As we celebrate the end of another season (and finally, after a year and a half of back-to-back seasons, a BREAK from Project Runway), let’s take a moment to judge the decoy collections. 

DANIEL ESQUIVEL
Fourth place

I hate the hair with a burning passion, and he uses it on every goddamn model. I don’t understand why anyone thinks that’s an interesting or appealing look for the runway. Anyway, the clothes – they’re about as predictable, wearable, and slightly tacky as you’d expect from Daniel.

The length and fit of those pants are really awkward, but the top isn’t bad.

I think every woman in Hollywood already owns a nicer version of this coat.

Straight-up ugly.

Supremely unflattering. It makes the model look approximately twice her natural width.

Those pants look terribly made, and the poor model is positively drowning in that turtleneck.

I like the jacket, but not much else. Also, this model is terrible.

The skirt isn’t bad, but the top is painfully awkward, and the styling is already getting exhausting. Every single model did not need those gloves, Daniel.

Probably my favorite look of the collection – not that that’s saying much, but I like the combination of hard-and-soft, and the tiny gloves are cute and much less distracting than the elbow-length ones he threw on everybody else.

I can’t even believe he sent this down a runway at New York Fashion Week. This is so poorly executed, it’s an embarrassment, and it’s one of the least-flattering garments I’ve ever seen.

Boring and derivative.

Boring, ill-fitting, and derivative.

LAYANA AGUILAR
Fifth place

Layana’s collection had a couple of hits and a whole lot of misses, but it was significantly less boring than Daniel’s. But while Daniel’s collection suffered from a lack of taste, Layana’s suffered from an abundance of bad taste. I could get behind this gown if it offered virtually anything in the way of coverage.

I wish the pants were more like pants and less like leggings, but this is my favorite look of her collection. The jacket is wearable but modern, even if the hat is beyond stupid.

Awful.

A complete and total throwaway. Also, this dress looks so cheap, even Herve Leger would reject it for being too trashy.

I actually love the jacket, and if the shorts fit and this look made any sense in terms of proportions, it could have been great. But I still think these hats are stupid.

For the trashy Elvira who enjoys poorly executed garments in all of us.

Again, the proportions of this dress are a little bit off, and even if it were perfectly executed, it would still be a department store dress rather than a real runway look.

That look-at-my-underboob thing only works on models and a few Hollywood starlets.

Supremely unflattering.

The top is okay, though nothing original. The pleather-looking leggings are my worst nightmare.

I’ve seen this dress on the runway a thousand times before.

I absolutely hate the neckline and the crooked detailing in the bodice. And the skirt is way too ChaCha DeGregorio for my tastes.

RICHARD HALLMARQ
Sixth place

Feels like a total Alexander Wang knockoff to me.

Cool print, but the silhouette is a freaking joke.

Is there anything that’s not shapeless and ill-fitting, Richard?

Finally, something not shapeless! If only that crotch weren’t a total disaster.

Those proportions are an absolute eyesore.

Tacky and derivative. That’s been an awfully common problem throughout these collections, hasn’t it?

This is the only thing so far that I haven’t completely hated.

Still ill-fitting – too tight in some parts and too loose in others – but it’s head and shoulders above most of this collection.

Completely unoriginal. Might as well have sent her stark naked down the damn runway for all the “work” you did on this thing.

Kind of fun.

Painfully dull.

Still derivative, but at least it’s remotely aesthetically pleasing. I knew I wasn’t going to be impressed by Richard’s collection, but it was more painful to get through than I had imagined.

SAMANTHA BLACK
Seventh place

Absolutely not.

This is weird enough to pique my interest. I hate the shininess of the fabric on the torso and shoulders, but the fabric of the skirt is so interesting and I sort of love the bejeweled granny panties, even though they’re, well, bejeweled granny panties.

I pray for the day Project Runway contestants finally say goodbye to the exposed zipper, but I do like this dress. It’s a little Balmain-looking, but in a softer silhouette, which I like.

I love this. There’s something a little off with the fit of the top, but I think it’s so much fun to look at and kind of unique. That’s a rarity, particularly in the decoy collections.

Nope. I hate the collar, the bellbottoms, the fabric, and the sleeves. So, you know, all of it. I hate ALL OF IT.

Come on, Samantha. I know you can execute garments better than this.

I don’t love the slight drape to the skirt, and I think it might be a little too derivative of Versace, but at least the bodice is impeccably done.

Frumpy and unflattering.

I like the idea of this dress a lot, but I think the execution leaves a lot to be desired.

It’s got a little too much happening around the neck, but it’s interesting and daring and the knit skirt is awesome.

She made burgundy leather overalls, and they’re actually kind of cool-looking. That’s an achievement if there ever was one.

Not particularly original, but not terrible.

AMANDA VALENTINE
Eighth place

Jesus, colorful prints are a sight to see after the last few collections, aren’t they? This isn’t great, but I like it better than almost everything in Richard’s collection.

I don’t love this, but there’s something really fun about the strip of fabric down the sides of those pants.

Cool. It’s not my personal aesthetic, but it’s a much more focused look that brings to mind a specific customer, and I think that’s really important.

I wish she’d paired it with skinny pants instead of tights, but I do like this coat.

The necklace is completely distracting, which is a shame, because I think this dress is really beautiful.

Not my favorite, but I approve.

This is veering into tackier, more poorly made territory. Keep the taste and skill level higher than this, Amanda.

I really like the top, but I’m not crazy about the pants.

I would wear this constantly.

The pieces are all a little too shapeless. It would work better as a look if at least one of the pieces actually fit her.

Points for originality, but I think this is kind of an eyesore.

Totally not my style, but at least it’s interesting to look at. Overall, I think Amanda and Samantha had the strongest collections of the bunch, because they were the only ones that I felt contained any originality. But alas, it’s never the best designers who make it the furthest in the competition, is it?

Thank you for joining me for another season of Project Runway, dear readers! Let’s all enjoy the first brief respite between seasons in a year and a half. Sigh.

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© Democracy Diva, 2013.
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