by Lindsay Strouse

 

The competition really began tonight on Project Runway when the remaining 16 designers officially moved into their new New York City home.

 

Before meeting with Tim and Heidi, some of the designers gather to gossip. Several agree that McKell shouldn't have been the first to go. Being the oldest in the group, Peach automatically assumes the position of "mom" and no one's complaining about that!

 

When the contestants meet Tim and Heidi in the morning, they are introduced to Joanna Coles , Editor-in-chief of Marie Claire. She wants the designers to create an outfit that will perfectly describe what a "Marie Claire" woman is like-strong, sexy and confident. The winner of the challenge will have their design showcased on a Marie Claire billboard in Times Square.

 

A.J. sees his Marie Claire woman wearing a Courtney Love/Gwen Stefani look to go with his punk rock style. Instead of using his 30 minutes to sketch along with everyone else, Mondo decides to make a list of everything he needs to do.

 

The contestants take their first trip to Mood with a $150 budget. The atmosphere is hectic as everyone scrambles to find the perfect material. Upon returning to the workroom, the designers are given until midnight to complete their look.

 

Peach is unsatisfied with the colors she chose from Mood because it is too close to her comfort zone. However, she isn't the only one starting to sweat. Casanova approaches A.J. for help on patterning, but he gets turned down. Every man for himself, right?

 

Not everyone is confident when Tim first enters the workroom-except for Valerie, who impresses Tim with her design. Tim approaches Mondo next to compliment him on last week's design but is a bit worried when he learns Mondo doesn't have a sketch.

 

Jason confuses everyone with his design just as much, if not more, than last week's "backwards-kimono" design. Tim admits he is extremely worried about this week's "infinity" design.

 

Tim is baffled by Casanova's design because of its extremely matronly look as compared to last week's overly-sexy-going-on-vulgar design. Peach discusses her concerns about her design with Tim and decides to start from scratch with less than 4 hours to go.

 

After seeing all the designs, Tim throws in another element to the challenge since the prize is so great. The next morning, each designer will accompany their model to a photo shoot with a Marie Claire photographer. The image captured will be used in judging along with the runway.

 

Casanova continues to ask for advice from other designers but doesn't get great feedback. Gretchen admits she would be annoyed with Casanova's badgering if it wasn't for his charm.

 

Back at the hotel, Gretchen, Ivy, Valerie and Sarah bond as roommates over wine while some of the guys gossip in the other room. Mondo is having trouble connecting with the other designers and the loneliness is starting to wear down on him.

 

The next morning, the designers get right to work before heading to the photo shoot with Marie Claire. Once the models are sent in, the designers are given 2 hours to get their models ready for the photo shoot.Jason once again opts for office supplies to hold his dress together instead of needle and thread. 

 

As each model got photographed, I was very pleasantly surprised with the final product of some of the designs. Many of the designers have definitely taken a step forward from last week. However, whether it was from bad measurements or a lack of time, Jason's dress had a hole right in the middle of the torso and was held together with safety pins. Sorry, but I can't imagine that appearing on a 40 foot billboard in Times Square.

 

Once the photo shoot is finished, the designers meet the judges at the runway. Nicholas's design goes first. There's a bit of a little red riding hood thing happening until the model takes off the cloak to reveal a busy, complicated and strange design. I once again love Christopher's design and have no doubt he will be safe.

 

I like Michael C's outfit because of the bubble skirt-it is something I would see myself wearing. A.J.'s design is very cool but it doesn't call out "Marie Claire" whatsoever. Peach's dress is cute, but is very plain and clearly shows not as much time was put in as the other designs.

 

I like Valerie's design a lot because of its bold color and front zipper. I'm not a big of fan of Sarah's design-the colors and style reminds me of Harry Potter. Andy's outfit seemed very versatile and could be worn any day on the street (or shown on a billboard!).

 

Casanova's design is well constructed and surprisingly conservative. Gretchen's outfit looks like something someone would wear in a car garage, but by the judge's faces I can tell they're impressed. Whatever floats your boat, I guess. Mondo's design has a punk rock feel to it, but there's a little too much going on. April's design has a cool aesthetic feel at the top.

 

Christopher, Michael C., A.J., Michael D, Ivy, Andy, Casanova, Kristin, Sarah and April are called up first-they're all safe. Mondo, Peach, Nicholas, Jason, Valerie and Gretchen are left-3 in the bottom and 3 in the top.

 

After deliberating, the judges agree Valerie, Gretchen and Mondo have the top 3 designs, with Gretchen deemed as the winner for the second week in a row. Both Jason and Nicholas are voted out.

 

I'm not surprised Jason didn't give anyone a chance to say goodbye before he left, but I did feel a lump in my throat once I saw the tears well up in Nicholas's eyes.

 

Who will get sent home next? Project Runway airs every Thursday at 9/8c on Lifetime.

 

(Photo courtesy of Lifetime)

 

Follow Lindsay at twitter.com/LindsayStrouse

 

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