S14.E14: Finale, Part 2

[Rhetorica]

Also, I hope Kelly is getting treatment for what appears to be a goiter.

I've thought that all season!

[Frost]

 

If you haven't seen Swapnil's collection, find the link on Blogging Project Runway. I weep for the lost opportunity to see that in motion - especially this year.

I thought Swapnil's collection was OK.  He had some pretty dresses, but I thought it was a lot of the same thing over and over again.  He might have deserved the win this year since the overall talent level was so low, but he didn't blow me out of the water.  In fact, I thought a couple of his looks were costumey.

[Beden]

 

TwirlyGirly said, "In defense of Ashley (and no, I don't think she should have won)....designing flattering clothing for plus-size women as a group is next to impossible."

With respect I disagree with this. A good designer, one who truly understands fabric, the various pros and cons of designing for larger (and varied) body types can succeed. It's a different challenge than designing for the usual runway model body types, obviously, but it's a long way from impossible. I was a size 22 for years but managed to dress myself pretty well without resorting to a steady diet of sweats and stretch waistbands.

[phantom]

What bugs me the most about Ashley's win was that for the past few decades plus size women have been told to "like it or lump it" in terms of having a limited selection of items manufacturers deigned to produce in larger sizes. But now Project Runway is crowing that here is THE plus size designer who will make stuff you will love, because WE SAID SO. So skinny fashion critics are again telling plus size ladies to like it or lump it. Are you going to trust your lying eyes that saw grandma's lace doilies walking the runway....or us? Blech.

 

Kelly is what this show used to be about. She came in with a point of view, but unpolished in terms of construction skills and ability to edit her many ideas. Over the course of the season she improved in all of these areas and went from looks that the judges declared "junior" and "cheap" to stuff they thought was interesting and well-made. What doomed her is her aesthetic, which wasn't high fashion enough.  In contrast, Ashley's construction skills and basic design principles remained unchanged from the first to the last challenge. Circle skirt and crop top on the first challenge, and circle skirt and crop top in the final runway show. Sigh.

 

TL;DR: all the episodes were a waste of time since they apparently had no effect on the final outcome
 

Edited November 6, 2015 by phantom

[terrymct]

How many times are we going to see this same dress, just in slightly different colors?  Speaking of garbage bags..... why do designers like this shape?  Anyone but a twig would look horrible in it.

 

 

 

 

 

Wait, here's the same thing again but with less flounce.  Still ugly and unflattering: 

Edited November 6, 2015 by terrymct

[Twopper]

"Actually, I think that giving them a free lease to a car is better than actually winning a car, especially a luxury car like a Lexus. The winners have to pay taxes on all the prizes, and the sale tax on a Lexus may be more than they can afford. That car is at least $50,000.00, so depending on where the winner lives, taxes, insurance, etc. on that alone, could be prohibitive."

*************

I agree about the taxes, although I had not figured the sales tax on the car into my estimate. I figured the FMV of the non-cash items plus the cash would result in enough federal and state (California, I think has a relatively high rate) to consume most or all of the cash award. Not sure how they figure the fair market value of the Marie Clair spread.

[Agnes Bean]

I felt like Ashley's collection was for young plus-size women. I wouldn't choose her clothes for myself because I'm way too old for crop tops and see-thru fabrics. But I feel like twenty-something plus sizes could wear those looks and feel really sexy and "in-your-face".

 

As a young plus-sized woman (at least as defined by this show -- I'm about the size of some of Ashley's models) who loves me some crop tops, see-through shirts that show bras, and other in-your-face, yes-I'm-sexy looks, my problem is actually that nothing about Ashley's collection felt sexy to me, at all, because the colors and the lace combo made it seem so little girl, baby doll in feel. I do think there's a market for that, but it's very small -- not just young, plus-sized and confident, but young, plus sized, confident, and interested in rather twee styling. And even then, half the pieces didn't even fit well!

[NYGirl]

Holy crap Ashley really won.  I am plus size myself so I have an affinity towards her.  However, I am in my 60s and I think her stuff was for the younger "Torrid" type of girls.  I was rooting for her all along because I'm a sucker for the underdog.  Her collection was very amateurish but I think the other 3 lost on their own.

 

I would not wear one thing from her collection but then I would never wear anything from anyone's collection as they are not geared towards my size 22. 

 

Candice did not listen to the judges and that's why she got 4th place.  Her stuff was still costumey and most of it was been there done that.  I did like her lace coat though.  She is an impeccable seamstress and sometimes I find myself liking what's made so perfect rather than the design.

