Project Runway Season 8 -- now with 50% more style!!

Are we excited about this??? We are SO excited!!

Here they all are, everyone: http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway/season-8/designers

All but like 4 of them are between 27 and 32. I really like Peach Carr because she looks adorable and she is called Peach Carr.

I'm excited!

Ew, there's a guy who calls himself Casanova. Ewwwww. On name alone, I'm rooting for Mondo.

all the intros were retarded

casanova is a trip

wait, on the road with ausin and santino ??

*austin

is that dude really wearing a striped button down shirt w/ flowers on it

I need to know abt the Austin/Santino thing

The boy in the bowler hat = LOL

Mondo looks like a doll collector...or a puppeteer

Haahahahahaaaa the bottom six are such awesome trainwrecks...welcome back PR, I've missed you!

That vagina purse was so heinous.

How did bowler hat not get eliminated.

Maybe it's because I'm a straight guy but I always think the "vulgar" outfits are fucking awesome.

I don't understand why bowler hat or hick pants are still in.

I like the knitting boy...but I'm probably just nostalgic for Jay McCarroll.

Selma Blair needs to be a regular judge.

Selma Blair needs to be a regular judge.

OTM

Selma was great! That challenge, however, gave me no clue if any of the contestants are or will be.

HATED the creepy/molesty/pervy bowler hat guy for so many reasons

Want Mondo to be my bff because he looks so outlandish but is so quiet and soft spoken and awkward

Very fascinated to see where the graphic design lady will go

I'm calling it now that Bowler Hat is going to get kicked off for sexually harassing one of the models.

I didn't think Li'l Dready's dress was that bad, or maybe I just felt sorry for her. Cassanova is going to be entertaining. I love Mondo. I have high hopes for this season!

Joey Bowler Hat was tres, tres crepey. Still not getting how the stapled backwards kimono kept him in. Smh that his 'styling' put him over.
Ankle boots & spiked hair. Cmon.

austin/santino show is p. adorable btw

yeah, definitely need to check it out. is models of the runway not happening this season? that would be good.

No MotR. Via Tom and Lorenzo, Heidi says, "Models of the Runway is not returning. I personally liked the show, we had fun and people can now understand what's like for the girls and that's what we wanted to show."

Austin/Santino show is pretty great!

You know who Bowler Hat reminds me of? You guessed it:

http://userserve-ak.last.fm/serve/252/198741.jpg

Frank Stallone. So glad he gets to stay so I can keep calling him Frank Stallone.

Meanwhile, Gretchen's real name is Leslie Feist, right?

her real name is every white girl in portland under the age of 30, rite

Just finished Austin + Santino a few moments ago. Was thinking it was Anthony for some reason, but will gladly take Austin as well! This is going to be a fun show, and also that girl's mom's disheveled bouffant was pretty incredible.

A.J., the rat face 'grunge' kid is annoying. First he wouldn't share any opinions to help Casanova (whom will probably go down in flames soon enough anyways). Then he had that incredibly pussy moment when he started crying because he wasn't in the bottom with his hideous yellow dress. And finally when Stallone bowler hat guy comes back after losing---

[yelpy 'grunge' kid] "You can't just {bleep} leave!"
[Stallone (being extremely nonchalant and monotone)] "Actually I can"

made me lol

btw I totally love grunge fashion (more earthy less punk) when people can pull it off

AJ's Thurston Howell captain's hat...wtf plz explain.

Kinda wish Mondo had won, his ensemble and photo was super cute. And ;_; for him feeling lonely.
I'm not sad that Bowler Hat got kicked off, though Christopher's comment about his menswear being really good did interest me. I mean, historically the menswear peeps do have a hard time transitioning...but if he was that good at menswear, wouldn't his finishing, or at least his technique be better somehow? I dunno. Not that I want to give him the benefit of the doubt, he didn't seem like he was ever going to learn anything from the experience, he kind of came off like he knew everything already.

I can't even imagine being in the same room as Ivy/Valerie when they're both talking. "LIKE? I KNOW RIGHT? AND SO I JUST SAID LIKE WHATEVER AND OHMYGOD IT WAS LIKE A TOTAL DISASTER AND GUYZ I'M TOTALLY STRESSING AND BLAHBLAHBLAH" good lord.

Valerie's dress was cute though. Nice finishing.

bowler hat toasting wine w/ the other dudes intercut w/ mondo crying was some crazy television imo

I can't even imagine being in the same room as Ivy/Valerie when they're both talking. "LIKE? I KNOW RIGHT? AND SO I JUST SAID LIKE WHATEVER AND OHMYGOD IT WAS LIKE A TOTAL DISASTER AND GUYZ I'M TOTALLY STRESSING AND BLAHBLAHBLAH" good lord.

otm ivy reminded me of this:

http://208.116.9.205/10/content/11918/wtfasian.gif

HAHAHAH totally

I'm still having nightmares about the neckline on Peaches' barbie-sofa dress.

I can't believe the judges didn't cut Jason a break considering he is an oppressed hetero whose model has big boobs. This show is so racist.

I kind of love Mondo. Valerie looks like Tracy Ulman.

There's no Chris March blog this season??? I'm outraged! No "Tim's Take" either. Boooo.

I think I like the longer format. I like seeing he designers interact because they seem to get along and I like that better that snippy drama (as long as there is a little snippy drama - thank you Rat Face). It makes me care about the designers and that ,akes me care about the show.

*makes

I have a feeling Gretchen is going to provide some snippy drama...

gotta love Gretchen and Casanova as a team

was bummed to see bowler hat leave, if only for the lolz. obviously a pretty terrible designer. liking Mondo a lot -- he's rapidly become something of a hometown hero out here in the Denver area. Even though he announced he was moving to LA almost immediately.

Mondo shouldn't cry about being lonely when he isn't even making an effort to talk to his roomies who seem very sociable
but he felt better the next day and he may as well be homesick
I can't help but call him a freak though. but not necessarily a freak in a bad way

<3 Valerie, I'm sorry, she is way cuet.

I think we can all agree that Casanova is one sexy mofo.

http://29.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_l6t0jqRNJD1qbypg1o1_500.jpg

His face is weird & stretched looking...he scares me a little

Ya he skeeves me a bit. Michael (glasses/cuet smile/curvy derby hat) is totally my hottie of the season though. Also how has NO ONE discussed how awful it was watching Nicolas get sent home too? The way his face just melted into this sad pile of tears because he totally did not see it coming... also wtf Heidi, why do you keep saying "One of you will be out" when it's actually one OR MORE?

And isn't it weird that Mondo's 32 and not 19??

weird that he's not *15* ...

and yeah, nicolas' booting was brutal. just the idea of being up there and hearing that the other dude is out, and thinking for a second that you're safe ... ouch!

Nicolas' booting was awful, I felt bad for him. And the way he just collapsed, heaving sobs...poor lamb.

Mondo looks like he was way premature as a baby or something...but he seems studious and lovely and insecure.

Nicolas was annoying. I did not feel bad!

Nicolas was Corky from Waiting For Guffman - even the walk.

love how Mondo's style and taste is totally at odds with his personality.

Nicolas was Corky from Waiting For Guffman - even the walk.

I made this same observation to my friends but they didn't see it!

My wife pointed it out and then I couldn't help but see it. Even his blubbering bottom lip!

HOW DID I MISS THIS????

oh its on lifetime. thank the tv gods for on demand catch up eps.

omghahahaha it's true, Nicolas is Corky! And didn't he wear like big loud silky shirts too? I can't believe I didn't see that, it was RIGHT THERE.

that's aweosme.

awesome

I hope ratface totally wigs out next week and explodes

Which one is ratface?

I'm totally thinking they gave Gretchen two wins to stroke her ego and manipulate her into becoming this imposing and condescending alpha bitch.

Holy lord, Gretchen is a nightmare!

Andy's look was really impressive but I thought Gretchen and Valerie's moved better.

Gretchen is hell on wheels! Yikes.

Somethihng about AJ's dress reminded me of pool toys. What was the skirt of Michael's 'Alice in Wonderland' dress made of? Close-up it looked like a hammered out garbage can or something, there was no movement in that thing at all.

Mondo's dress was crazy cute. Loved how he wove all those plastic lei's together, and the bodice was way cool. Pity he didn't go for a bit more color contrast, or something a little 'bigger' to stand out amongst everyone. His construction was right on.

Loved Valerie's dress, but I was impressed with how Andy's turned out...given he was glueing right til the end I was almost surprised not to see patches of muslin. And nice of Peaches and Hot Topic girl to help him. I don't care what Gretchen says, she can eat it. If you're finished, you're not sacrificing your stuff to help out, and you maybe see that Andy's really onto something and fuck, maybe he could win...I probably won't win, but I'm not in the bottom...it's a nice thing to do.

Casanova's dress was like a disco Carmen Miranda. I was pretty impressed by how put together the look was. Sarah just completely lost her way in that dress. I was excited to see what she would do with the palm leaves, totally bummed by the final result.

