Dept. of what is this I don't even

[kaffy_r]

Fashion - One Day You're In, The Next You're Stupid
I used to love Project Runway, back when it was on Bravo. Yes, I wear jeans and untucked old shirts more often than I ever wear stylish clothes - hello, middle-aged spread - but fashion fascinates me. And Project Runway is the only competition-based reality show that seemed to put at least as much emphasis on real talent as it did on carefully maneuvered and edited drama. (No, Top Chef doesn't count. I can't judge food that's only pixels to me.)

In fact, I loved Project Runway enough that I tuned out the last couple of seasons more because of scheduling conflicts than any unhappiness with it, or its move to Lifetime. Hey, as long as Tim Gunn still presided, gentle, elegant and brilliant, over the workroom and the designers' hearts, souls, and taste levels, I was happy. I'd even learned to deal with Michael Kors' bitchiness, Nina Garcia's capricious standards and Heidi Klum's occasionally cold-eyed world view. So I was pleased this season, when I was able to catch at least a third of the episodes.

That included the last two before the two-part finale, and, of course, Thursday night's finale.

Aaaand, the winner is .... Gretchen? Seriously?

As far as I can see, we can blame a) judges on crack, b) judges on horse tranquilizers  or c) winners with mob ties.* Mondo should have won, with his sophistication, wit and design intelligence; Andy should have come in second, with his nuanced approach to drape, cut, and mastery of gorgeous textiles. Gretchen, whose lines were awkward, boring, ugly and ... brown?

What is this I don't even ....

Over on TWoP, one member of Gretchen's notably sparse fan club tried to support the judge's decision by tossing off an ill-conceived and (to my ear) unconsciously borderline homophobic comment that suggested Gretchen, like other woman designers, designed for real women, while designers like Alexander McQueen (or, presumably, Mondo) dressed their models "like drag queens."

My response? "As a real woman, I'd rather be dressed as a drag queen than a bag lady. One has style and verve. The other has ... bags."

*All of which were suggested over on TWoP, although folks said Tim had actually been quoted as suggesting the judges had been on crack. While it's hard for me to see Gunn ever being undecorous enough to say something of that sort, this decision could well have driven him to do so.


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