Fashion's biggest TV show has just ended its 14 th season. Project Runway, which originated in 2004 on Bravo and then moved to Lifetime is a show with a strong standing in the fashion world and has a lot of credibility. The reality show contest features 16 designers competing for a place in the finale, which allows them to showcase at New York Fashion Week and for a prize of $100,000 and many other bonuses that can help the winner launch their own label.
The show could have easily become just another reality series, but with strong names such as Heidi Klum, Zac Posen, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia backing the brand, the show became a huge success and served as inspiration for many.
Not only was the show backed by many household names, but it also created a new household name. Tim Gunn, the show's co-host and designers' mentor has rapidly become a star due to his charisma, taste and good advice which he gives the designers each episode. His catchphrase "Make it Work" has entered the modern fashion vocabulary and is used by people from around the world.
The show's 14 th season ended recently with the four finalists, Candice Cuoco, Edmond Newton, Kelly Dempsey and Ashley Nell Tipton showcasing their collections at NYFW.
After being told by the judges an episode before that her collection was too literal and costumey, Candice managed to edit down her collection that featured many leather pieces, but remained a little on the expected side. Her collection was a little bit Halloween, but it was a good collection for women who enjoy a dramatic look and gothic pieces.
Edmond had issues with his ruffles and with his clothes not being sexy enough, as he had created many outfits with a high degree of sex appeal throughout the season. In the end, he toned down the ruffles a little and toned up the sexy, thus managing to deliver a great collection. However, his collection's main fault was that, probably due to the mass editing he needed to do, Edmond lost a little bit of cohesion and personality in his looks.
Self-taught Boston designer Kelly presented a collection for which she went all out. Her girls were casual but dressy, fun but elegant and colorful but tasteful. Kelly has had a great run on the show, as she delivered great results for challenges such as the unconventional materials challenge, where she made a sparkly dress from metal pipes and the 3D printer challenge where she recreated the Brooklyn Bridge on the runway.
Ashley started the show in full throttle, but it wasn't long before her doubts got the best of her. After winning a few challenges, but also delivering some questionable looks, Ashley gained more confidence in her craft and vision and her great designs landed her a spot in the finale. The San Diego designer was the first designer from Project Runway to showcase a plus-size collection during Fashion Week.
In the end, the designers decided that it was Ashley's game to win and awarded her the prize. Ashley is definitely a trailblazer from which many people can learn a lot about believing in what you do and not giving up on your craft in harsh moments.
Ashley's win got many people happy and excited, but also bummed many, as a lot of people commented online that Kelly was the better designer and that she should have won.
While it was anyone's game to win, it can be argued that Kelly's collection was more about real fashion than anyone else's. Kelly incorporated unexpected fabrics in her designs, tasteful glitter (we were just as surprised to see how good glitter can get), and shapes that can be worn by a variety of women. The Boston designer also brought back the fanny pack, which, in all seriousness, nobody believed could come back in such style.
It is very hard to offer awards for creativity and fashion design, especially when the competing designers are very good. It basically all comes down to a matter of taste: who says that Edmond's or Candice's collections were not as good as Kelly's or Ashley's?
We congratulate all four finalists and all 16 designers who took part in the competition this year. Project Runway is not an easy undertaking and just getting to participate is something that needs to be celebrated. We are looking forward to seeing what Candice, Edmond, Kelly and Ashley will do next: they are all so different, so there is enough room for all of them under the umbrella of the fashion world.
The show is a great concept and we hope that next year, the producers will take it one step further, as, in the end; this is what fashion is all about!
Fraquoh and Franchomme
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