It wasn't a fierce season for Project Runway. No Cristian Soriano to spice things up. No Wendy Pepper either, speaking of spicy. That said, as the show wrapped up and three designers presented their collections at Fashion Week, the competitive juices were flowing and I was definitely into it. Maybe not as much as previous years, but the Project Runway formula still worked. And most significantly, the final three were all women. As Tim Gunn pointed out, it was the year of the woman on Project Runway.All in all, the finale wasn't exactly up to the level of previous seasons. The personalities weren't as dramatic or defined. There was no Jeffrey to hate. No pregnant Laura to root for. And no Jay or Santino to giggle over. It's interesting that even Tim Gunn, before this season aired, had said that this group wasn't as distinctive as some other seasons. As usual, Tim was right.
Speaking of Tim, Mr. Gunn had to step up as the last minute fill in for guest judge Jennifer Lopez. Heidi explained at Bryant Park that Jen had a foot injury and couldn't make it. Still, Tim was the wrong choice to take her role. He's certainly qualified to judge, but he'd been so intimately involved in the creation of the lines that it seemed untoward for him to suddenly become a judge. I can't believe that they couldn't find another celebrity to take J-Lo's place.
Kenley's attitude was definitely the most distinct. Let's face it, she was a bitch. She didn't take constructive criticism well at all. Her clothes, however, had a signature style. Leanne snarkily criticized the painted on fabrics as "Holly Hobbie." The judges really got on her case for lifting ideas from other famous designers, consciously or not. Snap!
Korto's African-woman inspired look was also distinctive, and her earth tones were surprisingly bright and colorful. The wedding dress was blah, but I liked her other pieces. The judges were right about her need to learn about editing, but overall, she had a great collection.
Leanne had that whole wave thing going. It was very architectural and unique. I don't know how the heck she accomplished it, but it was impressive and unified her vision. The color palette, though, was a little bland -- teal to biege to white. Interesting that Tim loved her pant look when he had urged her to add it, back when he wasn't one of the finals judge.
Kenley was quickly dispatched, so it came down to Leanne and Korto. My heart was with Korto, but I'm not upset that Leanne Marshall won. She had a really specific look. You could recognize Leanne's look a mile away. As a Project Runway contestant she was sweet and unobtrusive -- dull -- but she had undeniable talent.
So, is this really the end of Project Runway on Bravo? The show is supposedly moving to Lifetime, but now the producers are in court and the proposed new season starting in January has been put on hold. I think it would be a good idea to give PR a rest for a while; maybe a delay will give the powers that be a chance to recharge their batteries, come up with some exciting new challenges and vibrant contestants.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
10-16-2008 @ 8:38AM
laura said...
does Leanne even know what Hollie Hobbie looks like? its basically a doll wearing little house on the prairie clothes, so she obviously has no idea what she is referencing. I think Leanne was more of a B*tch than Kenley, and I am upset that she won. I think it should have gone to Korto for at least having some passion for her work.
I wanted to wash Leannes hair.
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10-16-2008 @ 12:22PM
Melissa said...
I completely agree. Kenley may have had a defensive attitude, but she wasn't a bitch. Leanne on the other hand, was the worst kind of bitch! She was a passive, underhanded bitch. The judges were right about her being a one-note designer, and she needs to shower more often.
I liked Korto's design point of view--design for women all shapes and sizes.
10-16-2008 @ 3:05PM
Leota said...
I believe she meant the term more generally, as someone who did something more crafty ('hobby'-ish) rather than well designed. Kind of like 'home-sewn' gets thrown around as an insult as well.
http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=holly%20hobby
10-16-2008 @ 9:50AM
Kat said...
Kenley may have a strong point of view but I never understood the appeal. I think all her stuff is ugly. There were only a few pieces in her collection that I like, and none that I loved. I appreciate her workmanship, and I thought her hand painting looked really nice on some of the pieces, but so much of her stuff feels 'been there done that' to me, and it's not the cute kind of retro, it's the kind of retro that my parents try to pretend they never wore because it's embarrassing now.
Leanne and Korto both had great collections. Personally I don't get why this season was poorer than the others because the contestants weren't as crazy. I watch this show for the fashion not the annoying antics of reality stars putting on a show for the camera, and I felt we got some of the best work ever on this show (true, some individual episodes were a little lackluster, but overall). I would have been happy with either a Korto or Leanne win, so once Kenley was out I was fine with whatever. I think both of those ladies had beautiful designs and handled themselves with grace and dignity. They work well with others and seems easy to talk to, which is important when you're starting out and need to network and meet people to help get your work out there.
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10-20-2008 @ 1:19AM
Mikey said...
Leanne was as good as it got this season (and I am still mad about the ferret winning last season instead of either of the others). Her stuff is wearable and vibrant. Korto's stuff looked like it was accessorized by the WalMart $1 aisle. For the span of the season, Leanne is also the winner. My personal favorite was Just Joe. I was a little surprised the show did not do the reunion special. Maybe they ran out of sponsorship on Bravo.
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10-16-2008 @ 12:39PM
La-Di-Dah said...
Korto's collection: as soon as the first look hit the runway, I was gasping with cool impression. Her very tastefully done blend between West African and American, with the African style fans, made me fall in love. Yes, Leanne was innovative and I'm fine that she won, but I am looking forward to Korto in the future, because as an American of recent African descent myself, it was a near-perfect expression of a marriage between the popping, larger-than-life styles of African tailoring and the simple and elegant of modern American. I also wish she had done more embroidery!
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10-16-2008 @ 2:29PM
r.r.r. said...
Korto should of won runway last night. The judges kept saying that her clothes were "ethnic" so many times, but her line was so much than that. I can't believe they didn't see it. :(
Leanne was the easy winner. Don't get me wrong, I did like her designs throughout the season. But I hope Korto shows up soon cause her line is WAY better than Kenley and Leanne.
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10-16-2008 @ 3:39PM
stbyra said...
Hate Jeffery and love Laura? Are you crazy???? Laura was a manipulative bitch and only had one note to play. Jeffrey had talent and beneath his punk look was a real sentimental guy.
As for the final three this year, I cannot believe Kenley made it this far to begin with. She needs to have a major attitude adjustment or she'll never get anywhere in the fashion world.
I'm sorry Korto didn't win, but like you, Leanne had it really together with her collection.
Not the best year ever, but better than no runway at all.
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10-16-2008 @ 4:02PM
RobynS8971 said...
I thought Jerrel should bhave been in the final thre, jsut for the body of work he did. granted his bridal gown was hideous (who wants boobs that look like a smashed bunber?) but through the season he did smashing clothes. If he had shown at Bryant Park he would ahve stolen it.
But Leanne is a good second for me, her long blue gown (the one the winning model wore) was stunning, I think we'll see Heidi in that soon, she had that "Oooh, I want that!" look as it came down the runway!
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10-16-2008 @ 9:56PM
shelley said...
I think the judges are rather uninspiring and dull. When Heidi introduces them, the designers do not get excited, but rather barely say hello. How awful for Kenly to have a season where she fought back against her "mentor" Tim, and have him turn up as a judge! Even though Leanne had the most elegant collection and I thought she would win, I would have preferred to see other judges with more status in the business.
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