Cheaters Never Prosper*

Project Runway

By EdHIll | Thursday, October 19, 2006 | 8:56 pm | 51 Comments

*Except When They Do

Project Runway has a hold on me. I gots the Runway fever. Last weeks cliffhanger episode was a true TVgasm. One that had better get nominated for a year end Golden Gasm or I will quit TVgasm altogether and create my own TV blog. I’ll call it TVejaculation or something. Unlike fake dramatic cliffhangers, this one had real honest too goodness human drama caught by the cameras. Did Jeffrey cheat on his collection? Will he be disqualified from the show on the day of the final runway competition? Not to mention the fact that this is already the finale episode with the Fashion Week show and crowning of our new winner, so it was an episode full of drama already.

So it was with sadness to see in this weeks episode the entire drama get resolved within minutes. Very anticlimactic. Which is tough because I’m someone who loves climaxes. That aside it was still an exciting episode. Fashion Week! It was so emotional even Tim Gunn got misty. The show starts where the last episode left off. Jeff has been accused of getting outside help on his collection and now that Tim has said the producers are investigating it he is in a panic. Laura is defending her choice by saying that it is like the athlete on steroids. You mean Jeffrey nuts are going to shrivel up and he’s gonna get really bad acne? Gross. Laura tells us that of all the designers he is the only one with a full shop of designers and patternmakers there to help him. She then tries to smooth things over with Jeff, who’s not really in the mood. He tells Laura that he is upset that she would “question my integrity”, to which Laura quizzically says she was not doing. She was just saying you cheated, not that you don’t have integrity. Two different things. But still, Jeffrey just screams integrity doesn’t he? In fact it’s tattooed on his back, so you know he has it.

As Jeff is stewing (that’s an image for you isn’t it?) he gets a phone call from Tim. Jeffrey then goes out on the terrace for some privacy. And can we just call it the roof now please? I know terraces. I’ve worked with terraces. You sir, are no terrace.
You’re a roof with window access. Tim says they are missing some receipts for the leather pleating that he had done on his shorts. He wants to see if he can get copies. Jeff isn’t so sure because the place he got them done is kind of “Sanford and Son”. When he asks Tim what will happen if he can’t get them, Tim just says “I don’t know”. Jeffrey gets on the phone calling Park Pleating for copies if the receipts. When he gets on he says “This is Jeffrey from Apocalypse” which is funny because I forgot that he named his clothing company the name of a D.C. comics super villain. Jeff’s gotta keep up with that badass image I guess. Can’t really design for rock and rollers with the name “Puppy Dogs and Candy Canes LLC”. Although I heard Kara Janx named her clothing line “Dahnguh LTD”. Its main purpose is to warn you of dahn-guh. No tresspass!

The one thing I can take away from Jeffrey in these moments on the show is the true fear you can see on his face and in his demeanor. He tells us that “I’m scared to death I’m not going to be showing in Bryant Park” and we believe it. Of course by that he means get disqualified and only show as a decoy because we all know he showed, but for TV’s sake they just say he won’t show. This kind of true human sturm und drang makes for some awesome TV. Real drama, not that fake Jonathan and Victoria bullshit. Alas it was not to last.

The next day they all wake up and head to the workroom, it’s the day before the runway show. The mood is quiet. Jeffrey leaves messages for Tim to call him and then he starts to make a skirt. When Uli asks why he is making it Jeffrey says he doing it in hopes that if he can’t get a receipt for the pleated skirt and can’t use it he wants to make sure he has something to put on the model. I say to hell with it, we all want to see Amanda go down the runway and have her prove once and for all if she’s a true redhead.

When Tim shows up later in the day he gathers everyone around for an announcement. In regards to Jeffrey and the allegations made, Tim and the producers have made a decision. They are confident that he sewed all the clothes himself and he will be allowed to show. Then Mr. tattooed bad ass rock and roller owner of “Apocalypse” clothing line cries like a little girl. The same kind of tears O.J. had after they read the verdict. As Jeffrey is busy squirting out a few Tim continues and reveals that Jeffrey has exceeded his 8 thousand dollar allowance by over two hundred dollars. And when Tim says this to a crying Jeffrey, even Tim starts to break up a little. And where Tim goes, so goes the country.

Apocalypse!

Oh Tim, you don’t know what you’ve done

Oh no..

Oh god, not Alex too!

OH Go- well, actually this one I expected

Good lord. The Hoff? Where will it end!?!

Shit. We’re screwed.

When Tim composes himself, he tells Jeffrey the punishment. Banned fro the Runway? IT affects the judges score? Nope, he just has to take something away from his collection of equal value. Lame. On the rooftop “terrace” Uli is still consoling a now relieved Jeffrey. “Laura you won, you made Jeffrey cry!” she says. Laura says she didn’t want him to cry, and that she’s just happy that the whole thing is behind them now. And with that the whole crisis is over.

And now I must share with you my anger at Project Runway for what went down. Not so much the resolution which was hyped up last episode only to prove to be a bunch of nothing. No that’s OK. I get that. It wasn’t a staged dramatic thing like having them make a last minute dress or something. Even though I saw it coming in my recap last week, they really slanted the editing to the point of splicing in a whole sentence in Tim Gunn’s mouth that he never said that would make us think Jeffrey got disqualified. They even released a preview minute of the show where the designers are walking the runway before the show and there is no Jeffrey (and another one of Jeffrey worrying about getting booted that erased certain words from sentences that clearly showed the focus was on him not using the pants as opposed to being eliminated altogether). Then we see the actual episode and Jeffrey is there the whole time. Did they do two takes and have Jeffrey not on in one just to trick us? Milking the drama I get. Even ambiguous sneak previews. But this was just dishonest. For shame, Project Runway. For shame. Where is the seriousness of purpose? Where is the integrity? Oh, who am I kidding, I can’t stay mad at you! C’mere and give daddy some sugar!

