PR 16 Ep 14: Finally The Finale

Ah, finally the Finale of PR 16, and it didn’t end the way many of us, or any of us, expected.

As we begin, the designtestants are taking the critiques from the judges and either applying it to their collections, doing what they want, or taking a nap … Brandon.

After the critiques—cohesion, cohesion, cohesion—Kentaro has decided he’s already out and so he’s just gonna do what he wants to do. Margarita, who is worried about the hurricane headed toward Puerto Rico, is also worried that her collection is too tropical and she won’t be able to salvage it.

Ayana is taking the critiques to heart and focusing on fit and some different kind of head wraps, or hijab, for her models. Brandon, after a season of being the judge’s darling, and never being in the bottom, is feeling confident, and sleepy.

Let’s rip …

AYANA

Tim comes by for his last critique, and he tells Ayana to push forward; on the subject of hijabs, she seems to suggest she’s going to do something avant-garde and I worry that it’ll become Hijab Runway.

She soldiers on, at least until a ruffle is ripped from a dress at the last[?] minute, and until the power goes out, or the steamers don’t work; on the PR it’s always something.

WHAT I SAID

That last look is everything and I wish the collection was more like that. Some of the ruffled pieces seemed very—and I’ll apologize now if anyone is offended—much like Grandma Victorian dresses. The first three looks weren’t giving me much at all, and the miniskirt over the jeans was not good. But that last on e … sigh … breathtaking.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Zac called her collection “stunning” and especially loved the final look. He was impressed that Ayana could take her modesty POV and make clothes that were hip and seductive; he said Ayana was beyond talented and loved the way she could make modesty empowering and sexy.

Nina was impressed by the variation is styles, from ath-leisure to street to the final look, that she called “precious,” but in a good way. Her one criticism was that she wanted some color …

Guest judge Jessica Alba loved the tailoring and Ayana’s alternative POV; she also thought that the hints of skin at the ankles and the wrist were quite sensual.

Heidi was not a fan of the first three looks, but said things got better and better after that; and, while we all know, and saw last night, that Heidi loves to show skin, she loved the second-to-last, fully modest, look. She also loved the different hijabs, and called the one with the finale dress “poetry.”

MARGARITA

Margarita met with Tim and she worried about her family, and her flashy, feathered, glittered, and sequined collection; but, as Tim pointed out, there was no time to change, so she should own and love it.

And she owned it, or had Jazzmine own, when she suggested Jazzmine, wearing a swimsuit and cover-up, rip off the cover-up on the runway for a “moment;” that was a wise call.

WHAT I SAID

Wow, and not in a good way. I liked the first look because, while being bold and colorful it wasn’t over-done. But after that it turned into Too Much and Too Costume and Where Do The Latina Extras Stand? I’m all for colorful and exuberant, but the feathers? No. No. And Zac was right about the jumpsuit … hideous. But that moment when Jazzmine took off the cover-up was fan-freaking-tastic!

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Nina loved the energy, passion, gutsiness and color of the collection. She did think the feathers were too much, but said Margarita did one thing right: the “moment” when Jazzmine ripped off her sarong and the crowd cheered.

Zac called it spectacular and “joyous” but wasn’t a fan of the ill-fitting jumpsuit.

Jessica Alba dubbed it fun, sexy, Latina and loved the glittering fish prints.

Heidi—“I’m not a Latina, but I might as well be one”—was also loving the glitz and glam and the prints; she admired all the work that went in to creating the prints.

KENTARO

After the judge’s reviews last week, Kentaro decided this wasn’t a competition anymore; it was just about showing what he could do. Wise, grasshopper, wise.

Tim liked that he was sticking to his Gunns, er, guns, but did remind him to try and work the cohesion, which he did, when Margarita helped him set the lineup for his show. I think that’s what made a difference because the cohesion worked with the order in which the clothes walked.

WHAT I SAID

Wow; and in a good way. That first look was stunning and cool and a piece of art. The third look was nothing much until the model turned around and there was a kind of Diaper Duck Butt thing happening. Mt favorite, though, was the Goth-iness of the last look; it gave me the creeps but in a good way. And the little red Can-Can number was fun and that model’s legs are ten feet tall!

