That was a really good episode! I'll be talking about specific designs & events, so stop reading here if you don't want to know.
First of all, NO mention of last week's VenGate? Like it never happened, or like none of the designers had anything more to say about it?

Some fancy editing, PR producers! Maybe they figured enough damage had been done. (And it was...there was a lot of fallout online & on TV, and some say Ven's career will always carry that mark.)
Anyway, yea - L&T's lovely store and a nice, "normal" challenge this week. Apparently, the more you cry & get yourself worked into a dither, the better your work will be. I'll have to remember that when I'm sewing!

Alicia -- the black sleeveless with the dropped waist & the high collar. I didn't like it. Dropped waists remind me of Laura Ashley dresses from the 80's. The addition of that collar (shiny fabric?) was confusing. I know she was trying to inject her "aesthetic" (love it when they use that word), but I didn't think it worked.
Christopher -- saw him sewing the lines on the bodice & thought here we go -- another chenille quilt from Christopher! Kudos to him for noticing the collection could stand a long dress, but really...how will the "real" L&T customer clean that, without it turning into $300 worth of frayed silk threads? That fabric technique is impractical for anything but a chenille quilt!
Dmitry -- loved the jagged neckline but the rest of the dress was blah. And I didn't like the fabric choice.
Elena -- UGH! Unflattering shape, can't wear even a bandeau bra under it, and how many different shades & panels of fabric did she have going on there? She should have been auf'ed, but the judges loved it and that left me wondering. Would you buy that dress if you saw it on display with the 9 other classy looks @ L&T??
Fabio -- that black dress should have won. It should have had an invisible zipper, but it should have won. It looked very L&T.
Gunnar -- not a bad shape, but he went overboard with the lace & sequins. When they put him in the bottom 2, I started to smell a rat. I didn't think they'd get rid of him simply because they'd "seen it before." And when they sent Alicia to safety, I REALLY smelled a rat! As in, "2 designers quit a few weeks ago, so we have to do something drastic" kind of rat...
Melissa -- the top defied gravity, and her model was sliding out the side of it, if you know what I mean. The taper on the hem was too long. Didn't she stay with her original fabric choice after all? (There is a horizontal bodice seam, if you look at the close-ups online.)
Sonjia -- boy, they really let her have a slide, with that tight squeeze & that peplum. I thought she'd be bottom 3...but now I see that there never was going to be a bottom 3 for this episode.
Ven -- oh Ven! That "rose" looked like a giant boil on the model's chest, ready to pop! It just didn't work this time. Too tight of a space for it and too much folded fabric. It stood up like a pyramid! He should have gone with his other monkey trick, the fabric pleats.
So I would have sent Alicia to clean up her space & sent Fabio to L&T's window. And I would have clicked 2 of Heidi's dresses together & sent her back to Kansas and Auntie Em!!!!! She's lucky a house didn't fall on her.
Next week's preview reminded me of that "Clothes Off Your Back" episode, where they had to beg for people's clothes to work with.