Project Runway Canada Season 2 Episode 2 (S02E02) Review

Episode 2 of Project Runway Canada, "Claim to Fame," welcomed Canadian actress Elisha Cuthbert as a celebrity muse for the designers. 

Season 2 has introduced Canada to 14 new faces, some of which we will become very familiar with as the show progresses: Kim Cathers, Genevieve Graham, Jessica Biffi, Brandon R. Dwyer, Margarita Voultsos, Jeff MacKinnon, Jason Meyers, Baylor Orlando, Sunny Fong, Adejoke Taiwo, Jaclyn Murray, Christie Clayton, Camille Prins and Danio Frangella.  In Episode 1, "Fashion is a Battlefield," Danio and Jaclyn dropped out of the competition, and Camille was sent home by the judges.

Photos

Firece 14 Designers. Project Runway Canada Season 2

see larger image

uploaded by discollection

Adejoke had immunity this episode and opted to keep the same model she had last week.  In a surprising string of decisions, every single designer chose to stay with the model that was initially assigned to them, something I don't recall happening last season.

Elisha Cuthbert expressed a desire for a 'glam outfit' she could wear for a night out on the town in Hollywood, and the designers were given the opportunity to pick her brain and ask her questions at their mansion.  There was just a hint of jealousy and contempt as some of the designers pulled Elisha away for one-on-one consults.  Margarita took Elisha to one of the upstairs bedrooms, which seemed to make Elisha a bit uncomfortable, though two others strained to eavesdrop on their conversation through the door.

The designers discover they get a whopping $150 to spend on fabric and supplies, but just 45 minutes to shop.  Margarita opts for a black stretchy fabric, and assures Brian that she knows how to sew it.  Brandon admits he had no idea what he was going to design, and just grabbed fabric on a whim - 7 metres worth.  Adejoke grabs some really brightly coloured fabric, and doesn't seem to care when Brian criticizes because she has immunity.  Kim is the last person and has to run to the register to make it in time.

Kim notes that Brandon is not very focused - he starts 2 dresses and abandons them, then goes for a cigarette and only then comes up with an idea, a bit shocking as most of the other designers are well on their way.  Brandon's concept is strikingly similar to Margarita's idea and she chews him out, asking if he saw her sketch and stole her design.  The competitiveness heats up considerably, and Brandon even goes so far as to say that he considers himself to be a better designer than Margarita.  Kim tries to calm the situation a bit while smoking outside with Brandon by saying that tensions are high, and he responds with "Well whatever, she's gone soon."

Kim is having trouble pulling her design together, Brandon works on hand ruching his new dress design, and Margarita kind of apologizes for flipping out at him.  Brian Bailey makes his rounds and eyes Brandon's dress, which is shockingly short.  He calls Christie's creation a 'bad bridesmaid' dress though assures her that it has great shape, but Christie falls into the trap of self-doubt and becomes understandably upset.

The morning of the runway show rolls around and everyone is struggling to put the finishing touches on their dresses.  Most of the designers seem either really tired, really hungover, or both.  20 minutes before the runway show, Kim is still sewing and putting pieces together, and notes that this is definitely not her best work.  Brian gives her some serious flak, warning her that if her model isn't dressed she is 'toast.'  She now has just 5 minutes.

I wasn't too impressed with most of the dresses that came down the runway.  The challenge was to create a glam outfit, but I didn't find any of the dresses particularly striking.  Jessica's dress was royal blue, fairly short and fitted with a low back.  Not a fan, but she seemed proud of it.  It looked like it was puckering around the hips.  Jeff's piece looked poorly constructed and was not flattering on the model.  Sunny's dress was ok, it had a starburst design on one side which everyone seemed to appreciate but which I thought looked messy and distracting - an overabundance of seams rather than a dynamic and dimensional applique.

Genevieve's black dress was draped beautifully, with a soft bustle at the back.  I would have made it sleeveless for this competition so it looked more "Hollywood glam," but for my purposes I would wear it in an instant.  Margarita sent a sloppily constructed dress down the runway, and what she described as a pencil skirt ended up being a short, cheap-looking number with a slit up the front thigh.  Jason's black dress was very "Jackie O/Audrey Hepburn," made out of silk with an exposed back.  Adejoke crafted a two piece outfit - the top I actually liked, it was colourful and creative, but the skirt looked like tinfoil.  She admitted, "Yeah, this fabric is a little bit shiny."  Kim sent out a tuxedo inspired dress, which looked surprisingly finished considering her rushed state just minutes earlier.  Christie's blue dress was simple, but I loved the detailing on the bottom portion.  Baylor created a deep red silk dress that was incredibly boring.  Brandon's green dress was way too short and looked like a figure skater's outfit.

Jessica, Kim, Baylor, Genevieve and Christie were all safe right away.  Rita called Adejoke's dress a "what were you thinking" dress, and Iman was disappointed that she took such a risk just because she had immunity.  Elisha thought Sunny's dress was ready-to-wear and beautifully made, but I'm still not convinced - I don't see why everyone liked it so much.

Jeff mentions fit when defending his dress and Shawn is quick to point out how badly fitted the bodice actually is.  Elisha calls it "sad," and Iman likens the model to a drunk girl whose straps are falling off. 

Jason explains he chose raw black silk because it was top quality, just like the muse.  Brandon explains he wanted to make a fun, flirty dress, but Rita calls it a "paparazzi attack waiting to happen."  I laughed when Shawn called it a figure skater's outfit as well - as that's what I had yelled out when I saw it on the runway.  Margarita does a poor job defending her dress, which was just made with the absolute worst fabric.

Jason wins the challenge, and Sunny was close behind with his green starburst dress, as Elisha liked these two designs best.  Right away I call Brandon and Margarita as the final two, and predict that Margarita will go for poor construction.  Brandon's design was hideous, but at least it was well constructed.  And that's exactly what happened, Brandon is given another chance and Margarita is sent home.

It was clear with this episode that the cattiness is starting to emerge.  Designers have had the opportunity to size one another up and gauge the skill level of their competitors.  After just 2 episodes, there are only 10 designers left.

Episode 3 will air next Tuesday.  Be sure to catch the Behind the Scenes videos online for some laughs and extra freak-outs not included in the show.  My favourite bit from episode 2 is Genevieve, after finally finding her missing model, telling her to stop laughing and take things seriously or "I will ******* get rid of you."  Zing!