(The following contains SPOILERS for the finale of this season of Project Runway. Don’t worry if you missed it. Bravo will thoughtfully air it at least 300 more times.)
My addiction to reality television has dwindled rather significantly, but I’m still engrossed by Project Runway and thought the recently completed season was the strongest yet. The general skill level was very high, and the designers had a wide range of distinct aesthetics to keep things interesting.
But I can’t quite get over who won. The last few sentences of the recaplet at Television Without Pity sums up my reaction, though you could substitute “Laura” for “Uli” and it would still work. Jeffrey’s collection didn’t strike me as wearable at all outside of the red carpet at the Billboard Music Awards. The judges seemed to ignore the fact that Laura and Uli did have specific points of view; just because they didn’t speak to Michael Kors or Nina Garcia doesn’t mean they weren’t there. Jeffrey certainly had a point of view, but I kept wondering how they got the clown car backstage.
I take consolation in the fact that both Laura and Uli probably had offers from major houses before they even left the final filming at Parsons, because I think their aesthetics would actually sell. (I suspect that guest judge and Fashion Week mogul Fern Mallis shared that opinion. Heck, I think even Heidi Klum felt the same way.) And that should be part of the equation, shouldn’t it? Who, outside of collectors or the most diehard of fashionistas, is going to buy Jeffrey’s clothes? Who could actually wear them aside from a model?
A happy side effect of this season is this excellent post from MetroKitty on how to communicate during a design critique. It seems like excellent advice for any creative person trying to pitch their work.
Now, on to a new season of Top Chef and, thankfully, more terrific recaps from astute foodie Keckler. (I was watching a marathon of the first season, and wow, Harold whined a lot about how the challenges were beneath him, didn’t he? I’d forgotten that. Dude, you signed up for a television reality show. Are you really surprised that it isn’t dignity personified?)