I'm so fucking pissed they sent home someone with potential vs. someone that has REPEATEDLY demonstrated that he has nothing to offer the show besides (marginal) ratings and is dumb and stubborn and clearly doesn't "get" what is going on w/r/t the television program that he is on.

I also love how Michael Castillo is mostly ignored but has sort of taken the role of narrator with his interview clip things.

I do feel like Casanova is definitely passive-aggressively "sharking" everyone (sharking as in pool shark ie playing dumb to take advantage of competitors....though I guess that implies a talent that we haven't yet seen)....he turns his "I don't understand" on and off to suit himself....if it's something he doesn't want to hear, or do, he pretends not to understand, but the rest of the time he's totally down with everything that's going on. That bothers me a lot.

I mean, he seems to be able to sew, but his taste level is yeesh. His dresses remind me of that leather-dress kid from last season.

ratface guy is a.j. ~ i call him girl talk

I prefer ratface because I don't like him (and I think he was born on the year of the rat and he exemplifies that year's stereotyped facial image (that I've chosen by looking at the people one class below me while I was in highschool))

I'm from New Jork

so is ivy dead or what

I really liked Sarah as a contestant and I'm pretty bummed she went even though her dress made Betsy Johnson sad. Did you catch that Gretchen was the one who suggested that she ditch all the pink and just focus on the sad blue? Is Gretchen intentionally giving ppl crap advice? Have I fallen victim to the bitch edit they gave Gretchen this episode?

Speaking of editing, I kind of love the editing this season. It's a little obvious, but there's a sense of humor that seemed to be missing in the recent seasons. And speaking of humor... I love it when Tim works blue.

tim's laughing fit re: the fuzzy balls was amazing

yeah, i think tim's breakdown there might be the highlight of the season.
"bitch edit" is definitely the right term there - i feel like gretchen is probably more likable irl than a lot of the contestants. or maybe not, who knows.
But i liked sarah -- thought it was too bad she had to go home over casanova, though casanova is definitely a "character."

of course -- are they going to bring sarah back now that ivy is dead? or whatever she is?

I really liked how in a show that always casts these arrogant bordering-on-delusional Type A's, we had this platinum blond Ellen Degeneres with no self-confidence making fun of herself and her sad dress.

Anyone catch CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Kors complimenting Valerie's styling by calling it a 360-degree improvement?

I didn't get that. Her styling last week was fine, wasn't it?

Maybe that's why he said it was 360 degrees.

Well, I guess he's a fashion designer not a mathematician

xppp I guessing that Gretchen has been on some sort of natural or manic high making her talk a lot, give opinions of people's work (natural thing to talk about) and inadvertently making girls like April dislike her. I'm betting that Gretchen isn't so bossy - yeah "bitch edit" seems like the right term. but we'll have to wait and see I guess

also we'll have to wait and see if April is envious and/or bitter all the time. it may just be that challenge. maybe if Gretchen ends up being a super bitch than April was right all along. good reality tv drama brewing here

-

yeah the 360 comment confused me.. was he being smart and communicating poorly or just dumb with that comment

I'm guessing dumb.

dumb

That was one of the coolest challenges ever.

I love how the extra time gives us so much more bitchy commentary. I am absolutely loving this season.

Also, the judges are insane!

The editing really found its rhythm in the last episode. I'm enjoying it a lot now.

i didn't like the boots and leggings with christopher's jacket, but i liked his jacket!!

His jacket was great. I don't know if it was top 3 but it was definitely not one of the three worst, come on.

It's like they decided that the look that goes with that hat had to be ethereal, but I liked the balance of the thick, structured jacket with the wispy-but-sharp hat. It was a great contrast.

But anyway: they should have a hat challenge every year.

I loooooved Mondo's and I really wish they'd given him feedback. Bummed that Kristin went home too :(

mondo <3

kristin can gtfo, she just did not seem competent

Even Casanova thought Michael's dress was boring!

http://farm1.static.flickr.com/34/96072936_882816a77f.jpg

http://www.mariowiki.com/images/2/28/Mondo.png

i sometimes worry that mondo is maybe too similar to seth aaron but then i don't care becuz i <3 that lil dude

yeah mondo is a great

i have hated kristin's clothes every week they always look sloppy as fuck, so good riddance

"Kiss From A Rose." Ha.

I didn't like Michael's flouncy-flouncy dress personally, but it went well with the hat. I guess. Something about him, I just don't like.

Kristin seemed like a cool gal but her execution was not good. That dress was a mess.

Mondo is <3.

Valerie's thing confused me, I didn't like it.

I need a gif of Ivy's "Seriously? Seriously." asap

I loved Mondo's look. Loved it. He was the only one who took the hat and really incorporated into his look, instead of building the look around the hat, you know? Like you could have put any of the other hats on different dresses and the hat would still be the same. But if you put Mondo's hat on a different look, the hat would transform from a component of a whole look to just a hat. I don't even know if that makes sense but he put a mustache on his model and she looked a-fucking-dorable and I love them both forever.

Valerie said "Labrynth" and a started bouncing on the couch in excitement and the made that boring ass pink dress and I was so sad. She should have put her model in jodphurs and stuffed the crotch. Jareth FOREVER.

Yeah WTF happened to the Labyrinth idea. Valerie let me down bigtime.

Ivy really does need to get over herself.

^otm

the reaction shots ivy and gretchen were giving re: Michael winning were p funny

also concur that this was a great challenge...hat artist dude gave me a Chris walken vibe

That was amazing.

One of the best episodes ever.

gretchen would make a terrible POW. like she'd get captured and shes all I'LL NEVER TALK I STAND UNITED BLAH BLAH OMG WE SUCK SO MUCH I'LL TELL U EVERYTHING U WANT and then america would get nuked or something.

total diarhea mouth she had

Seriously think that is the best episode of PR I have ever seen. My friend just posted this on my wall:

To "Gretch": to first expouse one point of view
vehemently, and then, upon finding out that that point of view is not
popular with one's superiors, to immediately take up the opposite point
of view just as vehemently (even if it requires the denigration of one's
own work and the work of one's teammates, especially if o...ne has sworn
not to denigrate the work of one's teammates).

she is the best villain

don't even feel bad for mike c -- he chose her first!

OMG THIS EPISODE WAS AMAZING

remember when Tim Gunn called team luxe out and specifically Gretchen out and it was the most amazing thing that ever happened?

That was great. Tim was so mad at Gretchen because she made him have to send AJ home! He went totally Angry Dad on that team. I try to act like I'm all not into the drama and refuse to be manipulated by the editing but it was so fucking satisfying to have someone tell Gretchen was a shit heel she is. "I'm not a manipulative person wah wah wah." Whatever, Tim Gunn hates u so you pretty much therefore objectively suck in all ways.

Michael C wins at making "good luck" sound like "fuck you."

Also I loved the military/lace stuff in concept and execution and also <3 Mondo 4evs.

i wish i could march Tim Gunn onto the scene in all real life situations where people need to be told what's what and how much they suck

Also I loved the military/lace stuff in concept and execution and also <3 Mondo 4evs.

― Jenny, Friday, August 27, 2010 10:18 PM (1 minute ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

i know it was hilarious when Gretchen kept announcing how much better their line was i was like, do you have eyes??

i also enjoyed the Casanova's redemption mini-narrative

Oh my god, the world would be a much better place if TG went on a cross country tour to Tell People Like It Is.

But wait. This drama has totally overshadowed the other amazing thing on this ep, by which I mean Cassanova's nipples. Whoa.

also Casanova's turban in his confessionals

Oh yeah the turban! Why? How?

I really hate camel so I couldn't objectively pass judgment on Team Suxe, but there was nothing I would want to wear and pretty much everything that Team Dorky Lunch Table put on the runway made me wish it came in plus sizes.

haha team dorky lunch table.

i like camel but, as Heidi might say, none of the camel fabrics they bought "looked expensive" and nothing looked particularly good. also, if you're going to play the manager like Gretchen did, you get the best out of people when you make them feel good about themselves, ffs. also i don't know where Ivy gets off being so plastic; has she won challenge yet? she's been in the bottom several times iirc.

http://tomandlorenzo2.blogspot.com/2010/08/pr-thirty-three-faces-of-gretchen.html

This is so great.

"Granpda sweater?!"

Team Luxe should've been called out for doing a poor man's version of Chloé's F/W 2010 collection. Gretchen's "every American Sportswear catalogue ever" aesthetic is not worthy of its ass-kissing.

tim gunn OTM, it's ridiculous how that team ceded creative control to that bossy mama. she won 2 challenges but so what? is she really so intimidating?

really glad to see peach turn it up this week, she's a likable lady with some wit. if she can get over the lilly pulitzer syndrome she'll do alright

otm about Peach; i liked her a lot in the first ep bc she's hilarious, but she and April had adopted this doom-and-gloom, kind of snipe-y attitude the past couple weeks. she's much more likable when she does well.

I have an unrepayable debt of gratitude to Peach for the term "good china."

