S04.E03: Something Wicked This Way Comes

[ThatsDarling]

Considering Alyssa's going to pop any second, the finalists will probably get two weeks for their collection.  So it will be crappy.

Two weeks would be generous. All Stars finalists get 3 days or so to create their final collections.

 

Disappointed to see that Chris went, but at least we get a Camp Couture doll of him out of it.  

[meep.meep]

I think the last All Stars got like 3 days for their "collection."  This is all about getting the big bucks, there's no illusion that they are really making a collection of clothes.

 

I hated Dimitri's dress - Michelle has him pegged right.  And I'm so tired of his petty THs.

 

Isn't the chorus of gasps from the designers everytime Alyssa appears, just recognition that she's still pregnant.  It's getting to that Generalissimio Francisco Franco is still dead stage.

[Calamity Jane]

Not that it is relevant, but I thought  Zanna's outfit was distracting in not a good way (to me, who is not a fan of giant mixed patterns) but perhaps it contributed inspiration to Fabio's design.  Alyssa...by all means, make her look larger than she is.  It's hard to argue with the elimination of Chris--not because of his design, but he has not been looking happy and his energy levels seem very low.  I don't know what the fascination is, with some designers, for throwing netting over the top of other material.  I've yet to see it improve a fashion, and it hid the interesting material Kate used for the gown's skirt (the design on which apparently escaped to appear on the shoulders of Helen's model).  Sonjia's dress was made out of a lovely fabric, and the overskirt was well made; though I personally didn't like the two put together, I understand her win.  Overall, the runway seemed a bit bland (especially the color palette) when I would have expected more in the way of drama.  Does good have to be the color of vanilla pudding, does wicked have to be some variation of black or near black?  It occurs to me that the designers feel more restricted than they did in their original seasons, and not just because of time. At every turn, they are warned against making a costume, and reminded of why other designers were eliminated.  Being so self-conscious and trying to please the inconsistent judges is, I think, killing their creativity. This should have been a challenge with the potential of being a lot of fun, but the results were not that interesting. But I'm not, I admit, a fashion guru, so I could well be wrong.

I so agree with all of this!  I especially wish the judges would get together and agree on some parameters ahead of time instead of just winging it every week and giving the designers such horrendously inconsistent feedback.  It must be maddening to try to decode what they mean each week.  "Couture" + Wicked sure sounds costumey to me, so why the disdain?  Maybe I'm just sad to see Chris go.  His dress reminded me of a reverse or upside-down version of his avant-garde creation in Season 4.  Just sorry to see such a great creative spirit ousted this soon, when we know that what we will see from Helen and Kate and Michelle will be mind-numbingly boring most of the time.  Even Dmitri's skate/dance costumes are better than their designs.  I'm bitter.    

[BathKol]

Well her typical Elvira/Morticia Adams look didn't go with the "good" theme. I thought she was going for virginal librarian.

I thought Fabio should go home. I don't care how likeable he may be, he knowingly did not abide by the challenge. They said do a gown, and he did pants.

Considering Alyssa's going to pop any second, the finalists will probably get two weeks for their collection. So it will be crappy.

I laughed at Helen's sweater, because she seems to be on the small frame spectrum and yet the buttons were tugging and the sleeves were all pinched. She just looked really weird.

Jay did pants, too. Wide leg pants - and Zanna encouraged (planted the idea) him to do it. And he went for it so...

Did Zanna say anything about Fabio's pant + Brazilian wax specialist coat/dress/conceptual contrivement? She rarely says anything of any import to these people. How did she get on here? Here Tommy Bahamas chinos with that weird leaf print jacket and her dull, peroxide fried hair baffle my mind. Nothing about Helen's malignant organza tumor bothered her??? Or that Jay was making a glorified baby bib??? She didn't think Benjamin's dress looked too casual? Or that Michelle was making the bodysuit of the Raelian Queen? She just comes in their tiny sweatshop, says a few baseless things, nods, and disappears.

[carrps]

I know that people often use a pillow tied to their belly to simulate pregnancy. But AM is ALREADY pregnant, so why did her stylist have to tie a pillow to HER stomach??? That runway outfit was heinous. But less heinous than her two cupcake horrors previously in the episode.

 

I like Sonjia's dress all right, but thought there were dresses worse than Chris's out there last night.

 

Justin's was fogeyish and had another ill-fitting bodice. Damn. He should take model-molesting* lessons from Zac Posen and learn how women's breasts actually are made. Dmitri's was definitely a dance/skating costume. It was mainly the feathers and bling. Michelle's was head-scratchingly odd. And ugly. Helen took a bathmat from Jayne Mansfield and attached it to bolster from a Golden Girl's sofa.

