Judges stun Zamora as tension soars

"Project Runway" Season 13

Airs 7:30 p.m. Thursdays on Lifetime

Episode 13: Finale Part 1

Last week’s episode of "Project Runway" was a shocker that ended with Hawaii designer Kini Zamora in tears.

It all opened cheerily enough with the final four designers — Char Glover, Sean Kelly, Amanda Valentine and Zamora — told they have $9,000 to spend and five weeks to create a 10-piece collection for New York Fashion Week, which in the real world took place Sept. 5.

Co-hosts Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum then announced the designers will be jetting off to Rome to find inspiration for their collections.

Duly inspired by the ancient and beautiful city, they retreated to their homes to create before Gunn arrived for his critique.

During Gunn’s visit with Zamora, he marveled over the quality of his designs, even though Zamora said for once he was stumped. With all the pressure connected with Fashion Week, I imagine he was probably overthinking, which tends to stifle creativity.

Gunn met Zamora’s family, and the designer and his mother, Valerie, explained that he was destined to make his family proud. "That’s how he got his name," Zamora’s mother said. His full Hawaiian name, Kini’okahokuloa, means "king of the morning star."

Then Gunn was in for a treat with a full luau in the family’s Kapolei backyard. It wasn’t over before the usually starchy Gunn performed a series of ami, or hip rotations.

After Gunn completed all his home visits, it was time for the designers to return to New York. Their collections turned out to be as different as the personalities involved.

Eventually, Gunn arrived to report that the judges want a preview of three looks from their collections right away. In the past, this has meant that the low-scoring designer would be eliminated, but not this time. Before starting the runway show, Klum told the designers the critiques will help them present their final show.

There was much praise for Kelly and Valentine’s collections.

Glover’s looks like the weakest. But I was shocked that the judges saved their worst criticism for Zamora’s collection. I thought the garments were well suited to high-end designer stores like Bergdorf Goodman, Sak’s and Neiman Marcus. The judges deemed the presentation "old lady" and advised him to change the styling and some of the pieces.

Given the thought of making changes this late in the game, Zamora was reduced to tears in the green room.

But I have the feeling the critique was a bit of subterfuge for the sake of story, because his collection was strong and can only get stronger with a few tweaks.

Recaps and more photos appear after each episode on Nadine Kam’s Fashion Tribe blog at www.honolulupulse.com/fashiontribe.