 

I hated Kelly's collection.  Seemed to be so trashy and cheap.

 

I liked Edmond's collection.  I did like the ruffled gown they made him rework.  Yes, the white dress reminded me too of toilet paper.  The thing with Edmond is he's either good or bad..nothing in the middle.

 

I think the judges had their own agenda this season and they wanted to break into the plus size industry but I think they picked the wrong designer for it.

[DrivingSideways]

Last night filled me with the rage... not the winner - it's a contest and it can be subjective, so whatever.  HOWEVER... watching it live - I swear there was 25 minutes of content and 95 minutes of commercials.  Literally they would come back, we would watch Edmund and Ashley eat for 4 minutes, then go another 10 minute break.  The irony is that being forced to watch those Project Runway Jr spots, some of the kids were actually kind of fun, but I'll never watch it because I'm so bitter it was shoved down my throat.

 

I kind of half watched this season... but was Ashley's thing all season to produce a plus size collection?  It seemed like only halfway through, after feeling that the judges wanted her to celebrate her own size, she morphed into the plus size pioneer that PR wanted her to be.  Her collection was dowdy and fugly, and those colors are the worst.  Whoever upthread said that Edmund's collection would look better on a plus size woman nailed it.

 

I'm also plus sized.  It's not healthy, and I don't look great in clothes.  Because I need to lose weight.  Celebrating Ashley's size doesn't seem forward thinking to me.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I actually really like handcuffed, restrained Candice in a straitjacket it turns out!!!  It actually terrified me a bit because I prefer Edmond as a person but I was starting to prefer Candice's collection over his!!  They would fight to be my top 2, because they're more my taste.  It's funny because I absolutely hated her mini collection and had the worst reaction to it.  She listened to the judges and obviously spent so much time editing her collection down to what she did - but I LOVED it!  The red pieces -- that red big dress?  Was my personal favourite.  Just wow, just gorgeous!

 

terrymct I actually really loved that black dress that Edmond showed.  I loved it on that model, as well.  It was almost doll-like, the whole vibe.  I found the vulnerability sweet and kind of sexy.  And the black dress that looked like a garbage bag, I absolutely loved too.  To me it looked like liquid.  The Liquid Dress -- reminded me of an old Galliano for Dior dress.  Loved it!

 

 

Nothing against Kelly as a person she seems really cool, but the 70's were never my vibe.  Candice's 90's leather minimalism and whatever Edmond was selling is just my personal taste.  

 

Yesterday, when Candice came in 4th but said she could never feel sad if she wanted to, she's still a winner because her kids exist, blah blah, I'm so sorry guys I couldn't help it I figured out who she reminds me of:

 

Well, I'm the best there is. Plain and simple, when I wake up in the morning I piss excellence.

- Ricky Bobby, Talladega Nights

Edited November 6, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Bizabra]

So....... THAT happened......  Ugh. Kelly was robbed!

[TexasGal]

I'd rather eat ground glass than watch that POS with adolescents acting like mini-adults imitating Christian and Mondo and who knows else.  Personally, I find the entire idea repellent.

 

Ashely's win was a slap iin the face to what this show once was.  And Nina practically offered her a job on Marie Claire, too.  Ugh.

When one of the boys gushed "I've wanted to do this my WHOLE LIFE!!!" I had to walk out of the room.  Your WHOLE 17 years on this planet!?!?!  Then I felt bad for being a clearly ancient (over 40!) grumpy person.

 

All I can say is, at least Candace was last of the 4.  That was the only satisfying thing about last night to me.

[Tony]

Just saw the episode and all I have to say is... are you fucking kidding me? Ashley won with bar none the most hideous collection in the history of this show. I'm not exaggerating in the slightest when I say this. Every single outfit is horrific.

 

Between them constantly shoehorning the PR Junior promos and the least deserving winner ever (yes, much worse than Anya and Gretchen IMO), I'm officially out.

[Primetimer]

Project Runway's bloated finale finally crowns a winner.

Read the story

[suzeecat]

I haven't read every single post *YET*, but wanted to throw out there a little twinge of sadness that Ashley's models are considered "plus size". They looked more "real size" to me. Ashley may be plus size, but the models looked like average size(albeit beautiful)women to me.

Kelly was ROBBED! :(

QUESTION: Did they ever show what Tim bought for Ashley at MOOD? They showed us a 20 lb. bag of glitter for Kelly, and I was waiting to see what printed fabric Ashley got. I never saw a print, so I don't know what Tim bought, or if Ashley ever used it . . . ?

