The Judges:
Linda: 49-year-old designer with 20 years' professional experience; studied at both Parsons and the Fashion Institute of Technology.
Danielle: 36-year-old writer with 15 years' editorial experience; no formal fashion training.
Amy: 33-year-old stylist with 10 years' experience in television, film, theater, and print.

Linda's Take: I still think Jeffrey pulled one over on the judges. Sending out the pleating was within the rules, and although he went over budget, he did eliminate the wigs. But as Laura initially pointed out, it was the level of craftsmanship shown throughout Jeffrey's collection that was most suspect--an issue the show's producers never really addressed. According to Jeffrey's bio, he's been sewing for only four years, and the quality of the work (the insides of the seams, the topstitching on the leather, the overall finishing) is not something that someone with four years' experience is capable of, in my opinion. I read somewhere that Jeffrey has a team of Guatemalan women working on his Cosa Nostra label, and they probably slaved away on his Project Runway collection too (this is very difficult to prove, of course, but don't be surprised if they sell their story to Star magazine soon). That said, Jeffrey's collection was impressive and innovative. The silhouettes were diverse, the fit was flawless, and I loved the asymmetrical hemlines. It wasn't without its low points, though: The red-and-white babydoll, the short navy dress, and the navy-and-silver gown all fell flat. In contrast, Uli's collection was excellent throughout--beautifully draped and totally wearable. During the show, Uli seemed to be a one-note, but she really expanded her range here, and the green print gown and tan dress with silver inset band were downright gorgeous. Some of Laura's garments were equally breathtaking, and the detailing easily could've made it a $35,000 collection. But I wasn't crazy about the satin blazer with the shorts (it would've been better without the tulle pouf), and although her feather embellishments were lovely, it's nothing I haven't seen before. Unlike the judges, I didn't think Michael's show was a bomb; some of the pieces, like the safari gown, were knockouts. But overall, his collection was too short, too tight, too shiny, and too plunging, and the proportions were way off on the green babydoll. There's nothing wrong with sexy (Versace and Cavalli do it all the time with great success), but it's a fine line between sexy and skanky--a line that Michael had some difficulty navigating.
Scorecard: Uli 4.5; Michael 4; Jeffrey 3.5; Laura 3.5.

Danielle's Take: Before this final episode, I was ready to take Project Runway off my must-watch list, but then they did something I never thought they'd do: reward the designer I liked best. I feel as if I've come full circle with Jeffrey. I remember watching the very first episode where we were given an initial glimpse of the designers. I had a good feeling about Jeffrey, but my belief in his talent has wavered throughout the season, especially during the wall-to-wall, everyday-woman, and black-and-white challenges. And that mouth of his--oy! However, now that I've seen his runway collection, I know my gut was on the money because he really does have the freshest eye of the bunch. Those green and white stripes on the dress, jacket, and bag simultaneously appealed to my inner goth and Anglophile (think a cricket match with the Addams family). The zipper details were delightfully naughty yet neat, and I adored the red-and-white babydoll, the red shrug with dominatrix straps, and the distressed leather pants. And I actually felt the crème de la crème was the dreamy blue-and-silver gown. When I win my Oscar, I'll seek Jeffrey out, and maybe even adopt him as my fashion guru...until he tries to sell me a bustier that resembles the one he made for the fashion-icon challenge. Then I'll make him cry, much in the way that Laura did. Her flapper extravaganza contained a few pieces that piqued my interest--the gray dress with mustard belt, the gold jumper with black belt, and the lace gown with fur shrug were particularly engaging--but overall, her roundup was too fluffy, sparkly, and lacy for my taste. Uli, the Teutonic print-mix master, also turned out few noteworthy pieces. The silver turtleneck dress and the silver halter with gold trim were fantastically mod, and I liked the underlying bone (or were they teeth?) theme she used to give her collection an immediately identifiable cohesion, but the prints she picked this time around were a little too gamy for me. I would've liked the zebra-print dress with ambitious collar if only it weren't so safari. Uli wasn't the only one in a hunter-gatherer state of mind; Michael caught jungle fever as well, but his collection had a more urban flair. Problem is, his pieces lacked sophistication. With the green and yellow minidresses, he finally got the keyholes right, but they also looked a little too Frederick's of Hollywood. The one thing I did like was the white lace-up shirtdress with gold belt, though he did seem a tad stuck on the whole grommet and lacing motif. Oddly enough, the feeling I got about Michael from that very first episode was that he was a touch tawdry, and in the end, my instincts were proved right. Well, at least he won the viewer's choice award, a $10,000 check, and maybe even Brandy's love, if the rumors are true, and perhaps with all of that, he can return to the Michael we saw in the fashion-icon and everyday-woman challenges. If anything's certain, it's that we'll be hearing from all four, if not all 15, designers again.
Scorecard: Jeffrey 5; Laura 3.5; Uli 3; Michael 2.

Amy's Take: Several times during the past few months it seemed to me that Project Runway had jumped the shark. The dynamics that worked well in previous seasons seemed tedious this time around, and many of the challenges focused more on drama than design. But luckily, each of the final four collections succeeded in expressing its own aesthetic. When all was said and done, I wasn't surprised that Jeffrey won. Although his collection was a bit uneven (the navy Empire dress, the blue-and-silver print gown, and the red fishnet midriff top were all missteps, in my opinion), the standout garments (the knee-length dresses, the green-and-silver stripe party dress, and the separates) were more compelling than those of the other designers. And of course, the details--zippers, colorblocking, pleating, layering, asymmetrical hems--were the clincher. At the same time, I thought Uli's collection was equally worthy of the win. As with Jeffrey's, the clothes fit beautifully, they showed strong attention to detail, the fabrics were rich, and much to my surprise, the collection succeeded in broadening her horizons beyond the long, twisty hippie gowns we've seen all season. In fact, my favorite piece was the sexy tan-and-silver wrap dress, although the more Uli-esque emerald print gown was equally gorgeous. Laura might've fared better if she, like Uli, attempted to expand her scope, but her flapper-inspired eveningwear line failed to demonstrate that she has a vision for womenswear beyond black-tie galas. Still, if I were going to such an event, I'd be happy to wear the plunging black lace gown, the steely gray beaded number, or if I were feeling particularly brave, the shorter black lace dress with feather bottom (none of the beige garments made much of an impact on me). I also might wear Michael's floor-length print halter gown, but unfortunately, I'd have to leave the rest of his collection in the closet, except for the knee-length white lace-up dress with gold belt, which was fabulous. Although he was the strongest designer during the season's challenges, Michael's final collection could've benefited from some rethinking, reworking, and restraint.
Scorecard: Jeffrey 4.5; Uli 4.5; Laura 4; Michael 3.

Judges' Total Tally: Jeffrey 13; Uli 12; Laura 11; Michael 9.

FINAL SEASON-LONG TALLY
(The judges' total tally, compiled for all challenges and finale.)
Active Designers
Michael: 128.75
Uli: 125
Laura: 124
Jeffrey: 109.33

Auf'd Designers
(Reverse elimination order.)
Kayne: 83.91
Vincent: 56.5
Angela: 60
Robert: 55
Alison: 44
Bradley: 31.25
Bonnie: 33
Katherine: 20.75
Malan: 14.75
Stacey: 3