Thank goodness it’s finally over!  Last night marked the Season 6 finale of Project Runway, and I think we’re all glad to see it go.

No specific drama went down (besides Tim Gunn getting flustered that the show was running late!), and all three designers took the stage at Bryant Park without a hitch.

Althea was up first, arriving on the runway in Uggs (wtf?!).  Her designs were inspired by sci-fi movies of the ’50s and ’60s, and as they were presented, it wasn’t entirely evident why.  It was a bunch of the same thing over and over again: headbands, big shoulders, sweaters belted around the middle, and slouchy harem pants.

It was Carol Hannah next, with a collection inspired by fairy tales and such.  We saw bunch of colorful dresses with a lot of volume, a lot of satin, a lot of movement.  Nice stuff, but nothing really popped out at me - besides maybe the upside-down pyramid gown.  As usual, everything looked extremely well-made.

Irina was last, with designs inspired by being a tough lady in New York City.  As expected, her models walked out entirely dressed in black.  There were many accessories - bags, belts, etc.- and almost every model had a sort of equestrian hat on.  Everything looked impeccably tailored, but sort of repetitive.

Our judges, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and International Herald Tribune fashion editor Suzy Menkes were impressed with all.  They liked Althea’s translation of what she saw in the streets onto the runway, loved Carol Hannah’s use of color, and thought Irina’s “armor” looks were edgy and they loved her t-shirts.

So who was our winner?  It’s Mean-a Irina FTW!  The judges were in awe of her use of accessories and the cohesiveness of her collection.  BORING!

Basically, they just picked the contestant whose designs most resembled those of Christian Siriano.  NEXT!

Project Runway Season 7, don’t disappoint me.  We only have to wait until January, people.

Auf wiedersehen!

Project Runway is coming to a close!  Last night’s episode whittled the competition down to the top 3 contestants who would be showing at Bryant Park.

The final challenge was to find inspiration at the Getty museum in Los Angeles - then take two days and $300 to come up with a design.  Our contestants examined the art, architecture, and natural surroundings to find a basis for their designs. Althea went with the museum’s architecture, Christopher with the outdoor rock fountain, Irina with Godward’s Mischief and Repose, Gordana with Monet’s Rouen Cathedral, and Carol Hannah with a French bed from the late 1700s.

Let’s take a look at what they came up with:

ALTHEA HARPER

CHRISTOPHER STRAUB

IRINA SHABAYEVA

GORDANA GEHLHAUSEN

CAROL HANNAH WHITFIELD

This week’s line-up of judges included Heidi Klum (Heidi Samuel?), Nina Garcia, designer Cynthia Rowley, and supermodel Cindy Crawford.

Overall, the judges weren’t pleased.  It’s clear that Althea ran out of time with her overly-ambitious design, the bottom of Christopher’s dress was too dowdy, Irina’s dress is a bit too “old lady” for Nina Garcia, Gordana’s matched the inspiration best but didn’t have enough “wow” to it, and Carol Hannah’s design was nice but safe.

So who’s auf’d?  We’ll be saying goodbye to Gordana (who was sort of hit or miss all season) and Christopher ( who was too inexperienced, technically).

Our winners are thus Althea, Irina, and Carol Hannah… which means we’ve got an all-lady Fashion Week!  I was quite happy with our final three, as the trio consisted of exactly who I was rooting for.  But to pare it down, my vote is going towards Carol Hannah, whose dresses are simple, innovative, and tasteful at the same time, and perhaps most closely match my personal taste.  As for the other two, I think Irina’s designs are nice and wearable but boring, and Althea’s are good, but usually fail to catch my eye.  We’ll have to see what goes down at Bryant Park!

Ah, but guess what!  All three shows got terrible reviews.  There, I spoiled it for you.  Could this be the worst Project Runway season of all time?  Sound off in the comments section.

Hey evvverybodyyyy, get excited!  Both The Hills and The City premiere tonight on MTV!  It all starts this evening at 10:00 p.m.

The Hills will feature our new villainess, Laguna Beach’s Kristin Cavallari, filling in for the newly-absent Lauren Conrad.  Meanwhile, on The City, Whitney Port will have some new friends in tow - party girls Samantha and Roxy - and Olivia Palermo will be starting a new job at Elle Magazine (say hello to Nina Garcia for us!).

