I just watched the last two episodes today - I always wanted Uli to win, from the first episode when they introduced everyone. Maybe it was the German accent, I don't know! I was glad she came in second and thought she should have won - like the judges said, her clothes were very wearable... I didn't think Jeffrey's were nearly as much. Too much of the 'runway-only' style.

I'm glad Michael came in 4th place - his clothes just looked... trashy to me. Too tight, too short or too low cut and even my husband (ooh, I can say that now!) said he was sick of seeing those lace-up shirts that seemed to be on half of his outfits. Even the bathing suit, my husband said, seemed to be something out of the third Austin Powers movie ("Goldmember").

Laura's seemed like something rich people would buy to wear at a party. A couple of them I thought were nice, although there were always parts of one I would rather go with parts of another...

I love Michael, and thought that throughout the competition he performed very well, but his collection was the worst of the four, and I wonder if he just needed that competitive aspect, or the challenge of working within certain constraints, to really pull his talent out. Still, I think that from a design standpoint, his collection was off, but not because it was trashy. I just think it wasn't well put-together. There's nothing wrong with tight, or low-cut, or short. I personally think that if a woman can carry it off, more power to her, and many of Michael's designs (that fabulous pink hot-pants Pam Grier number...) are very empowering. I feel like Michael thinks women are beautiful, and wants them to feel that way, and that is something I admire.

Laura and Uli both made exactly the collections I expected of them, and they were beautiful in their own ways, but, well, expected. They both are very good at what they do, but I feel like the show is trying to evoke Designer the Artist, not Designer the Artisan, and Laura and Uli are both very fine artisans, but not, I feel, artists.

And that is why, much as it pained me, I had to agree that Jeffrey deserved the win. The entire show I've disliked him personally, and a number of times had strong negative reactions to his designs, but his collection was beautiful from a Designer the Artist point of view. It wasn't really runway-only, but even if it was, I think that's what I want from a Project Runway winner's collection. I want Artist not Artisan, and Jeffrey had it where the others did not. In the end, I'm glad he won. Blech.