The final six should be thrilled to be, well, the final six, but the mood at the communal department is, to say the least, subdued. Adrian feels discouraged from his poor showing last week. How can he be Adrian and make the judges happy? Diego suggests he shouldn’t be so Adrian. Ouch.
Molly wears a plastic bag cut into a dress-like shape and tells the designers a bit about their challenge. They will have a very special meeting with Kenneth Cole! In his studio! It’s so exciting! I’m sure it’s really exciting because the designers know they’re going to be doing something for Cole in the challenge, because just dropping in on him in his studio isn’t that thrilling unless you really like colored pencils and pretty sketches.
Cole, who is wearing his laid back and relaxed “I don’t need no stinkin’ glasses” look, tells the designers what he wants from them. Each of them will be “assigned” a look from his very, very black-centric Holiday 2011 collection. They must create a clutch to go with the outfit along with another accessory of their choice. The winner will have their designs sold under his label! And they won’t get any money! But the profits will go to fund AIDS research, so no one can really bitch about that.
Cole concludes by telling all of the designers not to screw up, which is met with hearty laughter. Um, I don’t think he’s really kidding that much, guys. You do tend to put some ugly ass crap out there week after week.
Eva tells them what we already know. Oh, and they get $150 as a budget. Half hour to sketch, and then they shop.
Almost as soon as we get back to the workroom, we see that Rich is in trouble. How do you make a purse? Diego gives him advice, but Diego thinks he’s screwed no matter what. Brian is making a horn handle and pissing everyone off, as his grinding away at the resin cast is getting everything dusty, including the clothes. Diego feels sick and Rich is getting cranky. Brian doesn’t care. He’s being himself! Or something!
Then, Brian says the words that are the mark of any reality TV show. “I’m not here to make friends,” he huffs in his one-on-one. Oh, Brian. You’ve just qualified to be included in one of those “I’m not here to make friends” montages you can find on YouTube. You must be so proud.
It’s time for Eva to drop in. She seems awfully sparkly and chatty this time around, which is so unlike her. Maybe she has a hot date later, I don’t know. Eva thinks Brian’s horn clutch is fabulous. Eva thinks Diego is playing it safe and that he needs to throw a curve ball. Eva warns Rich he has to keep an eye on the details and urges him to go big with the other accessory. Eva tells Adrian his clutch feels like an envelope, not a handbag. And… that’s it. Yes, there are female designers, but we shouldn’t care too much about them, I guess. Stupid sexist show.
Runway time! Our judges are Cole, Ariel Foxman and “style icon” Alexa Chung, who honestly looks like crap tonight. The hair is “I don’t try too hard” indie cool but it just makes her look like a frumpy school teacher.
Rich – Clutch, necklace, earrings, ring
This looks pretty good. The purse is sedate but it actually looks like a purse and not something made by Boy Scouts in the middle of the woods, and that’s important. The necklace, earrings and ring are dead-on. Go, Rich!
Adrian – Clutch, cuff, ring
I don’t feel a lot of cohesion here. The purse doesn’t really seem to work with the cuff. I honestly hate the ring — it looks like something you’d get from one of those claw machines you see at cheap family pizza places.
Christina – Clutch, earrings
I like the bag, the earrings are okay. Is it phenomenal? Not really. But I do appreciate that she didn’t do a black bag.
Brian – Clutch, necklace
I do dig the purse, but the necklace doesn’t seem to work so well with this neckline. Still, it’s different and yet very wearable. This would sell.
Diego – Clutch, earrings, belt
The bag is okay, but not with this dress. Plus, those earrings have got to hurt — and I suspect the judges will realize her earlobes are about to be pulled off.
Nina – Clutch, necklace
Love the necklace… except for the back. It doesn’t work with the line of the dress to have crap jangling around back there. The little strap on the clutch is actually pretty clever. Nice job.
Rich is up first. Kenneth wishes the bag had a pleat to make it more functional, but he thinks the necklace is terrific. Alexa thinks the necklace is dark and dangerous. Ariel wishes the clutch had been in a different color.
Adrian’s turn. Kenneth thinks the bag could be more functional. He liked the cuff less the closer he got to it. Alexa thinks the bag is too embellished. Molly points out that she used the snake chain on HER line two years ago, so she thinks it looks dated. Ariel didn’t like the trim and felt the bag looked like a project.
Christina talks about her bag. Kenneth thinks the bag is beautifully made. Molly loves the size of the bag. Alexa liked the elastic closure.
Ariel is disappointed in Diego. Kenneth says the bag could be any other brand, not his. Alexa thinks the earrings look uncomfortable, even though she likes the design. Molly also thinks they’re a bit big.
Brian talks about his horn purse. Alexa is horny for his unicorn bag. She also thinks the neckpiece is so rad. Alexa, who had been so veddy, veddy mature up until this point, turns into a drooling teenager when she talks about Brian’s bag — she likes it, like, that much. Kenneth likes the bag but sniffs that he doesn’t feel it’s modern. He thinks the tie complements the bag. Molly loves the bag and could see herself carrying it with jeans and a T-shirt or a luxe look.
Molly loves Nina’s necklace. She thinks it’s super sexy. Alexa loved the strap on the clutch. Kenneth loves the necklace and would almost want to attach it to her top. Ariel thinks the necklace is a miss on the back.
Brian and Nina are the top two. I bet it’s Nina. And yet, the winner is Brian. Huh! Kenneth just about called Brian’s clutch a weirdo piece of caveman crap, but I guess Molly and Alexa’s goo-goo gushing tipped him over the edge. He’s no dummy — he knows a hit when he sees one. Still, I think the bag could use some refinement — the horn sort of sits flatly on the bag, and I think a little distance might help so that it feels like a handle and not a ladylike police baton.
Christina is safe, and so is Rich. The two on the bottom are Diego and Adrian. No way is anyone sending Diego home — he’s the only one on the show who knows how to make a structured handbag. He’s needed if only to give advice to everyone else. Adrian gets the boot.
Adrian is fine with it. Did he think he’d make it to the top five? Yes, but he’s so happy to have been nominated, I mean, to make it as far as he did. He just knows he’s going to find his audience of bling admirers! I’m sure he will, but he’s not going to be able to charge high price points for stuff that looks like you could win it at a carnival.
Do you think it was Adrian’s time to go? Who do you think will make it to the final three? And do you think Brian was being a jerk or just competitive?