Next, it’s off to the Upper East Side in New York City where Irina has been working away on her compelling hand-knit pieces. She wants her collection to reflect her roots and takes inspiration from Coney Island, citing her collection as a “Thank You” to New York.
Always willing to take a risk, she wants to incorporate boyfriend tees with fabulous Coney Island imagery into her outfits. But not so fast. We soon find out that the legal team at
discovered (10 days before the big show) these images are actually trademarked and Irina cannot not use them. What will she do?
Dayton, Ohio is the final stop on the Tour De Tim. Althea has been cooped up in her hometown, seeking motivation from sci-fi movies for her pieces. She notes inspiration from these heroines and hopes to incorporate their strength into her designs.
Althea has been toying with some knit work, too, but Tim thinks a lot of the pieces are frumpy and costume-y. One Matrix-looking coat in particular he compares to “visiting the wild west.”
Fast forward to five days before the big showing and the remaining designers reunite in New York. Well, two of the three as Carol Hannah is stuck with a contagious stomach bug. It’s just Althea and Irina who, if you remember, left on not-so-stellar terms in Los Angeles.
Once the girls head to a new workroom to continue the work on their collections, a still queasy Carol Hannah joins the gang. Tim walks around with some thoughts, leaving us on pins and needles as to which designer’s outfits will in fact be the best.
The final three head to the model casting—11 for each designer—and once they return to the workroom, friendly faces Nina Garcia and Michael Kors pop in to lend some pointers, advising the ladies that what walks down the runway should exemplify them as a designer and that they should always trust their instincts.
A Project Runway finale wouldn’t be complete without a last-minute challenge, though. Heidi drops in with Tim and announces each designer must create a thirteenth piece for her collection—one that must be cohesive with the rest. Designers have 30 minutes to sketch an idea and head to the original Mood (yes, the NY stomping ground finally makes an appearance) with a budget of $250.
Think they can pull it off? Here’s hoping with the help of three extra sets of hands. Logan, Gordana and Christopher surprise the ladies and each grabs one for some bonus help (Althea picks Logan, Irina picks Gordana and Carol Hannah gets Christopher).
Will it be Carol Hannah’s fantasy-glam creations, Althea’s sci-fi picks or Irina’s basic grey and black urban knits? Our money’s on Carol Hannah but ya never know until the final products head down that runway. Be sure to tune in next Thursday to find out which designer dominates the infamous tent.
Who do you think is going to win? Blog about it, fashionistas.
By: Patricia McNamara
Photo Credit: myLifetime.com