What were 'Runway' judges thinking?

By Sharon Eberson / Thursday, Sept. 25

Why did Suede have to go home and not the stuck-up and stuck-in-another-era Kenley? Suede thinks Suede really rocked his rocker outfit for Jerrell, and Suede thinks Kenley is a self-important, obnoxious pain who doesn't deserve to be in the final four designers on "Project Runway."

At least, that's what I would have thought if I were Suede.

OK, it's annoying that he talks about himself in the third person. But the 37-year-old, Seven Hills, Ohio, designer at least tried to do the assignment that the final five were given for Wednesday night's show: create an outfit for a fellow designer (picked by chance) in a musical genre (also picked by chance). Little Miss Kenley, who refused to listen to the sage advice of Tim Gunn -- laughed in his face, actually -- then said later he "doesn't get her" -- had a clear vision in her neo-vintage head of what the women of hip-hop wear. It's a vision had by her alone, and the judges chastized her for it. Yet it was Suede they let go.

OK, so up-to-date urban/hip-hop clothing for women isn't always the loose-fitting, low-hanging clothing we associated with the style back in the day. But Kenley's self-assurance that she knew better than anyone in the room the hip-hop fashionbook was infuriating -- and a source of amusement for her fellow stylists. A quick look at UrbanMall.com or any hip-hop outfitter lets you know how off-base she was, especially when she decided on a tiny leather jacket instead of, say, a warm-up jacket. Yet the criticism of Suede was that he didn't go far enough over the top to create a rocker look, not that he didn't "get" the assignment at all. 

There have been times in the past when I've thought "Project Runway" got it wrong or kept the designer who possibly deserved the boot to maintain a balance of personalities -- more to the point, maintain dramatic tension among the competitors. But never has it seemed so obvious as in allowing the too-tight, ill-fitting, decidedly un-hip-hop outfit that Kenley perpetrated on fellow designer Leanne to give its designer a pass into the next round.

What with the economic woes and political craziness dominating everyone's day, it's a relief to get worked up over something that isn't of much consequence in the universe.

Unless you happen to be Suede.