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Now I’m confused. I checked out the New York Fashion Week finale collections from “Project Runway” Season 10 — including the decoys — and I’ve decided…
1. Ven must be eliminated at some point before the final three. He did his rose thing again and copied himself in a way that says, to me, “F–k it, I’m doing what I want, knowing the judges won’t reward a whole collection of what I’ve done before. … Unless they decide it’s OK since they rewarded Anya for doing the same thing on Season 9.”
2. Gunnar lost his mind. You know how sometimes the judges try to be diplomatic and sum up a critique as “He was just too ambitious”? Gunnar was just too ambitious. African tribal print? Maybe it could work, even from a guy who hasn’t hinted in this direction at all, but not like this. Way over the top.
3. Melissa and Christopher had some of my favorite individual pieces but they both also had some serious down notes. At first I thought “This is my final two,” but that was before I saw Elena’s collection.
4. Elena’s stuff is a lot better than I expected. Yeah, the lipstick is unnecessarily weird, but I would actually wear that sleeveless zip-up vest and the gray jacket. This may be the best collection of the bunch, but that doesn’t mean she made the finals. She could be a decoy.
Remember Laura last season? She made what even Tim Gunn and the other designers acknowledged to be the best collection but it was a decoy.

I would wear this! And the whole collection is cohesive and instantly recognizable as Elena’s. Dang it! If she had been this good for the whole season, I’d applaud her — attitude and all. But she just hasn’t been doing much other than talking smack. Now I don’t know how to feel.
I just don’t see Elena making the final three. And winning? Dmitry would stake her on the spot.
Check out photos from all the collections.
Dmitry’s definitely disappointed me. Too much Olivier, from last season.
Final three prediction: This is tough. No one knocked it out of the park. Elena was closest, but she’s Elena. She hasn’t done enough all season to earn an actual win. But I’m going to guess Christopher, Melissa and … ugh … maybe Sonjia make the final three? Sonjia’s collection has no cohesion so I can’t see her winning, but I could see her showing a few pieces alone and having the judges give her a spot in the final three.
Winner prediction: If Elena makes the final three, I can’t see them turning her down. But I’m guessing Christopher wins.
Also, check out my “Project Runway” Season 10 recaps in this nifty Wetpaint archive.
I could watch Dmitry Sholokhov make dresses all day. To me, it shows consistent talent. To the “Project Runway” Season 10 judges, it shows he has no range. It’s not like he’s made the same dress over and over. They have similarities, but he’s not making roses or fans all the time (Ven!) or doing the same big coat that makes the model look huge (Elena!) or doing … whatever it is that Fabio does.
I’m still Team Dmitry. And I’m very much not Team Elena. She’s a one-way monkey. And I don’t understand how she’s being allowed to be the fan favorite on Lifetime’s PR site. That’s some rigging right there.
I started this season not liking Gunnar Deatherage, but now I’m mad on his behalf. He was robbed tonight. Last week he was robbed by being in the bottom two and this week he was robbed of a win because the judges liked Sonjia Williams‘ coat. Props to Christopher Palu for giving Gunnar — whom he doesn’t even like — credit for all the work he did this week. Sonjia just promoted her own hunter green coat.
Anway, I’ve been posting recaps on Wetpaint’s site and you can check out my past three recaps here, including all the comments about Ven Budhu being rude to his “plus-size” client, Terri.
Be sure to scroll down to the end of my recap of tonight’s episode for details on the PR 10 Fashion Week collections. I hope Melissa Fleis, Dmitry and either Christopher or Gunnar make the final three. But I’m guessing it will be Melissa, Ven and Christopher. Or Sonjia? The judges love her stuff.

To what job would you wear this dress — besides maybe Marie Claire, if you’re Nina Garcia or Joanna Coles?
For the second week in a row, the winning design on “Project Runway” Season 10 was the dress the judges liked the most, despite it having no real connection to the challenge.
Last week, guest judge Hayden Panettiere said she wanted to wear Sonjia Williams’s winning look on the red carpet, even though it wasn’t a red carpet challenge. It was supposed to be a day-to-night look for a woman on the go.