Should be a good night of television!  To get you pumped up about the night ahead, here’s a list of each character and how much they will be making for each episode of The Hills:

Kristin Cavallari, $90,000

Audrina Patridge, $100,000

Lauren “Lo” Bosworth, $100,000

Heidi Montag, $100,000

Spencer Pratt, $65,000

Brody Jenner, $45,000

From The Daily Beast.  How do these salaries make you feel?

Lauren Conrad was up to $125,000 before she left.  How much do you think Stacie the bartender takes home?

Last night on Project Runway, the gang was asked to design an outfit for their models to wear to a high-profile industry event.  Each designer had to take their assigned model’s direction and come up with an outfit that’d help them catch the eye of the higher-ups.

Guest judges were designer Marc Bouwer (Bruno, is that you?) and Marie Claire’s Zoe Glassner.  Michael Kors and Nina Garcia were nowhere in sight.  Seriously, Proj, get ‘em back here, I didn’t sign up for this!

Qristyl ended up going home that night after producing an outfit straight off the racks of Forever 21.  Take a look at this snoozy $15.99 number:

This elimination, I agreed with.  The winner, however, I’m at odds with.  Althea ended up going home with the prize with this boxy jacket/tank/skirt three-piecer:

To me, this is just all sorts of wrong.  I agree it’s eye-catching, the jacket is quite professional, and it’s absolutely unique.  However, the skirt looks poorly-made to me, the jacket is a cliché, the bralessness is declassé, and the entire ensemble hides the waist and does nothing to accentuate the body.

ZOINKS!  Did you see how many French words I used there?  You know I mean business.

My pick for the night?  Loved runner-up Carol Hannah’s leathery pencil skirt/one-shouldered thingamajig.  Quite classy - but with an edge.  You want your model to be versatile, nawmean?

Do you agree with my assessments?  Or do you think Althea deserved the crown after all?  Hollaback in the comments section, would love to hear everyone’s Project Runway Episode 4 picks.

[Photos courtesy of Seen On! Project Runway]

Last night, on Project Runway, the contestants were asked to design an outfit for a very, very pregnant Rebecca Romijn (Ugly Betty).  Not much direction was given; it could be a day look, night look, business meeting look, twiddling-your-thumbs look, you name it!

The gang goes to work and generally gets good feedback from mentor Tim Gunn during the creation process.  With the exception of three!  Ra’mon’s cocktail dress looks like a bowling bag (Hey! no cocktails for pregs ladies!), Mitchell’s short-shorts look like a burlap sack (Sack o’ baby!), and Malvin’s “mother hen” concept needs work (Egg top, chicken thigh bottom? Yikes!).  Make it work, you three!

The designers took their pregnancy-chic designs to the runway.  Honestly, I thought just about every design was decent, with the exception of Malvin’s.  Everyone did a decent job sending well-made outfits down the runway; my only complaint was that they were all a bit boring, perhaps a bit repetitive.

Michael Kors was strangely absent this time ’round.  Guest judge was designer Monique Lhuillier.  Omgah, speak of the dev - the Twihard!

On the chopping block, Ra’mon, Louise, Althea,  Melvin, and Shirin were deemed unsafe by Heidi, while Gordana, Christopher, Epperson, Irina, Johnny, Carol, Qristyl, Nicolas, and Logan’s scores were high enough to keep them in the competition.

In the end, it was boys vs. girls!  Louise, Shirin, and Althea’s dresses were all well-received, while Melvin and Mitchell’s outfits were destroyed.  Life lesson: you should always, always listen to Tim Gunn.  The man is an expert.

The winner?  Shirin!  Her red, drapey cocktail dress was deemed elegant, sophisticated, yet still wearable and comfy.

Did anyone else think Louise’s dress looked sorta similar?  A comparison:

That’s Shirin’s design on the left, Louise’s on the right.

Now it’s down to Melvin vs. Mitchell.  In my opinion, though Mitchell’s was better, I thought he deserved to be kicked off.  It was his second week on the chopping block, and Melvin at least showed more innovation as a designer.

Alas, Melvin got the boot.

