Project Runway

Elena the Dictator & A Trendy Fall Look

Posted on August 17, 2012 - 04:30:07 by

The most recent episode of "Project Runway" should have been titled “The Dictatorship of Elena.” Who knows how we would cope when thrown into a situation like the designers find themselves in on "Project Runway"? We definitely know how Elena copes now. She gives orders. Good thing she has the goods to back up her bark. That chick has talent…Although, she scares me a little. Just sayin’.

It was a group challenge yet again this past week and the designers were none too pleased about it. They were split up into two teams and asked to create a capsule collection for the professional woman. Obviously, drama was at the forefront.

Raul was anxious to prove himself and was therefore a bit on the uncooperative side. In his defense, his team pretty much steamrolled him and told him what type of garment he would be creating. End of story. The same thing happened to Gunnar over on the other team. It was clear which designers were considered the weakest links and they weren’t given much of a chance to rise to the occasion.

In the end, it was Raul who was sent home once again. When I caught up with him, he seemed at peace with his fate, although he didn’t necessarily agree with the judges that it was his time…this time. When asked if he thought he would have had a better shot at sticking around had he created the pieces that he wanted to, he responded, “My original plan was to create a full look. I wanted to create a shirt and skirt. I wanted them to hear me, but they were all against me at one point. It was too late for me to say, hey I want to make a skirt.” Instead, he was tasked with making two tops that the judges were hardly impressed with. One has to wonder if the angst filled atmosphere contributed to his demise.

Elena’s dramatics dominated the episode and her team. She wasn’t thrilled with one of her designs and that displeasure came out in the form of yelling and ordering her team around. It was clear that there was beef between her and Raul, even beyond what the camera caught. On his way out, Raul made his feelings known, although he isn’t happy with the way he left. “Seeing Elena's reaction and seeing other people's reactions made me very upset, but I'm not proud of treating Elena the way I did,” he said.

Raul also wasn’t pleased with what he saw going on with Gunner on the other team. When I questioned whether Gunnar’s teammates were too hard on him, he responded, “I think they had to pick on someone. They were not going to pick on Fabio. I think it was too easy to pick on him. I think it was horrible.” The gloves are officially off folks…And the cliques are all too recognizable.

For this week’s challenge inspired look, I chose Team 6’s color palette. Black and blue is a big trend for fall, as is snakeskin!