S04.E02: The Art Of Construction

[BusyOctober]

When Alyssa was in the construction site explaining the challenge, I thought "Finally!  Someone who likes her did her hair and makeup!"  Her hair looked good down and the denim shirt/top looked good too.  I don't remember if they showed the rest of that outfit up close.  However, all hope was lost when she emerged from behind the scrim in that God awful upside down cupcake liner monstrosity.  It made her look GINORMOUS! .And Isaac wants to talk about boob fat?  Look to your left, honey.  The cut of that squared neckline was sooo unflattering on Alyssa.  If the arm  hole cut was just moved over 2 inches to her shoulders or if the strap were wider, maybe it would have diminished some of the atrociousness of that dress.  I've seen nicer maternity dresses at Target for chrissake.

 

Maybe Kate designed Alyssa's runway dress?  It has her crap-sthetic all over it. Kate and her designs remind me of Amy Adams in "Enchanted".  Enough with the white princess dresses. What's her fixation on coffee filter/cupcake liner boob cups?  If she hasn't done it already, she's scaring off any potential BF with her BSC obsession with wedding dresses. And aside from my 3 yr old daughter and her friends, I don't recall seeing a tiara worn in the daytime...on city streets...by an adult.

 

Michelle & Gunnar's voices have made me do something I've never done before...turn on close captioning.  I mute the TV anytime I see one of them pop up.  Although I was too slow on the draw during M's critique so I did hear her "spor-TEE" affectation.  UGH

 

Yay for Justin!  His dress was definitely the best one IMO.  I hope he continues to be a strong contender.

 

Snooky & J-Woww...wow. Who'd of thunk their 15 minutes of fame would extend this far into 2014? For "fashion mavens", they both looked like they rolled out of a low end Atlantic City bar.

[Fabricationary]

Pancake should have been in the bottom for designing yet another wedding dress (stripper variety this time, like a girl who pops out of a wedding cake for a bachelor party).

 

I didn't mind Alexandra's dress - for me it was neither in the bottom nor the top of the group - but I thought it would have been better suited to next week's Wicked-themed episode.

 

The judging panel looked very orange this week.

[Wings]

It is likely that Kate is back for the 47th time because it was probably difficult to find takers.  I get the feeling that Chris was coerced.  He doesn't look happy to be there. 

[Locutus]

Snooki and JWow were the worst. JWow could barely talk with her whole face so tight and stiff.

[PepperMonkey]

On rewatch, I realized Kate was in the top; I thought bottom originally because I hated hers so much.

 

I actually hate seeing Chris March on this show. He IS way above this and I want him to do like most others have done and take himself out of the Project Runway orbit. I don't mind him being bitchy, because, well he is bitchy, yet funny. Also, he's older and obviously not in great health with that weight he's carrying around. Chris! You're too good for Project Runway on any level!! Stay away, man, stay away!

[leighdear]

 

She only had one???

HeeeeHeeeHeee!   That gave me a SERIOUS LOL moment.  Thank you, Cousin Oliver!

 

Every time I see Kate, I see the redhead chick on the "Wendy's" commercials.  And I just cannot unsee her.

 

 

Also, whiskey tango foxtrot, what the HELL is up with her attack hugging at the end of the show?

 

Seriously! She LAUNCHED herself at Alexandria and was clinging to her like a spider monkey. And Alexandria was NOT having any of that, trying to peel Michelle off as quickly as possible.  So bizarre.  

[AudreyHorne]

My husband commented that Michelle now looks like Big Boo from Orange is the New Black. It's uncanny!

[Bebecat]

I have not heard Michelle's voice in ages as I have to mute her...she repulses me. Still have to look at her though...and Kate, well she seems like there is something wrong with her, like some regressive thing where she stopped mentally aging at about five and never got over playing dress-up where she was always the bride. And she is not even "good TV", which I couldn't care less about anyway.

I love you Dmitri, please step it up. It is bad enough you had to come back, I had wished great success for you at least, despite the show's track record. And get more camera time, so I can stop fast-forwarding so much.

[LuciaMia]

Add my check-mark to the column titled "Alyssa, what were you thinking?"

 

This is the frustrating part of any PR season.  So many interesting designs that I'd love to hear the judges comments on; but simply get 'congratulations, you can move on to the next round. goodby.'

 

I liked Chris's design. It probably would have gone over better if the bodice wasn't loosening, prompting the 'nipple search.'

 

Yeah, Justin's dress was gorgeous. It just glistened.