I love Dmitry’s dress. I can’t believe the judges questioned whether the tiny back cutouts would be appropriate for work, but they didn’t have any concerns about the neck of Melissa’s dress.
This week, the judges — including that fabulous Marie Claire megabitch Joanna Coles — adored Melissa Fleis’ beautiful blue dress, despite the fact that no one in their right mind would wear it to work and it was supposed to be a challenge about creating a look for work.
They took issue with other looks they felt weren’t work-appropriate, including one where Heidi Klum said she wouldn’t want her lawyer too look like that. But if my lawyer came in looking like Melissa’s model, I’d assume I’d interrupted her cocktail party or trip to a film premiere.
I mean, imagine sitting at your desk with that collar. It does give you a natural bib, in case you have a messy lunch, but other than that it is totally impractical. I think the judges have no idea what it means to actually work somewhere, other than a fashion magazine in New York City.
But, anyway, I’m happy for Melissa. I suspected she’d be one of my favorites this season and she is. I still wish Dmitry Sholokhov would win — I LOVED his navy and black checkered dress, which was totally appropriate and practical for work — but mostly I just want to hear more phrases from him like “one-way monkey.” Elena Slivnyak is a one-way monkey, in my book.
Catch up on my “Project Runway” stories here.

I’m not saying Dmitry’s model looks better than Christopher’s — I looooove Christopher’s jacket — but Dmitry just isn’t getting the love he deserves. Both looks were better than Sonjia Williams’ dress. And why was Melissa just “safe” for all the separate pieces she made?
Where’s the love, crack-smoking judges?
I loved the movement of Dmitry Sholokhov’s candy dress from the unconventional challenge — and he and Melissa Fleis were a great team when turning purple-haired April Johnston into a silver Emmys goddess.
And this week, he created a simple but very chic and classic look for “Project Runway” Season 10, Episode 4′s Michael Kors day-to-night challenge. Michael called it the best-made dress on the runway, but he wanted it in a different color, maybe red instead of black. Which is weird, since Michael Kors NEVER wears any other color than black. The judges felt like Dmitry needed to turn the volume up creatively.
He didn’t win. He has yet to win anything. If he quit out of frustration I could almost understand. But nope. Andrea Katz and Kooan Kusuke quit. Buffi Jashanmal has talked about quitting (not that she needed to; she was eliminated this week) and Nathan Paul even cried when talking about how he wanted to quit too, but wouldn’t do it.
As much as he irritates me, I think Christopher Palu is a pretty good designer and he’ll go far. Just like Joshua McKinley. I loved Christopher’s leather jacket for his day-to-night look. If Dmitry didn’t win, I could understand Christopher winning. This time, anyway.
But no.
I like Sonjia Williams but I’m still not convinced I love her clothes. I feel like her woman-on-the-go look wouldn’t be flattering on too many non-model body types, but what does that matter to guest judge Hayden Panettiere? Sonjia won the challenge and Hayden is going to wear the look. I did love Sonjia’s candy dress, and I think she should stick around, but I’m not as in love as the judges.
Ven Budhu has already won two challenges, but this week he was just safe. Still, he’ll probably go far. Unless he’s the one Heidi Klum was talking about in this quote to the Huffington Post: “We have someone right now, for example, but I can’t really say his name. But there’s one guy, great designer, but then he really couldn’t make it work that one challenge so he had to go. It was only fair.”
I just hope she wasn’t talking about Dmitry. Right now I’m still Team Melissa and/or Dmitry but the judges clearly aren’t on the same page.
Why am I never in agreement with these people!

