S13.E14: Finale, Part 2

[Ms Blue Jay]

I can never really quantify what season has better designers or whatever.  I've watched every season and I think it's just so subjective I have no idea how to even come up with arguments.  The debate just never does it for me.

 

However, there is one thing I will say with the utmost confidence and that is the show needs to give designers more time, for every single challenge, and for the final runway, and for everything.

 

Kini used no colour.   Just black, white and grey.  I also don't get the denim obsession.  I do like denim on jeans, but I don't like it on any other clothing piece.  Skirts, shirts, dresses..... almost with 100% certainty for me it's a no thank you.  I don't think it's flattering, and I don't think it looks expensive enough to not look cheap.

 

Char's was too trendy.  I really think the perfect word for it is "trendy".  I was wearing shirts like that in early 2000s --- the style was very hot back then, when I was in college and we'd all go clubbing.  That's fine and I'm not trying to make fun of her or something but the older I get the more I realize that focusing on quick-passing trends is usually a bad idea.  You will buy clothes like Char's and then like them for a half-season and then never wear them again.  For really rich people it makes sense but for everyone else it just doesn't.  Anyone who wants to be smart with their money should invest in something they can actually see themselves wearing for at least 3 seasons or more.

 

Amanda's was pretty good.  I agree that the black leather and brown suede gave a huge feeling of luxury to her collection.  I liked the huge graphics - the circles.  I wanted Amanda and Sean to be the top with a slight edge over Sean.  I can't believe I agreed with the judges that time; I'm pretty confident that that rarely happens.  For example, I am not a Dmitry fan.  I wanted that Dumpster Diver guy to win.  That orange dress in Sean's finale put the hugest smile on my face.  I agree that the model was spectacular but I think the dress was almost as spectacular as she was.

 

I did feel kind of bad for Amanda because the judges acted all season like they were ready to crown her the winner so this was kind of an upset.

 

 If the designers are choosing the diversity of models then I applaud them.  This is a huge issue in the fashion industry right now and whether it's the individual designers or the show that is pushing the racial diversity of the models they are actually being innovative and at the forefront of the 4 major fashion capitals, some or most of which are really behind the times.

 

BTW a lot of the models were downright ugly.  Two of Amanda's with the long wavy hair looked really drugged out, (red, tired eyes) as if she was going for Jenny Gump's look in the 1970's when she's about to jump off the balcony.  And I love models!

Edited October 24, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[dialyn]

It's funny that Kini wears lots of color in his personal wardrobe but seems so restricted in his colors when he makes his clothes.  He and his partner Dinko Satta have created collections under their business name of KINIandDINKO, and it looked to me as if there was more of an infusion of color and lightness to the clothes (though much of Kini's basic designs are there, of course) which affirms my suspicion that Kini works best with a partner who can contribute some creative ideas.

 

I'm not a fringe kind of person, but I thought Sean's fashions walked the best on the runway....the fringe and/or fluid fabrics add movement and life to the garments.  Of course they aren't street wear.   I rarely see anything on a runway that could practically be worn in real life.  One big reason fringe isn't practical: cats. Enough said.  But in the never-never land of fashion where we pretend any of this is important, it is all about the fantasy and Sean is the only one that came close to delivering that.  His collection stood out from the other three.  I'm not surprised he won.

 

I'm not part of the Amanda fan club so I know ahead of time I tend to be very hard on her.  I didn't care for her jewelry or her clothes or her color choices. It just seemed more of the same and I was underwhelmed.  Amanda will succeed in her way because she just keeps doing what she does--I'm sure she'll  keep turning up on variations of Project Runway and other shows because Amanda is really all about selling Amanda the brand. Nothing wrong with that. That is what our society is all about these days. For me, that brand is pretty boring but I realize other people would disagree.

 

Char knows her niche and she has no intention of breaking free of it.  I think she accomplished what she set out to do.  Not everyone wants the same things out of fashion and Char is going to go her own way.  Good for her.

 

So it wasn't a spectacular season but I'm not going to have problems with my blood pressure over the way it ended. 

[Wootini]

I don't find Amanda's clothing as free as they kept saying. The models kept holding their clothes, I found her long dresses so stiff and boxy, and it's not new. Maxi dresses are not a new thing.

 

YES! My husband said the same thing when they were walking: "Take your hands out of the pockets!" I thought when they reached the end, they'd take their hands out, but they didn't. I wanted them to let the dresses move on their own instead of holding it out in front of them so stiffly. Now I suspect that the reason they kept their hands in their pockets is because the fabric WOULDN'T have moved well.

[lorikauai]

Meh. They were all okay and likeable enough. None of the collections wowed me or horrified me. Sean wasn't my favorite designer but only once in all of the seasons of PR has my favorite actually won.