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Nina pointed out that there are two signs to a great show: the noise and the silence; and the crowd was silent during Kentaro’s show. She called it thoughtful, and loved the drama of the first look and the way it all moved from black and white into skin tones and reds and then back to black and white.

Heidi was surprised by the first look when it appeared in shadows at the start of the show and then said it was one Wow after another, from color to silhouettes.

Zac said he might have tossed out the second red dress—and the ladies completely disagreed—but he loved the evolution of textile and color.

Jessica Alba called the collection the most curated and purposeful, saying that it was “poetic” and that Kentaro’s Japanese-inspired collection would make his country proud.

BRANDON

I guess from being the one to beat all season long made Brandon feel a little too comfortable; even after the judge’s last criticisms he was certain he would win and so he just stayed the course, only changing the top that Liris wore from something baggy to something sleek.

And Tim agreed, so Brandon just waited for the show to start.

WHAT I SAID

I like how modern it is’ I like that Brandon has a style and a Point-of-View. But man did it need a Wow moment, or a splash of color, or something. It was a sea of pastels, which was nice, but when you have Liris walking, for the love of Dior, put her in something fierce, and not a tank and some wide –legged trousers. That said, I loved how clean-lined the first look was, and I loved the play on lengths and sizes. It was cool but needed Oomph!

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Jessica Alba loved the first look, and called the whole collection hip, street, modern, flirty and feminine.

Zac called it “cool romanticism” and said the collection was strong, though the lack of variation was troubling.

Heidi loved the newness of Brandon’s POV, but agreed with Zac about wanting a different color in some of the looks. Brandon explained that he admired designers who do 30-look shows where ten looks are very similar and the next ten are new, and the final ten are something different.

Nina agreed, but said this was just a ten-look show and it needed to be amped up a bit. Still, she loved his signature details of strap and loops, and admitted he has a new POV that even the other designers on this season tried to copy.

Well, Margarita was out first; I saw that coming because, while her collection as fun and loud, it wasn’t Project Runway; I felt it a bit too commercial, but then …

Brandon is Auf’d. I was surprised after being the Golden Boy all season, but I did agree with the judges that he needed a pop of something in his collection. Even Liris worried that there wasn’t a Wow moment.

So that leaves us with Ayana and Kentaro, one of whom wanted and needed this, and one of whom just wanted to show clothes.

And that’s what won this season when Kentaro was declared the winner. And I’ll agree because his collection was by far the most dramatic and stunning and wow.

I loved the moment when Jazzmine ripped off that cover-up and then stomped the runway in a bathing suit; and I was surprised at the crowd’s reaction, and of Nina and Zac standing up for that. Perhaps the tide will change in fashion regarding plus-sized, full-figured women.

Line of the Night goes to Klum for her review of Kentaro’s collection:

“You could hear a mouse fart in the room.”

I did not know that.

I also loved when Heidi asked Liris about how she felt and she got a wee bit weepy and thanked the PR for the chance to walk. Liris, and Jazzmine, and some of the others, might be bigger models than we’ve seen, but they are fierce and gorgeous and stomp the hell out of a catwalk as good as any other models.

As the show began, I sorta knew Brandon would win, especially when he was given the “Take A Nap Over-Confident” edit, but when I saw Kentaro’s full collection I thought, “Uh oh.” I think he deserved the win.

That said, Brandon’s reaction at losing was a surprise since he was also the Zen designer this year. But I can see why he was shocked, because he’d been heaped with praise all season and then at the last minute he got some criticisms. I did like his looks—there is a very specific client for that style—but as far as show and variation went, it was all Kentaro.

I was shocked that this season there wasn’t “Create an Eleventh Look” challenge at the last minute. I always liked the last minute rush around.

And I was hoping for a reunion show so I could see the other designers confront the twins and was thrilled to see that there is one and it will air on November 30th. I loved watching Amy come for Cheating Claire and Sobbing Shawn … just sayin’.

Lastly, why oh why did the producers leave in Kentaro’s father tumbling off the stage? That just seemed all kinds of wrong.

What did YOU think?