Tim comes by again for what he calls his “last gather round” and that’s when it hits him. Tim gets a little misty as he tells them that this is it. It’s Fashion Week. The big leagues. They will be showing among the most influential people in the fashion industry, and the crazy chick from the View who had her hair fall out on Survivor. Then Tim does the only thing anyone can really do in a situation like that. Group hug! Awwww. I would have followed it with an “Up high, down low, around the corner. Ooh, you’re to slow!” high five move, but Tim’s more restrained than I.

From here we cut to the morning of the Runway show. All the designers are up at 4 AM and ready to go. Jeff gets some coffee and they all head over to the Bryant Park tents in the dark. When they get there they are given the tour of the tent. This has become one of the signature moments of the Project Runway finale. Bringing the final designers into the promenade before the show and tape them as the full enormity of the experience washes over them. We get a lot of “I can’t believe I’m finally here!” type comments from all four designers. After that brief calm moment we jump right to the preparations before the show where all the designers are freaking out about every little detail. Michael is obsessing over his models eye makeup. I gotta be honest with you, he could have smeared turtle poop on her eyes and I wouldn’t have noticed. Michael Kors probably would have but knowing him he would have called it “provocative and edgy”. Backstage Tim goes up to Laura and tells her she has ten minutes and it’s go time. That’s when Laura starts to get the jittery stomach. And the same goes for all of them.

Then it’s time. Heidi comes out and exclaims “Hello Everybody!” in that high pitched Heidi way. And Heidi’s belly bump is much bigger than it was. She welcome’s everyone for coming and introduces our guest Judges, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and Fern Mallis. And this years B list celebrity front rowers? Brandy, who we all know is dating Michael, and if you didn’t know, the 8 close-ups and brief after show interview with her pretty much confirms their budding showmance. Next we have Elisabeth (with an S!) Hasselback form the View. She’s taken over the “crazy bitch” role from the sorely missed Starr Jones. I hate everything about this woman. It’s not so much her politics, as gentleman and ladies can differ about things like that, it’s that her qualifications for appearing on national TV and opining on all the major events of the day is she was on Survivor once and her hair fell out from malnutrition. Christ I once won 5 bucks for drinking urinal water in the first grade, Where’s my goddamn talk show? Although to be fair, I only pretended to drink it in order to get the five bucks. So maybe we should split the difference and put me on basic cable. Other celebrities in appearance are Miramax’s owner Harvey Weinstein, Anthony Michael Hall and the tall chick from 3rd Rock From the Sun (Well, they weren’t shown on camera, but we saw them there. The 3rd Rock chick won “best random celebrity sighting” award)

Next to Michael Kors is his delightful mother. And the funny thing about Michael Kors is he judges the entire show while wearing huge aviator sunglasses. Indoors. That kind of annoyed me since if I was one of the contestants and he got me up on the runway and started criticizing my color choices I would have been like “Dude, you were wearing sunglasses the whole time. Did you even see colors?”

Then we start the show. The first up Is Jeffrey. He comes out jumping with glee wearing his pants that end at his calf and a ratty red shirt and his obnoxious sunglasses. When he then points out that his son is crying it doesn’t occur to him that they might be tears of shame. His stuff to me was very jagged looking, with all the zippers, but it had a good use of color and, I hate to admit it, was pretty good.

When it’s Uli’s turn she comes out and is as cute as a German can be. Thanking everyone and talking about living the American dream. Her collection is by far the best. Her swimsuit reveal got one of the few audible cheers from the audience. I also liked her runway music but I have yet to figure out who composed it.

Laura gets a laugh when she talks about how she has finally made her dream come true of being “Big in fashion. I’m now big, and in fashion” pointing to her big pregnant belly. Her collection is classic Laura. She even uses flapper music to drive the whole thing home. It’s OK, but its just the usual Laura stuff. During the show we hear Laura in voiceover “My collection is intended to send a message to American women to remind them to be fabulous and to take a few minutes to take care of yourself and through fashion you can actually make your life better.” Alas the message is only for American women, so all you women living in war torn Baghdad are shit out of luck.

Finally Michael comes out and talks about his collection. Street Safari. It’s about a strong sexy confident woman. Alas it’s also about a strong sexy confident woman who likes tacky clothes. His collection is a big disappointment. And I was a big MK fan. Even his big loud jungle type music is just in bad taste.

During this part of the show, OD-TV’s and I had our moment of fame as we became part of Project Runway history.

Hmm, that’s a little fuzzy. Let me just zoom in a little…

There we go, much better. Wait a minute. That’s not right…

And of course, while I was busy tracking down Amanda, OD-TV and Sabrina form Bawls spotted Uli and went in for a picture, and got caught by the cameras. Eh, I regret nothing!

After the show we get a small bit of the after show hub bub. Based on the snippets of interviews we see with people, Uli was the big hit of the show, whereas was fan favorite Michael let a lot of people down. Well, except maybe Brandy.

Singer by day and at night she seeks the Powers of Castle Grayskull

Then we go right to the PR runway for the final judging. And holy sweet mother of Christ what is wrong with Michael Kors face? I assume that the man does fairly well for himself so why in gods name does he have the worst spray on tan I’ve ever seen? His face is a splotchy orange mess. Either that or he just has a giant yellow bruise on his cheek. As bad as he looks it must be that much worse for the designers that he will vote off. It’s bad enough to lose but to be eliminated by someone who looks like he just rubbed yellow shoe polish on his face. Hmmm, that gives me an idea. Michael Kors would be a great Halloween costume. Get aviator glasses, jeans and a blazer and paint you’re face Oompa Loompa orange, and run around calling everyone’s crotch insane. Genius!

**All I gotta say is “Oompa Loompa doompity don’t!”**

They have all 4 designers come out and then bring out their models wearing each designers “signature” dress from the collection. Heidi then takes a minute to tell us what the winner will receive. A spread in Elle magazine, a mentorship at INC, a 2007 Saturn Sky Roadster (if only we knew what it looks like!), and one hundred thousand dollars to help them start their own line.

