On November 19^th, the much anticipated sixth season of Project Runway came to a close, crowning Irina Shabayeva as its next winner. Irina Shabayeva, Althea Harper and Carol Hannah Whitfield were the three finalists chosen to show at Fashion Week. At Bryant Park, the three ladies showed vaguely similar and uninteresting collections, save Whitfield's use of color and established point of view. Shabayeva showed an expertly tailored collection, which consisted of the same ensemble varied and repeated through her 13 looks. Harper showed exactly what was expected of her - a collection consisting of boring, subpar, copycat designs which lacked any creative appeal. Whitfield showed a whimsical collection which lacked the pop and cohesion needed to make the collection complete. To add insult to injury, Whitfield brought up the rear at elimination.

Previous seasons have churned out such greats as drag-queen extraordinaire Chris March, post-punk inspired Jeffrey Sebelia, retro queen Kenley Collins, and the big-mouth with an attitude to match Santino Rice. Among those who have made a name for themselves beyond Project Runway are Nick Verreos of Season 2, who has been a guest judge on the show and has been part of the fashion wrap-ups of many red-carpet events, and the ever fierce and unforgettable Christian Siriano, who is reaping tremendous success outside of his reality show stint as well as having coined the phrases "hot mess" and "fierce."

These alumni have raised the bar for future Project Runway contestants, and justly so. Despite the level of talent and innovation showcased in the recent years of Project Runway, the designers this season have been entirely lackluster. Any wow-factor seemed to vanish from Season 6 once Christopher Straub showed his red carpet dress on the first challenge, the most pleasing garment of the season - save for severl pieces of Whitfield's final collection. The point of view of Malvin Vien seemed promising, but he didn't last more than two episodes, leaving the show without a particularly strong designer. Many designers lacked the skill set needed to execute their point of view, such as Nicolas Putvinski. Some designers were promising, but did not have the follow-through to make it to the end, such as Straub. With no shortage of interesting challenges, the fault lies in the lack of talent on behalf of the contestants.

Surely mediocre designers are not the only factor which has lead to the bad taste left in my mouth by the most recent season of Project Runway. Perhaps it was the network switch from Bravo to Lifetime. Perhaps it was the venue change from Parson's School of Design in New York to FIDM in Los Angeles. Or perhaps it was the fact that fashion guru Michael Kors was conspicuously absent from nearly every runway judging this season. Albeit Project Runway Season 6 did not meet or exceed expectations, so long as Heidi Klum is still the host and Tim Gunn is here to warm our fashionable hearts, die-hard fans will remain loyal viewers of seasons to come. Season 7 premieres on January 14^th.