Project Runway: Andy moves on to finale part II

Lifetime photos
Andy South welcomes Tim Gunn to his studio.

Tracking the progress of Hawaii’s Andy South:

In part I of the "Project Runway" finale, Tim Gunn headed across the nation to visit with the final four designers: Michael Costello, Mondo Guerra, Gretchen Jones and Hawaii's Andy South, who were all given $9,000 and six weeks to create a 10-piece collection. In an interview in advance of Gunn's Oct. 16 appearance at Ala Moana Center, he said he visited 10 finalists because there's so much scrutiny over the show and interest in learning the finalists' identities ahead of the New York Fashion Week show, which took place Sept. 9. A long time to keep a secret!

Tim is aghast at the sight of the eely looking Chinese catfish Andy raises.

Gunn was here in August to visit with Andy. People across the nation will see a view of Hawaii that most people who live here don't get to see, a vast tract of land in Waianae, where Andy grew up raising produce, flowers and Chinese catfish, which scared Tim with their eely bodies. He actually jumped back and screamed! LOL! I had to play that part three times on the Lifetime website. Andy also easily hacked the top off a coconut and had Tim drinking coconut water. Can you imagine Tim moderately roughing it? That's awesome. If you missed it, you must watch it: Episode 13. You won't have to wait long since Andy's is the first, and most interesting home visit.

It'll probably fuel misconceptions about the way we live here, which is more typically in matchbox apartments in the sky, or suburban tract houses.

Once they were at Andy's studio, he had very little to show Tim because he had been waiting to receive fabric from Laos. So Andy ended up with only two weeks to finish his collection. With the home visits, we got to see more of the designers' back stories and what it took to be on the show. For many, the show is a godsend after years of struggle with little notice, the fashion design equivalent of a lottery, though one involving more skill than luck.

Andy returned to New York with a long mohawk, which one of the other designers described as mohawk meets Naomi Campbell. At the grand opening party for Morimoto Waikiki Sunday, I asked him about his many changing hairstyles throughout the show's season, and he said they had to show Michael Drummond working on his hair so people wouldn't wonder "when did he have time to do that?" The first surprise that awaited them was a good one, R&R at various exotic destination Hilton properties, and for Andy, a stay close to home, at the Hilton Hawaiian Village.

The next surprise was not unexpected; they had to create another look to present with two pieces from their respective collections. They had two days to do so, and $300 for materials, this time without the extra drama of bringing back auf'ed designers. Anyway, we already saw that three weeks ago.

Andy aimed to impress with a swim look and two dresses. If not for the elaborately pleated green dress he completed when he got back to New York, he might have been sent home.

Andy created an elaborate pleated silk ensemble, which had the judges thinking that was one of his original finale pieces. I think all of the designers stumbled a little on this presentation, by withholding their best pieces. There was no wow factor on stage, with Gretchen and Andy essentially saying they were hoping merely to pique judges' interest, while saving the drama for the finale. Which left very little to judge. There was a sameness across the board, and once Mondo and Gretchen made the cut, Andy was told he did himself a disservice by showing a swimsuit and coverup that underwhelmed.

In the end, the 13th episode proved lucky for Andy, who was sent on to the finale and a tearful Michael Costello was sent packing, leaving everyone wondering whether he would be OK, given the non-supportive nature of his family. Everyone should follow their dreams. Anyone who watches the show know its message of making any situation work in pursuit of one's dreams.

Next Thursday: Fashion Week broadcast! And in Honolulu, a live fashion event from 6 to 10 p.m. at Honolulu Design Center, with a presentation of Spring/Summer 2011 designs by Andy South.