They start with Laura. Laura says she wanted to go with Evening wear. At first they have nothing but praise for her. Michael said it didn’t look like it as only 8 thousand dollars it looked like 30 thousand dollars. The beading on her final models dress was amazing and they loved it. Laura says she wanted to make something “luxurious”. But Michael says there was no “surprise factor”. Laura defends it by saying she tried to “pump up the volume” but Fern says that evening wear gives you a lot of constraints and they felt she boxed herself in.

Then its time for Michael Knight. What do you say? His collection was a misfire and the judges agree. Fern Mallis says that she could tell for the audience that he was the crowd favorite but she just wished his collection lived up to that hype. Kors puts it more succinctly. “What happened?” Michael says he really wanted to get his point across but Nina says it’s a “fine line”, meaning he stepped over it.

Next is Jeffrey. He tells them the whole “Japanese ghost story” inspiration thing and all the judges are responding to it. They feel that there were only a few pieces that were the odd man out. Then they ask about the problems with his budget. Jeffrey shrugs it off saying that he went over budget by a few hundred dollars but to make up for it he just got rid of his wigs and ended up being 400 dollars under budget. OK, so 12 ugly blonde wigs were 600 dollars? I’d make one of those MasterCard priceless jokes, but I hate people who forward me those jokes. The judges barely even register this whole “controversy” and move on to Uli.

Finally its Uli. She wanted to broaden her stuff and not just do prints. Nina says she thinks her clothes are great and will sell and that women like them. Fern and Heidi liked her stuff as well. Michael however had a problem with her connective thread color wise.

After a brief talk amongst the judges, they bring back the contestants for the final decision. The firs tone to go is Michael. They believe in him but think he needs time to mature. Then it’s Laura’s turn to get aufed. They felt her collection was too limited.

And now it’s down to Uli and Jeffrey. Oh the tension. I can’t take it. Then Heidi announces the winner. It’s…. WHAT THE FUCK!? JEFFREY!?! Oh Jesus. Uli wuz robbed. Jeffrey cheated! He didn’t sew his own stuff! He dresses like a smelly homeless man! His pants don’t even fit for gods sake! The worst part is, I bet if he kept that stupid wig idea in he would have lost because lets face it, those were ugly wigs and that was a bad idea. Eh, actually just between you and me, he was my second favorite collection after Uli and after seeing his collection again, it looked much better than I remember it. I was hopped up on BAWLS the entire day anyway. But still, Uli should have won. Why are the Germans always so persecuted?

Then they bring out Jeff’s rocker family and his model Marilinda and everyone hugs and kisses. Then the other 3 contestants come out to congratulate him. And with that it’s over. Wham bam, thank you ma’am. No Project Runway until next summer. For those that need their Runway fix, you can check out Tim Gunn co-hosting Live with Regis and Kathie Lee on Friday, And of course, you can always subscribe to the, and I’m not kidding, Project Runway magazine. It’s good, but not nearly as insightful or content rich as Joe Millionaire: The Magazine. It’s like a cross between the Utne Reader and Cat Fancy.

So what did everyone else think? Was Uli robbed? Did anyone like Michaels collection?

Comments (51)
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51 Comments

1

unwise

Posted October 19, 2006 at 10:09 pm

Jeffrey’s collection was awful in my opinion. It could only appeal to a very narrow portion of the buying public. I’m not getting on the bandwagon after the fact. I liked Laura’s stuff the best; the quality of her work was impressive.

It was a great season made even better by your recaps, EdHill. Thanks so much!
2

dsc805

Posted October 19, 2006 at 10:29 pm

EdHill, yet another great recap. We are on the same page from start to finish. Uli was f’ing robbed!

Also, thank you for commenting on Frau Kors’ mystic tan. I actually paused Tivo to adjust the color on my television. It took me a minute to realize that the problem wasn’t on my end.
3

TWilliams

Posted October 19, 2006 at 10:38 pm

I’ve been a Laura fan all season and I think Uli should have won this. Her collection was the most cohesive in my opinion — Kors was very much against her — but he’d hate anybody with a natural tan.

Laura’s collection was beautiful and stunning in my opinion. It did not look like $8000. I agree with what Heidi said about it; if a woman bought these she would own them forever. They were amazing clothing . . . although they were standard Laura.

Uli’s collection was amazing because she succesfully had clothing for every occaision and they did all fit together. I was afraid that she was a one-note; but this collection proved me to be wrong.

Michael’s was only loved by his hoochie, Brandy. It was slightly trampy and whorish. Michael said it belonged to a confindant woman . . . but it was more like a confidant hooker. He needed Tim’s guidance much more than anybody else.

Jeffrey’s collection wasn’t terrible and I loved a few of his pieces although I do not think it warranted a win. Looking at his collection and KNOWING that he went over budget (Let alone cheated — sorry, but he did; but why wouldn’t he since he has employees that sew perfect seams all the time?) shocks me knowing that having 12 outfits with an $8000 budget means each outfit costs approx. $667. His collection, again, looked horribly cheap even though some of them were beautiful (loved the emerald and ivory dress). His clothes do look cheap and I cannot figure out why.

I also think Jeffrey is the LEAST marketable designer on the show so his win baffles me. Michael was the fan favorite and some people would love to wear a Michael Knight; Uli designed clothing that “every woman would want to wear”; and Laura made clothing that would make any woman feel fabulous and beautiful (if they could afford it). Jeffrey . . . well, Jeffrey made some clothes that NOBODY could wear. The fact that people HATE this man makes him even less marketable.

I am interested to see what Macy’s does with him. I don’t think Jeffrey and Macy’s are a good mix.

I enjoyed seeing Daniel V in the audience this year. He scrutinized one outfit very closely and I swear he was thinking, “that outfit would be killer with a wooden purse.”

