Comments on: In Defense of Kenley

By: michelle

michelle — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 18:44:12 +0000

i am totally late here but i just caught up on PR yesterday.

the main thing i like about kenley is that she is the only thing about this season i’ve found at all interesting! everyone else is such a YAWN.

but i still don’t LIKE her. i don’t think the problem is that she’s too confident — just the opposite! this week she was going on about how she’s always been an outcast, everyone always hates her, blah blah blah i-have-to-be-tough-because-otherwise-people-walk-all-over-me, and really, i have no sympathy for her lack of social graces. people don’t like her because she is mean to them! and if she would just OWN that, instead of playing innocent and put-upon, i would probably like her more.

By: kim

kim — Sun, 28 Sep 2008 21:55:05 +0000

pst I like Kenley too. She’s interesting, her outfits are interesting, and I’m not going to hate on the girl for being too confident. All of the contestants are super judgey of each other & its not like most of them listen to Tim. Kenley’s brutally honest, which I happen to think is refreshing.

By: jesse

jesse — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 14:03:28 +0000

Well, technically. Confirmed, but far from devout. Never a big fan of various Popes, either, so it’s not just Tim Gunn that makes me skeptical about sainthood.

By: sara

sara — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:23:55 +0000

You’re Catholic? Huh.

By: jesse

jesse — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 20:55:53 +0000

Honestly, I think it’s about time someone stepped to Tim Gunn, even if it’s completely unjustified or rude (I wouldn’t know ’cause I haven’t seen the episode in question). Nothing against the guy, but I find all of the deference to him, on and off the show, kind of creepy. He seems like a nice, smart man. Last I checked, this does not in fact qualify you for sainthood. (I’m Catholic, so I know he has to like, perform a miracle or something. Which he totally does not. He just stands in that tweedy way with that exact same expression on his face.)

By: sara

sara — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 18:31:32 +0000

You knew this would make me see red, didn’t you? That’s okay. I fully support your right to choose whichever Project Runway designer your heart desires, even if that choice makes me want to hurl.

(Aside: I am so happy I was a teenager during grunge. How much would it have sucked to be 13 years old and trying to form a decent body image when Britney was writhing with a snake? Or with those damn Pussycat Dolls tramping around everywhere? Get off my lawn, skanks!)

My main problem with Kenley isn’t that she’s a twee hipster poser with lousy taste. (Although there’s that.) My main problem is her bad behavior. Say what you will about Santino and Christian being over-confident, but we never saw them laugh out loud at another competitor on the runway. That is just bad manners. And if I wanted to see bad manners I’d watch I Love Money.

By: Brian

Brian — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 17:18:47 +0000

I just caught a few episodes during a marathon last Sunday so I didn’t get a season-sized dose of Kenley, but from what I saw I actually liked her. Sure, she’s far too overconfident, but she is talented. And I found Christian’s overconfidence to be far more insufferable — from what I saw Kenley generally talked herself up during interviews instead of ragging on everyone else like Christian did.

I also don’t think it’s terrible for her to disagree with Tim Gunn. If she honestly feels that the two of them have completely different design aesthetics, why should she compromise her own vision? Tim Gunn also annoys the shit out of me, so I’m her side anyway.

By: Marisa

Marisa — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 16:58:04 +0000

I’m not saying it’s good for Kenley as a designer to ignore or bad-mouth Tim. (If I had Tim Gunn in my life, peeking over my shoulder and offering advice, you better believe I’d listen to him!) But it’s good for me as an audience member, because I get to say, “What? Did she just say that? About Tim Gunn?!” So she makes the show less boring for me. And I like her clothes and personal style. So I like her.

By: Kyle

Kyle — Wed, 24 Sep 2008 15:45:54 +0000

Actually, I hated Christian’s 21-year-old overconfidence almost as much as Kenley’s. Even though Christian’s boasts were backed up by a winning show at Bryant Park, he was still almost as insufferable as Blaine. I think Kenley has made some good clothes, but why is it a good thing to utterly fail to learn or grow? Saying you never adjust your clothes based on what Tim suggests takes a lot balls because Tim is an incredibly good and experienced teacher who has lots of useful ideas. What’s so admirable about ignoring his friendly and helpful advice?