Project Runway, Season 8, open spoilers

Cafe Society
#1

I don’t have cable, so I have to watch Project Runway in lovely self-indulgent marathons on DVD. Season 8 just came out, so I’ve seen the whole thing in the last week and a half.

My question is:
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(avoiding mouse-over spoilage)
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How the hell did Mondo lose to Gretchen? Up until the point when Heidi said “Gretchen, congratulations, you’re the winner of Project Runway” – and for another five minutes afterward – I was utterly positive that Mondo had it in the (velvet) bag. Was his showing the polka-dot evening dress a mistake?

I know there’s gotta people out there who still remember all of this, despite the show having ended months ago …

#2

You’d have to track down the judges and ask them, because I sure as shit don’t understand it either.

#3

Tim Gunn called the judging during the last season “crack-tastic” and I gotta agree with him. I’ve watched Season 8 numerous times because that seems to be the only thing on Lifetime and quite frankly, nobody deserved to win. Yes, we all want a pocket Mondo and we love his use of color, but the actual design of his final collection was nothing outstanding. That said, Gretchen’s was boring and 1970s and didn’t deserve to win either. Mondo will have the last laugh though. Jessica Simpson and Heidi Klum have worn pieces from his final collection so his work is out there and being worn by highly photographed individuals. I haven’t noticed Nina Garcia or Michael Kors wearing any of Gretchen’s poo brown grannie panties.

I have vowed never to watch this show again, but something tells me I’ll be drawn to Season 9 like a moth to a flame.

#4

Man oh man, brown '70s is right. (I’m old enough to have done the '70s the first time around.) And putting these granola eaters into heels and adding lipstick was enough to make them fashion forward?

I want a Mondo action figure.

#5

I want to go back and just look at the clothes separate from the personalities of the designers. Gretchen became disfavored from me early on because she wanted to play both Cutthroat Arrogant Queen of the Workroom and Poor Little Sister Sob Story (with her I’m poor and my family is poor and we’re so poor that we couldn’t afford the OR so we were really just po’ thing) and that didn’t wash with me. On the other hand, I’m not sure if I loved Mondo’s clothes just for their quirky fun factor or because Mondo had a legitimately meaningful and heartfelt sad story (keeping his HIV status a secret from his beloved family for so very long, while at the same time being inspired by his often tenuous health and the love of said family to go all out in his designs).

But just the same: granny panties. Brown granny panties. I don’t even know.

#6

That one gown – his first win, or his second during the overall season – with the black and white in front and the colors-and-black stripes as a bustle in the back – gorgeous.

I didn’t love love love his fashion week designs – eschewing color was not playing to his strengths – but I still think they were better, overall, than Gretchen’s, and the fact that two of the four judges said they’d completely wear the polka-dot dress, whereas no one said anything about wanting to wear anything of Gretchen’s …

#7

Every time I see a new collection from a big designer full of bright colors and interesting patterns, I think about how Michael and Nina both claimed that Gretchen’s ugly clothes were where fashion is at now. It was so obviously bullshit when they said it and it’s only become more stupid and ridiculous since then. I was pretty furious when it happened, and I don’t plan to watch season 9. Michael and Nina have completely lost all credibility to me.

#8

No one really knows. I think the viewership did a collective WTF when that end was announced.

In case you don’t know about it yet, check out the TLo blog on season 8.

One of the ideas is that Gretchen’s collection was very “on trend.” So the judges reacted to that. But no, no it didn’t make any sense.

#9

The threads from the time it aired are full of WTF??? Weird, weird choice.

#10

Also check out the PR forum at TwoP. Each episode and designer has a thread. Lots of Gretchen hate and Mondo love. And tons of WTF-ing??

#11

My favorite quote (and the one that helped me fidn peace with it) was something someone said to Tim, and he repeated it a few times “Mondo will be successful no matter what: Gretchen needs the money.”

Gretchen’s stuff was utter crap IMO, but then I seldom agree with the judges.

#12

Well there’s definitely the “person A is young and has a bright future anyway / person B is on their last chance and really needs it” factor.

I think the main argument that the judges made though, was that they thought Gretchen’s stuff was where a huge block of commercial clothing lines were headed. Not only were they much more realistically wearable by real women, and more classically beautiful, and better accessorized, but people often forget that Gretchen was doing the trendy “organic clothing” thing.

And sure, Mondo was exciting, but his show was also borderline tacky. I started imagining various fruit sitting on top of the model’s heads.

#13

Thanks – just spent a very enjoyable hour reading that.

#14

TLo is (are?) addictive. . . :wink:

The weird thing is that over and over we hear the PR designers graded down for making things that are “too retail” or even “too wearable.” And yet, here’s G winning becuase her stuff was salable?

Irritating.

#15

I loved what they said about the shift from design challenges to fashion challenges over the years – very true.

#16

Gretchen’s Fall Collection.
She’s consistent.

#17

I wanted so badly to hate Gretchen collection. ::sigh::

I want those straight-leg khakis.

#18

There’s a thread around here that started right after Season 8 ended. It went on for pages.

I wanted Mondo to win, too, but I dissected why I thought they picked Gretchen. “Sale-ability” and “more attuned to RL women” were my top 2 reasons. You may adore Mondo’s clothes – hey, I did too – but realistically, except for his color-block dress and maybe a couple of tops, not many everyday people would wear items from his PR collection. Gretchen’s designs, OTOH, were more “friendly”, which is why I think the judging slanted toward her.

Oh god, I can feel the hair prickling on my neck just thinking about this :eek:

#19

And she really can’t get the crotch of a pair of pants right to save her life.