I LOVED this challenge once I got over crosspromoting the Muppet Movie. PR Allstars had originally been scheduled to begin airing in November, and the Muppet Movie opened around Thanksgiving, so I get it. I have to disagree with the complainers - Miss Piggy is indeed a real personality, larger than life, even if she is a fictional character. I was thrilled to see her riding a parade float at Disneyland a few years ago. I think Rami best captured the spirit of the challenge. His outfit reminded me of some of the wilder character costumes that Bob Mackie used to design for the Carol Burnett Show. Trying to reinvent Piggy for the 21st century, yeah, Michael's cocktail dress totally worked. Remember, Piggy always used to rock the lavender gloves. It was a fun show, and along with agreeing that Austin was saved by his reputation and favorite status, I was a little sorry to see Geordana go. Cut 6" off her dress and I'd wear it over faded skinny jeans with Kork-ease sandals and a boho braid.

I had thought that Mondo and Michael were the most talented in their season, but here when they're competing with some of the best from other seasons (Rami and Austin), you can see where Mondo is good, but he might not be couture. Personally I loved Michael's caftan, although I agree with the Marchesa lady that a different fabric might have been better. I also believe that Kara should have been sent home. Every one of her creations have been horrid and this was the worst. She's starting to get on my nerves with her exclamations. Yes, she's passionate, but no she's not talented. I thought Kenley's dress was a yawn, another variation on the same theme. I don't know why she's talking about her "clients" when I saw in the press that she's not even designing anymore - she's singing in a band. At least she's learned humility, probably after reading the bad reactions to her bad behavior on various bulletin boards. Didn't care for Anthony's dress at all - isn't that what the usual suspects refer to as "overworked" or "student work?"

I'm so happy to see this iteration of PR, although I have to say how much I miss Tim and Heidi. It is refreshing to have a different set of judges so that we don't expect or predict the comments in the critiques. I was a bit disappointed that Austin ended up winning, because the editing made it appear that Michael had it sewn up. I think that Austin's sheath was very well constructed, but also expected. There was nothing surprising about it. Perhaps it was the difference between an East Coast wow dress and a West Coast wow dress. I could easily imagine Michael's dress on some tall, thin actress for an awards ceremony. Not a Kardashian, as was mentioned during the judging, because the dress had no support, but I think it was a wonderful, attention getting sort of va-va-voom dress. I loved Mondo's dress - could imagine seeing Audrey Hepburn wearing it. It would have fit into the runway show in "Funny Face." Completely agreed with the curtains comment about Kara and SweetP's dresses, although I could also imagine the print Kara chose on a sofa. I think that if she hadn't included those sheer panels over the legs, Geordana's dress might have qualified for the top three. Anthony's dress was lovely, but he should have edited the accessories a little bit better. April's dress was so horrible I think that perhaps she should have been eliminated along with SweetP - the construction was atrocious, and frankly, I don't see how her little Goth girl aesthetic fits into what is in essence a couture contest.

I am really looking forward to the rest of the season - it's been such a drag seeing the original PR go downhill. With all the talent in the workroom, I'm remembering what originally made PR so compelling.

My husband has been more into watching the show this season than me. We both agreed that we didn't care who won as long as it wasn't Josh. I don't understand the praise that the judges gave him. The neon brights and his prints were awful and what the hey was he thinking with those shorts with the lace up legs? Yes, he's got a lot of ideas, but I can't say that any of them are good let alone great. I did like Kimberly's creme on creme outfit as well as the creme faille jacket, but that was about it. I was somewhat hoping for a win from Viktor, but was disappointed that he decided to go with so many sheer looks in place of that lovely short/long dress. Anya. I don't know if it is Gretchen-gate again. Yeah, her skills aren't exactly all there, but winning the top prize she can hire Burt types to refine her ideas and make her patterns. The moment I heard the judges talking about licensed products like home goods, etc, I knew she had it. I agree that Ule did a more refined version of resortwear - very South Beach/St. Tropez. But she was competing with Laura Bennett and Jeffrey. That season, Laura had the more refined vision but they gave it to bad attitude rock and roll Jeffrey. And what's he doing now? The Hot Topic for kids version of childrens clothing. I think that the only winners I've agreed with have been Leann and Seth Aaron. Back to Anya. I wonder if Heidi and the producers didn't come up with the extra $500 Mood shopping trip for the sake of helping Anya since they hated two of the three preliminary looks she presented.

I think that the show has lost it's integrity, that they do pick a favorite or two early on, and they don't bother judging based on what's on the runway in front of them anymore. They're evaluating based on the audition rack as well as subsequent challenges as a whole. They either need to give up the pretense of one day you're in and the next you're out or just fess up that they foster a handful of designers through to the end, whether or not they fulfill the requirements of the individual challenges.

Nina likes to throw the term "referential" around, but other than the stilt-walking challenge, I don't think I've heard it much this season. I seem to remember neoprene dresses in extremely slim silhouettes in the 90s - DKNY I think. Josh's dress was a rip-off of that trend. The half-dress, uh yeah, what was he thinking? And what is up with all the exposed zippers? It just looks cheap, not young. He toned down the ugly fabric with the mesh over it, but there's nothing really new there.

Kimberly's collection - again - back to the future. I was wearing those cobalt and hot pink shades in the 80s. The skirt with the bubble-butt was awful, and then to pair it with a cutaway top that showed off the awful back? Maybe they really did intend to get rid of her, but between the two girls there were only two good ideas between them. I dunno about her. She's capable of doing some really great slacks and interesting tops with extra details, but it's like she's not quite got her ideas refined yet. Does the world really need a new take on sweat pants?

Anya - well, as I suspected, the best she did was with Burt refining her ideas. She will need the help of patternmakers and seamstresses to maker her ideas work in the future. I get the feeling no matter what the outcome at NYFW, she's got a guaranteed future in her home country.

I liked Viktor's work the best. If I were 25 years younger and 40 pounds lighter, I'd want all those outfits, sans the leather zipped over skirt. Love the prints; they'd be perfect resort wear here in California. The strapless mullet-dress (short in the front, long in the back) was darling! No, nothing new, nothing original, but everything's well made, refined, commercial, and I think a lot of women would want to wear his pieces.

