'Project Runway' Recap: Cindy Crawford and Cynthia Rowley Judge Final Arty Challenge

by Amber Eden (Subscribe to Amber Eden's posts)
Posted Nov 6th 2009 at 12:55AM

"Fashion Week is at your fingertips," said "Project Runway" judge Heidi Klum to the five remaining designers. After this final challenge, only three would remain.

The designers found themselves greeted by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa at the Getty Center, contemporary home to J. Paul Getty's collection of Western art, and were asked to use the art center as the design inspiration for their garments.

With the models-as-muses in tow, contestants received a brief tour and were given 30 minutes to sketch their ideas which came from green algae on a fountain rock (Christopher Straub) to classic paintings (Irina Shabayeva and Gordana Gehlhausen) to an 18th-century French bed (Carol Hannah Whitfield) to the Getty Center building itself (Althea Harper).

While the creative juices may have been flowing, the good vibes definitely were not. Everyone was on edge and the outtake remarks were increasingly pointed as all the designers sharpen their tools and claws.

There's no love is lost between Shabayeva and Harper, in particula, since last week's episode, where Shabayeva accused Harper of stealing one of her designs. "It's getting really rough right now and awkward," Harper says.

Things were not encouraging either when Tim Gunn dropped by the workroom. His choicest words were saved for runway darling Shabayeva's gauzy fur combo. "It's looking a lot like roadkill. It's looking like a post-apocalyptic moment." Shabayeva immediately ditched the fur.

But she wasn't alone. Whitfield was warned not to lose the sophistication. Straub was chided for his "Christopher, what?" design. ("That happens to me a lot," Straub humbly acknowledged.) Harper was making a mess of a puckered skirt. Only Gordana received praise from Gunn for her silk organza strapless A-line evening gown based on a Monet painting.

The guest judges were supermodel Cindy Crawford and designer Cynthia Rowley along with regulars Nina Garcia and Klum.

Reactions were varied: Shabayeva's gauzy green Goddess dress was 'dowdy." Whitfield's assymetrical golden screen siren gown was "perfect but safe." Harper's puckered skirit and skimpy top was "a bit of a messfest." Gehlhausen's was beautiful from the front, but "not so great from the back." And Straub's algae-meets-rock evening gown was "technically not there yet."

When the designer's left to await the decision it could have been anyone's game, but in the end it was not so surprising that Shabayeva, Harper and Whitfield were chosen to go to Fashion Week. And that Gehlhausen and Straub were not.

"I can't stand this. I was hoping that five of you were going," Gunn said, when meeting them post-decision. Most touching were Gehlhausen's parting words, "I want to leave as a proud person, who came from nowhere and made it so far."

Next stop: Bryant Park.

Watch Project Runway on Lifetime at 10 ET/PT and then tune in here for the post-show recap.

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