Project Runway: nearing the end

I realize I haven't been blogging too much about this season of Project Runway...I'm still loving it as much as ever but somehow things haven't really been all that exciting. I speculated that Christian, Jillian, and Rami would be the final three almost 6 weeks ago, and I think really the only surprise this season has been Chris. Of course we don't know who the "official" final three are (even though all of them, as well as Sweet P, presented collections at Fashion Week), but things have been almost predictable. I've tried not to look too closely at photos of the collections online...I want to judge them walking the runway during the actual finale (which isn't going to be for a little while...next week is the reunion show). But I think it's really anyone's game...

Here's where I think the designers stand up until this point:

Christian: I definitely see why a lot of people think he's annoying and arrogant but I actually find him really amusing. And he's kind of brilliant. He's really only had one bad week (the prom challenge) and I feel like he always does something that's just a little different. I love that he does more sportswear and separates and pants while everyone else seems to endlessly do dresses. I think some of my favorite looks of the entire season are his: his outfit from the weight loss challenge, his denim look, his avant-garde look...I wouldn't at all be surprised if he won.

Jillian: I don't know, she's not one of my favorites. She's made a lot of really great clothes but I still don't necessarily get a sense of what kind of a designer she is. And whenever I think of her, all I can see is her getting all frazzled because she yet again bit off more than she could chew. I mean, I definitely commend her for always pulling it out in the end, but I actually think she can be more annoying than Christian. Randomly I think I like her model the best though.

Rami: He's definitely this season's one-note designer. All of his clothes are very beautiful but new or fashion-forward? I'm not so sure. I, like everyone else on the planet, including Tim and the judges, knew he was going to be doing some Grecian draped dress AGAIN in the last challenge, and truthfully I think it was probably my least favorite of all his drapey things. Oh well. But I think he still has a good chance of winning...a collection is a very different thing from just one look with specific boundaries and I think he's in it to win it.

Chris: Who would have thought that Chris would still be here? His getting auf'd and then given a second chance made him realize what he did wrong and what he needed to do to stay. He's definitely had some close calls, but overall I've really liked his work. I did totally love his WWE winning outfit. I think I'm kind of a sucker for hoodies...

One final thought: I wonder if the designers felt gypped that they didn't get to go to Paris or anywhere exciting like last season. I really hoped they would, but oh, well.