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"It'll be better next time" is a phrase that rarely brings the reassurance the speaker intends, but it's the best thing that can be said for Project Runway. The book is now closed on Season 6, which was beset by legal problems, second-rate contestants, uninspired challenges, inconsistent judging, absent judges, too many one-day contests, and the wrong venue. Let's pretend it never happened and hope that Season 7, back in New York and with Michael Kors and Nina Garcia guaranteed to be on hand for all the challenges, will induce a case of selective amnesia.
But first, the formalities: Thursday night brought the second part of the finale (and someone needs to tell the folks at Lifetime that "finale Part 1" is like "a little bit pregnant"—it is or it isn't the finale), and there was only one question left unanswered: Who would win? The collections had been out there since the Bryant Park shows back in February, and Tim Gunn had explained the meltdown shown in Lifetime's promos for the finale in a fabulous interview with the Los Angeles Times. After an avalanche of faint praise (Nina Garcia, "I thought they all put a lot of time and effort into their collections"; Heidi Klum, "It really looks finished"), Heidi named Irina Shabayeva this season's winner.
Despite Irina being the clear favorite going into Fashion Week, her victory was by no means assured. The judges praised Althea's coolness and her talent for connecting with "the street." They enjoyed Carol Hannah's impeccable draping and tailoring and her willingness to play with color (at least in comparison with the others—the whole show was like a scene from Pleasantville). What won it for Irina was that her collection was the most cohesive. Too cohesive, perhaps—every single garment was black, which doesn't photograph well. As Nina Garcia observed, "It gets very little editorial, black." Still, Irina had a story—"My collection is all about New York. ... What it takes to survive in this city as a woman. It's about comforting and shielding yourself"—and she paid attention to detail. She was the only designer who had made hats to accompany her looks, for example, and, overall, her pieces looked as if they belonged in Bryant Park rather than at a high-end fashion show in a suburban mall.
Still, there is one unresolved issue. As Tom & Lorenzo, the kings of Project Runway commentary, revealed earlier this week, the T-shirts that garnered Irina so much praise weren't exactly all her own work. The slogans were copied from "Reasons To Love New York," a December 2008 piece in New York magazine.
Oh, Gucci, maybe Season 6 isn't over yet after all.
Previous Project Runway Recaps: Week 1, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11, Week 12
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The final challenge involved a trip to the J. Paul Getty Museum, where the designers were told to create a look using the Getty Center as inspiration.
Only three of the five remaining contestants could go on to Fashion Week in Bryant Park, and they didn't make the judges' jobs easy. John William Godward's sexy 19th-century painting "Mischief and Repose" inspired Irina to create a dowdy below-the-knee dress in what looked like sea-foam crepe; an ornate French bed led Carol Hannah to design a full-length gold gown; and the Getty's architecture drove Althea to produce a pleated-pattern skirt that, according to Tim Gunn, looked like "a panel of puckering." Nevertheless, they won the right to show 12 designs in New York.
Christopher stared at some algae-spotted rocks and conjured a garment typical of his style: a cute top paired with an unnecessary corset and an absurdly heavy stiff long skirt. Gordana was inspired by Monet's The Portal of Rouen Cathedral in Morning Light to make a gorgeous dress in silk organza that everyone agreed was both beautiful and clearly connected to the original painting. They were the final designers of the season to hear Heidi intone the words, "You're out."
Stats
Number of times Tim Gunn said, "Make it work!": Tim was far too busy reminding the designers how much was on the line to utter those three little words.
Number of crying contestants: Even Irina got a catch in her throat. Who would've thought that Althea was the most tear-resistant contestant!
The Contestants
Gordana may have lost her grip on the fan favorite prize this week. She and Irina ganged up on Carol Hannah, and she didn't thank the judges when she bade them "Auf Wiedersehen." But her biggest error was to make too much of her humble origins in the former Yugoslavia. Believe me, I know very well that the race of life has a staggered start, but her rivals were a self-taught gay man from the sticks of Minnesota; an autodidact from Charleston, S.C.; a big-haired bottle blonde from Dayton, Ohio; and an immigrant from the Republic of Georgia. Not exactly the Harvard Sewing Class of 1999.
The Judges
Talk about womanpower! With Michael Kors absent, and only one male contestant in the final five, Episode 12 was an estrogen explosion. Fashion designer and former Design Star judge Cynthia Rowley and "supermodel and style icon" Cindy Crawford took their places next to Nina Garcia.
The panel didn't make much effort to disguise their true feelings. The praise for Irina's ugly dress was comically faint: "I liked the inspiration that she chose" (Rowley); "She had a very clear vision, and it definitely did refer to the painting" (Crawford). Nina didn't even dissemble, declaring it "very old lady." Irina is the clear leader of this year's middling pack, but if this had been a normal week, she would have made her first appearance in the bottom three.