Edited November 6, 2015 by suzeecat

[TwirlyGirly]

Beden, on 06 Nov 2015 - 11:15 AM, said:

<With respect I disagree with this. A good designer, one who truly understands fabric, the various pros and cons of designing for larger (and varied) body types can succeed. It's a different challenge than designing for the usual runway model body types, obviously, but it's a long way from impossible. I was a size 22 for years but managed to dress myself pretty well without resorting to a steady diet of sweats and stretch waistbands.>

My best friend is plus-sized (pear shape), and she is very fashion-conscious but boy, it's not easy. I've been shopping with her. Even in stores that specialize in plus-size clothing, there isn't one designer/manufacturer she can depend on to offer the same variety of choices for her body type a woman who wears non-plus size clothing enjoys.

 

When you're plus-size, dressing in flattering, fashion-forward styles takes a lot more work.

 

My point was not it's impossible for a plus-size woman to dress fashionably, but that it would be difficult for a designer to specialize in plus-size women and cover all the bases in terms of body type, personal taste, and clothing type (sportswear/evening wear/business attire/etc). Just too many variables there to make such an endeavor profitable.

Edited November 6, 2015 by TwirlyGirly

[Booger666]

I'm sure I'll take heat for this, but I thought Ashley deserved the win. I don't think she is the most talented, but her collection was the best. Sometimes someone who is "good" has a "great" day and I think that is what happened here. And it worked to her advantage because the entire runway was weak. I don't know if they need to give them a new mentor, more time or more money, but the last few years of this show have had disappointing finales. Please, fix the show.

Poor Edmund, when that toilet paper bride dress went down the runway it was over for him. If he had nixed it or done it in a different color I think he could've won. I'm sure he's never played the TP bride dress at a shower so it is a real shame no one warned him. He is one of the most gracious and thoughtful designers this show has had and I hope he enjoys much success going forward.

Kelly has great ideas, but needs so much editing. That green triangle dress with all the mesh looked like a naked lady with a fancy apron on. I get that she grew up without money so she used craft techniques to create fabrics she couldn't buy. But, all that effort to create so many triangle prints she could've easily bought was wasted effort. Someone should've advised her to buy better fabrics and spend her time on luxury details, not crafty ones. I really like that her fashions are fun, that has been missing on this show. I thought her styling was the best out of the four.

Candice, who cares.

[sekay87]

I'm going to get picked apart here-I actually liked Ashley's collection. Okay, some of it was old lady, and I agree that the color story didn't read well on-screen and must have looked better in person, but I think what made the judges give her the win was the risks she took with using silhouettes that are considered taboo for plus women to wear and making them look pretty and flattering. There were some fit issues, but one could argue that EVERYONE had those. There were a few outfits that I loved, like the teal dress and opening look.

Kelly's was good and I love her as a person, but the whole thing read a little Forever21/Junior to me. She had fun with it and had good ideas, but I couldn't get past the cheap look of the fabric either. I get why the judges put her second because she really screwed herself over by selecting material that looked cheap. Yes, it was a fun collection, and I also love that sequined top, but I see why she didn't win.

Edmond's collection I've seen 50 times and Candice just couldn't revive hers. It was too dominatrix. I'm glad with the outcome.

[woodscommaelle]

This is it's first season.  Christian did host one season of a very lame fashion show with kids but that was it.  

It was a joke.  So many commercials that it seemed they completed several seasons during the 2 hour finale last night.

 

My sarcasm didn't translate well :(.

[njbchlover]

Beden, on 06 Nov 2015 - 11:15 AM, said:

<With respect I disagree with this. A good designer, one who truly understands fabric, the various pros and cons of designing for larger (and varied) body types can succeed. It's a different challenge than designing for the usual runway model body types, obviously, but it's a long way from impossible. I was a size 22 for years but managed to dress myself pretty well without resorting to a steady diet of sweats and stretch waistbands.>

My best friend is plus-sized (pear shape), and she is very fashion-conscious but boy, it's not easy. I've been shopping with her. Even in stores that specialize in plus-size clothing, there isn't one designer/manufacturer she can depend on to offer the same variety of choices for her body type a woman who wears non-plus size clothing enjoys.

 

When you're plus-size, dressing in flattering, fashion-forward styles takes a lot more work.

 

My point was not it's impossible for a plus-size woman to dress fashionably, but that it would be difficult for a designer to specialize in plus-size women and cover all the bases in terms of body type, personal taste, and clothing type (sportswear/evening wear/business attire/etc). Just too many variables there to make such an endeavor profitable.

 

I have to agree with you on this, but also add that while that is all more difficult for someone who is going to niche themselves as a plus-sized designer, it is also just as difficult for a designer of standard sized (for lack of a better term) women, as well.  