Bye bye, birdie!  Er, auf wiedersehen, birdie.

What a night of fashion-related TV!  Let’s recap, shall we?

It all started with a super special treat: the Project Runway: All-Star Challenge.  It’s exactly what it sounds like - contestants from past seasons were brought together for one mega-competition (or “Project Runway on speed,” as was noted) worth a $100,000 grand prize.

Each designer was to design a mini-collection: 4 designs, including a red carpet look for actress Nicole Kidman, and a last-minute innovative outfit made out of rando materials collected at STK restaurant.

The competitors?  Dig it: Jeffrey Sebelia (Season 3), Daniel Vosovic (Season 2), Korto Momolu (Season 5), Uli Herzner (Season 3), Chris March (Season 4), Mychael Knight (Season 3), Sweet P Vaughn (Season 4), and Santino Rice (Season 2).  YAY!

All our fave judges were back, too: Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia, and guest Diane von Furstenberg.

Who won?  Well, top dogs Michael, Jeffrey, and Santino were immediately eliminated.  Then Chris, then Sweet Pea.  With Korto and Daniel in the top two, competition is tight…. And the winner is…

Daniel Vosovic!  Sporty, sophisticated, innovative, modern - the judges ate his designs up!  Personally, I’m stoked; Daniel was my personal favorite on Season 2 and I’ve always considered him to be a total class act.  Okay, okay, okay, enough about me, without further ado…

On to the show!  DRUMROLL, PLZ!  It’s time for Project Runway Season 6!  Wahooo!  We’re in L.A. now!  We meet our designers, have some champagne with Heidi, etc…. and the challenge begins.

Next day, the gang meets at the Nokia Theater, where the red carpet of the Emmy awards were held this year.  Tim presents the first challenge: a red carpet look that represents designer point of view.

The designers get started at their new FIDM workplace, with a shopping trip at fabric store and PR-favorite Mood, get started on their designs, work with the make-up artists to style, etc.  You know the drill.

Oh, but oooOOooooh!  Our guest judge is actress/singer/leggings designer Lindsay Lohan!  Viva la Lohan!  Okay, so check out our contestants and what they come up with:

Althea Harper, 24, from Dayton, Ohio

This babe has interned with some big names (e.g. Alexander McQueen!), so she’s likely ahead of the game already.

With her design, she was aiming for an old Hollywood glam look.  What she comes up with is a lilac satin form-fitting number - a sort of mermaid tail bottom with a white ruffle halter.

I’m bad at describing fashion.  Get used to it.  I’m about to use the same 3 design words I know over and over again.  Ready, set, go!

Gordana Gehlhausen, 45, from Charleston, South Carolina

(Former) Yugoslavian babe!  Holla at my Slav sister!  She wants to show all the girls back home that they can dream big.  I’m into it.

She designs a turquoise cocktaily number with a strange pop-out geometrical top made of sheer/not sheer fabrics.  Not really feeling it over here.

Though not really a dress I’m into, I don’t see this one as a dealbreaker.

In fact, I bet Nina Garcia might even like it!  Let’s move on.

Malvin Vien, 24, from New York, New York

He’s into a sort of asexual aesthetic.

His design?  Extremely simple at first glance, almost a potato sackesque dress with a racer top.

But if you look closer, you see very innovative piping and bunching along the back and in the skirt.  I can dig it.

I could see this guy being a Christian Siriano/LeAnn hybrid.

Mitchell Hall, 26, from Savannah, Georgia

Got the incorrect measurements for his model, decides to start over with his near-completed design by slapping a see-through fabric tent on his model.

His look turns out terrible!

So see-through!  So humongous!  And so strangely Victorian-aged Princess Leia.

Yikes!  I predict the chopping block for this guy.

Louise Black, 32, from Dallas, Texas

She likes vintage!

And you see it in her design: a two-toned, simple glam number in that beige/plum/grey color I just can’t figure out.  Beautiful ruffle along the shoulder of the gown.

She’s concerned that the color of the gown got washed-out during the construction process, but honestly, to this untrained eye, it was totally unnoticeable.  Mum’s the word, Louise.

Christopher Straub, 30, from Shakopee, Minnesota

He wasn’t able to attend design school like the some of the other contestants and may not have as much technical skill, but he’s confident.