I think that casting for dramatic television, rather than for design/sewing ability has taken it's toll on the pool of designers. There are way too many people who might make interesting television, but they don't know what they're doing so the process of elimination doesn't leave many compelling contestants who actually have a future. A recent news story in Los Angeles noted that Mondo is now an intern for a custom milliner. WTH - I thought he should have ended up working for Betsy Johnson or Heatherette. They're really moving away from anyone who is remotely avant garde and going for the most commercial designer left standing. With that in mind, I think that Viktor is the only logical winner this season. I'm sorry they've lost their direction. Maybe Project Runway All-Stars will deliver more satisfaction in terms of creativity, construction knowledge and execution.

I really wasn't drinking the Anya Kool-Aid until this episode when Josh started sniping at her. I doubt her designs would have looked as good without Burt's help; the results reminded me a bit of classic Donna Karen. They're urban, asymmetrical, with clean lines. She had the best capsule collection of all the contestants. Josh? Really? It was all garbage. The white dress was not finished well, then there's that dang circle skirt AGAIN! He has no taste, nothing. I think his $100K was wasted wherever he went to school, and then his flashy pseudo-Versace shirts have got to go. At any rate, no I don't believe that he should have been in the final four, but I'm guessing that there's going to be one more face-off before the top three compete in the final show. Personally, I didn't want to wait anymore, and I took a look at Tom and Lorenzo. Of course they have the photos from Fashion Week, and truth be told, between whoever the top three are and the decoys, I'm still not impressed. A plaid evening dress sent down the runway by Burt looks an awful lot like one of my old Vogue patterns from the late 70s. According to Laura Bennett's blog, she was told that PR Allstars is pretty good, so I hope it makes up for this awful season of PR. I've got to remember to look for Mad Fashion too...

I'm over this season. There is no one doing compelling work to root for, although with JoshM, there is certainly a compelling villain to hiss against. And so I wonder what the producers think the point of the show is supposed to be? Finding a great new designer, or Suvivor: Mood New York edition? I've seen brand new sewers go ahead and spread their wings in my old college's sewing lab hours. They are unaware of what they don't know how to do, so they just try any old thing. That's fine. But to see that Anya had a serious problem with the model's actually getting into the dress, it was really dismaying seeing her win. I agree with everyone else who believed that Burt's look was not the worst there. Laura should have been sent home. However, my feeling is that the producers will NEVER allow someone over the age of 45 to win the big prize ever. The mature designer might make the top three like Wendy Pepper, Laura Bennett or Mila. But I think they want to promote someone who is starting at the beginning of their working years, which I feel discriminates against people like Burt who want/need to make a fresh start mid-life. So they reward someone who really doesn't know what she's doing, is essentially making origami with fabric, with proportions that are off, but they delight in saying - "oh isn't that wonderful, only four months?" Victor does beautiful, commercial, clean work but his aesthetic isn't really fashion forward. Kimberly is the same. Laura - WTF? She's almost as delusional in her belief in her own brilliance as is Josh. Josh has no taste, no manners, and a whole lot of ego. He is absolutely insufferable and he had no excuse treating anyone, including Laura, the way he has. Where did he get off bringing up her age? What did that have to do with HIS behavior? This show is so bad compared to what it used to be when quality designers were selected for their skills - not the amount of drama they would bring to the program. After Michael Kors let out the squeal last week on those horrid plaid pants that Josh made - why wasn't Josh eliminated then? I asked Tim Gunn if they didn't just select contestants at the beginning of the season and push them through no matter what (re Gretchen), and he denied it, but lord - why are we seeing such crap designers get this far? The only reason I'm watching is because my husband is hooked on the show...

I'd like to know who Oliver thinks he's designing for? He doesn't know what he's doing when it comes to anything outside his little bubble. At 22 he's way too immature and what sort of school did he attend, because my teacher in the fashion department were all over the fact that the average woman is a plus size and bigger than a B-cup. My drafting and alterations classes were all about fitting to the real body, not the mannequin.

At any rate, another week of mostly uninspired offerings. I agree with Nina that the sleeve on Anya's Gallerati gown was a bit much. I don't understand why they praise her so highly. It must speak volumes to this season's lackluster contestants that she's still around. I think that she and Viktor both did a better job than Josh's boring black dress, and that Victor with his separates and purse should have won. Not surprised that Bryce went home because that pink thing just didn't fit.

The real women challenges are usually pretty good, but in all truth, Victor was the only one who came up with anything remotely interesting.

Nope, not watching Project Accessory. I might watch PR Allstars, though, whenever it shows up. The chance to see Chris March versus Mondo is just too good to pass up. Truth be told, I used to look forward to Thursday nights and I totally forgot PR was going to be on last night. It was my husband who remembered. If it weren't for Tim Gunn I wouldn't watch at all.

I want my 90 minutes back.

This season's a joke. Laura's dress looked like Daffodil Barbie; Josh M, are you kidding me? Top three? A circle skirt and an exaggerated 80's blouse? You knew Josh C was going to be out again pretty soon, because he had no idea what he was doing.

To think that my friend has been turned down three times because they say her collections are too "costumey." Yet all on her own, she's showing at NY Fashion Week this year. Her clothes are a hundred times better than anything I've seen this season.

I thought last season was bad, but this is the worst season of Runway yet. The drama is not what the show is supposed to be about. These designers are supposed to have skill and imagination. Burt seems to be subbing for the usual older woman (like Peach or Wendy Pepper), but his aggro factor is just as bad as some of the younger arrogant guys. I can't stand Anthony Ryan or Josh, and agree with Heidi that Anthony should have gone home. The fact that they are letting Anthony slide based on his body of work is pretty much what ensured Gretchen got through last season and Emilio the season before that and I wouldn't be caught dead in any of their designs. Either Heidi has to get some backbone as creator and executive producer and say, no the requirement is that the designer has to fulfill the brief or just slink away and let Nina and Michael continue to walk all over her. Do we really need hot new garmentos? No - we need genuinely talented, fresh designers, and this season doesn't have anyone worth rooting for.

