Cheryl Shops

Project Runway recap
After two weeks ago's Project Runway lingerie debacle (all you need to know: Santino is really annoying and a bad leader; Daniel Franco was one of the most gracious losers I've ever seen), I was ready to see the designers each do what they do best: work alone. Of course, I started to panic when Heidi Klum announced the designers would be creating a party frock for a famous young socialite...I cannot stand Paris Hilton, and assumed (almost correctly) that it would be her. Thankfully, Paris is not classy enough for Project Runway--no designer in his/her right mind would make a hoo-hoo-exposing dress for her (although maybe Zuleema would make a butt-cheek-baring one)--and the lucky socialite was instead Paris's comparatively demure younger sister, Nicky. Now, you could argue that Nicky was on the show to plug her clothing line, Chick, but I'll give her the benefit of the doubt, that she's really a fashion lover (as opposed to, say, her sister, who just loves fashion that shows off her hoo-hoo). The designers made it through the challenge with minimal drama--Daniel V. bought brown fabric instead of black, people were stealing each others' dress forms, Marla can't design for shizznit--and first introduced their designs to Miss Nicky at a cocktail party at Marquee (which was conspicuously empty--when did they film it, at 4 in the afternoon?). While some of the designers were pretty straightforward in introducing their designs, good ol' Santino seized the day and slipped Nicky his business card, in case she wants him to design more dresses for her. Slick, man. Slick. Oh, and Diana, the science-dork girl, got drunk and sha-sha-shaked her booty, thus earning her the rather amusing nickname "Dirty Diana." I should mention the big controversy of the show, which was that Marla designed a dress that not only looked like something Nicky had recently worn, but that had been provided in the "dossier" given to the designers for inspiration. And Nicky, smart girl, spotted it right away. So on the runway, the clear top three were Chloe (who designed a very "Chloe" dress), Gay Uncle Nick (whose gorgeous turquoise asymmetrical creation was my favorite), and Santino (very Santino), while the bottom three were Marla (obviously), Dirty Diana (whose pieced skirt was not very flattering), and Guadalupe, whose dress was just cracked out beyond belief. Sadly, Santino won the challenge, which leads me to believe that Nicky Hilton does not have a very good bullshit detector, and also makes me feel bad for Gay Uncle Nick, whom I think is just as talented--if not more so--as Santino. And while Marla's dress was probably equally ugly, Guadalupe got the boot. Which is good, because I haven't really liked anything she's designed thus far anyway. As for Marla, I like the idea of her--she's 50 years old, a successful businesswoman, has no formal training--but I don't think she's particularly creative as a designer. I still think her days are numbered.

Next week, the designers have to work in pairs. Oy vey.