His dress is an interesting one - black bodice + half-skirt made of black almost-feather, with a gauzey ruffle skirt/petticoat thing coming out below.  Wow, I made that sound crazy.

Trust me, it was nice.  Not flawless, but I could definitely see some babe (La Lohan?) rocking it on the red carpet.

Ra’mon-Lawrence Coleman, 31, from Chicago, Illinois

He went to med school, specializing in neurosurgery, and towards the end decided he’d be good at it, but he wasn’t passionate about it.

And that surgeon-like precision came across the runway!

His design: a midnight blue gown, pretty simple.  Some sleek lines cascading down the front, a single strap on one shoulder, with a flowing short sleeve on the other.  Long train.

Sweet and simple.

Shirin Askari, 24, from Richardson, Texas

Her name is Farsi for sweet!  She says she’s into clothes that have a transformative element to them, like a jacket that turns itself into a vest or whatnot.

Her final dress is an elegant, backless silk number.  Pretty simple: a tea-length flesh number with a short black train hanging off the back. The model takes off a black shrug to reveal an exposed back with bow.

It looks much better than I’m describing it, trust me.

Epperson, 50, from New York, New York

The oldest competitor!

He comes up with a very dramatic black gown that basically looks like it has a giant raven perched on its shoulder and a fox circling its ankles  The back is a cascading waterfall of cinched black fabric.  But like, in a good way.

I’m into it.  He’s my Christian Siriano / Jeffrey Sebelia guy.

Yes, everyone’s got a li’l Christian in them (that’s what somebody said?).

Irina Shabayeva, 27, from New York, New York

Her audition tape reveals she’s inspired by her crappy little dog, Princess.  Yeccch.  I hope she doesn’t design everything in white fur.

Nope!  She designs a cream-colored silky gown with lots of flow to it, lots of lace.  The dress has a black band around the middle that accentuates the waist a smidge.

Kinda snoozy, but the way the layers of train flow behind the model is actually quite stunning.

Ari Fish, 26, from Kansas City, Missouri

I can already tell this babe’s gonna annoy the heck outta me.

She prides herself on being innovative, on having a unique point of view that she thinks everyone should understand.

Unfortunately for her, her design is a silver metallic moon man halter with short-shorts and go-go boots.  It’s sort of what you might imagine a slutty alien wearing if they came to Earth and tried to put together an ensemble that they thought made them fit in.

Johnny Sakalis, 30, West Hollywood, California

A former crystal meth addict!  Early on, he gets incredibly stressed and can’t get his head in the game - literaly just breaking down and considering quitting altogether.  He has a tearful h2h with the world’s greatest man, Tim Gunn, and pulls himself together.

Picking himself back up, he comes up with a bright red, flowy silk number.  Lots of fabric, interesting silhouette, some might say.   Kind of pretty, actually, and not bad in the least.  Johnny made it work!

Carol Hannah Whitfield, 24, from Charleston, South Carolina

A Southern girl, she’s supposedly into a pixie aesthetic.  Apparently, if you were a woodland fairy who had to go to a gala, you’d pick one of her dresses.  I beg to differ.

She sends a peach-colored gown down the runway, with interesting piping and draping.  The bodice is pretty impressively constructed, but the overall effect is underwhelming, if you ask me - almost sort of Jessica McClintock.

Ladies, you know what I’m talking about.

Qristyl Frazier, 42, from New York, New York

She doesn’t call it “plus-size,” she calls it “plus-sexy”!

I like that attitude!

Her gown?  Yikes!  For me, probably the worst thing out there.  It’s half form-fitting purple satin, half multi-colored satin puke explosion.  Looking at that thing was like opening a can of peanuts and having a huge felt snake pop out.

I question her taste level.  Definitely one of the bottom numbers.  Trust me.

Logan Neitzel, 26, Seattle, Washington

Self-proc guys’ guy and strong pattern-maker!  Those go hand in hand, right?

He comes up with a plain slate/silver gown with a high, boatish neck.  It’s nice, it seems well-constructed, but it’s almost as if it’s like a dumbed-down version of all the other silver gowns we’ve seen this evening.  Apparently, “red carpet” means “silver dress” to almost all the designers.

