The Fashion Show Ultimate Collection: Synergy with the Real Housewives

The name of the game these days is Synergy.  And so, for this week's installment, Bravo has let the Real Housewives from both New Jersey and Orange County play with the folks on the Fashion Show.

1. The Challenge. Specifically, the designers are required to design a ballgown fit for a charity gala. Calvin is immediately freaked out, and in a serious case of pot calling the kettle, declares: "I don't work with clients because they're kind of bitchy." Truer words were never spoken Cal, at least with respect to some of the Housewives.
Because Team Emerald won the challenge last episode, they get to choose which set of Housewives they would rather work with. Cesar, who watches both the New Jersey and OC versions of the show, insists that his team should choose the OC because the California girls fight far less. As such, Team Nami is left with the Jersey girls.

2. Isaac's Take.

Real Housewives of Orange County.

Team Emerald chooses champagne and gold fabrics to unify their collection. Isaac warns them that pale gold can look cheap, but doesn't otherwise give them much input and the designers get to work. Cesar is crazy worried about his housewife's real boobs and he becomes obsessed with making a built-in corset. OK, sounds good and all, but the question is do most of the women he has made clothes for have fake boobs or something because he really seems obsessed with it? 

At the fitting, Jeffrey's housewife hates her dress, which has a completely covered front (which we don't think looks great on someone with so large a chest), and she begins clawing at the front of the dress like she's going to suffocate. Calm down lady. As a result, Jeffrey completely cuts the front of the dress and a dress which could have been elegant is now cheap. Golnessa's fitting is also terrible. The dress looks quite lovely on her housewife, except for the fact that it's about 4 inches too tight and won't even close up. As a result, Golnessa is forced to add a panel to the side of the dress which ends up looking like a vagina. Not attractive.

Team Nami, usually so calm and collected, has its own issues. They have decided to use ocean jewel tones of blue and green. Isaac tells the team to think about using darker colors as these will look better on real women with real body parts, unlike models who don't have any. The designers get to work and it is soon apparent that Cal, who seemed to have calmed down a bit last week, is no longer on his best behavior. He continually tries to tell David what to do, and in Cal's defense, David is the weak link at this point and he does need help. Unfortunately, Cal's abrasive personality tends to rub people the wrong way and David rebels against Cal's suggestions.  When Cal is not telling Dave what to do, he is busy making a second dress so that his housewife, Teresa, will have more than one choice. Unfortunately, even two dress choices are not enough for Teresa, who likes the first dress, but is told by the other ladies that she looks like a stripper in it, and doesn't really like the second dress, because it is not hootchie enough. Cal basically threatens to kill her when she suggests that he make a third dress.

Real Housewives of New Jersey.

 And David, David, David. Well, David has made a dress fit for a leprachaun. The fabric appears to have been taken from the curtains at Tara. And Caroline's fire red hair completes the Irish flair of the dress. Dominique is ready to slit her wrists it seems. She spends most of the episode pouting about Ro being gone, trying to deny her feelings for David, and crying because she just knows that David will be sent home. At this point, Eduardo steps up as the leader and gives David a blue chiffon, which he was going to use for his own dress, to cover his gown. The effect is beautiful and we are reminded that Eduardo pretty much saves the weak members of his team week after week. Cal steps in to help David with a zipper and David tells him to back off. The two designers then exchange insults about whose dress is uglier. Uh oh. Nami appears to be in big, big trouble. Cal's frustration even spills over before the runway and he fights with Caroline.

3. The Runway.

Along with the normal judges, socialite and author Susan Fales-Hill will be guest judging. She actually does quite a good job.

Team Emerald is up first.

Cindy's one shouldered champagne pink dress is pretty complicated. It has one shoulder with a peek a boo bodice and pleating down one side. Overall, we think it is quite pretty, and would be exquisite if just a bit better executed. The judges like her dress.

Jeffrey's dress is awful. We love the jersey fabric, which looks luxurious and expensive. Unfortunately, the lady who is wearing the dress makes it look cheap as she does not have the body to pull it off and every wrinkle, lump and imperfection is glaringly apparent. Plus, Jeffrey has included cut out details in the side and the back which would be nice on a 100 pound model, but are scary on Lynne. And the low cut front, which Lynne insisted upon, has added to the disastrous effect. Iman hates it and we know he's in trouble now.


Golnessa and Cindy with models.



Golnessa's dress, we think, is pretty.  Like her business partner Cindy, her gown also has one shoulder with a peek a boo bodice, but instead of pleating down the side, the bottom of the gown has a flounce attached around it. The fit is just awful and the added panel, which she used to correct the fact that the gown was too small, is downright vulgar. The guests love the top of her dress, but hate the flounced bottom and find the fit completely awkward and wrong.

Cesar's ballgown is another disaster in our opinion. The bodice looks nice, but the ballgown is too short and it creates an ugly lampshade effect. The judges praise Cesar's gown for the construction of the bodice, but hate the bottom.


Team Nami is up next.

Calvin's slinky aqua dress is not revealing at all in the front, but the back is low and strappy. The dress is tight and shows Teresa's curves. We don't think it's too stripper. We do, however, agree with the judges that the front of the gown does not fit her hips properly. We're not huge fans of aqua gowns either, which we think can look kind of high school prom/ bridesmaid.


Dominique's dress is a darker teal color, which has a high boatneck and an a-line shape. She has also included an inlaid ribbon effect down the sides, which we think could have been a good idea, but, as Dominique later admits, she was unable to execute properly. We don't hate the idea of her dress, although Isaac calls her dress convoluted. It certainly appears to be tortured, but considering the fact that Dominique was in tears the entire episode, it could have been worse.

David's dress, which originally looked like a leprachaun/ Gone With the Wind dress, is now quite beautiful. The blue chiffon overlay has created a gorgeous color and softness to the dress. To us, it was the best dress, and the judges  like it very much, too, but during judging, David admits that the overlay, which is the main reason the dress is successful, was Eduardo's idea (good for you Dave for giving credit where credit's due, by the way).

Eduardo's dark aqua dress is yet another Marchesa-inspired structural gown. It is pretty and well-executed and it looks fabulous on his housewife, but we are bored, and the judges warn him, again, that he needs to branch out. Despite this warning, the judges are very impressed with how the gown looks on Housewife, Dina.

After each team receives their criticisms, Iman announces that the winning team is the House of Nami. We agree. Eduardo and David are the best of Nami, but Eduardo ends up with the win (and he should as he is basically responsible for both of the top looks).



Unfortunately, that means that Emerald is back in the bottom. And Jeffrey and Golnessa have the worst looks. We actually think Cesar may have had the worst look this week, and, he certainly seems to be slipping more and more each week as Team Emerald sucks the life out of him. But, for now, he's safe and Golnessa is out.

Until next week, dear hearts, ciao!