I hear America screaming: When Nina confessed, "I don't know who Gordana is as a designer," you could hear Project Runway viewers across the land yell, "Maybe that's because you missed five weeks of judging!"
Did the judges send the right people to Fashion Week?: Yes. It has been a mediocre season, but the three designers who are heading to Bryant Park are the ones with the strongest points of view. I haven't liked a single outfit that Althea has made, but aesthetically and trendwise, she fits into the fashion world far better than Christopher or Gordana.
Bold prediction for who'll take the big prize: At this stage, the smart money has to be on Irina.
Previous Project Runway Recaps: Week 1, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10, Week 11
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June Thomas is out of the office today, so Torie Bosch is filling in for this week's Project Runway recap.
Is it almost time for Bryant Park yet? Everyone seems to be running low on fresh material this week. The bad-tempered designers are accusing one another of swiping ideas, and the challenge itself is to "create a new look based on your best look." That's "best look" as defined by the judges, and a dreary collection of garments it is. There's not a single vibrant outfit, as each is gray, black, or brown. Surprisingly, no contestants quibbled with what the judges determined to be their best work of the season. I expected more whining.
Althea's high-waisted black pants, which bloused out before hugging the calf, gave her the win. Logan's attempt to complement his silver-and-black gown from Episode 1 resulted in something from a bad sci-fi movie, and he was booted.
Stats
Number of times Tim Gunn said, "Make it work!": Nada! Though we did get a clipped "Use your time exceedingly well." Maybe he's testing new catch phrases.
Number of crying contestants: None! Carol Hannah spent much of the episode looking on the verge of bursting into tears at any moment, but perhaps her eyes were just irritated by mounds of liner and eye shadow.
Was Logan shown sans shirt? Nope! The PR gang didn't even give us a chance to say goodbye to the pecs.
The Contestants
Each voices some variant of the phrases "The pressure is on" and "It would be awful to make it this far and be sent home," which is a bit of a head-scratcher. Hasn't the pressure always been on? In the early episodes, doesn't everyone say how terrible it would be to get auf'd before showing what they can do?
Our designers can barely stand the sight of one another at this point. Althea and Logan bicker about whether her pants look like the jodhpurs that got Malvin canned. (They do, a little.) Irina asks of Christopher's look, "Why is one dress throwing up the other?" Althea accuses Logan, without actually saying it to his face, of copying the zipper collar she created for the Christina Aguilera challenge. During a meal break, she and Irina engage in a low-voiced hate-chat about how much they loathe Logan while shoving food in their mouths, but Althea apparently realizes later that she overreacted. In a talking-head, the fury seems to have passed: "I was a little annoyed, but I personally like how I used it better anyway, so. ..." Later, Irina complains that Althea stole her idea for a voluminous sweater and refuses to help Gordana locate a hook-and-eye.
It's clear Gordana is going to be at the bottom from the moment pictures from her childhood in the former Yugoslavia are flashed on the screen. Those forays into the designers' personal lives are a clear indicator that someone's struggling. Touching back story = weakness.
The Judges
The game of musical chairs continues. Michael Kors is nowhere to be seen, but Nina is in town and cranky as ever. Sitting in for Kors is Season 2's Nick Verreos, whose orange face I'm happy to see again. And as guest judge we have actress Kerry Washington. Her critiques are thoughtful and on point, but she can't match Nick, who's been practicing his zingers. Gordana's black skirt and gray blazer, he says, would look right on "an office worker in Warsaw, Poland." Yikes.
In a heated exchange, Nina and Heidi disagree on Irina's luscious brown outfit, with a brocade dress and oversize cardigan. Nina thinks the dress is too tight, making it look a bit cheap; Heidi would beg to differ. While the exchange was perfectly polite, their faces were chilling. Perhaps the tension was merely an expression of how fed up they were with the crabby designers: Althea and Irina made veiled, passive-aggressive references to the Great Collar and Sweater Idea Theft of ‘09, and Logan committed the fatal error of admitting, before being asked a single question, that his look was "on the brink of costume." Have you learned nothing, Logan? Don't feed the judges their lines!
The Results
Garment of the week: Irina's. I'm a sucker for that warm brown, and the too-snug brocade dress was pretty. Plus, the other five looks were drab, ugly, or both. The fatigue from sleep deprivation, total isolation, and constant demand to come up with new ideas-and the awful challenge of revisiting old looks-is showing on all of them.
Should Althea have won? No, those pants were dreadful. While the judges praised Carol Hannah's little black dress as something "we all could wear," perhaps a dozen people in the world could sport Althea's look without appearing foolish.
Should Logan have been eliminated? While his look wasn't quite as "innovative and out there" as he claimed, Gordana should have gotten the boot for her "sad, drab, and dated" creation, as Heidi said.