 

How many women out there are the same height and weight, but their body shapes are completely different - apple, pear, straight up and down, no waist, defined waist, small breasts, large breasts, flat backside, curvy backside, long legs, short legs, short or long waisted?  The list goes on and on and on.  One woman of the same height and weight may wear a size 8 and the other, same weight and height may wear a size 12 - because of their body shape.

 

I think that is just the problem for designers of ready to wear, whatever size market they are designing for.  

 

I actually wonder, with most of the fashions we see on this show, especially when the judges call it "fashion forward" or "high end", who the hell can wear it?  As far as I can see, only a 5'11", 100 lb., small-breasted woman with very little curves!   Although, I then imagine that same dress or outfit with some tweaking on how it would look on me, or on another women's shape.

 

As far as I could see, there were maybe TWO of Ashley's finale pieces that would look good on a woman of any size (I think they were both straight shift style dresses).  None of the rest of it would look good on any woman, or did (even though the models tried their best). 

 

ETA:  On the other hand, I don't think ANY of Candice's looks would be easily interpreted to any other body type than that of a model.

Edited November 6, 2015 by njbchlover

[Ms Blue Jay]

Well, now I understand Tim's obsession with getting Swapnil off the show. His finale collection would have made it nearly impossible to give the win to Anointed Ashley.

 

I love this quote - you speak the truth.  Things are all starting to make more sense now that I understand the full plan/vision of the season.  How many times did we all complain that Ashley should have been eliminated?  And yet....

 

I thought they'd want to give it to Edmond for his "If you keep trying you succeed" story.  But they seemed to realllllly not like his collection, Zac especially.  I wonder if he added some non-dresses would it make a difference.  I mean we all know it wouldn't because Ashley, but whatever.  Sigh.  Good on Edmond he did what he wanted.

[TattleTeeny]

I wasn't blown away by any of the finalists' collections, so I would have been OK with anyone winning; I found them all to be nice enough people who each had something that interested me at some point. But then I realized that I was a little disappointed that it wasn't Kelly. Not that her stuff looked great (though I swear I was really impressed during the Tim Gunn home visit! With all of them, actually! Still baffled...)--it definitely looked cheap and sort of like a Black Milk/F21/Hot Topic hybrid or something (and that is not to say I feel too good for all that shit). However, there was just something about her ideas and vision and creativity that I did like a lot. I feel like I "got" what it was she was going for and even did see it in some of her stuff. Maybe I just like the idea of old-school disco elements? It seemed more fun and unique to me than Ashley's, which looks like just about anything already available at ModCloth.

 

And, sorry everyone: I was mortified that Edmond took that ruffle off that long black dress, which I loved and may just make for myself! Now, to figure out how to make a ruffle from scratch...at least the crooked-on-purpose placement might work in my favor as a sewing novice. Which reminds me: I love seeing clothes produced, whether or not I like the result of the production (in fact, I wish we saw more of the actual construction), so I will indeed be watching PR Jr. I just hope that it inspires, and opposed to making me feel inferior to people 1/3 of my age with far more skill, haha! 

 

Also, it would be nice to stop hearing thin women referred to as "stick figures." It's just as bad as "real women," IMO. I'm real. Bony in places (fucking hipbones, man--is there a table corner they won't smack into?), but just as real as anyone else.

Edited November 6, 2015 by TattleTeeny

[LuciaMia]

Christ Almighty...five minutes of Project Runway, ten minutes of PJ Jr. commercials. I finally turned it all off.

[Oldernowiser]

It was a joke.  So many commercials that it seemed they completed several seasons during the 2 hour finale last night.

 

My sarcasm didn't translate well :(.

Well, I got it and laughed out loud and not attractively in an airport gate area. TSA will probably investigate the snorting sound.

I was just now walking down here and saw a woman who was clearly a runway model. She was wearing six-inch heels and a hat, so she was about eight feet tall, but she looked like an alien species, albeit a lovely one. I'm 5'5" and wear a size 4 and next to her I looked like a horned toad. It's a freaking wonder designers are ever able to sell anything to a regular woman given the body type they are used to designing for.

[Ms Blue Jay]

I couldn't agree more. Aube  made the fashions look better than they were.  I know they were shoving the plus size storyline, but it made me sad that Aube didn't get a chance to walk in the finale, but I hope she gets better opportunities in the future.  She really stood out from the rest of the group.