[stafford]

Ha, my father always said he never trusted a person that always kept their hands in their pockets. He felt they had something to hide.

I do think Char will be treated with respect in Detroit and I think that's great. Detroit has a terrific Christmas Parade every Thanksgiving and if anyone from Detroit is on a competition show (American Idol last year...with the person not even close to being a finalist) they get to ride in a car or on a float. It's pretty cool and yes, it's very small townish but very sincere. Char may not be headed to a big fashion house but I loved her story and I love Detroit.

[keti]

I continue to be shocked by all the "You are the most talented group of designers EVER!" comments. Wtf?

 

I'm beginning to think Tim is on drugs, statements like this are just so ott and unnecessary.  Fine, if you want to give them a pat on the back then say they did a great job or whatever but most talented???  I'm amazed he can say it with a straight face.

[sinkwriter]

One thing that amused and charmed me: Sean's reaction to winning. The way he kept crossing his hands over his chest and bending over like he couldn't breathe, I kept waiting for him to pass out. 

[dialyn]

I'm beginning to think Tim is on drugs, statements like this are just so ott and unnecessary.  Fine, if you want to give them a pat on the back then say they did a great job or whatever but most talented???  I'm amazed he can say it with a straight face.

Tim is often effusive when he talks up the designers at the end.  That's just his way.   When he stands with the designers as they look at the fashions go down the runway, he talks as if each one was the clear winner and reinforces whatever positives the designer has to say.  And I do think they are trying to make project Runway seem more significant than it is.  I think Heidi said this was the best runway show they ever had.  Really?  Can that be said with a straight face? But she looked perfectly serious when she said it.

[Calamity Jane]

To my utter shock and amazement, I guessed correctly last week who would win.  When Zac said something to Sean about his having designed a dress for Heidi that was seen around the world, I just knew Sean would win.  I'm so often wrong about these things!  Nice to be right for once. 

[KLovestoShop]

While I know they have "cohesion" pounded into them for the final show, I just didn't like the fringe.  Although fringe looks good with all the movement, it's just not wearable unless you have the perfect event.  To me, Sean is nothing more than a one trick pony.  Plus, I don't think I would want to wear something that reminds me that I have to get my car washed.  We have one car wash that has the blue fringe cleaners and on the other side of town there's one that has orange.  That's all I can think of when I see his designs.  And, no matter what anyone says, I heard a lot of laughter and making fun of the blue fringe gown Heidi wore with most saying it looked like something from the car wash.

 

In reality, I don't think anyone in this group was overly exciting and Tim was insane to say this was the best group ever.  Kini's love of denim did him in and the Char and Amanda just didn't do it for me.  Kini has talent in design and construction, but he needs to break out some color.  I hope Char finds success as I rather like her as a person.  I wonder if any of the TV shopping channels will give any of these designers a job.

[sinkwriter]

I think Kini needs to embrace his bubbly personality and inject a little of that into his designs. He's not the type to be all drama and solemn black and grey (and dark denim) colors. It just doesn't fit him. Perhaps once he figures that out, he'll find his niche. And then -- between that, his impeccable detail/technique work and his super fast sewing -- he could be unstoppable.

Edited October 24, 2014 by sinkwriter

[Day2Day]

Whatever it is, it certainly seems to have impaired his judgement.   "....the most talented group of designers EVER".   Uhhhhh,   nyet !!!!

[Ms Blue Jay]

Kini is easily one of the most genuinely likeable PR contestants since the beginning of the show.  I was incredibly moved by his family embracing him after his loss.

 

I think Kini needs to embrace his bubbly personality and inject a little of that into his designs. He's not the type to be all drama and solemn black and grey (and dark denim) colors. It just doesn't fit him. Perhaps once he figures that out, he'll find his niche. And then -- between that, his impeccable detail/technique work and his super fast sewing -- he could be unstoppable.

 

It's almost intimidating or frightening how great he could be.  It's like 2 halves of a personality fighting each other, or one entire part of his personality being untapped.  I kind of think it's exciting that it hasn't happened yet.  This was a tough love situation for him that was necessary and he'll grow from it.  I think it's a great metaphor for understanding what good art is, but I don't even know what that lesson is yet ha ha

Edited October 24, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[roctavia]

Char actually did win.  In all 13 seasons, she was the least deserving to show at Fashion Week.

 

But she got that platform.  So good for her.

 

Given some of the people who have made it to fashion week, I would find that a bit of a stretch...

 

But obviously, fashion is subjective, so we don't all agree....

In 13 seasons that's at least 40 people who have shown at fashion week (not including all of the decoy collections, which if I understand correctly, still get the full audience to showcase their work), and I don't think Char's was the worst collection to have ever walked the runway. She's not the only person to get a second chance of some kind and end up at fashion week.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Jjrmt

[Cramps]

To those who asked about the decoy collections:

They usually have the top 8-10 designers show collections--this includes the finalists and the ones who got kicked off right before them. I assume they all get the same amount of money, as early on they didn't and it supposedly made determining who the decoys were too easy.

