'Project Runway' Season 19, Episode 5 Recap: 'Go For The Gold...Sequin'

A warning for any fashion houses gunning to dress Olympic legends: Johnny Weir and Tara Lipinski “like everything but also nothing.” That’s fair when you’re two of the world’s most famous figure skaters; you’ve earned the right for your tastes to enchant and confuse. But once the two commentators glide down the Project Runway catwalk with the poise and enthusiasm they’re beloved for, they announce this week’s challenge—crafting looks for them to wear as a pair at the 2022 Beijing Winter Olympics—and, immediately, chaos reigns.

They want “full Hunger Games,” but also something tailored and form-fitting. Something colorful that doesn't overwhelm the camera. A statement piece that doesn’t swallow tiny 5’1” Tara or smother Johnny’s sunshine. The looks must focus on the waist-up, feature an intriguing neckline, and also be completed in less than 24 hours. Good luck! The only designer seemingly thrilled with the task is Aaron, who name-drops the approximately 700 Olympic figure skaters he’s been obsessed with since birth. Beside him, the others flail.

Johnny and Tara pass out color-coded model cards to sort the designers into teams of two; one will make Johnny’s look and the other Tara’s. Once they’re abandoned with 30 minutes to sketch, the budding drama surfaces. Prajje, paired with Sabrina, sums it up nicely: “I quickly realized what Sabrina was sketching is not...it. Last week, Sabrina was in the bottom, so I’m ready to shit bricks.”

At Mood, they use their 45 minutes and $1,200 to bicker about fabric choices and avoid Christian’s cajoling, but back in the workroom, the cruel reality sets in. Even with Christian reintroducing the so-called “Siriano save”—in which he’ll rescue one designer from elimination this season—the nerves are enough to knock several teams off course. Octavio and Katie, in particular, are a mismatched pair. Eternally on brand, Katie pleads for them to embrace her kitschy-meets-couture aesthetic; Octavio seems set on his deep-violet ruffle explosion, forcing her to take a begrudging backseat.

Elsewhere there are some shimmers of genius. Bones, paired with Anna, happily steps aside to let her steer, and the result is almost immediately gorgeous. They opt for an icicle theme, which would scream cheeseball if not for Anna’s careful touch and Bones’ knack for draping organza. At the other stations, Chasity defends her love of beadwork against a cynical Christian, Kristina reworks the cinched-waist of her Wonder Woman gown, and Sabrina, sadly, begins to wilt under the intensity.

Here’s where the central concept of Project Runway starts to fray. The idea, like any competition program, is to place a group of extremely talented up-and-comers into a pressure cooker and see what brilliance they stir up under the spotlight. But the show has always struggled with the roles that mental and physical health play in the creative process. Last season, it was Dayoung Kim who left the competition early due to repeated health scares. This season, Meg—albeit, perhaps unfairly—also cited mental health concerns for her abrupt departure. In this week’s episode, Sabrina reveals she’s struggled with lifelong rheumatoid arthritis, and the pain she’s in while attempting to sew Johnny’s brocade jacket is draining her energy. There’s no doubt Sabrina is a talented designer. Might she be one of the best, if given different resources? And if so, how do you make the competition fair?

This isn’t a question Project Runway is particularly interested in, and of course it isn’t—the show wouldn't exist without the drama, the intensity, the challenge. And perhaps some of these designers should know that a competition show isn’t the right environment for their personalities and needs. But the prize—that $250,000; the CFDA mentorship; the ELLE spread—beckons, and to some degree, encourages eschewing those concerns. It will be interesting to watch if, as Project Runway moves into two decades of being on air, it tries to evolve with these issues as it has with others.

In the meantime, Prajje is frustrated with Sabrina’s collapse. On the morning of runway day, he sits outside with Aaron. Together, they're a perfect tableau: Aaron painting his fingernails a glittering purple while Prajje channels his best Ben Affleck, staring cynically at the wall while a smoldering cigarette rests between his index and middle finger. “I’m excited,” Aaron says. “I’m not,” Prajje grumbles. “I have a target on my back.”