How did she use that again?

dunno, i don't like gretchen, but she doesn't seem all that villainous to me? in fact, she seems kind of over good-intentioned or something. kind of think ivy seems a lot more conniving/irritating. but that was an amazing episode -- gretchen's incredibly awkward flip flops on the runway. yikes!

"Showing the good china" is what happens when a skirt is too short and everything is exposed.

Gretchen is the girl who's nvr not gotten her way

looool so much at Michael looking up at Gretchen in horror as she calls him out

in fact, she seems kind of over good-intentioned or something.

weeeell i think that's how she would describe herself. she doesn't realize she's manipulative, but she is. she's also an asshole, whether she thinks she is or not. un-self-aware people are so difficult to be around.

also can i just say, to her and Ivy, are you new? do you not understand what a group challenge is? part of what's hard about it is that people of varying skill levels have to work together, have you never watched a previous season of Project Runway? wtf.

I forget what she was talking abt but Gretchen said some shit to the team b4 they got torn apart abt "unprecedented in the history of PR" that makes me think she has all the seasons memorized & catalouged

haha yeah i buy it. i think i wouldn't mind Gretchen if she would just own being judgy and mean more.

lol yeah -- "this is a project runway first!"

I'm not as hyped at Gretchen's transparent self-interest showing (I still like Bradford giving up immunity on The Apprentice, but Tim's WTF U GUYS at the end alone made the entire thing epic.

I couldn't see past Peach's skirt -- very flight attendanty. :( But I do like her in general as a person and that she's palling around with April ("I liked your diaper!").

<3 Valerie.

Also so many bleeps in this episode. <3

Omg this episode was nuts! Yay!

Gretchen gets away with her craziness bc she makes it seem good intentioned...'helping' you be the best designer you can be while quietly feeding on your soul. Something very disquieting about her narcissism. She feels like a pious fashion missionary bringing the Word to the poor ignorant natives....and completely blind to anyone but herself and her point of view. Like the kind of confidence thats poisonous. Not to say "poor baby" to the lemmings that dove off the cliff with her. They showed their weakness. "Yay let Gretchen drive! We will win!" It made them all far less likeable.

Love u Mondo <3

Casanova turbans is the Fall 2010 trend to watch. Lolololl

Also Michael C is really kind of tiresome, just as a personality. Sooooooo needy!

so wait, who went home? my dvr ate the episode plus a bunch of other shit, and now i'm totally outta the loop.

also, since this is my first post on PR this season, i'll say it: GRETCHEN MUST DIE

AJ went home. you should watch this episode online or on demand or somehow because it was GREAT

thanks - i'll have to look into that.

Casanova = the new Ricky (who doesn't cry). He's not the worst designer compared to some, but he's lucky to still be around.

Definitely watch on line. This was some A+ stuff.

michael costello showing up those dickheads, a total treat

Michael C is humble according to Casanova and I'll take Casanova's word over the people that are flat-out rude to Michael C. Like when he goes to tell Ivy he didn't say shit about whatever and Gretchen is like "why did he just do that in front of us?" and other Michael is like "because he is an idiot". They all agree. Michael C gets lots of beef. Especially the in your face insults from Ivy.

Anyways it was magic seeing him comeback practically in tears and seeing the hugest frowns on all the dickheads faces.

April is gonna have to find someone else to talk shit about Gretchen with now that Peach is gone.

This is such a good season

Mondo and Michael C's fb friend count has gone up since this season's beginning for me
Gretchen's friend count has dropped

ehhh sorry - south park reference
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2LmAMa-SE8o

I don't think Michael's was the best, but it was fun to watch the judges straight up trolling Gretchen et al.

Valerie's dress was all kinds of wrong...but oh Peach, that dress was evil and no good.

Mondo's dress was so fab, I'm bummed.

My thing with Michael C is, Just because you all hate him doesn't make him a bad designer. If his construction is as bad as they say, then that will come out soon enough. But he does give his girls style, and attitude...if the others want to win they just need to shut up and turn up the heat. I don't love Michael C, but this cliquey Junior High whisper/shun shit is awful. I hope he keeps winning til they get it.

By "you all" I meant the designers, not, like...you all. Cause I love y'all :)

I think the preview for next episode shows Mondo hating Michael C's construction skills. I think they are paired up in a group

why are there so many unlikeable ppl on this show? rip peach, u are already missed.

i thought mondo should have won over mike c's over-designed black weirdness -- i didn't mind the hairstyling on mondo's model, but i can see how the judges didn't go for it. he's maybe a bit too cheeky (cf. moustache), and the judges don't really "get" the humor?

yeah everyone's such a bitch this season. ivy is the worst.

mondo's dress was gr8.

i have to say, too, at least michael c owns his bitchy tendencies, unlike half the other bitchy designers. like, in the confessional, where he was like, "i can be a bitch, but i would never do that."

also, michael c is obnoxious & i wouldn't be at all surprised if he was talking shit about ivy. and regardless of the catty reception it got, his apology(?) to ivy should have been one-on-one -- an unprompted public self-defense just reeks of insecurity. (p.s. please stop crying when you win.)

ivy's a snarky jerk anyway, who cares about her? imo no-one gave her tokens because her look was ugly & just... menopausal.

he doesn't really "own" it, imo -- he just comes across as needy & insecure, gloats horribly when he wins, & throws mad shade in the confessional while putting on a meek face in the workroom. nagl, bro.

yeah, he is totally needy. i guess ivy just puts me off even more than he does.

The public was all in on the rumors of Michael 9 talking trash about ivy. Whether he said trash or not I don't see a "public self-defense" as necessarily a display of his insecurity. I don't understand why hassle with pulling Ivy aside when poof she's right there in the sewing room. I don't think it matters if he is with public or not when he tells her "I wasn't talking shit".

His "gloating" is mostly him answering their question as to what the judge's thought which does seem a bit much when he keeps talking about it but when every single one of the contestants is telling him his work sucks maybe it's not so much of a sickening amount of insecurity as much as it is the only way he has to defend himself from the abundance of "you suck at this and that"

Sure he may be insecure but I'm not going to call him out for reeking of insecurity when dude is just defending himself.

I did put quote marks around "public self-defense". I think in that case it's just as much him telling her how it really went down as it was him defending himself.

This is how it is

I didn't realize just how nasty Ivy was until this ep. "I won." "Of course you did." Ugly. Just poor character. I kind of hated Michael C's dress, but damn. These catty jerks are too much.

Mondo should have won. I loved the styling, but Elmo OTM about the judges not getting his cheekiness.

Okay but does anybody else go to "bring-a-pot" dinners? And what was up with the weird Heidi edits where they kept cutting to her LOLing at mean things M. Kors said? It was weird yet cracking me up.

MK said something else hilarious that I intended to remember to mention here, but I can't remember what it is.

Saying a dress is comfortable is like saying that it's washable...

THAT WAS IT! "I love this dress! It's washable!" The way he said it nearly killed me.

And, um, I have definitely said that.

Oh hey - Peach says Michael C is a jerk and not to be pitied! http://tomandlorenzo2.blogspot.com/2010/09/t-lo-interviews-peach-carr.html

haha lorax dude don't get worked up or nothin jeez

gloating? "the judges said *so* many nice things about my dress that i can't even remember anything they said." yea.

i mean whatever, good on him for winning when everyone is predicting him to go down, but he def likes to rub their noses in it.

drama llama go home, i say

Michael Costello came onto the show, he even said this to us, because he wants his own reality show and he’s creating this character that you see

hmm

I had a dream last night that I was hanging out with Mondo. He was really nice!

http://img413.imageshack.us/i/imagem1xk.jpg

this facial expression

http://a.imageshack.us/img413/1568/imagem1xk.jpg

OMG YES!!! I'm glad I wasn't the only one who noticed that. It was barely a fraction of a second but I was just like OMG MUPPET

I thought April was going to be this sedate loligoth, but instead she's this hurricane of profanity and hilariously OTT stankface. <3

srsly almost snarfed my beverage when that face happened

I'm finding the assertion that Michael C is angling for his own reality series kind of odd, thinking about it a little more. He's playing up the (wounded) nice guy, but nice guys usually don't get their own spinoff reality series, i.e. there's a reason why Santino went road-tripping with Austin and not, say, Sweet P. So, unless part of his master plans is to morph into a sociopathic monster, something's not adding up.

Furthermore, I have to assume that some of his baggier behavior is getting filmed, but that the producers are actively choosing to portray him this way and thus are being complicit in his agenda to a degree that's pretty outrageous for this kind of reality show.

