by Lindsay Strouse

 

Friday marked Project Runway's second annual finale taping during Mercedes Benz Fashion Week at Lincoln Center (previously held at Bryant Park). The nine remaining contestants showed their collections in the Lincoln Center Theater, although only three or four were actually being judged.

 

Judges included the ever-fabulous Heidi Klum, Nina Garcia, Michael Kors and guest judge L'Wren Scott (fashion designer and Mick Jagger's girlfriend). As always, Tim Gunn manned his position backstage as mentor to the clearly-nervous designers.

 

Malin Akerman, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Andie MacDowell, Thomas Jane and Betsy Johnson are just some of the celebrities spotted in attendance for the finale taping.

 

Though MBFW never comes up short in celebrities spottings and head-turning fashion statements, I must say I was a bit disappointed with the majority of the designers' collections. The problem for me was the lack of strong signature looks that we saw so much of last season in Mondo's wacky designs, Michael Costello's signature drapings or Gretchen's boho-chic designs.

 

Here's a breakdown of the show order and the general consensus from the audience:

 

Laura Kathleen Planck: Planck's collection was first and one of the best for me. She used a largely black and gold color pattern, meant to exemplify "the everyday woman who goes through battles of vulnerability." Though I didn't see how the designs expressed that, they were nevertheless cohesive and eye-catching.

 

Bert Keeter: Throughout the season, Bert has maintained his preference for simplistic and minimalist designs. Yesterday was no exception, as I saw his fan-favorite collection as simple, yet elegant and chic. My personal favorite was a beautifully constructed off-the-shoulder white gown.

 

Bryce Black: Before introducing his collection, Black froze in a moment of panic and claimed the experience was "more frightening than Heidi Klum." Perhaps that moment of panic was warranted-much of his collection was oddly fitted and swallowed up his scarily-thin models. However, I must say I enjoyed the toggled closures and pastel-colored shorts.

 

Anthony Ryan: This is one man who is not afraid to play with prints. By now, many Project Runway fans are aware of the fact that the designer is colorblind, but intent on having endless fun with the colors he does see. Though many of his looks were bold and plausibly wearable, it is questionable how flattering it would look on a woman outside the modeling business.

 

Viktor Luna: I feel like before beginning his collection, Viktor made a list of every trend happening now and went with it. We saw a lot of bondage, along with a sexy lacy number and a delicate periwinkle print. Though the bondage kept the theme cohesive, I couldn't help feeling something wasn't quite right.

 

Kimberly Goldson: Goldson's collection of bold colors and smart patterning made her one of the fan-favorites for the day. Despite the fact that several of her pieces were not exactly appealing to the everyday woman, everything was extremely well-constructed, especially the pants. I definitely respect her risk of including much more color than the other designers.

 

Olivier Green: There is no doubt Olivier has been a judge favorite throughout the season because of his superior construction skills, all of which he displayed in his collection. It may not have been the most memorable, but there was much to be admired in his choice of leather and metallic bottoms, sheer tops and overall S&M style.

 

Anya Ayoung-Chee: She's been my favorite this season and she was my favorite yesterday. Her collection represented her cultural Caribbean roots, with pieces including a beautifully made bathing suit and several exciting patterned bottoms. I wanted literally everything that came down the runway.

 

Joshua McKinley: Joshua's collection was without a doubt the most futuristic looking, although I'm not entirely sure that's a complete compliment. His collection included neon green cutout biker shorts and a see-through plastic vest with a bright green bra underneath. Though it was certainly fashion forward, I think his collection played to a much younger audience than his fellow designers.

 

After seeing each designer's ten-piece collection, I'm going to predict this year's Top 3 designers to be Anya, Laura and Kimberly. I'll put Olivier down as the wild card.

 

 

There are only a few more weeks until all these questions are answered. Don't miss out - Project Runway airs every Thursday at 9/8c on Lifetime.

 

(Image courtesy of Getty Images)

 

 

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