Project Runway Season 8 Finale Part 2 (Episode 14 Spoiler)

Fashion Week is here!  For real this time.  The dramatic finale began with a Season 8 reunion and recap of the final three designers’ past moments of glory–also known as more stalling.

Gretchen showed first.  Her collection is beautiful by my standards, but I was perplexed that so many of her models were still wearing flats.  Those who weren’t in flats were in chunky platforms.  Personally, that’s how I’d wear them, but the judges keep telling her to “runway” it up.  Flats and platforms are easy and wearable.  There was definitely fantasy in her collection, but I’m not so sure about how much drama she injected into it.

Andy showed next.  His collection is good but not really great in my opinion.  The clothing is well made, of course, but the only non-neutral color to break up the gray monotony that appears at all is that questionable chartreuse green.  I missed his more avant garde designing.  I love Andy, but his showing made me wish I could have seen April instead.

Mondo rocked it of course.  Every piece in his collection is fun–a little wacky but elegant.  Ew…except for that terribly color-blocked 80′s nightshirt.  I can’t believe the judges liked it.  My favorite part was his screen-printing work.

I was disappointed by each of the designer’s finale looks.  The last look is supposed to make the audience gasp.  All of the collections were pretty commercial–not as dramatic as the fashion week shows of past years.  All three designers could sell their looks right off the runway, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but it was a little anti-climatic.

Andy was clearly the safest of the three and was the first to be eliminated from contention.  The judges’ debate between Mondo and Gretchen was awesome.  The two are so different, there was no way that that decision could be easy.  I was so happy to hear them finally praise Gretchen’s with-it-ness that has appealed to me since she first appeared on the show.

And Gretchen wins!  And haters go wild with disapproval I’m sure.  I had called Gretchen as the winner in the first episode, but, with the way the season had progressed, I really came to expect the crown to go to Mondo.  When it came down to it, I believe the judges chose Gretchen because she actually took their advice following last week’s sneak peak.

Project Runway, Season 8, Finale Part 1 (Episode 13 Spoiler)

It’s here!  Kind of.  At least we’ll find out which three of the four remaining designers will get to show at New York Fashion Week.

Andy South

First Tim visits Andy in Oahu, Hawaii.  Andy happens to be a catfish farmer.  Andy’s emotional moment came when he talked about how coming from an immigrant family has made the achievement of his dreams that much more significant.  His collection is inspired by his Laos, and he is using imported textiles and metals from Laos.  He has amazing headpieces ready but nothing sewn because his fabrics just arrived.  His sketches include dresses and jumpers that are elaborately Andy.

Michael Costello

Next is Palm Springs, California, where Michael is working on his sky-inspired collection.  Of course he has an incredible amount of work done (18 looks).  It does look beautiful, but Tim’s critique was spot on when he told Michael to edit.

Awkwardly, Michael’s partner Richard trashes Michael’s parents for not being supportive, and I’m thinking this seems like an inappropriate venue.  It turns out that Michael has had incredible struggles for acceptance, but Richard outed him to his parents!  I think every gay person should come out, but it should always come from that person, even if their partner is looking out for their best interests.  The fact that Michael shared this with America makes it seem like it did/does bother him.

Mondo Guerra

On to Mondo in Denver, Colorado.  Mondo’s house is fabulously colorful, of course.  Mondo is inspired by his Mexican culture:  the circus and Day of the Dead.  Tim questions whether Mondo is trying too hard, but I can see this collection taking the gold…easily.

Gretchen Jones

Portland, Oregon.  The city I can’t wait to live in.  Gretchen is in crisis mode and claims her life is falling apart, but I’m not disappointed with the aesthetics of her home.  Chalkboard outside her front door; French pressed coffee with creamer served out of a mason jar.  I get so dorkily excited about that shit.

Gretchen’s collection is still derived from her Western inspiration but also moving into a new era.  Tim’s only critique is that it borders on costume, but I think she’s going to pull it off.  As opposed to many of her previous designs, which were kind of blah, this collection looks like it will be love-it-or-hate-it.  I’m definitely loving it, but who knows about the judges.

When Gretchen admitted to being a control freak, I think I finally realized why everyone but me thinks she is a total bitch.  Like Gretchen, I have control issues.  I never perceived her attitude as bitchiness because I recognized that she was just nervous about not being in control.  There was no animosity…just panic.

