Project Runway: TEAMS!!!

I know I haven't been staying on top of things as far as Project Runway goes this season, but there's a reason for that. I wasn't sure how I felt about it. Season eleven's twist was that every challenge would be a team challenge. Even to me it sounded like a fashion fiasco waiting to happen. Though they proved me wrong.

Most of the contestants were pleasant to one another, though a few too bossy and demanding. Yet I managed to pick a few favorites from the herd. The finals are coming up quickly and thus far it's been narrowed down to the final four. I'm pretty sure from previews though, that only three will really get to show at fashion week. 

Let's take a closer look shall we...

Season 11 Designers

Being focused on teams meant that this season the designers had to work together. So part of their scores were based on how well they worked with one another. It also meant that if you're design was amazing but your teammate wound up on the bottom, you too were on the bottom and could possibly be going home. The blade bites both ways, a few bad designs got saved by the better work of their teammates.

 

Meow

 

The weak for the most part got weeded out early on. Though I was still sad to see a few go because they amused me. Like Joe. He was well, quirky. He wasn't afraid to sport his Freddy Kruger sweater and the man has an etsy page that would do Moreen Ponderosa proud. Yes the man sells cat sweaters. The judges questioned his taste, which I don't blame them, but still it was nice to see a different point of view. 

But on to the designers we're still seeing more from.

Daniel Esquivel

From almost the beginning I want to root for Daniel, simply because he seemed like a nice guy. He even seemed to really mean it. Now I know it's TV and you have to take every thing with a grain of salt any more, but throughout the show he has remained consistently a nice guy.  He's had  few tantrums yes, but they all have. Now his designs are usually very chic, though a bit dated. He usually designs for a slightly older woman, but they are always very clean. At times, however, his taste level has gone up and down and it's noticeable. Having a teammate to edit him has been a good thing and that plus his abilities have gotten him to the final four. I was so happy he made it and absolutely loved the look he made after his day trip to Berlin.  The dress is my favorite part, but I would totally wear the jacket with jeans any day. 

Michelle Lesniak

Michelle took me a little while to warm up to, cause well... she was kinda bitchy. She's still a bit prickly but I really like her work. It's a little harder and more punk rock then the rest of the designers. I like designers with a little edge to them. She has usually had strong designs throughout the competition, but kept winding up on the losing team. Once the teams go smaller, she started to shine a bit more and finally won a few challenges. Michelle actually was almost eliminated two weeks ago, but the judges saw her potential and gave her a do or die second chance. While her fellow designers were each getting day trips to various European cities, she had to stay in New York for her inspiration. It paid off though and got her to the final four.

Stanley Hudson

Stanley is a bit bossy, but he knows what he's doing when it comes to sewing, so I guess we can forgive him. His designs tend to be modern plays on looks from the 50's. His looks are always clean and polished and he's obviously earned the respect of his fellow designers. I like his work, but it's not really my style. He's an obvious choice for the win but I'm still hoping one of the others will out shine him. He got the opportunity to go to London for his last challenge and he was drawn to the darkness in the windows of Big Ben as it climbed into the sky. I thought his design was a little dull but the judges ate it up. Go figure.

Patricia Michaels

Finally we have our wild card. Patricia is amazing with creating textiles. She's a Native American and always bring a little touch of her culture to her work. She's make some pretty out there designs but it's that unexpectedness that's gotten her this far. She was sent to Paris for her inspiration on the last challenge, but the judges were not impressed with her out come. Heidi fought for her though, arguing that she had a fresh point of view that none of them had seen yet. So she's found her way into the final four as well. Can she pull out another miracle and go to fashion week? We'll find out in a couple of days.

So far the season over all has been good. The team experiment added a new level to the game and though it pushed some designers it also allowed other to have crutches to help them along the way. In the long run though it all comes down to the judges opinions. I'll still be rooting for Daniel or Michelle to win though.