 

Aube was in the finale.  Wasn't she the opening model for Kelly's show?  http://allprojectrunway.blogspot.ca/2015/09/collection-five-spring-2016.html

 

Aube is a legitimate model outside of Project Runway.  I don't think we need to worry about her career.  It will speak for itself.

 

Her instagram is here. She's walked other big shows.  https://instagram.com/aube_linda/

Edited November 6, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[sinkwriter]

 

I wish Candace would have let her flag fly.  That red floral dress was spectacular.  Send the wooden skirt down the runway.  Close out the show with the red and black gown with the massive hoop skirt.

 

I don't love Candice's stuff, but I really did want to see how that wooden skirt would look on the runway. And her final gown just looked deflated without the hoop, so flat and boring. I guess that pretty much symbolized Candice's feelings after everything the judges said to her and what happened with her experience on the show. Completely deflated.

 

 

When they announced to the four that they would be going to fashion week they told Ashley that they were GIVING her plus sized models and WANTED her to design a plus sized collection.  From that point on they raved about how brave she was to design a plus sized collection and acted like she fought to be able to do that.  They told her what to do!  That isn't brave.

 

I don't think she was choosing to do that on their say-so, though. I think doing a plus sized collection was what Ashley wanted to do all along. I don't know that it's necessarily a "brave" thing, but it is a welcome thing to me.

[greenbean]

I was shocked when Kelly didn't win. I was rooting for her, and thought she really pulled it off. She has been the most innovative throughout the competition, and her final collection was the most interesting. I was so sad for her when she lost.

 

Ashley did have a good collection imo. I thought her use of colour was the best, and it was the most cohesive collection. I did not like the waists on the skirts, they seemed bulky and made the models like bigger. I also could have done with less lace. But I did like some of the shapes, and if not Kelly, then she was the next best.

 

Candice. Poor Candice. It was sad to watch her get so beat down. I would have liked to see her original collection. When the model asked her about the wooden skirt (?) I thought for sure she was going to change her mind and include it. I do think she needed to pare things down, but she went too far.

 

Edmond's was basic, trite and boring. I can't stand him. This guy getting the save and through to the final, was absolutely planned. The producers have protected him throughout the competition, despite showing little talent. He had the worst dress on the night, the layered blue number. Horrendous! Yet once again he was treated with kid gloves and the judges spouted some nonsense about him respecting women.

 

It was an example of how weasel worded they've been with him throughout the show. With any other designer, they would have outright said his designs were cheap and his taste levels poor. At best, what he creates can be seen in any basic department store right now, at worst his creations are a cheap tacky mess. There was zero cohesiveness to his collection. In fact it had to be the most random collection in PR history. Yet this guy really thinks he's hot stuff. Delusional!

Edited November 6, 2015 by greenbean

[RealityCowgirl]

I thought Swapnil's collection was OK. He had some pretty dresses, but I thought it was a lot of the same thing over and over again. He might have deserved the win this year since the overall talent level was so low, but he didn't blow me out of the water. In fact, I thought a couple of his looks were costumey.

Yeah, I should have qualified that with "relatively speaking."

:)

Beautiful, no doubt impeccably made, but still a bit one-note (lots of the same basic concept). Would have been a finalist at best against some of the show's greats, including some non-winners.

Edited November 6, 2015 by RealityCowgirl

[FineWashables]

Anybody else laugh out loud when Lexus offered the contestants not a car to win as a prize, but rather two rides in a Lexus?  Wow, talk about cheap!  What's next, a free week from Uber?

[Wings]

It was a joke.  So many commercials that it seemed they completed several seasons during the 2 hour finale last night.

 

My sarcasm didn't translate well :(.

 

 

Ha ha ha  Good one!  In the absence of facial expression and tone sarcasm can be lost.  It has happened to me but this time I fell prey.  

 

I will watch this. I didn't mind the promos for it.  I adore Kelly Osborne and Siriano so that will help.  Interesting that Tim will be a judge.  I am looking forward to that. 

Edited November 6, 2015 by wings707

[Aging Goth]

Isn't that part of the winning package? A guest editor spot for a year?

She was actually asking her to work as a designer for plus sizes

[Calamity Jane]

Christian was one of the judges on "Threads"...I don't even remember the woman's name who was the hostess.  Christian was good as a judge with the young people.  I know a lot of people didn't like the show, but I liked it better than this season's "Project Runway."  For one thing, each episode had a winner so one didn't have this business of creating a story arch through several episodes.   The youngsters, for the most part, were bearable, and some of them were quite talented.  Their adult helpers were pretty funny at times but, still, not the worst thing I've ever seen.

