Monday, Nov. 03, 2008
Project Runway contestant tells judges she wasn't aiming for elegance
When the Project Runway judges mercilessly criticize a designer's work, appropriate responses on the reality show include passionately defending one's personal aesthetic, weeping and running backstage into the comforting arms of fashion therapist Tim Gunn. But Season 5's stubborn stylist Kenley Collins never quite got the hang of constructive criticism. When judge Heidi Klum declared that Collins' faux snakeskin tube dress "doesn't look elegant," Kenley snapped, screaming, "It's not supposed to be elegant, HEI-DI!" And while shrieking at anyone who questions your taste may not be the best strategy in the fashion world, it's a sure path to reality TV stardom. Collins stayed on until the final round of competition, which she lost.