[dialyn]

I don't think anyone except Justin showed much originality, and his could be seen as similar to his amazing glass pipette gown.  This isn't a group that can find something different to do with bungee cords, and so we have three designers doing nothing that other designers haven't done previously and the designs look sadly similar.  Tell, me why or why there is always too short a skirt or one that insufficiently covers the model?  Do designers think a woman's figure stops at her waist?   Kate made her same dress, which was cute but familiar.  I'm not sure what Alexandria was trying to do since the whole thing looked like the model had walked through a garbage pile and wore whatever stuck to her.  I am thoroughly tired of designers saying, "don't eliminate me now because I can do so much better than this."  No, show me what you can do now; quit being a snob and just do it.  Chris March should have been eliminated just to put him out of his misery...he looks so unhappy and he doesn't look well.  I don't find him funny.  He just seems bitter to me (sorry, I'm not one of those who thinks snark is automatically humorous). Michelle's dress seemed very similar to her duck tape dress of her season (I'm surprised there was none of that tape in the construction area for them to use).   I think Michelle is trying to change her image, but she is trying too hard and it is coming off as weird and fake.  The image of her wrapped around Alexandria was pretty funny but not in a good way.  As someone else mentioned, I would have loved to see how Fabrio managed to turn his twine into those panels of color--he should have gotten more credit for the transformation. Sonija's dress came out better than I had expected.  There is something amusing to me about a "caution" dress in this day and age, but that's just me.  I'm not excited about chain dresses or nail necklaces.  I liked how the tarp dress fringe worked but the way it was placed made the model look like she had hairy thighs, which is not a look I'd want.  Helen's and  Benjamin's dresses seemed nicely made but not particularly original. 

 

I think I've missed someone but I had trouble remembering some of the garments. Not important. I didn't get a vote anyway.  It is really hard to take a show seriously that has Snooki and JWow on it as fashion experts.  I would have liked to hear more from Elie Tahari, though I am mystified by his support of Alexandria's dress.  Maybe it looked better in person (at least to him). 

[xingcat]

I think that we tend to remember Chris March as this happy-go-lucky, easy personality, but he's always been fairly prickly. He's insanely talented, but nobody can tell him what to do, and he gets his feelings hurt very easily. I remember him not being too happy with Christian many times during his initial run, and when he came back for a returnees season (not quite All Stars yet), he was even more grumpy.

 

Justin's dress was amazing, but he was just repeating what he did with the pipettes in his season. I'd like to see him produce something that is just as exciting, but with regular materials and not in the "pretty pretty dress" style.

 

I mentioned something about Kate's returning to wedding dresses over and over again on Twitter, and she answered me with, "I'm a full-time wedding dress designer," so I'm assuming she's doing this on purpose, and is using her third time up at bat to show people what she does for work.

 

I love Alexandria, but she just didn't want to play this time around. I think Helen's dress looked like it was poured out of concrete.

[gibasi]

Elie Tahari is always the most gentle of judges.  He might not like something but he will always find something nice to say about every garment.

 

I was prepared to hate JWow and Snooki but they didn't bother me too much.  I agree there were too many judges though.

 

I am glad Alexandria went home.  She did have the best line of the night but she is so stubborn and her all black all the time bugs me after a while.  During her season the only time I liked her was during the visit to her camp with the kids.  She seemed happy then and not so glum.

 

I cannot stand Michelle either.  I don't want to look at her or listen to her.  And she is a boring designer.

 

I thought Fabio's should have been in the top as well.  I don't remember Jay at all from his season but he is impressing me here.  I am glad Justin won.

 

And I forgot to say I think the reason the hems will be uneven front to back is because the designers cannot hem it or pin it when it is on the models.  So if your fabric is a little uneven to begin with when you hem it the garment will be off a little.  It happens all the time to me if I cannot get someone to pin something on me while I am wearing it.  It's only even when you measure up from the floor.  My mom used to have a device that would supposedly work-it was like a yard stick that stood on the floor and it would spray chalk on your garment when you squeezed this red ball.  

Edited November 7, 2014 by gibasi

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I wish they would BAN the use of the words 'aesthetic' and 'edgy'

And until the happy day that these words are banned, can we at least require everyone to pronounce "aesthetic" correctly? That's a TH, not a D. It's not "aes-dead-ic."

[Julia]

Justin's dress was amazing, but he was just repeating what he did with the pipettes in his season. I'd like to see him produce something that is just as exciting, but with regular materials and not in the "pretty pretty dress" style.

 

Justin was robbed on his real woman dress. He made an amazing dress, below the knees and with elbow-length sleeves, for a mormon woman who had modesty requirements and who had recently lost enough weight that extra skin was a problem, and embroidered her signature across it as an embellishment. Then he made her a corset to take care of the extra skin. Naturally, because Nina and Zac, Helen won for putting a six foot tall underweight woman in an evening dress.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Julia

[candall]

OMG, Tahari.  There was a brief moment when I had the money and the body to buy his clothes and they were rich and elegant and classic.  I think my cousin's grandchildren still wear them and look beautiful.  And they stuck him in there with fucking Snooki and JWow???  Fie!!!

 

There was so much interesting material available in this challenge.  But of course they only got one day, so most people were too scared to do anything but grab the blue tarps.  With another day, there would have been tiny blowtorches in play and some very cool stuff going down the runway.  Show, show, show--what's wrong with you?

