Project Runway - Finale Part 2

It’s the end, Addicts! We’ve finally come to the true finale moment of season 11, teams edition of Project Runway!!! Are you as excited as I am? It’s been a very long and arduous journey! We’ve seen many a designer get sent down the river to the land of no-one-remembers-who-you-are! We’re left with 3 of them to fight it out at the actual fashion week! We saw Daniel get removed from the equation and I don’t think anyone was sorry to see him go.

The designers are all excited to have a top 3 instead of some bullshit top 4 that they claim they’ve never done before, which they totally have. The designers still have their helpers of Amanda, Layana and Richard. They are going over the critiques that they received last time and are re-evaluating their collection. Tim comes in to tell them that they’ll have time to have a full hair and make-up consultation to make any changes they want. There is also another big surprise. This is right about the time that they announce there will be another design they need to make.

Instead Tim tells them they’re going to Mood! Look, even Stanley managed to muster a fist pump! They get an additional $500 to buy extra whatever they might need. Stanley is going through and is redoing 5 of his dresses. There’s one piece that Michelle isn’t in love with and so she’s doing a new piece. WL needs to change up at least 4 looks, she says, and needs to work on cohesion, because guess what, there is NONE! At all!

The trip to Mood is entirely uneventful. WL is having Layana make a new tank top while she makes a pair of leather pants, and she finds that there are 2 holes in the leather she has. That would piss me right off. Stanley used a lot of his money to have some Russian ladies hand-bead and lace his pieces. He looks over at Amanda and Michelle in their own little world, laughing and working seamlessly together and he’s jealous.

There’s a really long segment where the designers meet with the make-up guy and there’s really nothing exciting to tell you about it. He just does a lot of product placement. Layana knows that WL is in big trouble because she’s really far behind on what she has to get done.

There’s a random little vinyette of Dmitry from last season. He makes Heidi a dress.

It’s pretty! But I was always a Dmitry fan, so oh well! He’s doing very well since his winning season, on a very international level.

Back in the workroom, we have 2 days until the runway. Michelle is very confident and feels good about her collection, and she should. She seems to be the only one that’s actually almost done. WL is listing all the things she needs to get done and I have no idea how she’s going to do it. Michelle is struggling to pull back on adding accessories. She has a natural reaction to add more. They then get a pointless hair consultation for more product placement.

Tim Gunn comes in for a Tim Gunn moment. He sees the new piece Michelle has made and he’s crazy about it. He tries to warn her away from using the compass, because her woman is so cutting edge, she would have modern technology that a compass feels wrong. She then shows him a sweater she had made.

Oh my! It’s bold. Tim tries to warn her away from using the sweater because it feels like it’s from another collection. I may not totally enjoy the sweater, but I think it fits the collection. Michelle says that she will listen to what he has to say but the decisions remain with her.

He comes over to visit with Stanley and he doesn’t have finished looks enough to show Tim what the new feel to his collection will be. Tim actually tells him that based on 2 of the looks it feels as though he simply went to a vintage shop and bought the 2 gowns. Ouch! I can’t disagree with Tim. His looks are all very old! Stanley says that he knows a lot of designers are inspired by vintage clothes so he doesn’t take it as an insult. That’s not what he said, Stanley! Yes, designers are inspired by vintage clothes, they don’t design vintage clothes. They take the old and put a new twist on it. None of your stuff has a new twist on it! Tim says he has a lot of work to do, and he does. He still has to do all of the fittings!

WL has her time with Tim and she says it’s going to be cohesive, but not at the same time. Umm…no. That’s not what they asked you to do! Tim asks if there’s any way that one of the pieces could not look so stark white, and Layana reminds WL that she has a piece of ivory chiffon. It takes her a good minute on the show to find it, and that’s with editing. Tim is rather appalled at her lack of organization. Her shit is everywhere! It’s just in random bins.

How on earth could you ever find anything!? I’m an organization freak, so maybe that’s just my tendencies screaming out of my body to fix her station, but I’ll try and keep those things to myself… When they finally find the piece, is still is too white. Tim says “Cohesion, cohesion, cohesion!” This isn’t your chance to show a random smattering of what you’re capable of. This is a supposed to be a fall collection that potential buyers will want. Not arts and crafts fair at the reservation!

Michelle is literally the only one that has her shit together. The models are coming in and they are making their tucks, folds and pins here and there. Stanley is quite literally designing his pieces on the model while she’s standing there. Michelle actually offers to bring the 2 other designers coffee while they’re both sweating balls at the sewing machines. She tells Amanda that it’s annoying to her that the other designers are so under-prepared. She knows it bodes well for her, but they could also “pull a rabbit out of their hat at the last minute.” Her only real snafu is that a zipper is being particularly difficult to put in.

The sewing helpers leave and instead they send in the designer’s family members. Michelle has her husband , Stanley has his mom and partner Steve, WL has her 2 kids that come in. I have to wonder what happened to the husband…maybe it’s something awful and he died and I’m a terrible person.

Tim comes in for one last gather-round moment and he starts to get weepy as he usually does. But it’s in the best possible way! I remember there was a weird reunion episode, I think it was a reunion episode and all the designers had put together a big “Thank you Tim, we love you” montage of sorts. He just sobbed. I LOVE HIM! I want to carry him around in my pocket with me. He tells them Michael Kors will be their final guest judge and he completely understands where they are in this process, but he doesn’t know them like the other judges.