 

I don't think I'll be watching the new version (the junior Project Runway), but I wish they would sign Christian up as a judge for Project Runway (or, better, give Gunn a break and let Christian mentor for a season).  I doubt if that would happen because I am assuming Christian has better things to do, but he seems like someone who give some very practical advice since he has been there.  I didn't like him when he was a contestant but he seems better now somehow. Either he has changed, or I have (or some of both).

Christian was still really young and immature during his season.  My mom always told me you have to give boys until 25 to be grown up, and it certainly seems to be that Christian seriously hit his stride about that time.  And he was terrific with the kids on Threads.  I too would like to see him give Tim a breather next season, but for his own sake, I hope he's too busy to do it.  Despite his brattiness, I always liked Christian (reminded me a good deal of my own son in some ways), and I've been so happy to see him do so well in fashion and grow into such a seemingly terrific person. 

[william0102]

I have not been a Candace fan. I pretty much hated her the entire competition, but they freaking dragged her last week and on the finale. Frederick's of Hollywood? Really? First, none of her clothes looked like that, but second, why would you say that to someone? The last few episodes there was always some scathing comment from the judges to her (usually Posen) but this week it was Nina, and I felt so bad for Candace. I hated that she didn't do her line, just because she honestly trusted them that her clothes weren't good enough. Now, I didn't like some of the pieces last week, but were they really too "costume-y" for fashion week? I just feel bad that they trashed her.

Edmond is a fine designer, but I feel like I've seen his look a hundred times over. He definitely should have been second though.

I do not want to even talk about Ashley's looks. She is too young and not confident enough to trust her instincts. She needs to develop a pov and style. She should not have won. Everyone else's clothes were all better made. Even Edmond who basically draped half his collection in two days.

I almost cried when Kelly left the runway. She always put so much more effort and herself into her clothes, that seeing her devastated just saddened me so deeply. The judges built her confidence up, and then didn't have the backbone to follow through. I hope she remembers, or was told, how much the techs on the show wanted her to design for them, that Tim had her back, jesus, even Carrie Underwood liked her. I hope she can make a career with her designs.

[caracas1914]

Edmunds last 2 dresses were, dare I say it, editorial. Christian Siriano comes to mind.

His line was the only one that screamed runway to me, Kelly's was ' whole' as in being ready to wear for teenagers revisiting Grandma's disco era, Candice was how many uses do you have for leather , and while I didn't hate Ashey's show as many do here, I thought her very worst was infinitely inferior to Edmund's weakest efforts, while some of Edmund's best outfits were drop dead gorgeous.

As to original, I have seen Kelly's "look" many, many times, on young girls. Yes she can do textiles but it doesn't mean the end result is beautiful.

Edmund presents women beautifully.

Edited November 6, 2015 by caracas1914

[FineWashables]

And once again, Sarah Bunting's episode title -- Go Big or Go Home -- is the single most entertaining thing about the episode.  Well done.

[kitmerlot1213]

I knew Candice would blame the judges for her loss (the "I let them water me down" bullshit).  Her collection of leather corsets was uninteresting even with the wood armor piece, Carmen Sandiego Hat, and hoop skirt.

 

Damn.  Kelly should have had it all.

 

There is a cruel part of me that loves that Candice was the first one cut--Candice who thought she was head and shoulders above both Kelly and Ashley was eliminated first.  Man alive but that was glorious :)

 

And I thought Kelly was the clear winner as well.  Her collection was fun and light and well made--at least she got tons of exposure from the show.  I hope she does well in the future.

Edited November 6, 2015 by kitmerlot1213

[PepperMonkey]

Rewatched the finale (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment) because I missed part of the show, zoned out for part of it and missed some of the runway stuff. So it was 59 minutes long without the Project Runway Jr promos and commercials.

 

I guess Ashley deserved the win out of all the collections that were shown?? I liked Kelly's better but it still wasn't *great.*

 

That final dress of Ashley's was ridiculous. I really was thinking she had lost when Zac asked her if the flowers were glued on and she said yes. Seriously, she couldn't sew them on for NYFW??? Also, holy crap that was ugly. I did actually like some of her stuff, but her execution is pretty shoddy. And the THs with her going on and on about her gift... stfu for chrissakes. Really, though, I'm not offended by her win, just not totally on board with it.

 

Candice: I'm sorry, I don't see Alexander McQueen when I'm looking at her stuff. I see Hot Topic and as Heidi said, Frederick's of Hollywood. Now, having said that, I liked the lace coat with the skinny pants and I liked the final dress, but I wish she had left the hoop in it. She really HAD to know she was not winning and I will say again, I wish she had just gone full out. Maybe without the hat and definitely without the gloves, but I wish she had included everything else. Then she would have failed on her own and not been able to say she let the judges water her down.

