Project Runway: Season 12: Finale Show

Greetings, Project Runway Fans!

Season 12 was certainly something else.  We went from the ridiculous

to the sublime.

What a journey it's been!

I can't recall a season where all four finalists were so evenly matched in talent, creativity and skill.  It was, indeed, a hard decision for the judges to make.  Let's see the show.

Bradon

Throughout this season of Project Runway, Bradon was the man to beat.  He was a master of a variety of techniques and seemed to be able to pull together the perfect outfit for most of the challenges.  But when it came to the runway show, although he pulled out all the stops, there were too many themes and no, clear consistent vision.

Painted fabric motifs

Gorgeous dress.  Real high point, but fabric choices were a bit disjointed.

Stunning shorts, but in this outfit, the hand painted top is lost.

Each of these dresses featured the same hand printed fabric and while that adds some cohesion, it just wasn't enough to tell an interesting design story.  The last of these was just a standard slip.  Nothing should be standard in a runway show that is supposed to be your winning shot.

Colorful prints

I loved the print of the pant.  Very evocative of art nouveau.  The top, however, seemed a bit disjointed.  It was as if he was trying to throw metallics in just because they were in this year.  Or perhaps looking to find something that could go with the pant, cause excitement on its own, yet not compete.  

Again, another stunning print.  The dress showcases the print nicely, but there's no real innovation.

This print is way more subtle. Considering these were the only two outfits with it, tossing them in here seemed more like "here's some fabric I really liked" rather than "here's another chapter to the story."  It was a real missed opportunity.  The pouf on the sleeve of the gown ruined the easy line and added unnecessary bulk.

Let's throw these in there for good measure....

  

Both of these belong somewhere else and not in Bradon's Project Runway finale runway show.

During the season, Bradon more than proved that he is an exquisite technician and keen problem solver when it comes to answering a design or client brief.  What he lacks is good editing skill and real focus. That will come with more experience.  He was one of the strongest designers and best competitors this year.  Should he have another opportunity to show at Fashion Week, let's hope he's fueled by a very strong vision.

Justin

Justin endeared himself to the fans this season with his sweet nature and fierce determination. Overcoming deafness is challenging.  Deciding to re-enter the world of the hearing with a cochlear implant is incredibly risky and disorienting.  This was the story that Justin told in his collection.  What resulted was completely unexpected as he had not shown this level of design focus during the competition.  

The Waves

Every dress featured some sort of wave detail around the neck or waistline.  These were produced by a 3-D printer and represented visually the sound waves he couldn't hear.  The visual representation of something not heard was incredibly clever and instantly understandable by the audience.  The 3-D printing was extremely innovative.  He educated and communicated in one fell swoop.  Unfortunately, he had too many of these simple and forgettable dresses.

The Dissonance

Sound is part perception of the wave and part interpretation.  It's common for cochlear implant patients to hear nothing but noise and static until they learn to recognize what each sound means.  This process will take years.  While a normal hearing person will occasionally question what a certain sound will be, a recent hearing-acquired person will do it quite frequently.  The wave print and the splatters represent the dissonance.

 Beautiful dress, indeed.  Clever use of the 3-D piece at the waist.  It would have been an nice, unifying element had another outfit had a waist piece.

 This was my favorite of the three.  It would have been nice to see a 3-D belt instead of the fabric belt.  The 3-D neckpiece is lost at the top.

The cute vest was totally ruined by the 3-D element.  It would have been better at the waist.  The wave print would have been more effective on the back of the vest. 

Had Justin sent these out in order (and you can see the order from the garment in the background) this series would have made more sense.  The one dress without the splatters should have come out third to show the evolution of the understanding of sound.

Still, I question how effective the wave print and splatters were, visually.  The splatters were really distracting and to me, seemed like one visual element too many.  Also, only the sheath dress in the middle effectively used the wave print.  On the other two outfits, it seemed like an after thought.

