Image is Everything

I love Adam Lambert but I don't think he added anything to this challenge. Good idea but I don't remember anything profound.

Also, how much do you wish that Seth Aaron had done this challenge?

Let's Carry On....

The previous week the designers were tricked into thinking they had to design menswear.

Surprise!

This challenge they really did have to do menswear.

The designers watch The Sheepdogs, aka Most Patient Band Ever, perform their Creedence style music and talk about what they like to wear. The designers are split into two "teams" of four, with each band member covered by one designer on each team for a total of two super groovy outfits. Tim tells them it is not a team challenge in the sense that there needs to be cohesion, yet they still have to come up with a team name. To recap: Menswear, guys who like the 70's, teams that are not teams and more menswear which the designers hate.

The band members were so sweet, they really did have to be pretty involved; consultations, fittings and Garnier Fructis ads for two designers. They all handled it with a sense of humor and put up with a lot of personality and hideous clothing. Let's see how they designed their band member, shall we?

Band Member: Leot

Top: Laura

Bottom: Viktor

At top here we have blood spatter alley and wannabe cool guy. It's obvious the designers failed all around on this challenge. However these two were pretty good. Yes, Laura's was on the feminine side, but I liked that it kind of looked bloody, it made a little more rock and roll compared to the other cheesy hippie vibe looks. Viktor was the winner, and that was good to see.

Team Untitled: 1

Team Harmony: 0

Band member: Ryan

Top: Anthony Ryan

Bottom: Joshua

Interesting that the pants look the same, except as we know Josh's look has the look at my crotch zipper. Anthony Ryan's shirt hurts my eyes and there's so much going on with Josh's look, it's actually helping that the eyes are drawn to the zipper. Joshua wins this round.

Team Untitled: 2

Team Harmony: 0

Band member: Sam

Top: Kimberly

Bottom: Anya

At Top, Shaggy. Underneath, Pocahontas. I guess if I have to choose one, I'm going with Kimberly's.

Team Untitled: 3

Team Harmony: 0

Band member: Ewan

Top: Bert

Bottom: Olivier

At Top, sassy viking. Underneath butch wallpaper. Bert easily wins this round. He was the only one that did good on the top, not trying to make a fem button up with a sad collar. I also liked his pants. Overall not good, but in comparison to the others, I give it a pass.

Team Untitled: 3

Team Harmony: 1

So, if this had been a team challenge, Team Untitled probably would have won with the judges and Olivier would have been saved. That would have put Team Harmony on the chopping block and Anya in danger of the auf. I say danger because although she had the worst design, I don't see the judges sending her home unless she commits a horrible crime against boobs and Heidi cries.

I have a lot of questions running through my mind:
Why did they think fringe was going to be cool?
Why can't the guys make better menswear? Do they not make clothes for themselves?
Did the band members have a contract that made them do the show? Or did they think it was going to be something different than it turned out to be?

Oh sweetie.

Here is Olivier with the only models he can handle. They can't talk, they don't have breasts or hips, they are not tall or large and they don't have personalities.

I was never an Olivier fan. His accent confused me, it changed so often. I didn't like his clothes; they were sad colors, sad shapes and always had strange folds. No thank you Olivier, stick with the dummies-literally.

What Women Want

Lifetime named this "What Women Want", when it should have been called "Duh Moments in Life: Men Love Boobs"

In this episode, the designers are tricked into thinking they are going to be doing menswear, when TWIST, they are going to design for the man's lady- based on their ideas of what their lady likes. Luckily, they get the women's measurements from some other source besides the menfolk, because according to them, they all have huge racks.

The women are added to the mix later, which only makes it harder for the designers, especially Olivier, who probably has nightmares from the movie title "Real Women Have Curves". The challenge with working with a client is walking the fine line between Designer and Dress Maker. As Michael will surely point out numerous times, it's not "Project Dressmaker". Some people are naturally better working with clients, and I have no doubt there are some famous designers that are no better at working with people than some of our PR contestants. (Thankfully Oliviers' clients gave him a good pep talk to get him through)

After a lot of talk about boobs, boobs, boobs (this time not from Heidi...yet), we make it to the runway for this week's crack smoking by the judges.

Granted, when the looks come out on the runway each week, it's getting harder and harder to decipher who is going to be in the Top and who is going to be on the Bottom. We have to just rely on who the judges feel like picking on that week, and who they can praise for doing possibly nothing more than someone else to win. As in the case this episode. I'm not sure it would do much good to show all 9 designs, as they all look like a basic dress or basic top with basic skirt.

Here is the Winning design and ShouldHaveWonDesign:

Winning look by Josh:

Granted, this is a very chic dress, with some subtle detailing that looks good. It helps that the woman wearing it looks about model proportions and the bright shoes to compliment were a smart idea.

I'm not saying it's bad by any means, it's quite cute. I'm just thinking it really is a LBD on a thin blond with cute shoes from the PiperLime.com wall. Where's the innovation the judges used to expect, even demand?

