Sunday, October 23, 2011

Project Runway Season 9 Episode 13 (Finale Part 1)

Torture. That's what this episode was to me. Torture. Why put the designers through the charade of a final challenge only to put all four of them through to fashion week? Why? I think that Anya choked, but since she's been the clear favorite from the beginning, the producers didn't allow her to be eliminated. In my (not-so-humble) opinion, this is Viktor's competition to lose. He is head and shoulders above the other contestants in terms of design and construction. Josh and Kimberly can sew, but not at the speed and level that Viktor can. He has hardly broken a sweat throughout the entire competition. He deserves the win and I think he'll get it.

Let's have a look at his mini-collection, the best of the four, by far:

I agree with the judges that this jacket would be more show-cased with a simple tee and a basic pant, but I also love the dress. What's up with the sheerness of it, though? I like my granny panties to be obscured from public view most of the time. 

This skirt/dress combination is awesome. I love the Rorschach quality of the manipulation of the print. The one and only change I would have made would have been to have the zippers zipped at a different lengths, maybe getting longer from one side to the other. A bit of asymmetry to counter the symmetrical print of the dress, that's all. 

I love the top and the jacket, and I can appreciate the pant.The print is cool, but I could never pull it off. The tailoring is perfect as always with Viktor. Based on these looks, I'm excited to see what remains in his collection. 

And now for what I consider to be the worst mini-collection, Anya's: 

This dress is vanilla at best. I think that Uli (season 3) did a far better job of creating an "island" look than Anya. I think this dress is certainly the best of the three that Anya chose to show, but it pales in comparison to all three of Viktor's looks. There is no contest. And I agree with the judges that the styling was bad. Not breezy enough. 

Boring! An ill-fitting bathing suit with a beige cover-up? Anya, you can do better! I have nothing else to say about this look. 

NOOOOOO!!!! This look is tortured. I believe Michael Kors said the same thing. It's so poorly constructed, and just not very good. I honestly can't figure out why the judges let Anya stay. She's pretty, even when she's crying, so maybe that's why. And she seems like such a nice person. Wouldn't it be nice for a nice person to win this time? Sort of like the anti-Gretchen, right? 

Ok, on to the two middle-of-the-road contestants- Josh and Kimberly. Neither one of these designers can or will win. They don't have the ideas, the skills or the sophistication. But it's been fun watching them try. 

First, Kimberly: 
Too much blue. Too much weird hair. Too much. Also, those are my least favorite pants that Kimberly has ever made. I feel as though I've seen the bag before and the jewelry is nothing special. 

Bubble butt and ski-jump front? Too weird. This skirt is asking for elimination. Again, too much blue. I agree with the judges- she should have brought in the ivory jacket. 

Meh. There is nothing special about this. Again, I feel like I've seen it before. It's completely forgettable. 

And finally, Mr. Tacky (Josh): 

The jacket is cool. The pants are nicely made and a fun pop of color. The belt ruins the outfit and the top and shoes should both go. Neither the best nor the worst thing we've seen from Josh, but definitely not Project Runway winner material. 

If you're going to make an LBD on Project Runway, it needs to be flawless. This dress is far from it. The weird tab in the front is just bizarre. The too-tight fit, deep neckline and short skirt combine to be too much. Boobs OR legs, Josh. Pick one. 

Ew. This is heinous. And the back is terrifying. I can't wait for him to be eliminated. Ugh. What was he thinking? 

So, what do YOU think of the mini collections? Leave a comment- I'd love to hear! 

4 comments:

Shannon said...

For one brief moment during this episode I thought Project Runway was going to redeem itself after this mostly awful season. But then they let Anya stay for the final and I realised it's over. At least for me. I doubt I'll even bother watching the finale. I feel kind of sorry for Viktor having to compete against these awful collections. He's the obvious choice for the winner, but the way this season has gone, I wouldn't be surprised if they gave it to Anya, and I just cannot watch that.

Beth said...

I love your blog posts about PR because I don't watch the show, but I feel like I get a good perspective on the fashions from your blog. (And with all the Real Housewives out there, who needs more boring interpersonal drama?) Anyway, your coverage the past two seasons has left me with one thought: PR desperately needs some more Christian Sirianos. Or Ramis. Or just about anybody with the skill and vision of the earlier seasons. There's just been no one who has made you stop and say, Whoa, thank goodness a show exists that will help this talented person get noticed.

Maria said...

I agree with Shannon and Beth.

I don't think Anya is nice AT ALL. I think she's manipulative, passive-aggressive, and has a sense of entitlement that would make Blonde Laura look like a factory worker. (Disclaimer: I strongly dislike passive-aggressive people and have been made miserable by more than one.) She's being pushed along because she has a sex tape that just "happened" to leak onto the internet at the same time she tried out for PR. She's good TV for Lifetime's demographic. A sex tape is how Kim Kardashian became famous, and this season PR had KK on as a judge, showing her panties all the while.

If the show was ever about talent, it sure isn't anymore.

Tim W. said...

Even though the "elimination" was anti-climactic, I thought this episode was really interesting simply because of the editorial critiques that each designer received. No one's 3-piece collection was fully realized, and the judges gave some really crucial guidance.

There's no doubt that Viktor is the strongest designer, but if he sent an entire collection down the runway like these three pieces, it would be a failure. The dress and jacket is just too much look for the runway--I actually like the juxtaposition of the two and could see them being worn together in the real world, but the runway is supposed to showcase the individual designs--and the leather zippered skirt does give the dress too much volume.

The other designers needed help as well, whether it was with styling, or construction, or how to avoid sending a hideous cat-suit drapery down the runway.

Anya's gown does look tortured, but so does Kimberly's skirt. The model in Joshua's neoprene LBD looks like a mid-priced Las Vegas call girl. Are Anya's looks really so much worse she should be eliminated? I just don't see it. And I'm happy all four get to go to the finale.

There's no doubt this has been a weak season, but I have to disagree with Beth. The battle between Gretchen and Mondo last season was one of the best in PR history, and Seth Aaron, Emilio, and Mila two seasons ago was arguably the best final runway ever. Next season brings back some of the deserving non-winners (including Rami and Mondo,) and I'm psyched to see how they have changed since their first appearance. Let's hope that the break also gives PR a chance to find a better crop of contestants for the next "original" season.

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