@Cherlyn, the pair/group challenges are a reflection of the real world, especially in RTW. Rarely is there one designer who works alone and decides on all the looks, especially if there's licensing involved. There can be a creative director, head designer, and all sorts of assistant designers working for a single line. I used to work for a company that designs and manufactures all the private label cashmere sweaters for many chain stores across the country, and we had three designers in house in California, plus a "name" designer at the London office/showroom. I'm really underwhelmed this season. I swore I wasn't going to watch, but it's Tim Gunn who keeps me tuning in. I haven't seen anyone I'm crazy about. Seems to me like the editing is really emphasizing the backbiting and complaining. Speaking of which, Viktor struck me as very immature and unprofessional, but Burt hasn't come off very well either.

Aside from the fabrics changing (not so sure that spandex is a good thing when it comes to bras), one item that seems to have disappeared is the old-fashioned sanitary belt. I don't think thee are a lot of American women who wear garter belts on a day to day basis anymore, let alone slips. I'm glad the rubber girdles are gone, although I don't think Spanx are that much more comfortable. Funny how we had teeny bikinis in my generation, leading to thongs, but the younger girls prefer boy cut shorts now. To tell the truth, there are times I've considered wearing my costume corsets for the sake of back support on my worst days...

Should I be embarrassed to admit that I still have many of my original sewing patters from the 70s when I was a teenager? I know one's not supposed to wear things the second time around when the look becomes fashionable again, but I can't help wanting to make newer versions of things that made me happy back then. My pattern collection is a veritable who's who of designers from Vogue, McCalls, Butterick and Simplicity. I've also got a lot of the Folkwear retro patterns. The pity is that I live in a 1923 bungalow and don't have nearly enough closet space for the fantasy wardrobe from the Regency through the 1970's that I'd love to wear...

Definitely prefer the patterns that have multiple cup sizes. Frankly, I think that every pattern should come in larger cup sizes - I read somewhere that the average American woman wears a 36C. Considering the proliferation of push up bras out there as well, it would be nice if RTW accommodated a bit more up top for real women.

With all the Royal Wedding stuff in the news, I'm feeling nostalgic. I'd like to see an interview with Elizabeth Emanuel who created Princess Di's wedding dress. The work that she's done on her own since she launched Art of Being is every bit as complex and over the top baroque princess fantasy. Paula Abdul has worn some of her clothes on Idol.

Gretchen in top three = epic fail.

I'm done watching this show.

Yes, Props to MichaelC for his beautiful goddess gown. I agree that the slit was a bit high, and it figures that Heidi says she'd wear it just like that. For most women, even if they keep their weight down close to where they were as young ladies, the back and the legs are the last things to go, so good for him not emphasizing cleavage. Mondo's dress was so him, very cute, but as someone wrote above, his day dress didn't have the wow factor. I also agree that Gretchen should have gone home - of all the remaining designers, her clothes have most consistently come off like mall-wear, or as one of the judges put it, looking like they were directly off the rack. While it might get her hired at Jones New York, I think that aside from putting on the best show, the majority of the winners have always been pretty fashion forward. Gretchen's clothes have NEVER been fashion forward. Personality issues aside, her work may be beautifully made, but it's very pedestrian. If they were going to criticize April for repeats (at least that's how the edited version appears - who knows what has been said to her that hasn't made it to the broadcast) - it should have applied to Andy as well. Although if I remember correctly, someone did say something about fewer warrior woman looks on the runway.

What's bugging me? If Michael Costello was the clear winner of this episode's challenge, and if Mondo has been consistent with his work (which he has), is it me or is it supposed to be a four way walk-off to get the third judged spot at Fashion Week? Are Gretchen and Andy competing against each other, or is it indeed all four? I'm bothered by this because again, I think Gretchen's work is too boring to deserve the third spot. My suspicion is that because the majority of the audience is female, the producers are concerned about having an all male finale. It was o.k. in the L.A. season to have all female designers competing against each other for Fashion Week, but someone somewhere feels that they've got to have at least one chick in the top three or they'll offend their audience. They could have taken a chance with April, but I think that Mondo is this year's design prodigy, and that he'll walk off with the big prize. April and Andy would have been competing with each other for most edgy, and looked to be two of a kind, so I fear that they're trying to get three distinctive points of view, and trying to find some way to make the undeserving, opinionated Gretchen stay. Personally, I think it will be Mondo #1, fingers crossed Michael #2, and Andy #3. I think Michael does beautiful resort wear - that's his Palm Springs clientele. I think that April and Andy could both end up as house designers for Hot Topic, with April having the edge there. I'm sort of over Andy's dragon lady Asian inspired tough chick looks, but his construction is beautiful.

The other thing that bugs me. I finally got around to doing some searches for NY Fashion Week, and PR sent 10 collections out on the runway! SEVEN friggin' decoys!!! Which makes me feel especially angry at the drama spewed out of my television screen this season. We have had to put up with all of the backstabbing immaturity and machinations of people who are 30 going on 13. All crying about "my dream," "my spot," "my talent." While they may not be eligible for the big cash prize, not to mention the prestige that goes with being named the winner, those nasty jerks still get rewarded for their appalling behavior by still being allowed to show at Fashion Week. I was thinking it would only be the top six. What a crock. Why are the producers making us sit through this junior high grade drama, when the real cheaters end up prospering this way? I'm feeling manipulated and just about over PR. If it weren't for Tim Gunn, I wouldn't bother watching at all.

In terms of the collections that went down the runway, I felt that Mondo's tops were much more wearable and fit better into the existing line. Funny how no one complains about color blocking, the way they did with Mila. I actually liked April's asymetrical dress and armband. I can imagine that out to dinner in Malibu or Marina del Rey on someone with a seriously thin yoga body. I honestly didn't care much for Andy's collection this time out, although I agree that he did more in terms of creative bottoms than Mondo this time. I think that the striped pants would be unwearable by anyone of short or average height - if they made the models legs look short imagine them on a real girl.

As far as the drama created by one immature, vindictive, mean spirited person, I would feel more gratified if Tim Gunn had read her the riot act on camera about her delusional game playing. Tim is a bigger person than me in terms of taking the high road. I haven't ever yelled at my t.v. the way I did on this episode, and I don't like that. This season has reached the absolute nadir as far as personal drama outweighing the design element, and I don't like it. If it weren't for Tim Gunn, I'd give up on the show altogether.

