Nick Verreos Season 8 Project Runway MyLifetime.com Blog Recaps: The Finale!

Mondo Wins!!! (Not so Much!)

Unhappy Threesome: Top 3 Season 8 Finalists Gretchen Jones, Mondo Guerra and Andy South

Thursday night was the Finale Episode of Project Runway Season 8. Yes, kids, it's OVER! And the outcome, well let's just say, didn't make too many people happy. It was a big shocker. Gretchen Jones, from Portland Oregon, who started out all "I love sustainable clothing...and I'm all about Granola-Crunch and sweet" but then before you could say "Camera's On!", turned into this season's Most Hated "character". It may not have helped that EVERY episode, she was giving her unadulterated opinion on all the other contestants designs...and they weren't so nice.

Pre-Argument Happy: Judges Jessica Simpson, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and Heidi Klum

This Final Episode continued where last week's left off, as the top 3 contestants faced their Mercedes Benz NY Fashion Week "Close Up". But first: The yawn-inducing Reunion. It was a bore and a half, with no Ivy Higa Acting Foolish, or Michael Costello crying about how everyone thought he was useless, and so on. Nothing. I really wish they would bring back the liquor-induced fun Reunions of the past of season's past.

Season One:

Season One Contestant Vanessa Riley likes her Merlot, so much so that it lead to a "walk-off" and some spillin'...

Season 2 (my Season):

Cosmos at Parsons Y'all: Huney, I was THERE! And they had a whole bar set up AT PARSONS!!! (is that even legal?) Most of my comrades joined in on the celebration, but I refrained. My Momma didn't raise a fool! I knew what that was all about and I was looking at the m all like "You go ahead darlin' ". Fortunately for the viewers, Guadelupe Vidal had about FIVE cocktails and well, the rest made Project Runway Reunion History. I miss those good ol' days!

Now, it was Runway Show time: Andy South was first to be Auf'ed as he showed a rather boring collection of silvers, grays and apple green silk shantung and just didn't have any of that directional Andy "touch". I missed his Warrior Divas and so did Nina. Those celestial headpieces reminded me of a 8 year-old's ceiling solar system. His theme was Laos and Buddha but...

Some of his clothes were a cross between a high-priced Pattaya Bay "Good Time" Girl and...

Someone's rich aunt in Singapore: Elegant, nice and very Chico's Catalog, but not a NY Fashion Week Project Runway Winner. I actually thought what he was wearing was cuter and more innovative than anything in his collection. Now, let's discuss the Winner: Gretchen's collection was sooooo "Now", the judges argued. Well, not really, if you read HERE (and I agree!). It was very "Coterie Show in NY". Also, all 3 Finale Collections have been for sale on the SeenOn.com website and Mondo's ENTIRE collection is SOLD OUT while Gretchen has sold only one outfit!

Acceptable separates for the Contemporary Market. Her color--and print story--was so monotonous though. Take away the styling, the hair, the make-up, and I would never give a second look to this girl walking down the street. Never. And I'd probably say something mean about her shoes (AGH!!!).

The zigzag print was very Missoni-esque and I praise her for the bias-cutting and mitering. She's obviously talented and knows pattern technique. But...fashion should be aspirational. This wasn't. Speaking of aspirational...

Mondo Guerra's Collection was fresh, young, colorful and REALLY oh-so-now! The models were FAB, the make-up, the hair, the accessories, the details...pom pom shoes, graphic color-blocked tunics, prints a ga-ga, and stuff to make women smile! It was a fun combination of Betsy Johnson meets Christian Lacroix.

The fit on everything was superb. And he also matched those over-sized plaids beautifully! Those pants--if done incorrectly--could make even a size 0 model look like a Hippopotamus. But, Mondo did them right: It's all in the fit, the cut and color.

Mondo, you were my favorite and wish you all the best. You may not have won, but like I said in my MyLifetime.com Recap...well, never mind, just go ahead and read the WHOLE thing HERE...and make sure to tell me what you thought!

Byeeeeeeeee until next Season kids!

Nick Verreos Season 8 Project Runway MyLifetime.com Blog/Recap: Finale-Part 1!!!

Lacroix 2.0, Pattaya Bay, Whole Foods Sales Girls and Mommy-Daddy Therapy...Yep, It's Project Runway, the Almost-last Episode!

Is the Camera On: Andy South consoles Michael Costello during "Finale Part 1", Project Runway Season 8

Oh Dear! Yes, those were basically the only two words I could muster after watching Thursday night's "Finale Part 1" of Project Runway Season 8. The episode began cute enough and pretty typical in terms of previous "Road to NY Fashion Week" Project Runway Episodes...

