It’s the last Tim Gunn Gather ’Round™ and he is near tears while giving the designers their pep talk. Aww, Papa Gunn is just the best. Group hug! Make it work! Time is up, and the designers go back to their hotel for a nap before heading to Lincoln Center the next morning.
Runway time! It’s chaos backstage. Bradon’s models have their coffee and tea all over the place because sustenance! and one of his models poured coffee down the front of his floral charmeuse gown. But all is well and Heidi wanders out in a copper sequins gown that makes her look like a badass mermaid. She introduces the judges (Nina, Zac, and Kerry Washington), and it’s time for the show.
Justin is up first.
Flowing white fabrics march down the runway with black wirey accents. It then transitions into greys and it all looks sort of plain and ordinary until a grey dress with a cream colored swishy something down the front walks out and the color palette suddenly makes perfect sense. There are also short dresses with long sheer coverups, and then out comes his test tube dress which is stunning, but doesn’t walk very well. Overall, it lacks oomph.
Dom is next with her “retro redux” collection.
She really does know how to work a print, and that purple satin jumpsuit with the clear jacket is amazing—I thought Zac Posen was going to reach out and steal it. There’s a long royal blue satin gown with a clear plastic waist ruffle that’s also insanely gorgeous, and that print jumpsuit I thought would be hideous is actually really slick. I think we have a winner, and I think Dom is going to have a really great career ahead of her.
Oh, Alexandria.
Stop stressing and just get out there already. Her show starts with her woven newsprint dress that is really freaking cool, but then goes all boring with pants and vests. Pants, vest. Pants, vest. She’s got some cute tops and everything is easy and wearable with stunning bits of detail and little surprises like open backs and cut-away shoulders, but it’s just not runway material. Polite applause, and Nina does not look happy.
Finally, Bradon and his thirsty models.
His collection is about flowers. Flowers flowers everywhere, even where they don’t belong. There are copper pants that are amazing, but they are paired with a blah shirt. Then there are peacock patterned shorts, but with a plain Jane top. Those floral pants and gold jacket are nice, but then it’s followed by a white cocktail dress that looks very Ann Taylor. Oh, but that blue ombre dress, now that is something! And there’s that blue peacock pattern on another pretty dress, but is it too pretty? It’s just all so nice, but who wants nice?
Kerry Washington loved what is called the Sound Waves Dress in Justin’s collection, and also the sheer fabrics. Nina appreciated the different shapes, but she wanted more of a wow factor. There’s a debate over Bradon’s first look, which was a big shiny poofy skirt with a blob of white fabric flower at the bottom. Nina calls the collection disjointed. Let’s talk about Dom’s collection, which is so hands down the winner. Nina found it to be a very entertaining show and Kerry is impressed with Dom’s prints, which she designed herself. Zac didn’t love the bathing suit look, but whatever. Heidi really liked Alexandria’s collection because it’s “young and hip,” which Heidi calls everything that isn’t matronly. Zac thinks it was soft and chic and feminine while still being powerful. Nina liked the way it was styled and calls her clothes effortless, which is Nina’s nice way of saying, “These clothes are what I wear when nobody is watching.”
It’s time to crush dreams and stomp out those last glimmers of hope. It’s not you, Bradon. But you are awesome anyway. It’s not you either, Justin. And you are also piles of awesome. So Dom or Alexandria. Just give Dom her prize already! “Dom, congratulations, you are the winner of Project Runway.” And Alexandria, auf wiedersehen. Yay! I love it when a truly nice person wins a reality show competition without embarrassing themselves for even a minute.
And that’s it for this season. It looks like there’s no shortage of fashion competition shows on television with a Project Runway All-Stars coming up next week, and also Styled To Rock.
Reprinted from HauteTalk.com