It’s been a long season for Project Runway. A lot of talented designers were sent home. Tim Gunn didn’t use his save until the very last challenge to save Edmond which meant four finalists instead of three. And now it’s time to find out which of the four finalists will win it all on the Season 14 finale of Project Runway
Project Runway Season Finale Part 1 Recap: The Judges Don’t Hold Back on Their Runway Preview Critiques >>>
Make It Work One Last Time
Everyone is feeling down after the judges’ critiques of their runway previews. They’ve all put a lot of work into their collections over the last few weeks, so of course it’s hard to hear the judge’s negative opinions.
Ashley’s the only one who is feeling okay. She knows that she just needs to work on the details and the fit of her collection and she’ll be in pretty good shape.
Tim comes in to debrief with them. He says that getting the judges’ thoughts now can only be beneficial to them before they show them their final products. He offers to go to Mood to pick some things up for the designers (glitter for Kelly and a print for Ashley) and then sends them on their way.
Candice knows that she needs to tone down her collection, which is a big issue because it’s very dramatic. She decides to get rid of all of the looks with the cherry blossom print to make it cohesive. She also wonders if she should get rid of the wood skirt and take the hoop out of her finale piece. Tim encourages her to make the hard decisions if it’s for the betterment of her collection.
Kelly uses the glitter Tim brought her to paint all of her shoes. Tim says that looking at her collection makes him happy and he encourages her to just amp it up and be herself.
Edmond isn’t panicking; he definitely thinks he can still win this. But he is doubting himself and having a hard time making decisions about his designs. He wants to re-work a lot of the looks with ruffles, since the judges seemed to hate those the most, but Tim tells him to follow his convictions and just own his ruffle looks.
Tim tells Ashley that fit is always critical for a runway show, but it’s especially essential for her clothes to fit her plus size models. She says she’s going to really pay attention to each of her model’s body types and decide what garment looks right on each of their bodies.
The Final Four Show Their Stuff
It’s the day of the final runway show! And the finalists are up bright and early (3:30 am, to be exact) to start their day. They arrive and after all of them take a moment to appreciate the moment before the hustle and bustle starts.
Joining our regular judges, Heidi, Nina (both ladies are rocking fierce pantsuits, by the way) and Zac is country music star and American Idol winner Carrie Underwood.
Kelly’s collection’s collection is “Studio 54 Meets New Wave.” Her models have big hair, glitter lips, glitter shoes, and of course, fanny packs! The wood panel print and sheer elements are incorporated throughout the looks. The most dramatic piece is a glittery silver and gold open-leg jumpsuit. It’s loud, a little crazy, and 100% Kelly.
Edmond’s collection is mostly in black and navy blues. But he does have a few white pieces including a ruffled dress that literally looks like toilet paper. His collection isn’t dramatic at all, with a lot of plain black dresses and nothing that looks very unique or new.
Candice dedicates her collection to her kids, which is very sweet. The red leather gown is a definite show stopper, but she ended up using the cherry blossom print in one of her looks and it doesn’t fit with the rest of the collection. There are a lot of corsets and a lot of leather. In the end she did dial down the drama, but it’s still a solid and fierce collection.
Ashley’s plus size collection is inspired by Mexico City in the 1950s. It has a beautiful gem color palette with lots of pretty lace. Ashley used the floral crowns sparingly, as Nina suggested, but they’re a very nice touch. She gets emotional seeing her looks come down the runway. She knows it’s a big moment for Project Runway and a big moment for her individually.
What Do the Judges Think?
Kelly: Zac appreciates how Kelly “really went for it.” He liked the way her pieces sparkled and shined on the runway calling it a little flashy and a little trashy to get the perfect mix. Nina is surprised and impressed and says she could see her voice in every piece, even though she liked some more than others. Carrie likes that she’s not afraid to be herself.
Ashley: Nina says her collection was unexpected, courageous and brave, which are huge compliments coming from Nina. They all liked the colors and Carrie even wanted to wear the plum lace dress (the one she made last week for the last minute challenge). Zac says she did something spectacular and he thinks the floral crowns were a nice touch.
Candice: Carrie says it was way too much leather for her taste, but she loved the silhouettes. Nina’s favorite piece was the cherry blossom dress, but she says it didn’t fit with the rest of the collection. Zac says it’s a little witchy and a little urban. He also says that she’s a great designer but she needs to find a more original way to express her voice. Heidi says it was too costumey at times, though it did look better without the dramatic hats and gloves.
Edmond: Heidi loved the sexy pieces that seemed the most “Edmond,” but the bigger gowns toward the end of the show seemed to be a bit too much. Zac says he needs to design for a certain woman, and when he goes into the fantasy element of the runway show, his pieces seemed more contrived and less sophisticated. Carrie says that he does classic sexy glamour very well.
Who Wins it All?
The winner of Project Runway will receive $100,000 to launch their own fashion line, a 2015 Lexus, a fashion spread in Marie Claire, and a lot of other fun products and perks too long to list here.
Candice and Edmond are eliminated first. Heidi says there were hits and misses in both of their collections, and they both still have a lot of growing to do as designers.
So it’s between Kelly and Ashley for the win. They loved that Ashley showed courage making a plus size collection, and they think that Kelly has a fresh and fun new point of view in fashion. But there can only be one winner.
And it’s Ashley! She’s the first person to show a plus size collection on Project Runway, and it got her the win. The judges are so proud of what she’s already accomplished, but Zac says she has even more groundbreaking to do in the industry. And Nina offers to talk to her about working with Marie Claire in the future.
Congrats Ashley! She had a great collection and a great season!
(Image courtesy of Lifetime)
Contributing Writer, BuddyTV