The reason they do this, is because fashion week occurs about six or seven weeks before the finale and they don't want who the finalists are to leak to the public. What's interesting is that sometimes the decoy collections are better than the finalists' collections.

All the designers know there will be decoy collections, but none of them talk about it on camera. So yes, sometimes more than half the designers make it to fashion week. They are just not televised.

If you look at the crowd shots from last night's finale, you'll see that the last few designers to be let go are all seated together--and they are filmed fairly close up. Those shots must have been filmed either before or after the actual show, because all those designers showed this year and were part of the finale. Which is one of the reasons Karina was there. (I assume contractual obligations was another, since she is doing the reunion).

And I would never compare Gretchen's collection to Amanda's. I saw Gretchen's in person years ago. It was totally uncool--whereas, I actually like Amanda's aesthetic a lot.

[lulee]

I too do not understand the timeline and decoy collections. Emmy Rossum said she had been watching all season and knew their work, but I thought Fashion Week was in the middle of the season, weeks ago? I don't get it.

I'd guess that the producers got her screeners of episodes to watch so she was caught up.

[tpplay]

Regarding asking the finalists or ANYONE why they should win, who should go home etc. - I wish someone would say something that meant - "It's not my job to decide who should go home." And what on earth makes anyone think a contestant could be objective about why s/he should win. "I should win because I worked my ass off and poured my heart and soul into this work" is pretty much what any artist or writer or performer etc. feels and believes. What the heck is the point of that question?

[meep.meep]

I loved Sean's new orange dress, but the rest of the collection was too much fringe.  He ended up being the lesser of four evils.

[KFC]

I feel like the "why do you deserve to win?" question is more of a reality competition storytelling technique than an actual determinant in the judging. It gives each contestant a chance to have their big sob story in front of the judges. I personally hate it and think it's as useful as "what is your biggest weakness?" during a job interview, but I've just come to accept it as a function of these types of shows. Same, too, with Tim's "this is the best group of designers EVER." He has to say it every season, and that will never change, so it's just white noise to me at this point.

[Lamb18]

"In recollection, however, Sean's collection makes me think of Princeton Tigers"

That would be black fringe. (I had a line about the Clemson pep squad's flapper party that I cut.)

I'm excited for All-Stars because there are some top-flight hateables in the cast, which makes it more fun for those of us obligated to watch every week...MICHELLLLLLLLLLE. [cue Ennio Morricone]

I was thinking of Princeton Tigers because Princeton's school colors are black and orange, and the T-shirts, etc., will have white.  You see orange all over plus tiger lilies on campus.

[Surrealist]

I was glad to see that Alexander was back to being the Fan Favorite.

[ichbin]

To those who asked about the decoy collections:

They usually have the top 8-10 designers show collections--this includes the finalists and the ones who got kicked off right before them. I assume they all get the same amount of money, as early on they didn't and it supposedly made determining who the decoys were too easy.

The reason they do this, is because fashion week occurs about six or seven weeks before the finale and they don't want who the finalists are to leak

If you look at the crowd shots from last night's finale, you'll see that the last few designers to be let go are all seated together--and they are filmed fairly close up. Those shots must have been filmed either before or after the actual show, because all those designers showed this year and were part of the finale. Which is one of the reasons Karina was there. (I assume contractual obligations was another, since she is doing the reunion).

Apparently Korina and Emily were also along with the finalists and Tim when they went to Rome.  Korina posted a whole bunch of photos on her Facebook page.  Looks like they were all having a good time...and they seemed to be together. 

[FormerMod-a1]

I thought Sean's collection had the best progression. What I noticed about the last orange fringe dress was lots-o-side-boobage.  I noticed the model even seemed to have to lean back ever so slightly to keep the material against her skin.  Which makes sense given all that fringe probably weight it down w/o a counter balance in the back.  It was just halter type top to the dress.

 

I was disappointed in Kini's.  It was mostly so boring and, I agree, heavy looking.  I did like the last dress, though I seem to be the only one. 

 

Amanda - I liked her stuff better than expected. I would have been fine with her winning too.

 

I did like Char's too, quite a bit, but it wasn't a collection.  It really did lack any cohesion.  A lot of nice pieces that weren't connected so well.

[bobbyjoe]

I continue to be shocked by all the "You are the most talented group of designers EVER!" comments. Wtf?

 

This season of Project Runway brought to you by Bizarro World.  That's Bizarro World, where up is down and "maybe the most blah final runway I've ever seen" is "the most talented group of designers EVAH!" This season also co-sponsored by Red Robin.  That's Red Robin, come see our new highly be-fringed waitress uniforms!

