Project Runway Canada: Season 2 Episode 2

Episode 2: Claim to Fame Challenge

Note: This blog post is not a spoiler.

The second episode of Project Runway Canada revealed more of the designers’ sense of fashion and taste as they worked hard to charm Canadian celebrity and guest judge Elisha Cuthbert. The competitive atmosphere thickened with accusations of design copying and Mentor Brian Bailey’s comment that designer Christie’s dress looked like “bad bridal” – which it did.

Episode 1 was already a rough start: two designers voluntarily left the show for health reasons (Jaclyn Murray and Danio Frangella) and Camille Prins “didn’t measure up,” leaving 11 designers fighting for the claim to make top 10 this season.

Margarita with "horse-trotting" model Lauren

The model selection at the beginning of episode 2 was an exercise in solidarity between already paired designers and their models. The designers were randomly asked to keep or trade their models, which they all did happily except for Margarita’s begrudging comment to model Lauren, “I’ll stay with but you better prove it to me girl.”

Yikes. Well I suppose Lauren did have a bit of a stomp on the runway (Margarita: “I told her not to do a horse trot”) but I think that the real let down here was Margarita’s gimmicky animal-print slip hoodie and matching visor in the first episode (should the model have pounced around like some sleazy ghetto panther?)

This was apparently not a lesson learned for Margarita as she proved her questionable sense of taste to be on par with her sewing abilities (more about this later.)

Episode 1 Fashion is a Battlefield challenge loser: Camille Prins

And so after all this drama over the selection of models it was the end of Camille’s model Alyson’s try at PRC.  I doubt that there will be many regrets among the designers or viewers about this elimination; while Alyson has all the industry cred you’d want (former Miss Teen Canada, budding acting career, signed with Elmer Olsen Model Management) she didn’t seem to know how to move or hold herself on the runway. Moreover, her facial expressions just didn’t inspire any interest. Case in point:

Model Alyson Lozoff; eliminated in episode 2

To help with their Claim to Fame challenge in episode 2, the designers had a chance to meet and talk with guest judge Elisha Cuthbert about her personal style.

Guest Judge Elisha Cuthbert: not dressing to "pick up"

Each trying to spend some one-on-one time with Elisha,  Margarita asked Elisha to follow her upstairs into the designers’ bedroom for a more private consultation. Elisha was taken aback and looked shocked and hesitant to do as asked. This was beyond ridiculous on Margarita’s part but not suprising given the shameless competitiveness and cutting exchanges between the designers as they tried to gain more face time with Elisha.

In an evening’s worth of questions from the designers Elisha revealed:

1. She likes the colour blue (because of her eye colour.)

2. She won’t wear a dress that bares arms and neck and is short (she prefers one or the other.)

3.  Brandon: “Do you dress to pick up?” Alisha: (Looks around, confused) “Uh, no I don’t.” (Great question there, Brandon.)

4.  Would choose ‘femme fatale’ over girlie.

5. Likes pencil skirts.

Simple enough- if only the designers had listened. Half of the creations are mini and strapless (or have spaghetti straps.)

Not only that, but as the design sketches took shape, Margarita glanced over at Brandon’s sketch book and accused him of copying her design. She told everyone that she had come up with the design first and that he had seen her sketch and then copied it. Brandon defended himself by denying the accusation and vented to Kim that Margarita will “be gone soon anyway.”

The figure skater takes on the streetwalker.

As it turned out, both Margarita and Brandon had badly-performing designs: hers was a construction mess with a risqué thigh slit while Brandon’s was way too short and looked like what judge Shawn Hewson described as “a figure skating outfit.” Fellow judge Rita Silvan had nothing to say. Ouch.

Others facing the threat of Iman’s disapproval included Adejoké, who would have received a serious grilling about her foil metallic skirt with patchwork bustier if  she hadn’t banked immunity for this challenge.

Adejoké's design: a little too foil & paper bag

Christie also had a rough week with Brian Bailey lacing into her blue dress (it did look bridal) and she somehow managed to mop up her tears and rethink that big flower idea at the neckline and instead position it at the hem.

Christie's design: "bad bridal" with improvements

So what did the designers send down the runway? Can you already match the designer and the dress?

Claim to Fame Challenge designs

Claim to Fame Challenge designs

The winner of this challenge came as a suprise and that’s probably because the winning dress wasn’t a knock-out. It was another week of mostly dismal design.

All this to say that it was a fun episode to watch and no love lost between the designers and the departing loser of this challenge. There’s a lot of fluff this season; while it’s great fun watching it unravel, the runway shows are forgettable. Designers: we want exciting fashion!

Please deliver!

Read my post about Project Runway Canada Season 2 Episode 1.

Images courtesy of Global TV’s Project Runway Canada site.