Kors tells Kenley, “It is necessary to know what’s going on.” Kenley nods. Nina tells her the fashion editors will know even if she doesn’t. “This makes four times you guys have told me that. Yeah, maybe I need to do some research,” Kenley snarks, to Nina’s amusement. Heidi just smiles and moves on to Korto. Kors praises Korto for “injecting” her background into the collection “without it becoming a costume.” He tells her the green gown with the bead-necklace innovation at the top is his favorite. Nina admires the effortless cohesion of the collection as well as its palette. “I think that dress would appeal to many women,” she adds. Tim calls Korto’s wide-sleeved mini dress (one of the new pieces she sewed) “sublime on the runway.” Heidi thinks it’s obvious Korto put a lot of work into each piece, “but some pieces look overworked.” Nina cautions her against going “overboard with the decoration.”
Michael tells Leanne her first look “set the tone immediately.” She tells him the shirt was “over-steamed” and she had to do a last minute switcheroo. “Welcome to fashion show hell,” he retorts. He returns to his serious voice to praise her “divine” workmanship. Tim informs Leanne the “blue vest with white pants” was his favorite; “smashing, smart.” Nina liked that Leanne showed them skirts, pants, shorts, a jacket and a long dress. Heidi thinks the collection had elements she had not seen before “like these petals” but that there were “a lot of them.”
Heidi asks each of the three why they deserve to win. Korto says it’s been a long journey but she saw she is able to do this. “There is so much more that can come out of me,” she promises. Eww, sounds messy. Leanne praises herself as “extremely innovative.” She points out that half of her collection was “sustainable textiles.” She says she possesses the talent and ambition to take it to the next level. See? Quiet, yes. Meek, no. Kenley gets choked up and says that she has it in her to take this far. She moved to NYC three years ago “with a lot of personality, good or bad.” Tim smiles at that. Kenley wipes a tear as her leaves bobble and she says, “This is something I’m very passionate about.”
“Can’t do it otherwise,” Michael Kors says, and he speaks from experience. Fashion is not an easy field to make it to the top of. The hopefuls and their models all leave the runway so the judges can choose. About Kenley, they admired the fit, the cohesion, and the hand painting. “Couture-like,” Nina admires. But she points out that Balenciaga “did an entire collection of painted...” They all agree that if Kenley didn’t realise how similar her designs were, she should have. Personally? I find it difficult to imagine how a woman so “passionate” about her career would never pick up a fashion magazine or read a fashion blog, or even hear who was showing what. But, anything is possible. Maybe Kenley rides the Staten Island Ferry all day, longing for her tugboat days.
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