Runway Recap: Is Jerell Homeless?

Let’s discuss something: Does anyone else wonder how Project Runway’s Jerell can make decent garments when he always looks totally disheveled? Seriously, this man could not look any worse if he picked up the scraps from the workroom floor every week and found a haphazard way to affix them to his body.

Case in point: Last night, he wore a shredded straw hat and beat-up cargo shorts with a sleeveless hoodie; said hoodie had a deep V in front, and was made of a paper thin t-shirt material with a swirly print. (Sadly, there was no picture of that outfit on the website... you'd have loved it.)

Later, on the runway, he showed up in a icky, floppy-neck shirt underneath a sweater vest tunic that had old-man-style plaid pockets. It was like the poor man’s version of Henry Fonda in On Golden Pond.



But maybe in an effort to “update” this geezer look, Jerell wore it with pants (or were they capris?) That looked like they’d lost a battle with a weed wacker.

I’ve seen more pulled together looks on the homeless. And don’t even get me started on that ridiculous Boy Scout hat with chains he donned mid-season.

Still, Jerell pulled another rabbit out of his hat and won Wednesday night’s challenge: To create an evening gown design inspired by nature.



The designers took pics at the botanical gardens, then chose one photo to inspire their dresses. But now that we’re down to four designers, much of the show was dedicated to what a kind and humble young woman Kenley is, and how much everyone likes her.

The show began with Kenley blaming Leanne for her own glaring failure of a hip-hop outfit during the last week’s challenge: “I think she did a little bit of sabotage when she didn’t sell my outfit on the runway. She made it look like a fool’s outfit.”

Merriam-Webster definition of sabotage: “An act or process tending to hamper or hurt.” Actually, Kenley, my recollection is that you sabotaged Leanne’s crotch with those gross, so-not-hip-hop jeans last week.

But, no worry. Let’s move on.

“I had a hard time with the last challenge,” Kenley said, completely forgetting it was all Leanne’s fault, “so I hope this challenge is something I usually do.”

Dictionary definition of challenge: “To arouse or stimulate especially by presenting with difficulties.”

(But I do hear ya, Kenley. I had a really hard time with my last diet, so I hope my next one involves eating at the Indian buffet for every meal and buying Twix bars in bulk at Costco.)

Kenley talked more about how she loved herself and hates the other designers’ work. The other three shunned her. She probably does deserve it, but they were so obvious about it, it reminded me of that Sesame Street song “One Of These Things Is Not Like The Others.”

And considering everyone’s gowns had problems at judging – Jerell’s and Leanne’s seemed unfinished; Korto’s was too “beauty pageant” – they probably would have been better served to spend more time sewing and less time talking smack.

That said, Kenley spent all her time on her dress and it was a hot mess, too. Think Barney-colored reptile mated meets mermaid (the dress shape) meets an artichoke (the weird fin-looking things at the bottom). I like edgy, but it was just ...ew to me.



Still, to mimic the rest of PR’s blah season, this episode ended in an anti-climactic way: Nobody got the boot. All four will create collections for Fashion Week.

At this point, I’m rooting for Jerell. And if he wins, part of his prize should be a makeover on Tim Gunn’s Guide to Style. I'm just sayin'.