Another Challenge

The designers arrive in New York to show their collections and determine the final three who will go to Fashion Week.  Surprise!  There’s a twist.  To determine who will show, the designers have to present two looks to represent their collections and one complementary look they have to make in 48 hours.  On the day of the judging, Michael still didn’t know which looks he was showing, which says a lot about the amount of passion he really put into each piece.

The Runway

This was my favorite of Andy's looks this week.

Andy’s up.  The first look is a metallic mini-jumper with ruffle details on the chest and back and an elaborate sculptural metal headpiece.  Next is a bikini with a weird transparent floaty thing coming off of the bottom of the model’s boobs.  WTF?  Styling is simple:  a bun on top of her head.  The final look he shows is the one he recently made, a green minidress with tons of pleating on the top and another metal headpiece.

The only look of Michael's mini-collection that I liked was the gorgeous gown he made for the last challenge.

Michael’s up next, and he leads with his last look, a long light brown silky gown, beautifully draped with a lot of movement.  Second is his cocktail dress with the feathering on the skirt.  I liked it much better on the hanger.  It somehow looks frumpy.  The last look Michael shows is a fringy top with sparkly pants.  It’s a little too Vegas for my taste, but at least he’s showing that he can make pants.  It impressed me.

While her styling was off (flats?), I loved Gretchen's newest look.

Gretchen’s up next, and she also leads with her new look, a very cute casual linen dress, green with zig-zag details on the hips.  This was my favorite of the three.  The second look is a capri and top, in contrasting prints but both in a gauzy fabric and similar color pallet.  The third look is a green leather jacket worn belted over super short shorts.  It showed some variety, but I thought it was weird.  Her styling included metal work and a hat she designed.

What can I say? The man can do patterns.

The last designer is Mondo, who opens with black and white separates in contrasting prints and a screen-printed bag.  His second look is his new one, a beautiful skirt with a plain turquoise top.  The third look is a long black dress with white polka dots of different sizes.  The model had a hard time walking in the narrow skirt.  All of the models were styled with crazy headpieces.

The Judging

Mondo’s up for the first critique.  Michael Kors liked that he made separates, so everyone would like something in the collection.  Heidi’s favorite look was the long polka-dot dress.  Nina appreciated Mondo’s boldness and theatricality but didn’t like the wackiness of the long polka-dot dress.  Michael affirmed Mondo for being Mondo but warned that they better see balance in the rest of the collection.  The judges didn’t like his headpieces.

Andy was up next for judging.  Heidi and Michael loved his new look.  Nina was concerned that she wasn’t seeing a range in his collection.  The judges were worried that they didn’t see the fight in him and were unsure of his headpieces too.

The judges critiqued Michael next.  Michael Kors liked the new gown the best.  Heidi liked the fringe top.  Nina and Heidi called him out for a lack of variety in color:  everything was a different shade of copper.  Michael Costello seems to think that a collection is only connected by color.

Gretchen was the last to face the judges.  Nina was not impressed.  She hated the crunchy granola feel (which I thought was turned down) and called Gretchen out for lacking drama.  Heidi stuck up for Gretchen and appreciated her looks.  Michael Kors questioned the styling.  He contrasted Michael Costello’s evening-only repertoire with Gretchen’s daytime looks that are “too real” for the runway.

The judges critiqued everyone for doing a poor job editing to show the best three to represent the diversity of their collections.

The Results

Mondo and Gretchen are in!  The judges have restored my faith in their decision-making ability.  I think Mondo and Gretchen had the best two mini-collections by far.  Andy is in too!  Again, the judges have redeemed themselves in my eyes.  That means Michael Costello is out.  Personally, I thought that Andy’s mini-collection was weakest, but I would have wanted to see more from him (hand-made Laotian textiles!) than from Michael (bling, bling, bling).

Michael’s elimination was terribly heart-breaking, for him, for Heidi who had to say the words, for guilt-ridden Andy, and even for me.  He completely fell apart.  He felt like this was the only way to prove to his parents that his lifestyle is okay.  For him, succeeding as a designer would prove to his parents that it is okay for him to be gay.  He imagined that their reaction would be for him to give up fashion design and marry again.  (Michael–If you, by chance, happen to read this, all I can say is that your family will accept you with time, but you have to accept yourself first.)

