Tuesday, March 20, 2007 by
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Sometimes - not always, mind you, but sometimes - the manipulated drama on Project Runway really does foster some interesting results. All too often, and probably to the producers' delight, the drama produces nothing more than, well...drama, but this time it worked.
This was a pretty, flowy, simple dress that looked great - and to our eyes, looked the most like a Banana Republic dress.
Despite all the delicious bitchery these two engaged in (or, more likely, because of it), they managed to produce a garment perfect for the challenge and - again, to our eyes - a perfect melding of both their aesthetics.
That bodice looks pure Kara Janx to us - body conscious and flattering at the same time.
The full skirt hitting below the knee, the (ugly) vest, and black and white fabric are more Zulema's thing.
We have to give them both a lot of credit for doing a complete course correction in the middle of the process. Just look at that hideous thing. That doesn't look like either one of them.
"I don't care if you cry and cut, but you're going to cry and cut. You're going to cut at that rate. Do whatever you need to do. You need to work. Don't stop and cry."
For all the talk about what a bitch Zulema is, she was totally in the right here. Yes, the infamous "cry and cut" comment was nasty (and funny), but it was absolutely what needed to be said to get the project done.
There's no doubt that Kara is the better designer (and sew-er) of the two of them, but man does she crumble at crunch-time or what?
No, what was needed at that moment was pure unadulterated bitchery and THAT is what Zulema excels at.
And damn, if it didn't work because Kara pulled it together and the two of them managed to not only complete a great design, but they pulled off a great window to boot.
It's a shame about the vest, which comes close to ruining the outfit. If Kara had been a little more pulled-together, she might have had the cojones to stand up to Zulema at the end of the process and say "You know what? Let's lose the vest. We don't need it." She was probably so grateful to be done with it and so grateful that there were clearly worse garments on the runway, that she didn't care at that point.
We don't know what they managed to do to change course in the middle of the process and produce a good design, but if they had managed to do that from their starting point, they could have easily won it. In a strange way, this is probably one of the best teamups the competition had ever seen.
[Screencaps: projectrungay.blogspot.com]
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42 comments:
I couldn't agree more about the dress, the pairing and the infamous " you'd better cry and cut". Much as I loathe Zulema, she was dead right, and even though I love Kara, I was a bit shocked to see her in tears over this. Surely things happened that weren't shown on camera... We'll never know, alas.
I loved the dress, loved the window, and I didn't hate the jacket THAT much. It probably wasn't suited to the garment, as Robert's jacket wasn't suited to Jackie O in PR3, but it could've worked with something else.
But seriously, not only "cut and cry", but "You have to cut at that rate"... Absolutely hilarious! And yeah, big Z was right. At that point in time, during a challenge, she was right. Doesn't change what a bitch she was over the closet space, though.
I love Shetangi!
I guess the vest is what made it daytime. They needed something for the day/night distinction but, yeah, it doesn't really work. Too bad.
It was like watching the school bully beat up the sissy. Painful, yet you couldn't turn away. Anyone but Zulema may have grabbed Kara and given her a Knute Rockne "you-can-do-it" speech, but "cry and cut" accomplished the same thing. And was infinitely more entertaining!
Basic dress for a basic store.
Eden is a lovely model isn't she? Though I don't particularly like her tattoos.
This is one of those immortal reality TV comments. Right up there with "I'm not your bitch, bitch!"
Honestly, why waste words when cry and cut works just fine. she could have said cry and cut bitch but she didnt (although I'm sure that's what she was thinking) This episode shows why Kara, who I love (I'm going to cut off your pee-pee Daniel... classic!!!) didn't make it to Bryant Park; she melted faster then an ice cube in a warm gin and tonic.
MT
Cut and cry......could we get that on a t shirt boys??
Zulema absolutely saved Kara's ass in this challenge and never received enough credit for doing so in my book.
This was great TV!
Definitely one of my favorite PR moments. Zulema was damn right! She saved their asses!
Hahahahaha. Zulema rocks!! Great moment, and the outfit wasn't that bad either.
I never got the big "ohmygodZulemawhatabitch" hoopla over this incident. Kara needed to cry and cut, end of story, and, frankly, I think Zulema could have been a lot less diplomatic about it. If I was in a serious competition where professional success was on the line and my partner's emotional meltdown was jepordizing my ability to stay in? I think the words "Bitch, your snivelly ass will pick those scissors up and get back to work or I will knock you upside the head with them" might have come out of my mouth.
