Project Runway – So we have a winner, I guess

So Project Runway‘s first season on Lifetime has wrapped up. And … yeah. It’s certainly been a strange ride this season. I feel as though I cannot even express in the slightest how I felt about the finale without betraying who won. It was strange, because, unlike in previous seasons, I wasn’t rooting for any of the contenders until this very last episode. None of the designers’ talent really struck me as anything worthy of cheering on, although all of them were, you know, competent.

Finale

Are we behind a cut now? Are we in the spoiler zone? Cool.

Damn it, Irina!

Damn it!

No denying that Irina’s a hard worker but, damn, she was a super-bitch. That’s right, not a regular bitch but a super-bitch. I don’t think anyone was particularly pleased in our finale live-chat. Even though her designs were far more interesting than Althea’s collection, I felt like Carol Hannah should have taken it. If she was going to be so ballsy and just run with the all black aspect of her garments, she should have pushed the textures and silhouettes more. Now, I’ve absolutely nothing against wearing all black always (because I do, almost), but it’s dangerous ground if there’s not enough play with textures and fabrics. Maybe we just lost too much of the effect by watching through a television screen; I’ll give her the benefit of the doubt. Oh, and I was stunned by all the love the judges gave her for the t-shirts, which looked awful and cheap.

Althea’s collection was the weakest of the three, I thought, so I was surprised that she was the runner-up. Her pieces looked very “now” but that’s about it. In six months’ time, those outfits will look very dated and distinctly “2009.” Actually, the final elimination was filmed quite a while ago, and the collection already seemed a little old. Also, I loved how Althea was continuously half-accused of stealing from Irina in the last few episodes, considering how she bitched out Logan behind his back when she thought he had copied her zipper collar.

By personality alone, I was rooting for Carol Hannah in the final episode. Not just because she was about to throw up on her shoes half the time, but because she didn’t carry herself with the same attitude that Althea and Irina did. Previously, she annoyed me just as much as everyone else (so much smiling … I’m allergic to smiling), though I eventually felt the need to cheer someone on. I really wish attitude played a role in deciding the final winner. Designers in the real world need to work with clients and other designers and it’s all about cultivating relationships; having a shitty attitude is a huge strike against a commercial artist. Anyway. I thought Carol Hannah’s collection was the most visually striking, especially the first number that came down the runway. I can understand the argument that it wasn’t terribly cohesive, though.

Again, I’m a little frustrated that such an incredible bitch won but that’s about it. I’ll forget about this season soon enough, I’m sure. Doubly so because season seven is already on its way, apparently.

I’m bracing myself.

Clacked by Annie Wu
on Nov 20, 2009 @ 22:36 EST5EDT