Bold prediction for who'll be auf'd next: Gordana. She seems to have given up-just let her go home.
Previous Project Runway Recaps: Week 1, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6, Week 7, Week 8, Week 9, Week 10
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After a run of vague challenges, this week's assignment was pleasingly precise: Design two looks that are blue and consistent with Macy's INC International Concepts brand. The designers worked in teams of two—but unlike Week 3's tempestuous pairs challenge, the collaborations were relatively drama-free.
Irina won for a blue-and-white dress that Heidi declared "flirty and feminine." Louise was sent home after she and Nicolas—who had immunity—sent two ruffle-heavy garments down the runway.
The highlight of the show was the return of much-missed judge Michael Kors, which is a sad commentary on the bland designers.
Stats
Number of times Tim Gunn said, "Make it work!": Zero. That old, tired catchphrase is but a distant memory.
Number of crying contestants: One. Christopher was so verklempt that he couldn't defend his garments against Michael Kors' vicious onslaught. Louise's eyes were slightly damp, but she seemed relieved to make her exit.
Logan sex object watch: Mr. Neitzel didn't get much air time—but enough for Gordana to confess: "We all think he's hot. The boys like him as well." At this point, Epperson is the only human being in greater Los Angeles who hasn't declared his lust for Logan.
The Contestants
Strangest revelation: Louise makes chicken noises while she works.
Irina's audition for the role of "bitchy guest judge": "[Carol Hannah and Shirin's] stuff looks like it was bought in a discount store. It's very '$10 shirt on sale for $5.99' kind of thing."
The Judges
Michael Kors was back and oranger than ever! Sitting alongside the top American designer were Marie Claire's Zanna Roberts and Macy's executive Martine Reardon.
Those five weeks in spray-tan seclusion brought out Kors' mean streak. But give the man his due: Every barbed arrow was right on target.
How Kors saw the outfits: "looks like a bridesmaid's dress with a shower loofah ruched up the front of it"; "looks like a tablecloth"; "looks like a librarian's shirt dress from 1979"; "looks like a teal charmeuse disco pumpkin."
Not to be outdone, Heidi harshed out. Her most devastating critique was of a detail at the neckline of Christopher and Epperson's disco pumpkin top: "It's kind of like she was eating lobster, and she put this in there, and she forgot to take it out." (For me, it was more like the ruffs that Justices Sandra Day O'Connor and Ruth Bader Ginsburg pulled from the Supreme Court accessories wall.)
The Results
Garments of the week: Althea and Logan were ignored in the workroom, so it was clear they were safe, but why? The tarty business suit with the skirt that slowly insinuated itself into the model's butt crack was the tackiest and most inappropriate outfit of the challenge, and their ill-fitting trouser look stretched the dictionary definition of blue.
Should Irina have won? Absolutely. She combined textiles and fabrics to create a gorgeous pattern, and she made a well-cut dress that looked fresh and seemed appropriate for the INC brand.
Should Louise have been eliminated? Yes. Her designs didn't reflect the brand aesthetic. After noting that the line was simple almost to the point of austerity, she produced a ruffle-fest.
Bold prediction for who'll be auf'd next: Gordana. The "next week on Project Runway" teaser showed her on a tearful phone call with her family, which is often a foreshadowing of doom. Nicolas deserves to go, but the producers love his demon dishing.
Previous Project Runway Recaps: Week 1, Week 3, Week 4, Week 5, Week 6
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Praise Prada, finally a slightly unconventional challenge. The contestants schlepped out to a Los Angeles Times printing facility so they could gather materials to "create a design using newspapers as fabric." (Doesn't the LAT deliver anymore?) Unfortunately, as has so often been the case this season, the assignment was maddeningly vague.
Irina won for a stunning trench coat with a faux fur collar and sleeves made from crumpled newsprint. Johnny was eliminated for a lazy, last-ditch effort that looked like a less-chic version of Lisa Simpson's shift dress.
Stats
Number of times Tim Gunn said, "Make it work!": One.
Number of crying contestants: One. Johnny bawled through his valedictory video.
Was Logan shown sans shirt? We barely glimpsed Logan, much less his bare chest.
This Week's Drama
During Tim's visit to the workroom, the magnificent mentor told Johnny (accurately) that his dress looked "like a craft project gone awry. It looks like a bunch of kindergartners did it." Johnny immediately consigned the dress to the recycling bin but later told his model that his first attempt had been ruined in a freak ironing accident, a lie he repeated several times, including on the runway, where another flight of fancy led him to describe his original creation as Dior-like. An eye roll from Nicolas led to an excruciating confrontation on the runway. When Tim bade Johnny a chilly farewell, he was clearly infuriated, telling the other designers, "I'm incredulous at that utterly preposterous spewing of fiction."
