Fall TV Blog

Like Heidi Klum said, “There can only be one winner of Project Runway,” but on Thursday night’s finale, Carol Hannah Whitfield, Irina Shabayeva and Althea Harper all showed impressive collections under the tents of Bryant Park.

Carol Hannah’s collection, which she said was based on “gothic architecture and fairy tales,” earned points from judges Klum, Michael Kors (glad he could make it!), Nina Garcia and the delightful Susie Menkes, fashion editor for the International Herald Tribune. The impeccable tailoring, which was mixed with structured draping, and her use of difficult fabric were what struck the judges. They also praised her for her use of color — especially her 13th look, a sweeping teal gown, which was put together in the final days — in a runway show of mostly blacks and grays. Their only complaint, the judges said, was that her collection was not as cohesive as the others.

“My collection is really about New York,” Irina said before her portion of the runway show. The native New Yorker put together 13 looks based on her idea that when women step out into the city, they need to shield themselves from its elements — but shouldn’t have to do it with plain and tacky armor. Instead, she sent oversized knits, pleated, almost scale-like dresses, slick leather vests and big cozy coats down the runway. While Michael Kors cut her down a bit, telling her, “warrior woman is not a new character” in the fashion world, the judges said her collection was “well-made, modern, with an edge.” Nina especially liked the detailed T-shirts that were revealed beneath the knit armor at the end of the runway. And Kors said she told a story with her collection and had the “best sense of showmanship,” citing her use of helmets on her models. Their big complaint, however, was her obvious overuse of black. (more…)

The final three were hard at work on their final collections — and Bryant Park was just around the corner. On Wednesday’s episode of Project Runway, the top 3 designers — Carol Hannah, Irina and Althea — were visited by Tim Gunn, who offered his usual sage-like advice. Then, it was off to New York City, where the designers met up for the first time after returning home. Carol Hannah came late — the victim of a nasty stomach bug. Irina met an unexpected challenge as well: She had to re-make T-shirts with images associated with Coney Island after running up against a potential copyright problem.

Otherwise, it was business as usual for the three, who had to pick out models and finish off their collections. Only there was a slight twist — though not one that was entirely unexpected for Project Runway viewers: They’d have to create a final look for their collections on the fly — with help from past competitors Christopher, Gordana and Logan.

Next week, the results come in from Bryant Park. –Brian Orloff

Lifetime

When we last saw them, Althea and Irina were at each other’s throats, criticizing one another for stealing inspiration. This week, the stand off continued — and the ladies still weren’t speaking to each other, creating a tense and testy work environment for everyone. With the promise of Fashion Week looming, the five remaining designers headed to L.A.’s Getty Center to find inspiration in art and architecture.

Tim’s Take: Althea and Irina may have given each other the cold shoulder, but Tim Gunn wasn’t holding anything back during his inspections. He said Irina’s sheer dress looked like “road kill” after she draped some fur on top, quipping, “It’s like a post-apocalyptic moment.” Then he gave Althea’s architectural skirt a dressing down too. “It’s just a panel of puckering,” Gunn said. As for the others, their wise mentor just implored the designers to do well. “I want Nina Garcia’s stilettos to blow right off her feet and shoot across the runway,” he said.

The Surprise: When it came down to the runway show, the designers were in for a surprise: Only three would be competing at Bryant Park, which meant that two were going home this week. Unfortunately, Michael Kors couldn’t even make it to the final challenge, though Garcia was indeed there — in cute shoes, too. Joining her and Heidi Klum on the panel: Cindy Crawford and designer Cynthia Rowley. (more…)

Project Runway is getting the supermodel treatment!

After appearances by guest judges Eva Longoria Parker, Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Lohan and Christina Aguilera, Cindy Crawford will share her fashion expertise, joining Heidi Klum and company on the judges’ panel on the next episode of Project Runway.

Also in the Nov. 5 episode (10 p.m. EST on Lifetime), Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa will appear with Tim Gunn in a segment taped at the city’s Getty Museum.

And PEOPLE has confirmed that the episode will feature a final challenge that will determine which of the five remaining designers — Carol Hannah, Althea, Irina, Gordana and Christopher — will move on to Fashion Week.

Read about this week’s episode of Project Runway.

Tell us: Who will make the cut? Who are you rooting for to win season 6 of Project Runway?

Lifetime

Talk about a blast from the past! On Thursday’s Project Runway, the six remaining designers came face to face with their winning designs — except for Logan, who has never won a challenge — and were asked to design a look they could pair with the outfit. Theoretically, it was an opportunity for everyone to shine, to revisit past glories and create something new and stunning. In reality, though, some of the designers produced ho-hum pieces while others seemed to rip each other off — or as Irina (sort-of) diplomatically noted, there was a lot of “resemblances” in the workroom.