Layering

While not telling the sound story in any overt way, Justin did use layering quite effectively.  Layering is very on trend, but most of the time, it's just putting one garment over another.  As someone whose primary sense is seeing, Justin created layered garments that played eye tricks with the viewers.  To me, this was the strongest part of his show.  Had every design featured this element, it would have been more cohesive, more effective and he would have made the judge's final decision even harder.  The world needs to see more of this from him.

Those aren't cut out circles.  Those are the result of an arch shape over a U shape.  They come together to form the O.  I thought the second outfit was way more effective than the first.  There is so much play with positive and negative space.  I could look at that outfit all day.  It should have been his muse piece.

The Exquisite Joke

Most designers sent out stunning, visually arresting unconventional materials pieces.  Justn's was the only one that caught our attention by sound.

Made from hundreds of little, glass laboratory pipets, it tinkled softly down the runway.  Despite the music blaring, everyone could hear the sound of the dress.  Every pipet caught the light so beautifully, too.  The effect looked like the most luxurious fringe you've ever seen.  It was a dangerous dress to wear with bare hands and sandaled feet.  The model presented it beautifully.

Justin was thrown a softball and he knocked out it out of the park.  While his show had its shortcomings, it's strengths were overwhelming and memorable, which is the very least you want to do with your shot at Fashion Week.  Justin LeBlanc has arrived, he has a voice and the world can hear it.

Alexandria

After her season on Project Runway, we expected nothing less than a very cerebral collection from Alexandria and she didn't disappoint.

In the tradition of paper dresses that have walked the runway before, Alexandria's phone book dress had sass and style.  She even made a hat, for cohesiveness.  But in contrast (clearly intentional) to the rest of the show, it was an extravagance the other garments didn't have.

The Layers

Alexandria's collection also featured layered garments.  The shapes and proportions were constantly in play.

 This was her muse piece.  The pants were slightly dropped at the crotch.  The effect is easy and looks incredibly comfortable.  This is modern sportswear.

 Again, another easy-to-wear pant.  While the gathers might not look great on a wider waist, they look good on the model.  The jacket is very flattering and could be worn by a wide range of people.

Wrapped Pant

I'm obsessed with wrapped pants.  A tied version of the wrap was popular in the 1930's as beachwear. Alexandria's is more tailored.

I would have liked to have seen a full length, straight legged version of this with a shorter jacket, just to show a wider range of options with this pant. I'm convinced that a wider waisted gal could wear this, with the correct proportions.  But Alexandria was too wrapped up in her specific vision to experiment with the pants.  I do think, however, that if she put some time into this, she may have a real innovation for the future.  She's got the technical prowess to do it.

Modern Separates

The black outfits seemed completely out of place in the shades of cream, white and grey.   However, the design elements were very consistent.

Less Successful Dresses

Unlike her unconventional dress, these two dresses really had nothing to communicate.

Yes, they had some edginess to them, but it was had to imagine the same woman who enjoyed the easy, casual nature of the daytime pieces suddenly opting for such fussiness at night.

It's clear that Alexandria has incredible technical and design skill.  She should take a handful of her ideas with pants and layering and dive into those with gusto.  There are certain catalogue companies that have made a cool fortune selling too-simple, over priced, under designed clothes for women who don't want to fuss.  They end up looking like vagabonds.  Alexandria takes the notion of comfortable, easy clothes and gives it a thoughtfulness and tailoring you rarely see.  These are separates that could easily fit into the workplace of the future, as we become more casual, yet find new ways to communicate competence and professionalism.

So I recommend that Alexandria move beyond the "punk" and the "cool" (because, let's face it, it's easy to dress very young women) and give some thought to the future of working women everywhere. More and more, they are entering non-traditional fields.  They are collaborators and networkers.  Designs for these ladies need to be comfortable, welcoming, a bit androgynous, but always interesting.  Alexandria has the intelligence to do this and make a real, lasting name for herself.

Dom

As I was fond of saying all season that Dom was a solid sender.  Challenge after challenge, if she didn't win it, at least she was highly successful.  She rarely stumbled and presented herself as one of the most consistent designers.  She did it with a warm and friendly attitude.  How she stayed so positive throughout the competition is beyond me.  She must have nerves of steel.