Here she is again. I can’t stop posting pics of Beatrice. Last time it was ’cause I predicted her to go far. This time it’s because she’s already gone. Oops!
Beatrice Guapo. I featured her in my pre-season prediction as one of the designers to go far, but maybe I should go back and pretend I was predicting who would go home first on “Project Runway” Season 10.
I still love blonde black-lover Melissa Fleis, so at least I got one right. I also like tough girl Alicia Hardesty and her dreadlocks. I’m surprised she wasn’t in the top three. Her two premiere looks were both distinctive in a good way — and well made. I was worried about her construction skills after the casting video, but I guess I should’ve been more worried about Beatrice.
I appreciate why the judges love Ven Budhu, but I’m not a fan yet. I really don’t understand the love for Christopher Palu — who won the first Times Square challenge thanks to his gown — and I’m already over the “Toddlers & Tiaras” “there’s only room for one star in the sky” rivalry between Christopher and Gunnar Deatherage. I had high hopes for Gunnar but his personality is turning me off. And I’m worried that Christopher is the new Joshua McKinley. These guys need to stop trying so hard.
Then again …
Kooan Kosuke is proof that trying too hard pays off. His designs were just silly, but PR history shows the goofy contestants never go home first. It’s always someone perceived as boring who hears the first “Auf Wiedersehen.” (Ratings?)
So even though the judges are openly worried that Kooan is just an attention junkie, the bottom two were Beatrice and Lantie Foster. They were the most normal and boring looking contestants and their clothes reflected that. Not what PR wants. They want characters.
I also feel like I should apologize to my beloved Professor Snape/former pro ballroom dancer, Dmitry Sholokhov. I didn’t think he’d do well but I really loved his clothes. Also into Fabio Costa. I predicted good things for Raul Osorio, but I’m not so sure anymore. I’ll give him a second chance, though.
Catch up on my “Project Runway” stories in this archive. And don’t forget to visit the official PR site on Friday to do the whole “Rate the Runway” thing.

I’m getting a good vibe from Beatrice Guapo, even though “Project Runway” Season 10 hasn’t even started yet.
It’s 50,000 degrees outside so I don’t feel too bad about being such a Saturday night hermit. Right now I’m sitting inside, watching the “Project Runway” Season 10 casting sessions on my computer as “The Walking Dead” marathon plays on my TV.

Raul Osorio also seems like he could do well. I liked the little black dress he showed during the casting session.
I don’t know if I’ve ever actually watched all the PR casting sessions before. Just looking at the new cast for Season 10 — which premieres on Thursday, July 19 — I’m thinking at least 70 percent of the designers were cast for their own quirky style rather than for their design skills. They want “characters” for reality TV. That in mind, I’m not too surprised to hear that two designers couldn’t handle the pressure and quit on the same day, pretty early into shooting.
But there are some decent candidates out there. Based on their casting sessions, I’m thinking Melissa Fleis, Raul Osorio and Beatrice Guapo could do pretty well. Just a guess, though, since so much depends on how they can operate in the fast pace of the PR environment. And you never know what the “crack-smoking” judges are going to like.

Melissa Fleis showed a lot of black, but I liked all of it. I have a feeling she’ll be a personal favorite of mine. Designers who go heavy black have already won twice before (Christian and Irina) despite Nina Garcia’s frustration with a lack of color.
Sonjia Williams seems to have a great personality but I wasn’t in love with the stuff she showed in her casting session.
I’m intrigued by Andrea Katz but I need to see her in action. I’m cautiously optimistic about Alicia Hardesty’s streetwear designs, but she’s already having construction issues and that could be a bad sign. I also like where Gunnar Deatherage is now; nice improvement from Season 9.
Dmitry Sholokhov looks like Professor Severus Snape, if Snape were from Belarus. For that reason alone, I want him to do well. But I just don’t think he will.
Some of the designers I shut off maybe halfway through their sessions. Not into it. Not curious for more. In at least one instance, the casting panel (including Mondo and Seth Aaron) loved someone I was ready to ditch. So we’ll see.
Are you getting excited for the premiere? Did you hear that Katie Holmes shot something for “Project Runway: All-Stars”? Am I way out of it to be confused why they are already doing another All-Stars? Are they even finished shooting Season 10? There was no final runway show … was there?
Catch up on my “Project Runway” stories in this archive.
UPDATE: I just saw this “official” tweet from earlier today (June 13): “#ProjectRunway returns for Season 10 Thursday, July 19 at 9/8c on @LifetimeTV! RT to share the big news with friends!”
Yes! By the way, follow @ProjectRunway for more stuff like that.
**END UPDATE**
As annoyed as I am by the idea that Mondo Guerra had already been decided as the winner of “Project Runway: All Stars” the second GretchenGate started — not to mention his moody attitude toward the end of the season — I did like his “All Stars” finale mini collection more than his Season 8 collection. And I LOVED Mondo’s “Godspell” look for the Broadway challenge. That was my favorite look of the season, even more than (sorry!) anything Rami did. But Rami left much too soon. I wonder if that was part of the conspiracy.
Anyway…
I can’t wait to meet the next Mondos. “Project Runway” Season 10 is currently searching for this summer’s contestants. According to the fabulous Blogging Project Runway, there are open casting calls for Season 10 on April 9 in New York and on May 2 in L.A. As Heidi Klum noted last year, the show always shoots in June and July. Season 9 premiered on Thursday, July 28, so I’m thinking Season 10 will premiere around the same time. Right?
*Update* Did you notice that Tim Gunn is now on Twitter?! Check him out @timgunn. It makes me feel better to know that Father Tim’s thoughts on everything are now available on a daily basis. I miss his post-show vlogs!
Catch up on my limited “Project Runway” stories in this archive.