Couldn’t Jeffrey have looked a little nicer for the “most important day of his life”? I am sure his son will one day think him for saying that. But seriously, do you have to show armpits to the audience on this overly important day? Disgusting and repulsive. He looked like shit.

Finally, I agree 100% with you EdHill about this show’s editing and the preview clip with a non-existant Jeffrey. We can be mislead ONLY so much because it quickly turns into lies. As Nina says, “It is a fine line” and I think Bravo crossed it. Couldn’t we have at least seen the judges praise Jeffrey a LITTLE bit?!? Would this have been asking too much? Instead, this win came out of NOWHERE and it felt like a hoax. There was NO way Jeffrey could have won this competition with the judges’ reactions that we were shown. Give us something . . . I don’t care how small it was; but don’t lie and dupe us. Nothing in this episode justified Jeffrey’s win in regards to the judges. I KNEW that he was going to win as soon as he was allowed to compete and I saw the new footage of the 4 of them leaving the HotelFlats. I knew we had been duped . . . and then I saw a stain on the floor and KNEW that it was confirmation of a Jeffrey win. I went along with the lies all night.

Last week it was a wronged Willa Ford and this week . . . oh reality television you frustrate me so. . .
4

Aries

Posted October 19, 2006 at 11:21 pm

I intensely dislike Jeffrey. He’s a foulmouthed, ugly, insecure, bitter little man. That said, I have to give the devil his due. His collection was the most interesting and best matched the spirit of PR: innovative, well made clothes designed by a visionary. Okay, saying Jeffrey’s a visionary is probably an overstatement, but he was the only one to really “bring it” for Bryant Park. Laura was her usual ‘meticulous’ self, except her clothes seem to age the women wearing them by about 20 years. Uli was her usual vibrant, flowing self, but she didn’t show anything that she hadn’t done throughout the show. I’m sure both women will be fine. I read somewhere that Uli has two design agents, so she might very well even wind up more successful that Jeffrey, the “winner.”

Michael’s collection was a train wreck, plain and simple. However, I saw it coming last week when he showed Tim that white shirt with the silver glitter breast pockets. There isn’t really any coming back from that and Michael didn’t. His collection reminded me of the clothes my father’s girlfriend sells in her store. She specializes in supplying clothes for women who are entering the workplace for the first time, or reentering the workplace like welfare-to-work women or women just out of rehab. But the clothes in her store have this vaguely hoochie look to them, like they are either cut too low, slit too high, or have loud colors like fuchsia or tangerine. It’s like the women want to be classy at work but also want to give a hint as to who they are in the off hours. Michael’s collection struck me the same way. It wasn’t full out skank, but it was skanky enough to give the Bryant Park crowd pause. With a lot more experience and a lot of direction from an established mentor, Michael will probably end up with a bright future as well.

All in all, this was a disappointing end to a disappointing season. Yes, Jeffrey was the most deserving out of the four, but it’s hard to feel happy or satisfied by the outcome.
5

GiadaFan

Posted October 19, 2006 at 11:35 pm

What a boring season! Aries – I totally agree with you: disappointing end to a disappointing season.

Why oh why did they give it to Giraffe Neck? He’s already got his own sweatshop in LA. And the excuse that the others (not Michael) were one-trick ponies, all I have to say is Chloe Dao. Didn’t know she uncovered that 80s time-capsule to design those debutante dresses.

I hate the whole “ooohh, he’s so innovative because he was stupid enough to tattoo his neck and he wears tights and a new age mullett.”

At least Santino was funny and truly had some interesting designs. Jeffery (wasn’t that the name of the Toys R Us mascot?) is such a wannabe. Outside of the zipper dress, all those pink polkdot things looked like they went through the chipper.

The others had somewhat bland collections. Neckboy won by default, I guess. Jay from Season 1 is the only one that was truly innovative.
6

MelanieM

Posted October 20, 2006 at 12:44 am

Uli was robbed, it’s that simple. The only person that is going to wear Jeffrey’s clothes is his mohawked wife.
7

PixieGal

Posted October 20, 2006 at 12:47 am

I am peeved. Probably more than I should be about a reality tv show, but that idiot did not deserve to win.

Not only does he already have work in this arena (designing for celebrities?), but his clothes are friggin hideous. What woman in her right mind would wear that shit?

Micheal’s was a mess, but I love him anyway. Laura’s was totally her and I thought it was great even though I would never wear that stuff as I am under 40. Uli was totally robbed. Her stuff is beautiful and looked like stuff women would actually wear.
8

chooch850

Posted October 20, 2006 at 1:22 am

What a nasty, bitter, ill-tempered group of people you all are. Lighten up….it’s a tv show….remember, it’s reality-based, meaning they can do all the editing they want. And no one really knows if Jeffrey cheated, it was EDITED to make you think that and you all ran with it, hook, line, and sinker. But when they take the same liberty of EDITING the previews, you feel like you’ve been made fools of by those same people.

Allow Jeffrey his win….it’s not the first or last time the unpopular one wins.
9

CalamityKate

Posted October 20, 2006 at 2:02 am

i don’t mind that jeffrey won. i figured that was going to be the case once they started making him more likable in the last couple of episodes.

giadafan, yeah, i always thought it was hilarious that the guy with the insanely long neck shares a name with a fricken giraffe.

and one question: why is uli such an instigator, with her “laura has an announcement” and last night’s comment about laura making jeffrey cry?
10

L'il One

Posted October 20, 2006 at 2:44 am

I have to say I think this was the strongest group of designers to show in a Project Runway finale yet. And I am devastated that Michael faltered so badly. Interestng that Michael, who has performed so beautifully throughout the competition, stumbled without the restraints of challenges and guidance of Tim, whereas Jeffrey, who’s work I never cared for (with the exception of the trash and couture challenges) , really pulled it out when he could totally do his own thing. I thought his runway show was definitely the most directional and interesting, but Uli’s was stunning and very commercial. I’m suprised they didn’t choose her as I feel they could do with a commercial success for a change… Anyway hopefully we will see much more of Uli and Michael in the future, while Laura should have a wildly successful business doing one-off evening pieces for elegant, wealthy women. I’m ashamed to admit I’m so sad it’s all over!!!!
11

McTV

Posted October 20, 2006 at 4:39 am

I’m confused as to how they can know for sure that Jeffrey didn’t cheat. He has all those workers that he already pays from his own, non-Project Runway money. He doesn’t turn in receipts from the work they do, so it doesn’t count toward his $8,000 and therefore he gets away with it.