 

I thought the black texture-y dress with the crazy hem pouf was quite a bit more interesting than mismatched colored chevrons.  At least it was body-shaped and not a bell hanging down from the shoulders.  But then Mizrahi claimed the chevron dress made the model's ARMS look good, so I knew Alexandria was a goner.  Arms?  It was sleeveless, FFS--how do you get an arm compliment out of that?  And I don't ever want to hear the phrase "boob fat" again in my life.

 

This show drives me crazy.

Edited November 8, 2014 by candall

[poeticlicensed]

Glad Alexandria went home. That dress was a hot mess. I hate her streetwear meets Goth vibe. 

 

So disappointed in Chris March. He needs to step it up. Who cares what the others are making. Dimitri's bugee dress was 1000 times better than his.

 

Ugh, cannot stand Michelle. Her dress looked like a shift for a 5 years old, covered in tape. Michael Kors would have had a hissy because the stripes in the chevron did not match up.  

 

I think Justin can be a whiner, but his dress was beautiful. I was glad he won. 

[terrymct]

I mentioned something about Kate's returning to wedding dresses over and over again on Twitter, and she answered me with, "I'm a full-time wedding dress designer," so I'm assuming she's doing this on purpose, and is using her third time up at bat to show people what she does for work.

 

Or....she's friggin one note and can't do anything else.

[Primetimer]

Unconventional materials strike Project Runway All Stars, right on schedule; your editors discuss!

Read the story

[designing1]

Michelle is doing that thing that Amanda did in the reg PR season - assuming she is the equal of the judges and treating them as peers while being judged and making funny comments and faces like she is in on the joke while her fellow contestants are just the amateurs, silly things. Michelle is the real designer and can commiserate with the judges, don't you know?  It's obnoxious.

 

Exactly. Obnoxious when Amanda did it, even more obnoxious when the odious in every way Michelle does it. And why is she getting the bulk of the talking heads? The wonderfully dry Dmitri is there, he of "one way monkey" and "Elena is walking depression" fame.

 

Other thoughts:

 

• Why Chris March was so concerned that someone was "copying" him is beyond me. He's had a decent amount of success and should have more faith in his ability to produce the better of the two designs.

 

• What do the producers see in Kate that's eluding me? I could understand them bringing her back (and back!) were she at least a compelling personality who made for good TV, but her personality is as one-note as her designs.

 

• Justin earned that win, and Jay was a deserving second. (Jay seemed to have made himself a belt out of those nails -- careful sitting down, Jay!) I was also impressed with what Sonjia was able to accomplish with the caution tape, and wish we'd gotten a closer look at Fabio's, which seemed like one heck of a transformation. I got where Alexandra was going with the silhouette of her dress (think high fashion French woman walking her poodle in the mid-1950s, like so), but the execution was not good.

 

• Did Ben say the warehouse was "vacuous"? 

 

• I may be alone in this, but I love the unconventional materials challenges -- they really force people (except Kate) to step out of their comfort zones. I just wish these challenges were always two days to give the designers time to manipulate the difficult materials.

 

My mom used to have a device that would supposedly work-it was like a yard stick that stood on the floor and it would spray chalk on your garment when you squeezed this red ball

 

Are you my sibling? I come from a family of shorties, and my mother ended up buying one of those things since she was forever taking up hems -- and it did indeed work.

Edited November 7, 2014 by designing1

[slothgirl]

Alexandria had the line of the evening with something along the lines of, "It's like telling someone to make a delicious cake, but all they give you is soap."  I laughed for like 5 minutes straight after that. Hah!

 

I could have done without her whining about having to do unconventional materials. She hasn't just seen the show; she's been ON the show. She knew that this is a typical challenge. Get over it already. (and I sorta liked her and felt she was just "misunderstood" by those put off by her in the past, even though I often didn't like her outfits)

 

However, I also admit that when I signed on to the forum today, I had already completely forgotten who got eliminated... guess I'm not very invested in this season.

Edited November 7, 2014 by slothgirl

[PrincessSteel]

Forget about 'boob fat', Alyssa's boobs looked like they were trying to escape that hideous dress via the armholes. Also, I am a graduate of the Sears Charm School, so JWow's continuous 'I will now flash the cameraman' posture gave me the dry heaves.

[auntlada]

I feel like she's trying to portray a more loving and fun Michelle instead of just being herself.  I'd rather have a non-faking grumpy Michelle than a phony fun and loving Michelle.

 

I might like a phony fun and loving Michelle if I ever saw one. Instead, it's a phony what-Michelle-thinks-is-fun-and-loving-but-what-is-really-just-obnoxious Michelle.

 

I mentioned something about Kate's returning to wedding dresses over and over again on Twitter, and she answered me with, "I'm a full-time wedding dress designer," so I'm assuming she's doing this on purpose, and is using her third time up at bat to show people what she does for work.

 

You'd think she make something that looks good then.

