What can I say? Jeffery not only was found innocent of cheating, but he won the whole enchilada. I have to agree, his collection best addressed what a women's collection should be from casual to more formal. Although I didn't love his clothes like I loved Laura's and Uli's, of the four finalist he addressed what the judges wanted to see.
Let's face it, this was a hard contest to judge. I liked Laura's collection best because I adored her dresses, but a collection has to be more than cocktail and opera dresses. She knew what it would have taken to win, but she settled for doing what she does best. I guess if you have a chance to show at Bryant Park versus a one and four chance of winning Project Runway, you make the most of the Bryant Park experience.
I felt Michael's collection was the weakest of the four, although I thought he had some very nice pieces. I saw the finale at a friend's house (who was hosting an unrelated PR party) and was told that Michael was dating Brandi…as in Brandi the singer. She was there in the audience cheering her man on. If your reaction was a bit like mine, you may have gone, 'Oh, Michael isn't gay.' Not that there is anything wrong with that and not that it makes any difference in his designing skills, but more like, 'Wow, two heterosexual men were finalist in a women's clothing design reality program. What are the odds?'
Uli's collection was great too. Her parents and I think either her boyfriend or brother were there (I'm hoping he was her boyfriend becuase he was cute and I think Uli deserves that, especially since she came in number two). There were a few PR heads at this party, plus a few others who watched the show for the first time tonight, and we were all yelling Uli's name because it is fun to yell her name while liquored up. If you haven't done so yet, I highly recommend it. Everyone agreed that her Safari Beach esthetic really worked and Nina said that people were stopping her before she left the tent wanting to know how to contact Uli.
I liked this finale over last season's because it seemed as if the producers were being too tough on the second season's contestants making them squeeze out one last look about 48 hours before hitting the Bryant Park runway. I found it unpleasant to watch all three almost have breakdowns while trying to do their best with the one last 'surprise' challenge. I liked seeing the season three designers appear more relaxed and less sleep deprived. Perhaps, the producers realized that pushing a pregnant woman to a breaking point doesn't make good TV.
The forth judge was, I believe, the Bryant Park organizer, thus a fashion insider (instead of some NBC sitcom celebrity thankfully). This lent a level a credibility that had been lacking in the two previous seasons. Further, the audience wasn't stocked with 'celebrities' from other Bravo shows (paging James Lipton) but with honest to goodness fashion people. Buyers from Wal-mart to Macy's were there. Regardless of how I feel about Wal-mart, it is smart marketing for them to snatch one of the finale contestants in order to develop a line.
I have gone to wanting to stab Jeffery in his tattooed neck with scissors to not minding that he won. I'm assuming that if there was something to find out that the producers would have found it out, thus I believe his win was clean. He provided a collection that was everything it was supposed to be. Jeffery, congratulations!
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Comments: 17
I didn't care much for Jeffrey's line, but agree it demonstrated originality. Michael, well, I'd sooner walk on my lips than say anything bad about him...but really unimpressed with his collection. Laura did not surprise me.
Uli, however! Wow. Amazing
I know this is mean of me, but I was appy Michael didn't win. Everyone was obsessed with him from the start and I just didn't see what the big deal was. Although I do think he's a very nice guy.
Finally, just by being on project runway you've kind of already won. All of the designers will do very well for themselves.
Thanks for the summary. Turtle poop power!!!
Was that not great or what? I couldn't contain myself last night. You know I love Jeff so I was ecstatic to see him win. The man cried for God's sake, how can you now love him for that?
I really don't think it matters though -- as they all said so frequently, just making it to Bryant Park was a big deal and I have no doubt each designer will be courted by companies for whom their look fits.
Courtney, I agree that Jeffery's line doesn't fit into most of our esthetics, but then again, I have seen many a runway presentation that left me wondering just who would wear such things (beyond just who could afford to wear such things). I thought some of his dresses were wearable. I didn't really groove on his swim suit because of all the long dangly things hanging down, but I loved the apple printed material and I did like his idea of Japanese horror fiction.
