Leanne is the fifth winner of Project Runway
At Stake
The final three designers (Kenley Collins, Korto Momolu, and Leanne Marshall) were vying for $100,000 to start their own line, a chance to sell their line on Bluefly.com, one year representation with an agency, a 2009 Saturn Hybrid car, and a spread in Elle magazine.
Girl Power!
Korto was sad that it had come down to her and her “Jerelly” for the final spot. She said that her “heart is breaking for him,” but she also wanted to win the competition. The final 3 noted how cool it was that this was the first season ever with an all-female cast at Bryant Park.
The Editing Edict
Tim announced that the designers would only show 10 looks as part of their collections, so they would need to do some editing, since they’ve created more than 10 looks if you include the wedding attire they made as part of last week’s challenges.
I Didn’t Ask, Don’t Tell Me
The models casting session went surprisingly well with very little bickering among the designers. Although Leanne did not appreciate Kenley giving her unsolicited advice on which models Leanne should choose. Leanne declared that Kenley should “worry about [her] own models.”
Final Tim Time
Tim talked to the designers about their editing choices for their collections. Not surprisingly, Kenley didn’t listen to Tim’s advice when he suggested that she not put her main model in her wedding dress as the judges already saw that look and thought it was a “knock-off” of Alexander McQueen. Kenley indignantly replied that she doesn’t copy from other designers and thought the judges thinking that she did was “insulting” and that she was “sick of it.” Tim seemed to have resigned himself to Kenley’s attitude because he merely told her that she would have to “accept responsibility” for her decisions and then moved on. He did have a rather amusing expression, as if he were thinking, “Oh-kay, don’t say I didn’t try and help you!” Korto was having trouble deciding whether to keep her wedding dress in, as the judges were less than enthused with it. Tim told her he couldn’t make that decision for her, but that she needed to “stand by your collection and love it.” In the end, Korto decided to ditch the wedding dress in favor of creating two completely new looks. Finally, Leanne noted that she was having trouble with some pants in her collection. Tim said that he “certainly wants to encourage you to have pants in the collection,” but she needed to perfect the piece and make sure it looked finished.
Maybe I Should Listen
Kenley seemed to have a mini-epiphany and realize that constantly thumbing her nose at Tim’s well-meaning advice hasn’t served her well, so she announced that she was going to take his advice and “switch [things] up” by putting her wedding dress on a different model so that it will be a bit of a different look for the judges on the runway.
Hair and Make-Up
In addition to putting on the final touches to their collections –- or in Korto’s case, racing against time to create new looks -– the designers also consulted with two of the show’s sponsors, L’Oreal Paris and TreSemme, on their models’ hair and make-up for the show at Bryant Park.
Trash Talking
Leanne and Kenley were never each other’s biggest fans and that held true with respect to their opinions on each other’s collections. Kenley said that Leanne “doesn’t know how to use color” and that her collection was “boring.” Leanne called Kenley’s collection “very, very amateurish” and said that it looked “like Holly Hobbie. . .like somebody’s child painted all over Kenley’s collection.”
Poopy Fitting
During a final fitting, Leanne’s main model, Tia, brought along her dog who pooped on the floor of the workroom, which made Kenley quip, “you better keep that [bleep] away from my [bleep]!” When Tia, still wearing the gown Leanne was fitting on her, went to clean up the poop, Leanne freaked a bit about getting any of it on her creation. In the end, it turned out fine and provided a moment of levity in the highly pressurized workroom.
Final Gather ‘Round
Tim called a final gather ‘round to announce the order at Bryant Park –- Kenley, Korto and Leanne. He reiterated how proud he was of all of them and then had them all huddle into one last group hug.
Parental Support
Kenley tearfully explained that her parents were going to be at the show, and that she couldn’t wait for them to see how hard she has worked since they haven’t been very involved in her life for the last three years. She also noted that her father “had a lot of influence” on her collection and she thinks that “he’s gonna think that’s rad as hell and love it.”
Can You Help Without Touching?
There was the usual frenzy of fittings and last minute adjustments backstage. Each of the designers were given three fashion student helpers, but Kenley didn’t seem to want hers, noting that “no one touches my clothes [but me].”
Last Minute Substitution
Heidi opened the show by introducing the judges and explaining that Jennifer Lopez was supposed to be the guest judge but had to drop out due to a “foot injury.” We were wondering how a foot injury precludes you from sitting and judging a runway show, but before we could wonder too long, Heidi introduced the person who would be the last minute replacement for J.Lo –- Tim Gunn.
Maybe I Really Should Have Listened!
Backstage, the designers expressed surprise at Heidi’s judging announcement and Kenley remarked that “maybe [she] should have improved [her] attitude.”
Artistic Fancy
Kenley introduced her collection by saying she was inspired by “painting and fantasy things. . .Alice in Wonderland.” She also thanked her family. Her collection had a lot of bright, bold colors and prints. There were also a lot of painted fabrics. Two things that stood out for us was a black, knee-length dress with a turtleneck neckline that was made of feathers. It was a cute, unique twist on the “little black dress.” The second item was an off-white shirt dress with full skirt and hand painted flowers down the body of the dress. It was an intricately simple and beautiful dress.