Lot of things don't add up, in short.

lol @ mondo & michael c sitting w/ their arm over each others' shoulder. pls someone find this pic

also theres no way kristen bell would really wear that on a red carpet unless she was going to the avn awards or something right

mondo's was p ugly this week

kors otm with the forever 21 comment

lots of black resort wear. lots of beige and burgundy resort wear too, wtf

swimsuit/wrap shoulda won

gotta admit - i'll miss casanova despite how ridiculous he was

I saw that face happen with at least 2 other people when Michael C won for the second time. It was hilarious. I missed it with April this time around

yeah Andy really killed it with that swimsuit, i don't get judges' fondness for black things with weirdo asymmetrical necklines! resortwear? huh?

poor mondo, total misfire

really, April's uh resort wear is the most experimental design to win this season. I didn't understand the appeal but weird looking clothes isn't something I claim to understand.

I though the traditional look Casanova put out was good. The model had a schoolgirl/teacher's pet sort of thing going on. Plus that model looked super hot/cute with that makeup and hairstyle.

http://sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-snc4/hs426.snc4/46888_465284596201_104812021201_6398040_3040948_n.jpg

bfff's

they look like bert and ernie 2 me

fashionable humanized muppet versions that is

ty, m bison

All I have to say is this:

I grab one ball of NY and NY grab one of mine.

Exzaaactly!

neuuyerk

"She believe I am reterd"

haha I lolled at that part

she make me drawings theeeeeese beeeeeg there is nothing wrong with my eyes

I used to live in Astoria. never ran into Casanova unfortunately (that I know of)

I might be going to Astoria soon!! I will keep my eyes peeled.

Grab one ball of his if you do see him.

"Jackie Kennedy would never have a cameltoe." That might be my favorite Tim line - can't wait for next week.

Omg you guys: Betty Draper judging next week!! I hope she smokes. And slaps Heidi.

Andy's swimwear/wrap was gorgeous, should have won. I did enjoy April's though, and glad she got her "day in the sun" (lol resort pun!)

Ivy is gross and I hated the way she was with Michael. Control freak much?

Casanova...oh that outfit was tres sad. I could smell the mothballs and rosewater through the tv. And that thick lace? Kiss of death.

Mondo, Mondo. Resort wear for Barbie's cousin Skipper. Cute but in a bad, junior way. No.

Gretchen's was kind of ugly too imo. But maybe I'm piling on.

I'm going to miss Cassanova. Glad that Ivy got her due this time and that Michael C. was vindicated after the last one. Wouldn't think resort wear meant assymetrical black - 2 of them did it. Glad to see April win. She's the youngest but seems the oldest in some ways.

so i guess nobody's surprised that michael d is history?

nice to see lil lord fountenroy win a challenge. and he DESERVED it.

betty draper was choked up abt how bad andy's was

mondo's was the only good 1 imo. i guess gretchen too

Andy WTF. But lol Captain Outerwear's whole...thing... was pretty awful. That skirt was the saddest thing ever. Like it was sewn in a work camp.

Yay for Mondo! His was the one I liked most. Ivy's was nice but I didn't love the trench.

Betty Draper seemed quite upset by Andy's homage to the grandma-booted/experimenting with raves and yoga/college dorm Jackie O.

Loved the moment when she giggled at Heidi's "boob hole" quip

Ivy's string of self congratulatory superlatives as her look went down the runway was hilarious. Lifetime's decision to define "Waterloo" for the viewers just makes me sad.

Mondo is just awesome and his design was perfect and he tap danced. My husband called him a "demented mime," which just increases my esteem for the li'l man (Mondo, I mean).

mondo was looking kinda cabaret, i like him style. his head is rly big compared to his frame.

jackie o would have worn andy's look if she was a character in final fantasy IX

ivy was alright but the shit she says: "i was inspired by triangles and squares, because they are timeless, like jackie o." no

hooray for mondo the fetish imp

mike c go home already

haha i know when she was like i was so inspired by shapes! i was like i don't think you really get this

tbf, on all seasons of Project Runway, when most of the designers talk about their "concept" they sound like ridic morons to me. most of them are better at designing than talking about designing.

most of it is just babble, really

tailored architectural silhouette detail modern sleek timeless edgy ugh stop

RICH! LUXE!

I was thinking abt how Jackie got covered in blood when JFK was shot and so I designed this nasty ass fur wrap

i want to see valerie do well but i'm concerned for her. also she kinda looks disturbingly like jerri blank with the faces she makes sometimes imo

i like valerie, but she's been putting some pretty awful things on the runway the past few eps. mondo definitely deserved it this week! was surprised the judges passed up the opportunity to ridicule michael c.'s weirdo blur dress, but what do i know.

i think valerie's pov is getting eaten by her insecurity about what everyone else thinks. she needs to stop substituting other people's judgment for her own. well, except for tim's.

Mondo's win was completely deserved. Head and shoulders (it's Mondo, so mainly his giant head) above the competition.

He is built like a bobble-head, isn't he?

Mondo Cranio

Lol

Still loving On the Road with Austin & Santino too. This show (or more accurately, its 2-hour time slot) has really shaped up this season!

^agreed. i loved austin waterskiing that one ep

'advertorial' is the worst word

Its ok though coz Mondo drinking a. Capri Sun made it all ok

Mondo winning $20K made it all ok

yay mondo! i liked all top 3 looks but was particularly impressed with gretchen, and have to admit that i am becoming fond of her, overwhelming self-regard and all.

they should have sent all of the bottom 3 home, good god. ivy proved she doesn't know shit about color, mike c's idea of "high fashion" is a 6 foot bordeaux train, and val's angst is visibly eating her alive.

Michael Kors' critique of Valerie was gold!
http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway/season-8/video/extended-judging/episode-9/valerie-mayen

btw this face: http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_FW86_jO7k_A/TJyalgQ-1LI/AAAAAAACD0c/_Bs_6n81INo/s1600/Project%2BRunway%2BSeason%2B8%2BEpisode%2B9%2BMondo%2BGuerra%2B16.jpg

loooooool

valerie really should have gone home. i mean, what?

also <3 <3 <3 mondo especially all cleaned up at the end, in his sharp suit.

tbh I didn't like how Mondo's "couture" look moved on the runway, with that stiff bodice. But it photographed beautifully...

mondo's couture dress made me gasp for reals it was PERFECT

thought andy's was really good too, tbf, it just did not push all my buttons the way mondo's did

my only real problem with andy's look was the horrible make-up. it just seemed so arbitrary and distracting. like, u are working with collier strong on a make-up challenge, not a face-painter at the county fair.

haha yeah i was so confused when he drew on the crazy eye arrows it just looked like a mistake

gretchen's caftan is a look i generally LOVE, but i just didn't care for that rose color and also i hated her model's hair. if it had been, like, orange (the dress, i mean), i would have been all about it.

gretchen's high fashion look could have used some of that gorgeous beading on the neckline and an opium pipe from the piperlime accessory wall imo

Doesn't the piperlime accessory wall seem really skimpy on any given week? I mean, there are barely enough shoes to go around, someone's got to make do with the pair no one wants.

idk, i think the wall is just for the cameras, they probably have a stock room or something

yeah that makes more sense

fwiw i only recently became aware that fashion models have a standard shoe size which just seems crazy to me, i understand why but imagine if your otherwise promising modeling career was limited by yr lol hueg feet

Love it whenever they say 'i question yr taste level'

There should be a project runway for ppl who have never designed or sewn anything in their entire lives.

^^ it was called "launch my line" and was the worst thing ever

i'm starting to find mike c more annoying than gretch all of a sudden

i'm pulling for andy and april at this point, but, you know, go mondo!

"bobble-head hobbit"

"Doesn't the piperlime accessory wall seem really skimpy on any given week? I mean, there are barely enough shoes to go around, someone's got to make do with the pair no one wants."

MAKE IT WORK PEOPLE

don't mind me, i'm catching up here

when mike c was talking about the prize money and he did that "humpy hump" arm gesture -- oh god someone please send this goony loser home

he's my pick for the alleged cheater exposed next episode tbh

yeah i'd buy that. also yes, he was a huge dork talking about the prize money.

can i admit i thought his ready to wear outfit was hot as fuck? also heidi's elaboration of the boobs v legs rule was v charming. "i don't know where to look!"

Like Heidi's one to talk there. Sheesh.

I didn't like Gretchen's couture look much...something abt that velvet & the feathers made me think of Mr Snuffelupagus. Idk.

Monroe use of color was fab, beautiful dress, a real showstopper (bit of Seth Aaron action in there i thought) and his ready to wear roxored

Michael C's "Sorry I'm not very good at this, I've never been in the bottom before" at the judging was so fake/lame/irritating. He's a very difficult character to like. Hated his mega-train dress.

Valerie shd have gone, but Ivy's dresses were as much of a hot mess as V's so not super upset. As long as one of them went home.

Where the hell has Christopher been all season? He has gotten almost 0 screen time and completely lacks any sort of developed personality/presence on the show

His dress was pretty good, except for the bouncing lace b00b, a little distracting, lol

christopher's m.o. is that he's ver lo-key, yes?

