As the episode title implies, last week's "Project Runway" gave the designers a chance to do something very special: create a look from fabric that they designed.

This was the first time contestants have been given such a unique opportunity, so naturally everyone was very excited. Tim Gunn was joined by this week's guest judge, designer Vivienne Tam, to explain the challenge and to hawk some of HP and Intel's wares. Usually, the product placement kind of annoys me, but it may have actually worked on me this time around. Now I feel like I NEED one of those HP TouchSmart PCs, regardless of the fact that I have no real use for one and probably couldn't justify the expense. Still, my mouth was watering watching the designers virtually paint their fabrics on the screen. Who cares about Garnier? Give us more of the geek stuff!

Speaking of, Vivienne was the obvious choice to sit in on this challenge, as she created the fabulous HP Mini 1000, aka the "digital clutch." Yes, I want one of THOSE, too.

Contestants got an hour to design their fabrics, which were to be manufactured and ready for them the next day. The rest of Day 1 was spent shopping for supplemental fabrics at Mood ($100 budget) and getting as much of their designs done as possible, substituting muslin for their custom fabrics.

On Day 2, the designers lit up like kids on Christmas morning when they arrived in the workroom to find their personal fabrics waiting for them. Everyone was amazed at how well they turned out, and standouts were Maya's red and black "electric" pattern and Seth Aaron's pinkish "pop art." Emilio's bright blue fabric with black graffiti print of his name, "ESOSA" (with a heart in place of the O) was kind of a polarizing creation. Personally, I thought it was very '80s. And as a true '80s kid, I quite liked it. One I didn't like was Maya's "paint drip" fabric, which Anthony said looked like LEGOs.

To make matters worse, Mila's design only sparingly used the multi-colored fabric on a drab, white maxi-dress, making her garment literally look like a painter's dropcloth. While Jonathan's light gray fabric looked pretty on the bolt, his design—complete with a hideous gold jacket—quickly got out of control. Meanwhile, Maya worried that she was in trouble because of her lack of experience working with prints.

When Tim visited, he encouraged Anthony to be more ambitious. As a result, Anthony scrapped his original bodice design and tried something different. Tim was wowed by Maya's print, but not so much by Emilio's. But ES♥SA refused to change anything and didn't appreciate having his fabric "mocked." 

Emilio had no problem (secretly) mocking Mila's design, calling it a "white teepee." (I can't really fault him for that, as it's a pretty on-the-nose description.) Mila (secretly) questioned both Emilio and Anthony's taste level, while convincing herself that her awful dress was the best of the bunch. 

Finally, it was time for the runway show. After the panel judged the seven designs, Jay was sent off to safety, leaving the Top 3 and Bottom 3 designers.

The highest scores went to Emilio, Maya and Seth Aaron. Kors was in love with Emilio's abstract pattern, and was impressed that Emilio created a "signature fabric" that could be used in a million different sizes and colors. All of the judges thought Maya's print was the best, and Nina really felt the "electric" vibe that Maya tried to create. Heidi once again praised Seth Aaron for remaining true to his style, while Kors appreciated how impeccably made SA's pieces were.

Although I thought that Seth Aaron's edgy three-piece "suit" was the design that really stood out, Emilio was named the winner. Hmm, I guess the Fantastic Mr. Gunn isn't always right!

The lowest scores belonged to Anthony, Jonathan and Mila. Vivienne didn't feel like Anthony was "adventurous enough" (Tim's back to being right again!) and Heidi was bored with the dress's silhouette, which "they've seen before." Nina told Jonathan that his outfit made her "sad," and that it was "too conceptual." Kors really got Jonathan riled up and on the defensive when he described the design as a "disco straightjacket" over a "dirty tablecloth." The judges all hated Mila's dress, which was so tight and stiff that her model had to "hobble" down the runway. Heidi rightfully blasted it as something "stuck in the '70s." (At least Emilio used his '80s fabric in a contemporary way.)

Mila was left to disco another day, while Anthony and Jonathan were left on the chopping block. I knew it was coming, but I was still sad when Heidi announced that Anthony was out. He took it in usual Anthony style though, with a big smile and positive attitude. And hey, one of his dresses is on the cover of Marie Claire right now. Go pick up a copy!

There are six designers left, two of whom I hope don't make it to Bryant Park: Mila and Jonathan. Mila because I don't think she's as versatile or creative as the other designers, and Jonathan because...well, let me tell you. I used to really like Jonathan. But this week he pulled a total dick move. I never watch more than the first five minutes of Models of the Runway, but sheer laziness prevented me from the changing the channel last night. And it was this episode that turned me against Jonathan. His model, the spunky Irish lass Cerri, has been my favorite this season. (And by "favorite," I mean "the only one who actually caught my attention.") I liked her even more after I saw her stand up to Kors and vehemently defend Jonathan's design.

You would think that would make Jonathan appreciate her more, right? Well, no. Since the judges told him that he didn't know how to flatter Cerri's body type, he used that as an excuse to pick another model, which resulted in Cerri's elimination. Cerri seemed pissed, but took it in stride. But that just did not sit well with me. Way to reward your model's loyalty, jerk! Seriously, Jonathan, was it Cerri's fault that your design failed? Sorry, dude, but if you can't make a model look good, I doubt you can design anything flattering for the rest of us.

Auf wiedersehen - see you next week!