 

I will -not- be watching the reunion.

 

Awww, but the producers worked extra, extra hard this year getting Korina to drum up all that phony drama.  If we don't watch her totally spontaneous teary-eyed meltdown on the reunion special this year and improve that crapfest's ratings, think how very, very sad they'll be.

 

Also, Snooki and JWoww as judges on All-Stars.  Yes, indeed, that's Project Runway, totally not continuing to take a gigantic dump over their own once-admirable reputation.

[RealityGal]

I feel like the "why do you deserve to win?" question is more of a reality competition storytelling technique than an actual determinant in the judging. It gives each contestant a chance to have their big sob story in front of the judges. I personally hate it and think it's as useful as "what is your biggest weakness?" during a job interview, but I've just come to accept it as a function of these types of shows. Same, too, with Tim's "this is the best group of designers EVER." He has to say it every season, and that will never change, so it's just white noise to me at this point.

 

Its almost as useless as finding one person after the show to say that each contestant should win.....what the hell does that do for me?

[Muffyn]

I've attended a few of Amanda's shows here in Nashville and while she's had some cool t-shirts and jewelry pieces, she too struggles with fabric. It's especially obvious due to the amount of pieceing she does in her work. Sometimes a knit isn't meant to connect to leather connect to wool.

You've nailed what bothered me about Amanda's collection.  The combination of materials, in many cases, did not work.  I kept noticing the puckering.  The different materials didn't move the same either.  We've seen other designers make this mistake on individual pieces.  She seems to do it repeatedly.  

 

Also is the top button done, naval showing a new trend? Because gross

When even the slender model looked like she had a bit of a gut, I'm going to say that created a triangle shape highlighting the navel does not work.  The top button buttoned look made me think we were channeling Hispanic gangs from LA as portrayed on crime dramas.  Give that girl some chinos and wallet on a chain to complete the look.  

[ThatsDarling]

This played out as I thought it would. Sean's collection was luxe, editorial, and on-trend, and the judges have clearly been big fans of his all season. I echo those who thought it was too repetitive and expected, and as Tom and Lorenzo pointed out, referential to Calvin Klein. That's why I was a bit surprised to hear Emmy Rossum (great guest judge, by the way) praise him for the originality of his vision. 

 

Having seen the collections move, I probably would have given the edge to Amanda for being more ambitious and having a slightly more cohesive collection. I always think it's cruel when they tell the runner-up how close she was to winning, and felt bad seeing her so crestfallen after her loss. 

 

Finally, this was one of the best judging deliberations I've seen on PR in years.  

[Surrealist]

All season the judges have been handing over treats to anyone who says "My girl is an anime character pondering the role of feminism in the abolitionist movement from her ringside seat at the Disney Princess remake of Antigone on Ice while snacking on smartfood" no matter what shit they send down the runway. So, fine, his flapper drag is about regime change. Wevs.

 

This is the second most outstanding I've read in this forum over the past week or so.

Edited October 25, 2014 by Surrealist

[LBFilmBuff]

Ah Kini man, you were my favorite designer/person, but that was all kinds of fug. I came away realizing that Kini is not all that much of a designer. He is a great executioner (ha!) of designs and when given limited parameters, he can really knock it out of the park. I spent the whole time wishing that he had used fanciful Hawaiian prints in his rigid "old lady" designs. That would have been super cool. Gidget goes to Fashion Week.

I always found Amanda (the person) to be delightful but her designs just looked like more of the same to me.

Speaking of more of the same, Sean sure OD'd on the fringe. I assumed that was his usual thing but all the interviews I've read of him say that he had never used fringe before the show and just got inspired by it. If the judges really believe that, I can see why he won. They must be thinking that if he can do this with just one ingredient, what can he do with something else? And besides, Sean Kelly on a dress looks almost as "right" as Amanda Valentine.

As for Char, I'm happy that Project Runway gave her some of the design education she never got. I just considered her to be receiving the Tim Gunn Scholarship and it never bothered me at all. Too bad Korina couldn't see it that way.

[sinkwriter]

 

Speaking of more of the same, Sean sure OD'd on the fringe. I assumed that was his usual thing but all the interviews I've read of him say that he had never used fringe before the show and just got inspired by it.

 

I agree he OD'd on the fringe but part of me blames Tim Gunn. When Sean had his individual meeting with Tim during the time off to create their fashion week designs, Sean mentioned he was concerned about Nina not wanting him to use fringe too much, and Tim said something like "I'm going to let you out of the box on that." He kept encouraging Sean to go bigger and go with the piece(s) that really demonstrate his skills - while pointing to Sean's fringe garment. At the time of his meeting with Tim, he said he only had 3 fringe garments. Tim told him to go for it. And after they had their preview with the judges, Sean again expressed concern that he'd need to cut back on his fringe garments and he wasn't sure what he was going to have to do because he didn't bring a lot with him, and Tim again told him to go for it. I think if Tim had told him to take it easy on the fringe during their individual meeting back during that time off, when Tim told him he had 2 collections going on, perhaps Sean would have taken things in a different direction or at least went easy on the fringe aspect so that it wasn't on almost every piece.

