On Thursday night, Project Runway became a team sport. Captains were named. Designers were chosen.
And our North Shore peach was the last one picked.
“I didn’t let myself get down about this because I knew the strategy going on in April’s head,” says Peach Carr of her team captain, April Johnston. “April knew she’d get me because most of the designers tend to underestimate my work.”
So the “land of misfit toys” as they dubbed their scrappy team, or more officially “Team Military and Lace,” set out to win the judges’ approval by creating a cohesive collection using two of Fall 2010’s most dominant trends.
“I was excited from the beginning about our team,” says Carr. “As long as we stayed away from menswear, I knew we’d do all right.”
But others on the team were less optimistic. Take Valerie Mayen for example. “We’re all going to be in the bottom,” she predicted. “We just don’t want to be the one going home.”
As the challenge progressed, teammate Casanova began to crumble when mentor Tim Gunn said his designs were meant for “senior citizens.” Yet with some alone time and a little TLC from his teammates, Casanova lived up to his “fantastico” title and created the winning look, as well as Heidi Klum’s favorite design of the night.
“We were all so proud of Casanova. He created that stunning pair of pants out of scraps in just 10 minutes!” says Carr.
The love fest between Casanova and Carr was mutual. When the judges asked the winning team who should win the night’s honor, with the exception Casanova, everyone named him. He chose Carr.
“That had to be one of my favorites from filming the entire season. That and Michael Kors calling this my best work to date. It was a moment,” Carr adds.
As for the other team, they were called out for designing an uninspired “ho-hum” collection (with proportion problems and ghastly colors according to Kors and Nina Garcia) that was heavily directed by judges’ favorite—Gretchen Jones.
“They had so much attitude. They let us all know that they were going to take this challenge,” explains Carr. “But as the day wore on, their side of the workroom got quieter and quieter.” Finally, A.J. Thouvenot was sent packing for the only piece he created in “Team Luxe’s” collection, an ill-fitting shirt dress.
If losing the night’s challenge wasn’t enough, Gunn reprimanded Team Luxe for succumbing their individual voices to Jones’ vision. “Tim was visibly shaken,” adds Carr. “This was totally out of character for him to be so upset, but he made it clear he didn’t want any designer to hijack another team challenge.”
Before letting Carr go for the night, I had to ask her about pants she was wearing for the judging. “Those were my military pants,” laughs Carr. “Yes, I let the kids dress me. But I think it worked.”
Looking toward next week, Carr teases with this. “The show does something to designers that they shouldn’t do. They’ve done it before and it has very little to do with who has the most talent.”
Be sure to check back next Friday for more from Carr. And if you have a question you’d like her to answer, email annmarie@makeitbetter.net.