I see the judges' point about the lopsided shirt issue, but the idea that this design could send anyone home is unfathomable. I don't mind these colors together and Joanna was wearing the same shade of green. That coat is awesome and there were serious issues with Mila's garment, never mind what Austin, Kara, Michael and Mondo did. Ugh.
What a crock of doo doo.
Not only should Rami Kashou not have gone home on “Project Runway: All Stars” Episode 6, he should’ve won his particular fashion face-off (and I love Mila) and stayed a frontrunner to win the whole season. Instead, the spoilers seem to be playing out exactly as listed — the preordained anointing of certain designers who will not deserve what they get. Sorry, but it’s true.
Austin should’ve gone home for that embarrassing top. (I’m seeing a lot of floral prints at NY Fashion Week, but not like this.) Or Kara should’ve gone home for putting everyone to sleep. The “Spring” selections for American Sportswear were a total bust — the groundhog definitely saw his shadow.
But the judges/producers/whoever shot this episode in the foot by deciding there had to be one winner and one loser from each season. The second it came down to Rami vs. Austin, Michael and Mondo you had to know they would kill off the least reality TV friendly personality.
Jerell definitely deserved his win and he deserves applause for how he handled the Michael Costello design inspiration scandal. It’s a tricky thing, but when you design something first and a couple of hours later someone else right next to you creates something that even the judges notice is very similar to what you did — it’s important to speak up. This is not a sewing competition, it’s a design competition. Jerell was right to speak up when Joanna Coles asked about it and he was right to talk to Michael directly about it.
Michael may be sensitive because, on Season 8, he was accused of cheating by using tape of some kind, but this is completely different. And no, Mondo, I don’t think it had anything to do with Michael having won a couple of previous challenges. The Team of Mondo + Michael is nice to see, but their little whisper campaign was way off this week.
I also did not care for Mondo’s Summer design — which didn’t seem like much of a 60th birthday present for his mother either. I felt bad for him when he burst into tears (somewhat like Michael sobbing when he didn’t make the Season 8 finals) but I was very impressed with Rami’s opposite response to being eliminated.
Rami was poised and classy to the end. He felt like he accomplished what he came there to do — he promoted his brand and got more name recognition. Bravo to him. (Or Lifetime to him?) However, it is a crime for him to have been eliminated before Kara, never mind lose to Austin’s horrible top.
Here are the remaining all-stars, ranked in order of my personal preference:
• Mila Hermanovski (Season 7)
• Jerell Scott (Season 5)
• Kenley Collins (Season 5)
• Michael Costello (Season 8)
• Mondo Guerra (Season 8 )
• Austin Scarlett (Season 1)
• Kara Janx (Season 2)
***
Catch up on my “Project Runway” stories in this nifty archive.

From this angle, I don't really mind the belt Mila used. This is one of the only designs I can actually picture Miranda Kerr wearing. I cannot see her in Michael's winning design.
Michael Costello is on a roll. He is officially The Golden Boy of “Project Runway: All Stars.” I didn’t get it last week. I get it even less this week. I do like Michael, but I’m at sea when it comes to the judges’ choices.