You can sort of see how some of the designers are losing steam about here. Andy started out so exuberant, and I was sort of surprised how blah this entry looked, even if I did like his print. @Bother, there's no point in saying what they should do next as the shows have been in the can for quite awhile. They started shooting in July on a 30/31 day schedule so that the finalists get 8 weeks off to have their collections ready in time for the September shows in NYC. It's a pressure cooker environment, and I haven't even bothered searching the internet this season for photos of the collections that went down the runway for the finalists, as I don't find anyone particularly inspiring. Wasn't impressed by Gretchen, Christoper, Valerie, or Michael C this week. April has an interesting little goth girl POV, and I think still think Mondo will be the big winner this year. I like the way he uses co-ordinating prints for his linings, I like his use of pattern and bright, and regardless of his HIV status, I still think he's brilliant with or without the tortured artist vibe. I think that Gretchen is this season's Emilio, only a hair less presumptuous ego. I had no idea why Emilio stayed challenge after challenge and I feel the same about Gretchen. I really don't care about the personal drama, I just don't like her style and can't see anyone getting excited about it in the stores. Michael C is the Palm Springs resort-wear guy. I think his business will probably be stronger, even if he doesn't make the top three. You can see his style at Cache, even if you don't go for that look. Valerie is a nice person, but I think the writing's been on the wall for awhile. Christopher looks like he's next up on the chopping block. My husband thinks that Gretchen is going to accuse Michael C of cheating. She's had it out for him all season. Didn't like her print, don't like her or her aesthetic. I wish they'd chop her already and let the finalists be Mondo, Andy, and April.

I have a feeling Mondo is going to win the season overall. He's talented, and when he's doing sportswear, a la the Jackie O challenge, his work is a fresh take on classics. However, when you get into the realm of couture, his work isn't that different than Jeffrey, Seth Aaron, or Emilio. They're all channeling Lacroix to some degree. There are American designers like Carolina Herrera and Donna Karan who do beautiful eveningwear that isn't as formal as the over-the-top French references that the winning designers seem to pull from. I didn't much care for Christopher's design, as the organza around the hips seemed too springy, rather than draping gracefully. Andy's was just too costumey in my opinion, his need to reference Asian elements outweighing his taste. Valarie is repeating the same basic piece over and over again, the torso hugging dress/jacket with the curved piecing over the hips meeting in the back, and if that's all she knows how to do or insists on making that her signature, I don't think she'll be around much longer. I'm glad Ivy is gone because her ego was bigger than her talent. Gretchen also has ego and she's stuck in a 70's timewarp, even if she's too young to have experienced it. I think that her dress could have been hippie-chic a la Talitha Getty in the late 60's, but she didn't put enough time into decorating the front. The dress looked half finished, and her companion piece reminded me of things I used to wear in high school in the 70's. Gretchen's designs just come off as frumpy to me, and when fashion is starting to trend toward minimalism again, as in what was seen in the 90's after grunge, I don't think she's a good choice to go much further in the competition either. Michael C - I liked his r-t-w look, even if it was a little dated. I could have seen myself wearing something like that in the early 90's. His couture looks was a bit too exuberant - I think it might have worked better if he'd edited down - no horsehair in the hem, remove some of the bows/flanges, and it might have been Belville-Sassoon. At least the other contestants finally figured out that he can sew and design.

I was also happy that Mondo won. I think he's really talented and probably should have won for his MTM influenced billboard challenge. Some of the things he's done in other challenges with cut outs and small proportions don't work for anything beyond the junior market, but he's great at mixing pattern and color. I thought that Valerie's jacket was a variation on her red dress and resort wear designs. I'm starting to see that as her fall back piece, rather like Peach and the tennis dress variations. Andy totally lost me with those overdone cargo pants, although I found some of his other designs highly desirable. Ivy's ensemble reminded me a bit too much of some of the things one sees in pattern drafting text books - all those odd seams for the sake of being able to do it, rather than the seam having any organic function in the bodice. I thought Gretchen's ensemble was just a dumpy, blah mess. If it didn't flatter a size 0 fashion model, how would it flatter a real woman? The dresses by April, Michael C, and Christopher while nice really didn't channel Jackie O. Personally, I think that it has to do a lot with how much the designers had been exposed to style icons of the past. I remember one past challenge where the guy didn't know who Cher was. I don't think my school has offered real in-depth looks at individual icons when it comes to History of Costume, and so I'm sure it's the same at other schools.

Team Luxe - bad behavior, nothing exciting. For the so-called designers to pile on Michael C was unwarranted. People have different ways of communicating - visual, audio, kinetic. Obviously, Michael's learning/communication style did not jell with Gretchen and Ivy, who in their arrogance don't know everything about managing people. Team Lace - well done. For once I liked what Peach did. Good on her. There was a little less drama on that side, other than Cassanova, and at least they were able to pull together and rise above their challenges rather than implode like the "cool" kids.

@Sewsie, the tag line used to be that they're searching for the next "great American designer." IMO, the winners have almost always been on the extreme end of the fashion curve. They're not going for wearable, they're going for couture. I think we all realize that no one walks down the street looking like an image out of the Vogue editorial pages, with extreme styling and make-up, so consider the winning looks inspiration rather than realistic. Even Jay, the first winner, sort of went for the extreme edge of a crafty boho look.

My pattern fitting and alterations class at the local jc required us to do everything in half scales before going full sized. It was really helpful!

