well, having caught the last 1/3 of the show, I'm more mystified than ever now. It seemed to me that even with the 3 choices in the show, the judges said more positive things about michael's looks than gretchen's. and she wasn't even in competition for the last spot--that was Andy! While I get that Michael should've picked another color for his mini collection, he had a beautiful gown that everyone complimented and a 'shirt' (that gathered thing) that Heidi said she'd never seen before and found quite intriguing. I mean think of that--a piece of clothing in a style that's not been seen before. But he was 1-note and Gretched, with her very simple clothes (let's be honest--a woman wearing that pants outfit on the street wouldn't even be seen to be fashionable in the least, let alone high fashion) was deserving of sharing the same event as Versaci and Herrera? Know what I mean? And, when the judges said that they ... I don't recall. There was something they said to Michael or Gretchen about one of them not having a range, or showing them something new. I think it was Michael. And I thought: really? if that's the case, then gretchen shouldn't have been no. 2 to be picked. Girl has no range in this last colleciton.
horrible.
i also felt quite bad for michael. I think that of the 4, he has the worst situation to go home to. And that includes Mondo having to tell his family he's HIV positive!! Apparently, Michael's family has only been supportive of him now that he's on TV. They also only value his career choice now that he seems to be winning something. So for him to lose both of those things means, simply put, that he's going to be losing his family's support and appreciation for his talent and career choice. That's really harsh. You could tell, when he was crying, that he was picturing his mother's endless 'just be straight and get married again. it was good enough for you once, it'll be good enough for you again. get a job at Office Depot now' haranguing. So sad. Now, he can always leave town and tell her to shut up, but ... Anyway, I have to say that broke my heart, and I was surprised I was reacting that way. You can't judge clothes and design based on someone's personal story, but I'm sad that it worked out this way. I think Michael wouldn't have won PR but I would've rather seen his 12 piece collection than Gretchen's.
Now, the judges say that the finale is the hardest to judge, ever. Which makes me wonder if Mondo's collection isn't all that in their eyes.
wait--i typed gretched up there. maybe i was meaning wretched + gretchen?