The remaining 4 Designers get their "Congratulations" from Heidi and Tim and then are sent off to their respective home bases to make their Mercedes Benz NY Fashion Week Collections. Tim jets off to Hawaii, Denver, Palm Springs and Portland. After 6 weeks, they return to NY for their last Challenge that will narrow down the Top Three Finalists who will show at NY Fashion Week. The Runway Show at Parsons occurs and then it all heads south from there, concluding in what could have been an advertisement for Mommy-Daddy Therapy sessions.

Highlight: Mondo's Circus

For me, there was one Winner and that's it. When Mondo Guerra's 3-piece mini collection came out, it was like "Done and Done". The judges gave him both positives and negatives, saying he had to somehow learn how to tame the "Print Beast" inside him. Well, he can't do much, because the collection is done kiddies! And I like it , circus prints and all.

It all reminded me of Christian Lacroix (Spring 2009 Haute Couture above), well, the H&M version. After Mondo, in my opinion, any of the other three could have been out. Yes, I might have chosen Andy or Gretchen instead of Michael C. but I KNEW Gretchen wasn't going--she's the "Wendy Pepper" of the Season, so you know they were keeping her!

Lowlights: Andy's Warrior Divas go to Pattaya Bay

What happened to Andy South? I was so looking forward to a whole army of Andy Warrior Goddesses ready for battle in almost all black, fierce, well-fitted dresses. He went from this FIERCE look above...to this below...

Is this what happens when Project Runway Finalists go home. They do great in the pressure cooker of the show's surreal competition environment but then they return home and lose their style? Wassup Andy?

Instead of Warrior Divas, his 3-piece Laos/Buddha-inspired mini-collection was a cross between something Imelda Marcos would wear (Hello Silk Shantung!!??) and...

Something you'd see on the Pattaya Bay Girls in Thailand. Now, mind you those two inspirations sound HOT, but I don't think that's what he had in mind.

Lowlights: Gretchen's Vegetarian Girls Who Don't Want to Get Laid

Her designs were so not exciting, so not NY Fashion Week and so something you might see at some Granola-Crunchy store, as Michael Kors kept alluding to. All that was missing was some Birkenstocks and some incense. Take a look at this lovely example:

Muffin Top Alert: This poor girl is a size 2 or size 4 MAX...AND somehow, Gretchen still gave her a Muffin Top! Seriously.

Lowlights: Housewives of New Jersey Meets Liza Minelli

I really liked (and so did the judges), the one copper silk charmeuse gown he made but the other two choices were not my faves, especially that fringed top (Miss Heidi LOOOVED it!) and lace embroidered pants look: On top, she's a cast member in "Chicago" and on the bottom, she's Liza Minelli!

It looked a little too "Real Housewives of New Jersey" on a night out on the town. Michael Costello was Auf'ed and proceeded to have THE "I'm a Failure To My Parents" meltdown. After he dried his tears, Michael C. actually did get to show at Mercedes Benz NY Fashion Week--along with like 44 of the other contestants (yes, I'm exaggerating!). I know it's not the same, but still. In case you missed Michael C.'s NYC Fashion Week Finale Collection...you can click HERE to see it. I liked most of the looks but I wasn't a fan of...

Nipple Alert: This multi, multi, MULTI-layered ruffled gown with a see-through bustier seen on Season 1 Models of The Runway Model Lisa Blades. I love Miss Lisa, she's my friend, muse, and of course, has modeled LOTS of my gowns and dresses. But I, as a designer, would probably have NEVER put her in this. But what a trooper Miss Lisa! So, there you go. I'm betting on Miss Mondo to win. Anyway, to read what I REALLY thought of this last episode:

Here's the Beginning of my MyLifetime.com Blog/Recap for this "Finale Part 1" Episode:

Road To Therapy (I Mean New York Fashion Week!)

I cannot believe it's almost OVER! We are in the last lap of this season's "Project Runway" and it's been a KRAZEE marathon! This episode left me shaken. To be honest, immediately after watching, all I could focus on was that I may need to re-think my recap and instead write an open letter to all parents entitled "How Not to Mess Up Your Children's Lives." But then I wouldn't be able to discuss this last DRAMATIC (and oh-so-fashion-boring) penultimate episode. So here we go…

Click HERE to read my Entire Recap and make sure to leave your "two cents".

Nick Verreos Project Runway Season 8 Recaps on MyLifetime.com: Episode 12: The Big Apple!

The "Dress To A Chic NY Funeral Challenge"?

The Funeral Brigade: Designs by (L-R) Mondo Guerra, Gretchen Jones, Andy South, Michael Costello, and April Johnston

This past Thursday was the 12Th (!) Episode of Season 8 of Project Runway...and the Theme was "The Big Apple". They had 2 days and $500...and all they came up with was a sea of BLACK!

