Recap: ‘Project Accessory’ – ‘Beach Blanket Blingo’

Before we begin, Sims taunts the designers, telling them they look scared. They actually look tired and a little angry, but whatever you say, Molly. She calls a bunch of swimsuit-clad models to come out, then tells the designers they will be selecting their model and designing three accessories for her to wear with her bikini (or one piece, though there are a lot more bikinis) — a pair of sandals, headwear and an accessory of their choice. As the designer with the lowest score last week, Rich gets stuck with the ugliest bathing suit — a coral bikini top paired with a teal bottom. Eek.

Another surprise! The designer must get on a bus to go… somewhere for inspiration. All of the designers are really excited until they pull up to Coney Island. Eva is there and hopes they are inspired by the location — which is where they’re going to source their designs. They can spend $100 at the ticky tacky shops along the beach but they can also pick up sea glass, hypodermic syringes and used condoms along the shore. I’m wondering if someone will ask the Shoot the Freak guy if they can buy his sneakers or something, as that would truly be one of a kind. 

Most of the designers go shell hunting. Brian gets hideous flip flops and some beach balls. Shea picks up a bird skeleton. Shea is starting to worry me  little bit. 

Back at the workroom, Adrian is embellishing a crappy plastic hat he picked up along the boardwalk. Everyone is disappointed that the hat guy isn’t even creating a hat from scratch. Red alert, Adrian! If everyone is asking you about the hat you’re making, you can’t phone it in! Rich is freaking out. He doesn’t like the beach. Yeah, we kind of guessed that. But the big news is that Brian’s headpiece is awful. Like, mental patient awful. If he sends this down the runway, he’s going home. 

Eva comes in. I just can’t get excited about Shea, as I’m not sure she’s an actual person and not a robot. She talks to Shea first. Eva tells her she needs to show how good she can be, and the necklace she made blows. Eva can’t wait to see Adrian’s hat, and is hugely disappointed with it. Make it a masterpiece! Adrian decides that means pasting a ribbon on it. Sigh. Eva doesn’t think Rich is inspired. Duh. She wants to see him do some metalwork. Well, that is a good idea. 

Everyone quietly agrees that Shea’s necklace sucks. Shea being Shea, she flits around and panics and gets very little accomplished — and her necklace continues to suck. Then, because her day isn’t going poorly enough already, Shea jabs something sharp into her thumb and bleeds all over everything. I say design element! Rich borrows her bird skeleton, since she isn’t using it. I think that little bird skeleton is totally cheering up Rich. 

Time for the runway. Ariel Foxman, J Crew creative director and president Jenna Lyons and designer Rachel Roy will be our judges.

Headpiece, necklace, ring and sandals

I think the detailing on these pieces is pretty great, but I don’t love the headpiece. It looks like a squashed driftwood tiara, like something a woodland fairy would be wearing as she’s getting run over by a truck.

Hair pins, necklace, bangles and sandals

I dig the idea of the bracelets more than the reality, and the hair pins are a HUGE improvement over that awful alien headpiece thing. Don’t love the embellishment on the sandals.

Headpiece, cuff, ring, sandals

Throwing on a scarf doesn’t really count as design, and the flip-flops seem to be, well, flip flops he bought at a junk shop. But the cuff is greet. 

Hat, necklace, belt, sandals

Oh, that belt is baaaaad. And not in a good-bad way. Just tourist shop in Bermuda bad. The necklace is too much, the hat is too much, the sandals don’t go. It’s a green bikini and all of the accessories are black — ick.

Hat, pendant, clutch, sandals

The purse is great, but I don’t love the necklace with this bikini and the shoes — okay, they’re cool, but I don’t like them with the necklace. 

Head wrap, necklace, sandals

She says she planned the outfit like a stylist, and it shows. Not only does it show, it underscores the problem with so many of the other looks — one element may work out of context, but then it doesn’t work with the lines of the swimsuit or with the other accessories. I’ll admit, I don’t love the necklace — too summer camp project-y for me. But there’s a reason why Christina has emerged as a frontrunner.

Hat, bracelet, sandals

I hate the hat. The bracelet’s okay, I guess. But the sandals are just kinda junky.

Molly calls out Adrian, Rich and Shea. They had the lowest scores, and they can leave the runway to cry backstage. 

Rachel tells Christina she loves that she took chic and made the outfit cool. Molly would wear the necklace. Jenna loved the natural element. Ariel doesn’t see a signature Christina look. 

Molly loves Brian’s bangles. Jenna thinks the proportions on his necklace were beautiful, though the headpiece was a bit Bam-Bam. Ariel doesn’t love the sandals, but thinks the look is very Brian.

Nina’s next. Rachel thinks her ring is phenomenal and the necklaces are gorgeous. Jenna thinks the shoes are phenomenal but the headpiece is a touch ice skater to her. Molly isn’t seeing more week after week. 

Molly loves Diego’s clutch. Ariel thinks the headpiece is a copout. Jenna thought the shoes had a sense of humor. 

Enough with compliments — time for the losers!

Adrian tells the judges he’s surprised he’s on the bottom. Molly loves the shoes, but she thinks the whole look is too much. Ariel says it looks costume-y. Rachel says he needs to learn to edit himself. 

Ah, Shea. On the bottom again. Ariel doesn’t like the hat and thinks it’s unflattering. He thinks the necklace is pretty, but not with the bikini. Molly could never wear the belly chain. Rachel says the model would be ridiculed. 

Ariel thinks Rich’s sandals are really great, but the headpiece is a cop out. Molly says the headpiece and the sarong are too much and drown out the bracelet. Jenna loves the bracelet and the ring. Rachel loves the bird skull. 

The judges hash it out. Ariel hates everything, even the top four looks. 

Nina and Christina are safe. Brian is the winner of the challenge. Diego is safe. Rich is safe. Shea is out. No big surprise here. Adrian, of course, is safe.

Shea is so grateful for her time on the show, and she thinks she just needs to find herself. You know, if she just made herself her own model, she’d be a lot better off, given how well she accessorizes her own outfits. But she’ll have plenty of time to do that now that she’s off the show — although her first order of business is a good, stiff drink. Cheers!