I don't know what is worse, the judges picking Anya as the winner of Project Runway, or me getting so worked up about it that I have dedicated the rest of my night googling what the press is saying about the finale and then googling the past winners' collections to compare.
(I recognize that I am one step away from cutting out letters from a magazine to use to write a threatening note to the show's producers.)
If you don't watch PR, you can save yourself from this rant and stop reading right now.
I think the judges have lost their minds (or I think they were under a lot of pressure to pick a "fan favorite" winner so they can keep their ratings because last year they picked Gretchen who was one of the most hated contestants and people got all up in arms on Twitter about it). The winner was a beauty queen from Trinidad who learned how to sew only four months before competing on the show. Throughout the entire competition, people helped her sew more complicating garments and she took a lot of shortcuts by sewing the models into the clothes instead of actually sewing on buttons and zippers. Yes, she designed some interesting clothes throughout the season but her collection in the finale were nothing but maxi dresses with a plunging v-neck. The judges commended her on her choice of patterns and fabrics, but I don't see how fabric choice can make you a good designer. In fact, the credit should go to the people who made the fabrics and the patterns.
The other designers were more interesting and innovative. Josh designed crazy looking clothes but he used unconventional materials and made clothes that at first glance were really loud and strange but I found them interesting. Kimberly and Viktor also made really great clothes that were chic and cool and can be worn anywhere. Anya's clothes you can only wear at the beach when you're on vacation. I was shocked the judges never mentioned Uli (from season 8) because that is who she reminded me of and the judges kept calling her clothes "resort wear" (and they didn't mean that in a good way). By the way, here is Uli's collection in the finale and her clothes are so much more diverse and designed than Anya's.
Anyway, it has been a disappointing season. I think I stopped being really impressed with this show after the season Christian Siriano won. By the way, Christian Siriano's 2012 Spring collection he showed at NYFW is fantastic. I love every single piece.
I am by no means a fashion expert, just someone who likes to go shopping and has too much time on her hands. Why are we so obsessed with fashion and why do people spend so much money on clothes? It's like a drug. I recognize how stupid it is but I also just can't help myself.
I could not agree with you more. The entire season was set up for her to win. She had no growth as a designer and came back to the same resort wear every single time. She showed no innovation or creativity. The judges even admitted that Josh designed and executed his collection much better. This was rigged from the start and at this point I'm going to have to decide if I want to watch this show next season. Right now I don't.
ReplyDeleteP.S. It's possible your rant and foul mood were influenced by your viewing companion who ranted and was in a foul mood during the entire episode.
I totally agree with your comments...all she presented was dresses in awesome fabric. How many of those looks did she make in the last two days? That is not enough time/thought to put into a winning collection.
ReplyDeleteDid you realize that the judges only had negative comments for Viktor and Anya? I thought for sure they would both lose. With Anya winning it really supports the fact that she was their favorite contestant. How can you pick a winner when their collection was not perfect?
I also agree that the past few seasons haven't been the best as Christian is hard to top. However I still love the concept of the show. It also doesn't matter if you are a fashion expert. If you have watched this show for 9 seasons then that totally gives you knowledge...if not about the fashion industry, then about the game.
I also totally forgot about Gretchen and how much I did hate her!