The season finale of "Project Runway 3," Bravo's hit fashion design documentary-meets-reality show hosted and produced by Heidi Klum, is fast approaching, and we at The Eagle don't know what to do with ourselves. This is a show so addictive that Bravo-less students all across the AU campus are contemplating spending their hard-earned work-study money on episodes available on iTunes for $1.99 a pop. The casual watcher simply cannot understand.
It is for these reasons that Scene staffers Andrew Gardner, Mia Steinle and Jen Turner weigh in on the Final Four. All are remarkably talented and diverse to boot, so who will win? Only Wednesday's episode will answer that pressing question-unless it takes two episodes to tell the tale.
Michael Knight
Mia: After the unfortunate fall of Malan Breton, who inspired us to new designing heights with his condescending air and irritating laugh, "Project Runway" seemed bleak at best. That is, until Michael began to wow the judges with his knack for sportswear and his understanding of the female form. Perhaps the antithesis of Malan, Michael is kind and quiet and creates no conflict, likely to the distress of the show's producers. In spite of some struggles with evening gowns and couture, Michael is the most promising designer for his mass appeal and range of design.
Andrew: What a man, am I right folks? I fell in love with this guy from the beginning. He's pretty difficult not to like, considering his wonderful designer name, nice-guy attitude and amazing eye for original and interesting design. He sealed the deal for me ages ago when he designed the bright pink hot pants and matching vest combination, ? la Pam Grier. He understands good design, and despite his miss with the evening gown two weeks ago, he is the only designer the entire season to be consistently original and good. If this guy can't win after his collection debuts, I will be cursing the designer gods for all eternity.
Jen: Michael Knight won my heart with the fashion icon challenge, as he adequately recreated the bumpin' image of Pam Grier on his fantastic model. This guy is the kind of obvious winner, falling well within television's disturbing parameters for pigeonholes, typecasting and categorization. Season one had the flamboyantly eccentric gay man. Season two had the cute, classic Asian woman. Season three has Puff Daddy. Luckily Michael is so talented it hurts.
Laura Bennett
Mia: For the sake of humanity, Laura, please stop designing cocktail dresses with plunging-V necklines. Michael Kors is almost certain to let loose a hissy fit the likes of which viewers have never seen if she even dares to hang beads from a hem. Apparently, we can't all handle the glamour that comes with being a middle-aged architect with five children, no sense of humor and permanently red lips.
Andrew: Let's say you are a 40-something architect with red hair who likes wearing various iterations on low-cut little black dresses and thinks bright red lipstick is flattering when paired with a pasty white complexion. Now say you decide to start designing clothes. Who would you be? Why, you would be Laura Bennett, the matriarch of the designer bunch who makes her own little cocktail dresses and tries to mask them as original design. Laura, I will personally get down on the floor and thank God if your collection can look any different than the last five gowns you've made (although you are no Angela Keslar, thankfully).
Jen: My peers totally hate Laura and I literally have no idea why. Not only is she the last bastion of class in this mixed up, crazy world but she's also got no soul and a heart as cold as ice. Why isn't that something for young boys and girls to aspire to? She represents respect for the vintage, the beautiful and the classic. Her hair is impeccable. She doesn't own a pair of jeans and thinks of jodhpurs and riding boots as dressing down. Laura's background in architecture means that her garments are flawless. She is like the Ikea of fashion and I love her. I want to be her when I grow up, minus the kids. Gross.
Jeffrey Sebelia
Mia: An excerpt from Jeffrey's bio on www.bravotv.com perhaps best describes the image he's so desperately trying to project: "At age 16, Jeff left home to live in a garage with his punk band where he fell into a life of music, art and fast times, all supported by a mild criminal habit." Let's be honest, Jeffrey's most serious misstep was probably a lace-up crotch on that pair of leather pants he designed for himself. Despite his annoying, fake rebel persona, Jeffrey's designs are generally the most unique (edgy, even) of the final four contestants, making him a serious threat in this competition.
Andrew: I wish I could just hate Jeffrey like I hated Angela. The thing is, I actually kind of like his designs most of the time. Except for some of the horrid mistakes of the beginning (what the hell was he thinking with that navy matronly muumuu he created for Angela's mother?!), Jeffrey has proven his ability to be edgy and interesting. The couture gown of a few episodes ago was one of the best things I have seen on the show. Ever. Jeff really is the wild card of the bunch. You never know what to expect from him; it could be Forever 21 trashy or could hit the ball out of the park. Don't disappoint me, Jeff, because I don't like you for your gross neck tattoo or arrogance.
Jen: See, Jeffrey is the worst designer in my opinion. His concepts are generally contrived and fall into the stereotypical "rockstar wear" category. Of course his "jet-setter" outfit was some pleather stretch pants. Of course he has a faux-hawk and moronic neck tattoos that say something about Detroit. Jeffrey's designs are way too obvious for my tastes and he clearly fits the role of this year's Santino Rice. According to Santino's MySpace page, they're even friends. Wow, hopefully Jeffrey will compose a goofy Eurotrash soundtrack to his show, too. Also, making anyone's mom cry is actually the worst thing imaginable and I loathe him for it.
Uli Herzner
Mia: Granted, Uli knows how to pick fabrics and mix patterns, but she falls into the same trap as Laura - her designs are always the same. An entire collection of airy, Miami-style dresses might not play well at New York Fashion Week, and it will certainly evoke the all-too-common wrath of Nina Garcia. Uli's range seems limited, and she's going to have to step outside of her comfort zone if she hopes to have a chance at runway victory.
Andrew: Her German accent is charming and we know she loves fabrics with wild prints. The thing is, she needs diversity. She won the last challenge two weeks ago, and her dress was amazing: shorter than usual but still incorporating that important Bohemian-chic vibe she strives for. If she can match it again, she may still have a chance at the gold. I guess what I'm saying is this: She can't win us on that sweet smile if she doesn't start proving her knack for interesting design. Uli, you've got the ability. Just prove that it's there.
Jen: I just don't think Uli has it in her. She's truly the dark horse of this competition and I think the only reason she hasn't been axed is Heidi's affinity for her fellow Germans. I don't like the Miami Party Girl aesthetic, but I can see it working really well for a complete collection, so I doubt the judges will be missing that. She needs to tap into her real potential as a designer and come up with something to completely blow us out of the water. I guess I just wish everything could be just like that outfit she assembled for the small dog challenge. That thing was awesome.
