Mondo Guerra and Michael Costello in San Francisco

Photo: Liz Hafalia / The Chronicle

Click here for a new interview with Mondo Guerra and Michael Costello from SFGate.com.

A highlight:

Q: What's ahead?

Costello: I'm looking to launch in Los Angeles, and I'm being the best dad I can be to my two kids. Some days are better than others, if you ask them.

Guerra: I'll be designing T-shirts for Piperlime again - my AIDS Day shirt sold out in hours. Old Navy has me doing a T-shirt for Gay Pride. Mostly, I'm overwhelmed with the attention and want to choose the right projects going forward. Before "Project Runway," I worked sewing costumes for a theater, so this has all been a big change. But right now, I'm the happiest I've ever been in my life.

On The Road With Tim Gunn

Tim Gunn concluded his Liz Claiborne fall road show this afternoon at The Somerset Collection in Troy, MI. BPR was on hand again to capture more of his thoughts on Season 8 of Project Runway. First up, a fan asks how Michael Costello is doing:



Next Tim was asked who he thought should have won Season 8:



Tim continues talking about the Jackie Kennedy challenge. This seemed to be a breaking point for Tim in Season 8 and the one where he was compelled to pull his much loved vlog. He still hasn't recovered!



And finally Tim calls one designer a "massive, unforgivable control freak" But in a loving was as only Tim can. Can you guess who?



Tim and his gorgeous co-host Leah Salak from Liz Claiborne were a hit with the big crowd. His honesty at these events continues to emphasize how much his post-episode vlogs are missed. Add this to our list of changes for Season 9 - bring back Tim's Take!

Results In - You Were the Judge Episode 13

Our poll is closed for Episode 13 of Project Runway Season 8. Over 4000 of you voted and you felt that Andy South, Michael Costello and Mondo Guerra should have advanced to the final 3. 70% of you felt that Gretchen should have been out. Click here to see how you voted.


There is still time to tell us who SHOULD and WILL win Season 8. Click here. That poll will close prior to the opening of the Party Room tonight.

And don't forget to vote for your favorite collection starting tomorrow morning.

Image Courtesy of MyLifetime.com

There is Still Time...

Photo: ProjectRunway.com

There is still time to bid on the Challenge 13 auctions. Right now, this design by Michael Costello has the highest bid. Click here to see all of the items.

There is also still time to vote in our "Who WILL and Who SHOULD Win?" polls.

BPR Interview with Michael Costello

All photos: New York Magazine

I recorded a podcast with Michael Costello this morning, but had some trouble with the audio so I transcribed it for you. Michael was sweet and upbeat and had only nice things to say about his experience on Project Runway.

Click here to see Michael's finale collection.

Click here for the transcript.

These are two of Michael's favorite looks from his finale collection:




Thank you Michael!

Poll - Episode 13 - Your Turn to Be the Judge

Top Row:Andy
Second Row: Gretchen
Third Row: Michael C.
Bottom Row: Mondo
Photos courtesy of ProjectRunway.com. Click on picture for a larger view.

You've seen the designs on the runway and now it's your turn to be the judges. This week you are Heidi Klum, Michael Kors and Nina Garcia.

poll by twiigs.com

Look for our 'Who WILL Win?' and 'Who SHOULD Win?' Polls on Monday.

Own a Piece of Project Runway History!

Beginning on October 29th at 9am PST, Project Runway fans will have the unique opportunity to purchase the season 8 finale designs from Andy, Gretchen, Michael and Mondo.

Our friends at SeenON.com/ProjectRunway will be offering the collections to pre-registered shoppers. This is not an auction. It is a 72-hour private sale.

Sign up for access to this unique shopping event here.

"Frustrated and Fabulous Final Five" from C(h)oco Chanel

Choco Chanel went above and beyond her always-excellent recap by creating these "portfolio" images for the final five. Aren't they wonderful? We can really see each designer's point of view when all of their designs are presented in this way!

