Project Runway 409 Recap: “Even Designers Get the Blues”

This was the week when up was down, in was out, good was bad, and I was fairly sure that I, along with every single person on Project Runway, had fallen headfirst through the Looking Glass.

But it wasn't Wonderland where we found ourselves. It was a dirty-floored warehouse on the East River with clotheslines full of Levis 501s and bolts of white cotton fabric. The challenge, given by Levis VP of design Caroline Calvin: Create an iconic denim look of your choice that reflects the heart of the Levis brand.

Much running and stuffing of garments into laundry bags ensues.

On the way to the docks, Christian asked, "Are we doing to meet someone fabulous today?"

Tim Gunn set him straight. Er, gay: "We are fabulous. We don't need to meet anyone fabulous."

Meanwhile, Rami reflected in a voiceover, "A field trip can go either way. You could end up in a garbage can trying to create a wedding dress out of it. Or you could be going to Paris." Ah, Rami, if only it were so.

Ricky was the only designer who seemed excited by the challenge. It turns out he makes his hats out of denim all the time. Plus, he felt pretty confident in his fit abilities when working with the fabric. He also did a voiceover discussing his design credentials, and while I'm sure I knew them at some point, they were a lot more impressive than I remembered – perhaps a sign that Ricky doesn’t project much in the way of presence or self-confidence.

Because believe me, I never for a minute forget that Jillian used to work for Ralph Lauren. Ricky's been an assistant designer for Valentino lingerie, worked with Oscar de la Renta, and a VP of design for Vera Wang lingerie.

Sing it, Ricky. And stop crying, kthnx.

Other than Ricky, though, everyone else was, at best, morose. I've never seen the workroom so demoralized and low-energy. Or as Tim said, "This was the first time this season when I witnessed such a collective meltdown in the workroom. It wasn’t pretty."