Project Runway Review

Once again, this review contains spoilers. If you have not seen last night's episode of Project Runway, please do so here.

Here again is my caricature of Tim and Heidi

Okay, so Michael Drummond is gone. I'm already bummed at the beginning of the episode... **sigh**.

The challenge this week was to create a head-to-toe couture look. The winner will be featured in a L'Oreal "advertorial" and receive $20,000! The looks have to be inspired by the finishes of L'Oreal eyeshadow: matte, bright, metallic, crystal, and velvet. Naturally, since the look has to be at a couture level, the budget was upped to $300, and the time limit was extended to two days.

The cash prize for a non-finalist winner is completely unprecedented in all the seasons of Project Runway. This challenge, however, is not. Flashback to Season 3: the designers were taken on a surprise trip to Paris, France, and were asked to create couture gowns. I can't find any pictures of this episode, or I would have shared them with you.

Moving on. Since the designers were given a whole extra day, many of them lollygagged and really took their time, something April was quick to point out. She herself was really working quickly saying, "You never know" in a way we'll later understand was foreboding...

Day 1 goes off with only a few minor hitches. Mondo's bodice apparently dramatically changed sizes after his first fitting when he tried to insert the boning. "Wretchen" and Michael Costello exchanged catty remarks because they both (once again) picked Burgundy/Bordeaux as their main color. Here's all I have to say on the issue of this repetitive color choice:



For those of you who don't know, that's from the movie Kinky Boots. Yes, I know, the color isn't the same, but the sentiment still fits for me.

Day 2 began with the designers still seemingly moving at a snail's pace - all expect April that is - but lo and behold, in floats Tim. I can hardly say he walks. He's never really walked, in my opinion. Tim has a greatly irritating announcement: the designers will be required to create a second, Ready-to-Wear look to compliment the main couture design. I thought this was an excellent addition to the challenge. What Tim said is very true. Designers do not make money off of Haute Couture; they make money off of RTW.

Cue designer drama! Everyone had something nasty to say about this addition to the challenge, except April, who was probably really happy she didn't dawdle like the others. Valerie had a complete meltdown and escaped to the restroom. I was actually really glad to see Wretchen and Ivy go to comfort her. Though my faith in the collective talent of this group is waning more and more quickly, it's interesting to see that time and time again the designers seem to bond despite the competition.

The runway was ultimately unimpressive, and it was really anyone's guess who would be in the top and bottom three. You can rate the runway for yourself here. My picks for bottom were Ivy, Christopher and Valerie. I very much disliked Wretchen's as well, but it was well-made so I wouldn't have put her in the bottom. The other three had either questionable concepts or bad execution. Valerie had all three, and I would have booted her. Instead, it was Ivy who went home.

Mondo won the challenge. I suppose it was because his look was the most outlandish. Though I did love his RTW look, and despite being a self-proclaimed member of Team Mondo, I personally would have chosen Andy as the winner. I thought his warrior idea was the most cohesive.

Here's my look for this challenge:

The Haute Couture piece is a gown with a button-down Minoan bodice in crepe with bright blue accents and a delicate chiffon front-piece for modesty. The skirt is asymmetrically layered chiffon. The Ready-to-Wear look is an elegant suit with open Minoan jacket and a bias satin blouse. The look is made for the "matte" finish of L'Oreal eyeshadow. If you're curious about my inspiration, you can read yesterday's post on Theseus and the Minotaur.

The preview for next week showed Tim introducing some guests that sent the designers into joyous hysterics. I'm going to go ahead and predict that members of the designer's families are these secret guests - let's see if I'm right!

On a side note, I've finally understood the point of Twitter. It's not about following someone so you can read about every detail of their lives. It really is a global conversation. I was logged in and posting all throughout the show last night and it was quite an experience. I was literally conversing with people all across the United States who were watching the same show as I. The wonders of technology do still occasionally impress me, despite being a child of Technological Age.


Thanks for reading,
Nostalgically Yours

Mythology or Fact?

The Bull-leaping Fresco from the palace at Knossos, Crete

This week in my Art History class I learned about the Aegean Civilizations of the Bronze Age. The Aegean were the civilizations that populated modern day mainland Greece (Mycenaean), modern day Crete (Minoan), and the islands in between (Cycladic). Of course, Greek Mythology is a vivid source of inspiration for writers, designers, and artists of all types, but more and more discoveries in archeology point to the fact that many myths have a basis in fact.

For instance, most everyone knows the myth of the Trojan Horse, but archeologists have discovered a city that matches the descriptions of the Homeric Epic.

The Minoans were a relatively peaceful, seafaring people. Their palaces were lavishly decorated with beautiful frescoes (such as the one pictured above) and ornate sculptures and pottery (pictured below).

As is clear from the sculpture above and an artist's rendering below, the Minoan woman's wardrobe consisted of an open-fronted bodice and a layered skirt in many bright colors. Upper class Minoan women were women of leisure, and lived in the lap of luxury. Women enjoyed many rights rarely seen in other cultures of the time, including serving as priestesses. Their open bodices indicate the liberal views towards them, and the respect held for their life-giving properties.

Minoan Palace Scene by Thomas Baker

One of the many entertainments offered the Minoan court at Knossos would have been athletic events such as those pictured in the Bull-leaping Fresco. There were different types of bull-leaping, but the one pictured above is seen in the diagram below. The athlete would face the charging bull, grab onto the horns and - as the bull reared its head - would perform a somersault, leap off the bull's back, and finally land behind the bull. Pretty damn impressive, if you ask me. It has been suggested that many modern men's gymnastic events, such as the pommel horse, the vault, and the still rings have their origins in this ancient art.

If you're aware of the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur, you might be thinking this seems like a bit of a coincidence. Remember, King Minos (for whom the Minoan Civilization was named) did have his palace at Knossos. Though a labyrinth has never been discovered anywhere on or near the sight, take a look at this plan of the ruins and an artist's reconstruction:

Some archeologists have suggested that Homer's mythological labyrinth may have been inspired by the Palace itself. That courtyard you see in the pictures was where the Bull-leaping was held. Perhaps the legend of Theseus battling the Minotaur were, in fact, an exaggeration of a real boy's trials to travel from Athens to Crete to compete against the Minoan Bull-leapers.

Ultimately, it is widely believed that the Minoans met their demise after a major volcanic eruption on Santorini. Apparently this was one of the biggest eruptions in recorded history. This eventual demise is also considered one of the inspirations for the Atlantis myth.

I find these sorts of things absolutely fascinating. It is no small leap of faith to think that myths could be based on actual facts. In the years that go by, and in an era where people fully believed in magic and a whole Pantheon of vengeful gods, stories are naturally misinterpreted and purposefully exaggerated to glorify or vilify historical figures or people. Also, in an era where kings ruled without the reigns of a parliament, parables and myths would have been the only way for people to speak their minds about the misdoings of royalty.

It's also not hard to believe that we ourselves may have misinterpreted certain things about these cultures and their stories. Some of these cultures have words that mean both "king" and "god". Many cultures worshiped their leaders as deities, so perhaps the entire pantheon of gods and all of those myths are based on real kings and queens of yore. I would be completely fascinated to learn about these people. History is one of my greatest passions. I'd be an archeologist I weren't so lazy...!

"Historical sense and poetic sense should not, in the end, be contradictory, for if poetry is the little myth we make, history is the big myth we live, and in our living, constantly remake."
-Robert Penn Warren


Nostalgically Yours