 

And I don't watch Modern Family (I tried but found it dull and un-funny and too sit-commy), but whoever she was would put me off it. She was very annoying.

 

*I know he's really not molesting them, but I liked the alliteration.

[Muffyn]

Isn't the chorus of gasps from the designers everytime Alyssa appears, just recognition that she's still pregnant.  It's getting to that Generalissimio Francisco Franco is still dead stage.

He is valiantly holding on to death.  

[MortysCleaningLady]

So relieved to see that others can't understand Alyssa Milano's wardrobe choices either.  I'd rather she pull on a 1980s maternity smock.  It would be less bizarre!

 

I was rooting for Chris, but he wasn't bringing the quality that I've come to expect from him.  His look was interesting.  It said evil in a subtle way and it was wearable. 

 

I'm fine with Sonjia's win, but would have sent Helen home.  It looked like her dress ripped and she grabbed a fuzzy pink bath mat to hit the tear while answering the door quickly or something.  I'm sure it was a ton of work , but the effect was not wearable.

[bookrat]

I liked Chris's dress. And I thought I heard Betsey Johnson say she liked it too. So why was she even a judge if her opinion doesn't matter? Helen's dress was hideous. Why did she have the ruffles sticking out in a point so far from the dress? Betsey was right. It did look like an armrest.

And really it is hard to me to take anything Alyssa has to say about fashion seriously when she comes out on stage dressed and looking like the giant blueberry girl from Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. BF thought she was wearing a tablecloth. I was waiting for the Oompa Loompas to come and roll her away.

[auntlada]

I can see Helena Bohnam Carter in it. In fact, I immediately thought of her as it came down the runway.

 

Although, I personally thought it was atrocious.

 

That's exactly what I thought when I looked at the pictures today. And then I looked up red carpet pictures of Helena Bonham Carter. Chris' dress is definitely something she would wear, possibly in fancier material, but maybe not.

 

I also thought it was atrocious, but I almost always think whatever Helena Bonham Carter is wearing is atrocious, so it still would fit her look, I think.

[NoThyme]

Chris is out and so am I. After a very bad season of Project Runway I thought All Stars would redeem the franchise. Sadly, it just killed it...

So many shows so little time.

[limecoke]

Jay's model looked like a large bird flew into her chest and got stuck.  

 

Sheesh, I was short and huge when I was pregnant but I never looked like a tea cozy.  Poor Alyssa.  

[awaken]

WHAT IS GOING ON with Alyssa's tent-shaped looks that make her look bigger than a house?  I love pregnant bodies, work with pregnant women, have been pregnant myself several times.  a 9+ months pregnant woman can look stunningly gorgeous if she wears something flattering (and I have no idea how far along A was during the season!).  NO IDEA why this beautiful woman with a lovely body is wearing a huge tent week after week that makes her look 50# heavier than she is.  Simply wear something form-fitting, show off that bump, and you'll look amazing!  Heidi did it a few seasons ago!

 

I did not get that runway, at all.  I liked Chris's ruffles and thought he should have at least been in the middle.  

 

I could see where Helen was going, but why on earth did she just tack on the ruffles she had worked so hard on, all in one place?  It would have looked nice spread out or put on strategically- "peninsula" is right!  That's exactly what it looked like!  

 

Samantha's dress made zero impact on me- no idea why it would be in the top.  It could very easily have been in the middle or bottom.  They kept saying it was "raw"- meaning, unfinished, sloppy, and no real shape or design?  

 

And did Michelle *actually say* "cooter"??  

 

Sonjia's made no impression either.  I didn't even notice it on the runway.  I thought it smushed the model's boobs down and made her look like a board.

Edited November 15, 2014 by awaken

[auntlada]

I think if the folds of material on the sides of Alyssa Milano's top (on the runway) were taken off, so it was just a simple, straight top, she would have looked so much better. It's like she (or the stylists or someone) thinks that if they pile extra fabric on, no one will notice how big she is -- except it just makes her look bigger. And I don't have a problem with women being big when they're pregnant. It tends to happen. It's part of having a baby. I looked like a house, and I didn't gain that much weight and didn't have a large child. A lot of it is in how the mother is carrying the child. But there's no reason to pile on extra layers of material in what looks like an effort to hide the pregnancy and pretend it's just the outfit. It's not the 1800s. It's OK to appear in public when you're pregnant.

