Project Runway: Did the Best Designer Win?

For a designer, there is nothing that can rival presenting your collection at the centerpiece of New York Fashion Week—Bryant Park—and in the largest venue no less. For the three final contestants on Bravo’s hit show, Project Runway, Jillian, Rami, and Christian, an experience that once seemed like an unattainable dream was quickly altered into reality with their continued success on the show. And so, their day finally arrived with the season finale of Project Runway where Jillian, Rami, and Christian showed their collections to the world. After showing each of their lines at New York Fashion Week the judges would decide which one of the three finalists would be named the winner of Project Runway. I must assert that Project Runway has never had the incredible level of talent and caliber that this season’s final three possessed. Christian, Rami, and Jillian all had palpable points of view and the execution of each item in their collections was impeccable. All three had superbly professional styling from hair and make-up right down to the accessories. At any rate, in this blog I will examine each of the finalist’s collections and explain why Christian won Project Runway.

Jillian presented a gorgeous and innovative collection, which was an extension of the Metropolitan Museum challenge crediting the Italian 15th century painting “Master of the Argonauts” as her muse. Surprisingly, Jillian opened her show with a variety of marvelous knits. The knitwear was ingenious and certainly channeled Sonia Rykiel while possibly rivaling the infamous Adrienne Vittadini. As the various knits that stormed the runway early in Jillian’s show faded to gold lame and chiffon pieces it was evident that Jillian’s collection steadily lost its cohesion. Just as one began to see the serious sophistication in Jillian’s work the idea was thwarted by pieces such as the black and white knit top with undulating cap sleeves that seemed Seuss-like in demeanor (see right). It felt like Jillian made a lot of similar mistakes that ultimately translated as awkward placements within her show. Overall it seemed that Jillian failed to formulate a distinctive point of view. The absence of accord within her collection might be accredited to the fact that she has always worked under someone else’s vision during her lengthy tenure at Ralph Lauren and so she has never been able to cultivate her own style. Thus, Jillian’s overall final collection was pulled in too many directions making it disjointed. As Nina Garcia, a judge for Project Runway and fashion editor for Elle magazine said, “I just see too many ideas.” This is not to say Jillian lacks talent. Her extraordinary attention detail was executed with surgical precision. Each look was immaculate unto itself in terms of thought and detail. For example, the final look cleverly shifted away from a traditional full skirt and instead used a wide leg pant. While the essence of Jillian’s show was deficient in both theatrical and cohesive elements, her collection was indeed fun, accessible, and inherently feminine. Nevertheless, Jillian’s deep-seated femininity was rivaled by Rami’s “ode to women.”

Rami, the "King of Drapery," set out to prove to the judges that he could produce more than 12 variations of the same goddess dress, which was done with precise execution. His collection was cohesive and showcased the idea that every category of dressing may be comprised of separates. While the construction and technicality of Rami’s line conveyed his impeccable workmanship there was a serious problem with color. The color story was dour and was definitely a little lackluster. Designer and judge, Michael Kors, said it looked like Rami used “Brady Bunch colors”—a definite no-no high fashion. The colors were certainly off; the tacky fuchsia, dirty yellow, and leafy greens did not compliment the black lame or tan jersey Rami utilized as the base for his collection. Aside from the peculiar color choices, Rami displayed his master craftsmanship in an antique lace gown and the many woven bodices. However, as much as I liked the vintage 1930’s lace gown, I felt that it was rather old and stale on the runway. Another disappointment was a gold lame number that had a strange bulge on the thigh. This was surprising in that Rami is known for his keen understanding of the female body and yet the strange accentuation at the thigh would be displeasing to a womanly figure. Aside from this dress, I though Rami produced an array of amazing evening dresses that gave homage to his innovative construction techniques—although some of his textile choices eluded me, as they were both visually and literally heavy. To end on a good note, Rami’s final look was the crème de la crème of his entire collection: a black gown with innumerable glittering accordion-pleated layers—it was simply staggering. Ultimately, Rami’s final collection was cohesive and his gowns were exquisite but overall the line lacked the edge and finesse it needed to truly stand on its own.

Finally there was Christian—the well-deserved winner of Project Runway. Christian’s designs had an alluring power or should I say “fierceness” to them. His collection was full of drama and the theatricality was at full volume. Christian’s collection was all about counterpoint between exuberant volume and minimalist restraint. For example, there were blouson tops paired with cigarette pants or oversized brimmed hats styled with obtuse collars and lean pants. This juxtaposition of shapes is nostalgic of early Alexander McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, which happen to be the designers Christian worked under during his time in London. The palate was mostly black with merlot accents while ivories and browns dominated the eveningwear. His overall aesthetic was consistent and I think his youth and inexperience catered to his avant-garde fixation. While Christian’s collection may have pushed the envelope with drama he managed to be conscious of the wearability of his pieces. The showstoppers were definitely Christian’s final two looks. His second to last look (see left) was a belted cocktail dress with hundreds of vertical layers of chiffon that faded from light to dark creating an uber sophisticated ombre look which danced down the runway beautifully. But it was his finale that was the jaw-dropper: a full-length gown crafted entirely of feathers that screamed haute couture! By the time Christian’s final look made it down the catwalk, celebrity guest judge Victoria Beckham was in tears, Nina Garcia was clapping ecstatically, and Kors was simply "beside himself." Honestly, after seeing Christian’s collection I, too, was left with goose bumps. At the unripe age of 21, Christian’s collection was astonishing, cohesive, fierce, and truly innovative.

Considering the contempo of Christian's designs along with its wearability, Christian definitely deserved to win Project Runway. I hope to see Christian’s youthful influence spark a “fierce” fire within the fashion industry and lead him to great success. Although the Jillian and Rami produced beautiful collections, Christian's line had a stronger story to tell. His show amped up the volume and set a new standard for Project Runway contestants to come. So to answer my question--yes, the best designer did win.