"Project Runway": A make-it-work moment

Based on the runway show, I had a definite pick to win the sixth season of "Project Runway," and just like when Chicago was painfully knocked out of the running for the 2016 Olympics, my choice to win was rudely elbowed aside first.

I had to admit that despite this disappointment, it was a strong show overall, probably because Tim Gunn freaked out and set everyone straight before the show (just kidding: what Lifetime billed as his OMG BIG MELTDOWN was more like a case of flustered consternation. He adjusted his glasses.)

Althea Harper led off the show with her sci-fi inspired collection. I agreed with the judges' comments: I couldn't  see a lot of futurism in her pieces, which worked best when she played with proportions and color and texture--even though I'd never wear them, the cropped/harem pants she made looked good, and, like Nina Garcia, I really liked the green dress with the black leather jacket. I also agreed with Heidi Klum that the silvery metallic top was a winner. I did think one of Althea's models received an unfortunate makeup job that made her look a bit like a drag queen, however. But while the judges loved the everydayness of Althea's separates, I wanted a bit more pop from her line, especially in terms of color. I also thought the big grey sweater that kicked off the show was just past the line of dramatic and entered costumetown.

Poor Carrol Hannah Whitfield still looked sick when she introduced her collection but I thought she put a great line down the runway. I especially loved the leadoff beige and black halter dress (and so did the judges), the purple pieces in the collection, the detailing on the black dress, the 13th-look blue gown, and the flouncy party dress made of a pretty beige/brown iridescent material. The judges didn't see enough of a "story" throughout the pieces but I couldn't see how there was more of a story in Althea's line than Carol Hannah's. There were a lot of pieces that she showed that I would like to see again, either in photos or in my closet.

In terms of a "story," Irina Shabayeva certainly stuck to her New York look: there were a lot of dramatic, tough black pieces in her collection, which wasn't perhaps didn't provide as much eye candy as Carol Hannah's but represented a lot of beautiful structure and looks that everyday women could pull off. I thought at times it veered a little bit towards a dominatrix look when the black leather was invoked a few extra times, but I have to say, as a Midwestern girl I appreciate a stylish and comfortable t-shirt as well as a warm yet fashionable sweater. Michael Kors pooh-poohed that the "warrior woman" was not a "new character on the scene" but even though I thought Irina was rather mean-a this season, I have to admit that I like the warrior woman.

My complaint about the episode was that I didn't think the judges' comments matched their actions. I wanted Carol Hannah to win, and the judges had nothing bad to say about her collection except that the story wasn't cohesive enough--I didn't understand then why she got eliminated first. I especially thought Suzy Menkes gave Carol Hannah a special blessing when the be-banged one said, with a special smile, "I noticed it," referring to Carol Hannah's inverted pyramid dress  The judges seemed to have a bigger problem with Irina's lack of color in her collection (although how would Michael Kors know, since he wore sunglasses during the show?) but they deemed her the winner.

I was glad for Irina (and for my old pal Tim Gunn, since his student won), even though my first pick didn't win.

I know some people who have described this as the worst season ever of "Project Runway." Do you agree and if so, what was the issue? I personally didn't feel any problem with the show being on Lifetime, although perhaps the show being set in L.A. did throw something off. Good news though, fans: "Runway" will be back in January, with the season of the sashay!

(PS: tomorrow I have ten minutes to chat with Irina. If you have any suggestions for questions for me to ask her, leave them in the comments!)

--Claire Zulkey

Irina Shabayeva and model Kalyn Hemphill. Photo credit Mike Yarish/Lifetime Networks 2009

Comments

[Kris]

I felt that if we have to watch a whole hour of overplayed melodrama, Lifetime should show more of the finished outfits and less shots of the judges. Every show I felt like I barely got to glimpse at the outfits. Also, I felt the challenges were not particularily interesting and the judging was poor. But then I thought most of Heidi's outfits were ugly this year.

[taylor]

There has definitely been a shift in the show from Bravo to Lifetime. Lifetime seems to advertise by sensationalism, which is annoying. The lead to Tim Gunn's "meltdown" is a good example. (what meltdown?!) There was no designer this season who stood out in personality. (think Santino and Christian) It was a very bland season. Somehow having it in LA didn't feel right either. My biggest gripe about the show is that the clothes don't get shown enough. During the Bryant Park show, I kept wanting to see more of the clothes from a full length view, and have more time to see the details. There were a lot of snippets and headshots of the models. You just couldn't see the clothes well at all. I didn't mind Irina's lack of color in her collection. The details and construction made up for it. I also think she would sell more clothes in black and grey.

[cary]

Irina, you've gotta nice collection and imma let you finish, but Carol Hannah had one of the best collections of all time. OF ALL TIME!

[Kara]

This was the worst season of PR. What happened? Carol Hannah by far designed the most interesting, innovative and elegant pieces. The flow and movement of the fabric alone was worth applauding.

