by Gina Scarpa

Tonight, on The Fashion Show, things get started with a Harper’s Bazaar mini challenge.  The designers will have to take a look at one of Isaac Mizrahi’s dresses, then create a sketch completely from memory.  The only problem is that they’re not sketching that dress - they need to sketch the dress that Kelly Rowland was wearing.  What the?!  That’s just cruel, Bravo.  Keith had an awkward moment when he realized that he was the only person who didn’t know that Kelly’s dress was purple.  Johnny, Lidia, and Daniella place in the top three and Daniella is named the winner.

The designers are thrown a curveball when they find out that they’ll have to design an outfit for the everyday woman.  Their challenge is to highlight their assets, while hiding some of their problem areas.  James-Paul is immediately upset, saying he doesn’t “do normal”.  A good designer should be able to design for any body, not shun people over 110 pounds.  The problem with the everyday woman doesn’t seem to be so much that their bodies are not that of a supermodel but that many of them don’t seem to be able to articulate what they want or inspire the designers.  In the workroom, everyone complains about having to design outfits for big behinds while Reco gets to work.  Daniella is so frustrated that she breaks down.  Angel backs me up, saying that a talented designer can design for any body.  Thank you, Angel.

When Isaac and Kelly make the rounds, he accuses Daniella of being sizist after she complains about her model.  Seriously, if I was one of these “everyday woman” (which I am), I would be mortified at what some of these designers had to say about me! 

At the runway show, Keith is up first, working with a model with a small bust and no curves.  Though the dress is nice, it doesn’t accentuate her figure at all.  Johnny’s model works it on the runway and he certainly gave her quite the hourglass figure!  Anna tries to draw attention away from her model’s height and hips but I’m not sure it really worked.  Daniella, who had a hard time connecting with her model, was able to tone down her model’s big bust and make her look ten pounds lighter.  Though I don’t love the hot pink and black design that Haven puts together for her model, she does make her look good in it… if that makes sense!

James-Paul tries to design an outfit that hides his model’s broad shoulders but the whole thing doesn’t work and he just whines and moans in his interview about having to work with average people.  Lidia’s model, who is tall with long arms, comes out with an ensemble that really flatters her.  Crazy McGee Merlin breaks out a tweed outfit that it too tight on his model and, if anything, draws more attention to her stomach and hips.  Angel’s model tries to work a dress that hide her bulkiness.  Though she doesn’t look bulky, the dress isn’t cute.  I think my favorite design would have to be Reco’s, who not only designs something flattering for his model, but something I could envision buying in a store. 

It seems that the judges agree because Reco’s design is among the best, along with Daniella’s ensemble.  The audience ate up both designs, saying they would buy them in a heartbeat.  Daniella ends up winning and her design will be available for purchase on BravoTV.com.  As the winner of the mini challenge earlier, she earns the right to place any designer in the bottom three.  She chooses Angel, feeling that her garment was poorly constructed.  She is joined by Keith and Merlin in the bottom three this week.

The judges call Angel’s design “sloppy, droopy, and ill fitting”.  Kelly tells Keith that several audience members felt that his design was boring and childish but he says that he stands by what he did.  A majority of the people at the fashion show said they would not buy Merlin’s look.  Ouch.  After deliberating, the judges decide that it is the end of the road for Keith and send him on his way.

The Fashion Show airs on Bravo Thursday nights at 10pm ET on Bravo.

(Image courtesy of Bravo)

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