PR 13, Ep 13 & 14: Finally! The Finale!

Well, before we get into the PR Finale, I need to take a moment and say that this post is number :::gulp::: 6,000.

Six-%$&#-ing-thousand.

Even i didn't think I could talk so much, but I just wanna say Thanks for coming along and listening, er, reading and commenting.

It's appreciated.

Now, onto the PR ...

First up, last week ... Tim and Heidi tell the Final Four! Final Four! that they each have $9000 and five weeks to complete a ten-look collection for Mercedes Benz Fashion Week based on a trip to Rome for inspiration; or, a travelogue, maybe , because I didn't get it. I mean, they sightsee, drink wine, and talk about how much they want to win, and then it's back home, back to work, followed by the visit from Tim.

Kini's in Hawaii putting together a "Park Avenue Princess in Rome" collection of denim and structure and pleats; Tim seems happy. He's not so happy in Detroit with Char because he doesn't see cohesion, point-of-view or, perhaps, actual fashion. In Nashville with Amanda, he seems kerfuffled that she's making clothes and jewelry and accessories, and building her own plane to fly back to La Grande Apple; he warns her to tone it down. Meanwhile, Sean is in Brooklyn, creating a collection based on the murder of Caesar. He has some fringe working, and when warned that Nina doesn't want an All Fringe Collection, Sean says, "Nina's not the dictator of fashion! She can't tell me what to do!" Tim might not agree, but he likes Sean's collection, those he wants him to trim out the more ready-to-wear pieces.

Back in NYC, the designers get twisted when they learn hear that the judges want to see a sneak preview of their collections, though they're happy to learn that no one will get a last minute Auf'ing.

So let's rip...

SEAN 

He says his collection is clean and luxurious, and the judges are in love with it. Heidi loves it, and The Adorable Zac Posen™ says it's "exciting." Nina is worried about the fringe: "How much is there?" Sean says, with a sly smile, "Enough."

WHAT I SAID

I like his collection; that freaking jumpsuit fits like a second, albeit fringed skin. But I agree that too much fringe makes Sean a One-Trick Money ... or something. 

CHAR 

She says she's going for a youthful, fresh vibe but Heidi echoes Tim with the lack of cohesion comment. Nina, never one to mince words, tells Char to trash and burn her one-shoulder dress with partial transparency because she hates it. The Adorable Zac Posen™ wishes he saw more of Char's personal style in her designs.

WHAT I SAID

It looks like something you can get at a mall; and not a high-end mall. Char could be good but she needs to turn it up.

AMANDA 

Oh, how she loved the buildings of Rome ... with the graffiti on them. The judges seemed to like her collection, though they loved her jewelry more. Nina thinks the jewelry makes all her clothes look more expensive and tells Amanda to step away from Bohemia a little.

WHAT I SAID

It was all a bit frumpy for me; the colors, except the blue, were drab, and it just said Sad Sacks, to me.

KINI 

Denim and pleats and structure, oh my! Heidi starts off the drubbing with an "I think you're much better than this." She finds it well-made but too dated. Nina tells him to lose his showpiece coat, and The Adorable Zac Posen™ agrees. Then they all pile on about the styling; too much eye shadow, not sexy enough; too old lady; not enough separates.

WHAT I SAID

I liked the coat; sue me. But I did get a little Madame feeling when the looks stood side-by-side.

WHAT HAPPENED

Kini's a wreck; Sean's gonna make one less fringe-y look; Char is headed to the outlet stores in Passaic for inspiration. Amanda is sitting back saying, "They liked my jewels."

Now, the Finale ...

We find the designtestants right where we left them; Kini is at a loss, Char is utterly out of her league; Sean if literally cutting fringe; Amanda’s trying to get out of Haight-Ashbury and up to Nob Hill.

What to do, what to do? Well, for starts they get a Tim Gunn Pep Talk — and he really makes it clear what they need to do — and a trip to Mood with an additional $300 for more fabrics. Only Amanda has enough of her fabric and so she skips Mood and heads to the workroom, while Kini, Sean and Char made a last-ditch buying effort.

Kini rips up his coat and turns it into, well, perhaps four different looks; Char buys more great print and a hideous gold fabric that Tim wants to rip from her hands because it’s old lady. Sean buys an orange silk to make a flowy dress, without a hint of fringe. Amanda chops up a hippie dress and makes a skirt and tunic, and leather pants.

I imagine it’s terrifying to make even one new look — much less four or five … or ten — in a day and a half, but before you know it the thirty-six hours are up and the designtestants are taking stroll on that long, looooong PR Catwalk, and then heading backstage, where the only real drama is when one of Amanda’s models tries to switch out her shoes for something else. I applaud Amanda for not hitting the girl over the head with the shoes since all the girls wore the same ones and this one twig wanted something different.

And so, without much drama, let’s rip…

CHAR

WHAT I SAID

Her clothes are nice, but nice doesn’t win the PR. Char dresses herself so cool and hip and now, and yet makes clothes that aren’t new and hip and now. She was all over the place, with avant-garde puff pieces, and a shirt that said ‘Fly’ on it. Her worst look, for me, was the ‘Fly’ shirt because … really? I loved, though, that two-piece print dress because it was sexy and fun and cool.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

The Adorable Zac Posen™ called her clothes beautifully cut, customer ready, with a cool Solange Knowles vibe; does that mean Elevator Brawl Ready? Asking for a friend.  But he thinks she needs to bring up the fashion.