This season, while high on drama, has had thee absolute worst designers of the entire series. Even when you're rooting for people, it's hard not to think of past designers who would've wiped the floor with them.

pretty much agree w/ that

Oh, and Michael Kors' critique of Valerie was a season highlight. "I love you, and you, and you." "Oh...it's a crystal challenge!" Valerie's own model had to bite her lip from laughing that ass completely off.

yeah, it was priceless how nina had to cover her face to hide how she was cracking up at kors. valerie's ready to wear look was so bad, guys. i just don't even understand.

The slanted neckline made it look like it was sewn onto the model, and even though it was a dress it looked more like a romper. How do you make a dress so bad?

I kept thinking how Christian would have killed on this challenge.

You make a dress that bad when you just wanna go home.

That Gretchen screen shot above makes her look even more like Guy Smiley than usual.

This season, while high on drama, has had thee absolute worst designers of the entire series

but... S06 NEVER FORGET.

This challenge was just a unfortunate one for this group, specially considering the amount of potential it had. The only season i didn't watch was the 7, but it seems to me this one isn't that inferior to 3 or 5 and way better than 6 (not a great feat n-ways)

also heidi's elaboration of the boobs v legs rule was v charming.

Really thought this was referring to Chris's high-fashion piece, just for the way the model's boob was partying.

This would've been the perfect challenge for Grandmaster Couturier Casanova, shame he didn't make it this far.

is it just me or do the judges get crueller and less inhibited every season?

felt bad for valerie - I've never seen anyone less happy about having to stay on another day. idk in the beginning her work seemed really strong but i think she just lost her way as the weeks went by.

all three of them should've gone home imo. it was like they'd never seen a couture/high-end fashion show before.

also gretchen made a renn fair costume. dunno what the judges were smoking when they put her in the top.

It's very easy for me to pick the winners this year, I just pick the ones I think are the ugliest. Works every single time. I have great backwards fashion sense.

The designs that are the ugliest or the designers that are the ugliest?

Andy said something like "Now that other people are starting to like Michael C., I'm starting to like him too"
Andy is such a tool

I liked Valerie's personal goodbyes to everyone. Her skirt was hideous but she will be missed

How many challenges has Mondo won now?

I cried like that whole episode. :(

How many challenges has Mondo won now?

this kinda felt like "a very special episode," but i have mad respect for mondo for keeping up his winning streak & coming out like that.

also, aw gretchen has a <3

yea " v special ep" otm. i feel pretty cold hearted but i could not really deal w/ all the crying

big props 2 mondo tho & valeries exit was classy

haha i cried at all the crying. what a great that Mondo is.

i saw nina welling up and automatically thought "omg she's human". kinda ruined the moment.

Mondo though... I wanted to hug that little guy for the entire episode. Love that he won not necessarily because of his story - anyone with eyes could see dude had this from the moment his model walked down the runway.

One more win and he ties a bunch of other folks for most challanges won in a season, behind Daniel V from s2 who won five in total. The first challenge I thought he should've won but didn't was the Marie Claire editorial one - the tweed skirt was soo cute.

uh, challenges*

Yeah, that was amazing. Did NOT expect to be moved, genuinely moved, by Project Runway.

Mondo. Wow. That little guy is a giant. Can't believe he put all of that out there in one show, being such a private person. Never thought I'd cry through an ep of PR.

That print was so great. Such a great use of the symbol, those colors, just wow from top to bottom.

Most of the other designs were a big yawn. Valerie is a nightmare. Kind of feel like she should be locked away after this.

In the back of my mind I keep thinking abt Mondos family situation though, and what that will be like for him. Heavy, heavy stuff.

Oh man, Mondo!

I think this was the closest I've ever come to crying while watching this show. Still haunts me.

"In the back of my mind I keep thinking abt Mondos family situation though, and what that will be like for him. Heavy, heavy stuff."

Yeah. During this whole episode I kept thinking "Did Mondo come out to this fam before this went to air?" Cuz if not, hoo boy.

yeah this ep was intense. would have to say that if mondo's family didn't know he was gay by now, they'd have some serious blinders on, but the HIV+ thing is pretty crazy.

what are the predictions at this point for the final 3? obv. mondo, probably gretchen, but who else?

April

the fashion industry is basically designed specifically to accomodate/elevate/sustain people like Mondo - gay, flamboyant, aggressively stylish, probably unable to function effectively in any other industry - and he is obviously sharp and capable, so duh he is gonna win. for the other remaining contestants, you could envision them functioning in some other milieu, the fashion industry is important to them but they don't embody it the way Mondo does.

mondo, april, andy

unless some random shit goes down. that's who i'd wanna see at fashion week, anyways.

gf read that Mondo hosts a weekly PR viewing party in Colorado and last week Michael C was his guest, and his family was there. Implication being that he certainly told them about the HIV prior to the screening and that they're supportive, I think?

the fashion industry is basically designed specifically to accomodate/elevate/sustain people like Mondo - gay, flamboyant, aggressively stylish, probably unable to function effectively in any other industry

this is really a pretty offensive statement dude, in a lot of ways

like are you saying he'd be unable to function in any other industry because he's gay, or because he's stylish, or 'flamboyant' (which he isn't, really? he's pretty introverted!)

yeah, kind of wanted to go to this (i'm in the denver area)
http://thefabriclab.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/mondofundraiser.jpg

is mondo the only gay contestant on the show or something? did i miss that? wtf collier

xp

looks like hes posing for the heisman trophy of fashion

haha Johnny otm

like are you saying he'd be unable to function in any other industry because he's gay, or because he's stylish, or 'flamboyant' (which he isn't, really? he's pretty introverted!)

no its the specific combination of all those things. I mean, look at that fucking fundraiser photo, could you really envision that guy in anything BUT the fashion industry? It's kinda like how Rob Tyner used to say that without rock n roll he would have just ended up dead or robbing gas stations.

this kid is not introverted gimme a fucking break

personal style does not equal personality, dude! introverts get photographed, too.

like you never known a kid who dressed oddly but had trouble engaging socially?

just saying you're rationale as to why mondo should win is kinda fucked up.

ugh "your"

introverts don't go on national TV shows ime

so are you going to defend the "lol just look at him, he so gay, he should win" part of your initial statement or what

or are u just saying that this nice kid would be worthless at life if he didn't make clothes

I know some gay guys who aren't fashion designers, true story.

it's not that "he's so gay" it's that he's a very specific kind of so gay, i.e., the fashion industry kind. it's like he constructed his public persona using a checklist of characteristics of successful gay fashion designers. I don't think there's anything wrong or bad about this, but let's not pretend like he isn't playing into various stereotypes because he very very much is.

hahaha ok ok wait

"the fashion industry kind"

HAHAHA dude ow my sides

idk you could have said "i think he should win because his work & his p.o.v. are the strongest" but because he fits your mental image of what a "fashion industry gay" look like -- come on, really?

a talented introvert who wants to make $$$ is willing to sacrifice some introversion for possible career liftoff might sign up for reality tv, Shakey. I see your point but there's grey area.

And as for the introversion in general: Half the punk-rock kids I grew up with were total introverts, but you wouldn't think that by the way they dress. It's textbook introversion. Create a barrier, force people to make a judgement about you.

idk you could have said "i think he should win because his work & his p.o.v. are the strongest" but because he fits your mental image of what a "fashion industry gay" look like -- come on, really?

you might note that I didn't say who I think SHOULD win, I said that Mondo WAS going to win. and part of the reason he is going to win is because the judges see in Mondo what they want and expect the fashion industry to be, and part of what they want and expect the fashion industry to be is a haven for people like Mondo. It's like the Oscars, he fits a narrative that they want to reinforce about themselves - the movies that win are not necessarily "the best", they're the ones that reflect what the industry wants to see in itself. And with Mondo here is a guy who has a backstory and a persona that the judges eat up with a spoon: in addition to being a capable and attentive craftsman, he is flamingly gay, with a unique and consistently applied image, and he does do what VegemiteGrrrl says, force people to make a judgment about him. He's very striking. And this is the kind of person (when it comes to males, anyway) that the fashion world is tailor-made for (lol).

All that being said, nonetheless I do think he consistently makes the most interesting looking clothes. sometimes his stuff is a trainwreck and I find his personal aesthetic to be a little silly - it's all a bit too Ed Grimley meets Tin Tin - but he's obviously got the most clearly defined LOOK of all involved.

There are plenty of people who have been the sympathetic choice to win on the show, but they have rarely been the actual winner.

Hahah Shakey: "Ed Grimley meets Tin Tin"...def. the best description of Mondo.

There are plenty of people who have been the sympathetic choice to win on the show, but they have rarely been the actual winner.

yeah well if Mondo doesn't win I will eat one of those ridiculous hats they had to design an outfit for several episodes ago

sorry shakey but i'm hardly convinced that you know anything abt "the fashion industry" to speak with any authority about what "type" of gays populate it

yeah well if Mondo doesn't win I will eat one of those ridiculous hats they had to design an outfit for several episodes ago

I agree with this, mostly because I think he is the best designer.

hey all I know is what I see on TV and the friends I have in the industry but yr right I don't work for Isaac Mizrahi or anything

xp

Mondo will win. And when he does he will do a celebratory Pinocchio-style tap dance down the runway.

