September 27, 2006

Project Runway Challenge Suggestions

If you watch Project Runway, you know that this year’s challenges have been a little crazy at times. One challenge involved the contestants making an outfit out of trash, actual trash (recyclables to be exact, but none-the-less trash). One designer was gluing bottle caps onto a paper gown in that episode. Scary.

Another episode had the designers making a cocktail dress out of nothing but black and white fabric. Nothing weird about that right? Nope, except for the fact that they had to use all scraps of material bigger than a notecard. If they didn’t plan exactly right and get the exact amount of fabric, they had to scramble and figure out what to make out of the extra material or how to incorporate it into the design. One designer took the easy way out and filled her purse with fabric; another made a necklace that was just hideous.

Last year, designers had to make an entire outfit out of nothing but plants and flowers. Come on already. I was all fine and good with this until I saw Alison go home on the trash challenge after she tried super hard to make a dress out of paper and her idea didn’t work. How was she supposed to know that you can’t sew that type of paper material? I don’t think that necessarily qualifies designers as being good or bad. Resourceful, yes. Big time designer worthy, certainly not.

Tonight was the final elimination, but no one was eliminated. All four remaining designers are going to Olympus Fashion Week. I’m super excited about this, because I really thought they were going to cut Michael and then I was going to have to scream.

Because the show is popular and will likely be on for many more seasons, I thought I would try to come up with some extra, equally ludicrous, "challenges" for them to choose from in seasons to come. They are as follows:

Make an entire outfit out of nothing but cellophane. *Outfit can NOT be see through.
Using nothing but wax paper, aluminum foil, Q-tips, and cotton balls, make a couture gown.
Convert a homeless man’s refrigerator box into an appropriate suit that he can use to go out and get an interview and job.
Have the designers go to a restaurant and order a huge meal, complete with appetizer, soup, salad, entree, dessert, etc. Have them use the food as their material to create an edible outfit.
Give each designer a beat up car from the junkyard. Using only materials from the car, create a ball gown.
Make an outfit completely out of dried beans.
Field trip to Home Depot. Using only materials from the paint aisle, the building materials aisle, and the flooring section, create a three piece day to night look.
Using nothing but yellow police tape, design a new uniform for police officers.
Make a swimsuit using duct and masking tape.

Piece of cake right? What challenges can you come up with for Project Runway?