[Oldernowiser]

It's been gnawing at me for nearly 24 hours, but it finally dawned on me what Amanda's collection reminded me of...

http://www.gibbins.co.uk/blacksmith2.html

She has a career ahead of her designing for welders and blacksmiths everywhere.

Seriously...meh. All of it. As for "best designers ever," they dish out that crap every single season of American Idol, too, and it's almost always clearly a Big Fat Lie. I have no idea why they think this works, because the universal response to it is always, "Oh the hell you say."

It just screams, "We think our audience is blindingly stupid," which is not a terrific strategy to draw in viewers.

Julia, this was one of the most brilliantly sardonic things I've ever read:

"I think Sean's Caesar story was a purely cynical exercise. All season the judges have been handing over treats to anyone who says "My girl is an anime character pondering the role of feminism in the abolitionist movement from her ringside seat at the Disney Princess remake of Antigone on Ice while snacking on smartfood" no matter what shit they send down the runway. So, fine, his flapper drag is about regime change. Wevs."

The only thing that would make it even more so would be to substitute "Endless Fries TM" for "smartfood," but seriously, standing ovation from me. Bravo.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Oldernowiser

[dialyn]

Seriously...meh. All of it. As for "best designers ever," they dish out that crap every single season of American Idol, too, and it's almost always clearly a Big Fat Lie. I have no idea why they think this works, because the universal response to it is always, "Oh the hell you say."

It just screams, "We think our audience is blindingly stupid," which is not a terrific strategy to draw in viewers.

I'm not sure what they could say that would satisfy anyone.  "You all are the worse designers ever?" or "You all are so bad you'd have to reach up to be mediocre?"  They weren't that bad....it's just that they weren't that good, and part of the reason they weren't that good was a combination of poor advice, short time frames, really stupid challenges, and stress.  Does anyone want to admit that after they picked the contestants, the contestants didn't meet expectations?  The fact is some of the most disappointing designers had decent designs in their portfolios.  If you are trying to be inspirational, you certainly don't tell your finalists, "You're getting a trophy for being average!"  but that seems to be exactly what happened.  Were they the best designers ever in the history of Project Runway? No, not to my taste, but is the answer to say, "we're awarding nothing because you all are so untalented."   While that would be an original approach, I don't see it happening.  What they could do, and won't, is create an environment where the designers have a chance to be at their best instead of their worst, but then the people who like to jeer wouldn't be happy with people working to their strengths because they wouldn't be quite as easy to be made fun of as are the people revealing their weaknesses on television.  This is almost a no win, no win situation.  Pretty sad.  I probably will watch the reunion but I'm not reading the forum afterwards because I know it will be an unpleasant experience.  I haven't decided about the All Stars yet.  Might be another forum miss for me.

[Oldernowiser]

But maybe there's a third option, which is to make no comparisons at all? After all, every parents learns to praise one child without having it be at the expense of another. Why not, "You're all very talented, we've very much enjoyed this season and we believe in your ability to succeed in this competitive field," rather than spew out some clearly bullshit OTT hyperbole?

[ichbin]

In reality, I don't think anyone in this group was overly exciting and Tim was insane to say this was the best group ever. 

I wasn't convinced they were even the best out of this particular season, let alone the entire series.

[dialyn]

But maybe there's a third option, which is to make no comparisons at all? After all, every parents learns to praise one child without having it be at the expense of another. Why not, "You're all very talented, we've very much enjoyed this season and we believe in your ability to succeed in this competitive field," rather than spew out some clearly bullshit OTT hyperbole?

Well, you're right. A valid alternative. Thank you.

[KFC]

Ah Kini man, you were my favorite designer/person, but that was all kinds of fug. I came away realizing that Kini is not all that much of a designer. He is a great executioner (ha!) of designs and when given limited parameters, he can really knock it out of the park. I spent the whole time wishing that he had used fanciful Hawaiian prints in his rigid "old lady" designs. That would have been super cool. Gidget goes to Fashion Week.

 

That's always been one of the most fascinating things to see on this show: who excels and who struggles once the parameters of the specific challenge requirements are gone. And fairly frequently you'll see contestants' collections be the exact opposite of how they fared during the season as a result, be it surprising success or failure in their final runway shows. 

