ThatsDarling

It's early in the process, but Candice, Hanmiao, and Merline have each produced two declarative looks. The others should follow suit, lest their televised showcase end before they give any indication of what they're about as designers.

I could respect the reasoning the judges used to dismiss David ("He didn't follow the rules!") if they applied it more consistently. Designers have survived trips to the bottom and even been waved through as safe for not using much of the unconventional material. It's a shame because he really is one of the more interesting designers this season and has greater potential than Amanda, IMO. That being said, I don't think the bottom two this week were the worst of the bunch. Joseph Charles' skirt was a disaster and Gabrielle's look was incredibly unflattering. The latter surprised me, not only because her pre-show portfolio is strong, but because she was so happy with the final product. Thought Edmond's dress was very overpraised. The white embellishments on the petals of the skirt were unattractive and the neckline wasn't well done. Moreover, as others have pointed out, it's by no means an original look. Not seeing many designers with clear points of view.

I think Candice is one to watch. Having a polished look and a story will work in her favor, especially if she's on the chopping block one week. Plus, she has a clear POV and seems to have been seriously pursuing her career for a while.

Alexandria was able to back up her high estimation of her skills with superior construction and a collection that looked like it belonged at NYFW (a rarity in recent seasons of Project Runway). We'll see if Lindsay can do the same. Judging by his pre-show portfolio, I don't think Edmond will make it very far, but even if he steps it up I can't imagine the panel crowning a 13x also-ran.

Tim seems less and less concerned with concealing his bitchiness these days; he was very condescending to the designers during the critiques. It's not that the criticism was unwarranted, but he could have expressed himself differently. I wonder which minimally talented designer he will choose to save this year? Lindsey didn't really irritate me this episode. I think she's just very forthright and less concerned with presenting a telegenic image than some of the others. I appreciated that she was able to honestly assess her work as it came down the runway. Blake bugs with his feigned naiveté ("They play baseball at Madison Square Garden, right?") and enormous ego. I really liked Ashley's look, but am concerned about how she will fare in the upcoming challenges. If her portfolio is any indication, construction is not always her strong suit. Tired of Zac Posen knocking designers for lacking originality when virtually all fashion (including his) is a variation on a theme. I continue to think he's a poor choice for a judge; he doesn't have a modern eye for design.

Bummed that Lorraine Toussaint wasn't nominated, and that this season received very few nominations compared to S1. The drama categories really are intensely competitive.

As someone who used to be a big fan of Project Runway, I think it would be for the best if it ended. The show has ruined its own credibility, and the sham that is All Stars hasn't helped matters.

"I call her Ang 'cause she reminds me of Angelina Jolie."

I was bugged that Soso was shown as having a tiger mom in her flashback. What lazy writing.

I agree that Aduba is not the best representation of the work the actresses on Orange are doing. Her physical theatrics have probably helped her get awards recognition; it seems many voters equate best acting with most acting.

I think there's going to be a big dip in Emmy nominations for season 2, not only because most of the cast had to submit in supporting, but because Orange will be competing as a drama. There are about 100 more shows / performers eligible for drama nominations than for comedy. I understand why they changed the rules regarding guest actors, but it's disappointing that much of the cast will go unrecognized now. Lorraine Toussaint could have won in guest, and Yael Stone had a great submission with her flashback episode from last season. I doubt either will be nominated now.

Hear, hear. I had a feeling that whatever came after the brilliance of S2 would be a disappointment, and while I still enjoyed watching this season, it was easily the weakest of the three for me. Too unfocused, with many vaguely-written flashbacks lasting a few seconds each, dull subplots, and an entirely unnecessary new character in Stella. And nothing against Laura Prepon, but I think it was a mistake to bring her back. The Piper-Alex relationship ran its course prior to this season, and I don't find Alex very compelling on her own. And why does she keep putting her glasses up on her head?

That lake scene went on too long for my liking. Black Cindy's conversion was moving, though, and I did giggle when Suzanne presented the turtle to her admirer. I've been very impressed by Taylor Schilling's acting in the past, but I'm not buying her transformation into a ruthless alpha female. Glad she sent Stella to max, though. She was such a random addition to the show and the two of them had no chemistry together. Don't know how much longer this show can stay good.

This All Stars edition of PR seems even more corrupt than the original show. If Helen was able to survive this week, I think she's taking the whole thing (especially considering that Zac Posen is sitting on the panel next week). Gross.