Holy shit, shakey, I don't even know where to begin with this.

I don't know about the fashion industry, but I do watch Project Runway, and let me tell you: there are some gay dudes on that show

mondo will win because he makes dope clothes, and ftr also dude is a total introvert (i have v well-attuned introdar)

like watching the first episode, v tentatively mixing it up, takes time 4 him to warm up to the crowd

i'm just going to chime in and say no way is Mondo flamboyant--remember the first episode when he basically spoke to nobody when everyone else was chatting it up?

also elmo otm several times over.

oh lol m bison just said exactly that. i should just retire.

retire from what, aint no ilx pension coming yo way

give up. i should give up.

as erasure once said, don't give up

would mondo give up?

i submit that he wouldn't

aw, u got me. wwmd?

therefore and in conclusion u should not give up qed

never give up horseshoe!

aw, u got me. wwmd?
--horseshoe

wwd iirc

wait i don't know what that stands for now

women's wear daily

hahah

Uggh, from last week to this week we went from good drama to bad drama. At least the judges picked the right top 2.

That episode was gross.

Andy deserved to win though.

andy just murdered this challenge, i thought the hoodie was maybe overdone but all the pieces were so clean and sharp, really great

ugh ivy

ugh mike c

"they all hate me" yea pretty much

god that gretchen woman is awful

Drama, drama, draaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAAMa.

I dunno. I don't out-and-out HATE Grech anymore, though she needs to go home next week or the week after. (So does Michael C.)

i pop in occasionally to watch this so i don't know the show as well as others but ivy was transparently trying to get back on television, saw her chance, and took it. hilarious story editing: ivy: "i believe in karma." (cut to ivy nearly getting nailed in the eye with something while sewing.)

the problem i always have w/this show (even more than some others) is the really awful frankenbiting.

lol yeah that was a great edit

frankenwhat?

oh fuck an ivy. that was some bullshit.

i have been done with mike c for so long, it's getting so tiresome to see him survive week after week because other designers just fuck up worse

those pumpkin orange pants, with the draped crotch, good lord -- and he even put them on a redheaded model, like woah nagl at all

frankenbiting, that's when you piece together different sections of interviews to create one sentence. they usually try to hide the audio edit by doing an audio cut on a visual cut and then hoping you don't notice the awkward flow and bizarre emphasis of certain words.

hoshkiposh

https://sites.google.com/site/pnauert/amaz-heidi.jpg

heidi's workroom visit was amazing

"we literally have a warehouse full of this fabric"

"mondo did you roll yer damn eyes at me"

That episode was gross.

Andy deserved to win though.

― funky house skeptic (polyphonic)

I'm gonna ramble for a bit. I like talking about this show for no apparent reason. Maybe because I don't have real life friends to talk about this show with - just mi familia.

I was with Casanova on this one - I liked the drama. But I also like Tim Gunn coming in to settle the drama. Ivy is a thousand times worse than Michael C. I understand why some of yall don't like Michael C. but I like him and I like rooting for the underdog. I surmise from this thread that the main reasons some of yall don't like Michael C. is because he doesn't shut his mouth regarding "everyone there hates me" (an exaggeration but not completely off-base) and "the judges really liked what I did blah blah blah" (his need to defend himself resulting in him bragging). He's sensitive and insecure sometimes - as my sensitive, fat insecure friend would say: "whatever". Michal C.'s mostly a nice guy and he's funny sometimes. Christopher was the epitome of nice guy but he was sort of boring (from what we see). Mondo is a fan favorite and understandably; I like him too. But he isn't guaranteed to win. The last two seasons of Top Chef resulted in neither the fan favorite or the most skilled winning (imo). April - I just don't care for her aesthetic, she's not a bad person. Gretchen - She doesn't know why people don't like her, I like some of her aesthetic. Andy - I don't like him, I think he's a tool, he supported Ivy's bitchyness, however his work is very original. I don't like it sometimes but I definitely thought he had the best threads in this past episode.

Ivy is clearly worse than Michael C but I still think he is terrible too.

Heidi Klum could change her name to Hosh Kiposh and still keep her monogrammed towels.

Have we ever gone a full season without a pregnant Heidi?

zomg the Michael/Ivy throwdown was sooooooooooooooooooooooo good.

Also this: ivy was transparently trying to get back on television, saw her chance, and took it.

OTM!

Didn't realize how much I missed Casanova!

Also lolworthy was how Tim said that he couldn't imagine the workroom without Christopher -- v v easy for viewers to imagine it without him.

hilarious story editing: ivy: "i believe in karma." (cut to ivy nearly getting nailed in the eye with something while sewing.)
yesss, this was classic.
and yeah, christopher, as nice a dude as he seems, had reallllly outstayed his welcome. i feel like the judges mentioned his work once or twice throughout 10 episodes!

The way Ivy says "pants" made me hate her more than anything else she did. Also when she said "Jahhkie Kahhhnedy challenge." So so annoying.

Also too bad Christopher picked Ivy for her sewing skills given the shit she sewed for the runway. Not that she was the cause of the offing, but she didn't help.

Wait, not even "pants" but just "pant" singular. "I was going to sew a paaaahnt but I'm an asshole who says 'pahnt' so I made a dress instead. PS I hate Michael C."

xxxxpost
I think calling Valerie a "nightmare" is way harsh and unwarranted, especially considering her incredibly heartfelt sendoff - easily the classiest exit I've ever seen on this show. I think she's talented but obviously lost her way during the competition. The fact that she saw her own demise coming and reacted stressfully/badly to it doesn't make her a nightmare in my book. I like her.

also, Michael C is getting on my nerves. He's using up what little sympathetic goodwill he gained through all of Ivy's attempted character assassinations by being cloying and faux-naive, esp on the runway. they keep cutting to his facial expressions and I wince every time.

Yeah, Michael C's whole "I don't know what to say I've never been in the bottom before" thing a couple weeks ago was when the faux-naive stuff started getting really bad for me.

Wow this episode was kerazy...I was half-expecting teary drunken hairpulling. Jeez guys and dolls, pull it together.

Mondo v Heidi, pretty great. Gretchen v Heidi, attack of the glamazons! Wow. If they were both mecha-robot versions of themselves, which one would have the most powerful laser eyes? I can't decide.

Loved Andy's outfits, he did a great job this week. Haaaaaaaaated Michael C's Thanksgiving collection. Ugh to all of it. UGH! Gretchen's was definitely v Flashdance, I didn't hate it, but those bike pants with the slanty weird leg were definitely strange, nagl. Christopher was just yawn, sad to see him go but honestly I've almost forgotten him already.

Did anyone else have a problem with April's giant art-smock asymmetrical dress? I didn't understand it, and thought it was top to bottom hideous. It looked like a women's prison sewing project. And she needs a short-shorts intervention ASAP. If I see another pair of high waisted short-shorts from her, I don't know what I'm going to do. Though lol @ Heidi saying she'd never wear them. ORLY Ms Legs To The Sky

If Michael C doesn't go home tomorrow I will scream at my TV SO LOUD

ME TOO

Christian Siriano is tomorrow night's guest judge.

if i didnt call your name, your scores were fierce enough to get u 2 the next round. u may now get your hot messes off the runway.

christian is awesome, this will PWN

i'm gonna join the chorus predicting michael's demise tonight. then next week: see ya, gretchen.

Andy out this week. Regression to the mean.

especially considering her incredibly heartfelt sendoff - easily the classiest exit I've ever seen on this show.

eh i liked her but this was some "omg i want to sign everybody's yearbook" sort of performance. not saying she was insincere but "this summer at camp was the best you guys! i learned so much from everyone!" sendoff kind of underscores the fact that she didn't really feel comfortable with the competitive aspect of the show.

also anthony from last season was classier by half upon exit imho

Contrary to common reality show strategy, Valerie did, in fact, come here to make friends.

KIT TTYL W8 TONS!

For a minute there I almost missed being a teen

I always felt like Valerie thought she was in her own reality show, and she just happened to be surrounded by all these other incidental people.

Wanna see Gretchen go home tonight just to see her expression.

>:O

mondo/mike c hugfest was cuet

yea def. i feel super happy for mike c for whatev reason & even tho i dont really like gretchen, id rather see what she does than april

Gretchen saying "I'm just glad that I got a second chance like you all did" was so Gretchen
However, I shouldn't judge reality tv people so harshly or even act like I know these people
elmo argonaut, nitpicking Valerie's farewll last week was sort of unnecessary
I hope we all aren't nitpicking people we know in real life this closely
Michael C has been nitpicked to death although he's always trying to be agood guy (which actually annoys to some people)
I am happy to see him win again. I assumed he was in the bottom even after the runway but maybe that's just because I am hearing so much negitivity about him.

His Michael Kors impression was spot on

I agree about rather seeing what Gretchen does than April

Mondo's runway day outfit was very Rick Nielsen.