Full disclosure; I am NOT a Phillip Treacy fan. I think about 1/4 of his hats are wearable, and the rest are more like art pieces. I think I might have been stumped if I'd had to participate in this sort of challenge. A lot of the featured headgear was the sort of weird stuff you see of Ladies Day at Royal Ascot, so I feel like Andy and Ivy's instincts were spot on, going for a suited look. I did like Christopher's main piece, although I think it might have been more successful if he'd gone for a '47 New Look vibe or contrasted the coat with a skinny skirt. I could see the pirate connotation. I like Valerie's ensemble, but didn't get the zippers. Yes, the zipper in the back was somewhat functional, but they just didn't strike me as being beautiful as a decorative element. Peach - more of the same little dress. When is she getting Auf'd? She could have had so much fun coming up with some sort of voluminous extravaganza to set off that hat. *grumble* Don't get me started on her one trick. Mondo's ensemble was cute and youthful - again. I was surprised none of the judges called Cassanova to his face on his blatent DK homage. I would still wear those dresses from the 80's - shame on me. I wasn't that impressed with Gretchen's ensemble. Reminded me of stuff you see at Nordstrom in the overpriced young designer section. Not new, not exciting, but I don't care much for her aesthetic either. Or her ego. Thought Michael D's top was innovative, echoing the lines of his fortune cookie hat. Not so much for the skirt. I loved Michael C's dress and am glad he won with it. I can see that, sans hat, at a country club or yacht club summer gala. I don't think that the losing designers had anything constructive to say. The only thing I've noticed about the episodes now showing them gabbing in the green room while waiting for the judges to talk to best/worst is that they're always wrong in picking the winner. Kristen. She really seemed to go for a Japanese deconstructionist vibe in all her entries and this one really failed her. She could have used silk organza or silk crepe de chine and maybe played with some lettuce edged accents to play off the petals and this dress was so heavy. From what I understand off of Tim Gunn's vlogs is that the shooting schedule is only 30 days between the time they start and the time they determine the three finalists who are going to fashion week. So seeing that this episode was shot working on a Sunday, on Father's Day, it sort of gives you an idea of the brutal nature of the challenges. It's just one after the other with very little time to recoup in between. No wonder Kristen was ready to go.

The innovation challenge is always interesting to watch. I agree that Gretchen has been stepping out of her bounds as a designer. It's one thing to give advice if it's asked for. It's another to actively go around the workroom when your name *isn't* Tim Gunn, and offer unsolicited critiques. Look what good advice she gave Sarah, resulting in Sarah going home. I suppose the question for me was, did Gretchen purposely give Sarah bad advice or did Sarah just not put herself 100% into this assignment? I thought that Cassanova's dress was awful, although Michael Kors' criticism was over the top. He's getting on my last nerve for some reason. I feel like Kors is being bi*chy for the sake of making t.v. drama, and I don't know how it's supposed to help the designers if they feel attacked rather than getting constructive criticism. I'm glad Andy won. I think that his first two entries was great, and that they both should have bested Gretchen's boring pieces. The texture was a bit much, but he put so much more into the detail than others who were working repeating teeny pieces.

I think Jason should have been out last week and don't think Nicholas deserved to go home this week. Normally, I've supported the mature female designers, a la Mila, Laura Bennett, etc. I can't understand how Peach made the cut. I'm surprised she survived this episode. All she knows how to make are variations on a tennis dress. If she can't get out of her comfort zone, she's going to be gone soon. Yes, she has a niche market, affluent preppy women who are looking for sportswear with a twist. But there's nothing exciting or new about what she's doing. I also thought that Valerie's dress deserved the win on the runway, but the finished billboard did look good, even if the jumpsuit looked a little blah. As one of my former co-workers used to say, it's all make-up and lighting. I think that the guy from Hawaii is going to be one of the finalists as well as Mondo. His MTM inspired ensemble was so cute! I'd wear it if I were 25. Too young for me now, but absolutely adorable and fresh! Not sure who else will make the final three... Too many designers right now and too early to tell who else has got the chops.

I know the woman who built the blue corset that Glenn Close is wearing in these scenes. She also made the big black hat that Glenn wears when she goes to call on Cecile's family, as well as Michelle Pfeiffer's corset in this film. I got depressed handling both the corsets, since they were both so teeny...

I must be one of the few who doesn't find black/white boring. Uniform dressing with a limited palette made my life easier. I still wear mostly black. I can always throw a fuchsia or sapphire shawl on as well as use other accessories for color. I used to joke about my "crow clothes," but if you're in LA, NY, or any other big city it's what a lot of the professional women wear. No drama with coordinating black, white or winter white. Navy, red, and brown can be hard to match from one piece to another and there is such a thing as having too much in the closet. Mila's limited color choices make sense for a lot of professional women in urban markets.

Tim Gunn posted his FB vlog late on Friday, and he mentioned something interesting. If you noticed in the finale editing, the producers chose to show Emilio's facial expressions every time the judges were praising Seth Aaron and Mila's work. Shortly before the designers were brought back out for the results, Tim was told that in order to enhance the drama, the producers wanted to have Mila leave the runway first. In Tim's own words, Mila didn't necessarily come in third. He's got some choice things to say about Emilio's reaction backstage after not being declared the winner. Of course Tim says everything in his own erudite manner, so it's much more interesting coming from him, rather than me passing everything along.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?ref=home#!/video/video.php?v=1404137872612&ref=mf

Coming from the perspective of someone who has watched every single episode of PR, I'm not surprised that Seth Aaron won, but I am also happy for him. Overall, the judges tend to pick the winner as the designer who presented a show that included narrative, innovation and cohesion. Because of those three factors, I felt that it was unfair that Mila was placed third, because I strongly agree that Emilio's looks were essentially what was in my closet in 1992. Yes, it was commercial, and yes, there's a market at Dillard's and Macy's, but it's more of the Bridge sportswear look, rather than the true high end designers. The pomposity of calling his collection "Color Me Bad" made it sound like it was going to have an urban edge, but it didn't. Wasn't there an R&B group called Color Me Bad in the 90's? Anyway, as a human being I'm so glad that Seth Aaron won, even though I can't wear most of his clothes. He was a throwback to Leann and Chloe. Someone who let their work do the talking, rather than being a jerk to the other designers. I do think that he will end up being the go-to guy for rock musicians and their tribe, sort of like Jeffrey, but the win couldn't have happened to a more imaginative, creative, and most importantly grounded designer. I'm thinking that Mila has a future too, and she too will be a niche designer for those of us over 40 who want clothes that don't look like our daughters clothes, but don't look frumpy either. Emilio? Can't say what he'll end up doing, and truth be told, I'm really not interested. Out of the others, I'd like to see what Maya does when she matures down the road. As for Jay, I'm glad that the reunion show presented him as he really is. People were accusing me of making things up when I was bringing up things about Jay that Tim Gunn had blogged about on FB and on the official PR site. I never said that he wasn't a talented guy, but he doesn't have an editing eye yet, and he is no one I would want to work with.