Michael is a great designer.  I’ll say it.  He wasn’t ready for the show, which is why I unfairly hated on him, but I think he’ll be successful as long as he doesn’t let his family drama stand in his way.  Also he needs to learn his point of view.  Effortless chic?  I don’t think so.  He’s drama all the way.  That’s okay as long as he embraces it.

Another Project Runway Post

I couldn’t wait until Thursday to dish more about our favorite show.  I came down with the Project Runway fever over the weekend and spent a lot of time on the show’s homepage.  (I think it was the anxiety of knowing that there are only two episodes left of this season and worrying about what I’m going to look forward to all week that gave me the desperately insane craving for more Project Runway.)  I was shocked by the comments people have made on the site.  I didn’t realize that, as a Gretchen devotee, I was in the minority.  People on the site said that she was bitchy, untalented, and only kept on the show for the drama.  Really!?!

I agree that her last look was awful and, as a poster commented on my last PR blog, she does create drama for herself.  But I must now launch my defense of Gretchen.

 

Gretchen Jones at New York Fashion Week 2010

 

The judges have kept her around this long because they know she can offer a lot more than what her occasional flop would suggest.  Gretchen has an aesthetic that appeals to women who want to look beautiful without trying too hard and who are trying to rectify a stylish sensibility with a environmental conscience.  Just check out her line MothLove at http://www.mothlove.com/.  From the About section of her website:

Designer Gretchen Jones’ rural, western roots bring inspiration from the organic and natural, while her musings linger from the romantic 1970s aesthetic. Based on minimal and conceptual art principles, MothLove is ethereal and sexy in its very simplicity.Bohemian in lifestyle and design, Jones aims to create collections that beg to be worn and fallen in love with…

While noted for its luxurious but minimalist aesthetics, MothLove consciously creates modern and sustainable designs. In addition, nearly all Jones’ fabrics are environmentally conscious. Each collection includes organic cottons, silk, bamboo and soy blends, with low impact & natural dye processes.

Effortlessness is the trademark, purity is the design and conscious is the production- MothLove re-defines.

While she might not always rise to the challenge of the week, Gretchen is a true designer with a definite point of view.  If you don’t like her point of view, fine.  But she is the only one of the top four (or five, including April) whose designs have already succeeded in the real world.

Michael C., by contrast, is excellent at performing under the pressure of a challenge as evidenced by his ability to crank out multiple dresses each week.  Since he doesn’t seem (to me) to have a lot of his own inspiration, he is able to get direction from the challenges without being challenged by them.  If you put all of his looks together, they wouldn’t tell a story, except maybe one of a man who grew up looking at fashion magazines dreaming of becoming a designer himself.  I’m happy for Michael that he’s come this far to realizing his dream, but–unless he surprises us with a huge change of course proving that he does indeed have a point of view–it would reflect poorly on Project Runway as a series if he were to make it to Fashion Week.

Wear Purple October 20

This Wednesday, October 2o, 2010, wear purple to show spirit and solidarity.  Stand up against bullying and the persecution of LGBT youth.  Since the tragic July suicide of Justin Aaberg (15, of Anoko, Minnesota), nine more young boys–some gay and some straight but perceived as effeminate–have been bullied to the point of suicide.

As long as there are bullies, there will be victims of bullying.  But society has a duty to step up when a specific group is being overwhelmingly targeted for abuse.  Both veiled and blatant homophobia coming from a minority of people in the media have drown out the compassion and empathy of humanity.

We of the majority have a responsibility to reveal our compassion and give hope to all young people.  We need to stand up for what we know to be true:  the common bond between all human beings is far more significant than any label no matter what religious doctrines might be used to attempt to divide us.

Don’t wear purple just to memorialize these young men.  Wear purple to show that you are an ally in the fight for equal rights.  Equal rights for everyone no matter who they are.

Victims of bullying in the past few weeks include Billy Lucas, 9/9 (15, Greensburg, Ind.); Cody J. Barker, 9/13 (17, Shiocton, Wis.); Tyler Clementi, 9/22 (18, NYC); Asher Brown, 9/23 (13, Houston); Harrison Chase Brown, 9/25 (15, Rand, Co.) Seth Walsh, 9/28 (13, Tehachapi, Calif.); Felix Sacco, 9/29 (17, Saugus, Mass.); Raymond Chase, 9/29 (19, Providence, R.I.); and Caleb Nolt, 9/30 (14, Fort Wayne, Ind.).

I thank Time Magazine for giving publicity to what should be considered a call to action.  http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,2024210,00.html

Project Runway, Season 8, Episode 12 (Spoiler)

The Final Challenge

 

Swatch

 

Mayor Bloomberg met the final five–Gretchen, Andy, Mondo, April, and Michael Costello–and challenged them to design a look inspired by a New York City landmark.  Michael C. chose the Statue of Liberty; April and Mondo, the Brooklyn Bridge; Andy, Central Park; and Gretchen, the Lower East Side.

The Runway

Guest Judge:  Christian Siriano, Season Four Winner

Michael C.–Long black dress, draped  (Boring and easy but very pretty.  The judges loved it…of course.)  He picked Andy and Mondo to go with him to Fashion Week.

Gretchen–Red skirt with black lace overlay, leather jacket  (I’m so depressed by how unfortunate this look was.  However, I still think that she has a great point of view that deserves to be seen at fashion week.)  Picked Mondo and April.

Andy–Black mini-dress, “wet” effect, cut out back detail  (Well-made but not all that surprising with the warrior aesthetic.  I’m a little disappointed.  He could have done much more.)  Picked Mondo and April.

Mondo–Black and white mini-dress, mix of textiles and patterns  (Gorgeous and very well made.  The challenge winner in my opinion.)  Picked Michael (!?!) and April.  This must be Mondo trying to get to Fashion Week with the two weakest designers, so he wins easily.  He knows better.

April–Long black and purple dress, asymmetrical sleeve with cut outs  (Witchy and expected.  I’m glad the judges finally called her out on it.)  Picked Mondo and Gretchen.

The Results

Four designers will compete for three spots at Fashion Week.

Michael is in.  He obviously doesn’t deserve it.  Don’t get me wrong; I’m not trying to pick on him.  I think beneath his petty bullshit he’s probably a good guy.  He clearly is willing to learn.  I just never saw anything innovative, nothing to inspire.  The judges better hope he delivers a point of view for once.

Mondo is in.  He deserves it and will not disappoint.

Andy is in.  I’m really happy for him.  I felt like he was unappreciated for most of this season.

Gretchen is in.  Phew.  I didn’t think she’d squeak by since her last few looks have fallen short.  I might have boycotted the finale if she hadn’t made it in.  She’s a sure bet for Fashion Week now that she has the freedom to do her thing.  That thing I love so much.

April is out.  Bummer.  She wasn’t in my top three, but she definitely deserved it more than Michael.  Her designs tell a story…even if the story is a little creepy sometimes.

No clear winner was announced.  I wonder if it was planned to be that way.  The best three looks (Mondo, Andy, and Michael) were all too safe for me to be passionate about any of them winning.

The Enthusiasm Gap

President Obama has been chastising liberals for their apathy going into midterm elections.  Republicans and other conservatives are ready to take back the House and Senate on November 2, and the only thing that can stop them is the liberal voice.  But how much voice do we really have?

I’ll be the first to admit that  I don’t usually vote in midterm elections.  I know, I know.  That’s bad.  But when I did my research to prepare for this year’s, it was clear to me why the “enthusiasm gap” exists between liberals and conservatives.  Liberals aren’t happy with the “choices” they’ve been given.

Take Indiana for example, since that’s where I live.  There are five choices for the Senate seat:  one Democrat, one Republican, one Libertarian, and two write-in candidates whose politics fall far right of an already skewed center.  My only choice is the Democrat, Brad Ellsworth.  Ellsworth’s energy policy is summarized as follows:

He supports a comprehensive approach that includes domestic drilling, encourages construction of nuclear power plants, boosts production of home-grown energy sources, and increases efficiency and conservation efforts.

Drilling, nuclear, and bio-fuels.  That’s the liberal option.  As an environmentalist, it sickens me that this passes as a liberal agenda.  The reason why liberals aren’t enthusiastic is because so many Democrats are weak on the issues we care about.  Conservative voters are hyped up because their party is listening to them.