Inexplicably, Heidi liked the hoodie dress, but not so inexplicably she liked the print midriff-baring two-pierce number. But she felt that some looks were very simple—no fashion—and she hated the long coat of the last look because the fabric—Char said it was upholstery fabric—was so stiff. She did think that the clothes shared Char’s vibe, though.

Guest judge, actress Emmy Rossum, was confused, because she saw two different girls on the runway: a sophisticated and clean look and a sporty resort-wear look.

Nina Garcia liked that Char makes “real” clothes, and said she was good with prints and colors; she did hate the Kleenex dress because it was too much, and warned that Char seems to try being something she’s not rather than being herself.

KINI

WHAT I SAID

His clothes are perfect, but he’s kind of one-note: denim. I missed the color in his collection—that might have amped it up a bit—and felt that the pleated dress seemed stiff; it moved as one-piece while the model walked. And that last number was a Kitchen Sink Dress, with everything going on. Perfect craftsmanship, but he needs to tone that down and think about design. I did not like the Coffee Filter Dress because it was so top heavy, or the last look because it was such a cartoon; I did like the leather shorts and the white top—sexy-riffic.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Emmy Rossum loved the pleated denim dress, and the dress with the coffee filter top, but she hated the boxy belly baring coat; she called his girl the uptown moves downtown girl.

Heidi loved a lot, and loathed a lot; her favorite was the white top and the leather shorts; she wanted more of that young, hip sexy vibe.

Nina loved the used of denim, the sexy use of denim, and was also a fan of the pleated dress. She loved the flirty skirt with Kini’s trademark — or soon to be trademarked — use of horsehair to create the flirt. But she says he sometimes tries to give them too much.

The Adorable Zac Posen™ called his clothes impeccably made, but stylistically he needs work; he pointed out that the last look had a lot going on: fishtail hem, huge shoulders, cinched waist, neoprene inserts and a Madonna pony.

AMANDA

WHAT I SAID

The two looks with the pants? The pants seemed ill-fitting and kind of saggy; I don’t know if that was intentional. I liked her patterns, but her clothes were saggy and baggy and I don’t know the woman who wants to wear a sack, even a good color-blocked sack. I wasn’t really impressed; not awful, not good, just a ‘Meh.’ Her worst look was the sad leather pants in Look One; ill-fitting, very ill-fitting. Her best, for me, was the last look, the blue one; not quite as saggy as others, and the one with the most color.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Nina says the whole thing looked effortless; She loved Amanda’s use of color, and said she thinks Amanda is ready to move up.

The Adorable Zac Posen™  loved her pattern cutting and really loved her jewelry — methinks there might me some AmandaGems in The Adorable Zac Posen™’s next collection? He calls her collection the most original on the runway but says that while not every woman will look at Amanda's clothing and find it easy-going and accessible, he likes her attitude.

Heidi loved the flowy dresses, and the short brown and black number, but felt some were odd fits: like the strapless blue dress beneath the suede cut-out number.

Emmy thinks Amanda's point of view is very clear and that she remains true to herself.

SEAN

WHAT I SAID

Too much fringe; but the fringe that was there was gorgeous. I loved that he had a great color — orange really is the new black — and that his clothes were soft and sexy and structured and flirty. His collection was by far the most Wow collection. I loved that first all white look, and the crisp white shirt over the orange and white fringe number; I was not a fan of the dress with the fringe on the bottom worn over pants — that look, if it’s not yet over, should be.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Nina called it the most editorial of all the collections, and loved softness of fabric and the crispness he brings from his menswear background. But, though she didn’t say it, she is over the fringe and knows Sean can do better.

Emmy was wowed by the all-fringe finale piece, and loved that he had a cohesive, cool, storyline. She said he seemed to be the next great voice, and had a flesh deign aesthetic.

Heidi called his looks sophisticated, and loved the black gown — girl loves her fringe — and loved the way the colors changed throughout the show; she did, however, hate the second look, with the dress over the pants. But she said his collection had the most ‘wow’ moments.

The Adorable Zac Posen™ called Sean “the full package", adding that he put on a great show, with sexy edgy clothes, and he cannot wait to see what Sean does next.

WHAT HAPPENED

Char said she should win because she “eats, breathes, and lives” fashion, but the judges — and me, too — feel she needs to push herself, and find her voice. Char’s Out.

Kini said he’s shown everyone that he is great and speedy at sewing, now he wants to show how he can design. But, Kini needs more time to edit, and find a voice, too, so — and this was a huge surprise — he’s Auf'd.

Amanda wants to build a brand, a huge brand, while Sean wants to tackle his unique voice, and his way with a storyline collection.

Who wins? The one who wants to make a big business or the one who wants to create?

Sean wins.

MY TAKE

I liked that Char, Sean, Amanda, and Kini weren't nasty and bitchy and mean and catty to one one another; for once we had a Drama-Free Finale!

No eleventh look twist as they’ve done in seasons past.

I was truly surmised Kini went third; I wasn’t a huge fan of his looks, but the man can sew.

I think Amanda was just there for the “Bring Her back” attitude. I think she was set for Fashion Week from the get-go, as was Char after the Tim Gunn Save.

As for Sean, yes, I found him adorable — I have a thing for men with accents — but his collection was fresh and new, and, yes, overly fringed, but he does have a different voice.

Next week, the reunion, and Korina is still carrying around her anger and her grudge and her bad attitude, and PR All-Stars!

What did YOU think?