I like the wood fabric and the diamond plate fabrics, I just wish they had been used to better effect.
Candace- her looks had a lot of work in them but judges were spot on. Tim Gunn tried to tell her at the home visit (goth at beach cracked me up…kids too???)
Edmond- Nice but no zing
Ashley— as a slightly chubby girl I would never ever ever show my belly, those looks were strange. Again agree with judges ‘where is the prints?’
Kelly— Now that I find out she is from Springfield and NOT BOSTON her looks I understand more as I grew up in the area in the 80’s. I do like her vibe but the fabric choices were weird sort of like doing a scrapbook with printed papers.
The home visits are my favorite part because Tim is just so sweet to whomever he is meeting. I love his warmth and charm, which seem so genuine. I loved him picking his way across the beach in a suit and dress shoes.
Man, what a mess. Kelly’s collection is actually better than what she showed the judges (those shorts are just fucking tragic) – loved the piece with the intricate braid appliqued to the bodice.
I’m apparently the only person who didn’t hate Edmund’s Victorian governess gown – I thought it was cool. The judges were right, though, what’s with all the ruffles?
And Ashley – Ashley. I’m now perceiving her as having the worst case of “fear of success” that I’ve ever seen. She really was doing some very cool clothes in the beginning of the season, then she fell apart (after the Mean Girls incident, which I’d forgotten about) and has never really gotten it back together.
And Candice – So totally not my taste that I can’t even tell if any of it was any good, though I liked the hat better before I found out it was made of wood.
I really Kelly, but I’m having a hard time figuring out how she spent $9,000 on he fabric she used. I think she spent some of that money to pay her rent. 
The good thing is, I think she showed the judges her worst creations, so when they see the runway looks, they should be pleased. That Kelly may be smarter than she’s given credit for.
I’m not a Candace fan, but I felt so bad for her. She looked absolutely crushed.
I think the judges are just placating Ashley, knowing she has no chance to win anyway, they just didn’t want to make her cry.
And Edmund, Tim said no bathing suits, he didn’t say to only make gowns. Some trousers and blouses would be nice. I hope he adds some separates to his final collection.
Still rooting for Kelly to pull off the win.
The following spoiler does not spoil the winner. It show a former contestant’s fashion week collection.
Looking at Swapnil’s fashion week collection, I think they booted him off too soon. I like most everything he did.
I totally do not understand what they are looking for when they say Edmond needs to “make it cohesive.” Should a collection not have looks for different women? Should it all be X girl going to Y event as if they were putting together a bar of clothes for a stylist to present?
He used similar fabrics, the same two graphic colors, and the looks were at a similar “dressiness” level. (meaning you could see those looks coming through the door on different women attending the same event.)
Somebody fight my ignorance; what on Earth do they mean by it?
I just absolutely hated Kelly’s stuff. It seems to me that there’s a small cadre of about 835 girls in the Brighton Beach, New Jersey area who want to wear those clothes. What market does she think she’s addressing? Then again, I’m about as dowdy as they come, and my reference for “City fashion” is the most notoriously fashion-backward city in the USA. . . well, second only to Lancaster, PA, LOL!
And the whole ZOMG!! I sewed a bunch of zippers together and made them into a trim!!! thing. Didn’t that start on Project Runway about six years ago? “I made a textile” doesn’t impress me either. It’s arts and crafts, not clothing design, and I wish the judges would stop encouraging it. If you can’t buy the materials, then you can’t turn that into a salable clothing line. No one is going to pay couture prices for you to spend a week sticking together zippers on a tank top. And bum bags?!? She should go all they way and send the models down the runway on bubble wheeled roller skates.
I liked Ashley’s collection, though I think it’s going to appeal more to teenagers/young women. It’s unusual for plus-sized designs to lean towards the pear-shaped or hour-glass figures rather than the apple-on-a-stick; she did an amazing job of addressing all three. She had the wrong model for the one top, for sure. I did think the exposed zippers were ridiculously out of keeping with the rest of the style. I also agreed with Nina that the flowered headpieces were a distraction. I hate when a runway show is most memorable for the hair and make-up.
Candace’s stuff was the best IMHO and the judges really seemed to hate it. I’m jiggered. I thought that red outfit was perfectly put together, with just a hint of the matching fabric on the jacket/pants. I’ll be glad when we’re allowed to match again. I miss having shoes/handbag that actually go with the clothes.
Hey, those ladies know how to make it cohesive! And they know how to use black and saturated jewel tones. 
