Tim's answers:
On Christopher Palu and fur: "I am very respectful of individual likes and proclivities but I would recommend that he visit the PETA website for another point of view..."
Was there a home visit that particularly stood out for you as being especially great? "For the most part, the home visits are wonderful. The ones that stand out for me are the ones that aren't so great. I always say that the editing is kind to everyone. The home visit that was so dramatically edited was Gretchen Jones - the winner of season 8. We were playing croquet and her mother kept hitting my ball into the street. I had to run across the street and retrieve it. It was so hostile and angry I thought "Well the nut doesn't fall too far from the tree.""
Why did he come out to the judges for a consultation during the HR Challenge this season? "Well, first of all I didn't think it would remain in the show. I agreed to do it and I had a very dastardly motivation. I thought I could go out and say enough to help Ven go home, but instead it was Gunnar. If I had known that, I wouldn't have agreed to go out and talk to the judges..."
Do you have a favorite moment from this season? "The Babies R Us challenge, going in with the wagon to pick up the robot babies. I have never experienced a more joyous response from the designers."
Do you think the challenges are becoming more demanding? "No, the challenges are not more demanding, but the challenges are getting shorter. This season I think, with the exception of the last challenge I believe they were all one-day challenges. They are all very demanding. As each season goes on, they become more exhausted. So, the longer they are on, the more difficult the challenges become for all of the designers."
How important are accessories? "To hear the judges you would think they are the most important thing in the world, but to be honest, to me, it's all about the garment."
What qualities make or break a contestant on the show? "Well, I could give you a list, but ultimately you just don't know how an individual will respond to the pressures of the show. The qualities that are important are experience, technical know-how, tenacity, a strong ability to conceptualize, a lot of self-confidence - tempered with the ability to listen and sympathize. And also a strong knowledge of fashion history. Especially with Nina, she is always referencing established designers, and if you don't know what she is talking about you are at a loss.
On risk-taking: "I'll give you the example of Anya. When she stepped away from her comfort zone of the maxi dresses, she made some of the best garments - not only hers, but in the entire season. So I would encourage the designers to take risks, so that they will know what they are capable of."
At Fabio's home visit: "I thought it was one of the worst collections I had ever seen in my entire life. That palette was so juvenile. So junior. I was just mystified. He is incredibly smart and knowledgeable. I thought he might be pulling my leg and he would say, "Just kidding, this isn't really it..." I was very pleased that he passed the judges and I was happy to hear them say the things that I was feeling."
Fabio's plastic canvas accessories? "I liked them. They were a collaboration with an artist Fabio found online."
Who would you love to see as your dream finale judge? "Wow, that's a good question.... I would love to see Meryl Streep. I would love to hear her talk about clothes."
His favorite season? "Whichever one I am in, that is my favorite."
What can you tell us about season 11? "I can't tell you anything except that there will be a season 11."
Besides Project Runway, what else are you working on? "My Marie-Claire column, the voiceovers for the animated Sophia The First show...a new book!"
Will we be surprised by the outcome of the finale? "Well... I don't make any assumptions about who should win or who is the favorite, but I will say that I have not always been happy with the winner. In season 9 I felt that Viktor Luna had the best collection. I was stunned that he didn't win. This season though, I was enormously happy with the winner. I hope you all are just as happy."
Does he believe that the final four were the best four designers in the season? "Yes, without hesitation, I really do. Am I sorry to see certain designers go? Yes. But the cream always rises to the top."
Is there a "checklist" of things that a contestant should bring to the competition? "Technically the contestants need to have a command of the sewing machine. They need to know pattern drafting. Fashion illustration, fashion history...as a matter of fact, the Diana Vreeland documentary, "The Eye Has to Travel" is excellent. Any designer has a responsibility to be educated about fashion."
On the designers who quit this season: "First, about Andrea, I was totally and completely mystified. Why would she bolt like this? She is a fashion educator, she has a responsibility to set an example to her students. What does this say about the quality of her character? To be a quitter? We gave her the opportunity to come back and just talk about why she left and she wouldn't. What a weak sister!
About Kooan, he was on the verge of quitting from the first day he entered the workroom. He was upset by his critique on the previous challenge. Regrettably when the "leaving" was set in motion, there was talk of leaving from a number of them."
Did this add to the "gloom and doom" feeling this season? "It is like the chicken and the egg. The two were inextricable."
