Project Runway Season 10: A Sneak Peak at Episode 9

Words I’ve never expected Tim Gunn to speak: “That looks like an homage to a menstrual cycle.”

But that’s the feedback he gives to one designer on tonight’s episode of Project Runway Season 10—and I can’t wait to see who it was that took their design way too far. Of the eight contestants left, I’m thinking it could have been Elena, Fabio or Gunnar.

Or was it Christopher’s look that baffled Tim? My guess is no. Alicia Hardesty, last week’s eliminated designer, told me that he was her early pick for winner of Season 10. “From the beginning, Chris has seemed to be a favorite,” she said. Alicia added that the other remaining designers seem to have more versatility than Ven, so perhaps it was actually Ven who pushed himself too far (enough with the fanning!) and ended up with a hot mess. I guess we’ll have to wait and see!

As for Alicia, she’s got Elena’s back, as evident in last week’s episode when she told the judges that she’d send teammate Dmitry home instead. While talented, Dmitry was never forced to step out his comfort zone, she told me. Although Elena’s designs throughout the season have been less commercial than Dmitry’s, Alicia loves that they were “strong, forward and modern” and also praised Elena for being technically skilled and for having a great design aesthetic.

When asked whether she had a tough time creating feminine look after feminine look, the dreadlocked designer replied, “I did expect for there to be a little more variety in the types of clothing we were expected to present. It was cool for me because I was able to step outside of my box…but doing that for every single challenge was kind of difficult.”

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Luckily, we haven’t seen the last of Alicia, whose own clothing line, Original Tomboy, has been getting a lot of attention because of her participation on Project Runway. Her fall collection will be available for purchase next month, and there’s even talk of a high-end Los Angeles department store carrying it. One of her dreams, though, is to design for Ellen DeGeneres and Johnny Depp.

Good luck, Alicia! We’ll keep our eyes open on the red carpet for your signature edgy style.

Catch Project Runway, Thursday's at 9.8c on Lifetime.