All good things must come to an end, and last night that good thing was Project Runway season four. I'm certainly going to miss its bevy of crying fits, crazy hats, cackles, and fierceness. And while it may not have been the most dynamic season in terms of drama (really, I blame Jillian), the designers certainly had talent — as we saw during last night's runway presentation showcasing the final three designers.
After last week's showdown between Chris and Rami, Rami proved victorious and joined Jillian and Christian in the top three. I was sad to see Chris go, but I think Rami truly was on a similar playing field as Jillian and Christian. And, as Torrance Shipman says in Bring It On, "I define being the best as competing against the best there is out there and beating them." I couldn't agree more — and I absolutely think these three were the best of the season, so the winner truly had to bring it!
To hear more about last night's episode, including the winner of Project Runway, and to see a gallery of all of the final looks, read more.
Before we get to the runway rundown, let's discuss the drama, or lack thereof, that happened beforehand. Really, there was the least amount of drama in Project Runway finale history. Season one had the Kara Saun shoe debacle, not to mention the Wendy Pepper feud. Season two had Santino Rice ('nuff said) and the surprise 13th look. And in season three, Jeffrey was accused of not sewing his own garments. Nothing especially exciting happened in last night's episode prior to the runway shows. In fact, it was pretty run-of-the-mill. Tim Gunn critiqued each of the designers and chatted about his or her collection. He was a little worried about the cohesiveness of Jillian's collection, and the over-designed aspect of Christian's collection, but he didn't have any criticism for Rami (that we saw, anyway).
If there was one iota of drama, it was with Jillian and her casting. She complained that she had never done it before and therefore ended up with models who lacked a consistent look. She tried to switch some girls out the day before the runway show but wasn't allowed to. Big deal. I preferred Christian's model interaction. I loved when his model was complaining about the shoes and he said "I worked it around my apartment in those shoes for like a week, and if I can do it these ladies can do it." Fierce.
As for the runway, the big news was that Victoria Beckham was the guest judge. The bigger news was that she actually smiled. Shock. Onto the collections . . .
- Jillian: Jillian's collection was inspired by the last challenge at the Met, specifically around a theme of 15th century armor. That being said, her pieces were definitely current and, typical for Jillian, very wearable. The judges thought that her collection looked feminine and modern, but a little disjointed. I loved her collection, but I agreed that there was a lack of cohesion. Close but no cigar, Jillian's out. Although I'd buy that coat her ProjRun model was wearing in a second.
- Rami: Rami's collection was inspired by Joan of Arc. Heidi loved his collection, especially all of the weaving that he did. Michael Kors agreed with the woven comment, but didn't love some of his "Brady Bunch" colors. I thought his collection was strong, as all of the designers' collections were, but just as Michael said, something about the bright pink, teal, and brown seemed a bit off. Also, I was missing his drapery — and who ever thought I'd say that? Nina said Rami's strength is in evening wear, and there wasn't enough of that. Not quite good enough, Rami.
- Christian: Christian said of his collection that he wanted to create something hard and soft (did that remind anyone else of the end of this Ali G fashion show sketch?). And that's about all he could say. He was so nervous, which was so not like him! At one point, I actually thought he was going to vomit on Rami's shoes. His collection definitely had an editorial edge plus that wow factor on the runway. Victoria loved it, saying it was very much in her taste and style. She even called Christian "maja." I think major = fierce squared. Michael, Nina, and Heidi all agreed that Christian has a flair for chic drama. His only major criticism was that his palette had too much black. In the end, Christian went on to become the youngest winner of Project Runway. In all honesty, Christian's show gave me the chills, and I was rooting for him, so bravo, Ferocia. Bravo.
Are you guys with me? Did you think Christian should have won? If not, who was the rightful winner of Project Runway?
Photos courtesy of Bravo
This made me so happy. I actually started crying a bit!
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