Everyone manages to send a pair of looks down the runway, but almost immediately catastrophes abound. Let’s take a closer look.

• Shantall and Aaron reveal two black-and-navy looks, both dotted with blue beading that looks, to me, like it belongs on a Mother of the Bride gown. That said, Aaron’s suit for Johnny has a streetwear flair that I adore, while Shantall’s asymmetrical minidress is pretty but uninspiring. Overall, the lack of color is a huge disappointment.

• Sabrina started the challenge by sketching what Christian referred to as an “Aladdin vest,” and thankfully she reworked the design to shape a clever brocade bolero. But her look is still cartoonish; as Prajje declares, the red and gold sequins feel like they belong on a matador. Prajje's one-shoulder dress, while more elegant, is in a completely different gold hue that clashes with Sabrina’s. The result isn’t pretty.

• Kristina and Coral play off of Coral’s proclivity for macrame, working the braided pieces into both their garments. On Coral’s black-and-gold jacket, the braid features somewhat perplexingly as a single-shoulder accent that trails into floor-scraping fringe, while on Kristina’s dress, it starts at the base of her model’s neck, cascading into a belt that cinches her waist. It’s intriguing, but not something I find particularly flattering, nor does it seem to match Johnny and Tara’s personalities.

• Zayden and Chasity send out a pair of daring crimson looks. Zayden’s design for Johnny features another brocade jacket, this one a refined silver-and-red pattern draped over a gorgeous silk pussy-bow turtleneck. Chasity’s dress, while perfect for Tara’s figure, looks rather like a junior prom dress, what with its sparkly silver beading and mid-thigh flare skirt.

• Octavio and Katie’s looks have immediately evident problems. The enormous purple ruffles on Octavio’s vest are neither beautiful nor appropriate for television, and Katie’s dress has been so crushed by Octavio's insistence on black that the design appears half-formed.

• Last but not least, Anna and Bones’ looks are certainly icy—maybe a little too icy. But they’re both well-crafted, eye-catching designs. Anna’s deep-v gown with glittering white fringe feels like a much-needed modernization of the traditional flapper dress, while Bones’s ruffled ivory organza shirt is stunning. I’m not so sure about the mirrored vest he's slapped over that shirt, but otherwise these two have the best ensembles of the night.

Predictably, the judges love Anna and Bones. They gush over Anna’s deep-v dress, while saving criticism for the “crafty” look of Bones’ vest. They praise Aaron and Shantall, surprisingly, for their creative use of beadwork, but Elaine voices my thoughts when she tells them, “The color story wasn’t exciting.”

On the flip side, the panel quickly knocks Octavio down a few pegs. After his designs with Katie are slotted into the bottom, he attempts to throw his teammate under the bus—“she’s been in the bottom several times,” he starts—but Elaine cuts him off: “Octavio, you’re talking about her. Hold on now. Why this fabric?” She points, rather hilariously, at his amethyst monstrosity. Once again, Nina critiques Katie for losing her voice amidst the more powerful personalities in the room.

The judges reserve their real ire for Prajje and Sabrina. Johnny calls Sabrina’s jacket a caricature of what a figure skater should look like, while the others rail against Prajje for not supporting his partner when she needed him. When Sabrina is duly knocked out of the competition, Prajje bursts into tears. It’s horrible to watch Sabrina leave in the midst of such challenging circumstances, but I’m buoyed by a win for ice queen Anna, who skips back to the lounge and asks Chasity, “Okay, now can I drink??” Please applaud!

Next week, we'll return for another collaboration, this time between the competitors and a cohort of respected accessories designers. I don’t know about you, but I'm dying to see Anna’s take on a baguette bag.

<< Read last week's recap

You Might Also Like

• 10 Pairs of White Sneakers That Go With Everything

• 50 Surprising Things You Never Knew About 'Sex and the City'

• 20 Serums to Solve All Your Skincare Problems