Logan vs. Althea: Logan decided he needed to amp things up this week, so the designer bought 50 zippers from Mood which he decided to incorporate into his garment. His concept? Create a collar made out of said zippers — only the idea wasn’t so fresh. As Althea pointed out, she designed something pretty similar for the Christina Aguilera challenge. Oblivious to Althea’s ire — since she never actually confronted him — Logan kept sewing, while Althea and Irina gossiped over lunch. “I hate Logan,” Althea sniveled. “I’m really bitter right now!” (more…)

Thursday’s Project Runway let the seven remaining designers indulge in a jetsetting fantasy … but without the actual travel part. Instead, the contestants were given photographs of fabulous places that Michael Kors has visited — perhaps that’s why he’s been MIA from the runway so much this season! — that have inspired his collections over the years. The challenge? Get inspired by a specific place — then sew.

Under Pressure: This week everybody was rattled! Christopher, who’s become a permanent fixture in the bottom three, wanted to prove he had sophisticated taste. Irina felt challenged to constantly one-up her winning designs — and, we hope, out-sass herself. And Gordana, who picked New York as her inspiration, scrambled to actually make a dress after spending so much time on a gorgeous, crystal-encrusted necklace perfect for a Park Avenue princess. (more…)

Look who’s coming to Project Runway!

After guest judging stints from Eva Longoria Parker, Rebecca Romijn Lindsay Lohan and other stylish stars, Christina Aguilera will take a turn, joining Heidi Klum and company (Nina Garcia will also be back!) for tonight’s episode on Lifetime (10 p.m. EST).

Also coming to play, legendary costume designer Bob Macke will give the remaining designers the challenge of creating an elaborate stage outfit for the Grammy-winning singer, whose style has varied over the years from the lingerie of “Lady Marmalade” to the chaps of “Dirrty” to the pinup look of “Candyman.”

Tell us: Who will rock the challenge? And who might hit a sour note?

Lifetime

Thursday’s Project Runway brought the bridal wear — with a twist. The women in wedding dresses standing before the nine remaining designers weren’t brides to be: They were divorcees looking to convert their gowns into hip outfits they could wear in the “next chapter of their lives,” as Heidi Klum put it. So, the contestants picked their clients off the runway, collaborated with them on a design and got sewing.

Splitting Up: As partners go, Shirin and her client Charlie skipped the honeymoon stage, clashing over concept, taste level and basically everything during their consultation. The usually sunny Shirin was out-perked by her client, a performer, who begged for an over-the-top costume a la Cher’s “Half-Breed” look, including that headdress. Shirin wisely knew that if she created the feathery fantasy, she’d be auf’d faster than she could say “Bob Mackie.” Worse, the designer only had a simple polyester dress to work with. Frustrated, she started sobbing until Tim Gunn came over, advised her to clear off her table and her mind so she could be “liberated from this.” (more…)

A challenge involving color loomed before the 10 remaining designers this week — but what color would it be? Nothing so bold, it turned out. The contestants were told to create two looks using blue fabrics that could be sold in Macy’s Inc. line. The designers were to work in pairs — and the winner of the challenge would be commissioned to design a holiday dress for the department store.

Things Get Sketchy: First, though, they had to sketch their two ideas and pitch them to Macy’s executive Martine Reardon, who would be a guest judge for the challenge. Reardon smiled through every pitch but ultimately selected five designers who would be named team captain with the power to select their design partner. The teams were (with team captain listed first): Irina and Gordana; Althea and Logan; Carol Hannah and Shirin; Christopher and Epperson; and Louise and Nicolas.

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This season the designers have already been to the beach and the Los Angeles Times, and on Thursday’s Project Runway, they hit up another L.A. landmark — the movie studio. Assigned a genre of film — action-adventure, film noir, sci-fi, period piece or Western — the 11 remaining contestants went to work inventing a character that would wear their costume down the runway.

Tough Choices: Since Irina won last week’s challenge, she got to pick her preferred genre (film noir) while her competitors were selected in random order to make their picks. But only two designers could create for a specific genre, leaving some (namely Epperson and Shirin, who both got Western) distraught. Gordana got laughs when she deadpanned in her thick Eastern European accent, “Western would be a little bit tough for me because I’m not really American.”

Tim’s Predictions: Always an arbiter of good taste — and predictor of the judges’ attitudes — Tim Gunn was on the money as he inspected the workroom. He told Louise she needed to add more drama to her dress, calling her work too subtle, and warned Ra’mon, who was sewing a green reptilian jumpsuit (he got sci-fi), that his look “could be sublime or it could be a big, hot mess.” Both designers attempted take his advice to heart — but, alas, both ended up in the bottom. (more…)