Project Runway: Finale, Part II

"Finale, Part I" must have been highly edited, because my expectations for the fashions I'd see for "Finale, Part II" were in the subbasement. But I think this was one of the best showings on a Project Runway finale, partly because each designer had a strong showing on some level, and partly because I agreed with the judges' assessments.

I will only post the best of from each collection, not all 40 looks, but you can see all 40 HERE.

Generally speaking no one had a 100% satisfactory collection, but some were more success than others.  As is my wont, I will break it down from worst to best.

Melissa
With Melissa I simply felt like I've seen all of her stuff before. I thought her new "blood orange" dress looked almost exactly like one she did for a challenge. (I think it was brown.) Also her long white dress was horrific. All she had to do was split one of the seams for a slit; it wouldn't have been a perfect fix, but it would have been far less embarrassing. For me her two best pieces were her white asymmetrical dress, and a simple black dress with the surprise of a white halter in the back. I also liked the mohawk chignons.

Christopher
Sadly Christopher just couldn't make it come together. Again, I loved his x-ray print and splattered leather, but the judges spoke truth about the lack of cohesion in Christopher's collection. I think he focused on showing everything in his repertoire instead of editing for cohesion. He had some great pieces though. I liked his odd, shiny leather jacket, the craggy front opening was especially interesting; the blue, slashed fabric jacket, although it didn't fit into the collection; and his finale dress, which isn't shockingly new, but I thought the train had an interesting, structured yet fluid shape.

Fabio
Fabio and Dmitry sized up almost equally, which shocked me. I never connected with Fabio's point of view during the season, and I can't see myself ever wearing any of his pieces, but he made a strong collection. It was cohesive, it was true to Fabio yet unexpected, it was light and fluid, and it felt fresh. And I have to hand it to him, he really listened to the judges and tweaked his collection just enough to make it look sophisticated and expensive. (Most importantly he hid all his bad craftsmanship.) I liked this little white dress the best. It had a slouchy, freehand sort of drape, but it looked easy to wear and flattering.

Dmitry
I'm pleased as punch that Dmitry won. He worked hard, stayed calm, listened to the judges, has enough craftsmanship to choke a horse, kept cohesion, and ultimately made a strong collection. I certainly didn't love all his pieces--I still hate the mesh tops and I kind of hate those fringe sleeves--but overall it was good. My favorite piece was the black origami bodice dress. It was visually interesting and it looked easily wearable. I also liked his fringed geometric dress and the finale gown, even though both were borderline ballroom. I especially loved the top of the ball gown; the neckline is perfection. Congratulations, Dmitry!

A fond farewell to season 10, you were a good one, and a warm welcome to the start of All Stars next week! The contestants I'm most excited about are my beloved Anthony Ryan, Emilio, and Uli. See all the All Stars HERE.