 

I guess it really does beg the question of what strategy do you play on this show: Do you design to show off your POV or do you design to win the challenges? I didn't love Sean's final collection, but I think he was pretty masterful at synthesizing these two ideas. A lot of his looks were strategic, but he always managed to show a vision and a story behind his clothes.

[seacliffsal]

Okay, a bit of a Char rant...I found it interesting that once again Char ignored Tim's advice (this time regarding the turquoise dress).  Ever since the save when Tim would give his perspective, she would just ignore it.  I also noticed that her long white coat was derivative of Korina's long white coat for the wedding challenge and Char mentioned that she made the coat out of upholstery fabric (hmmmm, wonder where she got that idea...).  And her hooded dress that the judges liked so much?  If only I could figure out where she got the idea.....So, she took looks from both Korina and Emily.  It seems like she doesn't have a lot of her own ideas-remember all of the peplum dresses earlier in the season.  Then, when everyone was waiting while the judges deliberated, she just went on and on about how she felt; totally not understanding that the others were concerned and nervous for themselves.  She even rebuked Sean a bit for not listening to her.  So, I don't think Char is necessarily the saint that she has been portrayed.  Although I would have preferred that she not be in the final four, at least she left at fourth.

[Julia]

Okay, a bit of a Char rant...I found it interesting that once again Char ignored Tim's advice (this time regarding the turquoise dress).  Ever since the save when Tim would give his perspective, she would just ignore it.  I also noticed that her long white coat was derivative of Korina's long white coat for the wedding challenge and Char mentioned that she made the coat out of upholstery fabric (hmmmm, wonder where she got that idea...).  And her hooded dress that the judges liked so much?  If only I could figure out where she got the idea.....So, she took looks from both Korina and Emily.  It seems like she doesn't have a lot of her own ideas-remember all of the peplum dresses earlier in the season.  Then, when everyone was waiting while the judges deliberated, she just went on and on about how she felt; totally not understanding that the others were concerned and nervous for themselves.  She even rebuked Sean a bit for not listening to her.  So, I don't think Char is necessarily the saint that she has been portrayed.  Although I would have preferred that she not be in the final four, at least she left at fourth.

 

I'm not sure that's fair. The rest of the designers are young and at least affluent enough to live in one of the most expensive cities in the world, most of them. Char is 40 and had to meet Tim in a public place, and I'm reasonably certain at least part of that was because she didn't want them filming where she lives. If they fail, they're twenty somethings in the nation's top media market who have been on TV. If Char fails, she's a middle-aged woman with a dream in a city we've all agreed on a national level not to notice.

 

I genuinely hope someone decides that she's worth giving a chance to. I'm not a great fan of her clothes, but seriously, just the fact that she held on to her dreams as long as she did and took steps to make them happen is damn impressive.

Edited October 24, 2014 by Julia

[RealityGal]

Okay, a bit of a Char rant...I found it interesting that once again Char ignored Tim's advice (this time regarding the turquoise dress).  Ever since the save when Tim would give his perspective, she would just ignore it.  I also noticed that her long white coat was derivative of Korina's long white coat for the wedding challenge and Char mentioned that she made the coat out of upholstery fabric (hmmmm, wonder where she got that idea...).  And her hooded dress that the judges liked so much?  If only I could figure out where she got the idea.....So, she took looks from both Korina and Emily.  It seems like she doesn't have a lot of her own ideas-remember all of the peplum dresses earlier in the season.  Then, when everyone was waiting while the judges deliberated, she just went on and on about how she felt; totally not understanding that the others were concerned and nervous for themselves.  She even rebuked Sean a bit for not listening to her.  So, I don't think Char is necessarily the saint that she has been portrayed.  Although I would have preferred that she not be in the final four, at least she left at fourth.

 

I think every one of the designers in the final 4 has been accused of ripping on someone else, or referencing another designers designs.  Unless it was on the level of a Sandaya onesie.  I take that critque with a grain of salt.

[Puffaroo]

 

I don't know what happened with Kini but a lot of his designs were boring and just plain meh. Too bad because I liked him.

 

I liked his mini-collection better than what he ended up with, but then again I rarely agree with the judges.

 

At the end, I was just repeating, "Anyone but Amanda, anyone but Amanda..."  I think her clothes are FUGLY.

 

So... looks like Karina is going to act like a big ole baby again at the reunion.

[SSAHotchner]

Okay, a bit of a Char rant...I found it interesting that once again Char ignored Tim's advice (this time regarding the turquoise dress).  Ever since the save when Tim would give his perspective, she would just ignore it.  I also noticed that her long white coat was derivative of Korina's long white coat for the wedding challenge and Char mentioned that she made the coat out of upholstery fabric (hmmmm, wonder where she got that idea...).  And her hooded dress that the judges liked so much?  If only I could figure out where she got the idea.....So, she took looks from both Korina and Emily.  It seems like she doesn't have a lot of her own ideas-remember all of the peplum dresses earlier in the season.  Then, when everyone was waiting while the judges deliberated, she just went on and on about how she felt; totally not understanding that the others were concerned and nervous for themselves.  She even rebuked Sean a bit for not listening to her.  So, I don't think Char is necessarily the saint that she has been portrayed.  Although I would have preferred that she not be in the final four, at least she left at fourth.

