A still from Project Runway Canada's seventh episode.Crave/Bell Media/Supplied
Dolly Parton once said it costs “a lot of money to look this cheap. So far on this season of Project Runway Canada, at least one contestant (ahem, Leeland Mitchell) has put that maxim to the test.
This week, however, the contestants must demonstrate the opposite, with a Giant Tiger-sponsored challenge that asks them to create a couture look inspired by everyday essentials sold at its budget stores for as little money as possible.
Obviously, we’re using the term “couture” loosely here – there’s a whole governing body in France dedicated to officially certifying a select few fashion houses in the craft. But for the sake of this episode, let’s just call it custom-made, one-of-a-kind pieces created using simple inspirations such as a flannel button-down shirt and a puffer vest.
Project Runway Canada Episode 6: The contestants are stumped by the show's easiest challenge yet
As we approach the finale, some contestants are justifiably pushing themselves beyond their comfort zones, but that’s easier said than done. Making it in fashion requires trusting your instincts while also navigating unpredictable feedback and constantly shifting circumstances. The designer who can manage both will succeed – at least for a while. The industry is fickle and consumer habits are ever-changing. You can see those tensions play out in real time on the show.
Take Maya Ginzburg (an early favourite of mine), whose irreverent storytelling and clear point of view initially set her apart. Lately, though, uneven critiques from the judges seem to have left her second-guessing herself and reaching for ideas she shouldn’t.
In this episode, she interpreted a Fair Isle-inspired wrapped sweater as an ill-fitting long white vest lined with sparkly blue fabric and layered it over a red polka-dot mini. The look was so muddled that I’m struggling to even describe it, and it cost her a spot in the finale as the bottom designer of the week.
Episode 7 guest judge Christian Siriano. Siriano is the most successful Project Runway winner to date.Crave/Bell Media/Supplied
On the flip side, Mitchell, previously criticized for veering too far into costume, clearly took the judges’ feedback to heart, delivering one of the most wearable looks of the season: A leather-trimmed sherpa moto jacket paired with a pleated sherpa skirt, knee-high sherpa boots and a matching sherpa purse, all spun from the starting point of a simple sherpa coat. It was a truly marvelous look that earned Mitchell the top spot, blowing away even Christian Siriano, the most successful Project Runway winner to date who appeared this week as a guest judge.
Another masterpiece came via Curtis Matysek, a designer who has consistently delivered this season. Taking inspiration from a humble white puffer vest, they dreamed up a quilted taffeta full skirt with hoods as hip panniers and a matching vest with its own exaggerated hood. The look was reminiscent of the legendary Moncler x Valentino puffer coat ballgowns that swept the fashion scene in 2019 (and later appeared on Carrie Bradshaw in an episode of And Just Like That…), but in a way that felt wholly their own. If we were betting on frontrunners this season, Matysek has my vote.
Curtis Matysek discussing their runway outfit with mentor Aurora James and the model.Crave/Bell Media/Supplied
Somewhere in the middle landed Charles Lu, whose self-described “boyfriend plaid meets revenge dress” was cool but brought nothing new to his trajectory this season; and Foster Siyawareva, who played it too safe with a black velvet column dress with bow sleeves.
It makes sense that Ginzburg was eliminated this week. Her look lacked cohesion, fit and, if we’re being honest, any visual interest (aside from the gloves, which were nice). Still, ending the episode with a complete dearth of female designers in the line-up – regardless of the remaining designers’ undeniable talent – feels uncomfortably reflective of the fashion industry at large, where women remain underrepresented at the helm of major brands.
It’s a bummer, and it makes you wonder whether someone such as Delayne Dixon, who in my view made no major missteps before her elimination earlier in the season, might have offered a different perspective in the final stretch. The boys better bring it to the finale.