Strange. There are no runway recaps and no photos of this week’s episode in the ETC website. What gives, ETC? Is it because this week’s challenge was a tie-up with MEGA Magazine’s 20th anniversary, in which the designers re-interpret an iconic MEGA cover, which means we’ll only get to see photos of the designs if we buy the latest issue (because they’re not on MegaStyle.ph)?



Anyhoo, let’s make do – and if you haven’t seen episode 7 yet, try to catch the rerun on Saturday, because this was a return to form for the show after a couple dud episodes. The challenge seemed to re-invigorate the designers, who came up with some truly beautiful clothes.

But first, an odd break in the workroom with Nel and Ionica sort of horsing around and Lhenvil getting irritated? Or something? I couldn’t understand a thing because the audio was so bad and subtitles only appeared at the last bit, which only confirmed that Nel and Ionica said something that Lhenvil was pissed about. It kinda sucks that this is the “drama” they can rustle up, when Twitter is so much juicer. Check out ousted Joseph’s recent tweet:


Oooh, burn!

Anyway, let’s get to the clothes. 




MJ Alminanza chose this Kim Chiu cover with a drapey, silky cover – and reinterpreted it as a chic tangerine shift with a dramatic plunging back. Rajo called her “one of the more intelligent designers” which I feel is bother her strength and weakness. She has a tendency to overthink some designs (remember the balabal dress?) but when she gets it right, she gets it right.

As does challenge winner Amor Albano, who is emerging as this season’s designer to beat. She showcased a lovely black cocktail dress with a structured bell skirt and lots of structural detail. (I’m not entirely sure but I think it was based on this Ruffa Gutierrez cover). It was hard to believe Amor only had 24 hours to make it!



Faring less well with the time constraints was Milka Redoble. After last week’s simple men’s shirt and pants, she showed an equally spare (but impeccably made) corset-and-pants ensemble. She had wanted to make a smoking jacket but hadn’t managed her time well. It was a shame, because her outfit photographed really well but was too simple for the runway.



Other low-scoring designs: Nel got spanked for taste issues by mean mommy Apples for a red, feathery, drag queen-esque halter, which he rigged up in six hours after Jojie Lloren nixed his earlier patchwork-like effort. Ionica showcased a sad beige playsuit with a ringmail sort-of bodice, which MEGA EIC Sari Yap appreciated for its body armor quality.

Ultimately, though, it was the end of the road for blonde designer Lhenvil Paneda, who was axed after making an almost-exact replica of the black strapless dress in this Anne Curtis cover, down to the hip embellishments and serpentine cut. All he added were some skeleton-like embroidery in the bodice, which I thought would’ve been highly interesting had he pursued the notion further. But Lhenvil, in his tearful runway confession, seemed to be losing confidence in his design instincts, and as Sari said, may have been too starstruck by his cover. As Project Runway fans will note, the show rewards designers with strong points-of-view. Which ones of the last designers standing will display that quality? All bets are on as we pass the show’s mid-season. (Please, though, bring back the runway photos!)

Katrina Atienza, writer, wife, mom of two and fashion devotee, blogs at Plus Size Fasyon Mudra. Follow her on Twitter (@iggyatienza).