[carrps]

Not a Justin fan. When others aren't slobbering all over him, he's slobbering all over himself. I also saw a lot of his pipette dress in last night's dress. And I thought the pipette dress was just a basic flapper dress with dangly bits. Not so impressive. It's like his glue gun "lace" -- gimmicks stuck on uninteresting shapes.

 

I think Chris's arm was twisted to come on this show. Also, agree with whomever (sorry, didn't notice the name) who said Kate was probably the last one they could get to fill out their roster. And she will always say yes (to the dress). Why can't they just use a smaller amount of contestants for these All Star seasons and give them more time to impress us? I've got to think they're scraping the bottom of the barrel (to the extent of having TWO previous winners on) because so many former designers don't want to enter the monkey cage again.

 

Michelle is really weird. Really, REALLY weird. But? Mostly obnoxious.

 

I mostly like Alexandria. She has the driest sense of humor and a distinctive pov, so I was sad to see her go. I've been spoiled, so I don't know if I'm going to watch after next week. This episode was bad enough.

[Linderhill]

I couldn't understand why Alexandria was so upset about the unconventional materials aspect and then I remembered that in her season that challenge was a team challenge and she insisted on using wall paper.  And they were pretty unsuccessful with it to if I remember correctly.  That was one ugly dress and I couldn't figure out why she thought it was so inspiring.  I was never a big fan of hers, I think her overwhelming affection for dropped crotch pants turned me off of her.  I also hated her phone book dress that she had her camp kids work on.  That thing was fugly.  Especially when compared to Justin's pipet dress.  

 

I think Michelle has been reading about herself online and is trying to change her image.  That's the only reason I can think of that she'd be so pushy with the hugging after her "no hugging" moment in her season.  She certainly has a chip on her shoulder.  She needs to see how other previous winners have behaved and take a lesson from them.  Dimitri is staying low key, in the last All Stars season, Seth Aaron was super humble and happy to escape as "safe" some weeks, and even Irina, (or was it Elena?) who was pretty much a bitch and a half her season was pretty low key.  Heck, even Kenli and Ivy were much better during their All Star appearances.  Maybe she watched this past season and modeled herself after Amanda.  

 

Or maybe, and this is what i've come to believe, Michelle just thinks she's that awesome and that she really is as important and accomplished as the judges.  Of course with the two knuckle heads from Jersey Shore that's not saying much.  Those two need to go back to NY where they belong.  (Growing up on the Jersey Shore, those were the people we made fun of at the beach. )

Edited November 7, 2014 by Linderhill

[phoenix780]

I don't know Michelle from her previous season, but I like her here. 

 

I was sad to see Alexandria go before Helen, because I hate Helen and I don't want her to walk away feeling validated in her treatment of Alexandria.

 

I'm glad to read that Kate on Twitter is mentioning that she's a wedding dress designer.  I liked her on the season I saw of her (where she was returning), but her tiara tonight was...ridiculous, imho, and I thought her dress was something totally unwearable while still not being runway-exciting.  I imagined it as being for the adult video awards or something- it was bizarre.  But if she's just here to pimp her business (by making unattractive clothing), that at least makes sense to me.

 

Judging...I didn't get, and I didn't much agree with any of it, but I'm blaming the inclusion of the Jersey Shore girls.  I avoided them during their drunken rise to fame (except for the occasional clip on "The Soup" or something), I don't really understand or appreciate the fact that they're still famous enough to land this gig.  I feel like you should either have or develop some kind of skill to get and maintain fame, though I know that's not reality.  

[RealityGal]

I don't know Michelle from her previous season, but I like her here. 

 

I was sad to see Alexandria go before Helen, because I hate Helen and I don't want her to walk away feeling validated in her treatment of Alexandria.

 

I'm glad to read that Kate on Twitter is mentioning that she's a wedding dress designer.  I liked her on the season I saw of her (where she was returning), but her tiara tonight was...ridiculous, imho, and I thought her dress was something totally unwearable while still not being runway-exciting.  I imagined it as being for the adult video awards or something- it was bizarre.  But if she's just here to pimp her business (by making unattractive clothing), that at least makes sense to me.

 

Judging...I didn't get, and I didn't much agree with any of it, but I'm blaming the inclusion of the Jersey Shore girls.  I avoided them during their drunken rise to fame (except for the occasional clip on "The Soup" or something), I don't really understand or appreciate the fact that they're still famous enough to land this gig.  I feel like you should either have or develop some kind of skill to get and maintain fame, though I know that's not reality.  

 

I know it sounds snobby, but I just think if you've had this somewhat questionable rise to fame, some venues should be closed off to you.  For example, if your fame stems from making a sex video with Ray-J, you probably shouldn't be on the cover of Vogue.  If your fame stems from falling over drunk on a bicycle and using way too much makeup an being a national joke, maybe judging a higher end (MMV) fashion competition isn't for  you.  

 

I hate Michelle, and word up to whoever said she looks like Big Boo from Orange is the New Black.  Frickin doppleganger man.

