#BloodSweatHeels Recap: “Pop Goes the Runway” [Episode 4]
New York Fashion Week has arrived and amongst all the glitz and glam, NYPD makes a stunning appearance – more on that later. All the “Blood, Sweat and Heels” gals are prepping for the festivities.Geneva, who describes herself as a fashion journalist is conducting an interview with designer Byron Lars, for Italian Vogue.
She’s so very proud of herself. Meanwhile Daisy is chatting up Cynthia Bailey and Kenya Moore, of “Real Housewives of Atlanta” fame. She also interviews Michael Costello, who designed a dress for Beyoncé, Daisy’s personal wig hero…No – really! Daisy named her entire line of wigs after various Beyoncé (who knew she had a line of wigs).
Mica is busy vetting venues for her flash-mob-themed “pop up runway show.” Her idea is to yell “fire” in a crowded restaurant. Hope someone informs her that this is not speech protected under the first amendment, as it could cause panic and endanger the public. She says she aspires to make her show just like Barnum & Bailey’s circus. Let the chaos commence!
We catch up with Melyssa as she chats about her anemic love life with new cast mate Arzo. Mel’s in her apartment primping for a first date, who she found through a matchmaker. Arzo advises her not to get sloshed.
Next, we see Daisy and Demetria meet for lunch – trying to melt the glacier that has formed during their “cold war.” Demetria laughs nervously about her impending book launch and nuptials. Even though the chat goes well, Daisy keeps mum about her condition. She does not want to rekindle their friendship based on sympathy for her cancer.
At a swanky restaurant, Melyssa seems to hit it off with her handsome new suitor, Victor. In her interview, she gushes that her womb likes him and she’s ovulating now. She flatters him about his gym-honed physique, orders a bottle of red wine to accompany dinner, then Victor drops a buzzkill bomb. He’s in no rush to inseminate just yet – the dinner takes on an awkward tone, including lots of sighs from Mel. “He doesn’t cerebrally stimulate me,” is her verdict.
At Chantelle’s place, her brother and sister-in-law stop by for a visit all the way from the working class city of Birmingham, England. Despite her humble origins, Chantelle has always been ambitious – so she knew she had to follow her dreams to NYC. She came to the U.S. at the tender age of 22 and started her first company, Flawless, at 27. After filling her brother about her last breakup, they laugh as he teases her about considering being a lesbian or even “open her back door” to love. A little brotherly banter…U.K. style.
During Mica’s casting call, she struggles to find talent, since most of her models are booked in other Fashion Week shows. She is looking for starlets with stage presence who can also drop it like it’s hot…looks like it’s slim pickings so far.
Next, we see Arzo in her sales showroom – where she helps independent designers launch their brands. “Fashion is everything to me, I think I was born with a hanger in my hand,” she enthuses – ouch! Sounds painful.We are introduced to her income-challenged, 27-year old boyfriend, the inexplicably named, YestirDay, who is clad in flowy floral trousers. Perhaps this is why Arzo has not introduced him to her conservative family – Guess who’s NOT coming to dinner?
“Bloody hell!” is the first thing Chantelle says as she enters Geneva’s shoebox-sized apartment, latte in hand, “what’s this about you being in jail last night.” “Handcuffs on me, and everything,” she sobs. “To be treated like some dirty criminal is just really f**d up,” she interviews. According to Geneva, she took a cab ride that should have been a $10 fare, but her aggressive taxi driver took long route to the nail salon, and when Geneva called him on it, he stopped in the middle of traffic and demanded she get out. Geneva dialed 911, but saw a traffic cop at the same time who told the cabbie to keep it moving because it’s illegal to stop mid-traffic. The cabbie kept the meter running – so Geneva refused to pay the inflated fare. “He just thought I was some black girl from the hood and not a woman with three degrees,” is her assessment of his behavior.
No sooner was Geneva in the nail salon, than cops arrived and demanded that she either pay the full fare or go to jail. Then the officer “ARRESTES” her over a mere $15. After hearing Geneva’s angst over being racially profiled, Chantelle philosophizes that, “We believe in one race, and that’s the human race.” If only NYC were so utopian…Guess she refused to pay, because the police carted her off in cuffs and made her cool her sweat and heels in a jail cell all night. “If you are black in America, you’re vulnerable, you’re a victim. You don’t have to be Trayvon Martin with a hoodie, you could be a black woman with a Prada bag,” she states. Guess a designer bag is not a get out of jail free card.
Later, we catch up with Mica, who is mid-meltdown over several of her models canceling last second. Perhaps she should have planned this pop-up party with more than five minutes notice…Still, the show most go on.
In a less hectic part of town, Demetria and her sullen fiancé head to a gourmet tasting for their wedding menu. He mumbles his way through dinner as they argue over who wanted the least frilly wedding. “We could go to IHOP or Red Lobster for the reception,” he suggests sardonically. Demetria describes his romantic proposal, “He slid off the couch and showed me the ring. I was in my headscarf. It was not cute.” Wow! what a catch!
It’s finally time for Mica’s event, and there are plenty of unsuspecting guests in attendance. The pop-up portion of the evening is running late – which gives Chantelle time to fill Daisy and Arzo in on the Geneva situation. Arzo is skeptical about Geneva pulling the race card. “It has nothing to do with race! Geneva, you turned into a fiery meatball, and that’s why you got arrested!” she wags her finger at the camera. Melyssa laughs that she has been arrested five times, and agree with Arzo that the situation is hilarious.
Meanwhile, Mica leads the models in a group prayer. She sends her models out into the crowd with little more than bikinis and glow sticks. As they solemnly parade around, the guests look less than impressed, but Mica sees their baffled faces as proof of the show’s success. Chantelle and Arzo get into it about Arzo’s making light of Geneva’s arrest. Chantelle’s calls Arzo and Afghan hound. Cruel, but funny. “It wasn’t about her race, it was about her face,” she expounds.
Melyssa tries to diffuse the situation, but fails, and Arzo and her boy toy retreat – leaving the party in a flurry of talk-to-the-hand gesticulations.
Next week, the girls all continue to nip at each others heels. Meanwhile the debate over Geneva’s arrest continues – was it racist or was Geneva just being ratchet?
“Like” us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter
