Project Runway recap

If you missed it on Instagram, my daughter has now gone from commenting on the runway shows, to creating her own. I don't know how to break it to her that the season is over!

Spoilers ahead...

Best moments: No weird crazy drama. Everyone finished. And they didn't even need to bring in helpers like they usually do.

Worst moments: You know what I'm going to say, right? The collections were SO BORING. I miss the days of Seth Aaron or Mondo, when you didn't know what to expect and saw something new in every garment. 

Also, the models were the worst (with the exception of Ashley's). They all looked so angry/mean that I wanted to run away from them AND the clothes.

Best collections: It was clear to me that Ashley and Kelly were the top two. They used the most color and had the most cohesive collections. (But Ashley's finale look with the glued-on flowers was the ugliest thing I've ever seen...I thought it HAD to be some kind of joke.) When it came down to the two of them I did think it was a crapshoot as to who the judges would prefer. They weren't breaking any molds in terms of silhouette. Kelly had better fit but her pieces didn't look as expensive. Given that Ashley had had the courage to show PR's first plus-size collection, you had to know that would put her over the edge. When Gretchen beat Mondo we all learned that there is more at work here than who shows the best collection. I don't know that we've ever been given the criteria the judges use, anyway. For all we know, they put the names in a hat.

Worst collections: Edmond's was disappointing. I'm going to assume that he meant to show a collection of pieces that met the quality of the bow dress, which I thought was beautiful. But somehow he couldn't get there. He had a lot of throw-away looks (including the LBD that Heidi loved). And there was too much black. 

Which brings us to Candice. She listened to the judges and toned it down, but that didn't really help her. She probably should have done what she wanted, which apparently was to put on a spectacle. What irks me the most about her stuff is her unrelenting use of leather and black. She had a lot of good ideas or good pieces that could have worked perfectly fine in other textiles. It would have made the collection more interesting and less bondagey/hooker. I get it, she thinks it's her signature, but you really need to be more varied than that, I think. Your ideas should be your signature, not your textiles.

Overall, this was a lame season and a predictable winner. My only hope is that Ashley does something meaningful with her win, that whether or not she deserved it she puts her winnings to good use. Poor Kelly. Her disappointment was hard to see. Reunion show this week!