Sweet P talks Project Runway Season Five finale: "Kenley is out of her mind."

[Above: Sweet P and her husband Sage]

Project Runway Season Four contestant Sweet P watched Wednesday night’s Season Five finale at a PR party in Los Angeles, along with designers Jeffrey Sebelia, Santino and others. Here’s what she had to say about Leanne’s collection, Kenley’s Alexander McQueen look-alike dress and playing a decoy at Bryant Park.

On Leanne:

"I actually had money on Leanne. Everyone put in 10 dollars, and by the end of the third episode you had to pick a winner. I hope no one else picked her so I get the whole pot!

I loved her use of color [in the finale]. It was very minimal but so cohesive. I loved her vest with the long pants. Beautiful. And her wedding dress was gorgeous. She’s moving to New York, and I think she should, because she’s going to have a great career."

On Kenley:

"I don’t like Kenley. I think she’s out of her mind. She said on one episode, ‘I don’t look at runway shows’—come on, honey, what are you talking about? If you’re a designer and you don’t look at runway shows, then you’re not very smart. She’s full of it. That feather dress was exactly McQueen. When I did my collection, I made sure I didn’t use anything that I’d seen. You can get inspiration [from other designers], but for crying out loud, you can’t knock them off in the same arena! I don’t like her attitude. She doesn’t listen to Tim, and she doesn’t listen to anyone. I’m so glad she didn’t win. It would not have been fair."

On Tim Gunn:

"I love Tim. He’s gorgeous inside and out, and he’s really down-to-earth. When we did our print-ad shoot, they were like, ‘Tim, should we get you a car?’ and he was like, ‘Oh, no, I’ll take a cab.” And he went outside and hailed a cab."

On the critiques:

"They're grueling. We’re up on the runway for about six hours. It’s hot lights on you, and they have to turn off the A/C because it messes with the sound. We’ve had models faint before—one time my model fell on me. Then you go into another room while they deliberate for another hour. By then you know who’s in the top and who’s in the bottom. It’s kind of rough."

On her elimination:

"I didn’t think I was going home on that challenge. I came home and was really kind of shell-shocked. You’re a little strange when you get back because you’ve been in basic captivity. The only phone calls you can make are to people who’ve been approved. I took a month off because I was very tired. After that I got a job for a contemporary line called Harkham. It’s very beautiful. I started there in August, and I went to China to do my collection.

While I was there I got an e-mail from Project Runway saying we haven’t received your contract back for your collection at Bryant Park. I was like, what are you talking about? I was eliminated! He was like, you’re a decoy because the finale hasn’t aired so people won’t know who the finalists are. So I came home from China and I quit my job because it’s really a big deal to have a show at Bryant Park."

On her nickname:

"I used to be in an all-girl motorcycle club. Everybody had a nickname, and they deemed me Sweet P because they were like, ‘You’re so sweet.’ Everybody but my dad calls me that. Now since the show my dad is like, 'Hellooo, Sweet P.' I’m like, ‘OK Dad, not that funny.”

Check back later this month for a preview of Sweet P and her husband Sage’s “Ghosts in the Garden” collection, available Nov. 1 at Pulp Lab.

BravoTV.com/ProjectRunway

PulpLab.com

Got news tips for Paste? E-mail news@pastemagazine.com.