Wizard of Prints

 This was my least favorite of the looks.  I loved the jacket, however.  I think she knew that dress underneath was not the best and that by pairing it with the jacket, she'd save it from complete attack.

Mixed, matched, mismatched, or on their own, her prints stood out and made for an extremely lively show.

Negative Space

Dom also had some fun with negative space, both with fabric choices and design choices.

The judges raved about the sheer plastic detailing.  It was an inspired element as it added silhouette interest without adding bulk.

The judges didn't really appreciate the bathing suit.  I think Dom missed an opportunity to showcase some more of the clear plastic fabric, which would have provided a more sporty contrast to the formal garments in the show.

Design Elegance

Dom thoughtfully integrated her unconventional materials piece, which was made from screening and door hinges, with her show by creating a very elegant sheath dress.

This show wasn't perfect either.  I would have liked to have seen another pant.  We know that Dom can make them.  I would have liked to see separates.  We know she can do that, too.  Still, she completely played to her strengths, kept it interesting and presented a snapshot of a modern woman from the South, which is what Belk Department Store wanted all along, was it not?

So Dom is the winner of this season's Project Runway.

I'm going to take a blog vacation from Project Runway All-Stars during which I'm going to expand the subject matter of my blog.  I'll return for the next regular Runway season.  Until then, pop in sometime to see what I'm up to!

Project Runway, Season 12, The Decoy Collections

Greetings, Project Runway fans!

This week's episode featured Tim's visits to each of the finalist designers homes to meet their families and look in on their preparations for Fashion Week.

Frankly, the home visit part of the show was slap-dash and lasted all of 20 minutes.  Instead, most of the episode revolved around who among Alexandria, Jason and Helen would be going to Fashion Week.

Dwelling on that in any great length will take away from the full experience of seeing the runway show of the two designers that did get in.  So this week, I'm concentrating on the decoy designers.

As many of you already know, during most of the seasons of Project Runway, the runway show airs before the broadcast show is finished.  In order to prevent spoiling the show for those in attendance, the producers have allowed all of the designers who are still in the competition to show at Fashion Week. We affectionately call them "decoy designers."

Although it wasn't always the case, this year all designers were given the same amount of money, time and, I suspect, the same twist challenges in the end: one outfit had to be made of unconventional materials and another made out of washable fabric.

I'll run through some key outfits from each of the decoy collections.  To see all the decoy collections in their entirety, visit Blogging Project Runway.

Jeremy Brandrick

All season long, Jeremy struggled with producing matronly outfits.  The runway show was no different.

His show featured a lot of separates and metallics with classic silhouettes.

Most outfits featured a weirdly plunging neckline.  This may have been an effort to try to make the outfits more youthful.

Very awkward neckline destroyed the interesting lines on his gown.

Overall, nothing revolutionary or interesting.   He's a good technician.  He needs to spend more time thinking about his style and how to bring something new and fresh to his designs.

Kate

After two seasons of Kate, I thought I had her aesthetic down pat--complex structure, boning, draping, drama.

I was wrong.

This is a very easy, flowing dress.  Fun and flirty.  I'm not digging the shoes or styling, however.  Note the gown in the back.  This is actually a better picture than the close up.  Color blocking and simple lines, very much of the moment in fashion.

Another look from Kate.  Playing with metallics, which, again, is very in right now.  That slit is way too high for no good reason and the draping is a bit haphazard.

Again, an easier drape than many of the dresses she produced in competition.  The top fabric is stunning but I don't see the point of the underlay.

Her entire collection didn't really showcase her true abilities.  It's as if she spent all of her technical skills in the competition and had nothing left for the runway.   Still, she's got a lot of potential and Project Runway was a great showcase for her.

Alexander

This wasn't his first rodeo.  He's been costuming drag queens for years.  He knows how to put out a good show.

However...Joan Collins called and wants her dress back.

