Tuesday, October 21, 2008

Better late than never...


Well, well, well Project Runway fans, Season 5 is officially over. I know, I am a little late seeing as the finale was a week ago tomorrow, however, you know what they say... better late than never and I say, that sure does apply to the blogging world! We all know how much of a procrastonator I am, so just go with it, damnit!

So yes, it's sad to see another season of a great show go, but on the bright side, this season wrapped with these two things that definitely brought "joy to my world" and they are 1) the final 3 designers were all CHICKS- go girl power! And the other, 2) The FABULOUS WINNER was Leanne Marshall! Now that is something to be happy about in my book! She was by far the most talented young designer featured as well as offered the most new and fresh ideas out of the whole gang. Now, it was obvious in a previous post of mine regarding "girl crushes on reality tv stars" that I was quite fond of the adorable little retro doll named Kenley, but cute or not, she quickly offered no more than a 1940's era inspired dress for pretty much every challenge AND added a whiney-baby attitude on top of it- so I changed my mind in rooting for her from the beginning to the end where Leanne really grew on me. She seemed so quiet, nerdy and dare I say overly-introverted at first, but as she got comfortable with her ideas, executing her successful designs and winning multiple challenges, she seemed to unfold right in front of our very eyes to pull it out and win it all in the end! Good for her and other aspiring nerdy designer chicks as I am sure that was quite a boost in their morale worldwide!

I do, of course, have a complaint... or two... about season 5 though. WTF was up with all the annoying, bratty, less-than-thrilling, sissy boys like Suede & Blayne- Mr. tanorexic? Now, don't get me wrong, I am just as much of a fag-hag as the next stylish gal, but c'mon, it was a little bit much for the show- I mean I actually started to develop negative feelings for Suede- Mr. 3rd person- after only a couple of episodes! I guess they figured if we could put up with Christian from the previous season, then we could handle anything! ; ) I loved him though- he was a hot tranny mess- as he would put it! Except he's not a tranny! But seriously, how about less femininity from the males and more of it from the females next season?? I mean, how about that trainwreck, overly-masculine, pleather-clad scariness they called Stella? She was a hot mess in my book! Another one that was stuck only showing the same old thing for each challenge!

That will be enough personal bashing for now, lemme get to my other complaints! The other thing I was disappointed in was the fact that the finale should've been called the "dress" fashion show! I mean, how about a little variety there, budding designers??!! Dresses are pretty and all that jazz, but I like to see a versatile collection including pants and seperates. I believe that shows more of a range of not only talent with a new designer, but also a healthy and open-minded thinking process when planning designs for a collection. Leanne, thank goodness, is the only one that offered such variety, although I would still have preferred to see more. In regards to the finale, I was honestly happy with the overall display of talent. I really enjoyed the silhouettes and creativity of the fabric painting in Kenley's collection, the rich colors and native-inspired styles of Korto's collection and obviously, most of all loved the details, details, details in Leanne's ocean-inspired pieces that were perfectly executed in simply serene tones! Plus, half of her fabric was made of sustainable materials- which, let's be realistic, that whole "green" thing isn't always practical, but she was able to use it to her advantage and have it be just another point that set her apart from the crowd- her collection was cohesive, beautiful and well made, so she was the clear winner!

Leanne says she is actually going to re-locate to New York to further develop her clothing line using the money she won. She plans to hire some people to help her and hopefully show at fashion week again. Good for her- I wish her the best of luck and I believe that we have not seen the last of her!

I always wonder how I would personally fit in talent-wise on each season of Project Runway that passes. I look so forward to evaluating each challenge as if I were using my own skills and knowledge acquired from fashion design school. But because I know that trends, styles and production techniques come and go so quickly in the industry, I wonder if I would be laughed at since my schooling was so long ago. As we know in the fashion world, either you're in or you're out!! ; ) I would hope to be IN!!!

XOXO

photo creds:
http://www.bravotv.com/Project_Runway/season/5/index.php


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