But that's just me.
I have, however, royally disliked Zulema in every post-PR interview of hers I've read. But I tend to have very little patience for people who blame their failures on others.
"I don't care if you cry and cut, but you're going to cry and cut. You're going to cut at that rate. Do whatever you need to do. You need to work. Don't stop and cry."
Best moment EVER!
I use that line all the time. "Honey, you better cry AND ___________."
Of course everyone thinks I'm a total bitch, but it works like a charm. : - )
Zulema ROCKS!!!
I loved this dress, I loved the print, I loved the window. The only thing wrong with this outfit is that hideous vest. If they had made a jacket or something.
LOVED Zulema in this episode! And I think this may have been the only time in PR history when the designers threw out the garment they had almost finished and made something different, completely from scratch. Amazing. (Why couldn't Marla have done that? Oh, yeah, never mind.)
I thought they had the best window. I don't care if it looked like a construction-paper school craft project. It looked good.
Kara just can't handle pressure. Zulema said that she "relied" on Kara because her design is similar to the Banana Republic aesthetic. Thank god she changed her mind.
Zulema is arrogant but her comments made me laugh out loud.
I think cry and cut is going to stand as one of the most famous lines ever to come out of project runway, with good reason. Not simply the words, but the way Zulema delivered them was a kick in the ass
Zulema is quite calm under pressure. I really admire that.
Shetangi lives!!!!!
What a great season! I love Zulema! What can I say? Bitches with an attitude are always fine by me.
I was shocked when I saw the show & saw all the drama. What I remember, very distinctly, from that day was seeing Kara & Zulema, arm-in-arm, laughing as they were walking down the sidewalk after admiring their window.
Of course I didn't know their names at the time, but I recall that they, and their behavior, made the biggest impression on me (as well as Santino, who I thought looked like Rasputin).
--Gotham Tomato
GothamTomato said...
I was shocked when I saw the show & saw all the drama. What I remember, very distinctly, from that day was seeing Kara & Zulema, arm-in-arm, laughing as they were walking down the sidewalk after admiring their window.
Of course I didn't know their names at the time, but I recall that they, and their behavior, made the biggest impression on me (as well as Santino, who I thought looked like Rasputin).
--Gotham Tomato
Details, more details, darling! Tell us everything!! I'd love to hear more since you were there when it happened.
I loved the dress! Just ditch the jacket!
While Zulema and Kara did have the best display and I was impressed with Zulema's ability to get things done at the last minute, the vest was horrid.
"No, what was needed at that moment was pure unadulterated bitchery and THAT is what Zulema excels at."
Exactly! LOVE HER!
I really wish Zulema had slapped Kara and screamed, "Snap out of it!"
Zulema is a bossy pain in the ass!
I loved the dress alot. I really want one in my size. I thought that their window was the best because it was the most colorful and neat.
OK Bettie: Here's what I remember:
That store is in my neighborhood (it was the men's Banana Republic on 5th Ave; on a corner, and all the windows they used were the ones on the side street). I was just walking by on my errands and I saw there was a table set up out front. So being the nosy person I am I went over to ask what was going on. When they said PR was going to tape a segment & they were going to have the passersby vote on the garments, I KNEW I had to stick around to see it.
It seemed like they were running very behind schedule, but I don't know if that was entirely because of the designers. They were scurrying around though, trying to finish their windows. Tim was outside on the sidewalk, studying the windows & seemingly trying hurry them along. I recall being amazed at how crisp he looked in his suit on such a hot day.
I was actually trying to avoid the cameras (ducking in the opposite directions, which was hard because there were 2 or 3 camera teams) because I was having a very shlumpy/PMS day. But they caught me anyway, in the background twice. Fortunately no close-ups. I'd left the house to run to buy film & mail letters and never expected to end up on TV: dressed sloppy (& with no make-up). I had briefly thought about running home to get changed before everything commenced, but feared I might miss it because the crew kept telling people it was going to start any moment, (but it ended up taking almost an hour to get going). They hadn't even started setting up the windows when I'd gotten there.
While I was watching everything, I was trying to memorize the designers faces so that when I watched the show I'd remember them. Some were more distinctive than others (like Santino, who I recall was way down at the end of the row). When the ad posters started appearing for Season 2, I was shocked to see Daniel Franco in them, because I knew I hadn't seen him there. So when I watched, I kept waiting for him to get tossed.