The Judges
Put out an orange alert: Where is Michael Kors? The top American designer was AWOL for the fourth consecutive week, and Nina Garcia sent in a sub for the second time in a row. It's hard to know whether these key judges' absence was caused by distance (their working lives are in New York, 3,000 miles from the runway) or contractual issues (Lifetime and Bravo were locked in a legal battle while this series was being filmed), but it's a problem. The rotating cast of judges has robbed the show of consistency. This week's panel consisted of designer Tommy Hilfiger, Marie Claire senior editor Zoe Glasser, and guest judge Eva Longoria Parker, who was classy and constructive. The rotating cast of characters must make it difficult for the designers to get a sense of what the judges are looking for.
Judging is always subjective, but some of this week's rankings seemed downright random. Gordana had a fully fleshed-out design concept: to use "unconventional fabric to make a conventional look." Instead of rewarding her vision, the judges dinged her for making a wearable dress that Heidi claimed to find boring. The fact that the garment was flawlessly constructed, had an interesting color story, and had no muslin infrastructure counted for naught, and Gordana ended up in the bottom three. Meanwhile, Althea's dress, which used a repeated image to create an architectural feel, was wildly overpraised. It had an appealing silhouette, but it was poorly fitted in the bodice, and muslin peeked out from under the hem. Despite her creativity and superior sewing skills, 45-year-old Gordana has twice been up for elimination. Is it crazy to blame ageism for her low scores?
The Results
Garment of the week: Christopher's full, feathered skirt flowed beautifully--and offered a dramatic contrast to the stiff, armorlike bodice. While most of the models minced rather than strutted down the runway to protect the fragile fabric, his strode confidently.
Should Irina have won? I was hoping for a tie with Christopher, but Irina deserved her victory. The coat had that certain je ne sais quoi. As Tommy Hilfiger gushed, it was "Coco Chanel meets St. Laurent meets Givenchy in the '60s and '70s."
Should Johnny have been eliminated? Without a doubt. Still, it's fun to wonder if Tim would have intervened if Nicolas had instead received Heidi's Kuss of death.
Bold prediction for who'll be auf'd next: Nicolas. The longer he stays, the more imminent his departure becomes.
Previous Project Runway Recaps: Week 1, Week 3, Week 4
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In a season of insipid challenges, this was the dullest yet: Create an "eye-catching look" for the models to wear at "an industry event." Lifetime's investment in Models of the Runway and the rule change that guarantees a lot more model-swapping this season scuppered the challenge from the start. Since the models now needed all the designers to like them, they weren't going to bellyache about the design process, which is traditionally the most excruciating—and fun—part of the "crazy client" challenge.
Althea won for a cheap-looking black suit over an ill-fitting gray top. Qristyl was sent home for a tasteful but boring black jersey dress.
Stats
Number of times Tim Gunn said, "Make it work!": One. (Is it just me, or does Tim seem so over that catchphrase?)
Number of crying contestants: One. Epperson made like the ecological Indian after a phone call to his family.
Was Logan shown sans shirt? You know it.
Why Contestants Should Leave Judging to the Pros
Nicolas on Epperson's third-place garment: "[He's] going to be at the bottom. That just looks like a rag."
Irina on Althea's winning outfit: "Althea's looked like crap. ... It would've looked nicer if she had stapled it together."
The Judges
Where in the world is Michael Kors? He was absent for the third week running and sorely missed (most worryingly, Heidi has dropped the "sitting in for Michael Kors" locution); designer Marc Bouwer, the love child of David Sylvian and Iggy Pop, took his place. Nina Garcia was also AWOL, so Marie Claire editor Zoe Glasser subbed. The guest judge, "costume designer and top celebrity stylist" Jennifer Rade, distinguished herself by sexually harassing one of the contestants, telling Logan, "You're really cute, and I like your pants and your sneakers." In a season when some of the judges' decisions have been wackadoodle, it was downright stupid of her to suggest that she was taking his looks into consideration.
Tim Gunn's cattiest caution: "It's just looking like she's been rolling around in bed."
How Heidi likes to see breasts: "For me they have to be perky, and they have to be in the right spot."
Klum line most likely to become a ring tone: "I'm obsessed with boobs. That's just my thing."
The Results
Garment of the week: Louise's beautifully constructed black silk dress.
Should Althea have won? No! Three garments, three eye-sores.
Should Qristyl have been eliminated? Yes, it was the merciful thing to do. The dress was chic, but Heidi was right: It wasn't youthful. No model wants to look like the oldest woman at an industry event.
Bold prediction for who'll be auf'd next: Nicolas. The judges have clearly noticed his tendency toward the trashy.
Previous Project Runway Recaps: Week 1, Week 3
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