Friday, April 26, 2013

Project Runway - Finale Part 1


Alright Addicts, my plague that has eaten my body is down to mostly just a cough. So let's see what I can pump out while I still have motivation. I also had to lay down the law in a very serious way since my dratted cat has murdered yet another valuable cord of mine. She's killed 2 phone chargers, my tablet charger and now, dread of all dreads, my laptop charger cord. I hate her right now. She's being banished and shunned, and I'm not sure when she'll work her way back into my good gracious for such a disgusting display of disrespect (alliteration, yay!)

 Previously on our designing show the designers all went to a different European country, that is, except for Michelle (which as we learned was actually a huge advantage). Everyone agreed that Stanley and Michelle deserve to be at fashion week, but no on believes in WL, that is, except for Heidi. Heidi and Nina had a hot debate about WL and in the end, of course Heidi won. So our final 4 are Stanley, Michelle, Daniel and WL, leaving bitchy, arrogant, mean girl Layana out in the cold. Good riddance.


The designers are all sitting around for the last time before they are sent off to create their 12 piece collections. They are given $10,000 to create a fall collection. Michelle is very excited, that's exactly what she designs for. The designers all pack up and head to the airport. I laughed during season 3, I think it was, when Laura said, "Fuck it! I'm walking home!" since she lived right in New York anyways. I think that would be the hardest. Being literally within walking distance from you family, but you can't go see them.


Four months later, I'll give you one guess who Tim goes to see first. Did you pick Michelle? That's so clearly Portland, Oregon! Ha! Sorry, Portland. You're way more weird than that, and I love you for it! Tim of course stops to see WL first on the reservation. I'm shocked to see so much snow in New Mexico! He meets her whole family and has a meal in her childhood home. I find most of the family visits to be useless and not enjoyable. That's true of everyone, not just WL. They go to see her studio and it's a very large...dwelling, for lack of a better term. It's quite literally a small home. Like a poor college kid could be living the wealthy life if they lived there. Most of the visits we see the studios are in some cases mere rooms in their houses. She's a lucky one, this one. We see she's working with horse hair.


She shows him these prints that are going to be used in a jacket to show the fate of youth. Tim tells her that these drawings make it so literal that it loses any sort of metaphorical greatness and comes off as crafty. That's because all her work is crafty, Tim. Why do none of you see it. Tim gives her a ego boost and tells her how proud he is of her.

Michelle's visit is up next and I feel like she's truly the one to beat. They start with a pointless family meal. Michelle is wearing a shorter version of the leather strip necklace that she made for the Miranda Lambert look. Tim says that he was the one that whispered into Heidi's ear that she needed to not be eliminated and given another shot.

They go to check out her collection, and true to real form, it's in a smallish room in a warehouse somewhere. That's what I feel the studio should be. Her inspiration for the collection is a lone wolf, hunting to survive on it's own.


I'm really enjoying her pieces, but I always do, so that's not surprising. I am not surprised to see the color palette, but she's even wearing the color herself! Tim's last worlds to her are, "Don't over-design!"

Onto Daniel's visit in Austin, Texas.


Umm...Daniel? Is that you in there? What happened to your head?! Tim comes to the door and of course he's already crying. Good gracious. They came from Puerto Rico, which I didn't know. But other than that it's just more pointless family moments. Am I a terrible person that I don't care?

Daniel's inspiration is a combination of the cosmos, Salvador Dahli and the trip to Germany. He says he decided to use the colors of the cosmos...but all I see is black, red and white and used this fabric called stingray.


The way he got the shape on that fabric was by having it sit in the sunlight and he molded it with the heat from the sun. That's impressive. Tim is impressed with it. There are a lot of cool looking pieces, but there is one very frumpy looking coat. Tim points it out and asks what "grandma's robe is doing here?" Daniel says, "It's cashmere with leather, isn't that pretty?" Tim quickly responds with, "No." It's so matter-of-factly. I love it. Daniel even shows him some other ideas and Tim shrieks out, "NO! What was in your head when you did this!?" God bless you, Tim Gunn.

Onto LA to visit Stanley. It's again a small room in an apartment. I'm a little worried about what I see so far though, from the pieces. Based on what I've seen, this is easily Michelle's to win. That is unless Heidi shows enough of her naked body to make sure WL wins.


He's going for a vintage vibe, but there's almost no skin showing. It doesn't make any sense to me. I don't see Stanley in any of these. We get our pointless family visit after the look at the collection. We get the shortest time with Stanley.

4 weeks have gone by and everyone is arriving back in New York. Daniel arrives first and then Michelle. He's not that happy to see her. For some reason he still has a bad taste in his mouth from the Lord & Taylor challenge where he went off the deep end and started making not true comments about a 21 year old. Michelle doesn't understand why he is being guarded with her, and when he tells her that it's all in the past, she says they have no past! They hug and move on. So weird. Stanley arrives next and then WL. I find it so funny that Michelle seems to love WL so much considering how much she hated her before.

The designers are start to reveal their pieces to each other. WL thinks Daniel's pieces are too safe, Daniel thinks Michelle's pieces are over-done, Stanley doesn't like WL's taste, and everyone is shocked at how unfinished Stanley's pieces are. In some cases he just has fabric, and muslin patterns made! That's pretty shocking! Michelle thinks he's set himself up for failure.

