Bun in the Oven

The first few episodes of Project Runway are always a bit hard for me to jump right in to. There are so many designers, and we only get to hear the critique of about half of them. It isn’t until episode four or five, at least, that I start to develop favorites. So one thing that I like about this season is that, at MyLifetime.com, you can view videos of the extended judging, as well as more footage of Tim Gunn’s critiques! So far, this is one benefit that Lifetime has over Bravo. Now, on with the show.

Here’s a quick recap of highlights (and spoilers!) from last week’s episode, the Pregnancy Challenge, with guest host Rebecca Romijn.

• I love a good pregnancy challenge as much as anybody, but can we address the prosthetic baby bumps for a moment? To my eye, they didn’t seem to create an entirely accurate representation of a pregnant woman’s body. To start with, you’re putting a huge bump on an otherwise stick-thin model, who hasn’t gained baby-poundage in any other area. More often then not, this resulted in the creation of a bowling-ball-tummy.
• Leggings seemed to be the easy answer for most of the designers, who were new to pregnancy wear.  Four out of the 15 designers opted for the legging route.
• One designer who strayed away from the leggings – in a most unfortunate manner – was Mitchell. While I liked the styling of his outfit (check out these boots!), his ridiculous, balloon-meets-diaper shorts should have sent him home, but instead . . .
• Malvin goes home. And who can say it’s a surprise? This is the same designer who mentioned, in Episode 1, that a vocabulary has not yet been invented that can describe his clothing. In my opinion, that says it all. Malvin’s bird-egg-inspired get-up sent him packing.
• In the end, I was rooting for the first-runner-up. I thought Althea’s navy gown with the detailed neckline was classy and fun and a little bit sexy. But Shirin’s red-wine-shaded gown seem to have an excellent fit, PLUS she made a (lined) coat to go with it. She had it in the bag.

Shirin’s winning design in Project Runway’s Pregnancy Challenge episode

Clearly, the shoe pairing for the winning outfit should be one that values comfort asmuch as fashion, keeping mom-to-be in mind. I’ve heard a lot about Cole Haan‘s collaboration with Nike for a shoe line that marries comfort and fashion – at a price. These peep-toe pumps, with a Mary Jane styling and cushioning in the heel and forefront, would be the perfect partner for Shirin’s gown – but at $275, they’re definitely an investment piece!

Posted by Miss Mojito.