Maybe I’m just biased because I can’t stand him.
12

jelodi97

Posted October 20, 2006 at 4:58 am

Jeffrey didn’t cheat any more than Kara Saun did with the shoes in S1. What she tried to pull was total BS, and it ended up affecting the judging of her final collection.

I thought the win was fair, but I’d wear any of Uli’s clothes in a heartbeat.
13

jack

Posted October 20, 2006 at 6:06 am

jeffrey was a bit of a ringer. with his experience, his connections, and his material advantages (professional studio/production warehouse and staff), he had a huge edge over the vast majority of his competition, whether he cheated or not. uli, while much more likable, is only slightly behind jeffrey in terms of pre-project runway cred and experience. you can’t resent jeffrey and uli for wanting to take advantage of the best possible venue to jump from boutique status to overnight international name recognition, but PR is hardly a level playing field. part of the reason laura could be so convinced that jeffrey was a cheater while uli was much more skeptical is that uli and jeffrey have a lot more experience than laura preparing a collection under a deadline.

i kinda liked how laura called jeffrey out, because he’s a huge asshole and laura has been the only one all season long with the spine to knock him down a peg or two. i loved watching a 40+ mother of five flip the intimidation tables on a sour, bitter ex-junkie punk rocker, especially after he humiliated angela’s poor mother. but bitching over stitching was sort of beside the point. all season long, concept has been much more important than execution. jeffrey at least tried to be original, while laura stayed predictable.

uli got robbed, but it won’t hurt her in the long run (it might even benefit her, a la an american idol runner-up finish, as she won’t be bound by an exploitative winner’s contract). all of the finalists will be able to write their own tickets–especially laura, uli, and michael. even if you like jeffrey’s designs, you have to concede that they appeal to a narrow audience–punk rock chicks with $$$ (or sugar daddies). there may be a lot of those in L.A., but they’re a little hard to come by in the red states. laura’s & uli’s designs may not be cutting-edge enough for the fashionistas, but they are hugely popular with the g.p. michael’s last collection stunk, but his personal charm has already helped him ‘brand’ himself (would anyone wear sean jean if p. diddy weren’t the ‘designer’?). even malan, who flamed out of the competition early on, has been getting huge buzz off his PR stint. everybody gets a happy ending (except for vincent, but then again, he doesn’t seem to need much to ‘get off’, so we needn’t pity him).

great show, great recap. i’m especially loving all the behind-the-scenes access you tvgasmers have been getting lately. well done, ed!
14

suedisco

Posted October 20, 2006 at 6:33 am

Hi EdHill – Great recap, but I have one quick question: is the music that aired over each designer’s collection the same music that was used during the actual runway show? Uli was robbed, but the designers on this show have to know by know that they’ll be judged heavily on innovation, and on that point Jeffrey definitely had everyone else beat. Unwearably beat, but beaten nontheless.
15

dsher

Posted October 20, 2006 at 6:41 am

I’m with McTV. Just looking at the receipts is not proof he didn’t cheat. Like he would turn in the receipts of the work he didn’t do. Dah!

He could have dressed a little nicer for the occasion too! UGH! It was gross.

Poor Michael! What happened to him? He was so good all season and his collection was just awful. I felt bad for him during judging.

I think Uli should have won. I also like Laura’s stuff too. I didn’t think Jeffery’s collection was bad, but I think all of his stuff he did throughout the season was so FUGLY. Didn’t the judges remember that dress he did for the mom? I could have done better than that and I don’t sew at all!

It will be interesting to see what Jeffery does at Macy’s. I just don’t see that working out.
16

HoneyBunny

Posted October 20, 2006 at 6:49 am

Not only was Uli robbed by the Penis Neck but so was Nazri the Fierce.

I loved Michael from the beginning but that Street Safari Collection looked like he got his inspiration from watching too many rap videos.

Laura’s was my favorite but I am a big fan of classic black and white film noir. The poor thing will just have to go back to her HUGE apartment and Frank the turtle.

Uli’s was the best. She did everything the judges wanted…so WTF? By the way, Uli’s boyfriend was cute!

I thought I could not be more surprised about the outcome of one of my favorit shows than when Booger won BBAS…I was wrong.
Dis…..Ass….Ter!

Oh, EdHill…that redhead you had that made you miss the chat Wednesday night…Amanda?

hb
17

OD-TV

Posted October 20, 2006 at 6:51 am

Great recap EdHill. it was fun to relive the day all “hopped up on BAWLS.” Overall i thought this was a great season. While I wished Uli had won Jeffrey’s collection was surprisingly better than I expected. We will never know if he cheated or not so I’m just going to let that issue go – like O.J.
18

EdHill

Posted October 20, 2006 at 7:01 am

You know I’ve been thinking about this and I’m now more convinced that Jeff cheated. Receipts mean nothing. He had an entire sewing facility with expereinced sewers and patternmakers in his employ. Youre saying he designed an immacualte colelction like that when he didnt show any of those skills during the show? I still think he had his employees do some of his his sewing for him. The producers and Tim Gunn say after an “exhaustive” investigation they are convinced. What did they do? THey had less than a day for this “Exhaustive” investigation and Jeffrey lives in LA. Did they intervew the employees? verify the machines he used? No, tehy were caught off gaurd and the only investigation they did was check the receipts.

Uli was robbed.

Ah well, it doesnt amtter. Making it into the final 4 is enough to make your career anyway. It’s all good.