If Dems want to energize their base, they need to have some integrity and stand up for what they believe in.  If there’s one take-away from President Obama’s first two years, it’s that trying to please everyone pleases no one.

Thank Science for Richard Dawkins (and his recent spot on Real Time with Bill Maher)

Or rather thank sanity for Richard Dawkins.  He continues to be the only voice of leadership in the atheist community.  Other famous atheists are either not outspoken enough about it or are too abrasive, like Maher himself.  The way to get otherwise rationally thinking individuals to transfer their logic to their belief systems is to appeal to facts,  science, and common sense, not to assault what they have believed for most of their lives, no matter how absurd it is.

Looking at Dawkins’ example of the Muslim school in England, where not a single person at the school believed in either evolution or that fresh and salt water can be mixed (because the Qur’an says they can’t be), it makes much more sense to demonstrate the fallacy of their beliefs than to just laugh at their ignorance.  If they continue to believe their holy books over their own eyes, then you can insult them all you want, but at least show them the evidence and give them a chance to evaluate it.

 

The beaks that started it all

 

More than half of Americans don’t believe in evolution.  I am willing to wager that most of those people were never taught evolution.  I know that I never learned about evolution in high school.  Until I went to college and got a real education, my only background knowledge on evolution was that it conflicted with everything I’d been hearing each Sunday, so it must be wrong.  Whenever I have a rational discussion with a “nonbeliever” (discussions which are hard to come by these days) it always comes back to the fact that they have never seen evidence to support evolution.  Evidence is out there!  The problem goes back to our education system.  As an educator and former theist, I feel qualified to lead a discussion on this.

There are three main barriers to enlightenment.  First of all, many science teachers do not deserve their positions because they pervert evidence with faith.  If you want to believe that there is something bigger out there, go ahead, but that doesn’t change the facts.  If you are going to hold two contradictory beliefs, you can’t discuss them simultaneously.  (You wouldn’t bring up a scientific counterargument at church, so why bring up a faith-based argument in a science class?)

I think that most science teachers, however, are smart, rationally thinking individuals.  The biggest barrier to enlightenment is the ignorant masses who keep atheists, especially teachers and politicians, in the closet.  For some reason, a public figure can be a Christian, Muslim, Jew, Hindu, Buddhist, Sikh, Mormon, Scientologist, or can subscribe to pretty much any belief system, and we have to respect it…as long as they aren’t an atheist.

Dawkins encourages atheists to come out of the closet, and they should, but many would risk losing their jobs.  I, for one, am very outspoken about my beliefs in my personal life but fear that I could upset parents and get fired if I ever suggested my true beliefs at school.  Not that I want to proselytize at work, but if Christian teachers can have Bibles in the classroom and talk about their religious beliefs, I should have a right to share an alternative point of view.  Personally I think it’d be most ethical if none of us brought our beliefs into the classroom.  I’m not a science teacher, though.  In science class students should learn about science, a big part of which is evolutionary biology.  A math teacher wouldn’t be good at teaching geometry if he/she doesn’t believe in pi.

The underlying problem throughout all of this is that people don’t want to be taught something they don’t already know.  (Or parents don’t want their kids to be taught something they, the parents, weren’t taught.)  It seems appropriately illogical if transferred to another content area:  “I didn’t know that slavery happened, so don’t teach me about slavery.”  Unless I’m misinterpreting my profession, the purpose of being an educator is to teach what students don’t already know.

For some reason, many Americans are anti-science.  Like Bill Maher jokes, if you don’t believe in scientific principles like evolution, you shouldn’t be allowed to benefit from scientific principles like medicine.  If people who “don’t believe” in science abstained from the products of science, survival of the fittest would weed them out and leave us with an enlightened majority.

Now I know that seems wrong to even joke about, but religious beliefs arose when there was, perhaps, an evolutionary need to believe in something bigger, something that codifies morality.  That need no longer exists because human societies have evolved and are now based on social contracts.  Most Christians don’t refrain from stealing because it would be breaking the ten commandments.  They do so because it’s wrong, and they don’t want people to steal from them.

I didn’t mean for this to become a diatribe against religion, but I guess I needed to get it out.  I’m tired of being silenced.