Project Runway Thoughts

Which reminds me, kudos to the two people who messaged me gleefully because they got my blog title’s reference. You each get a cookie.

The Project Runway finale fast approaches, and the finalists aren’t surprising, though they approached it in an interesting manner. Christian and Jillian are in, and Sweet P is out. As for Chris and Rami, the judges were split, and decided that both would compete for the third slot by designing collections. The judges will decide who the third finalist is by judging the three strongest pieces from the collection, as chosen by the designer himself.

Christian is, in my opinion, the greatest raw talent the show has seen, with a terrific eye for fit, silhouette, and proportion (is this blog entry gay enough for you yet?). Aside from a few missteps, he was strong in every challenge, and is the designer to beat. My worry, however, is that he may shy away from color too much, and may create a collection too heavy in shrunken jackets and poofy sleeves. That said, he’s the most gifted individual that has appeared on the show, and I will be very surprised if he doesn’t take the tiara (ok, now I am sure this entry is too gay for you). Jillian is the most likely to challenge him, as she also has a keen eye for geometric shapes and crisp tailoring. Her clothes are also more wearable as a rule, yet I also worry that her background at Ralph Lauren will come out too strongly. She likes trenches and riding-type jackets a little much, though she certainly creates clothes I think women would like to wear.

The ever-elusive third spot will hopefully go to Chris, a previously-eliminated designer who returned on the pure grace of another’s deteriorating health. His design aesthetic is rather costume-ish, so I don’t see him winning big, but I feel as though he has something to say. Rami is the least visionary designer that has made it this far in a given season, aside from the ever-bedraggled Wendy Pepper. I don’t doubt his talent, but he has proven that left to his own devices, he has a singular, rather boring comfort zone. His clothes are beautiful, but nothing makes me go “wow.”

Below are designs the contestants have created this year that I think best represent their point of view and capabilities. Decide for yourself.

Christian:

Jillian:

Chris:

Rami:

~ by fiddlecub on February 18, 2008.