>:( Gretchen?! What?! Grrr. Too annoyed, going to bed, will rant tomorrow.

before this ep i was sure michael c was a goner! just goes to show, ya never know...

Gretchen's ensemble was so SAD, and off-the-rack top to bottom. And in the confines of the challenge, there was no wow to be had. At all. I'm not a huge fan of April's Hot-Topic halloween costume aesthetic but she's creative, she went for a big look at least, and there was a design, a concept. Nina tells April that she doesn't challenge herself but cmon, neither has Gretchen. Gretchen has interpreted every single challenge to suit herself and she won't ever stray from hipster-flowy-hippy-girl-walking-to-the-bookstore.

Again, I don't love April, but I honestly do not understand how Gretchen didn't get sent home for that sadness.

if you think of the time & budget they had for this challenge then they all failed imho

Totally agree.

Elmo otm

Gretchen's bit about how Michael C reminds her of where she was as a designer five years ago was one of her most hateable moments yet. I think she and April both should have been auf'd.

when they did that little split-screen retrospective bit during the judging, showing all the things people had done this season, Gretchen's looked terrrrrrible

I paused at April's split screen. My dad came to the conclusion that he liked 3 out of the 6 outfits that were shown there. They showed April's diaper disaster for the hat challenge (right next to two other short shorts) so I guess they weren't trying to show everyone's best work. And of course the ones they showed from April were all black with some purple highlights on a few outfits and white/gray highlights on the one outfit that April had for the make your own textile challenge. On a purely aesthetic level I wanted Gretchen to be the finalist. I admittedly don't understand April's aesthetic and feel like I can't judge it. It was sort of weird how Christian said that Gretchen's design was "different" when he hadn't seen any of her other designs and I think he and the other judges were all saying "off the rack". Also Christian was the one to mention that April seems to be designing for only one person in mind. His comments played right into the judge's hands when they commented about April being one-note all season. April's last design might actually of been better(?) but ultimately the whole season was a huge deciding factor

One of the most interesting things about that episode was that Mondo and Andy both ultimately chose April over Gretchen (or a 5th wheel candidate) in the "you have to take 2" question. I'm about 90% sure they picked April for strategic purposes

elmo argonaut, nitpicking Valerie's farewll last week was sort of unnecessary. I hope we all aren't nitpicking people we know in real life this closely

i hope we aren't pretending that ppl on a competition reality show are our friends

pretending that ppl on a competition reality show are our friends is sort of unnecessary

gf had a good point, which is they've always (mostly) loved April's stuff and never seemed to give her any direction/critique to do differently. This final crit was too late to say "maybe you should use color".

ugh Gretchen. I don't think she's as horrible as the show portrays her but I've never liked her aesthetic and colour choices - seriously that split screen just made it clear how awful her work really is.

actually figured early on she would get to fashion week even if she presented a mediocre design because for some reason, the judges dig her so wasn't too surprised. but I guess I hate her particularly this episode because that wasn't just mediocre, that was an actively bad outfit. she really didn't deserve it.

I didn't love April's goth princess thing either but at least her work is usually meticulous and creatively designed. anyway, the judges were being super hypocritical regarding the lack of colour considering that just two seasons ago, all black, all the time bitch Irina won the whole thing and her work wasn't half as interesting as April's.

Gretchen an example of that reality show thing where somebody comes out really strong at the beginning + acts like they are clearly the best and something about their attitude makes everyone else think they are the best so everyone's always acting like it's such a foregone conclusion that they'll win or at least be in the top when they're really not always all that. Top Chef had a guy like that this year, everyone was so shocked when he got knocked out because he one a few at the beginning and was such an alpha male that it was just assumed he was great. I never loved Gretchen's stuff that much and I've seen enough girls with post-laurel canyon bohemian yoga earth goddess styles running around williamsburg with more interesting style then Gretchen's.

How many Cat Power records do you guys think Gretchen owns?

over/under at 3 i would say

i will admit that i softened on Gretchen as a person when she kept breaking down from exhaustion. but yeah, as a designer I am not sure she's as great as the show's narrative insists.

i'd be exhausted too if i made hatin a full-time job like she does

haha. "i'm glad the show has given me the second chance it already gave all of you guys" is def a bitchy thing to say, but she didn't even seem to be conscious of it? what a weirdo

she does seem sorta oblivious to some of her justification claims -- like saying the challenges put u in a box or w/e -- heidi was all um you were basically allowed to do anything at all you wanted 4 this one gurlfriend~

man i thought hipsters were supposed to be like hyper self-aware and ironic and shit, she seems almost naively snide towards ppl, like how do she hear herself saying stuff and not think "omg i am such a disgusting douche"

it's like when tim gunn called her out and she seemed genuinely stunned at being called "manipulative" and i was like, really, lady?

she has a learning disability in bitchiness comprehension

I think she is more of a scenester than a hipster but I don't really know what I'm talking about

To me her style is Business Hippie.

2 cool 4 business school, 2 ambitious 4 art school

gretchen jones presents her line "post adolescent identity crisis"

She was dead to me when she referenced "setting an intention" as the reason she was going to fashion week. Shut yer piehole, hippie.

Gretchen's ren faire aesthetic reinforces every possible negative stereotype about women from Portland, OR.

Lol otm

Didn't they have some other doe-eyed, Feist-lookin' mother fucker from PDX last season?

2 or 3 seasons ago, and she won. iirc her bf did the music for her runway show (i didnt hate it, actually, but it was verrry portland)

right:

http://mylt.ltcdn.com/files/imagecache/pr_full/files/galleries/winnersgall-leannemarshall-550x400-1.jpg

Same haircut

part of me feels like women like that should be running the world, because they just seem so capable, but on the other hand i think i would want to kill Gretchen after 5 minutes if i actually had to hang out with her.

Agreed. I like Gretchen's vibe in theory, but in practice she'd be gagged with her own tape measure in a heartbeat.

Can't even comprehend Valerie/Ivy in person.

I don't like these Leanne/Gretchen comparisons. For one thing, Gretchen would never do this:
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/__BHmyOMAaQM/SO5IuFwE9TI/AAAAAAAABXQ/eUPoFR9zwVM/s320/TimGunon+Bike.jpg

yea i wkiw leanne 4 real; gretchen not so much

I wTOTALLYkiw Gretchen; I think she is misrepresented and yes a bit haughty but ultimately wonderful.

I would also like Collier Strong to intervene and explain to Gretchen how to select a flattering shade of red lipstick. (Or maybe I need to adjust the color on my TV, I don't know.)

Every time I see Collier Strong I think John Locke somehow crept onscreen.

I like the makeup guy with the big-ass sideburns

Collier Strong & Michael Kors must be on the same tanning routine. Orange! Shiny! Go!

What about the hair guy with the pretentious facial hair? (ws)

Maybe that's who I mean? Whichever dude has the crazy sideburns

Tim: "April, given your palette from this season, I think it's time for you to surprise the judges." [nudges, winks]
April: "Yeah, I'm totally planning to use color!" [Tim leaves; April pushes bolt of black fabric back in]

lol

[Offscreen, April pulls bolt of black fabric back out.]

Maybe she had weird Midas touch & everything she touches turns black

Trying to remember how the penultimate episode works, I guess we'll see all of the following (assuming precedents are followed):
- Tim's visits to the homes/workspaces of the four finalists
- Finalists reunited in NYC
- Runway viewing of work representing each finalist's collection
- Judging and elimination of one finalist, which determines the final 3 who compete next week

I always felt like Valerie thought she was in her own reality show, and she just happened to be surrounded by all these other incidental people.

Mind-boggling that anyone would say this when, in the same season, we've had another contestant whose way of thanking a guy who admitted that he had HIV was to say how honored it was that she got to be a part of it.

Also everyone step off Leanne, she is a boo now and forever for the tandem bike, for which I have so much ♥.

Oh and Paul, that's the precedent, to a T.

Excited for lots of Tim time!

oh jesus

That was so horrendous to watch

yeah that was brutal

Like this due has muuuuuuuch more deep-seated issues going on here...

That was so horrendous to watch

― ksh ksh ksh ksh it ksh it (Stevie D(eux)), Thursday, October 21, 2010 10:31 PM (36 minutes ago) Bookmark Suggest Ban Permalink

dude got super sad but this pales to the Seth freak-out on top chef deserts

horrible. let's not get this twisted: he still got to show a decoy collection at lincoln center, as did, like, 4 other eliminated designers, and he got more tv time than any if them. no matter what, being on PR is a good thing for anyone's career! exposure! but no. that is not how he sees it. i think this meltdown was inevitable no matter whether he was eliminated in the final 3 or back at the beginning of the season. ugh. goodbye.

Um, Michael Costello actually made me cry.

This has been the weirdest season of PR ever.

Otm. The way Michael looked as he stood on the stage after Andy was announced as the winner, I could just tell something was unravelling in him, it was so hard to watch.

I mean, I knew he was working hard to seem to be a certain way, that he was pretty raw inside, but ...fuck man, this season has been kinda brutal, emotionally.

