After five seasons, “Project Runway’s” Tim Gunn says he knows where this cutthroat competition is won or lost. It’s not in the designers’ workroom at Parsons. And it’s not on the runway in front of Heidi Klum and company, either. “It’s at Mood Fabrics,” says Gunn of the West 37th Street store that contestants visit before every challenge. “With each successive season of the show, what is underscored for me is that it all happens at Mood. They win it or lose it right there, in the choice of fabric, color and texture.” Gunn, who became a guest judge at the Bryant Park show when Jennifer Lopez bailed, says that inevitably, in the beginning of each season, some of the designers will have a budget of, say, $100, and look to him for approval when they spend far less.
“They’ll come to me and say, ‘I only spent $35, isn’t that great?’ And I’ll say, ‘NO, that isn’t great. Spend $99.99. I’d much rather you have more in that workroom than less. This is not something to boast about.'” The four finalists all shopped, with an unerring eye for grabbing the right stuff. And because there is no clear frontrunner, they they’ve left us wondering who will come out on top. Gunn gave us the lowdown on their strengths and weaknesses – and let off a little steam about the one designer he wishes he could have sent home himself. KENLEY COLLINSWe know what her strengths are. She’s retro in her thinking. She loves and embraces vintage-from silhouette to textiles. And she would benefit from a fashion history class and making herself read current fashion magazines. Or at least go online, look at collections, and see what people are doing. She needs to get out of her bubble and become part of 2008-2009. There’s no excuse. It’s a designer’s responsibility. I don’t care if you don’t want to, or you feel you don’t need to. You HAVE to. She has a responsibility to know what’s happened before and what’s happening now. Because that’s the only way you can be part of what’s happening in the future. And I would have to amend my earlier statement, made to the Post midway through the season, that I didn’t want to see any of the last eight contestants go home. She was rude and my reaction to her had been building. I had been waiting to snap and I finally did. I said to her, “I’m just trying to help you. You don’t have to listen to me, but don’t be rude to me. I’m not here to knock you down or make you feel bad. But to point things out to you that perhaps you haven’t considered. But if you have, fine. Just accept responsibility for your decisions.” And then on the runway, she blamed the judges’ response to her (hip-hop) “look” on Leanne and how she didn’t “work it.” THAT was the issue? REALLY? KORTO MOMOLUI love her. She’s a masterful technician. Do I think we’re going to get earth-shattering fashion from Korto? NO. But we get beautiful clothes and we get someone who understands real women. She has a respect for them and wants to design for them. And I always celebrate that. Regrettably, if she really wants to be a major fashion force, she’s going to have to have more of an edge to her. It depends on how ambitious she wants to be.LEANNE MARSHALLI love her, too. Still waters run deep. This is where you’re completely thrown off, because you would think, this doesn’t seem like the person who would create this kind of design work. She’s very cerebral, her work is very intellectual. She loves architecture, which is evident in her work. She likes the whole architectural aspect of fashion construction. And the only thing she needs to be mindful of – and she is – is editing, because she can take things too far. I’m so surprised that she didn’t win the astrology challenge! It was absolute genius. I was stunned by that. But Jerell (who won the challenge) worked the room. He has the personality: The host with the most. And she’s a little bit of a shrinking violet. That’s what did it. And frankly, I’m still annoyed about it. I really am. Her dress was staggering.JERELL SCOTTJerell is extremely talented. He has a sense of elegant detail and of mixing different patterns and textures and colors. He has a very unconventional sense of color that I LOVE. And he has a sophistication when it comes to silhouette. The one area he needs to be mindful of is the final finish, the final polish that he gives his looks. I think that he says “fini” a little too soon. PROJECT RUNWAY
Wednesday, 9 p.m., Bravo