[Oholibamah]

I feel like I just watched an episode of the Twilight Zone.

 

Firstly, I disagreed with 5 of the 6 "matchup" winners. The only one I agreed with was Dmitry v. Gunnar, but even then, they were both so safe and bland that I would have had them both smack-dab in the middle.

 

Benjamin's was awful. His print looked like a referee uniform and the fabric looked like stiff upholstery fabric. The pointy bodice was gross and I hated the way the dress moved. I couldn't believe it beat Helen's look which, yes, was kooky and weird, but showed vision. For ONCE Helen broke out of the exact. same. fucking. sillhouette. that she does in every single challenge (sheath evening gown or crop top and pencil skirt) and I thought it had whimsy and a sense of humor. Helen's would have been in my Top 3 and Benjamin's in my Bottom.

 

I love her, but Sam's dress was some hot buttered ass. "I love this dress. It just looks really raw." Uh, yeah. Hi. Alyssa? That's because it isn't finished yet. I have watched every season of PR, but never before have I been so flabbergasted by a look being placed in the Top. Even if it HAD been well-made, the way the sequins were tacked onto the front was clumsy and hideous. This was my choice to go home.

 

Michelle's was an absolute snoozefest, and should have joined Sam and Benjamin in the Bottom. I don't even remember enough about it to justify my reasoning, I just remember thinking there was no way Michelle could have made it unless she had been lobotomized.

 

This is obviously a controversial opinion, but I loved Chris' look. The ripped "t-shirt" vibe made it look deliciously, borderline trashy and badass, while the shape and tulle at the bottom kept it just dressy enough to keep it this side of "couture". It was a little strange, yes, but I had it in my top half of what was shown on the runway.

 

I also loved Fabio's. From the front, it looks like a beautiful, pristine white dress. I love the surprise of the straps/harness and pants in the back. I thought it was stunning. Justin's was very boring.

 

Far and away, without question, the strongest faceoff was Sonjia v. Kate. That said, while I am happy for Sonjia's win, Kate's was my #1 on the runway. It looked luxe and skewed "wicked" without being a cheap costume. I loved the use of the purple tulle on the shoulders and the "tree" shapes along the bottom of the skirt. The leather bodice was also a nice touch. Both Kate and Sonjia pulled off a lovely mix of various fabrics that gave their looks a nice texture.

 

Overall, I had Top 3 Kate (W), Fabio, Helen (Sonjia would replace Helen if not for the "Faceoff" aspect) and Bottom 3 was Michelle, Benjamin, and Sam (E).

 

I guess my point is that if we're not going to see luxe, pitch-perfect gowns like Austin and Michael's "Night at the Opera" gowns gliding down the runway, then I at least want to see some creativity and something different. For me, Helen, Fabio and Chris should have been rewarded for thinking outside the box, since it's not like the rest of the pack churned out anything spectacular, Sonjia and Kate excepted.

 

I think Ariel was the worst guest judge I have ever seen on Project Runway. Her critiques were nothing more than "it's a pretty dress", and even that was filled with "I don't knows" and "justs" and "whatevers". It's like she was struggling to even have an opinion. I think I will blame her for the topsy-turvy runway results.

Edited November 15, 2014 by Oholibamah

[Texasmom1970]

Okay the judges seriously need to stop passing the bong around! I did not love Chris' dress but I also did not think it was the worst.

Thank you everyone for mentioning Helen's dress lookd like there was a bath mat attached to the hip, spot on! Her and her pointed nails really bug me, and I never get her design choices.

Alyssa seems so uncomfortable poor thing! I am not picking on pregnancy. I have been pregnant and as big as a house twice. But seriously is the camera adding more weight? Is it the hideous clothes, because she looks like she is pregnant with triplets. Maybe it is because she only five-two the poor girl looks huge!

Oh, and tomorrow I am going to begin my journey as a fashion designer. Because I can make "raw"dresses like Samantha's with my eyes closed. Such bullshit, that dress was straight up ugly and unfinished!

[phoenix780]

I know that people often use a pillow tied to their belly to simulate pregnancy. But AM is ALREADY pregnant, so why did her stylist have to tie a pillow to HER stomach??? That runway outfit was heinous. But less heinous than her two cupcake horrors previously in the episode.

 

I'm choosing to believe it's some kind of awesome homage to the way they'll try to hide it when an actress on a show gets pregnant but the character doesn't.  Like Holly Marie Combs for awhile on Charmed.  Where they just stick a bunch of crap in front of the stomach and we're all supposed to pretend together.  