Suedisco, that is the same music they used during the show. They even used Uli’s runway music during the malan laugh montage from the reunion special.

Jack, “bitching over stitching ” should have been the recaps title. Dammit!
19

GasmFan

Posted October 20, 2006 at 7:30 am

What Jack said…I always agree with Jack. Uli was robbed but she will be just fine. EdHill, thank you so much for a season of fantastic recaps!
20

Leah3t

Posted October 20, 2006 at 7:35 am

I agree, Uli’s was better and had more things I would wear. Still, Jefferey’s was better than Laura’s or Michael’s (I was SO sad about Michael’s. It was like your typical rocca wear spread. and a few of the dresses looked exactly the same.) But for him to win blew.
21

Barfly

Posted October 20, 2006 at 7:49 am

I don’t think Jeffrey’s audience will be as limited as most people seem to be thinking. A lot of what is seen on the runway is altered in the transition to the public. That being said, there are many commercial and successful designers working today who are just as unique and funky as giraffe neck. I think he’ll do well. And his collection was without question the best shown. Uli’s was fabulous, but expected.
22

zevonia

Posted October 20, 2006 at 7:52 am

Well, I would love to be “innovative” and disagree with almost everyone but I also think Uli was robbed. However a part of me knew Jeffrey was going to win because the judges on this show suck. They almost never take into consideration what a “normal” person would wear. Which is funny because I don’t see any of the judges wearing Penis neck’s collection. But this is true of the fashion world in general. Most of what you see on the runway are outfits to shock or awe the audience who is drunk on free alcohol or had a little nose party on the way to the show. The fashion industry is all about entertainment now and not what people wear.
Anyway, thanks for the recaps, EdHill. And it was really cool getting the behind the scenes stuff from fashion week.
23

Dugg

Posted October 20, 2006 at 8:31 am

Uli was robbed.

I also can’t see how they knock someone from not showing a bunch more than they did all season. It seems to me that it you have a strong vision/style ans that will sell, then you don’t need to stray. Uli and Laura both did a good job of establishing a style that will serve them well.

Also to ape what others have said, the producers have no way to prove or disprove he cheated despite their ‘exhausted’ review. Based on the character he showed throughout the season, I could see him cheating.
24

conrad5

Posted October 20, 2006 at 9:01 am

There really were no losers this week. Everyone walked away with something good. Uli and Laura walked away with exposure and publicity of incalculable value. Jeffery walked away with validation, and enough cash to pay 5 minutes-worth of debt service on his manufacturing plant. Best of all, Michael walked away with Brandy…”you’re a fine girl, what a good wife, you would be”. I’m high-five-in Michael’s Montel Williams-looking dad over the internet right now.

There’s no need to shed a tear over this episode. Come on, there’s no crying on Project Runway! Oh wait, there’s that whole Andre thing from last year. Look, it’s not as if Uli’s loss will relegate her to designing merkins for Andrea Merkel, or Laura will have to fly coach on her annual winter sojourn to Anguilla. I have no doubt that Uli, Laura, and Michael will establish successful careers in the fashion industry in short order. However, five years from now, when someone speaks about “The house of Sebelia”, they’ll more likely be referring to a crack house than a fashion house. If there’s any karmic justice in this world, Jeffery will be festering in some SRO residence called the Flat(ulence)otel.

Michael’s collection, with the exception of that stunning swimsuit, was beneath him, as was (I presume) Brandy, which probably accounts for his lack of focus on this task. I heard Mike Tyson once say that he would always abstain from sex before a boxing match, because it distracted him. Learn from a champ, my man. Yeah, Jeffery designs the kind of clothes that end up on runway models, but Laura and Uli design the kind of clothes that women (and fashion-forward T.V.s) actually buy and wear. Imagine the money these designers could make if they were allowed license and sell some of the designs they made for the show. Alas, I’m pretty sure that PR owns these rights. Hey, Harvey Weinstein, here’s an idea for a real prize: Take the Gunn, (but let the winner) keep the cannoli.

I agree with a lot of the posters who are complaining about the manipulative and over-produced season. I submit to you that the schtick called Reality TV (ca-ching, J-unit!) is now hopelessly clichÃ©d and overwrought. Top Chef, Top Model, Top Designer, Top Beautician, what’s next…Top Proctologist? “Practitioners, gather round (the round orifice). Now be SURE to utilize the KY Accessory Rack and Fleet Enema Wall in this next challenge.” This whole genre has jumped the TV Guide. I need a new drug. Frankly, and this is a sincere compliment, EdHill’s recaps are becoming more entertaining than the actual shows. Well done!
25

majikgodss

Posted October 20, 2006 at 9:59 am

I liked Jeffrey (well, I am really a Michael fan but this wasn’t going to be a win for him). I don’t know how you can be so sure he cheated. I don’t think he did. Having a studio and more time doesn’t mean you didn’t do it yourself. So you think Chloe Dao cheated because all of her ten brothers and sisters are seamstresses and tailors?
26

sydsmum

Posted October 20, 2006 at 10:18 am

Great recap, EdHill. I’ll have to watch again to check the crowd, but —WHERE WAS SANTINO?!
27

Maynerd

Posted October 20, 2006 at 10:32 am

I don’t get it.

The object of ‘Survivor’ is to outwit/outplay/outlast everybody else. The object of ‘The Amazing Race’ is to get to the finish line first. What is the object of Project Runway????? Somebody please ‘splain this to me.

It would seem that if the prize is $100,000 toward creating your collection, they’d pick somebody who could, you know, actually sell their collection. That would have been Uli. It is most certainly NOT the crap Jeffrey produced.

I was let down by Michael’s collection — I expected better. Laura’s stuff was beautiful, but it was so very, very Laura, so you knew she couldn’t win. Uli’s line was gorgeous. Jeffrey’s was crap. Slam dunk, right?

I almost fell off the couch when Heidi said “Congwatuwations……..Jeffwey.”