 

I did not see Kate in that tierra, and that is indeed ridiculous.  I know she is trying to be cute, I get it, but a tiara is a little over the line.  I wonder how her husband deals with her, does he have a Disney prince complex, or does he just roll his eyes all the time? 

 

It appears though that next week Kate has to design something wicked, and I'm interested in seeing what she does with that.

I think Michelle has been reading about herself online and is trying to change her image.  That's the only reason I can think of that she'd be so pushy with the hugging after her "no hugging" moment in her season.  She certainly has a chip on her shoulder.  She needs to see how other previous winners have behaved and take a lesson from them.  Dimitri is staying low key, in the last All Stars season, Seth Aaron was super humble and happy to escape as "safe" some weeks, and even Irina, who was pretty much a bitch and a half her season was pretty low key.  Heck, even Kenli and Ivy were much better during their All Star appearances.  Maybe she watched this past season and modeled herself after Amanda.  

 

I think this is exactly what is motivating her, but its like she is assuming that a) she is more likable like this and b) that everyone is so stupid that they will forget the jackass she was in her season and accept that this isn't some sort of act.

 

My thing is though that she was pretty much offended that anyone would try to touch her after she had a rough moment, so why would she hugttack people without asking them if she was so opposed to it?

 

I think she is overdoing the voices because the only thing people seemed to like about her on her season was her impression of Nina Garcia.

[meep.meep]

If they were bound and determined to have the Jersey Shore girls as judges, this was the right challenge.

Elie Tahari should be the guest judge on every episode - he's gentle to the designers, but not afraid to express his opinions.

Justin deserved the win 100%.  It was the black cords that made it distinct from his pipette dress.  Which was a copy of his drinking straw dress from earlier in the season.

 

And my mother had one of those standing yardstick chalk puffer things too!  Maybe we should start a club.

[heythere]

 

Justin deserved the win 100%.  It was the black cords that made it distinct from his pipette dress.  Which was a copy of his drinking straw dress from earlier in the season.

Drinking straw dress? I don't remember that.

[Calamity Jane]

Did Ben say the warehouse was "vacuous"? 

 

 

Yes, yes, he did. I sputtered at the TV and yelled, "NO, vacuous would be what your brain is!"   

[twilightzone]

I was surprised when Justin said he had never won a challenge.  I am glad the others were rooting for him.

 

I personally would rather not see previous winners compete again.  They had their time in the limelight.

Edited November 7, 2014 by twilightzone

[Calamity Jane]

I just had a little epiphany about Kate's appearance -- when I was watching Criminal Minds this week, the unsub with the Cinderella complex kept reminding me of someone.  Kate from Project Runway!  Totes McGoats!  (Is that right?  doesn't look right)  

[Bosman]

Baffled that Sanjiya (sp?) and Dimitry escaped the bottom. Those were two of the fugliest, unflattering messes ever created on PR.

Guess I am in the minority, but I hated Jay's look. Maybe in person it looked different, but on Tv the tarp looked...like a tarp.

Also, not sure why the producers think that we are tuning into the Michelle show and need to hear her comments every 2 minutes. We don't. SHUT UP Michelle!

[ThatsDarling]

Well, that's the last episode of PR: All Stars I will be watching. I maintain that Alexandria is one of the best designers PR has cast in recent years; she has a distinctive, modern point of view and can create clothes that are both interesting and commercial. She could have been one of the few winners not to fade into obscurity, and she got sent home by Snooki? At least Elie Tahari defended her work, and Alyssa is a fan. I remember her going on a talk show after S12 ended and saying that Alexandria should have won.

 

Ugh. I knew from spoilers that Alexandria was going, but I'm still disappointed. I related to her a lot, because she is SO Scandinavian. I honestly believe that a lot of her perceived "social awkwardness" stems from the fact that Scandinavians in general are a bit more socially reserved, and that probably doesn't mesh well with most of the over the top types that appear on reality TV. I also think her bluntness is very much a cultural thing.

 

Agreed. I also think that some of the viewers and cast members respond more negatively to her demeanor because she's a woman. She reminds me a bit of Stanley, and he was widely liked. Dmitry can come across as aloof and snooty, and he's a a fan favorite. I find that confident, reserved, and straightforward women are often labeled bitches, and it isn't fair. 

 

I feel like Dmitry should have been called out for sending his model down the runway with her butt hanging out, but my theory is that winners have secret immunity for the first five weeks or so (lest they get sent home early and invalidate past judging decisions). Mess. 

Edited November 7, 2014 by ThatsDarling

[Ms Blue Jay]

Chris' weight and health is dragging him down.   He has to sit and in his season took naps in the break room.  He is a heart attack in the making.   He has lost his umph.  I got the feeling that the judges, sensing this, went easy on him during the judging.  His look was a mess, really.

 

Maybe it's a harsh assessment, but I think it's spot on.  Chris has always been like this in my opinion.  I think he looks sweet and has a very contagious smile, but Season 4 is still fresh in my mind -- I just rewatched it -- and he's always been this bitchy and had zero patience for anyone else.  I'd be just as pissed off as him if I was him in that situation, but put up and shut up.  I've never been a fan of his designs, except the one time he worked with Christian.  And guess what he did the exact next challenge?  He copied the design he did with Christian exactly.  Not impressed.  Not a fan.