Althea was an afterthought and Irina's unrelentingly black collection looked like nothing more than some sci-fi weimar meets futuristic storm trooper/dominatrix. Is this "I'm gonna kick your *ss" look to be mistaken for cohesion or "story" in a collection? Looks more like it belongs in "Escape from New York" not the romanticism of a woman making her way in New York.

The whole thing reminded me of something those gigantic, broad-shouldered angular aeroflot stewardesses would wear. Nobody took that to be iconic. Really.

Could we at least comment on the painful repetition of those stupid hats? Is it Tyrolean gone way bad? Obviously, I am still grappling with what the hell those judges think they saw in that line.

Let's try to forget Irina's poor b*tchy attitude and her undiplomatic mother's plug at dinner saying that "she had to win." Does she know that lobbying Tim is uncouth?

Carol Hannah's talent was sacrificed to give the better looking, more sophisticated Irina the win. So disappointed in what to me seems like some sort of political win but not a fashion win. I hope Carol Hannah succeeds despite this setback.

[ross]

I thought this season was lackluster. They tried to focus a bit too much on the personalities instead of the challenges. I was much happier this season that they went with unseasoned talent. Last season they leaned toward some with red carpet, major production house, and other top level experience. Even though they may not have had their own line, a number of them were veteran professionals already. This season was more interesting in terms of the talent, but the show needs to regain the energy of interesting challenges (read: the recycling challenge, paper challenge, organic challenge, family member challenge, etc). I definitely though Irina demonstrated the most consistent talent, a unique point of view, and for a change, one of the good guys won! Any of the three could have one, but in terms of being THE next big talent...Irina was it, hands down.

[Andrea]

Carol Hannah and Althea were consistently producing great items throughout the season. They were upbeat and pleasant.

Irina is talented, but her personality was brusque and off-putting.

I think Tim Gunn's presence is a welcome guide, and we should see more of him; I wish he would say a little more than his usual phrase, however.

Did anyone else think Heidi had it out for Gordana for a few episodes? She seemed a little bit mean, IMO.

I liked the varying judges; I agree that LiLo had no place there!

Love this show, was hugely disappointed that Carol Hannah did not win overall!

[Carla]

Carol Hannah was robbed. Irina's collection looked like Xena princess warriers wearing helmets from the Rocketeer.

[Stefee]

Lifetime is not as hip as Bravo, but the real problem Season 6 of PR was not fun to watch is that Magical Elves, the original production company for PR was replaced by the company that produces The Real World for MTV. Heidi, go back to your roots and keep the magical winning formula that made PR a hit show: beg Magical Elves to come back, keep Michael and Nina as the main weekly judges with a surprise celebrity guest judge. Why do folks always want to fix something that ain't broke????

[cp]

IRINA's collection was pretty amazing the detail, skill and overall cohesion was amazing. She knows what she is doing and her clothes are sexy and high fashion. I really felt that Altheia & Carol Hann just looked like amateurs, basically what you would see at any fashion design school graduation showcase. I agree that the editing made it look way too obvious that Carol Hann was going to win, and Irina didnt have a chance a bitunfair in the editing I thought I wonder what they really said?

[Gwen]

This was the first show that brought an immediate response to one of the designs. When Carol Hannah's first look came down the runway, I was blown away. That was the best look in the entire show. She has done some really great designs, and her collection was beautiful, maybe not as cohesive as it could have been. But each piece was a little breath of fresh air. I expected Irina to win, though I really hoped she wouldn't. I, too, thought some of her looks were costumey, and should be worn by a dominatrix. Althea's was nice, except for the hanging sleeves on all the sweaters.... what's up with that?

If lifetime wanted to make a more entertaining show, they might have not skipped over all the inuendos flying from Irina's lips about Althea copying her designs... As if. There's a line between self confidence and self agrandisement, and Irina stepped over that line in nearly every episode. She made herself so easy to dislike, and not in a funny or entertaining manner like others from the past.... Santino, Kinley, Christian..... And, if things were getting snarky in the apartment, it might have been better to see it first hand rather than hear about if from Carol Hannah. Bad editing, methinks.

It was obvious from the first episode who would be the top three, just a matter of waiting for all the other designers to be knocked out.

All in all, the final three designers were all good seamstresses, but way too predictable. In my opinion, the best lost, and the winner will be a flash in the pan, never to be seen or heard from again.

Ask her why she thought it necessary to dismiss Althea at every opportunity. Did she really believe the girl was copying her style?

[Annette]

I agree that Carol Hannah had the best show. Her clothes are wearable and her craftsmanship (craftswomanship?) reflect real skill and style. She has the strongest sense of color. I thought Irina's show was too "one trick pony." Althea's was good, but not my style, so maybe I am not a good judge.

I think the judges were rewarding overall performance, not just the last show, in giving Irina the prize. Over the season, she demonstrated high standards most consistently. Pethaps her self-confidence is the key to this performance. Althea demonstrated less confidence and Carol Hannah even less. I think if the test were based on dress sales, Carol Hannah would win hands down.