During the competition, one of the challenges called for finding a visual inspiration and Alexander chose tree branches.  He returned to that theme for the runway show, as you can see in the outfit above.

The branch motif was captrued in the sleeves.  This was an interesting and dramatic look.  Superior to most of his work in competition.

More branches, more drama.  Drag queen styling.

This emitted gasps from the audience at the Lincoln Center.  The cage dropped down.  It was the biggest show on the runway--and from a decoy at that!

Is it fashion?  Is he the next great designer?  His work and thoughtfulness reminds me of Chris March, who also didn't make it to the finals, but produced a dramatic show and has a very successful and dynamic career of his own.  Alexander will continue to succeed.  And I think he can move on from drag queens.  He's earned some design stripes on the show.  Pageants, wedding dresses, red carpet, go for it, Alexander!

This leaves us with our final decoy, chosen only after all of the finalists arrived in New York. Alexandria, Justin and Helen showed three looks for the judges and the judges chose two to continue on.  Helen was not one of them.

Helen

I would have lost big if I had bet that Helen would return to sewing strips together, which she had done all season.  And I should have known better because she auditioned for Project Runway with a set of designs that featured intricate overlays, which I thought was her signature technique.

No dice there, either.

Instead, she concentrated on very spare construction, capes and boxy shoulders.  It was chic and simple with a strong point of view...however....

This was the most exciting look she ran down the runway, in my opinion.  Curiously, she didn't show this to the judges.

I'm not sure what this outfit is supposed to showcase.  "Helen can make a bustier bodice?"  Hooray for you!  It really was a throw-away look and there shouldn't be any of those in the final show.

Even after Tim cautioned her about the panel skirt, Helen kept it in.  It would have been more interesting had the sides of the skirt not been so incredibly short.  With the blocky cape, it'a a strong look, indeed, but not the most flattering one.

If I had to pick a look that showed the most potential, it would be this one.  The peplum in the front is way too short in combination with the short pants underneath.  The model looks like she has a belly because your eye naturally extends her belly outward.  But otherwise, the pants fit well and the knee slits are interesting.

Again, Helen is an amazing technician and her future is bright.  But she revealed a great deal of immaturity during the competition and in her final show.  It's as if she becomes obsessed with one design element and that's what drives her creativity.  Whatever she did in the past gets abandoned, so a different Helen shows up with every new creative cycle.  

I think she's on to something with the spare, stark silhouettes she featured in her last few competition designs and in the final show.  If she never touches another strip of fabric or silky overlay, again, it might be to her benefit.  It would be nice to see her stick on this minimalist, modern track and work on getting the proportions better.  Frankly, it was hard to believe that this tattooed, pierced woman produced fussy, delicate gowns and dresses anyway.  I think she's hit on something that reflects her true personality.  I'd like to see her do more work like this in the future.

See you next week with the final four!

Project Runway, Season 12, Episode 12, PUNT!

Greetings, Project Runway fans!

It is I, your fine, furloughed friend, once again recapping this week's challenge.  This week, the designers went to look at pretty butterflies to get their inspiration.

Tim: "The challenge this week is to make an avant garde look that is inspired by butterflies."

Tim: "Feel free to use your HP Karl Rove to take pictures!"

Pretty, pretty butterflies.  So soothing and calming.  For the home stretch challenge, what a nice opportunity to relax and recharge the batteries.

Oh, noes!  Helen was not relaxed and recharged.  What made her so unhappy?

Helen: "My favorite is the monarch butterfly, so I'm using black and orange..."
Tim: "It looks too much like Halloween."

Oh, Tim....destroying tender egos again, are you?

I would have been happy if they had just stopped at the avant garde looks.  I guess after a day and a half of work, everyone was doing well...too well.  They needed a twist.

They brought in all the previous losing designs and had the contestants choose which one to re-do, keeping the original elements but improving on the design.

The twist turned the show into a crazy mess and the runway was kind of hard to follow.  Here's how things worked out.

Dom

Week after week, Dom continues to send out well designed garments.   She likes to use colorful prints, however, and at first, I thought this week, a floral, quilted jacket would sink her.