I noticed all these things, too. And the shirt with "FLY" on it, Fade's designs had words and sayings on them. I think she's a nice, ordinary person who did not deserve the save or the trip to Fashion Week based on anything she made during the competition. I remember the big hubub here over her elimination and how it was Sandhya's fault. But I watched that episode the other day when Lifetime ran the entire season and she was the one who suggested yellow for the color and she was the one who wanted to use leather. But it turned out she didn't know how to sew the leather and what she put together was a hot mess no matter what color they would have used. It was just hunks of fabric stitched together with no sense of style or structure or anything. You could have given a person with no sewing experience whatsoever that fabric and they could have put together what Char made.

[Texasmom1970]

All of the collections to me were kind of meh.

Amanda's had too much of a sad potato sack vibe for me.

Kinis was well sewn, but lordy it was a denim overdose!

Sean you need a intervention back away from the fringe please.

Char her clothes looked like Jennifer Lopez circa early 90's, no, just no!

If these are the most talented group of designers than fashion is in trouble!

[RealityGal]

I noticed all these things, too. And the shirt with "FLY" on it, Fade's designs had words and sayings on them. I think she's a nice, ordinary person who did not deserve the save or the trip to Fashion Week based on anything she made during the competition. I remember the big hubub here over her elimination and how it was Sandhya's fault. But I watched that episode the other day when Lifetime ran the entire season and she was the one who suggested yellow for the color and she was the one who wanted to use leather. But it turned out she didn't know how to sew the leather and what she put together was a hot mess no matter what color they would have used. It was just hunks of fabric stitched together with no sense of style or structure or anything. You could have given a person with no sewing experience whatsoever that fabric and they could have put together what Char made.

And before Fade, there were the Choose Life tee shirts of the 80's.  And if having words on clothing is ripping from Fade, then Sandaya has been stealing from Fade too, because much of her collection had a lot of words on clothes too.  And Char wanted a different hue of yellow, Sandaya wanted that particular bright tone of yellow, Char wanted something that was more of a buttery yellow.

[njbchlover]

I have watched Project Runway since Season 1, and this season's finale has finally convinced me that I am not fashion-forward, and in all probability, not fashionable, based on what I saw.  There was so much there that I just totally didn't get or understand who would want to wear any of it or why....I guess I'm hopelessly classic in my own fashion sense....oh well!!  :-)   (I think that's why I loved Laura Bennett's stuff so much)

Not one piece in any of collections wowed me tremendously or made me think "I would wear that".

I thought Amanda's was drab and boxy.  I appreciated some of the piece work, but it looked overworked in some of the designs.  I did like the taupe suede in some of the pieces.

Char's was collection was cute and probably the most marketable.  I loved the jumpsuit with the Italian print.  I do think a lot of her pieces skew to a younger, almost junior audience (as many have said - kind of "Forever 21", but slightly more upscale). 

Kini - oh man, I wanted to love his collection sooo much, because I think he's such a nice person; but, I just couldn't get my heart into loving all of it.  The pleated dress was beautiful and I liked a few other pieces, but way too much denim and dark...as others have said.

Sean's collection was probably the most cohesive, in my opinion, and was probably the one that stood out on the runway the most, but I hope he's not a one-trick pony with all the fringe.  Orange is my least favorite clothing color, so that may be why I wasn't totally in love with it.

All in all, I was underwhelmed, and I think a major reason for that is because these designers didn't have enough time to create these collections.  I am sooo over the one day challenges, and then, create 10 pieces in four/five weeks - then, recreate those pieces (because the judges didn't like them) in less than 48 hours.

Interestingly enough, Lifetime showed PR Season 4 today, and the difference in the clothes was unbelievable - even some of the lesser talented designers from that season showed better pieces than the best designers from this season. 

Watching the finale, I still was wowed by Jillian, Rami and Christian...all of their work was so beautiful and executed to perfection. 

I wish that PR could go back to what it once was - an actual show about clothing design. 

Oh, and I still miss Michael Kors' snark - his comments were priceless!!   :-)

[RealityCowgirl]

I caught the last 15 minutes of the season 4 finale, which included quick recaps of each collection. Now THOSE were shows. What a contrast to the sad displays we saw last night.

Edited October 25, 2014 by RealityCowgirl

[auntlada]

Oddly, I think many of the designers fit in with what I've been reading about runway shows in general this season. I've read that fringe is in, along with denim and jumpsuits and maxi dresses and a general 1970s look. I'm so excited [/sarcasm].

