Philly-designer Kristin Haskins-Simms says "Project Runway" a blessing

If Germantown's Kristin Haskins-Simms had to pick the "Project Runway" winner, she would choose Andy South, the freelance designer from Hawaii.

Haskins-Simms was eliminated from the competition on Thursday's episode of the Lifetime design series but didn't seem to have any hard feelings when we spoke yesterday.

"The show has given me great recognition for me and my line," says Haskins-Simms about her Strangefruit line that she'll show in October at Philadelphia Fashion Week. "It's been really good. I was nervous about Thursday's show, about how I would be portrayed, but I thought they portrayed me in a wonderful light." She says that getting recognized on the street regularly is "a little difficult getting used to. I'm not really a TV or in-front-of-the camera-type of person. I just want to make clothes and sell clothes."

The Germantown Friends and Penn-educated designer married Harold Simms, a computer entrepreneur, two years ago. Haskins-Simms says she's "wonderfully busy" working on her Philadelphia Fashion Week designs and her spring collection, and expanding her Web site.

Click here to read more from our column in Tuesday's Daily News.