Thank you Miss Chanel. Click here for the full story.

April's portfolio from C(h)oco Chanel

Andy's portfolio from C(h)oco Chanel

Gretchen's portfolio from C(h)oco Chanel

Michael's portfolio from C(h)oco Chanel

Mondo's portfolio from C(h)oco Chanel

Tim's Topstick Take

We've been scratching our heads over doublestickytape-gate and Ivy's attempted take down of Michael Costello ever since Episode 11 hit the air. What was the big deal? We have seen garments taped, glued and stapled on Project Runway since Season 1. We asked Tim Gunn for some inside scoop:

Here�s my take of the tape: Michael had nothing to do with it. It was his model who took the initiative to tape herself into the dress. By the time that this was brought to our attention, the challenge in which it happened was well behind us. It was, indeed, a mean-spirited attack on Michael. And how did Ivy think we were going to respond to her accusations? Did she think that Michael would be disqualified and that we�d bring her back? Ridiculous.

Thank you, Tim. These are the kinds of crazy questions that makes your much missed vlog so essential. Lifetime, please free Tim Gunn!

More Mondo In Denver

Photo: Vivid Photography Studio

BPR field reporter Sarah sends more from Mondo's charity auction:

It was a great evening of laughter and tears. Michael C did some amazing impressions of Michael Kors and Nina Garcia. He also expressed how important it was to be with Mondo for this night, and let the crowd know that if we thought there was a waterworks on the show, "you should have seen it when we got back to the apartment!" Clearly, Mondo has moved so many of the contestants. A great deal of the designers who were still on and who were already auf'd has items to donate. To name just a few: Michael C., Peach and Ivy donated dresses, and Jason donated the bowler hat he wore on the show. Everything sold.

One of the most touching things Mondo said right after the show, was that he felt part of reason HIV is such an epidemic is that people are afraid to talk about it. He also said that we need to push forward, not go backward. He thanked everyone for being there, and said that he could really feel the love in the room.

Click here for more photos from the event.

Mondo In Denver

BPR field reporter Sarah (aka Studio Concrete) was on hand at Mondo Guerra's charity auction event in Denver last night and sends in this report:

The event was a charity auction for Rainbow Alley & Colorado AIDS Project. There was a silent auction with donations from many of the contestants, judges and from Tim Gunn, with many other fun things to purchase.

It was very crowded, and from what the friendly guy from the shop next door told us, it keeps getting more crowded every week. The night went well from the charity end, from what could be seen, with live auction for a lunch with the two designers going for over $400. There was a line stretching the length of the main room of Beauty Bar to have one's picture taken with Michael and Mondo.

One of Heidi Klum's donations: Heidi Klum Barbie (this one was so cool)

What can I say? This was such an amazing, powerful evening. To see this episode with Mondo and his friends, family and fans present was something I will never forget. There was wild applause for Mondo throughout the runway show, cheers and tears for his sharing of his story, and a deafening roar when Mondo won the challenge.

Mondo and Michael are really nice, sweet, humble people, too. They called Cheryl and myself "our blogger ladies" and offered us both a very kind goodbye when we took off. Mondo even handed me my camera bag that I had left in a weird spot.

All in all, an unforgettable night. I will offer you all I can to get a feel for it.

Thank you to Tran from The Fabric Lab, the folks at Beauty Bar Denver, the nice people we met (what a great crowd!) and especially to Michael Costello for his commitment to being there for this special evening, and of course to Mondo Guerra for being a true inspiration to us all.

Thank you Sarah! Click here for more photos from the event.

News from Tim Gunn, Michael Costello and Mondo Guerra

Photo: Getty

Click here for a new interview with Tim Gunn from The Wall Street Journal.

Also don't miss Tim on "Live with Regis and Kelly" this morning!

Mondo Guerra and Michael Costello will be at Beauty Bar in Denver for a Project Runway Viewing Party and charity auction on September 30th. Click here for more information.

