Project Runway Season 14 Finale Recap: Plus-Size Rules The Runway

One person who’s definitely glad season 14 of Project Runway is over, is Tim Gunn.

Project Runway Season 14 Finale Recap

The beloved mentor, who’s almost become a bigger fixture on the hit Lifetime TV show than host Heidi Klum, flared up in a big way at one point in the run, screaming the f-word at a designer, and has since revealed to Entertainment Weekly that he did not enjoy working on the season.

“I hated it,” Gunn told EW. “I felt that other than a couple of designers, they weren’t working up to their potential. The whole thing was lackluster.”

Be that as it may, Gunn remained ever the professional throughout the final episode, offering designers his signature cuttingly constructive criticism as they prepared their final collections for New York Fashion Week.

Last week the judges told Kelly that she could go bolder with her “disco barbies,” while Candice was told to tone down her gothic/S&M-inspired collection. Ashley needed to work on technical refinement and Edmond, in Gunn’s words, needed to “sex the living daylights out of” his ruffle-heavy looks.

Kelly and Ashley are definitely the more prepared of the bunch, both essentially just needing to make minor adjustments here and there. Candice throws out the giant hoop skirt and wooden contraption she made for the finale look and gets to work on making new pants from scratch. Edmond worries he’s gone overboard on the ruffles and considers a major overhaul. Gunn, however, warns him that making any drastic changes at this point could be catastrophic. Edmond heeds his advice.

Backstage preparation for the show is manic and minor drama ensues when a zip on one of Ashley’s dresses bursts. The judges love Kelly’s chic, 70’s-inspired collection. Zac Posen says, “it’s a little flash, a little trashy,” but enjoys the PVC parade. They aren’t so mad about Edmond’s work, Klum remarking that some of his dresses have a “toilet paper gown” vibe.

Candice is told her dramatic collection lacks cohesion and its “witchy” style is more costume that haute couture. Ashley’s plus-size looks are lauded by the judges, who appreciate the small but effective changes she made from last week. They applaud her for creating silhouettes for fuller figured women that wouldn’t usually be seen on the market.

The judges deliberate and, in a significant first for the show, give the top prize to a plus-size collection. Ashley is the winner.

Gunn may have spoken out about his issues with the season but any bad blood seemed entirely forgotten when he congratulated the winning contestant.

Check out this interview with an ecstatic Ashley,