Project Runway Season 10 Recaps: Episode 2 "Candy Couture"

Sweet...or Not So Sweet, Fashion:

Cotton Candy Delicious: Guess What the Project Runway designers are working with this week?

Project Runway is BACK and we are now onto Season 10. It premiered two weeks ago and last week was "Episode 2", it was the iconic UNCONVENTIONAL CHALLENGE that all the fans LOVE. I, often wonder if these are the types of challenges that help discover "Next Great American Fashion Designer". But as we all know...it's all about what makes for fun and great TV.

Tim Gunn and Dylan Lauren, Project Runway Season 10

The contestants/designers meet Tim Gunn and Dylan Lauren (yes, Ralph's lovely daughter), CEO and owner of Dylan's Candy Bar. Soon, it is revealed they must create a look out of candy.

Project Runway has done this before in Season 4, where it was held at the Times Square Hershey's Store and Rami Kashou won , in case you're keeping tabs (Photo of Kashou's winning look above).

After some krazeee candy shopping at Dylan's Candy Bar NYC, some candy Parsons workroom draping, molding and more importantly, GLUEING...it was time for the Runway Show with Judges:

(Right to left) Heidi Klum (in a off-the-shoulder snakeskin printed ensemble), Michael Kors (in his black "uniform"), Nina Garcia (in a FAB black and gold jacket and skinny pants and FIERCE heels!), and Dylan Lauren in purple. Now, the whole point of this challenge was to somehow make a garment from candy BUT...make it look as if it wasn't made out of CANDY. Some succeed beautifully and well, some not so mucheey...

Le Good:

Beaded Candy Ball Superb: LOVED Belarus-born fashion wunderkid Dmitry Sholokhov's twisted halter dress with fitted midriff. He used black, red, and yellow candy balls and WOW!!! This should have been in the Top Three FOR SURE, some would even argue that it should have won. The candy looked like oversized beads. One could NEVER EVER tell that it was candy. Simply Superb. With all that, he just "made it through" to the next round--and somehow only landed "in the middle".

Mini Mermaid Cocktail: The first of the Top Two positions was Sonjia Williams (who is quickly looking like a contender to be in the Finals, if only from these two first challenges). She created a peplum-shaped mini dress using ivory and aqua candy balls, white chocolate covered almonds and shark gummies.

I LOVED how she created the princess seams with the candy, injected the color-blocking trend seamlessly and then finished it off with a "neck-piece" of shark gummies. She was part Sexy Mermaid, part cocktail dress, part "Mini Shark". The hat was a miss, as some of the judges said, but other than that, it was an excellent and very creative creation.

The Winner, however, was Ven Budhu. Just from the "hints" shown by the cameras in the Parsons workroom, I could just see that his design was going to be a STUNNER. And it was. The way he created this vision of serious Haute Couture using crushed colored candy, it was magical.

The perfectly geometric inlaid pieces, the stained glass effect he created with candy--it all added to a beautiful strapless cocktail dress that was reminiscent of something from an Atelier Versace Collection:

Atelier Versace Spring/Summer 2012

Now, Le Bad:

Oh Buffi Jashanmal: Her Project Runway fifteen minutes are a ticking. This is so tasteless that Miss Nina is looking as if she's going to get ILL every time one of Buffi's designs come down the runway. She looks like Paris Hilton's REALLY REALLY tacky--and that's a feat!--daughter (OUCH!). I know it's only the second challenge but I am beginning to wonder how the heck she even made it onto the show.

Noodle Twizzler Dress: Also in the bottom was Elena Slivnyak's "Warrior Princess" structured dress made from a muslin base with piña colada twizzlers. The twizzlers began falling off the dress the minute the model came sauntering down the runway.

And then from not-so-far, the twizzlers began looking like a pasta noodle arts and crafts project from a 12 year old. I totally get what Irena was going for and it could have been great but...alas, it just didn't work. Poor thang.

But the Worst Was:

Oh Huney You Didn't Even Try: Just take a look at the model. She was like "Oh Dear! First, I cannot believe I have to wear this tacky creation and, second of all, I just KNOW my designer is going home". Fashion designer Lantie Foster's design was a MESS. She really did not even try. Umbrella fabric and little candy. And she tried to use the excuses of a first year fashion school student. Hashtag FAIL.

Wanna know what I really thought of this past week's Episode 2? Then read on kids....

"Sweet Tooth Couture"

Last week, Season 10 of "Project Runway" premiered with the "Biggest Fashion Show" in "Runway" history. This week, our little ol’ show loses not an ounce of couture steam and keeps the strong momentum going with one of the most iconic — and beloved by fans — "Project Runway" challenges, the "Make a dress out of crap you would NEVER use to make a garment challenge" … in other words, yes kids, it’s the Unconventional Challenge. I’ve always said that this is a fun challenge to watch by the fans and TV viewers alike, but in terms of it being a guide rule in finding the "Next Best American Fashion Designer"… not so much.
 
Candy Re-Run
As "Plaid Heidi" saunters onto the runway congratulating last week’s winner — cutie Christopher — she tells the designers that this is "no time for child’s play." Instantly I think, "Oh Dear, they’re making clothes for bratty Upper East Side kids!" But oh no, I was wrong. Soon, the designers meet with Monsieur Gunn in front of Dylan’s Candy Store where he is flanked by it’s owner and CEO, Dylan Lauren (Yes, of Ralph Lauren fashion blue blood), announcing that their second challenge will be to create a look out of candy using materials bought from Dylan’s Candy Store naturally. Now, I remember back in Season 4, the challenge was done at the Hershey’s Times Square store (Rami won it), so it seemed like a slight re-run challenge idea to me, but one figures that it’s difficult to come up with new "Unconventional Challenges" year after year.
 
Gunnar and Christopher: Please Get a Room
After a mad "Candy Dash," the designers get their sugar tooth couture fix, buy out half the store and then head to Parsons to #makeitwork! The workroom quickly begins to resemble a 5-year-old’s birthday party after a piñata has exploded. Several designers are spending their early hours doing muslin dresses to build the foundation for their candy creations. Others are crushing candy, gluing candy … or just eating it! And then there’s Gunnar Siriano 2.0 and cutie Christopher who spend a lot of their time being Bitchy Queens (more so Gunnar than Christopher) talking smack and "throwing shade." It’s only the second week (In real time, it’s only been like TWO DAYS since they’ve met each other!), but there’s already this weird tension between them. I have a feeling that either A) Gunnar feels threatened because he thought he was going to be the only "twinky gay" or B) They just need to GET A ROOM! But I digress, let’s move on…



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