Pictures from the All Stars finale collections haven't been made available yet, so I think they just linked to those photos so people could get a sense of her work. The "Congratulations on winning Season 4" tweet is hard to deny, especially coming from FIT. Confidentiality agreement notwithstanding, I can easily picture Helen bragging about her win to anyone who would listen. Maybe there were some "haters" at FIT who needed proof of her superior skills (haha).

I'm disappointed that Jessica Chastain didn't receive a nomination this year. She was excellent in several films, especially The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby and A Most Violent Year. The former film was a long-shot for awards recognition because it didn't do well financially, while I think she missed out on the latter because of the distributor's poor release strategy. Just goes to show how important factors such as timing, box office, and campaigning are in determining what and who get recognized as the "best." Agreed, but I blame the distributor more than the Academy. Selma was only completed two months ago, so there was no time to send screeners to many of the precursor groups (SAG, DGA, etc.), resulting in the film losing buzz. One Academy member even stated that she never received a Selma screener, so it may have been underseen when voting was going on. I think Paramount should have waited until later this year to give Selma a proper release. Their main priority in 2014 seemed to be Interstellar.

Me, too! She was essentially the perfect ANTM contestant: relatable, funny, from a humble background, passionate about modeling, and able to turn out a signature walk. Her portfolio is one of my favorites in the history of the show; she really knows how to emote in front of the camera. I know why they probably chose Danielle (taller, younger, more modern looking), and I'm not mad about it because she seemed sweet and has done pretty well post-show. But if it were really all about who performed best during the competition, there's no way Joanie could have lost.

Lol! I should have known to be more specific when dealing with this bunch. I meant Helen, though Michelle is no peach either.

I noticed that Alyssa Milano and Tim Gunn started following Helen on Twitter and it struck me as curious... Blech.

Yeah, fashion forward women with the money to spend $5,000 on dresses wouldn't be caught dead in what Helen makes. Her aesthetic is very derivative to begin with (her collection for her original season was obviously inspired by the Balenciaga and Valentino archives), and her taste is off the majority of the time. I kind of think all of these "All Stars" should be eliminated. Since that can't happen, I'm just hoping that Gollum doesn't take the prize.

The ability to design marketable separates is extremely important these days, so I have no idea how some of these contestants think they can make it with just dresses and jumpsuits. I wish Mila Hermanovski or Alexandria got a crack at this challenge.

I respect your opinion, but I think Helen's worst moments came when she was off of the show and no one was editing her remarks. She wished death on Tom and Lorenzo and tweeted that one of her S12 competitors should be murdered (in addition to defacing pictures of said contestant on Instagram). Frankly, I think it was irresponsible of Lifetime to cast her in the first place. She's got problems.

I don't think that Dom was nearly as mean as Helen (who is?), but I would say she was just as immature, cliquish, and rude. Saying "oh no" when Alexandria was announced as a finalist was spectacularly classless, as was her mocking expression when Alex was speaking about her loss on the reunion show. She also spoke in many of her post-win interviews about how she didn't think Alexandria's collection was strong enough to show at fashion week, which I thought was very ungracious (especially considering that A's collection was the favorite of the majority of industry people who saw the show). Moreover, while she claimed to be above the drama, Dom made some very harsh comments herself. Specifically, I recall her saying that Alexander's eliminated design sucked and suggesting that he was "only" a costume designer. As a side note, her work also sucks. Belk is practically giving away the clothes she designed for them.

Kate was pretty bratty on her first season, too. I remember her saying she enjoyed working with Tu because he could be easily dominated and "there's only room for one cook in this kitchen," or something. For what it's worth, I did think she was the least offensive of the Unholy Trinity with Dom and Helen on S12.

IIRC, Irina's design for the challenge she was eliminated for was the client's favorite. They needed to get rid of her when they had some excuse to do so, or she could have made it to the finals and outshone their preferred winner. I think a big part of why All Stars is boring is because the contestants are more careful about how they present themselves; Helen was on Twitter singing her praises about learning to think before she speaks (so impressive for a woman who's pushing 30). This edition also seems even more fixed than Original Recipe Project Runway, so there's a sense of futility to the whole process. Plus, as we just saw with Seth Aaron, winning twice doesn't even do much for people trying to establish a career in the fashion industry. The stakes are low.