Miranda is going to wear this? What a waste of a gorgeous body. Not that all designs have to be form-fitting, but you could hide a country under all that fabric. And it's all the same blah color. Sorry, not seeing it.
This week, the top three designs were all “easy” flowing dresses that mostly hid their models’ bodies. (Anya would’ve cleaned house if she were competing this season.)
It came down to BFFs Michael vs. Mondo and, this time, Michael won. Mila was also in the top and, of the three, I preferred her design. Very cherry. Very Mila.
But two of my favorites were in the “safe” zone — loved Kenley’s and Jerell’s designs this week.
Somehow Kara managed to scrape by another week and April was sent home. I’m not a huge Team April fan, but it was touching to see her tears. Kara can talk her way out of anything, but I do think she should’ve left for making her model look pregnant.
On Episode 4, “Good Taste Tastes Good,” the 10 remaining designers were given six hours to create a fabulous look inspired by (why?) a gelato flavor.
It was the fastest challenge in “Project Runway” history and, for the most part, it showed. I think that’s why there were so many draped gowns — it would’ve taken too long to fit anything more ambitious.
A gelato guy wheeled into the runway and each designer had to go up and choose their flavor, not knowing exactly what the color would end up looking like.
• Michael chose Grapefruit (which was lighter than he expected) and he got to pick which designer went next, so obviously he picked his BFF…
• Mondo chose Cantaloupe and, for the designer to go next, he picked Mila
• Mila chose Milk with Sour Cherries
• April chose Blueberry
• Jerell chose Fruits of the Forest
• Kenley chose Passion Fruit
• Austin chose Vanilla Madagascar
• Anthony chose Green Tea
• Rami chose Kiwi
• Kara got stuck with Chocolate with Cayenne Pepper

Here's Mondo's cantaloupe, which I like more than Michael's grapefruit but less than Mila's cherry thing.
I would’ve picked Blueberry, if it was available.
Diane von Furstenberg came out as the guest judge and to warn them that they only had six hours to work. When she came out, Michael Costello gave another great I Just Won Miss America gasp. He gives good reaction. He’s also known for working fast so he was expected to do well in this challenge.
They set up a “mini Mood” right there, with limited fabric options. It really was about the fastest seamstress, not the best designer, and even Austin had to swallow his horror and use a glue gun.
FAVORITE QUOTE
Jerell [on Kara's design]: “When I tell you her model was a rail, and she had her looking like a pregnant cupcake — that’s not the business.”
ON THE RUNWAY
Miranda Kerr was also a guest judge and she said she would wear the winning design to an industry event, whatever that’s going to mean. Do you remember her as one of the models in Daniel Vosovic’s final runway show on Season 2? I remember her. He said something about how she had a great smile.
MONDO — Drapey kimono that’s very recognizable as cantaloupe and also very colorfully Mondo. I’m not into these colors but I respect the design. Love the belt with it. HIGHER SCORES. The judges loved this. Georgina said the colors and fabric shouldn’t go together but somehow it works. Angela wasn’t into the bright orange color and Isaac wished they had seen more of the model’s body. He didn’t find it sexy.

I don't know what Fruit of the Forest is supposed to look like, but I do like this creative design from Jerell. It's very him. Unique. Can't see Miranda in it, though.
ANTHONY — Not too impressed this time. But I am impressed with Anthony’s note that when Diane likes something she looks at the designer and winks that them. She doesn’t wink at Anthony. Oh well. I wouldn’t wink at him for this either. LOWER SCORES. They thought he went too conceptual and it got messy. Diane loved the skirt and the concept. Miranda thought there should’ve been more simplicity in the back.
KENLEY — I do like this and it is very Kenley. Cute and flirty, just like she said. SAFE – I thought this would be in the top three.
RAMI — Not into it, but the draped top is very Rami. Hate these colors. SAFE
MILA —I needed to look at this one several times before deciding I like it but don’t like the belt. Hate the accessories but I do like the rest of it. Could the model not find a bra? HIGHER SCORES. Isaac thinks it says cherry ice cream so well. They love this. I like it, but it’s funny that they love the one Mila design I was only OK with. Diane thought it looked like it was rushed and only done in six hours. Well, duh! Miranda likes that it looked easy to wear. Agreed. Hate the belt with it, though. Just saying.
JERELL — This is good. Very hippie chic. SAFE – I’m shocked. I thought this would be in the top three.
KARA — Not working for me. Unflattering. LOWER SCORES – As Georgina noted, Kara is so passionate when she talks but her designs don’t always reflect that. The dress wasn’t so great. Diane said it wasn’t flattering. They brought up the idea that the model looked like she was pregnant and hiding a baby bump. Isaac questioned whether she was an “all star.”
MICHAEL — Something about this reminds me of both Chloe’s Season 2 finale collection and Korto’s Season 5 seatbelt design. Oh and Michael’s own PR Season 8 finale collection. It’s all too one color for me. Too much shapeless fabric. Nice necklace, though. HIGHER SCORES. Everything he does is gold to the judges. Isaac loves the dress. Georgina wasn’t into the color, but that was the color of his ice cream. Diane loved it — it probably helped that he kissed her ass big time. They love the movement and flow, like a goddess. They love his draping. How does Rami feel hearing that?

