Last night’s episode of Project Runway was a huge step up for home girl Leanne Marshall, who last week found herself in the bottom two after creating a garment that the judges felt “had too many ideas.” (No thanks to her model, by the way, who totally turned on her during the judging. Check out this un-aired clip of Leanne giving her a talking to, and rightly threatening to trade her at the next opportunity. Do it, Leanne, she has bad hair anyway.)

This week, Leanne dialed it way back, and created a look that showed restraint while maintaining her signature in an exquisitely scalloped skirt with a simple draped top–Heidi Klum declared that she would wear it “in a heartbeat,” while guest judge Sandra Bernhard expressed disbelief that she could have finished so poorly just one challenge away. Leanne didn’t win, but she essentially got second place, with the camera panning back and forth between her and Kenley’s look, a risky montage of busy print and lopsided tulle with a short skirt and high neck that seemed to initially put off everyone, including Tim Gunn, who, when he went in to check on the designers’ progress, fretted that the fabric combination threatened to be too costume-y, and judge Michael Kors, who teased that you could wear it if you had a goiter on one side of your body. Nonetheless, they convinced each other to make Kenley the winner.rate_runway_kenley_503.jpg The loser, meanwhile, was Emily, whose dress was admittedly crappy–a one-armed LBD with a giant caterpillar of cha cha ruffles that cut straight across her boobs and down her torso to end on the right edge of the model’s crotch. rate_runway_emily_503.jpg But the dress I most disagreed with the judges on was Terri’s dress with pants look accentuated with ridiculous clown sleeves. Terri kept saying she was going for a graffiti inspired street look and Bernhard even said it looked like something a girl who carried a knife would wear, none of which I read in this high-knecked bonbon hands thingy. rate_runway_terri_503.jpg

Leanne’s outfit was hands down the best. Maybe not the riskiest, but as far as what most stylish women are going to wear, come on:

rate_runway_leanne_503.jpg
It’s subtle yet remarkable, classy and edgy, and she made it in one day. I think she’s going to New York.

Marjorie Skinner is the Portland Mercury's Managing Editor, author of the weekly Sold Out column chronicling the area's independent fashion and retail industry, and a frequent contributor to the film and...

11 replies on “Project Runway Wrap Up!”

  3. Yeah – I was in disbelief that Leanne did not win that challenge. Maybe just because it was black? The judges always seem to go for the Kwazy colored garments. She was robbed; I thought the winning dress was fugly.

  5. Ooooh come on, I know we’re rooting for Leanne and I agree that she should have won, but this seems pretty damned skewed.
    I think Kenley’s dress is super cute and creative.

    but satin-y bell bottom pants are never appropriate.

  6. I absolutely loathed Kenley’s dress. I honestly thought she’d be in the bottom three. I liked Terri’s far better than Kenley’s.

    But of course Leanne should have won. 😛 I’m just glad she made a strong comeback after last week!

  9. I liked Kenley’s dress, but I like ugly things.

    Also, Leanne should have cut her model in the face with a rusty can opener.

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