Two Dallas contestants make big impression on episode 2 of Project Runway

by Teresa Gubbins

Dallas contestants represented on episode 2 of Project Runway on Thursday night, with both Louise Black of Dallas and Shirin Askari of Richardson/Garland finishing in the top 3 finalists. Askari came out the winner.

Shirin Askari

The challenge required that the designers make a dress for model-actress Rebecca Romijn who, at the time the show was taped, was pregnant. (She gave birth to twins in January.) Even though she was pregnant, she wanted something form-fitting.

As fretful contestant Ra'mon Lawrence observed, half the room responded by doing stretchy jerseys while the other half did tailored clothes. After angsting endlessly about the challenge, he made a tailored patchwork-type dress that reminded everyone of a bowling bag; it got him consigned to the bottom three.

Booted off the island: crazy visionary Malvin. Sad, since he seemed to be the only designer capable of providing the degree of eccentricity that makes a season memorable. His outfit -- inspired by a chicken and egg -- was awful but at least it was conceptual. The judges should've axed preppy Mitchell for the sloppy sewing job he did on his casual shorts-and-T-shirt.

As for Louise, everyone admired her handwork but the judges thought her dress looked like lingerie. Shirin won because her conservative dress-and-jacket combination were well made and because all of the judges -- which included Romijn as well as guest judge Monique Lhuillier, standing in for Michael Kors who, being a male was obviously instantly out of the running as a judge qualified to remark on maternity clothes -- said they'd wear it.