Unlike previous seasons of Project Runway, this year the judges seem to have no tolerance for the odd ducks among the competitors. Last week, designer Ari Fish was thrown out over her "disco soccer ball" outfit. This week, another 'out-of-the-box' competitor ruffled feathers with a conceptualized 'chicken' suit -- and not in a good way.
Freakish design ideas are nothing new on Project Runway. In the past, the ability to create total weirdness has appeared to actually be an asset to some designers. Season 1 winner Jay McCarroll created more than one strange outfit during his stint on the show. Season 4 winner Christian Siriano was a master of the hot mess. So far on Season 6, however, the judges seem far more interested in salability over sensationalism.
For the second episode Project Runway season 6, competitors were challenged with creating a design for supermodel and TV personality Rebecca Romijn. Normally creating an outfit for a supermodel would be right up any designer's alley, but there was, of course, a catch. At the time of filming, Rebecca Romijn was heavily pregnant with twins. Let's just say some of the contestants were less than thrilled about designing around a giant beach ball strapped to their models.
Overall the outfits presented by the designers were generally well done, with a few truly fabulous designs. While designer Louise's dress looked rather like a high class stripper's lingerie, the judges - especially Rebecca Romijn - seemed to enjoy it. Well, considering some of the outfits Romijn has actually dared to walk around in public in, it's not that surprising she was fond of something that looked like it belonged more in the bedroom than on the runway.
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Althea's elegant dress is something practically any femme girl would feel hot in -- pregnant or not. But it's Shirin's -- and did I mention how hot Shirin looks in those glasses?-- svelte, sexy dress and coat combination that takes the win. Personally, I'd buy that outfit in a heartbeat and possibly get knocked up just to wear it. One of my favorite pieces of the season so far.
The best designs of the night were so stellar, it just made the worst outfits look even more dismal. Honestly, Mitchell is one of those designers you just know absolutely cannot win. His taste level is abysmal, his sewing skills horrid and his attitude foul. He did manage to improve slightly from the near-nakedness of his failing outfit from the previous week. But only just slightly. Mitchell's terribly constructed t-shirt and shorts were something a huge celebrity like Britney Spears might have worn - when she was bald and psychotic. It wouldn't be much of a stretch to see Mitchell 'out' by the next episode if he doesn't get a serious clue before his next design. Ra'Mon, who seems to at least have some style, sadly managed to produce a dress that was compared to both a bowling pin (by a competitor) and a bowling ball bag (by a judge). Ouch.
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Worst of all though was Malvin's incredibly weird and freakish 'chicken' suit. When Malvin announced his concept of wrapping the fake pregnant belly of his model like a precious 'egg' - you just knew it was all going downhill from there. At least he refrained from making the chicken leg jodhpurs to go with the feather chest and belly egg nest. Serious, the whole thing makes you just want to shudder with the ugliness. Of course, it didn't hurt that the music playing after Malvin's joyful description of his outfit sounded suspiciously like an excerpt from the movie Psycho...
Unwilling yet again to give the 'weirdo' of the night another chance, Heidi and the rest of the judges chucked Malvin out on his poultry-loving butt. Though it was pretty hysterical how the four female judges (designer Monique Lhuillier subbed for Michael Kors) sat around pecking the contestants' outfits apart like a bunch of overexcited hens.
Naturally, like many of the strangest designers on Project Runway seasons past, Malvin closed out his time on the show by saying his designs were just "too conceptual" for the poor, deluded peons out there who just don't get why anyone would want to dress like a walking advertisement for KFC.
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