I feel like all the time I had invested in Project Runway this summer was wasted. I need to figure out what the objective is before next summer’s show. ‘Cause it’s clearly NOT making clothes that people would actually buy. Or wear. Ew.

Uli was completely ripped off.
28

kepster

Posted October 20, 2006 at 10:40 am

They have an interview with Jeffrey in today’s WWD. He’s planning to expand his own line into a collection, and he has “not yet decided” whether he would accept the Macy’s gig. Which probably means he won’t. Those sponsors literally can’t give those mentorships away!
All the other finalists are working on their own lines, Alison is designing for shopbop.com, and- the big news- Malan is opening a store in NYC next month! Which is great news, because I’ve been needing an evening dress that looks like a giant log.
Thanks for the great recaps, EdHill! You are hilarious!
29

Tati

Posted October 20, 2006 at 10:46 am

Thanks for the recap, Ed, so quick, too, it’s a treat. I couldn’t wait to hear what u had to say abt it, since you guys got to go & see it for yourself.

I’ll admit I was very angry at the outcome & swore never to watch PR ag’n (who am i kidding?!) but I was really disappointed. I’ve come to accept Jeff’s win, & I’ve started to understand it a li’l bit—his stuff was the most unique crap any1 would ever want to wear, i guess. For me, the explanation that helped me the most was when the Oompa Loompa opined, ‘all these outfits could be worn by the same girl for diff’t occassions’. I’ll give him that, i can see the same partying punk hipster pimping that stuff to diff’t events. (night out w/friends, trendy party, shopping, etc). The other contestants will be fine & might even end up with better deals, less constrictions. G’luck Macys, u have your work cut out for you!

conrad, tvwilliams, aries, (juddfan, did u comment yet? don’t rem’br)—loved reading your insightful & clever comments (top proctologist!) throughout the season, i’ll miss ths.

sigh, no justice in fashion, who knew?!
30

jenny10girl

Posted October 20, 2006 at 10:50 am

Right on jelodi97 (#12) I was just going to mention that…! ANyways, I actually liked Jeffrey’s collection the best…that red dress with the white polka dots is very me…I would totally wear that. Uli’s collection looked the same as everything else she did, and Laura’s outfits were frumpy. Michael collection was an obvious mess…. So congrats to Jeffrey…I am happy he won.
31

EdHill

Posted October 20, 2006 at 10:59 am

Great interview with Tim in the Chicago Tribune. hes so damn cool.

http://featuresblogs.chicagotribune.com/entertainment_tv/2006/10/you_heard_it_he.html

Also check out Blogging Project Runway for some comprehensive show coverage.

http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/

Froma q & A from Timm:
Q: Tim, if you had to pick one design that was your favorite this season, what would it be? – Marnie
A: Definitely. It was Michael’s coffee filter dress.

Im telling you, im his younger, straighter brother.
32

EdHill

Posted October 20, 2006 at 11:02 am

sydsmum, SAntino was in CA. Jenny10girl asked Malan if he was there and he said that something came up last minute and he couldnt make it.
33

stacyrocks

Posted October 20, 2006 at 11:23 am

In the moment, I was so shocked that Jeffrey won because I felt so strongly about Uli’s collection for the final show but a couple minutes after Heidi announced it, I felt fine about it. He did make some really nice clothes for the final runway. It’s lame that he went over his budget and that fact was just glossed over in the final decision though.

Poor Michael was my fave all season and he did not do good for the final show… I’ll sure he’ll be fine though!
34

Jennifer30309

Posted October 20, 2006 at 11:30 am

Great recap. Perhaps all the weeping from Tim was another product placement for BAWLS??

My problem is with the method used to verify that Jeffrey didn’t cheat. He could have spend wads of money outsourcing the sewing, thrown away the receipts, and claimed to have done the work himself. A review of receipts is only as honest as the person submitting the receipts and, well, that was JEFFREY.

Two days later I still feel stunned and betrayed.
35

RealityMonkey

Posted October 20, 2006 at 11:32 am

I’m still very dissapointed with the outcome, and I’ve been wondering about something- Do you think Uli giving the last challenge before Bryant Park her all worked against her? The rest of the designers dissapointed them and perhaps held back, but Uli designed something new and different. It seems like the judges didn’t take that into consideration at all for the Bryant Park challenge. Should future designers have the same “strategy”?
36

whatsername1490

Posted October 20, 2006 at 12:38 pm

I suck at picking winners for freality shows. My favorite American Idol contestants always lose, my favorite Big Brother contestants always lose… and now Project Runway.

Jeffrey’s stuff was cute. The patterns, the fabrics. Too bad it was all so… not cohesive.

I’ve disagreed with the judges’ interpretations of Jeffrey’s work all season, and the finale episode was no different.

Plus, I would think that breaking the rules by going over budget would be considered in final judging. I’m just sayin’.

By the way, I’ve beenhaving these weird feelings that a certain event will happen, and then it DOES a few minuts later. I had a feeling Uli would win. I’ll be damned if they were pushing for Uli the whole time and then Fernie Fern made some offhand comment about Jeffrey’s patterns that just changed their minds.
37

may1

Posted October 20, 2006 at 1:06 pm

Hopefully Uli and Laura will SELL more clothes than penis neck (thanks hb) And they will have the last laugh!
38

dredge

Posted October 20, 2006 at 1:21 pm

EdHill, I believe it was a pair of shorts that jeffrey couldn’t use and therefore made a skirt last minute for the runway show.

I thought Uli would win. Just very coherent (maybe that last dress the colors were a bit garrish..) PR is a good advertisement for her boutique..and in a few years she will do very well.

But seeing Jeffrey’s line, I felt he handled alot of different design problems well. You could mix and match (or not match but just mix) his pieces. Whether most people will wear his clothes is kind of irrelevant in the fashion business. Most people wear jeans. I’ll agree that he’s a nasty bitch, especially to Angela’ mother. What he made her was the most pathetic piece of garbage i’ve ever seen and she should have refused to wear it. clearly he did it to spite Angela and should have suffered for it. But the fashion business is full of bitchiness.