Michelle is still packed and has time to spare. She steps in and helps Stanley pack up his stuff and do a little bit of hand sewing. He has a moment where he actually just babbles. Legitimately babbles. I’m so confused! What happened to you, Stanley Hudson!? You were so together and beyond everyone else.

It’s the day of the runway! Yay! Stanley still has 4 dresses and a top to do. Yikes. We get backstage and all the people that are there to help dress the models is set to help Stanley sew his looks. WL isn’t too much better. For real, guys! I’ve never seen such a bunch of unprepared designers for fashion week before, on this show! EVER! He better hope he’s going last. We get to see assorted previous designers from the show come and be in attendance.

The judges all walk out and Heidi is sans eye-make up with just a huge pop of red lip. It’s bold. But I think I would’ve at least thrown on some mascara or fake lashes or something. When Heidi comes out, we still see Stanley sewing. Holy shit! Heidi has a little “I love you” moment with each of the judges. It’s sort of awkward and feels unneeded. Michelle is the first to present and come out.

I hope you’re ready for pictures, because there’s gonna be a ton!

I love it. I love the whole collection. It’s so great and grand and wonderful. It’s everything I expected from her. I may not agree with her personality, but damnit I want some of those clothes! Her hat falls off during her final walk, but she handles it gracefully.

Water Lily presents her pieces next and says some of it in her native language. She says the collection is inspired by trees. What?

I didn’t get the trees thing, but then again, I didn’t see cohesion. It’s not as terrible as I thought it was going to be. I’ll give her that. She didn’t go totally off the deep end, but it’s still a pretty terrible line. If she wins…over Michelle?!

Stanley is our last designer, since his pieces weren’t even done until just about 2 seconds ago. He’s very stiff and boring, but that’s not news.

It’s not very good. It’s still very old. There are a couple of high notes though, more so than WL, but it’s not winning. I’m sorry, but this competition is so very clearly Michelle’s win, that if anyone else win’s it will be ridiculous.

Every once in a while I’d see this glaring thing in the audience.

Oh, Mondo. I love you dearly, but really? This isn’t Japan! Get it together!

There’s the usual random assorted celebrities that say who’s they liked best. Of course they have to find people that say everyone’s name. You couldn’t leave anyone out. When someone has to describe your clothes as “they have a sense of humor” that’s generally not good.

The judges have a little private moment where they congratulate themselves on their “Teams!” idea and getting these 3 to the finale. Then the designers are brought out for their swan song. I want Michael to rip WL to shreds like he would’ve had he still been a judge.

Michelle is up first and she talks about her lone wolf inspiration. Heidi enjoys the story it creates. They all seem to enjoy the opening piece she had. Nina can see the cohesion in style, silhouette and color. Nina and Heidi both beg for a heart sweater (the one Tim didn’t like…). Kors gives her some trouble for the material that the final gown is made out of. It is a bit stiff. He tells the designers that they shouldn’t feel obliged to put in a big gown at the end. Heidi didn’t enjoy the Florence and the Machine like dress because it gave the girl big hips. Posen says when he “starts to decompose it”…I think you mean deconstruct. Fearful, if you actually meant decompose like a body. The judges all know who she is as a designer and they love her looks. It’s in the bag.

Water Lily is up next and she either made the fabrics or the embellishments on all the pieces. Kors likes a lot of her stuff. What? No! Michael! “Oh my god, the art teacher is on an acid trip!” YES! That’s more what I want from you. Heidi admits that she’s been a fan since the beginning. She gets on her soapbox and heaps all kinds of praise onto her. Posen told her that some of her pieces make the models look older. Nina is very warm and nice to her. She agrees that her creativity is remarkable. It feels like they’re all trying to make it seem like it’s not totally Michelle’s win.

Stanley is our last designer to get judged. His woman is “a woman who goes to work but enjoys going shopping for things that are not run-of-the-mill”. Kors doesn’t get a working woman from the clothes, at all. Agreed. “This is Betty White on Dancing with the Stars!” I’ve missed him. Posen loves the beading but he thinks the mix of materials was a bad choice. Heidi noticed that there was a lot of mad-dash sewing done at the end. Nina and Heidi both agree that the final gown before them is very matronly. He got stuck in the 1950’s and that’s where he’ll die.

There are pretty useless moments where they plead for their lives. WL actually pulls out the race card a bit saying that she wants to represent a culture that’s never been shown before. That feels like a last ditch effort. Like she’s in her full garb at the pow-wow begging for a win.

The judges pretty quickly eliminate Stanley from their running. They think he’s stubborn and doesn’t want to hear their message that he needs to make it younger. They agree that he was better in a team because of his leadership but when he was on his own he fell flat. They are building WL up pretty tall. Well they have to try, right? They can’t sit there and be like, “Hey, we all loved Michelle’s the best, hands down. Let’s just do this!” They think that some of Heidi’s critique’s of Michelle’s pieces. Nina sort of begs to not let them be swayed by WL’s artisanal style.

They bring the designers out. Start saying your prayers now because I’m a little worried this will be Gretchen-gate all over again! Stanley is immediately eliminated. That’s not a shocker. They WL first, and I’m terrified because Dmitry was called first last season and he won. But she’s out!!!! PRAISE THE LORD!!!!!! I’M SO INCREDIBLY HAPPY!!!!!

Michelle is the winner. Again, I think she’s a mean girl at heart, she had some very catty moments, but her clothes were by far the best. There was no question about that.

Next week there's a reunion episode and it looks to be catty, particularly for Daniel, who shaved off his villainous mustache. He looks so weird!