Ooops - OMG, how did I type that. No my top three is Seth Aaron, Mila, and Jay. Good grief. I really, really hated Emilio's collection.

Auschick, thanks for the link. I'd already seen photos of Mila's collection because she has it on her FB page, but for the rest - interesting. I was thinking that Seth Aaron would have it sewn up, but now I'm thinking it's going to be a tossup between him and Mila. As far as the seven decoys - WTH? Did everyone see the same trend report and go for the linebacker shoulders? It almost looked like Jesse cribbed Jay's notes. And what was up with those weird shorts/rompers that Jonathan was doing? I liked the big pants that were reminiscent of those wrap pants that were in for a while in the 70's and 80's, but the shorts were just awful. After seeing all of the collections, top three should have been Jay, Emilio and Mila.

I love the home visits too - it really humanizes the designers, and in Mila's case, it really showed her living her design philosophy. I am quite happy that Mila won the face-off. I want to see design for women over 35 that is edgy and innovative but doesn't fall into the JJill/Eileen Fisher mode. Don't get me wrong, I live in PureJill, but I want clothes that are more fitted to the body that don't look like I'm pretending I'm still 25. I love her aesthetic using clean line and forms. I would wear that paillette dress to a gallery opening with a pashmina shawl. I also love that charcoal funnelneck coat. I would wear that if I could have it a little more tailored to my hourglass shape. I see Mila having a line in Nordstrom/Bloomies/Neiman's. Like I said, there's a need for grown up clothes with an edge. With YSL, Valentino, Givenchy, and Calvin all retired or gone it seems the fashion conglomerates are going for edgy that makes headlines but skews young. Mila has the potential to compete with Donna Karan, Narcisso Rodriguez, Carolina Herrera and Vera Wang for that part of the market.

Truth be told I wasn't crazy about any of the looks this week, but then again, I'm not much of a circus fan.

Emilio: 1980's Christian Lacroix redux. Lacroix did better shaping in his puffball skirts.

Seth Aaron: I love this guy, but I agree with the Tim Burton comments elsewhere. I almost imagine the snake heads from "Beetlejuice" emerging from the sleeves. It is totally him, though, completely original. He's maintained a consistent p.o.v. from start to finish. I hope he wins overall.

Anthony: Poor guy.

Jay: Nothing special. I still have a bolero jacket in my closet from 1991 that looks something like this.

Mila: I love her tailoring, but this was too busy between the shiny and the stripe. I wish I could have better seen the chevron effect in the rear vent/kick pleats.

If you want to see some honest sputtering, check out Chris March's blog on this episode over on the official PR site.

I've been checking out the PR video blogs on myLifetime.com, and according to more than one person, Maya graduated from fashion school two weeks before the competition began. So she was coming off the experience of having to produce a small collection in order to qualify for graduation, and maybe she thought that would give her an advantage. But maybe she was immersed in looking at a lot of European and avante guard design, which could be why Nina kept saying her work was "referential." I haven't bothered keeping up with Vogue or W, let alone the European magazines for a few years. Glad Anthony's back, but see the irony in all the fans who claim they hate Mila's color blocking saying that they loved Anthony's dress. Saw some wobbly stuff on the bodice where the black and white met, guess the judges were overruled by Jessica. So Emilio knows how to make an understructure. Loyal Threads readers and anyone who's taken advanced bridal or theatrical costume construction classes know how to do that too. Having said that, the dress moved beautifully on the runway, despite the fashion fabric looking icky on the table. Can't defend Mila's work this week, as she's done better. She is being true to herself. I think Jay is designing for small-boned Asian girls who don't mind having some hips added to their figures, and Jonathan - poor guy. He did the best he could, but it was inevitable. Seth Aaron - the change in model hurt him, because his fit is usually impeccable. The dress was true to his vision - refined punk. I think he has a future no matter what. I can see Hot Topic/Torrid picking up a diffusion line from him with mass market pricing.

I was mostly underwhelmed by the proffered garments. I really don't understand why Jonathan won - the judges slammed Maya for referencing Nina Ricci, but they didn't say a word about Jonathan's shoulder treatment looking a lot like the team challenge dress from Christian Siriano and Chris March. Guess it's o.k. if the contestants gack previous PR contestants. I was also disappointed that almost everyone chose neutrals, especially in terms of fire and water. I would have loved to have seen some really strong color for those powerful elements. Maybe they were worried about creating cliches, but if they were so strong, why didn't they overcome that threshold? I thought Anthony's dress was awful. It was obviously not fire, but it didn't flow in an ethereal way to reference smoke either. Maybe it was more like a clunky, carbonized remainder from a firestorm - not pretty at all... Jay's dress was pretty, but might have been more successful without the stripes or whacky hat. It did flow beautifully like air. I didn't much care for the dress that Maya created. The hard edged hem and cowl didn't speak to me of the mutable qualities of water, although the ruffled sleeves did have a very pretty effect. Seth's leather suit was indeed very him; the tailoring was impeccable, although it's not my favorite look that he's created. Emilio's dress was o.k. - not great. I admit he had about the only real shot of color in the entries, but the styling was just fugly. I'm beginning to think that Amy needs to get Aufed. I understood the concept, but even if her model's hair had been flame red, a human torch wasn't exactly a winning look. It's sort of like modern art - it's very intellectual, and once the concept is explained it makes sense, but clothes don't really need to be all that conceptual. They're meant to flatter and make the wearer feel good. (Is it obvious that I'm not a fan of Viktor & Rolf or Comme des Garçons?). I'm rooting for Mila, because I love seeing any woman over 35 switch gears and suceed. I would have worn this outfit she made, but as Heidi said, you could have bought her trousers and top in any mall. I don't quite remember the judges being so snarky about Rami when they used to chastise him over his goddess gowns. They can't chastise Mila over her technique, because it's flawless. Instead they praise and reward mediocrity.

I think that Maya should have won. Her material was much more difficult to handle than Jay's trash bags, even if he did back the plastic with muslin. It was still a thin, pliable material that could go easily through the machine, and even though his braided belt looked nice, Maya's necklace was really outstanding and not as easy to fabricate as Jay's braided belt. I don't know why Emilio didn't get sent home - where's Christian to call him out on the hot mess he sent down the runway?