Laura’s work is stunning..especially her last dress. But I was bored with the Morticia Addams black lace dresses. That Salon article is absolutely ridiculous. It gives conspiracy theorists a bad name. Ask questions, investigate, draw some conclusions, then write a story. Making accusations based on a vague impression is a witch hunt.

Iliked Michael’s stuff mid-season. But I agree that he had trouble with a whole line. I thought he was designing for Flavour of Love. But he’s young and has a lot of work and experience ahead of him and would benefit from mentorship more than Jeffrey Giraffe.
39

angiemarie

Posted October 20, 2006 at 2:24 pm

Just to add my two cents. My mom is a seamstress (not a designer), and she is convinced Jeffrey cheated. She says nothing he did previously this season was even close to the standard of his collection. I asked her if he might have done better because he had more time. She said “No, either you can sew well or you can’t, time really has nothing to do with it.”
40

Keyser Soze

Posted October 20, 2006 at 3:13 pm

I shocked myself with my own anger when GoldenPalace.com-Neck won. What a let down for a show that I really enjoyed. However, as long as those uber-bitches Nina and Kors are judges, we will see more of this bullshit in coming seasons.
41

busybee68

Posted October 20, 2006 at 3:49 pm

I think that had Michael’s dresses been a bit longer, and less sequiny (is that a word?!?), they would have been judged more favorably. Maybe I’m just biased cause I think he’s such a nice young man!
42

TWilliams

Posted October 20, 2006 at 4:05 pm

I agree with you and your “newer” take on Jeffrey and his cheating, EdHill. I am so certain of it too. Seriously . . .

He has a huge workshop and employees and there is no way they could prove or disprove that he didn’t use them. He didn’t have a single adjustment to any of his outfits . . . bullcrap.

All that and his reaction to Laura’s accusation was not standard Jeffrey.

Oh . . . and to reveal the nerdiness in me; Apocalypse is a Marvel villain of the X-Men and X-Factor I think. He isn’t DC.

Loved your recaps of this season Ed, thanks.
43

murphena

Posted October 20, 2006 at 5:09 pm

I absolutely loved Uli’s designs and truly thought her line was the most wearable. She seemed to get applause for her desgns during her showing — as did Laura. I don’t recall that for Jeffrey or Michael.

Having just shopped at Macy’s I cannot imagine Jeffrey’s designs anywhere except maybe the juniors dept. Uli’s would fit in much better.

I loved Laura’s clothes which are very sophisticated. During the first part of the finale when Tim visited her, she had a beautiful red dress with beading on the inside but I don’t recall seeing it in the final show (maybe I just missed it). I thought that dress was amazing and very innovative.

And I also believe that Jeffrey had some of his employees help him sew which wouldn’t show up in receipts.

All I can say is that I can’t wait for the next season! Maybe they’ll bring someone back like the did on Season 2 — my bet would be Malan.
44

plethLaura

Posted October 20, 2006 at 6:06 pm

Great season of recaps EdHill.

Why does PR pick people with established fashion careers for this show?

I think it’d be so much better if the contestants were real novices with a flair for fashion. As bad as Angela was, it was fun to watch her try to figure out wtf she was going to do.

Jeffrey had too much going for him already. He has a freakin warehouse-size studio fully stocked with everything needed to create fashion. He’s not going to take the mentorship. The 100K will probably ensure that his baby mama can remain a stay at home mother.

I’m just sayin..maybe find some people who will USE ALL THE PRIZES AS THEY ARE INTENDED.
45

TWilliams

Posted October 20, 2006 at 11:18 pm

Yes Murphena! I remember that beautiful dress of Laura’s as well and wondered where it had gone. You did NOT miss it on the runway because it wasn’t there.

Someone said that Tim Gunn had an interview in which he was “thrilled” that Jeffrey won. I am sure he is because he was very fond of the final four. Why wouldn’t he be “thrilled” at someone winning? Were you trying to rub Jeffrey’s win in people’s faces because I don’t get it? I would bet just about anything that Tim Gunn would have been “thrilled that Uli won,” “thrilled that Laura won,” or “thrilled that Michael won” as well.
46

Memememe

Posted October 22, 2006 at 12:12 am

I agree: it would be great to see Kors and Nina gone next season. Come on, people, you thought Bradley was brilliant, for God’s sake. Get some new, fresh eyes in that judging room. Please!?
47

couchpotato

Posted October 23, 2006 at 3:14 pm

That is one hell of a blog (#31) EdHill. Lots of info. I don’t get it, Heidi said she’d wear all of Uli’s stuff, but I guess it has to be unanimous. As for the cheating thing, I don’t understand, considering what’s at stake, why they don’t automatically do a thorough investigation on everyone, instead of waiting for some accusation to be pulled out of someone ass.
48

antebellum

Posted October 23, 2006 at 7:32 pm

Jeffrey deserved to win. His collection was the most cohesive and I liked every piece. Uli had some nice pieces and some ho-hum ones (sorry, I HATE nude). Laura’s was the same, only more boring. Michael’s was a trashy joke with a couple of nice pieces.

And, as my friend said, Uli’s music made me want to prance around in a field.

Go Jeffrey!
49

Qui

Posted October 27, 2006 at 6:44 am

Thanks for all the great recaps! I am so disappointed that tattoo neck won, he’s such an arse. Uli’s collection was clearly the best and i am hoping Michael continues designing and gets some good experience so he can wow us later!
50

Loo

Posted October 30, 2006 at 8:57 am

Ugh. This season has really left a bad taste in my mouth. The producers’ manipulations were so tacky and obvious.

“I think it’d be so much better if the contestants were real novices with a flair for fashion.”

No kidding.
51

TimGunnSucks

Posted November 2, 2006 at 10:50 am

Jeffrey sucks, too.