Yes, New York City was the remaining designers' muse and they were "allowed" by the Honorable Mayor Michael Bloomberg and the Distinguished Tim Gunn to use specific Landmarks: The Statue of Liberty, Brooklyn Bridge, Central Park and the Lower East Side as their inspiration.

Instead of a celebration of NYC and all its Landmarks, it became a FUNERAL. A very Chic one at that! (I never would have imagined I would have used BOTH a coffin AND a funeral reference when writing about Project Runway). If you had tuned in mid-way through, you probably would have thought that yes, in fact, the Challenge for this week was "Create a Look for a Very Chic Funeral". The designs the contestants created reminded me a lot of...

These looks that very chic and famous women (L-R: Supermodel Naomi Campbell, French actress Ariel Dombasle, Heiress Fashionista Daphne Guinness, and designer Stella McCartney) wore at recent high-profile funerals of Alexander McQueen and Yves Saint Laurent. Actually, I like these outfits BETTER than the ones I saw on Thursday night!

Here are some suggestions of what I would have rather seen--as creations inspired by some of those NYC Landmarks:

Central Park:

Andy South did an all BLACK (yep, no surprise) mini dress that was supposed to have been inspired by Central Park. There was NOTHING in it that said Central Park. I would have loved to have seen something with COLOR! Those gorgeous greens, something with texture. How about something along the lines of...

This Jean Paul Gaultier Haute Couture hand-woven dress from his "Mexico" Collection. I know, maybe take out the leaves on the hair but at least, it's A) Creative, B) Looks like it cost money and took a lot of work, and C) It has COLOR. Or maybe something like...

This colorful printed dress from Diane Von Furstenberg's Spring 2010 Collection. It may not be Andy's "aesthetic" but hey, it might be nice to see the more "softer/feminine" side of him.

Lower East Side:

Not-so-nice "Miss Critique Corner" designer Gretchen Jones picked the Lower East Side and created my LEAST favorite look of the night. It was a mess, looked off-the-rack, and didn't even go together. She was still safe, of course. Reality TV loves a villain, kids...But I wished I would have seen something more along the lines of...

This Balenciaga by Nicolas Ghesquière denim-blue skinny pant and hoodie jacket ensemble with colored tank from his Spring 2010. Hot, edgy, and oh so "fashion girl living in the Lower East Side". But oh well, no such luck.

Statue of Liberty:

Michael Costello chose the fabulous Statue of Liberty and made a BLACK halter gown with a VERY HIGH side-front slit and VERY LOW back. There's a rule in design when it comes to these details: One but NOT both! Unless it's the Miss Universe Pageant! I would have been happier seeing a gown like...

This one above from Stephane Rolland Fall 2010 Haute Couture. It's got the one shoulder silhouette, the draping and even a bit of detail at the hem to suggest a bit of weight the you attribute to such a grand statue. Well, irregardless, Michael C. still won with this design leaving lots of people thinking "Say What??". Speaking of What the H***? , when asked what fabric was his dress, he didn't know. HE DIDN'T KNOW!!! It's not even cute.

Michael, I love ya, but I may have to give you an extensive course on Textiles in my Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising/FIDM classroom, but first you have to register and enroll!

In the end, it was April Johnston who got the boot this week, with her almost-all BLACK asymmetrical dress with zippered corseted bustier. In my blog for MyLifetime.com, I admitted I kinda liked.
It reminded me of something along the lines of a Givenchy by Riccardo Tisci , dark, Gothic, yet still feminine. However, the judges--and especially Michael Kors--thought it looked more like this:

Yep, a Witch! A pregnant one at that. Oh well, with that, April got on a broom and left the Parsons Workroom, sad but privately happy knowing that she still would show at NY Fashion Week--along with like 22 other "Auf'ed" designers...

Here's a Sneak Peak of my MyLifetime.com Recap of this Episode:

Witchy Vs. Bitchy
Gretchen should have been OUT. There, I said it. But she wasn't. I knew she was going to be in the "Final Four" since … well, since she uttered her first "I think EVERYONE ELSE'S designs SUCK!" critique. PLEASE, I'm too jaded. But still … What the heck did I just witness last night?: An uninspiring, off-the-rack outfit got put through by the judges, on "Project Runway." Do I sound frustrated? Yes. That's because I am. Last night's episode — and challenge — had such potential, yet I was — to quote Michael Kors — underwhelmed (by all the black) and unusually mad! What were the judges thinking? Well, let's find out …

Click HERE to read the ENTIRE Recap!!! And make sure to leave your Thoughts! I love reading them!