiful 50s style dress.  While it was mostly supplemental fabric, he used the jumpsuit top as the tie around the waist and took the ties from a shoe for the corset back.

Jake's Look
This look was probably the most modern and fashion forward.  It took inspiration from the 50s but brought it into this year, and the styling kept the model fresh and cool.

Merline's Look
This is very classic Merline (architectural, coat shape) but much more refined than some of the other work she's done this season.  The dip-dyed fabric made this shine.

Edmond's Look
The judges declared this the winner, and I can understand why.  To take the jumpsuit and turn it into a sexy open-backed top was completely genius.  The design had an urban quality to it but the textile and styling kept it soft and feminine.  It was the perfect finale to a beautiful collection!


TEAM GIRLS

Annnnnd here's where the train wreck happened.  The girls were catty when it came to picking their team members (Ashley was picked LAST, which was a very bad move) and they had no cohesion from the start.  They each came to the team with an idea of what they wanted to make and didn't care if it didn't go with what another team member wanted to make.  They ruined their white sheets with Easter Egg inspired painting skills, so they were left with supplemental purple fabric to work with.  The results were horrendous, as you'll see.

During judging, Candace tried to save them and say they worked well together and their girl was "going to San Fransisco," which was never discussed or agreed upon.  She and half the team decided to throw Ashley under the bus to save themselves, and luckily the judges were having none of it.  Guest judge Kelly Osbourne called it a "Bitch Fest," and I've personally decided that should be the name of this collection.

Ashley's Look
Not the worst, for sure.  She had originally made pants, but they ended up being too tight on the model so she had to scrap them and go with a boring purple circle skirt.  The top was made from the jumpsuit material, which at least had detail and promise.

Laurie's Look
This look was cute enough, but it wasn't really runway worthy.  The top was originally the Easter Egg fabric and had to be painted over, and the bottom was supplemental fabric, so she didn't really work with the goal of the challenge.

Lindsey's Look
This was probably one of the better designs of the bunch, which isn't really saying a lot.  The coat (seen on in the previous picture) was made of the jumpsuit material and had a good look to it.  The top and pants underneath were not awful in terms of design, but had poor fit.

Candace's Look
Candace talked a big talk on the runway, but this look was completely hideous.  Talk about OVER WORKED.  Ugh.

Kelly's Look
This was definitely the worst of the bunch to me.  She came into the design group saying "I want to make a five panel mermaid skirt and a harness top," which had nothing to do with what anyone else wanted to make, and never would have even if the fabric was better.  The skirt was made poorly and the top had to be sewn onto the model.  Complete.  Disaster.

Amanda's Look
I predicted the previous week that Amanda would not last long in the competition, and I was right.  That said, I don't really think she deserved to be sent home for this look.  Yeah, it's kind of boring, and the judges felt like she was "dead weight" in the competition, but she used the textile color the best out of all the designers on her team, and the movement in the skirt had decent runway impact.  I didn't hate it, and I felt she should have been allowed one more chance.


It would seem the judges can't decide whether their policy is "one week you're in, the next week you're out" or whether previous low points count to being eliminated.  The latter sent home Amanda, and that was understandable, but still a bit of a shame.

Hopefully next week we can MOVE ON from team pettiness and get back on track.

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All photos from mylifetime.com
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This felt like the first halfway normal challenge of this season.  No races to get fabrics, no unconventional materials, no teams.  Just a trip to Mood and off you go.  FINALLY!

This week the designers had to take an iconic fashion staple (i.e. the little black dress, jeans and a t-shirt, a business suit, etc.) and modernize them to their own aesthetic.  This was also the Mary Kay Challenge, so the designers got a special consultation with Mary Kay to complete their look.

My Top Three:

1.  Swapnil Shinde

This is SO GORGEOUS!  A little short for practicality, but I'm in love with the draping in the front and the straps that created the open back.  It's feminine and sexy and completely fits the theme of the challenge - he took a little black dress and made it new.  Plus I'll always go for a tomato shoe.  Umph.

2.  Blake Patterson

But Jordan, you HATE Blake!  But Jordan, you've been saying since week one that Blake should go home!  But Jordan, you have a VENDETTA AGAINST BLAKE!!!  Yeah, I know.  I must eat my words a teeny, tiny bit.  TO BE FAIR, I still don't like Blake's personality and I don't think he'll last long in the competition, especially considering he pulled this dress out of his butt at the eleventh hour.  That said, I can't argue with how great this is and I understand why the judges gave him the win.  It's a beautiful blue butterfly with intricate, never-seen-before strap details.  I can concede that it's a job well done.  OKAY?!?  Okay.

3.  Candace Cuoco

The fact that Candace made this look in one day absolutely kills me.  There are some puckering issues with the leather dress, but that's absolutely forgivable because it's a PIPED LEATHER DRESS with a MATCHING JACKET where the PIPING LINES UP WITH THE DRESS.  That's crazy town, and it's beautiful work.


My Bottom Three:

1.  Amanda Perna

This was a total disaster.  When you go to Mood for the first time and have all the fabrics of the world at your disposal, this is what you choose?!  I get that she was trying to create a modern version of the classic wrap dress, but it just looks like a poorly made version of a dress I might have thought was cool in sixth grade.  The choice in accessories  was awful and her execution wasn't great.  After being in the bottom several times in a row at this point, I'll be surprised if she lasts through next week.

2.  Gabrielle Arruda

From far away this doesn't look too bad, but I understand why the judges sent her home after seeing it up close.  The jacket is solid, but the dress was, as I believe Zach said, the most poorly constructed dress he's ever seen.  Seams were puckering, hemlines were cut like they were hacked up by children with safety scissors, and there really isn't an excuse for it at this level of competition.

3.  Jake Wall

When Jake initially presented his design as "the classic sports jersey, re-imagined as a dress," I knew he was in trouble.  You know what is already a sports jersey re-imagined as a dress?  An oversized sports jersey.  Little did I know that his "re-imagination" was making a PINK SEQUINED sports jersey.  It's straight up ugly, and even if it wasn't, it's too basic of a design to be at par with the rest of the designers.  I was shocked that he was safe and that he wasn't in the bottom.


So YOU WIN THIS ROUND, Blake.  We'll see how you do next time.

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All photos from mylifetime.com
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