Cheryl, I know, what is it about Michael that makes us just want to pinch his cheeks? Maybe it's because we all can see him as being the perfect brother/son/boyfriend/husband/father to our children/if it turns out that he really is gay than our best friend.
Melinda, I think a lot of people agreed that he should win, but his personality was such that in the past it was hard to like him. I admit that he grew on me and everyone has to admire that he overcame major issues, but he's someone that I think needs to become more humble and more secure. I'm going to mention that horrible mom challenge again, I think a secure person would try to deal with the situation without getting nasty. A humble person would apologize for any undue frustration the other person suffered - be it intentional or not. I think he will probably turn out to be a humble secure person eventually (if his sudden success won't lend itself to old demons nor go to his head).
Lauren, I'll be honest, I would have been glad with any of them winning. I think people started to really like Michael when everyone was sort of snipping at each other and he went to the breakroom and call his Mama just to hear her voice. Sometimes doing something like that comes off too corny and almost looks staged, but he just had so much charm, plus he really tried to steer clear of the drama but not to the point that people would take advantage of him. Overall I would say that all four of these designers had major strengths and were equal in their talent. Turtle Poop Power Forever!
Deen, I agree totally with what you said. I think Uli's designs could easily fit an older body with a few alterations. Laura does design for herself, but then again, she lives in New York and there are a lot of women living in that city that have similiar lifestyles (well, minus the half dozen children).
Natalie, I'll say it again, Jeffery grew on me and it was nice to see him cry because it made him more human. He was really concerned that he wouldn't be able to show and his relief was touching. At the party I referred to, Sally (whom I don't know well) and I bonded over PR. She was really happy that someone was going to kick the men off the baseball game (not that they cared and some of them preferred PR). I even did a count down, "Three minutes Cindy to PR, if the food isn't out in three minutes, I'm not eating!"
Tonia, I think the fact that designing is what these people do for a living and showing their collections at Bryant Park can only lead to bigger things. In many ways, this show is enjoyable to watch because you know that careers are being made in the process. If I had to pick purely on my taste I would have taken Laura's collection in a heartbeat. I wouldn't eat for two months so I could fit into them (except for the short outfit, which I really didn't like). That one short black dress with the feathers and beading, and then the gray one with the fringe beading...*sigh*.
On to next season. It would be really cool to see any of the 4 have lines in say Macy's or whatever. Just somewhere you can actually get to them.
I would also be interested in knowing how they compare their challenges to those from other seasons. I don't know if you saw Season Two, but it was like fashion boot camp. When I wrote above about how it was hard to watch them get through it all, I wasn't kidding. I know if I had something like that happening, I would really want to enjoy it. I'd want to be with my family and I would want to meet buyers and all of the stuff that comes with showing at Bryant Park. If I hadn't slept in days though, all I would be thinking about is how I wish I could be more in the moment so I could enjoy it all...as you can tell, I don't like to be sleep deprived.
Girl, I think you need to write an article up and submit it to Bravo.com and post it here on Gather!
Lisa, the second season is what got me hooked! I only cought the last few episodes of season 1. I can't image the excitment and emotions that filled that tint that night. Are you going to get into the top cheif thing? I watched last night but can't decide. I didn't watch the first episode. And as far as writing a article, I'll leave that to you. You do a much better job then I would.
I don't know about Jeffery's sunglasses, I didn't even notice that he was wearing them in front of the judges.
Natalie, I don't know about 'Top Chef' I can only jiggle so many programs. The thing about 'Top Chef' is that there are so many cooking competitions let alone cooking shows. I like 'Top Chef', I'll watch it, but I don't want to get into it. Besides, it seems as if the competitors are really at each others throats and that isn't the sort of thing I enjoy watching. For instance, 'The Apprentice' would be a whole lot of fun if people didn't spend all of their time trying to out compete the person next to them. They all complain and think they could do a better job than the other person and frankly they all come off as bratty ten year olds. It's like they are living every negative business stereotype. Don't even get me started on 'The Donald.' (Someday his hair piece is going to write a tell all and it's going to be a best seller.)
I think you should write it because it is your idea. Thank you for the compliment, but you have a lot to say about PR and you should say it.