It's International Week! On any other show "international week" would involve at least a modicum of travel, on this one it just means "a bit more colour." Even Claudia is wearing colour; a bright orange jumper, because she and I understand each other.
For the pattern challenge, everyone has to make a qipao top. They all pick their brocades and I get fabric envy because I LOVE those colours and I can never find any fabric with colours like this. Stupid wishy-washy fabric industry. Patrick and EsMay talk about the excellent fit they want to see, while pointing at a sample garment that... isn't really showcasing that great a fit, if I'm honest. Nearly all of the contestants' finished tops fitted better than that one.
Indirect Josh Moment of the week:
Claudia: Is this bias binding?
Joyce: Yes.
Claudia: You're brilliant, Joyce! I've just been over to Josh's station and he has LITERALLY just opened the pattern.
Oh, Josh.
On the subject of Slapdash Favourite Joyce and the bias binding, she chooses to hand-stitch it all into place before realising that the bias binding isn't actually going to be on show. She's so pleased with how well she's done it that she decides to rejig the pattern so that it's on show. She says, "I'll be marked down, but..." and then gives this fantastic elaborate shrug. SLAPDASH FAVOURITE.
The finished tops are all pretty well done, with a couple of slightly misplaced zips and marginally gaping necklines. Joyce comes last because even though it looks perfect she didn't follow the pattern. Patrick calls her infuriating, which does nothing to shake my love for her. Josh actually manages to come second, and Tracey wins.
For the alterations challenge, everyone is asked to turn a sari into something "eastern inspired". This results in a LOT of pairs of harem pants and a Hammertime moment from Claudia. Patrick and EsMay are delighted that people have been creative enough to make trousers instead of rolling their eyes at this roomful of white people thinking that Eastern = belly dancer or Princess Jasmine, but maybe if we hadn't started this series with that dull-ass parade of skirts their standards would be a bit higher.
Jade makes her trousers way too small and has to insert (not terribly well) a panel on one side, and Joyce sews her trousers closed on the mannequin. They come seventh and sixth respectively, and I start to get a bit worried. Josh makes a belly dancing outfit by lengthening the top for some reason, Rumana makes a dress quite similar to what EsMay is already wearing, and Charlotte makes trousers that Patrick wants. He does not end the episode wearing said trousers, which I feel is a grievous oversight on the part of the producers. Tracey wins for the second time in a row with an interestingly detailed pink caftan.
For the final challenge, everyone is asked to make an African wax-print dress, which needs to be fitted but exaggerated and dramatic. I am very excited to see actual fitting as opposed to capes and dressing gowns and goddamn circle skirts. As well as the fitting, we will be seeing pattern matching and peplums. ALL of the peplums.
Tracey makes a knee-length peplum dress but messes up her episode-long streak by not really fitting it to her model. In an episode where the standards were pretty high, I think she could have gone home for this had she not done so well in the rest of the episode.
Josh makes a full-length dress but didn't quite think his pattern placement through properly. He also gives his model one accidentally pointy hip, which is totally a thing I've done before when grading out for my massive hips.
Charlotte makes a ruffle dress out of a big circular print, and is commended for avoiding the Target Boobs look. Patrick is very against the gathering at the waist, EsMay is more concerned that the fit isn't quite there.
Angeline makes a strapless peplum dress and choker; she creates the most effective peplum out of anyone (having it slightly longer than the skirt in the back), but the bodice of the dress is too long for the model.
Joyce makes a peplum dress very similar to Tracey's, except hers fits perfectly. She does it all properly, calls herself "biddable", basically daring Patrick to dive into the innuendo pool. Which he does not, because he is a giant fraidy cat.
Jade makes a fitted dress with boning, because Jade likes boning (wa-hey). The effect is good, except that it's slightly too tight. Based on the fact that this was the dress they used in the previews, I assume she's safe.
Rumana decides that she doesn't want to jump on the peplum train with everyone else, so she makes a sheath dress and a giant cape, which is super interesting and dramatic and awesome, and also well fitted. Well done Rumana. Claudia puts on the cape and channels her inner superhero by sweeping down the room, sticking her foot up on Josh's desk and saying hi to him. Claudia would be the best superhero.
The judges deliberate, and Garment of the Week goes to... "the infuriating Joyce". Yay! She will celebrate by drinking DOUBLE YAY GO JOYCE. Going home this week is, finally, Josh, in the one week where he didn't really screw anything up, which seems both unfair and quite fitting. I will miss Josh's cluelessness and complete inability to understand the themes for the alteration challenges, and I will miss his hat considerably less.
Next week: vintage patterns! This should be fun.
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