Loved, loved, loved both of Seth's winning looks. I don't normally go for that neo-Punk look with all the hardware, but I love what he does. His little girl look was darling, and I'll bet, inspired by his own daughter. As for the others, I think I preferred Jesse's original sketch over his execution. It would have looked cute with the little coat he made, which was beautiful. I liked his mom look too, but thought something was slightly off with the red trim on the mom dress. Wasn't impressed at all by Anthony or Jonathan's outfits, didn't mind Jay's, but I thought that his color choice was too dark for a child. He could have offset the navy with a bright raspberry or kelly green. The mom outfit was great on that one. I'll agree with the assessment of Tori Burch's take on complementary colors. Did she even go to design school, or was she just some bored housewife who got backing to start her own line? I happened to like Amy's palette, but her execution was awful. If you could see the threads hanging off of the petals on t.v., imagine how bad it looked in person. I think her idea might have worked better if she'd cut the petals out of a double faced fabric or made them like half yo-yos, rather than just putting them out there as they were. Too messy. I don't know why I started thinking of the Papagino character (the bird catcher) from the opera "The Magic Flute" when I saw the finished pants. Wasn't impressed with Jonathan's offerings, but he didn't seem to want to be doing kid's clothes at all, and Emilio should have been booted for making even less effort than poor Janeane. At least she tried to make her outfits look current. Emilio's child's dress was oversized and didn't fit the poor kid, and as Tim Gunn pointed out, anyone could have bought that sort of dress in any nice department store. The mom's dress looked like something out of the 80's, except for the neckline. Why did he not get called out on his laziness? I did like Mila's outfits - I like that she, Seth, and Jay all have a definite point of view. I'm hoping that they're all in the top five. As for Ben, meh, and Maya's were cute but not groundbreaking, although her use of yellow was a lot more fun than Jonathan's. Can't wait to see what they do with the hardware next week. I'm sort of surprised that they're going with two oddball materials challenges this season, but I think the remaining ten are up to it in varying degrees. I just wish Emilio would get booted already. He's all about the trash talking, not the outstanding results.

I didn't agree with the judges decision at all. I thought that Anthony's dress looked messy and cheap. I think that Seth should have won. His pant suit was beautifully tailored, form fitting, striking, and fashion forward. I don't know why contestants and other people are picking on Mila for being a "one note" designer with her color blocking signature look when Maya repeats those hideous ruffles that don't really add to any design over and over again. No one can complain about Mila's construction. With this week's chevrons, there were a few puckers, but for the most parts her garments look good and fit beautifully. I loved the bodice on Jesse's dress and my second choice for winner would have been Jay's beautiful gown with the graduated hem. I haven't liked all his work previously, but this one was very soft and feminine. Very pretty. I hated Ben's choice of colors, and didn't much care for the over-all style or peek-a-boo back, and poor Janeane is just in over her head. I agree with the judges, in this case, that her ocean inspiration was not visible in any way in her design or execution. I think Jonathan's romper was just a mess. Make it a tunic over some sort of bottom, and it would have worked much better. Here it looked like some poor East Indian inspired top that tried to grow legs and failed. I'm very curious to see who progresses, because to be frank, I don't find many of the designers terribly inspiring this season. I've seen nothing that I'd want to wear myself or wish I'd dreamed up myself.

I would like to think that most people watch the show for the design process, so I agree that the editing needs to be a little less drama-oriented. I saw comments elsewhere from people who considered this season a snooze-fest for lack of crazy people like Santino, Jeffrey, or Kenley, and I say hallelujia to that! I don't see why the whole decision making process involved in creating a look or a collection has to be subordinate to manufactured conflict.

And am I the only person who thinks that the editing was also less than kind to Tim Gunn in some cases? The man is the calm center of their stormy universe - he doesn't need to be made to look any less than the great teacher that he is!

Not thrilled with the outcome, but then again, I found this years batch of designers uninspired period. Aesthetically, I found Carol Hannah's collection much lovelier than Irina's. Carol's problem was in not limiting her pallette or using repetition in accessories to tie her collection together. I totally get it, having done my time in retail hell. I still think that Gordana was robbed. Althea's lack of experience and visual acumen showed on the runway, just as it showed in her mangled Getty separates. The discussion boards on the official PR website are full of postings calling for a boycott of anything that Irina produces, or any companies she associates with. While I don't think that sort of action is called for (because face it, the whole world isn't your target customer), I don't think that Irina produced the best collection in terms of design, execution, or fabrication. However, her presentation was best in terms of looking like a unified collection, so she won by default.

I hope the next season, which begins in January, is more inspiring because this season was just blah design wise. I really don't care about the personal drama, I just want to see what these people can do with some fabric and thread.

sewlore, I was thinking the same thing. They choose "artistry" over commercial viability. Check out Christian Siriano's website sometime. His diffusion line looks nothing like the couture garments he produced for the competition, and frankly, aren't terribly interesting or inspiring. I can't think of the name of the quiet young woman who won the last season (the one who did her collection in cream and aqua), but her offerings were very conceptual and sculptural as well. I can't say that I saw many things that thrilled me. Althea's separates would look good on someone built like her - tall and thin. Carol Hannah's dresses were sort of hit and miss; I did love the one she did with the fitted black bodice and cartridge pleated full skirt. That was slightly different, and I loved her goddess dress. But Irina? Meh. Michael Kors was right - the warrior woman/tough chick in NY has been done before. But her color story was consistent, her p.o.v. was cohesive, her accessories carried the theme throughout the collection, and she repeated elements of the details in many of her pieces, so compared to Althea and Carol Hannah, the judges probably didn't have much choice. That's what they got for offing Gordana and Epperson earlier. I would have loved to have seen 13-piece collections from either of them.

I think it's a little unfair to pass judgment on garments that aren't finished, although my initial reaction to that frothy lavender creation by CH made of tulle and satin was that it reminded me of an old-fashioned lampshade. Having written that, I will wait until next Thursday before getting too deeply into any of it.

