So, Thursday night was the culmination of three months of fashion - the finale of Project Runway, Season 16. Over the weeks we've come to know, cheer or boo, and cross our fingers for our favorites. But as the field narrowed and the DRAMAH decreased, the talent floated to the top. Now, four were left to take to the larger runway of New York Fashion Week. Let's revisit them here, once again in alphabetical order.
Ayana Ife - The 27-year-old Muslim woman from Salt Lake City, Utah, wants to design modest clothing for women, whether they are Muslim or not. I like that approach. Although I enjoy looking at youthful fashions and styles like crop tops, as a 60+ year old woman, I'm not going to wear them. (I'm hearing a collective sigh of relief at that - LOL.) Ayana designs clothing that I could wear and has sewn several that I want to wear.
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| Ayana won the second episode - unconventional materials challenge #1 - with this stunning high-necked dress. |
Brandon Kee - This 25-year-old designer, who just celebrated his birthday at the beginning of the month, has been at the top of the judges' radar for most of the competition. From the start, when he started bringing his menswear styling to women's clothing, it was almost a guarantee that Brandon would be one of the finalists. Will he win the competition? At this point, it's his to lose, but loss is a distinct possibility because he's got Ayana breathing hot behind him and she's poised to take it all.
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| Brandon won Episode 5 with this super-cute apron dress with tied bell cuffs. I'd wear this in a second - just love it! |
Kentaro Kameyama - The 38-year-old designer brings the best of two cultures to his strongest designs. When he removes himself from that cultural balance, he falls flat. His designs rely on proportion, perspective, brightness and shadow. However, he can lose track of his possibilities by drowning in the details. He's a Los Angeles designer, and women in that area do look for cutting edge designs, so he may do well for himself because of his Project Runway exposure. He's certainly made a life-long friend in his "brother", Brandon. His Runway show should be unusual and thought-provoking.
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| Kentaro won Episode 6 with what may be my favorite look of the entire season. This set of hakama-inspired pants and a relaxed crop top merged the two cultures of the USA and Japan beautifully. |
Margarita Alvarez - This 30-year-old designer has been working in the design industry for half of her life, interning and attending school for fashion design. She has a streak of the unpredictable running through her personality and designs, which can make her pieces extremely interesting. The Puerto Rican designer ended up as a dark horse finalist on the strength of strong designs in her Runway preview last week. Margarita's designs always elicit opinion - positive or negative. There are very few times the designer leaves her audience unmoved.
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| This print and outfit were what propelled Margarita into the final four. These crazy pants with the massive below-knee flare were edgy and playful. Margarita was just that much more on the edge than either Kentaro or Kenya, so she got the third guaranteed spot for Fashion Week. |
So there you have it - four designer with a few examples of their work through the competition. Tomorrow I'll reveal pieces from the final New York Fashion Week shows and announce the winner of Season 16. Project Runway is one of the richest purses for reality shows, coming into the top five between prizes and a $100,000 cash prize. The publicity received by the winner is beyond price.
Thanks to all of you for walking along with me through Season 16. Project Runway All Stars begins in January, so we'll be walking the Runway again in two months. Have a great Friday and be kind today, holiday stresses are starting to crop up. I'll be back tomorrow with final looks.
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