Also it must have been brutal to lose to the shit Andy trotted out there.

Lol

Swimwear for fairies!

Like, fairies...not, you know... Ugh

Like dude if you are completely investing everything into validating yourself via a REALITY TELEVISION SHOW...

Also jeez if your parents are so unhealthy why are you still allowing them to manipulate you like this?

I thought that crying fit was completely fake. At some point I thought he was going to pull a "And I never learned how to read!"

Omg I am watching it right now and it's awful. Daddy Tim is doing a good job comforting him. But now he's bawling and snotty. Wait he's better. Ugh.

You know, my boss resigned and her last day was today (20 years!) and I witnessed variations of emotional breakdowns alllll day and I came home to eat noodles and watch PR and relax and oh look, more fucking tearful freak outs and I'm sorry, Michael C. but I have tearful breakdown fatigue and you need to wipe your nose and grow up, son.

Also, awkward hug from Gretchen was awwwwwwkward.

Hahaha she was a hugging MACHINE this episode. Also WTF happened that she is homeless and her life is ruined?

It sounded like she came home to work on her collection only to find her boyfriend (girlfriend? She seemed pretty straight to me) had left her. :/

yeeesh michael c. definitely feel bad for the guy, who seems to have had a weird life so far. lots and lot and lots of issues there.

dunno, has there ever been a final 3 contestant *least* likely to win than Gretchen? seems like the judges are not even remotely excited by her stuff.

Honestly don't care much for her Barbie Safari collection.

I didn't care for her breezy cultural appropriation on use of the word "tribal" to describe anything with geometric shapes or vaguely animal-ish print. Also, aren't animal prints kind of over now?

has there ever been a final 3 contestant *least* likely to win than Gretchen?

Siriano.

That's not putting Mondo above designers from other seasons, just comparing him to his immediate competition.

Oh right but I mean there was simply no way Siriano was not going to win.

xp I can't remember anything about Christian's competition. So maybe you're right?

Chris March's final collection had human hair in it.

*shudder*

but then using human hair became the thing to do in the fashion world right after that season....so there ya go.

I thought both Jillian and Rami had a good chance of beating Siriano during the show itself but not after we saw the final collections.

That season was so good, design-wise.

So, is Andy Chinese or Japanese?

Chris March's collection was rad, though! Including the hair dress! Way more interesting (and deserving to show at Bryant Park) than Rami's.

Someone needs to make a gif of Michael having his last laugh from the beginning of the episode.

I thought he was Filipino. Apparently he's Laosian

Technically he's Lao or Laotian but it borders China so.

My Lao partner was v. excited to discover that Andy is also from Laos. We loved seeing him at home in Hawaii; the meal with Tim was how we often eat at home (sticky rice, lahb nua). It was nice that he sourced fabric and materials from Vientiane, but we both thought his designs -- at least the three he chose for the elimination runway -- fussy and overwrought.

FWIW modern Laos has less in common culturally with China than with Thailand and Cambodia, and to a lesser extent Vietnam and Burma/Myanmar, if only because China is so vast and mostly removed from the slight border with Laos. Linguistically Lao and Thai are the most closely related. Laos' political ties to China are another matter.

... so is he Chinese, or Japanese?

Laotian doesn't work for you?

Loved those scenes with Andy at home, lol @ Tim and the catfish. Up there with Tim on the trampoline

http://imgur.com/C1h7W.jpg

Hahaha

http://i54.tinypic.com/e0oeb.gif

When he's wearing that silly hat, he looks like Russell from Survivor.

mondo wuz robbed

heidi's outfit was eye-popping and made my tv strobe

I did like Gretchen's stuff though. but not Andy's.

out of the also-ran runway shows available on NYMag I actually thought Valerie's was pretty good in an of-the-moment, Katy-Perry-chic kinda way

that gif of Michael C is on some halloween zombie ish

FUCK WHY DID I ACCIDENTALLY CLICK THIS BOOKMARK FUCK

I didn't like the emphasis two of the judges had on current fashion trends are where they are heading

officially not watching this show ever again.

Even though some judges don't think Mondo's style isn't taking into account upcoming fashion sensations, Mondo's style still could be the next fashion statement after that. However the judges made some good critiques about Mondo's collection

My mom kind of spoiled the end of this episode for me because she told me last week that she read that Heidi and the other judges made their hardest decision yet and that Heidi was disappointed by the decision

to pick the collection that appeals to the lowest common denominator is the exact opposite of what I'd expect from both Michael and Nina, given their positions in the industry. Minimalism and American sportswear are very trendy right now, but many designers are already rebelling against this trend for spring and are going the way of Mondo's aesthetic. Hard to watch them praise the mediocrity of Gretchen's aesthetic this entire season, really. Gretchen's clothes are what you find in a collaborative line with Target, not what you wanna see walking down the runway or in a Vogue editorial.

yea shit was some str8 challops

leaving aside how boring & same-y the rest of her stuff was, how hideous was that 1st thing gretchen sent down the runway?

okay so somehow i'm not mad gretch won this. andy def didn't deserve the win. mondo DID put together a great collection. weird ending.

yea shit was some str8 challops

yep. so lame.

Gretchen is so Urban Outfitters discount rack, ugh.

Ughhhhhh. I did think Gretchen reconsidering her styling worked in her favour - but fuck, that doesn't change the fact that those were some mighty boring-looking clothes.

agree with the project rungay dudes' take on this - they're good at evaluating the show both as a design competition as well as reality tv (in both contexts, mondo should've been the logical winner).

Of the decoys, I liked April's broken-baby-doll (what else?) collection. mostly because she went all "fuck you project runway" and churned it out in shades of white and cream instead of all black. <3 April.

What was with that shade April was throwing Gretchen's way during the reunion?? Weren't they pals?

I probably had to do with what Gretchen said about people in the interview room

Beeker impression or is that her 'cunty' face?

http://i988.photobucket.com/albums/af8/mistermiracle72/gretchen-1.gif

This is the best example I found showing that Mondo's style is fashion forward

I think a part of the reason Gretchen's collection looked so bad to me was because my TV colors were too vivid

http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/9205/mercedesbenzfashionweek.jpg
^ this fabric/print
|
v looked like this
http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/1039/badn.jpg
(well something like this)

I still don't like that print and her collection had a lot of safari granola

That print does nothing for me, but I was really into the hats she used and how she used them.

I wish I'd read the thread and not wasted my time watching the finale. That was some straight up bullshit. My wife said she felt like she wasted her time watching the whole season if that was the end result. I enjoyed it but a real shit sandwich ending is going to make it hard to watch next year.

is any1 besides gretchen happy abt this? my wife has vowed 2 not watch this anymore after this.

Gretchen's collection: Barbie Safari, camel-vacation, Sex and The City goes to Dubai...take your pick. And gtfo with those granny-panties.

I liked Mondo's collection more, but I didn't even love it totally. But I loved it more than Gretchen's brown-fest.

Interesting judging debate though. Way more into the business side of things than I remember in past seasons... And surprised that Nina/Kors went with wearability, since they usually push the creative, high-fashion side more. But I see why Kors would go for Gretchen...very much his aesthetic.

I was curious who designed Mondo's suit cause he looked pretty bad ass

Gretchen's bronzing + aviator sunglasses alone probably nailed it for Kors, lol.

Haha he is just convincing himself that being tangerine-colored is fashion forward and not just weird.

I almost feel like they wanted to punish Mondo because he didn't listen to them, and reward Gretchen because she did.

Jenny you should read this interview w/ Mondo on ProjRungay (he addresses just that):

http://tomandlorenzo2.blogspot.com/2010/10/t-lo-interviews-mondo-guerra.html

dunno, has there ever been a final 3 contestant *least* likely to win than Gretchen? seems like the judges are not even remotely excited by her stuff.

― tylerw, Saturday, October 23, 2010 3:23 AM (1 week ago) Bookmark

haha! goes to show what i know.

Not too bothered by the left-field winner, but the extended judging was pretty epic.

Oh, Heidi. :)

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/_FW86_jO7k_A/TN09bQhjTAI/AAAAAAACL2k/7p706Yl-pOE/s1600/Heidi%252BKlum%252BBlack%252BSwan%252BPremiere%252BMondo%252BGuerra%252B10.jpghttp://1.bp.blogspot.com/_FW86_jO7k_A/TN09bMUxyKI/AAAAAAACL2c/xw6AvjOSIkc/s1600/Heidi%252BKlum%252BBlack%252BSwan%252BPremiere%252BMondo%252BGuerra%252B11.jpg

http://tomandlorenzo2.blogspot.com/2010/11/heidi-klum-wearing-mondo-guerra.html

I like how T&L posited that to be a big FU to Nina. Looks cute on her, though!

looks good on her but the sleeves made that dress.

Agreed!

during the show, i though the sleeves were too early 90s but it does lose some of its charm without them. such a fabulous print.

thought*

too early 90s

does not compute