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That TV Blog

D'oh! My hotel doesn't offer Bravo!

...so I haven't seen the dang Project Runway finale.

But I know who won, thanks to google.

I'm at a journalism conference in Houston (home of former winner Chloe, who will be giving a fashion show here on Saturday ... too bad my plane takes off at the same time).

So I won't be able to see the full episode until I get back Saturday night. :-(

Please do talk amongst yourselves until I can join in the conversation ...

Project Runway: Sorry ladies, I DON'T

Wedding dresses!
Finally, Project Runway challenges its cast to create dresses for an occasion that is the only time most of us common folk would consider hiring our own designers. So bravo.
Would I actually wear any of their frocks down the aisle?
Probably not.
My idea of bridal bliss is not Swan Lake (Kenley), an orchid thunderhead (Jerell), a burial of by waves of fabric (Leanne) or a dried corn husk (Korto).
However, the judges were absolutely right by sending Kenley and Leanne immediately to the finals.
While Korto's dresses were total duds, she didn't deserve to go home.
I have a feeling that the judges' decisions were influenced by what Tim Gunn (and the crew?) might have said about their runway shows behind the scenes.
Tim raved about Korto's pieces, but he walked away very concerned after seeing all of Jerell's gaudy embellishments and glittery fabrics (they remind me of a store years ago at Tanglewood Mall ... remember Lazurus?).
It would have been a shame if Korto's potentially winning line was kept from the Bryant Park runway, while a shiny pageant of crap got through. Plus, Jerell's arrogance has annoyed me lately.
So ... we have a fabulous female final.
Anyone want to chime in with your predictions? I'll go ahead and pick Leanne --- she seems to have the most consistent point of view, yet she's versatile.

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So Kenley, were you going for UGLY?

Ugliness.
That's all I saw in last night's episode of "Project Runway."
How can these four talented designers get inspired by glorious flowers ------ then proceed to give us colorful duds, like Kenley's purple monstrosity that looked like Barney the dinosaur had lost a battle with a quilting bee.
Anything but elegant, judged Heidi.
"But I wasn't going for elegant," Kenley snapped back.
Riiiiiight. She must have been going for fugly.
But worse than their uninspired designs were the attitudes.
I realize it was a high-stakes challenge, and they're all exhausted and stressed and missing their loved ones. But did Jerell and Korto have to unleash their divas, making fun of Kenley's design when she walks out of the room ---- while refusing to give her their unused tule?
I'm definitely not defending Kenley's childish behavior --- she's definitely getting her karmic investment returns. But it would have been the right thing to do for them to at least give her the dang fabric that they weren't going to use.
And the excessive crying was over-the-top. I just didn't feel that sympathetic. And I get moved to tears by lousy commercials.

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Project Runway: Suede gets punked

Well, at least Suede looked bad-ass as he said his wiedersehens last night. I thought Kenley's outfit was the bigger dud, but Suede definitely deserved to go home based on his struggling track record.
I definitely thought Korto's decision to bleach the denim was incredibly smart .... can't say the same about the blue eyeshadow, though.
Was it just me, or did Kenley look totally average in her pop-star get-up? Jerell's design was cool, but without her usual orange lipstick and yellow flower in the hair, Kenley's just another gal. And I was so happy to see Tim call her out during his critique of her hip-FLOP outfit with the ridiculous high-waisted jeans. She's quite the crybaby.
Speaking of crybabies, looks like there are tons of tears in store next week ...
See all of last night's looks here.

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Project Runway's Heidi Klum at the Emmys

As expected, reviews weren't so great for Sunday's Emmy Awards ... but host Heidi Klum strutted her stuff in five different frocks, and I didn't really like any of them. Especially the blue one.
Check them out here.

Project Runway: Joe a no-go

Another episode, another opportunity for a delusional designer to ignore Tim's criticism. Joe was the latest casualty.
I can't remember the last time I've seen a pocket swatch and pinstripes ---- maybe one of those mobsters in the latest Batman movie?
Michael Kors nailed it when he said that poor girl could have been costumed for a "Working Girl" party. All she needed was Joan Cusack's mall hair.
Leanne deserved her low scores --- not only because of her boring design, but because of bad karma: Did you catch her relief that she wouldn't have to design for "old" ladies near the beginning of the show?
Yeah .... wouldn't want you to have to actually design for REAL human bodies, Leanne. Ironic that her design ultimately aged the teacher so much that Heidi called her "frumpy."
And Kenley ---- my early favorite ---- has turned me off with her increasing arrogance and defensiveness. She's just plain obnoxious --- blabbering on about how much she loves her designs; assured that she's going to nail the challenges; laughing at folks who get criticized on the runway; and then pouting when she comes in second. She's not exuding the grace of her vintage designs.
And where did Jerell come from? He's been so inconsistent during the season ---- but nailed the last two. I still don't understand how last week's design had anything to do with Sagittarius, but I did fall in love with his cardigan dress this week. He also lucked out by having the most model-like client (with a stringy mullet?).
See all of the designs here.
(And I know there are photos and stories about the final Bryant Park runway show out there in cyberspace, but I refuse to indulge .... it ruins the suspense!)