I agree with the idea that Ashley didn’t just do muu-muu big sack for plus-size women, I just think she has a huge opportunity and the resources to make classy new stuff. And she seemed more relaxed and thriving at home and I hoped she would do something more imaginative.
Seriously? I’m 60 and thought it was too matronly.
It reminded me a bit of the “Gunne Sax” dresses that were popular when I was a kid. Not the same elements, but a similar tone and type. I wore onelike this on my first date, and later had that blue one linked above.
What passes for demure today has changed, but the pastels and lace were reminiscent. In fact, if she’d mixed in the prints and colors as some folks suggested, I think it may have gone too referential.
Same here. Aside from the exposed back, the pink number with the straight skirt is almost exactly what my grandmother wore to my parents’ wedding in 1965, only in blue. Floral hat and all.
I like Ashley as a human being and I have liked some of her clothes, but her final collection SUCKED. I hated the colors, the designs, everything except the headpieces. I am happy she did a plus size collection, but the clothes were awful. Sigh. So close.
AAARRRRGHHHH!
Really? As a full-figured woman herself, Ashley should know that shorts creep up in the inner thigh — that was embarrassing to watch. And gathered skirts that make ample hips look twice as big? That final dress was a tent! And a TShirt dress out of shiny material?
But more offensive than the clothes was her attitude. I mean, it’s like she is afraid to win and sabotages herself. “I didn’t push myself to pay attention to details”? You’re going to Fashion Week and you can’t be bothered to push yourself? What the hell. Dying those zippers? Gluing flowers on? I just have no respect for this woman. How dare she even get this opportunity. Kelly deserves it so much more, even though I don’t like her clothes. She works hard, always improving, and has a unique point of view.
I just don’t get the adulation. And I really don’t understand the love for some of those looks.
I wish Edmond had won, but I can see that his stuff has been done before. Yeah, this is the first plus-size collection, but that doesn’t automatically mean it’s good.
I’m guessing rating are down and they needed another “Project Runway First!” Or they’ve been getting criticism over the condescending way they treat the “real woman” challenges. I’m convinced that unless she had her models walk naked, Ashley was going to be the winner.
I would have given it to Edmond or Kelly.
Hideous winning collection. The show was only made worse by the insertion of Project Runway Junior introductions. None of the collections were worth a win. Kelly should have won only for her enthusiasm and textile creations, but not for the actual garments. I really think the win was pre-ordained before the season started. PR needed a boost, so why not stage a “real person collection” win? And Edmond? You’ve tried out for this show 13 times, and I presume you have watched every season multiple times. Try harder.
Candice said words to the effect of “they watered down my collection.” She knew she had no chance of winning so she should have gone balls to the wall and showed the wood skirt and left the hoops in the ball gown. At least that would have been interesting.
The sad part is that I will be sucked into the next season…sigh…At least there was no drama, cuz I’m really tired of that. I guess I need to follow TLo’s advice and treat this like a game show, cuz it is not about fashion or design.
And Tim Gunn better see a tailor. His suits do not fit.
I was thinking this too. The long dress without the hoop was meh. The wood pieces and the huge closing outfit would have at least been a statement. I did like her coat the best of the pieces.
Can I just say how much I hate that expression! Mode magazine had it right – they featured larger women but they made a point to say that every woman is a “real” woman, and to never call people skinny or “eat a sandwich” or any of that. I miss Mode magazine.
I wondered if Heidi has had Ashley marked for the win since the Mean Girls episode.
StG
I could just feel Kelly’s heart being ripped apart last night. Man that final judging was tough to watch.
Ashley had a hem that came undone and was hanging down. The judges inspect the garments when they only have 1 day to create them, but give them weeks, and they don’t even look at the designs up close? WTF??
I laughed when I saw Zac’s face, as he looked at Edmund’s white toilet paper dress.
I totally grew up near Springfield in the 80’s!
What a disappointing finale. I loved Ashley’s work at the beginning of the season, but she lost steam halfway through and never got it back. That finale collection was just bad – and the final look was omigodwhatthefuckthatpoormodel.
I too assumed it was a pre-ordained win from the start of the show. It puts out a commercial line for real/larger/plus-sized/whatever women on the racks with the Project Runway name on it. There’s a huge (no pun intended) market there for fashionable clothing for larger women, and even if Ashley’s creations aren’t it, they’ll still sell well. Plus I think lots of viewers of the show are closer in size to Ashley than to Heidi, and you need to keep them watching.
But I would have placed her in fourth place…