 

One of my favourite parts of the whole show was watching Merline "dancing" in the audience.

 

At least in this group, there was not a Korinna. Most of these designers were fairly likeable for me, except Amanda? The one who got sent home before on a previous season, and tried to get Ashley sent home on the team Easter Egg challenge... her name was Amanda, right?

Edited November 6, 2015 by PepperMonkey

[The Cake is a Pie]

Remember way back when during one of the early team challenges when Ashley was picked last and wouldn't stop crying about it, and everybody accused the Mean Girls for throwing Ashley under the bus and we all thought they were being catty because they felt threatened by her? I TAKE IT ALL BACK AND I APOLOGIZE. Too bad they were not successful in getting her aufed.

 

I think Ashley's smugness in her interviews bugged me more than anything Candace has ever said prior, knowing that she didn't win because of her (snort) gift, but the producer fix.

 

Speaking of Candace, most of her collection was boring and derivative, but that one lace coat she made was FAR better by itself than any lace piece Ashley sent down that runway.

[sekay87]

Rewatched the finale (yes, I'm a glutton for punishment) because I missed part of the show, zoned out for part of it and missed some of the runway stuff. So it was 59 minutes long without the Project Runway Jr promos and commercials.

 

I guess Ashley deserved the win out of all the collections that were shown?? I liked Kelly's better but it still wasn't *great.*

 

That final dress of Ashley's was ridiculous. I really was thinking she had lost when Zac asked her if the flowers were glued on and she said yes. Seriously, she couldn't sew them on for NYFW??? Also, holy crap that was ugly. I did actually like some of her stuff, but her execution is pretty shoddy. And the THs with her going on and on about her gift... stfu for chrissakes. Really, though, I'm not offended by her win, just not totally on board with it.

 

Candice: I'm sorry, I don't see Alexander McQueen when I'm looking at her stuff. I see Hot Topic and as Heidi said, Frederick's of Hollywood. Now, having said that, I liked the lace coat with the skinny pants and I liked the final dress, but I wish she had left the hoop in it. She really HAD to know she was not winning and I will say again, I wish she had just gone full out. Maybe without the hat and definitely without the gloves, but I wish she had included everything else. Then she would have failed on her own and not been able to say she let the judges water her down.

 

One of my favourite parts of the whole show was watching Merline "dancing" in the audience.

 

At least in this group, there was not a Korinna. Most of these designers were fairly likeable for me, except Amanda? The one who got sent home before on a previous season, and tried to get Ashley sent home on the team Easter Egg challenge... her name was Amanda, right?

 

Agreed with everything said about Candice. Her collection screamed Hot Topic to me and her design aesthetic has all season. I'm kind of irked she made it to Fashion Week at all because I don't get her work. I was glad she came in 4th and felt that was absolutely deserved. 

 

Edmond was my favorite all season and I was sorely disappointed in his collection. Sarah D. Bunting is right-you can walk into any Express today and basically find the same kind of thing. I was hoping he'd really pull out the stops but unfortunately that didn't happen.

 

Ashley's collection has issues but as a whole I do feel hers was better than the rest. Kelly didn't take the sophistication level up enough. I know that's not her vibe, but it's NYFW and using cheap-looking club fabric isn't going to cut it. It's a shame because I did like her collection. She just really needed to elevate the level of luxury in this collection and failed to do so. At least Ashley made something colorful, different, and interesting, even if there were some fit issues and some questionable outfits. I'm glad it turned out how it did. All I cared about was Candice NOT winning.

[backgroundnoise]

It's not just that they fail as fashion. It's that they fail as clothing for fat women. And the idea that this is the bone Zac and Nina chose to throw woman over size four is really insulting.

ITA.  Those skirts made those not-so-plus-size women look like they had huge hips and thighs.  Anyone larger wouldn't wear it.  Nina and Zac failed in their role of fashion experts in not exposing the inappropriateness of it.

[wovenloaf]

Ahhh my computer just flipped out and deleted everything I just typed. Ugh. My main point was....

 

I cannot fathom how Zac could hold his tongue about the shiny purple glued-on flower monstrosity Ashley had up there with her at judging. Is it 1795 in here? Wtf was that? No way Zac didn't despise that "look" in his own head. I mean, sure this show has always been varying levels of contrived, pre-determined, etc., but this season was a particularly nonsensical one.

Edited November 6, 2015 by wovenloaf

[candall]

I'm glad she won.

