It’s been hard, but this is kind of
Gretchen
my life now. It’s only been in the blogosphere that there have been any negative connotations. I don’t read any of them. That’s the first way of ruining your chances as an artist. It’s so easy to have a voice if you can be anonymous. On a day-to-day basis, I have so many people come up to me and tell them they relate to me. In the end, Mondo’s collection was fun and playful and exciting to watch. He’s a master when it comes to textiles. But my goal was not just to put on a great show. It’s to dress women. And my collection spoke to real women. Do you see yourself differently after watching this whole season and especially the reunion, when your fellow designers still seemed angry at you? I do and I don’t. What I’m really grateful for was the way the show was presented, which gave me even more exposure than I was anticipating because of my antagonistic role. was answering questions. There’s a difference between how I feel about
Taking the World of Fashion by Storm as Project Runway’s Nobody was expecting the season-long villain Gretchen Jones to walk away with the coveted first-place spot on Project Runway, but thanks to some heavy duty endorsing by Michael Kors and Nina Garcia, the Oregonian who, er,
FIRST SUSTAINABLE DESIGNER
people on a personal level and how I felt about their work. The reality is my friends and family think I’m great. That’s awesome. I know I’m a better designer for having gone through this show and I know I’m a good person. I know I have good intentions. And I’m walking away with a lot of friends and if I was truly the antagonist they wanted me to be, I wouldn’t have walked away with so many friends. I thought you and Ivy were friends. What
spoke her mind all season long, did just that. After a night of celebrating with friends, she called EW to talk about why she should have won, her next move, and how Tim Gunn’s apology to
her never aired. Entertainment Weekly: You’re in debt. Your possessions are in storage. But you just won this big prize. What do you do now?
was up with her throwing you under the bus? Yeah, that totally shocked me. I feel like I got
By Jessica Shaw
attacked in a way that was not really about me. It was just ridiculous. We all had opinions about each other’s work. Like I said, the all that could have been used in a certain light. With all that airtime, it just made people talk about me more, and it will make people remember me more
Gretchen Jones: I would be silly not to go to New York. My goal is to be there by the beginning of the year. This is my time. It’s the next step for
in a few years.
me as a designer. So were you surprised you won? I wasn’t. I really believed in myself from the moment I started. You have to, not only as a designer but as a competitor. I felt what I represented was very new for Project Runway, very functional and feminine and real. It’s important that Project Runway choose somebody who could represent how modern fashion is moving – not just someone who puts on a good show. Was last night the first time you heard the judges’ critiques of your runway show? To tell you the truth, my group of friends were so loud I didn’t get to hear it. But from what I understand, Michael and Nina fought for me and those were the people I was really trying to reach. I think Michael really understood me and understood my potential as a designer. Nina has always been my favorite judge. I think all designers have to reach an editorial person. If you don’t speak to them, you’re dead in the water.
I was answering questions. There’s a difference between how I feel about people on a personal level and how I felt about their work. The reality is my friends and family think I’m great. That’s awesome. I know I’m a better designer for having gone through this show and I know I’m a good person. I know I have good intentions. And I’m walking away with a lot of friends and if I was truly the antagonist they wanted me to be, I wouldn’t have walked away with so many friends. I thought you and Ivy were friends. What was up with her throwing you under the bus? Yeah, that totally shocked me. I feel like I got attacked in a way that was not really about me. It was just ridiculous. We all had opinions about each other’s work. Like I said, the crazy thing is how much airtime I got. We all said things that could have been used in a certain light. With all that airtime, it just made people talk about me more, and it will make people remember me more in a few years. Perhaps the most uncomfortable moment of the season was when Tim Gunn yelled at all the designers for letting you manipulate them during the group challenge. Did you make peace with him afterwards? I felt like his comments were really out of context. Tim isn’t there throughout the entirety of each challenge.
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All he gets to experience is the runway. And who wouldn’t fight for their life on the runway?