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What are they smoking on Project Runway?

I'm in the middle of a hallucinogenic episode brought on by presidential politics ... I didn't expect the crazy to extend to this week's avant-garde episode of "Project Runway."
Um. Where to start.
How about Jerell's interpretation of Sagittarius. What? How did that impress the judges?
All I remember was brown .... and Tim talking about a school marm. I keep looking at the photo and I just don't get it. At the party with designers of runway past, I remember someone raving about the multiple trims on the sleeves. Can someone please explain to me why that was a winning design? And how it relates to the zodiac at all?
Next up ... Kenley. Her arrogance has puffed up to the size of her sleeves and bubble-butt skirts. The more she's convinced of the genius of her designs, the lower her scores get. I want to believe ... but I'm losing faith, lady.
Did you notice that Blayne channeled Emily's crazy ruffle dress that got her aufed? And then --- surprise! --- he's eliminated-licious. RIP, "holler atcha boy."
Terri's elimination was a bit of a surprise (with Suede still standing!), but then I realized she's been making the same pair of pants every week ..... so that's that.

See them all here.

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Project Runway: Stella goes home to Ratbones

I think we all knew Stella had to go ... it was only a matter of time.
Too many rocker vests, too little versatile talent.
Although, for a fleeting second, I thought Joe and his ridiculous Druid costume were closer to the chopping block on last night's "Project Runway" ---- he just doesn't play as well for the cameras.
Stella, on the other hand, is all New York personality .... her face looks kind of strange, talks tough, wears skin-tight leath-eh and has a boyfriend named Ratbones.
But she never won a challenge and always seemed one grommet away from an auf.
So buh-bye Stella .... looks like we're in for another pink costume by Joe.
As for the others, I was kind of put off by Kenley's defensive backtalk on the runway. While she was sobbing about how Meaningful the challenge was and fawning over another colorful print, Leann and Korto swoop in with two more sophisticated dresses ---- showing once again that those two belong in the finals.
I just wonder how many more product placements I can take before then.
See all of the looks here.

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Project Runway: Blame yourself, Keith

I fear that my critical comments about loser Keith will turn him into a sobbing pool of self-pity if he ever surfs across this post. You know he'd Google, himself, too. What else is there to do in Utah?
He hit a few of my nerves during last night's challenge to turn car parts into fashion: Whining about how the judges can't appreciate his magnificent vision. Getting bitchy in the sewing room. Chastising the model who had the audacity to sit for her hair and makeup session (um, who's to blame for not properly fitting the garment, huh?). Then acting defiant, telling the judges that their criticisms were personal insults.
Geez, get over yourself, dude. Keith was long on blame and short on talent. And I knew that his back-talk to Michael Kors would result in elimination. Perhaps he can now use a few swatches from his toilet-paper dresses to wipe away the tears.
While Keith was self-destructing, Korto and Leanne continued to dazzle with their innovative clothes: Between the seat-belt masterpiece and another tailored bubble-butt dress (a trend this season?), those two are definite front-runners for the final runway show. Work it, ladies!
Check out all of the designs here.

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Whiner Daniel 'dragged' out of Project Runway

Really glad to see Mr. Impeccable Taste booted after last night's Battle of the Divas.
Between drag queens bragging how gorgeous they are (really?) and designers convinced that their ideas are AMAZING, my eyeballs were rolling so much they could have been considered an alternative energy source. If only Bravo could figure out how to bottle this surplus hubris and sell it to the rest of us humble self-doubters.
Did you notice that Daniel completely disregarded Tim Gunn's critique about not "wowing" with his boring tie-dyed-with-Sunny-D cocktail dress? Hmmmm, where have we seen that before?
At this point, the lesson is on a neon billboard: Ignore Tim and brag about how much you love your own design, and you're gone. We've seen this again and again this season.
And Keith's "sad chicken" design looked more like Cruella De Vil after going through a paper shredder. Enough with the deconstructed swatches!
Joe's pink sailor costume was OK, but I though Terri's was the most dramatic. She nailed that Asian punk rocker look.
See all of the looks here.

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That TV Blog is the Roanoke Times' blog for all things TV. A handful of folks from our staff riff on their favorite and not-so-favorite shows here. | Read more about the contributors and this blog.

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