 

Like it or not, there are many fat young women out there.  Let's give 'em something to wear.

 

.

[mindfultvcritic]

I had to laugh when Alyssa Milano had a look of doing some serious critiquing during the runway show.  What does Who's The Boss have to do with Fashion.

 

I'm still wondering about the credibility of the contest. Shouldn't they all have done plus size shows to make it more fair and avoid the awarding the line that was different from the outset.  Or perhaps one of the contestants should have showed up with a couple of outstanding plus size look to throw things into a tizzy.

 

I'm surprised all of the contestants didn't realize it's part of the show for the judges to dog pile on them right before the show and see if they can take the pressure. The only thing is the mind games worked on Candice and I feel that Ashley was a bit smug, meaning  she is faking her confidence issues.. In fact, I thought she had lost because she was being so smug and there was going to be a gotcha moment (as she was even smiling by saying that Edmond didn't have it together the day before the show). Candice was also being smug all season so I think it was a bit of a karmic payback for her and her obvious overlooking Ashley during group challenges..

 

The way they tortured Kelly at the end, who really was the only one who really had a strong point of view was mean. Her reaction was truly heartbreaking and I feel she would have the biggest 'fall' from the lost as she would have had the biggest 'rise' from the win. She is strong enough and has a good attitude that with time she will recover and go on to do well.

 

This show is no longer really a competition. It seemed almost as if Ashley was ushered along and kept on just to win because of the 'plus size' differentiator. This is insulting to the viewers and unfair to the contestants who all go there working hard to fulfill a dream. 

Edited November 6, 2015 by mindfultvcritic

[cpcathy]

I can only hope that this is like other reality competition shows where the winner is never heard of again and the runner up becomes well known and successful. More power to Kelly!

[Tara Ariano]

In case you missed it, here's the Previously.TV post on the episode!

 

Go Big And/Or Go Home
Project Runway's bloated finale finally crowns a winner.

[BloggerAloud]

The moment Kelly put those headphones on her models, I immediately had a flashback to Jay McCarroll's finale collection all the way back in season one. And I remember so distinctly gagging with delight over his final dress in all of its pink glory. And that was one thing that seemed to be missing this season from the finale collections. None of the four had a showstopping ender of an outfit.

Edited November 6, 2015 by BloggerAloud

[Ororo Monroe]

Strap Regent said, "The real person I was rooting for was Swapnil and he was booted off before he could even get to NYFW."

 

 

He did show at Fashion Week.

I know, I meant as part of the final four on the show.

[Julia]

Like it or not, there are many fat young women out there.  Let's give 'em something to wear.

 

And having been one of them, and not having completely resigned myself to dressing as if I were a senior citizen, I'd have to say no thanks. I've worn enough crappy unflattering clothes for one lifetime.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Julia

[NikSac]

First, Ashley herself would never wear any of those horrible outfits.

Second, I honestly think that the skinny judges thought plus sized women would want to wear some of that garbage. They should have had a heavier judge on who could give some honest feedback on true style for plus sizes.

Third, why do we always hear about outfits adding weight to the skinny models but Ashley wasn't called out on it? That poor thing in the long skirt had about a hundred pounds added to her frame. That god awful outfit alone should have gotten her kicked out of contention.

I have been disappointed before but never have I felt so truely disgusted!

 

Bolding by me  - hm.. actually I think Ashley would. Her outfits are generally pretty hideous - both the ones she wears and the ones she designs.

 

But that said, I don't think Ashley should've won. She made both herself and the models look awful. I appreciate the sentiment behind giving a "plus sized" designer the win but I feel like they picked the wrong one.

 

On a separate note thanks to everyone for posting because I couldn't handle all the PR Junior commercials and I ended up fast-forwarding through a LOT of the finale. I almost missed entire collections because I thought it was more PR Junior advertising.

[Nidratime]

I didn't care for any of the collections, but Ashley's and Kelly's looked cohesive and like they represented a point of view -- which they did! So, I wasn't surprised they were in the top.

 

Personally, I found Kelly's to be tacky, with all that glitter. Mostly attractive to the junior miss crowd or some club hopper from the neighborhood. Ashley's had the opposite problem. With the Easter egg shell colors, the lace, and the flowered headdresses, they made me think of mother of the bride.

 

Edmond's and Candice's collections didn't really look cohesive, nor were they interesting. Candice was wrong to downplay her looks. Her collection probably wouldn't have taken the win in terms of the judges, but I think the crowd would've been impressed by her drama, and she could've gotten some work as a result.

Edited November 6, 2015 by Nidratime