When they gave out the ballots, I recall them saying that we should vote for the whole package: clothes, window & model. And if I recall correctly, they asked us to sign release forms. When I watched the show I recognized the garment I voted for as being Chloe & Emmett's. They did have the whole package with those quick sketches painted on the walls. Most of the windows didn't look so hot. And it was very funny to see you say what you said about the white jacket on Kara & Zulema's garment, because I remember thinking that when I saw it. It looked like something left on Daffy's close-out rack.
After they finished setting up, they all came out to look (though some had come out earlier as well - one prerson would come out & direct the person inside the window to rearrange things). As I said, Kara & Zulema walking arm-in-arm, laughing together, was a very strong memory. But then Zulema has a very strong personality & stood out right away. The kind of person whose personality enters the room ahead of her. You could just see that in her immediately - very, VERY self-assured. And they looked very happy & like buddies. No hint of drama, so I was surprised to see what transpired between them on the show. Chloe & Emmett also stood out because their height makes them look like such an odd couple (and Chloe is so stunning, like a porcelain doll). None of the designers talked to the crowds standing around the windows. And I didn't see Tim talking to anyone either, nor anyone bothering him or the designers - but New Yorkers know not to disturb a taping (Manhattan is one big film set, so we're used to crews everywhere all the time). And oddly enough, while I distinctly remember Santino, I did not recall the very adorable Nick, (who I LOVED when watching the show). I didn't remember seeing them together, celebrating like the other pairs were.
I didn't stay til the end as it was getting harder to duck the cameras. If I ever came upon another PR taping though, I'd definately stay till the end (even if I was having another shlumpy day).
--Gotham Tomato
Gotham Tomato, you freakin' rock, that was GREAT! It felt like I was there too :)
GT, you fucking rock! FABULOUS recap!!!
Fantastic recap, Gotham Tomato! Thank you for sharing, darling.
XO
T&L
How sweet of you to type all that up for us. Thank you so much, Gotham Tomato. I'm so jealous, you met all of them!!
Here's my contribution : - )
Interesting interview with Zulema:
"Keith Boykin: Well, tell us about the famous “cut and cry” moment?
Zulema Griffin: What essentially happened was that we had a group challenge…I had a slight loss of confidence initially because I said I’m not a Banana Republic woman…Kara swore to God that she was…I started out in the industry as a costume designer. I’ve never assisted anyone….I don’t understand why, but I said I can’t design for a Banana Republic woman…It was the biggest mistake I ever made in my life…
[Kara] is no leader. She is a mess from beginning to end….What they didn’t show [on that episode] is that she had a breakdown and she said that she was quitting, and I was livid….How dare you be so selfish?...The thing about being in a team is that you need to be a united force…I was very sympathetic, even though inside I was boiling…So she comes back dragging her feet…she’s doing everything slow, so at that point I said 'I’m taking over'
I chose the fabric, I did the design, and I said go drape the pattern. She couldn’t drape the pattern….they made it seem like she did work. The only thing she did was fuck up that white jacket…she didn’t really do anything…she didn’t do anything with the dress…so I had to make the pattern for the dress…and I had to sew the dress…and I had to do all of this in one hour…I could actually make a dress in less than an hour but that doesn’t have anything to do with my vision as a designer…but I could give you a billion simple dresses in less than an hour…
I didn’t even think about it, and I said 'I don’t care if you cry and cut but you better cry and cut." And she was really having an emotional breakdown. And often times I’m very sympathetic when people are having emotional breakdowns, but at that point with less than an hour to go, I had no time for it..."
"The only thing she did was fuck up that white jacket…"
I don't believe Zulema when she says that it was Kara's fault. The jacket looks like something she'd design and make.
Zulema always comes across as a self-absorbed bitch in her interviews. It's a shame.
Great link, Bettie. Thank you! I love your readers, boys!! : - )
Big huge props to the Tomato.
Thank you, Boys, Tomato and Bettie!
Thanks, Gotham Tomato! Fun to get that perspective. It's funny that they said the windows were being judged by actual BP customers when it was obvious that it was just people walking down the street who wanted to see what was going on (not that they couldn't also be customers).
I also didn't think about how strange it was to have such a public challenge in the middle of the season. There were so many people there who would have seen which designers were involved and that could have created many leaks about early eliminations once the season started. I'm surprized there weren't more rumors about who was gone.
"TheGayBoys said...
Fantastic recap, Gotham Tomato! Thank you for sharing, darling.
XO
T&L"
Glad you all enjoyed it. Happy to be of service!
--Gotham Tomato
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