This week, the seven remaining designers will get the opportunity of a lifetime to meet one-on-one with the buyers - it's buyers' choice! Earlier in the week, the mentors visit their teams to announce the challenge, creating whatever it is the buyers desire. The big question - how many stores will each designer target? For now, the teams are disbanded, and the game is moving to every man or woman for themself. As a group, the mentors will visit each designer individually after they've gotten their instructions from the buyers. Silvia meets with Caprice, who wants her to concentrate on making her very distinctive brand more accessible. Terron advises her to think specifically about black and white. He thinks she's the most talented of all the designers, but she still needs to prove it.
Erika advises Daniel to start looking through the Express lens; so far his designs have been too specific. Terron reminds him that clothing designs are only creative if they sell, so Daniel decides his main goal is salability. After two weeks in the bottom two, Amber focuses on what Caprice has to say, since she has yet to sell to Macy's. Caprice wants to see if Amber has what it takes to design an entire capsule collection. Erika wants Amber to channel a youthful, modern woman, who goes from office to a night out. Both Caprice and Erika tell JesseRay and Garrett to work to their strength, which is knits. They'd like a new classic they can sell in a wide selection of colors.
Johana's already started creating her classic look in hopes of selling to Saks, a minimalist blouse. Daniel presents a design for a jacket to the mentors, claiming it's "normal." John quickly takes issue; normal is not a good word for Daniel, who promises to give his jacket a unique personal touch. With three conflicting asks - Terron wants black and white, Caprice wants shorts, Erika wants a top - Hunter decides to design a romper that caters to all three buyers. Likewise, Silvia has decided to make a jumpsuit, putting her in direct competition with Hunter.
Since the buyers have told Amber to stay away from her Southern roots and broaden her range, she's decided to design a wear-to-work peplum blazer. Daniel's nervous that he's not feeling nervous enough, so he decides to start changing stuff to make his jacket more special. Cassandra hones in on Caprice's request for a wear-to-work daytime dress, while keeping Terron's preference for black and white in mind and creating a silhouette to target the Express girl. Jessica loves Hunter's structured take on the romper and JesseRay and Garrett's sweater-knit vest design is coming along great.
With an hour to go before the runway, Daniel is freaking out, unsure whether his mesh-collared jacket will be salable enough. He's not alone; Silvia is running around the studio like a mad woman, unsure she's giving her very best - can she pull it off? John's team is first to show their looks on the runway, and Cassandra is first to face the buyers with her day-to-night dress. Saks doesn't bid, but pretty soon it's game on as Macy's and Express try to outbid each other. When Macy's offers a whopping $175,000, Express steps out of the action. Not only did Cassandra hit the nail on the head, Caprice tells her to look towards the finish line! Jessica and Nicole are both huge fans of Cassandra's dress, and John warns that everyone should get the hell out of Cassandra's way.
When it's time to bid on Silvia's jumper, Express is quick to bid $55,000 - but then Terron throws down the gauntlet, bidding $200,000! Much as Erika loves the jumper, she's not willing to match Saks' bid. Jessica's crying , watching Silvia's dreams come true. But not all the designers' dreams will come true tonight, as all three vendors decline to bid on Amber's peplum blazer. Next to the runway is Team Jessica. Hunter's first to present her fitted romper to the buyers. Saks already has a jumper, so it's up to Express and Macy's to battle it out. But when Macy's bids $200,000, Express steps out of the war. Caprice insists the fitted, leg-baring romper is a slam-dunk, and Jessica claims she would wear it in a heartbeat.
JesseRay and Garrett have created a knit vest for this week's challenge. When neither Macy's nor Saks bid, Jessica steps up to vouch for her designing duo - people at home will be upset if they can't buy the vest! Sadly, her best campaigning doesn't work on Erika, who doesn't bid, since JesseRay and Garrett's design isn't the new modern classic she was hoping for. Nicole's first to comment after her team's runway show, and she's very proud of their work. Daniel's jacket is up for grabs first, and all three buyers are quick to bid nothing. Terron wonders whether Daniel's jacket was overengineered, and Erika's confused. Who wears this jacket and when?
Saks doesn't like Johana's blouse, but Macy's and Express really do. Nicole encourages Erika to get into the bidding war, urging her to "grow a pair." Erika rallies, but when Macy's bids $165,000, Erika backs away. This week, all seven designers are vulnerable, so Jessica, John and Nicole decide to start with the three designers who didn't get bought when considering which two they'll put up for elimination. This means Amber, JesseRay and Garrett, and Daniel are going under the microscope. In a stunning turn, the mentors decide to put all three of them up for elimination!