Model Clients

After last week's collaboration assignment, our eight remaining designers have learned to expect the unexpected...which is exactly what they get when Heidi asks them to chose a model before hearing their next challenge.   Nora's name is last out of the bag, so the final selection rests on her narrow shoulders. She picks Melissa, ending Audrey's shot at the much-desired Elle magazine spread. Little did they realize that they weren't just selecting models but also choosing their next client. The challenge is to design a wedding dress, and this time those who wear the clothes will get to call the shots. Having seen Morgan (or "Morganza," as he calls her) drive other designers to distraction, Jay wonders if he hasn't made a fatal choice. Before they get to work, Tim stresses the importance of not abdicating design responsibility to their new clients. "You want to win this and if you're feeling really uneasy about what's going to be presented on the judging runway, don't do it." Good advice, but tough to follow when presented with requests for roses (Melissa), jewels (Olga) and "see-thru" (Morgan).   With only two days to work, they'll have to find away. (Of course, one wonders how many 20-minute wedding dresses Mario could have produced in that time.) Armed with $300, the designers go shopping. Austin, targeting something beyond the traditional, is drawn to a pricey teal print. Nora buys as many roses as she can, but is having trouble reconciling Melissa's fantasy gown with her own aesthetic. Jay grabs something sequin-y, while Robert goes for the lace.   With the designers hard at work, a few of the models decide to check in, some with boyfriends in tow. Morgan seems pleased with Jay's direction, though Martinique isn't sure about Robert's lace -- until Kara swings by and mentions how expensive it was. Olga, who has request that Kevin spend time painstakingly applying baubles, is upset that her dress is unlined and scratchy. Fighting the clock and in some cases their own better judgment, everyone steels themselves for a tough runway.   Here come the brides...but which designer will be left at Project Runway's altar?