Pour me some chablis and let's watch The Golden Girls.

I was still a little dubious at this point.  It didn't help that she paired it up with a jumpsuit in a totally different print.

But on the runway, it made a bold, vibrant statement.  Avant garde?  To me, she didn't push that envelope far enough.  But for Project Runway judges, it was just right.

For the twist, she picked Jeremy's "matronly" outfit that  he designed for the Belk challenge.

And came up with this.

That's quite a transformation.  Both looks were enough to propel her into Fashion Week with no strings attached.

Bradon

Throughout the challenge, he's been neck and neck with Helen.  He was capable of knocking this one out of the park and he did.

His inspiration was "butterfly movement."  It was totally evocative and looked magnificent from every angle.  Tim almost talked him out of those fabric tubes that he spent half a day sewing together.  This time, Bradon was able to show him his vision and Tim backed down.

For his twist challenge, he chose Sue's placemat dress from the Lexus "Drive me around to find some unconventional materials" challenge.

This was his re-work.

I thought it was a little, less successful, but the judges loved the transformation.  Bradon won this week's challenge.

And now, for the punt, which I totally understand.  Everyone else succeeded and failed at the same time.  It was really hard to choose.

Justin

I didn't think Justin could pull this challenge off, but I was wrong.

The cocoon-like jacket and the twisted, white dress underneath strongly evoke the butterfly theme.  Yes, the dress had some construction problems, but was ambitious and bold, two things you want in an avant garde challenge.

Then, he took a major risk.  He decided to revisit the glue gun disaster from the Glamping challenge that got him booted off the show before Tim Gunn used his "save."

The re-do was a relief, but the two garments just weren't enough to bounce him into the third position.

Alexandria

This really should have been her challenge.  All season long, she's been dropping crotches and playing with silhouettes.  I expected something really bizarre from her on the runway.  Instead, we got this.

It's certainly chic and unconventional.  But there's nothing really innovative or exuberant about this dress that sends it into avant garde territory.   In my opinion, if she wasn't going to break the planes of the body in any way the least she could have done was to play with negative space.  On her model's body, this would be difficult to do with black fabric, but she had plenty of grey.  I would have created the same intricate exposures that you see at the neckline around the midriff and hip.  I would have opened up the  skirt a little more, too--to evoke breaking through a cocoon during metamorphosis.  It's as if she made a dress, gave it "wings" and called it a butterfly.  The judges just weren't that impressed.

Her twist challenge was a hit and a miss.  She chose Miranda's plaid "Christmas pants" from the Bow Tie Challenge.

You've got style.  That's what all your friends say....

And she succeeded in making a knock-out pair of pants with leather detailing along the side and dropped waist.  Unfortunately, she was temporarily possessed by the spirit of Vivienne Westwood and paired the pants with a spiked vest, spiked hair and boots.  Downtown Julie Brown just called and wants her outfit back.

Helen

When last we left Helen, she was in tears.  Her orange sheath dress and black cocoon jacket were nixed by Tim because it looked too much like a Halloween costume.  This sent her into a tail spin and back to her comfort zone.

Remember the old Helen Castillo that stumbled into this season of Project Runway?

Yeah, that one.

Well....she came back!

It was not a bad dress, however there was nothing avant garde about it.  When Nina starts commenting on how well done the nails, eyes and hair are, you know she's grasping.  So why did Nina put so much effort into praising this look?  The twist challenge was a slam dunk.

She took Kate's dot matrix fabric, reversed it and made this....

Oh, there's raging debate out there about whether this really was Kate's fabric.  There would have been less debate if she had used the printed side, but it would have been harder to piece that skirt together and match up the print.   

So Helen, Alexandria and Justin get to produce looks and one or more of them will join Bradon and Dom in the show.  We'll see in a couple of weeks.  Next week is the Tim home visit episode.  I'll be taking some time this week....after all, I have plenty of it, to show you the runway shows of the "decoy" designers.  There's some interesting stuff to explore.  

Until next time!