But I enjoyed this season and liked seeing three talented women designing three very different finale collections!

[joannie]

I thought that PR changed very little with the move to lifetime, although I don't watch lifetime so it took me a while to find it this year. I do think that the designers as a whole this year were not as talented or innovative as in past years, but I still enjoyed the show and can't wait until next season. I hope that Nina and Michael can judge more often next season for consistency too as Heidi is not the strongest judge--although the celebrity judges were fun this year. I liked Carol Hannah's collection best, but I can see where Irina's probalby met the criteria for a fashionweek runway show better than the others. I want to be Heidi Klum in my next life too!

[Mona]

I'd like to know why Irina acted like such a b**** week after week. It wasn't going to help her win and even during the final runway show she looked mean and nasty. Her clothes may have been fabulous but her manner turned me off completely and I would not buy anything with her name on it just because of that.

[Monica]

I generally agree with most of the comments here. Not one of the best seasons. My one complaint about the show moving to Lifetime is that it's not in HiDef. It's so hard to see any of the details, especially if there's lack of color in the clothing. The lack of HiDef made the show look dumpy.

[Sarah A]

I have to say more than all previous seasons combined there were more poor judge's decisions on this season. I also thought the competitors were on the boring side. The interesting people eliminated pretty much out of hand. Should a gorgeously executed chicken/egg concept piece have been Auf Wiedersehened before the sloppy toddler sewn shorts and tank top?

As an aside, I remember in the early seasons watching some models flop around at parties. Just before this season started I thought, wow I'm glad they didn't keep that up....and whoooosh, Models of the Runway. Posssibly the most useless timeslot filler ever.

[annie]

Just took a close-up look at Carol Hannah's runway line--AWESOME!! My gosh, I can totally see myself in these clothes. I love, love her designs. Elegant, classy, right up there with Valantino; Armani: Prada. I look foward to see where Carol's career will be a year from now. I can see lots of A-list actresses wearing her clothes. IRINA'S LINE: "UNWEARABLE". Who buys these clothes??? I will not be watching Project Runway the next season. The Judges cannot Judge!!!!

[eva]

I heard the phrase "designers designer" in reference to Irina, and it seems to really apply- as well as explain her win. But black is boring. And old. Despite their occasional ugliness, I thought the most interesting thing about her collection were the hats! I found ONE look in Irina's collection appealing- it was a highly detailed top with lots of criss-crossing of fabric over tightly-fitting slacks and a rather cute helmet-hat whose brim had a little turned-up swoop. Other than that, I found Carol Hannah's collection much more appealing- but then again, I'm also fond of fairy tales. I especially loved the hooded-cape look. A very clear and bold reference to a fairy tale look but still oh-so-stylish. The colors and drapery were engaging to the eye, it definitely looked like wearable art. (Emphasis on wearable.)
While I like Althea, and admire that she didn't succumb to finger-pointing (in public at least), I found her collection boring. While Carol Hannah took a fantasy-inspired approach and ran with it, Althea seemed to use the "sci-fi" inspired approach just to have something to say. Or perhaps she's just very unimaginative.
All in all, I agree with most commentators that Carol Hannah should have won- or at least made top two, for heaven's sake! She showed herself to be professional, creative, incredibly hard-working, and caring. With the exception of Irina, it was refreshing that most of the contestants were nice. And Carol Hannah was the icing on the cake. Who else is tired of the cutthroat fashion designer cliche?

[Barb T.]

All three of these ladies deserved to win. Though we all have personal opinions about what styles we prefer (and I agree that Carol Hannah's were my personal taste) you can't deny that each of these women was talented. I think Irina's personality may have rubbed a few of us wrong, but remember people, these shows edit for drama. I'm sure she's a lovely person, if not very driven and ambitious, traits she will need to survive in the fashion industry. But she did fantastic work - even if I wouldn't wear much of her clothing. Althea's knitwear was beautiful. Any word on if any of these clothes will be sold to us normal people?

[Lynn]

I had exactly the same reaction to the show as you, right down to "...how would Michael Kors know, since he wore sunglasses during the show?" (I found that unbelieveable for even a spectactor to do at a fashion show, let alone a judge) and I, too, thought Carol Hannah should have won. As far as this being the worst season of P.R. ever, I don't agree. My feeling is that, while this season was not nearly as good as Seasons 1-4, it was better than Season 5, which, in my opinion, was the worst season so far. I hope next season measures up to the first four....

[Nora]

Only a couple of problems with the show this year: the finale lost some intensity when you couldn't hear the crowd applause (or silence) during each walk. Maybe it gave away too much? Also, Irina's collection was cool, but the long camera shots and the blackness of the pieces made it difficult to get an idea of what they really looked like. I thought maybe they really looked great in person...but on TV it was just ok, whereas many Carol Hannah's stood out as new and unique yet beautiful pieces. Maybe I need a bigger TV.
I adore Tim Gunn, & loved seeing the stern talking to he gave the designers.
Great show.