Each of the four designers receives a digital camera, as with ‘inspiration’ challenges past. These look pretty sweet: They each get a different color camera, too — handy in case anyone squabbles over whose camera is whose. As strange and tense as the group dynamic has become, that’s probably a good precaution. Well, the four colors could just be to showcase the product’s range, but I prefer to think of it this way — it’s just more fun.
The group has one hour to tour the grounds, snapping photographs. Jerell finds a rose bush in purple and mauve hues. Leanne nearly gets stung by a bee. Korto is reminded of her mother’s garden in Africa. “I’m gonna win this one for my momma,” she says. Kenley is excited about using bright colors. Soon, time’s up. A passing city bus and an Olsen Elle cover later (is there only one issue of Elle left in existence?) they’re all back at Parsons. Tim tells them they have thirty minutes to choose one photograph to base their design upon. Their budget at Mood will be $250, and their work time will cover two days.
Jerell chooses the photo of those large purple roses. Korto chooses a bright orange cone-shaped flower. Kenley chooses a closeup of some jagged-edged purple leaves. At Mood, she races around in search of “tulle, tulle, tulle.” She also finds some “freaking awesome” fabric resembling purple fish scales. Leanne pulls some lavender fabric to match the lavender plant she feels inspired by. Tim questions the chartreuse fabric Jerell is placing next to his purple and maroon ones. Jerell rethinks it and decides to go without it. Korto has a stack of satiny saffron. Tim leads everyone back to Parsons. But what’s that? A folded heap of dark tulle? Who’s left that behind? Hmm. More on that later.
In the workroom, Korto spreads out her saffron-colored fabric and some lighter lace and admits, “I have no clue what I’m doing.” Jerell and Leanne agree that they dislike these “early stages” and prefer to be well into the work. We see a closeup of Leanne’s sketch; it has tight, intricate, rounded pleats winding from the hip to the shoulder. The bodice underneath this embellishment is square, the long skirt gently flounced.
Kenley begins wondering aloud what happened to her tulle. “Do you think you left it at Mood?” Jerell asks. “Okay, I wanna kill myself,” is Kenley’s answer. Well, thanks for letting us know, but that didn’t answer his question. Kenley searches under the tables, in bags, and can’t locate the missing fabric. She’s worried because she needs the tulle to make the skirt fuller and wider. She decides to stuff pockets of fabric with paper. Jerell and Korto whisper to each other that they both have extra tulle but are not going to “assist Kenley in any way.” After all... say it with me... this is a competition. Korto doesn’t feel bad for Kenley, because Kenley is “rude to Heidi, rude to everyone.” Jerell is eager to see “how this pans out.”
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