 

First Patricia leaves, now Alexandria.  Just my selfishness speaking, but that blew.  I prefer their personalities over Michelle's and Kate's!  

[BradandJanet]

I must be living in bizarro world because I can find no other explanation for the judges reaction to Michelle's dress. 'Oh! Wonderful! I love the way you made the fabric! And it was constructed so well! It's only fault is that it is boring and commonplace. So to the bottom with you!'  Seriously?  First of all, in all the judging I've seen on PR, one of the first crimes of stripes is that they don't match at the seams. And this particular dress was supposed to have 'chevrons'.  Sure, Michelle. There wasn't a stripe that matched up anywhere on that thing. It was jarring it was so bad. Then it was just a simple sheath dress in the end anyway. Simple to design and make, nothing special. So we have a simple basic sheath with stripes that are mismatched at the seams in colors that are kind of ugly IMO. And the judges on'y complaint is that it wasn't 'enough'.  BS. It was terrible all around. 

 

Crimes of stripes is my new favorite term. Yes, CoS 101 is that stripes must match: sides, front, sleeves, and everywhere else possible. Mismatching stripes on clothes is like patterned wallpaper that doesn't line up at the seams. Ugh. 

[ratgirlagogo]

 

As for the judges, I was really surprised that Elie Tahari liked everything - did he have one criticism at all?

 

Much to my shock, I found Snooky and J-wow oddly entertaining. They were so vocally and adamantly opinionated about all the designs

That was the impression I got as well. Quite bizarre to see Snooki and J-Wow displaying more discrimination in their taste than Elie Tahari.

 

I wish they would stop referring to this as the "unconventional challenge". It's an "unconventional MATERIALS challenge".

This is a huge pet peeve of mine with the last few seasons of PR.  Also, Samantha, challenge one on episode one on season one of PR was an unconventional materials challenge, so why is anyone surprised when it comes early in the season?  In theory the UMC is still my favorite - but in practice they've run it into the ground so much in recent seasons by doing them multiple times in a season that it's kind of lost its luster for me.  In previous years every single designer who worked with tarps or burlap would have been dinged for choosing something that was too much like fabric.  This episode that would have meant about half the designers.  Having said that Justin actually did make something beautiful within the traditional parameters of the challenge - you really wouldn't have known those were twist ties - and deserved his win.

 

What happened to my Chris?  Disappointed in him all round tonight.

I understand why he was pissed, but don't entirely understand why his bad mood fried his brain so thoroughly that he couldn't shift gears a bit.  He's had a whole real world career making beautiful clothes (well, costumes usually)  out of unconventional materials!  It would really have been an embarrassing challenge to get aufed on for him and I was surprised when he was safe.  He's still my favorite, forever.

 

I actually hate seeing Chris March on this show. He IS way above this and I want him to do like most others have done and take himself out of the Project Runway orbit. I don't mind him being bitchy, because, well he is bitchy, yet funny. Also, he's older and obviously not in great health with that weight he's carrying around. Chris! You're too good for Project Runway on any level!! Stay away, man, stay away!

I really hate how much I agree with you here.  I has a sad.

 

When Alyssa was in the construction site explaining the challenge, I thought "Finally!  Someone who likes her did her hair and makeup!" Her hair looked good down and the denim shirt/top looked good too.

Hmm, I don't think I agree exactly.  I agree that her hair down is a more flattering style, but her hair itself looked fucking FRIED.  I know that pregnancy can do a number on a woman's skin and hair sometimes, but jeebus.  She's a spokesmodel for that infomercial hair product, isn't she?  Looking at her hair doesn't tempt me to try it.   I'm starting to wonder if Alyssa's stylist isn't her husband's mistress or angry ex.

[kat165]

Because of her clown makeup I find myself continually staring at Michelle's face. And she has beautiful skin. That's the nicest thing I can say about her.

 

More cattiness, sorry: How is Zanna Roberts a fashion editor anywhere? From her raggy, fried looking, no style ever hair to her questionable attire I can't see how she was hired. Although she'd be the perfect fashion editor for Mad Magazine.

[Texasmom1970]

In what alternate universe are Snooki and J Wow qualified to judge fashion. The producers just like screwing with us viewers!

Love Justin, loved his dress, loved him winning, that is all.

[slothgirl]

I personally would rather not see previous winners compete again.  They had their time in the limelight.

 

Or have a season of ALL winners. That would be fun. After all, the winners would be the true "all stars".

[One Tough Cookie]

Alyssa:  I recently watched "Whirlpool" with Gene Tierney and Jose Ferrer. She must have pissed off the movie hair dresser because she had the exact same unfortunate hairstyle you had on last night. Seriously girl, I know you are 16 months pregnant, but damn, didn't you look into the mirror and realize that all your hair scraped off your face onto an unflattering bun did NOTHING to enhance your good looks?  And I'm not even going to mention your fashion choices, everyone else has been much more eloquent than I could be.

