Runway Recap: The Three Amigas Spawn One Winner

In the 1986 film, Three Amigos, the main characters were ultimately saved because other people knew how to sew. And that's the same thing that catapulted Leanne to the winning spot on Project Runway.

And for the first time in Runway history, the three finalists were women. So, for gender purposes we'll call them the Three Amigas, but we'll still equate them to male characters in the movie.

The finale began with Tim Gunn visiting the designers in New York as they prepared to show at Fashion Week. He first checked in with Kenley, who is the femme version of Dusty Bottoms (the least wise of the Three Amigos, but who has special talents.)

While he liked her creativity, Tim questioned her use of ropes on some of her garments. And in her infinite non-wisdom, she responded: "I have to disagree with that. My decisions are final and I'm done." (When will these people realize Tim is not El Guapo, and he's just trying to help?)

Next up was Korto, or Ned Nederlander (a former child star and a quick-draw artist), whom he advises to edit her choices carefully. (Still, the quick-draw description certainly applied to the designer, as later in the show, she decided to create two new designs on the spot for her collection).

Last, Tim consulted with Leanne, or Lucky Day (the leader of the pack). He doesn't have many complaints, but she was on the fence about including her pants in the show. Tim encouraged her to do so.

Shortly after their talk, Leanne's model arrived with a dog in tow, and the canine proceeded to drop several logs in the workroom. But it proved to truly be a lucky day, as model was able to scoop the poop without dragging the floor length gown through the piles of waste.

Finally, we moved onto runway day. Designers arrived in the early morning hours, while it was still dark. We only mention this because Michael Kors -- who was one of the judges -- was wearing his sunglasses inside, before most people have had their coffee. Which reminds us of a comedian who once said, "There are only two people who wear sunglasses inside: Blind people and assholes." Since Kors can judge the designs, he's clearly not blind. Just sayin'.

Heidi also announced that guest judge Jennifer Lopez had to pull out because of an injury, so Tim Gunn would be taking her place. (Pan to a slightly distressed Kenley/Dusty Bottoms: "OK. Maybe I should have improved my attitude.") Hindsight is 20/20, right?

Kenley's hand-painted, Alice in Wonderland-inspired collection came first. While pretty and very well made, it wasn't as impressive as I (or judges) hoped it'd be, based on her past performances.

Korto's perfectly-tailored collection, inspired by nature, was dazzling in its hues of green, champagne and gold. It seemed very right-now, but was created in silhouettes that would flatter almost any figure. At this point in the show, I thought Korto had victory sewn up.

Then out came Leanne's wave-inspired collection, which was heavy on petal effects and made entirely in hues of white, champagne and aqua. At first glance, it seemed a little one-trick-ponyish. But the judges were impressed by her versatile pieces. She showed pants, skirts, dresses, jackets and tops, which were made largely of sustainable fabrics and displayed flawless workmanship, which barely edged out Korto's display of dresses.

So, in the end, the silent fashion assassin murdered the other finalists and another season was laid to rest. Still, in the spirit of the Three Amigos, may we suggest a challenge for next season? Perhaps designers should create the best mariachi costume. Just an idea, but it might spice things up a bit from this season.

Adios, amigos!

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