Can I just say – did anyone actually expect Michael C. to make it all the way to fashion week? Like, what were the chances? I’m really happy for him that he made it through the entire season, but I feel like the Universe is a little more balanced now.
Tim Gunn visited the top 4 and learned a little bit more about their past. Andy’s family is from Laos and he grew up on a catfish farm. Both Mondo and Michael C. grew up in traditional Mexican/Latino families that wanted them to like women. Mondo’s family got over it but Michael’s didn’t. We don’t learn about Gretchen past so much as we learn that she she came home to hard times. She told Tim, “I came home to a relationship that had failed. To an empty bank account. To an empty house. I am broke and busted.” I can relate to that situation so I really feel for her. I also wonder if the decline in the coolness of her pieces mirrored the gradual decline in her life situation; but that’s pure speculation.
Even though the designers have 6 weeks to create their collection they of course have to create one more, at the last minute, once they’re back in New York. It wouldn’t be Project Runway if they didn’t.
Like the judges, I didn’t understand why this is what Andy chose to show. A bathing suit and two shiny/ruffle-y things? It doesn’t feel cohesive. The green dress – which he made in NYC – is the best part. He told the judges he was saving stuff to “wow” them, to which Nina retorted – “you might be out today!”
Gretchen has passed her low point and is starting to rebound. The only thing I like is the jacket on the right – which is awesome. I want to own it now. Gretchen wanted to create a wearable collection but Nina rightfully thought she went overboard with it. After all, fashion week is NOT about wearability!
Again I say, I’m happy for Michael but he wasn’t going to make it. His idea of a collection is making clothing in the same color.
Holy polka dots! The dress on the right is way intense; I’d prefer it as a long sleeved mini-dress. Mondo did an excellent job of being original and exciting without necessarily using lots of color; although I think the turquoise top is a cop out. I would totes wear the top on the left.
I wholeheartedly agree with the selection of designers to show at fashion week. I’m pulling for Mondo to win, but I have a soft spot for Gretchen and hope she is able to inject some drama into her look.
Also, um, WTF Michael C? Watching him crumble on the runway was heartbreaking, but it was also weird. Viewers witnessed an instant reversion to childhood that is probably the stuff psychoanalysts dream of seeing first-person. It wasn’t just that he was visibly upset; his face crumbled, his body shrank and he shuffled off the runway in a full-body pout, with no acknowledgment of the judges. Backstage he fell into a corner sobbing. Sad not just for losing, he was far more concerned with facing his family and their judgment. No doubt a tough situation… But still, try to have some dignity?
What did you think of Michael’s departure? Who are you rooting for to win it all?
Images from Lifetime via New York Magazine.
What's your opinion?