 

Of the collections, I liked Kini's best, but there wasn't anything I'd want without altering the style. You just wouldn't have to alter nearly as much as everyone else's stuff.

 

For instance, for me to even consider Amanda's collection, you'd have to make it shorter and less voluminous and use fewer fabrics in each piece and different colors. I hated her collection and thought it was just ugly. Obviously, there are people who like it, but I don't understand a dress that basically makes your body disappear. Well, I mean, if it made parts of my body disappear, that might be OK, but if I were tall and thin like a model, I don't think I'd like it.

 

Also, is Amanda pregnant? Or does she just dress as though she is? I wish she would wear something that looked a little more stylish and less like a potato sack and also maybe brush her hair.

 

I thought Sean's long orange fringe dress look great on the model, but most people would not be able to wear that style or color. Although people in this town (the college's colors are black and orange) might really like it -- except for the part where anyone here with enough money to buy something like that is way too big and probably too old to carry it off.

[njbchlover]

All of the collections to me were kind of meh.

Amanda's had too much of a sad potato sack vibe for me.

Kinis was well sewn, but lordy it was a denim overdose!

Sean you need a intervention back away from the fringe please.

Char her clothes looked like Jennifer Lopez circa early 90's, no, just no!

If these are the most talented group of designers than fashion is in trouble!

 

That's what I was thinking, exactly....especially Amanda's - shapeless potato sack dresses!! 

All the rest of your assessments are spot on!  :-)

[theatremouse]

I thought they were all underwhelming, well, except Char. Now, I didn't enjoy Char's collection, but it was basically exactly what I expected from her. I didn't enjoy Kini's or Sean's, or Amanda's, but I did want Amanda to win. Although, there's cohesive and there's only having one idea and it seemed like Amanda's leaned towards the latter. Like they loved that very similar outfit she made the previous (or was it two before?) episode and she just did that over and over and over.

 

I remember when I used to watch this and even though I rarely loved everything I saw, at least something from each collection would wow me. This time? Meh all around.

[Ketzel]

I agree he OD'd on the fringe but part of me blames Tim Gunn. When Sean had his individual meeting with Tim during the time off to create their fashion week designs, Sean mentioned he was concerned about Nina not wanting him to use fringe too much, and Tim said something like "I'm going to let you out of the box on that." He kept encouraging Sean to go bigger and go with the piece(s) that really demonstrate his skills - while pointing to Sean's fringe garment. At the time of his meeting with Tim, he said he only had 3 fringe garments. Tim told him to go for it. And after they had their preview with the judges, Sean again expressed concern that he'd need to cut back on his fringe garments and he wasn't sure what he was going to have to do because he didn't bring a lot with him, and Tim again told him to go for it. I think if Tim had told him to take it easy on the fringe during their individual meeting back during that time off, when Tim told him he had 2 collections going on, perhaps Sean would have taken things in a different direction or at least went easy on the fringe aspect so that it wasn't on almost every piece.

Well, to be fair to Tim Gunn in this instance, Sean did end up winning. So even if Tim was responsible for urging Sean to amp up the fringiness, he certainly didn't do any harm to his chances.

[BarneySays]

I have to say I am happy with this result, but only because it was the straw that broke my viewing back.  I am officially done with PR.  It was bad enough that I couldn't actually pick a winner because they were all so mediocre in the end.  With a gun to my head, I would have picked Kini because his collection showed the most skill.  Sean's was all retreads and horrible silk things with too much fabric and not enough design.  And those silk numbers reminded me of the satin craze in the 70's, right down to its crass cheapness.  I can't help but feel that Sean won simply because he was the most "appropriate" designer.  He looks the part, in that vapid fashion biz way.  And I'm sick of that being promoted and rewarded.  I know, I know, I'm the fool- to expect something more from that pack of inarticulate, myopic know-nothings.  

 

it was ultimately the editing that ended my affair with the show.  (Don't call me, Nina.)  That episode was built around keeping us guessing (not that they succeeded), by throwing in random comments, deflections, false leads, etc. Instead of showcasing the designs (I know, a tough sell), it was only about viewer manipulation.  Every critique was utterly vague and general to fabricate false suspense.  Boo.  If you can't sell me on the runway shows, what good are you to me?

 

And Tim.  Is he having a decades-delayed mid-life crisis.  The only thing missing from that getup he was wearing (polka dot socks?) was a big plastic, water-squirting daisy boutonniere.  He looked like he was auditioning for Ringling Bros. in that too small and too tight suit.  His old look was a bit stodgy, but it was classic and in excellent taste.  Very Beau Brummel.  Now he looks the clown.  Project Careen Off the Runway and Into a Marsh.  Good riddance.