Interview with Michael Costello from The Desert Sun

Whopper Of The Week?

This week's whopper gets a question mark because, well - might it actually be true?

At the designer showacse event, Ivy Higa approached Valerie Mayen after realizing that her button bowl wasn't getting much action and said: "Michael C. has been telling the guests that I'm the bitch of the show."

Now we were not shown any evidence that Michael said anything like this at all and it doesn't really make sense for Bunim-Murray to edit this kind of drama out. But is it possible he actually said it? Or did Ivy make it up?

When questioned about it by Andy the next morning, Michael C. flatly denied the accusation and we tend to believe him. If he really did say it then it would have been caught on camera and he would have been easily exposed. And we haven't seen anyone in attendance at the event claim they heard it either. We think there may be a better explanantion for this one.

Note Valerie's response to Ivy's comment: "I know, that's what people told me." People? What people? Later in the confessional, Ivy says: "The rumor is that Michael C. is trying to sabotage me."

Ah, so it's a rumor, not something that she actually heard him say herself. To whose adavantage would planting a rumor like this in Ivy's ear benefit the most?

This smells like producer influence to us. Knowing they had dramatic gold in this storyline, we suspect a production assistant may have whispered this to Ivy or another designer just to throw a little fuel on the fire. And it worked.

We'll find out the truth eventually and this story arc may completely flip itself before all is said and done but for now Michael C. is looking like the good guy in all of this.

Judicial Revenge

For all of the talk coming in to Episode 6, we were prepared to witness Michael Costello behaving badly. Bruised and battered by his fellow designers ever since his win in the hat challenge, the previews promised sabotage. And when Ivy intimated at the designer showcase that Michael was trash talking her to the public, we thought it was on. But from everything we were shown, that didn't seem to be the case. Instead, unbeknowst to the designers, there would be a much more powerful force at play.

It was was very disappointing to see the Kool Kidz Designer Club continue their denigration of Michael C. He can't sew, he can't make a pattern, he can't drape and on and on and on. Give it up already designers, someone is putting these looks out on the runway every week. And while we can argue about whether or not his wins have been deserved, can we please stop with the whipsering and ganging up on him? This is a classic case of bullying with the Parsons workroom filling in for the playground. Kudos to Casanova for not getting sucked into this.

But lets be honest here, Michael C. wins? Really? It sounded as if Mondo received the popular vote, but this wasn't "about what we are looking at today" as CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Kors hilariously spun last week. This decision was about making sure everyone knew their place in the fashion game.

The judges deliberation was very telling. Heidi , Nina and CFDA Lifetime Achievement Award winner Michael Kors immediately gravitated to Michael C. getting thrown under the bus in the last challenge. They were not going to have it. If anyone gets to bully and throw people under the bus, it will be them! How dare Gretchen think she can be the alpha designer out here in Project Runway land. This win was payback by the judges for their behavior in the team challenge, plain and simple.

The judges message was clear: to hell with the public and screw you designers. We are the arbiters of what is fashion around here. Now that everyone knows their place, let's just happily get along with the competition, shall we?

News from Tim Gunn, Seth Aaron Henderson and the Season 8 Designers

Fred Joe Photo

Seth Aaron Henderson will be showing his new "SolarWorld-Inspired Collection" at Portland Fashion Week on October 9th. Click here for more information.

Click here for more from Tim Gunn's Project Runway conference call from Small Screen Scoop.

Hometown papers are getting behind their season 8 designers!

Click here for a profile of Ivy Higa from the Guava Bee.

Click here for a closer look at Valerie Mayen.

Click here for a look at Michael Costello.

St. Louis claims Michael Drummond and AJ Thouvenot.

San Francisco supports Christopher Collins.

Meet Michael Costello

Age: 27
Hometown: Palm Springs, CA
Profession: Fashion designer
Favorite Designer: Elie Saab, Tom Ford, Valentino, Donatella Versace, Basil Soda



Click here for more about Michael Costello.