There isn't a "Make a companion piece!" moment, yet. They are to pick 3 pieces to show the judges so they can be chopped down to 3. Tim announces that they'll be given sewing assistants yet again, but that's not a surprise, that's how every season has gone. The helpers arrive and Richard is with Stanley, Samantha is with Daniel, Layana (who is pregnant) is with WL while Michelle does a happy dance to get Amanda as her partner.

Tim comes in for another Tim Gunn visit. He stops with Michelle and loves her work but he thinks that she is going a bit over board with all the accessories she has attached. She shows him how easily it can come off he tells her to load it up and show them on the runway what she just showed him.

Stanley gets read for not showing enough skin, and having it look matronly. Stanley tries to defend himself as it being a fall collection, and you don't show skin in fall. Not in Wisconsin, you don't. You usually have your winter coat already.


Are you kidding? Tell me it's a joke. It's not. It's Dr. Seuss! Shut the hell up. How is this woman presenting at fashion week!? Tim has a "positive" reaction to the head piece. Shut up, Tim. I don't say that often, but get outta here. He does tell her that one of her other pieces looks like a lumberjack, and he's not wrong. I am filled with such WL hate. None of her pieces are flattering or form fitting.

Daniel gets concerned moments from Tim. There's not any great, "I love this!" from Tim. That's never good. I seem to see only black from Daniel as well. When Tim leaves the models come in and the pants don't seem to fit any of them. Michelle also is a bit of a pinch with making her pants too small for the models.

Layana and Samantha have a moment where Layana says that she thinks everything but the horsehair cape and black pants is a disaster! She doesn't even know how to be helpful. I'll tell you. You burn it all.

Day of runway, and we have a rush of finishing pieces and pointless hair and make-up consultations. Horror of horrors, there is more than just one of those Dr. Seuss wigs. Stanley gets mad because once again Richard is incapable of working with anything that's not jersey. Michelle says in interview that it's not Richard's fault that he showed up with completely unfinished pieces.


Heidi is leopard print! The skirt has a weird proportion, sort of. And I like the minimalist make up on her face. There is no guest judge this week, it's just about the core members who have seen all their work since the beginning.

Stanley's work is up first.




I like it, but it's very old-lady. I was expecting much more from him. They do look like a cohesive collection though.

Water Lily is next.




I do enjoy the cape, more than I think I should, given my hatred for her. But that Dr. Seuss dress. That's a joke.


LOOK AT HER FREAKING FACE! She's already eating up that shit. Ugh. Well I think from that face alone we can deduce that WL is heading into the final three.

Daniel is up next.




It's all boring. None of those pieces are particularly amazing. That final look is a dud for sure.Other than he worked with a difficult fabric, it's nothing exciting.

Michelle is last.




 Winner, winner, chicken dinner. They all look amazing. They look cohesive. Her inspiration is very clear. Winner.


The judges start with Michelle first. Heidi likes the three pieces. Posen likes the proportions and the dress to casual. Everything is very wearable. Nina loves the pants. Their critique is to have less bags. Nina disagrees with the hair and make up, that she needs to do something else. They ask about the wolves on the sweaters and she says she had crazy Joe from earlier in the season (the guy that sells the insanely expensive cat sweaters) and had him make it for her.

Daniel's next and he talks about his stingray and that the collection shows his range. The only string throughout the collection to make it cohesive is the stingray. They try and say nice things about his looks but they're all bored. I always feel bad for the models. It would be hard for me to not take it personally, despite the fact that it has nothing to do with her, she's a walking hanger. Heidi says she's underwhelmed. He's in the bottom for sure.

Dr. Seuss comes out. Heidi loves the horsehair cap and the wig, but she (SHOCKER OF SHOCKERS) doesn't like the black and white dress with the eagle feather print, she also questions the cohesion. "Welcome to the wonderous worbelous world of Dr. Seuss" says Nina. We're like one mind! Posen tries to say that calling it Dr. Seuss is a compliment from the two women because they both have kids? What? For the first time Heidi doesn't solely kiss her ass. I'm stunned.

Stanley is up next and it looks very vintage, and not modern to me. Stanley gets very similar critiques as Daniel. Nina tells him to inject some sexiness to his collection. Posen is confused with the amount of time that he had why he presented these looks. The judges all tell him that his looks are dull and old. He needs to be modern.

So what do we learn? Michelle is the only one with a successful and modern collection. Can they just crown her now? Michelle tries to tell them in the back that everyone is going to show. I don't think so. This isn't a situation where they love everyone's collections. They love one and sort of like 3.

The first designer called to show at fashion week, is Michelle. Of course. The next person called is WL. I am stating it right now, if she wins, I will scream such a rage that my neighbors will fear a murder has occurred. Stanley is called in, and Daniel is left out. I'm not surprised. He started out so strong, but he stumbled hard long the way.


Crazy hair and face! Oddly enough, no crying! How is that possible? Is it because he knows that he still does get to show at fashion week? I wonder who were the decoys that got to show at fashion week. I'm sure he's part of the decoy collection.

Our final episode aired last night and I'm about to watch it and recap, so stay tuned!! Michael Kors is a guest judge! YAY!!











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