The make it work moment was finally here. Gretchen Jones, Mondo Guerra and Andy South were headed to Lincoln Center for Fashion Week. Imagine the relief. However, the designers still have to finish up their pieces for fashion week. The judges leave the designers with a few parting words of wisdom before they begin their work.
Gretchen was advised to glam up her designs. Which I can agree with since her designs are a combination of vegan wear and crusty bohemian clothing. In all honesty, I think Gretchen needs more than a pair of heels to glam her looks up.
Mondo was asked to keep his looks from entering the costume category of fashion. In my opinion, I think Mondo’s looks don’t look costume-like at all. Mondo is creative and doesn’t shy away from his big personality. His looks are avant garde yet demure for any woman to wear. But, I take everything the judges say with a grain of salt.
Andy South had to class up his act as well through styling elements. For instance, his head pieces that he created for his line really made his line laughable. I don’t understand why Mondo is seen as a costume designer when Andy’s models look like woodland fairies.
Later in the episode, the finalists and the eliminated designers are reunited. I was expecting a blood bath between Michael C and Ivy Higa about the cheating scandal. However, they sat next to each other smiling, leaving me confused and disappointed. Seriously, I only watch the reunions for the drama. I don’t care if you get along, I want to see fangs coming out. Perhaps if alcohol was served prior to the reunion, like it was in the past, it would have been more interesting.
The day of Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week has come for the designers and everyone has the nerves. Andy is sewing his girls into a pair of flashy disco green pants. Gretchen is dashing between makeup and hair stations, steaming her outfits in between. Doe-eyed Mondo is switching his looks up and juggling with replacement models. The back stage is officially in a state of mass confusion.
The judges are introduced, marking the beginning of the show. Heidi Klum greeted the attendees in a tacky, red, ill-fitting blouse, paired with matchy-matchy red pants. She introduced Michael Kors, Nina Garcia and some fat girl who swallowed Jessica Simpson. Oh, wait, that was Jessica Simpson.
The show opens with Gretchen’s line of burlap loving hippie clothes. She used the same brown diamond print over and over again. The boho designer did take the judges advice and incorporated heels and glam hair styles. I especially liked the sunglasses on some of the models. On the other hand, Gretchen used leather in some of her pieces and I didn’t understand the connection. I basically found the leather to be really distracting and random.
After Gretchen’s feast of earth goddess designs, Andy was ready to start his show. I was hoping to wake up from Gretchen’s energy sucking collection, but I was mislead.
Andy was, dare I say it, worse than Gretchen.
His opening look was so bland it lost my attention for the rest of his collection. Not one piece fully stood out to me as impressive. Andy basically put together a safe, design student’s collection that made me cringe. The head pieces made every outfit that could have had class, very immature and funny. Also, the only colors Andy featured were green and silver. Excuse me, wasn’t Michael C. eliminated for using a monochromatic color scheme in his collection? Bottom line: Andy South really proved himself unworthy of a win with his apple green collection
When I was able to shake myself awake from both Gretchen and Andy’s collections, Mondo was next. Mondo looked very snappy in his little suit and shiny mohawk. He looked the part of the Project Runway winner and I was ready to be blown away.
And I was.
The colors, the prints, the make-up and the styling were fantastic. The clothes had a personality and told a story. Everything was flattering and fit to perfection on each of the models. I couldn’t remember a better looking collection.
It seemed that Team Mondo was going to take it all that day. The graphic, artsy, little guy was going to steal the big win. I was smiling from ear to ear.
Until judging started.
The judges criticized Andy for his headbands and he was taken out of the running right away. His designs were boring and very repetitive. Green, silver, green, silver and a silverish green. Ground breaking.
However, the judges were split between Mondo and Gretchen. Michael Kors and Nina both wanted Gretchen to win because she had a sense of fashion future. I’m pretty sure those dresses were really big in the hippie communes established forty years ago. I don’t know how that is considered “fashion future”. If I leave the house wearing anything close to what Gretchen designed, then I am a fool.
Heidi Klum and Jessica Simpson wanted Mondo to win because he was fun and had a personality. He was edgy and hip, everything a woman would want in her wardrobe. I always thought J.Simps wasn’t the brightest bulb in the tanning bed, but she proved me wrong. She was all for Team Mondo and how he used color and patterns creatively. She expressed how badly she wanted to wear a Mondo original, but I doubt he will make them in XXL sizes. Nina bantered Jessica’s arguement, saying that Mondo’s style was very teenager. My question to that is, “So what?” What woman doesn’t want to be a teenager for a day?
Regardless of the heated debate between the judges, Gretchen won the competition.
The only thing I kept thinking was how this could have happened. Mondo’s bright colors and concept trumped Gretchen’s rustic la vie bohem style. His pieces were artwork while Gretchen’s style belongs in the back of the Goodwill. Speaking of Goodwill, I hope she has to shop there for the rest of her life when her clients go to Mondo for actual fashion.
Anyway, that’s all she wrote for Project Runway Season 8. Maybe next year we will see new judges that actually recognize fashion.