 

Personally, I would have sent Michelle home...it looked like a duct-taped dress and the colors were awful. And could someone PLESE explain why women shave their like that?  Anya did it also and it drove me freakin crazy.

 

I'm glad Justin won, the dress was gorgeous.

[Surrealist]

"I don't think it is fair to say hey, go make a cake and make it taste really good but use soap. Good fking luck!"

 

I find Alexandia interesting in personality and design. To me she is harsh only because she does not want to get sucked into drama and she wants to be left alone. This unfortunately gives her anxiety too because she does not want to be harsh. I got this feeling about her in her season as well and I think she actually is a sensitive person.

 

I wish she stayed.

 

See, I feel the same way. I like that she doesn't care about the drama, even at the expense that the other contestants talk crap about her. I'd take Alexandria's aloofness over the overt backstabbing and bitchiness that's come from some of the other contestants (on both regular and AS shows).

 

Alyssa, Alyssa, Alyssa. Her stylist isn't so nice. I've never been pregnant, but I'm guessing that pregnant woman don't want to look like crap just because they're carrying extra weight. Surely, the stylist could have found something better for her to wear. That said I don't mind her as a host. She's my peer and I grew up watching her on TV so that kind of keeps me from bagging on her.  ;)

 

I like Elie Tahari as a guest judge. I wish he were a permanent fixture. I think it's insulting that he was slotted to guest judge alongside the Jersey Shore women. I can only imagine what was going through his mind.

 

1. Justin: I'm glad that he won the challenge. His outfit was one of the cooler ones. He has some interesting ideas and I felt this same way about him on his season. He seems to have come into his own on AS. I look forward to seeing what else he can do, so I hope he's around for a long while.

 

2. Alexandria: I don't dislike her in the way some others do. YMMV. I wasn't wow'ed by her outfit, but I didn't hate it. The netting part could have been done in a different way. I known I've seen worse outfits on this show.

 

3. Michelle: I didn't see this woman's season, but something about her puts me off. I hated her dress. My dad used to keep green tarp in his garage and that's what her dress looked like to me. Granted, I felt the same way about Jay's and Alexandria's, but Michelle's colors were just BLAH.

 

4. Kate: I think she should have gone home already. I suspect that every outfit on this season will look like a bridal gown. Bridal gowns bore me.

 

5. Jay: I didn't mind that his dress looked like a tarp, even though the object is to not make the dress look as if it was crafted out of tarp. The silhouette was interesting. He seems like a nice enough guy, so he doesn't turn me off.

 

6. Fabio: So far I like what he's done. Even last night's dress. It wasn't the most outstanding piece, but it wasn't anywhere near average. I'm interested in seeing what else he designs.

 

7. Helen: The dress color was bad and it looked as if she had plastic wood pieces stapled onto it. At least, she's not as bad as Kate.

 

8. Chris: If he's from the Bravo era, then I'll cut him some slack because like others here have mentioned, these one-day challenges aren't his forte. I didn't mind the bottom half of his dress, but the top needed a little more work.

 

6. Dmitry: I can't forgive him on that dress: asscheeks bared.

 

7. Benjamin: I didn't care for his dress because it looked like shredded paper.

 

8. Gunnar:  I didn't mind his dress. I'd consider wearing it. I think. I thought the chains were cool. Now that's how you do fringe.  :p

 

9. Sonjia: Interesting use of tape, but it wasn't a "wow" moment dress for me. It wasn't enough to justify putting her at the bottom. It was average.

 

10. Samantha: The top reminded me of Princess Leia's bra in the Return of the Jedi Jabba the Hutt scene. It's not something I'd wear, but it wasn't the worst look.

Edited November 7, 2014 by Surrealist

[ChelseaNH]

And guess what he did the exact next challenge?  He copied the design he did with Christian exactly.

 

The team avant garde challenge was episode 8.  Chris and Christian's gown was made from dozens of circles of organza.  Episode 9 was the denim challenge and episode 10 was the wrestling challenge.  In episode 11, Chris made a one-shouldered satin gown.

 

I do think Chris should have shrugged off the whole "he's copying me" thing.  Just make sure what you're doing is good.

 

Alexandria is an interesting designer, but she's not my cup of tea and she's not really this show's cup of tea, either.

[LBFilmBuff]

I didn't realize Kate was in the top until I read this recap! What the? Are you kidding? That was average at best so I guess I could see Snooki and her lapdog (or the other way around) liking it. I guess. But it was so boring.

And I admit that I liked Michelle's designs on her season and didn't mind her winning. I didn't hate her personality then, but why has it completely changed now? And why is she setting her makeup gun to "whore?" Yikes.

Justin, that was terrific. I'm glad that you stole from yourself since your earlier dress was amazing. You're super talented. Jay & Fabio? You are right there too. I know it's early but I'd go with one of these three winning unless Dmitry gets his act together and they are okay re-crowning a former winner.

