PR 17 Ep 14: Finally, The Finale!

Ah, the Final Three; sadly, for me, because he was adorable, a Bishme-less Final Three. But there’s no time to put; there are model castings and fittings, hair and makeup, tantrums and meltdowns looming. And surprises…

Christian reveals that Marni Senofonte is coming back to help them style their final looks, and that they will need to pare down their collection to just ten looks. No big deal for Sebastian and Hester, who each have ten looks, plus the Nina Look from last week, but Garo has seventeen looks to whittle down to ten.

I wonder which seven corsets will go.

In addition, Christian gives them another shot at Mood in case they need a little boost to a look but warns them that the Mood trip comes out of their work tie, so choose wisely.

Christian tells the designers that they’ll meet the Special Guest Judge™ for the finale, and after a quick bus ride across the bridge into Manhattan, they arrive at the offices of fashion legend, Diane Von Fürstenberg! And DVF couldn’t have been more gracious and fun, talking about her career and the ups and downs:

“The truth is that your huge moment of success, maybe you didn’t feel like that at that moment. And then at some other moment, when people think, ‘Oh, she’s a has-been…’ You already know that you’re not.”

She’s fabulous! But, as we must, let’s rip ….

GARO

A Detour Through My Cosmic Mind

Garo arrives with multitudes of looks that he cannot pare down, even after going through the model selection process. He picks some of the thinner girls, but wants more curvy ones to show off his corsetry work; again, is he a one-trick pony?

A pony who made a huge mistake; he selected a model, Kate, for one of his corseted looks and he says he either got her measurements wrong or she lost weight, because the corset doesn’t fit and it’s almost like performing surgery to get the corset right; bones are removed—from the corset, not the model—and zippers are removed—again, from the corset—and seams shifted and on and on until he almost gets it right … except now the zipper is wonky and it’s too late.

When Marni sees his collection on the model, she wants to punch Garo, because he’s chosen sort of lady-like shoes and accessories for his looks and she orders him to “punk it up.” She says it all looks like a collection of gowns, and she knows that Garo has more edge than that.

Then it’s Christian’s turn to almost die; he finds out that Garo has cut the silver paillette dress that the judges loved last week; the one look of Garo’s that they loved last week. He pushes to have the dress put back into the collection, but Garo isn’t so sure.

In the end, the paillettes are out. Big mistake; huge.

THE RUNWAY

His trip through space contains a lot of black, gray, and sheen; it starts off dark and edgy, then drifts into softer, almost greenish hues, followed by a shot of brilliant white and then some golds. Marnie was right, though, it’s very gown-centric and doesn’t strike me nearly as edgy as Garo has been all season. Plus, it runs the gamut from chic and street to almost, almost, matronly.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Karlie wanted the trench coat  and loved how wearable the collection looked, which is good since Garo can border on costume. Elaine loved the all-white look with its “intergalactic crop halter” while DVF sees a little Thierry Mugler in Garo’s work, and loved the sexy corsetry. Nina loved the gray dress because it seemed the most effortless piece in the collection, but both she and Brandon were crushed at the missing paillette dress. Brandon said he was “longing to see it like a cousin we see every summer.” He did note the black zipper on the white pants and the wonky zipper on Kate’s dress.

HESTER

Y2K-coco AKA Cyber-Rococo

Searching for model’s Hester wants a “badass tough chick who is going to hold her own at a rave or a punk concert.” And that’s my issue with Hester; she has a very limited view of her collection; it’s one girl, one party girl, and that doesn’t sell everywhere, which is what fashion needs, unless she’s determined to be the Rave Couturier?

But she is determined, and she’s got Marie Antoinette wigs to prove it; and she’s got big makeup ideas, too, until the makeup artist warns her that the clothes are already “extra” so maybe tone the face paint down?

Amazingly enough, Hester is keeping the Nina Dress from last week, the simpler, for Hester, all red breather look. She will tinker with it to make the fit better on a bustier model, though.

Also, amazingly enough, we get no Hester meltdowns or tears or any of that, though we get some Hester diva-ness when , right before the show, she asks the dressers who helped her with her models dress her. Even Christian found that bit of diva-liciousness funny.

THE RUNWAY

Hester open with Marie Antionette in Bondage, with tulle and belts and buckles. It’s a great start, but then things kind of settle. It’s some prints—good and bad—and some looks that are kind of rave and urban and street, and kind of Baby Doll, which I find jarring. Still, the last two looks, the young girl in what looks like an outfit with a man’s shirt tied around the waist, is very cool; and the last look, with a mix of print and clear vinyl, is also very cool. So, I liked the start and the finish, but the middle didn’t work for me.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

DVF calls Hester “talented,” which bodes well; she liked the anger and the passion and the humor and clothes that seemed to say “F**k you.” Brandon and Nina loved the Marie Antoinette  opener—Nina called it the ‘E’ word … ‘editorial’—but also felt there the rest of the collection didn’t hold up after that. Still, Nina loved Hester’s skill at accessorizing: “That little bomber jacket with a matching tennis shoe? It drove me crazy.” Brandon felt a little let down from the first to the second look, and thought the collection was disconnected; he did not like what he dubbed the “90’s workout print.” Elaine says Hester’s looks all have a particular vibe, while Brandon was put off by the disjointed light print and the darker black and red print one.