Viktor's look which was a close Second

Here's

where I feel a little crack was involved. Here Viktor worked really well with his clients, put together an overall cute look for her, and made something that was just a little bit different, and you could tell fit with her personality. I loved the clutch he put with it, and how much she owned the look. Yeah, I'm not crazy about the necklace with it, but they do have to use the accessory wall, do they not? Viktor is always the bridesmaid....

Anya's look

I don't know why, but I just don't like this. Kudos to the bold statement and doing something different. She is also very smart to not do something too intricate and tailored to offset her non-sewing skills. The print is memorable and again, she can MacGuyver around the fact that there was probably not much sewing involved in this look. I hate the one sleeve on this. I don't feel like this was praiseworthy, just safe.

Bryce, sorry you're Out.

Well, it seems the emotional designers are dropping like flies. Bryce was just trying to skate by the first few weeks just to be safe, not a winner and definitely not wanting to be a loser. Unfortunately he didn't give the judges a good view on who he is as a designer.

For this challenge, he made a dress that his client wanted, and worked with a color outside of his comfort zone. The judges thought it had too many design elements. That's the crack smoking, because then how is Anya's dress not too many elements? If it's too plain, how about the safe looks and even the winning look?

I'm not going to argue for him to stay. It's a perfectly boring look that, unfortunately, he's done too many times.

Dahlings...what is one of Tim's best advice lines?

Don't. Bore. Nina.

Sigh. I'm barely watching this season, it doesn't seem to have that thing- that je ne sais quoi it's had in the past. Who to root for? It's also really anyone's game to win or lose this season, which is one of things that is so frustrating.

Can't We All Just Get Along?

Short answer: No.

Here's all you need to know about this episode, so you don't have to watch it....

Betsey Johnson shows up to talk about their challenge which involves a team challenge (uh oh) making a 5 look fashion show with their own background movie. They are also going to making their own prints to use in at least 3 of the looks.

Josh is still a jerk. And dresses like a figure skater.

Team "Nuts and Bolts", self named, are so dysfunctional Tim has a mini therapy session with them. They stood in a circle and held hands. More uh oh....

This boring look by Anya "the model" and" judges' favorite" won the challenge.

Viktor, who has been quite consistent and made this sharp look, did not win. Perhaps his model is holding him back from wins. Yikes, why is she so sour? Would it kill ya to stand up straight in a gown?

Poor Becky goes home. She seemed to really get torn down week after week either by the judges or Joshua. Unfortunately I feel like she's better than this and just couldn't perform under these circumstances. She also got used on more than one occasion for her sewing skills.

Spare yourself all the drama of a team challenge and skip to the next week: boob obsessed men "helping" the designers make a look for their partner.

The Art of the Matter

I don't even know anymore.

Is there any glimmer of talent on here? Am I missing it or are the challenges just so lame that they aren't able to shine?

I don't know if I liked any of the designs from the challenge. I guess I'm comparing it to Season 4, when they did an avant garde challenge, there was some amazing things that came down that runway. sigh. The judges aren't helping. I never know if someone is going to be in the top or bottom until Heidi announces it.

For some reason they absolutely gushed over Mr. Meanie himself Josh's look:

I'm sorry, judges, you like orange and brown together or you hate it? Because if you thought Fallene's look was too Fall pumpkin for you, what's your reasoning on this? I hate this look from the netting on her head and hideous lipstick down to her brown boots that go with her tree trunk skirt. Just no.

And don't get me started on him playing the mom card after being a total douchebag the week before.

Anthony Ryan won the challenge, but not because the guest judge, Kenneth Kole

thought he was the best:

I can see how the judges would like this look, it flowed and looked pretty great when it first walked out onto the runway. I love her hair and overall look together. However, when this dress just stood there on the runway it looked just as bad a craft project as most of them did. The judges seemed to like the looks that had the absolute most literal interpretation of their painting.

Oh honey. This is a cry for help. Is there some reason he heard avant garde look and made a mental patient look? Why can I see her g-string? Why does she have that hair? Why does he do the weird foldy beige looks?

I can't get past his changing accent and sullen looks he puts down the runway. This could have been an out; Olivier had the happiest painting and ended up making the saddest look of all.

Say what you will about Bert's look: shapes gone crazy, pregnancy chic, some nightmare I had in the 80's come to life. However, this is a look

you can't stop looking at and was memorable right? Wrong era for avant garde in 2011, but he did know at least what he was doing, and that was playing with silhouette and perceived fashion. Yes he fell short, but he was on the right track.

Other people I thought that were almost there and just needed a little more something something or some better

styling:

Victor

Anya

Laura

Eh....failed Gaga wannabe? Etsy fashion? I didn't think of Becky as boring, but this is boring.

Oh Josh C.....

Everyone thought you had the most amazing painting and artistically yes, it was. However you were damned if you did and damned if you didn't. Had you made this more wolf-like, it would have been called costumey. Since you didn't they were bored and called it a waitress dominatrix look. It was Josh's first and last time at Mood. Was he brought back to be a martyr so that precious Olivier could stay? Sorry Josh, we hardly knew ya....twice. Too bad you didn't go out as a full on wolf. Awwwwwooooo to you Josh.