[Latverian Diplomat]

Or have a season of ALL winners. That would be fun. After all, the winners would be the true "all stars".

Good idea, but I feel like that needs an Anti-Monopoly style high concept. Say, everyone starts with $100,000, and each week the winning designer gets to leave with their cash and everyone else loses $10,000.

 

The final loser gets treated to a Gene-Wilder-as-Willy-Wonka-style "You Get Nothing! You Lose! Good Day Sir/Ma'am".

Edited November 8, 2014 by Latverian Diplomat

[ElectricBoogaloo]

I would settle for a Joe Schmoe Show style aufing: "You're dead to us" as a plate with their photo is smashed.

[Surrealist]

Elie Tahari is always the most gentle of judges.  He might not like something but he will always find something nice to say about every garment.

 

I think this is why I like him so much. He's the perfect judge. He's not critical for the sake of being critical and to get laughs from the rest of the panel. He can find something to compliment on every garment. He strikes me as one of the genuinely friendlier people in the fashion industry.

[ratgirlagogo]

 

More cattiness, sorry: How is Zanna Roberts a fashion editor anywhere? From her raggy, fried looking, no style ever hair to her questionable attire I can't see how she was hired. Although she'd be the perfect fashion editor for Mad Magazine.

She'd have to have a sharp wit to do anything for MAD, so no.  She is worse than useless.  How I miss Joanna Coles.

 

 He's not critical for the sake of being critical and to get laughs from the rest of the panel.

Okay, I can appreciate that.

Edited November 8, 2014 by ratgirlagogo

[leighdear]

I really didn't see any similarities between Justin's pipette dress and this one, excepting the added materials were long & narrow.  His pipette dress was a tank-style with a scoop neckline, floor length and a bit of a mermaid flare at the bottom.  And it was solid white.  His zip tie dress was a straight strapless neckline, with a fitted bodice, and a short flared skirt.  And it was black & white.  Completely different to me. 

 

Alyssa does look cute in the initial challenge, but takes a header on the runway looks.  Almost as if they still have Heidi's wardrobe hanging back there, and are determined to squeeze Alyssa into something leftover of hers.....anything....

[anonymiss]

I liked Kate's. She does have an unremitting hyperfeminine/princess-y aesthetic but I can appreciate that. Girlfriend knows her corsets.

 

Until Alexandria opened her smug mouth to remind us how supremely above this she is, I was disappointed to see her go this early. Every now and again she creates something impressive, but at least now I'm relieved of her stank attitude of entitlement and superiority.

 

Not a Justin fan. When others aren't slobbering all over him, he's slobbering all over himself. I also saw a lot of his pipette dress in last night's dress. And I thought the pipette dress was just a basic flapper dress with dangly bits. Not so impressive. It's like his glue gun "lace" -- gimmicks stuck on uninteresting shapes.

I totally agree. I remain as underwhelmed with him as I was with the first garment he ever presented. (Ugh. Now I'm getting annoyed again with Tim and his sham save.)

 

I loved the slutty but well executed appeal of Samantha's and Chris'. I know Chris didn't have his heart in it, but it was still a creative beautiful design, which is more than someone like Michelle can ever usually say.

 

If Dmitry weren't Dmitry he would have been in the bottom 2 or out for that rope-y mess.
 

Edited November 8, 2014 by anonymiss

[phoenix780]

I know it sounds snobby, but I just think if you've had this somewhat questionable rise to fame, some venues should be closed off to you.  For example, if your fame stems from making a sex video with Ray-J, you probably shouldn't be on the cover of Vogue.  If your fame stems from falling over drunk on a bicycle and using way too much makeup an being a national joke, maybe judging a higher end (MMV) fashion competition isn't for  you.

 

I guess I'm a little snobby too, then, because I agree with this., unless maybe you've stepped out of the spotlight for a minute and taken some time to cultivate a skill of some kind.  Like you learned to model, built a career, and earned Vogue for that.  Or with Jessica Simpson- she's built a successful fashion empire, despite her origins as a singer/idiot, so I'd totally accept her showing up here to judge.  These two, though...all I know of them is that they drink and do reality tv (with less alcohol now, I would assume), and their introductions on the show did nothing to change that- although I suspect they went on here as part of some image adjustment.  

 

More cattiness, sorry: How is Zanna Roberts a fashion editor anywhere? From her raggy, fried looking, no style ever hair to her questionable attire I can't see how she was hired. Although she'd be the perfect fashion editor for Mad Magazine.

 

I must be in a mood, because I don't see this as "cattiness."  She's in fashion, which is about appearance, on a tv show, where appearance is important.  Seems like her appearance is a legit topic of conversation to me.  Which might just be making it OK to say this: I think her skin looks terrible sometimes.  Like...it was noticeable to me, and I don't usually pay attention to that.  It made me wonder who the makeup sponsor was and why they weren't helping her.