SEBASTIAN

Reminisce

Okay, so I find Sebastian adorable, but I also find his relationship with Christian Siriano high-larious. Sebastian would question something, and Christian would freak out, but then you’d look back at Sebastian and see that twinkle in his eye …

When Christian asks Sebastian about his Nina Look—the one the judges loved—Sebastian says he cut it because he wants to present something new. Christian is stunned, and points out that “Uh, the judges pick the winner so …”

The look is back in.

And when Christian asks if Sebastian needs to go to Mood, he says he needs thread. Christian nearly faints: “You don’t have thread?” And so, the next day, Sebastian is the only designer who takes the Mood chance and finds Christian waiting for him. Sebastian has brought coffee as a peace offering, and Christian gives him run of the store, only asking him what he’s looking for—“Maybe something cream”—and Christian rolls his eyes and disappears into a bolt of fabric. These two could be the Gay Chip and Dale if chip and Dale weren’t already gay.

But truth be told, Sebastian is doubting the detail and finishing of his collection, because he sees all the work Garo and Hester are doing; Hester’s remaking her Nina and Garo has thrown his Nina out. Sebastian starts second-guessing again, which is no good. Luckily, he decides not to make a new look, but keep the Nina, and after his consult with Marnie, he opts to toss some of the leather belts onto the discard pile. Christian surveys the pieces and mutters:

“They are fabulous Christmas gifts!”

THE RUWNAY

Sebastian says his collection is inspired by his memories of his life in Colombia. There is the basket weaving technique in leather dress and skirts in oranges and beige, along with some beautiful flowing dresses in gorgeous dark teals. It’s all very structured and very loose and flowing at the same time.

WHAT THE JUDGES SAID

Nina says his “artisanal” collection also looks high fashion, and effortless; it flowed from art to commerce. DVF called the collection casual, streetwear, but very refined; it has a Yin and a Yang. Karlie says that so many pieces felt like aspects of Sebastian, and she loved the inset seams on the pants. Brandon loved that his clothes would be great for many women, but both he and Nina thought the opening look, an orange woven coat, was not a bold enough choice. Elaine says that his potential is exponential. And wanted the sleeveless woven dress for a beach wedding.

Garo is the first to get cut from consideration’ there were bad zippers and other tailoring issues and it lacked the punch of Hester’s and the refinement of Sebastian’s.

Nina thinks Sebastian’s collection flowed like an arrow and that he walks the tightrope between art and commerce. Brandon says he knows how to make clothes in a way that would rival anyone at fashion week.Elaine loves Hester’s designs and her persona. Nina thinks she has the ability and creativity to move the industry forward. DVF simply says, “I could sell her in a minute” and Karlie thinks Hester could benefit from Diane’s mentorship.

In the end, it went Sebastian, whose collection was the most cohesive and refined. As I said, Hester’s clothes are interesting, but for a rather narrow market’ I think if she had shown how her clothes could be worn by a cross-section of women, and not just punk party girls, she might have had a better shot.

But for now the winner is Sebastian! And, as Nina said:

“You are the personification of the American dream. You came to this country, you worked really hard, you never lost sight of your goal. And you’re standing here as a winner on talent alone.”

And looking hot and adorable and dimpled while doing it.

Sebastian goes home with the largest prize in Project Runway history: a total of $300,000 in prize money, a feature in ELLE, a featured role in a Bluprint digital series, a capsule collection manufactured by Nineteenth Amendment, and a one-on-one mentorship from the Council of Fashion Designers of America.

It’s huge. But more than that …his win made Nina cry. Yes … Nina García cried. I never thought I’d see that.

I loved the old bank building—the Skylight One Hanson—where they held the show. It was such a gorgeous space and really helped make the show that much more.

The Line of the Night

Once again it goes to Christian, at Mood with Sebastian, watching him buy a cream fabric to create “something new”:

“I love that we’re here for charmeuse … Ugh! Charmeuse!”

I need these two to have their own show.

I think the biggest mistake of all was Garo pulling the paillette dress. I don’t think it would have changed the outcome, but why on earth would you not show a piece that the judges raved about?

Diane Von Fürstenberg is just so fabulous, but, oy, those stairs in her office. It took her half an hour to come all the way down; I think she stopped and had lunch halfway.

Now, the New PR … I don’t really miss Heidi, though I prefer her over Karlie, who seems to think the show is more about her and her fashion sense. I love Nina, mostly because she’s fabulous and a little bit because I think she’d hurt me if I didn’t like her. Brandon Maxwell totally fits into the Michael Kors snarky, fun critique mode, and Elaine Welteroth is wonder and supportive and freaking gorgeous. All in all, I’m liking the PR Reboot.

Now, that said, I miss my Tim Gunn because, who wouldn’t, but Christian Siriano, a sometimes acquired taste, was really good with the designtestants. He was snarky and funny and brutal and helpful. I loved him at the end, announcing they would leave the lights on because …

PR returns this fall. And I’ll be watching.

What did YOU think?