KarenLea notes Irina wanting to disregard Nina Garcia's advice. This is one of the problems that I see with a proportion of the younger contestants over the course of several seasons - nothing like the arrogance of youth! Honestly, haven't we all been at that (ignorant) place when we thought we knew it all, only to reach a certain point in life when we realized how much we *don't* know? Ignoring Nina's advice or Tim's advice comes with the peril of being eliminated. They're professionals - think of all the sample submissions that a magazine editor gets on a daily basis, not just from the known lines, but also from advertisers and hopefuls. Someone gets to her position by developing an eye for what looks good, for what's next, for what will sell. The best bit of advice that I got when I was young, and ended up disregarding to my regret, was to spend as much time as possible with your concentration major's instructors/professors, and to soak up every bit of advice possible from them. So there is Tim Gunn with years of teaching experience behind him, as well as any number of the PR judges, and it's almost painful to watch any of the contestants not want to take advantage of the resource of experience!

About the only thing I can think of in Irina's defense is that if her collection is a tribute to NY, then the color choices certainly reflect the NY professional fashionista wardrobe - black, black, and more black.

I don't think that I recall any guidelines given to the finalists for their Bryant Park collections, other than make it reflective of your point of view and skills as a designer. It was interesting hearing Michael Kors give advice about runway order, and emphasizing telling a story. Just as it was instructive hearing Tim comment about keeping one's target customer in mind and making sure that all the pieces in the collection were not only cohesive in color/feeling, but also aimed at the same customer. Apart from being interested in seeing how everyone harnesses their talents, inspirations, and skills for the various challenges, I love this show for the little bits of wisdom that one can pick up here and there.

If you get a chance, check out Chris March's blog on the official Project Runway website. He has some interesting things to say about the very real pressures that the contestants are facing once they're down to the final three.

This is so beautiful and so creative! Really well done - brava!

I was disappointed in the final three, as I thought that the sloppy execution of Althea's skirt looked a lot worse than the closure on the back of Gordana's beautiful angel dress. I would totally wear that dress. I'd love to try to re-create it. This is the first season of PR that I really don't care who wins, as long as it's not Irina. The last time I wanted someone *not* to win, it was Jeffrey. I really preferred Laura Freeman's aesthetic over his.

As far as having 30 minutes to sketch, as well as 30 minutes to shop, it's a competition. I think that the casting directors choose people they feel have produced enough, and are somewhat experienced enough that they will be able to deal with the time constraints. And for aspiring designers, I think everyone has watched the show through it's various seasons enough that they know what to be prepared for. Someone from the fashion world might have a beef with the time limits, but let me tell you, if you want to be prepared to deal with PR type challenges on short deadlines and dealing with whatever material is thrown at you, get a background in theatrical costuming. That's why Chris March had such an easy time with the challenges. In theater departments, you sometimes find yourself having to knock out 22 pairs of pants in a short period of time, quick and dirty, because the director changed his mind. If you've got a great budget, you get to work with some incredible fabrics on someone else's dime, but if you've got the usual no budget, you work with some really awful stuff, but learn ways to make it look good. Your cast can change at the drop of a hat, and something you were building for a specific actor has to be changed overnight to fit the replacement. You're constantly problem solving, again with a deadline, because the show must go on, and I can't think of a better proving ground for the experience of making clothing from every time period imaginable, down to periods that don't exist yet, every sort of fabric and crazy trim imaginable, and also having to find a way to make the clothes look like they're supposed to look to suit the character, and wear like iron to survive 8 shows a week.

For someone who is trying to make a living designing/fabricating the clothing, they are going to be used to working for long stretches at a time, with some tea/food breaks thrown in. But the more experienced designers are going to know to use smaller needles with certain fabrics so they don't get the puckering, which fabrics are stiffer and which have better drape. For the self-educated, it's vital to do the research or at least ask questions and find out how certain fabrics behave and how to best treat them to get the desired effect.

I did like Althea's winning look. It's totally California casual, would work for someone who is middle aged like me wanting to hide the saddle bags, wanting to be updated, casual, but cozy at the same time. I have big shoulders so I could carry off the shrug, but I can see where someone who is petite couldn't carry the proportion off.

I think Irina is talented, but she has a bit of an ego/attitude problem. I don't think that they emphasize the collaborative nature of the fashion industry enough. Unless you're a one-person operation like Rami from a previous season, or Gordana, you have others to answer to (including the market), and there is more than one way to think or approach a design brief. I know that editing is probably done with maximum drama in mind, but she really comes off like a major egotistical be-otch.

I like Gordana's style at it's best - but then again, I like elegant sophistication, a la Carolina Herrera or real YSL or Valentino, real Givenchy. There is still a need in fashion for flattering tailoring/dressmaking that isn't too young or trendy, that suits those of us who are over the age of 35 who don't want to look like our daughters.

I'm not sure how Logan got this far in the competition - his designs were always pretty uninspired and somewhat sloppy in my eyes, although I think his p.o.v. might work for the Hot Topic crowd. I feel so bad for Christopher. It's so obvious that he's hungry for this, but being self-taught is becoming more and more of a handicap as the competition goes on. He cares so much, and he tries so very hard, and I think his will power is the only thing that has kept him in the running. I hope he gets out of Missouri and gets to NY or LA to work with a mass market design house so that he gets more experience behind himself. He might not be a great designer, but I think he could eventually do something with the cocktail/evening ware market that's sold in stores like Macy's and Nordstrom.

Althea and Carol Hannah are both talented girls with fresh takes, but again, their designs are very, very youth oriented.

I'm always rooting for the Wendy Pepper clones like Gordana - the older women who bring experience and sophistication to the challenges. What they bring to the runway might not be the freshest of looks at all times, however, 95% of the time, their style and garments are utterly wearable. All things considered, how many of the winners have gone on to do great things? Christian may have been on Oprah and Ugly Betty, but are his clothes selling across the country? I know Santino didn't win, but has he done more than knock out a handful of commissions and continue his endless stream of self-promotion? Jeffrey Sabala has done a little, but I haven't seen any of the winners doing a major line in NY or elsewhere.

I would like to see the contestants skew a little less young so that the competition involved more people who had actually produced some significant work, rather than people who seem to be two or three years out of fashion school. I'm curious to see who wins this year, because I don't find anyone over the top appealing, but I always enjoy observing the process that they go through.