The next morning, we see the three women brushing their hair and such as they prepare to leave their Westin suite for Bryant Park. Kenley narrates that this is the biggest day of her life. She also adds that last year, she snuck into the tent and was “kicked out right away.” Leanne tells Korto she has waited for this moment a long time. Korto says this is like a coming out ceremony. She narrates that she deserves to win and what she does is different than the others. The three actually walk from the Westin to the tent - it doesn’t even look like it’s daylight yet. At Bryant Park they marvel at the length of the runway.
Kenley has a long, tearful vlog speech now about how her parents haven’t been part of her life for the past three years. She doesn’t say why, though. She says her dad has been a big influence in her life. She doesn’t say why, though. “He’s gonna be proud as hell, though. He’s gonna love it,” she confides to the TV audience. Say “tugboat,” Kenley. Say “tugboat!”
Two hours before the show, Kenley is hand-steaming her creations. Leanne discovers that the top she was going to put Tia in has mysteriously grown three sizes like the Grinch’s heart. She and Tia are baffled; Tia cries. What could have caused this anomaly? Two words, Leanne. Steam and machine. Although, I’m not pointing any fingers…
The producers have supplied the finalists with a small team of students to help with last-minute emergencies and necessities backstage. ‘It’s about time,’ is my first reaction, and my second kinder reaction is, ‘What a good idea.’ Korto gratefully puts them to work; Kenley doesn’t want their help. “They don’t know how to iron painted fabric; no one touches my clothes,” she vlogs. I can’t really blame her for being nervous about new pairs of hands.
An hour before the show, the seats are filling inside that tent. We see past contestants. We see Fern Malick and Christian Siriano greeting actress Michelle Trachtenberg. And Magic Mirror sees...Uncle Nick! And Daniel and Wesley! The tent is packed and conversations seem lively. Kenley is torturing model Topacio backstage with her Victorian-style corset pulling. The zipper won’t go up. “Suck it up!” Kenley orders. Topacio handles it with a smile. The model couldn’t possibly be thinner, so that seems a tailoring problem. The zipper finally moves and everyone’s relieved. As for the mysteriously loosened garment Leanne discovered just before runway, she’s switched things around, putting that on a slightly larger-framed model. A “make it work” moment for both designers.
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