Project Runway Watch: Dress You Up

Bravo Photo: Barbara Nitke

Spoilers for Project Runway coming up after the jump.

Now this was more like it. I and others have been complaining this season about the number of ridiculous stunt challenges that Runway has been doing. But stunts themselves aren't the problem—reality-show challenges are stunts by nature. The problem has been bad, goofy stunts which seem to exist mainly for product placement or shock value. Last night's challenge—I may be forgetting but I believe it's the first time Runway has used it—was attention-getting yet beautiful in its simplicity: having the designers make outfits for each other, along randomly selected musical themes.

Still stunty. Still has gawker appeal. (Korto goes country! Leanne goes hip-hop!) But it was stunty in a way that showcased a more plausible design challenge than making a dress out of seatbelts, while adding the plausible dimension of working with (while also being) a difficult client.

One nitpick, though: given that this was yet another week in which the designers were not using the actual models, why bother having a model elimination at all?

As for the actual elimination, I've been praying for Suede to go for so long that it's only fitting he should get the boot on the one night I didn't think he deserved to go home. Oh, his rock outfit was bad enough, but Kenley's! Good lord! Those pants! Maybe the judges gave her a credit for the dual handicaps of having to do a hip-hop outfit (1) for Leanne (2) to be judged by L.L. Cool J. (By the way, hands up, any music stars who have not "created" a clothing line.) But I have a feeling it would have been just as much a disaster if she were putting clothes on Kanye West.

My guess is Kenley has just one week left, even though Leanne had an off week, dressing Korto in what appeared to be Flo's blouse from Alice. But judging from this show and the preview of next, Kenley's attitude has sabotaged any slim chance she might have had. You do not tell Mr. Tim Gunn to kiss your grits.