Friday, November 20, 2009

Congratulations, Irina Shabayeva


"You are the winner of Project Runway." You heard that back in February. And thus we all waited 9 months for this win to be delivered. At that time no one had seen a single episode of the show. Both the audience and the judges were forced to look only at the clothing on the runway because we had seen nothing in the workroom. So in many ways this win feels very pure if that makes any sense.

You came to the finale with 3 wins under your belt and you brought us your interpretation of a modern warrior woman. Your point of reference was New York City and black was therefore the natural color choice. You told your story with a cohesive collection united by accessories and a play of textures. And it all looked expensive. Heidi Klum stated that your garments looked "modern with an edge" and that she would like to own a lot of the pieces. Michael Kors pointed out the showmanship you brought to the presentation and how you punctuated your show with the hats. Nina Garcia seemed very surprised by the t-shirts and how they brought an intimacy to the line. Your attention to detail was evident in every piece and the play of textures of the luxe fabrics kept the collection interesting. Congratulations on your win, Irina!


This post is only for positive words for Irina Shabayeva.If you have negative commentary or something to say about another designer, you may do so in our Reactions post here.

Photo courtesy of myLifetime.com.