In Fashion or Out

Finally, some reality shows I like to give me a break from the Olympics. I did enjoy a lot of the competitions, though I think the camera was on Phelps too much during the medal ceremony for the last relay. Sure, he had won his 8th medal, but the was plenty of time to celebrate that. The award ceremony was for all of them and the whole relay team should have been shown during the national anthem.

Now that's out of my system, I can focus on Bravo's "Project Runway" and "Shear Design" episodes from last night. Both dealt with style, since the main challenge for the hair stylists involved hairstyles for a photo shoot. First, though, they had to get through the short cut challenge. I liked this one a lot. Each stylist had a set of identical twins to give new looks. Each was to be unique, based on her personality.

Being a fan of "Can You Duet" contestants, Kate and Kacey Coppola, I can see the importance of twins each having her own look. The Coppola's mother never dressed them alike and they have clearly developed their own distinct personalities. The stylists last night had to dig out the differences in personalities for their clients. Most did a good job of it, though Daniel did a little too much talking.

Nicole gave her clients distinctively different looks, both in styles and in color. She ended up winning the short cut which meant she would be going to the finale. One of the others, Dee, Charlie or Daniel was going to be cut. I've been a Dee fan up till now, but I've enjoyed the personalities of Nicole and Daniel. I won't be surprised if Charlie wins in the end. He had won more challenges than anyone else. He's a little too smug and catty for my taste, though.

Each of the stylists had a different challenge in the episode's main competition. Each had a different season to depict with an avant-garde style. Two of the shots would involve movement, on moisture, and in Nicole's the model would be laying on the ground in fake snow. In the end, they all performed well, but each had their shortcomings, as well. Nicole had immunity, but I think she would have stayed anyway. Charlie, of course, won. Daniel ended up being sent home, but it was a hard choice between him and Dee. Next week, we'll find out who the winner is.

On "Project Runway", Chris from last season came back to present the episode's challenge. Design a costume for a drag queen. Now, I know and admire a lot of female impersonators, but I have never quite understood drag queens. The costumes were so over the top, and yet I enjoyed seeing what all the designers came up with. The top three designers were Joe, who did a glittery tight catsuit, Korto whose red cocktail dress had flames jetting up from the shoulder and Terri whose kimono-bustier mix was intriging. I'm glad I didn't have to pick the winner, because I liked them all. Joe ended up winning and will have immunity next week.

Keith and Daniel were the bottom two. Keith won last week, but because the winner outfit would be worn by Brooke Shields on her show, they decided that was prize enough. He really regretted it last night that immunity had not been included in his prize. His dress was made up of lots of fringe, but just wasn't cohesive. Daniel's design was basically a flamenco dress with a pale print fabric. It lacked the bells and whistles expected for this challenge. He was the one sent home, probably as much for his lack of originality last week during the Olympics challenge. I guess it was a bad night for Daniels.