Love this passion fruit look from Kenley. The first thing I've really loved from her this season. So of course it was "safe"!
APRIL — I don’t like the top at all and the back is bad with a super short skirt. Too bad, since she had the best color. LOWER SCORES. It didn’t look finished, is the general consensus. Isaac really didn’t like the belt. Why are they singling out this belt when most of them were off? Georgina questioned April’s confidence and vision.
AUSTIN — A bit of a yawn for me. Just not a wow. SAFE
The winning design came down to BFFs Mondo vs. Michael. Why not Mila?
***
Here are the 9 remaining all-stars, ranked in order of my personal preference:
• Rami Kashou (Season 4) — (I still believe in you, Rami, but I’m going to need you to focus up)
• Mila Hermanovski (Season 7)
• Anthony Williams (Season 7)
• Michael Costello (Season 8)
• Mondo Guerra (Season 8 )
• Jerell Scott (Season 5)
• Kenley Collins (Season 5)
• Austin Scarlett (Season 1)
• Kara Janx (Season 2)
***
Catch up on my “Project Runway” stories in this nifty archive.
I just saw this. I hope it’s wrong. But it feels right. It feels preordained.
*March 22 update* Yep. All the spoilers were accurate. Mondo won. * End update *
When “Project Runway: All Stars” started I felt like it was specifically set up for Mondo Guerra to win as some kind of karmic absolution for Season 8. Another poster speculated that it was set up to favor Austin Scarlett.
So it does make sense that they would take the 1/2 spots.
*
Here’s something I found on Gawker.com from September:
“According to our source, fan favorite Mondo Guerra walks away with the prize. That makes sense since many are still angered that he lost season eight to Gretchen Jones. Heidi Klum even wore a dress he designed for the show’s finale in a show of solidarity with the designer. Our tipster says the plan was to hand it to him all along, and that angered the other designers, including Mondo, but he took the win nonetheless.
Apparently second place goes to season one dandy Austin Scarlett. Victorian lamp shade designer Michael Costello comes in third, despised hipster denizen and cat thrower Kenley Collins was fourth, and Jerell Scott came in fifth. Rami Kashou, the master draper who was in the finals during his initial season, is supposedly kicked out before the half-way mark. Poor thing.
Again, these spoilers may or may not be accurate, but there they are nonetheless.”
*
I hate the unfairness of already planning to give it to Mondo before anyone even showed up, but that’s a believable tip.
The idea of Kenley beating Rami makes me want to throw something. Rami is still my #1, followed by Mila — I loved her Miss Piggy dress, despite it not fitting the badly explained challenge criteria. Kenley? Stop it. Jerell? Meh. Austin? Not feeling it so far this season, but the judges and producers adore him. They love Mondo too — and Michael Costello is made of Teflon. Sometimes I love his stuff, other times I don’t see it, but to PR he can do no wrong.
Where’s Anthony? To me, he’s the most pleasant surprise so far this season. He wasn’t on my all-stars radar before but his work is growing on me.
Do you believe these spoilers? Do you like them? Will giving Mondo a PR win give you a feeling of closure after The Season of the Witch or can nothing be done to cleanse that stain?
***
Catch up on my “Project Runway” stories in this nifty archive.














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