Project Runway's Valerie Mayen Chats with Movieline

Project Runway's newly eliminated designer, 29-year-old Valerie Mayen, is a steadfast Clevelander with ideas and headbands galore. We caught up with Mayen to discuss the exhausting judging process, her pick to win the season, and her least favorite Cleveland nickname (Spoiler: "the Mistake on the Lake").

I loved the judging this episode because they didn't break you into a cheap "Top 3" and "Bottom 3." The judges gave positive and negative remarks about each look, which I thought was fantastic. But I wondered if it confused you about where you stood in the rankings. Did you think you were going to lose?

Yeah, you know, I kind of had a feeling, an inclination it was going to be me regardless of how much they disliked someone else's. A lot of people on the blogs and in the [Runway] community -- a lot of people said that because they called Andy's the worst and had nothing positive to say about it, a lot of people thought that I was safe. So I wanted to hope for the best, but I prepared for the worst. I had a feeling because I'd been given several chances at that point. The judges were tired of me, they were like, "Get rid of her." I was emotionally and creatively and physically spent at that moment. I'd been prepared to leave the episode before, so when they told me I was still on I was excited but it was with a caveat. I was kind of like, "Oh, I have to keep going?" So I was glad to put one last effort in and go out on something I believed in -- something I thought was good. It's just they're preference, just opinion.

Did it bother you that the judges didn't take into consideration your past triumphs? In fact, they used your pleated napkin dress against you, saying you just reiterated it this challenge. Meanwhile, Gretchen survived the team challenge because she'd had winning looks before. And Christopher, who hasn't had a standout runway moment yet, stayed in the game with his plain look.

Oh yeah. That was the tricky part. I think I had a really good track record overall, a good batting average. I think what it comes down to, even though they say they don't judge based on past history on the show, they do. It just came down to preference like Tim said. My garment is something I or [season five champ] Leanne Marshall would've worn, but compared to what was on the runway, it's not something that Nina or Heidi would've worn. It came down to preference I really do think. Rachel Roy had some positive things to say about my design and I really appreciated that. I think the hard part for me is they don't show a lot of our defense on the runway. They just show a lot of the judges and their critiques. They make it look like we don't have anything to say, but in fact, we do. My biggest defense for their arguments against my design is that I feel like as a designer, I'm allowed to pull from my arsenal and style lines and silhouettes and signatures. But I could see some validity in their arguments.

Some contestants seemed empowered while some seemed derailed by the presence of their loved ones this challenge. How did you feel?

Oh, I was completely empowered. But I went into that challenge thinking I was going to go home. April actually mentioned to me, "I really love your piece. It's my favorite you've done all season. I really think you're going to win this one finally." And I thought it was! I was probably delusional; I thought I had a chance. But my mom encouraged me because even though I could be on the top, I knew that according to the scheme of things that I probably could go home. So I was ready and OK with it because of my mom and her words of wisdom. Project Runway is a great launching pad, but it's not the end-all be-all. Last night I had a watch party here in Cleveland, and our watch parties have gotten bigger and bigger. We had this big blowout -- I'd planned it especially for this night -- I really want to go big with this one. So we had some 350 people last night at the offices of my PR firm that's working with me. It was phenomenal, we had it catered, we had an after party, they gave me a standing ovation. All three floors were packed. There wasn't a dry eye in the house. I likened [the Runway experience] to Cleveland. On the show, the judges can say what they want, they can criticize all they want, they give us feedback, and we can learn from it. But at the end of the day, I'm still going to be me. It's like Cleveland. People make fun of us, they call us "the mistake on the lake." We take a lot of flak for our city, but at the end of the day, we're Cleveland. We shovel snow, we wear layers, we wear jackets over jackets. We're being the best Cleveland we can be, and that goes for me as well. Whether or not certain people like it, you can't please everyone. I think I had a good run and benefited from this a lot.

Who would you like to win?

Well, aside from myself -- which is not possible -- I would love for Mondo to win. I mean, I'm sure he's the favorite of many. From the very first episode, Mondo and I had a very strong connection. He used my my jacket in the first episode and we became fast friends. He just such an ingenue. Such a talent. He needs a better workspace and better tools. He needs the avenues to really produce what he knows how to do. I would get behind him 100% if I had the money to invest in him. He showed consistent work, consistent character, and he'd spend the money wisely. There are a couple of other designers who are just concerned about their track record in the past, and whether or not they can handle that kind of money and if they'd use it for their benefit or maybe possibly be wasteful. I just think Mondo would be the best candidate.

Hmmm. Michael C.? Gretchen?

No! [Laughs.] I'm not going to say anything! That's beyond the pale.

Lastly, you said nice things to each designer individually after you were eliminated. Had you planned that ahead of time?

I knew I was going to say nice things about everyone, but it wasn't planned. Like I didn't write a speech or anything. I'm a big talker if you haven't already noticed. I think I do pretty well at speaking my mind and articulating in hopefully impact-ful ways. Out of everything I got from this show, ultimately I would've loved the money, but I think I got to inspire and challenge people. I just wanted to leave a legacy so that people could get behind what I was doing beyond Project Runway.