Definitely not a losing number, but not a winner either.  This guy’s gonna have to step it up if he wants to be noticed, methinks.  Show us those patterns!

Nicolas Putvinski, 27, from New York, New York

Known in New York City as the “feather prince,” apparently; his friends say all he uses is chiffon, lace, feathers, and champagne.  I like!

He has lots of experience - he even designed a gown for Marchesa that was on the cover of Vogue!

This round-faced glamour queen designs a short black dress with intricate pattern/piping down the front.  Another one of those intricately-constructed-but-still boring numbers we’ve seen so much of tonight.

Of these, Shirin, Epperson, Gordana, Carol Hannah, Logan, Althea, Nicolas, Irina, Malvin, and Louise have scores that qualify them to go on to the next challenge.

Now on to the highest and lowest scores!  Qristyl’s look is slaughtered - the front is a mess, it’s schizophrenic!  Christopher’s dress, they like - hip and young, cute and edgy.  Ra’mon’s look is well-liked, too, but maybe too safe.  Ari’s spaceman look - a disco soccer ball, not enough beauty in the oddity, they say.  Johnny’s dress is appreciated - seductive but not overly sexy, beautiful, possibly with a color too bold.  Mitchell, predictably, disliked - maybe a cool nightgown, at best.

Who’s in?  Johnny, Ra’mon, Qristyl, and Mitchell (by a hair!) are safe, and Christopher is the winner!

That leaves Ari and her wacky, outside-of-the-box, one-of-a-kind wackdress with a big ole auf wiedersehen.  Peace out, spacecase!

Yippee!  Following months of legal tiffs and subsequent weeks of kissing/making up, Lifetime has finally set a date for the premiere of Project Runway, season six!

BAM!  August 20th, bitches.

Good morning, everybodyyy!  It’s my birthday today, which only means one thing - good news abounds!

Today’s good news: the return of Project Runway!  After a few months of legal drama regarding the show’s already-filmed sixth season, the show will officially be returning to television this summer, set to air on Lifetime.

All legal issues have been amicably resolved.  The Weinstein Company has agreed to pay NBC Universal for the right to move Project Runway from Bravo to Lifetime.  Everybody happy!

Season six will be set in Los Angeles rather than New York, which means Uggs and Juicy Couture sweat suits will be incorporated into all designs (TOTALLY KIDDING, you know I love you, LA!).  Judges will remain the same (Heidi Klum, Michael Kors, Nina Garcia), Tim Gunn will be kickin’ around, and Christina Aquilera, Eva Longoria Parker, and Rebecca Romijn are among the celebs set to appear.

A companion series called Models of the Runway will be airing on Lifetime alongside the show.  Eh.  I can take or leave that one.

Dunno ’bout you guys, but I’m v. excited for season six!  The bar keeps being set higher and higher with each season!  Next thing you know, Yves Saint Laurent will be competing against Ralph Lauren and Coco Chanel!

YSL FTW!

Le sigh.  If you’re as big of a Project Runway fan as I am, you’re likely biting your nails down to the nub (creepy, right?) in anticipation for the sixth season.

Season six was taped to air on Lifetime, but has been delayed by a lawsuit filed by NBC, owner of Bravo, the show’s former network.  Here, let the NYT explain it, I’m no Elle Woods.

Is NBC flippin’ burgers over the fact that Bravo programming is crazy mediocre without the Proj (yeah, I’m looking at you, The Rachel Zoe Project)?  Seriously, tears on my pillow, NBC.  Just give us our Project Runway!

Regardless, the show must go on, IRL.  Season six is still being taped without any knowledge of where and when it’ll air.  The three finalists presented their collections anonymously this morning at Fashion Week.

SPOILER ALERT: Racked has posted a few photos from the shows here.  I can’t get myself to click on the thumbnails, though.  Too bittersweet, y’all.

In the meantime, I’ve been enjoying peeping season four winner Christian Siriano’s Spring 2009 collection on TrendMill this morning.  Quite tasteful, with lovely splashes of color.

A few of my faves:

Don’tsayfiercedon’tsayfiercedon’tsayfiercedon’t sayfierce

Auf wiedersehen!