by Lindsay Strouse

As we get closer to the Project Runway finale, it is getting harder and harder to say good-bye to some of the contestants. Last night, the loveable Anthony Ryan was given the boot after producing two mismatched and generally unappealing looks down the runway. Today, he spoke with RealityWanted in a conference call, detailing his experience on the show and what we can expect to see from him in the future.

Q. Lindsay, RealityWanted: How do you find a balance between designing to honor your own aesthetic and designing to please the judges? Is there a balance at all?
A. Anthony Ryan: That's a hard one. It's like having a client. You have to make it for them but you have to make it for yourself too. I kind of took it in that way. You have to comprimise. It was hard, especially under the time constraints. I really listened to what they had to say and if they said I had to change things, I never ignored that. I did my best to cater to what they were looking for as well.

Q. Lindsay, RealityWanted: Let's talk about the boyfriend/husband challenge. You had a couple that you really connected with and created a garment that fit their wants exactly. What was it like getting such bad critiques from the judges for it?
A. Anthony Ryan: It wasn't horribly bad. I knew that there wasn't a lot of me in it, but for me, it was about making them happy. It was something I really wanted to do - to be able to give the wife that dress she had lost. When they came in, they were so easy to work with. Getting that feedback wasn't as hard as it seemed. I knew it was a little too cheerleader-y, but in the end, my heart was happy. The wife actually wore that dress to a wedding, so I was happy. Although I do wish more of my design aesthetic was in there, it's a 50-50 thing.

Q. Lindsay, RealityWanted: What would your ideal challenge have been in terms of showing off your aesthetic and personal style?
A. Anthony Ryan: A thrift-store challenge. It would have been great to be on a really tight budget and to revamp what we're given. Regardless of whether you find curtains or an old dress, it would have been cool to be eco-friendly and to really recreate something we find.

Q. A lot of people had difficulty working with Bert. What was your opinion on him at the end?
A. Anthony Ryan: I actually loved Bert. In the beginning, a lot of the designers just misunderstood him. But at the end, we all loved Bert and ended up being really close to him. After being with these people so long, you really get to know a person.

Q. What did you think of the winning garment?
A. Anthony Ryan: There were two, right? I liked Anya's. I don't necessarily agree with the win for Bert. Anyone could have made a simple tank dress with a second color on the back, but I do agree with Anya's win.

Q. In regards to the 70s challenge, do you have any regrets about your fabric choice?
A. Anthony Ryan: No, not really. My only concern was with the maxi-dress. I actually love what I did with the first look. It was something you would typically see in New Orleans at Voodoo Fest.

Project Runway airs every Thursday at 9/8c on Lifetime.

(Image courtesy of Lifetime)

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