 

In that sense...it's kind of fun, I think.

[aradia22]

Ugh. Designers do not even pretend you know the actresses currently starring in Wicked. I'm me and I don't even know the actresses currently starring in Wicked. Maybe if it had been Idina and Kristen or Stephanie J. Block or Julia Murney or Lindsay Mendez and Alli Mauzey. But do not pretend you know who these people are.

 

I feel like a good number of the designers have no respect for Zanna (as it should be) and you can tell who is younger or lacking in confidence by who actually listens to her.

 

"I don't know how couture it is, except for the fact that you can see her cooter" is my favorite quote of the week. Everyone is trying to be a little sassy for screentime but some of them are just so much better at it.

 

Alyssa looked like she deflated a seat cushion and strapped it to her chest.

 

I actually think Helen did a good job with the ruffles. The problem is the silhouette. She put all the work into the ruffles and not the design. It makes it look like she just stapled insulation to her hip. Benjamin's was very Cruella de Vil. He could have done something better with the skirt.

 

I feel like Gunnar didn't make a terrible dress but something about it just feels old and sad. Maybe it's the colors and fabrics. Dimitri's look is a little ballroom and the slit is too high but I love it. Without the high slit and with a fuller skirt I could believe this was couture.

 

I hate the short skirt with the butt cape. That said, Sonjia made smart decisions and chose good fabrics. I hate nude fabrics with sheer black overlays. It looks so cheap. I don't like the fabrics but I think Kate has the stronger design. I'd give the win to Sonjia because hers ended up looking better but I don't think it was due to what she put into it if that makes sense. Regardless, they're both good.

 

Michelle's look was sad. Like futuristic insane asylum sad. This is the opposite of sparkling. Chris's look wasn't great. The one shoulder and the ruffles at the bottom felt very flamenco Barbie. That said, he went for something. Maybe it would have been better if it wasn't in that gray. Not good but better.

 

Fabio's was OK. Justin's was clearly better. Though they need to stop with the high slits.

 

Jay made something for Alyssa. I like Samantha's look. It was appropriately Wicked.

[RealityGal]

WHAT IS GOING ON with Alyssa's tent-shaped looks that make her look bigger than a house?  I love pregnant bodies, work with pregnant women, have been pregnant myself several times.  a 9+ months pregnant woman can look stunningly gorgeous if she wears something flattering (and I have no idea how far along A was during the season!).  NO IDEA why this beautiful woman with a lovely body is wearing a huge tent week after week that makes her look 50# heavier than she is.  Simply wear something form-fitting, show off that bump, and you'll look amazing!  Heidi did it a few seasons ago!

Thats the thing, we all know she is pregnant, so why not wear something a little tighter?  The pregnant women I've seen who look good wear something more form fitting, and that way you can see the pregnant belly which is lovely and a natural wonder, and you can see the shape of the woman as well. Damn it, she needs to call someone over at Pea in the Pod or even Destination Maternity and offer to give them some credit on the show if they dress her.

[PepperMonkey]

Dmitry's dress would have been so much better if he HAD used red. When he was showing his sketch and talking about fire, I had no idea he was going to go black, because, well, VILLAIN!! All bad guys must wear black! All good guys must wear white!

 

At least Chris used gray and some pink. I agree his was not the worst. Helen should have gone, but DRAMA!! I'm sure there are some serious hissy cry fits a comin'.

Edited November 15, 2014 by PepperMonkey

[Julia]

It may just be me, because I really do dislike her that much, but does Helen look even more unbathed this year than she did in her own season?

[tinderbox]

...I thought the Modern Family girl was annoying as a guest judge (does she know any adjectives other than "beautiful"...?)...

...and the vocal fry coming out of her mouth bugged the hell out of me. WHY do so many young women speak from the backs of their throat??? So damn annoying!

 

 

...Alyssa is well beyond Goodyear blimp and cruising toward Hindenburg.  She is so short of breath she can't even get a complete sentence out, which makes her speech sound even more affected than usual.  I feel so bad for her, because I'm thinking she's just miserable and uncomfortable...

You're so right! That poor woman cannot breathe, move, or sit while pregnant. I feel so bad for her because her natural stature isn't conducive to pregnancy at all.

I loved Sangee and Dmitry's dresses but will never understand how Samantha ended up in the top two. Really??

[leighdear]

I hate the short skirt with the butt cape

Thank you, I LOVE this description!  Perfect for that look, which I despise.

 

One of my problems with Kate's dress is that the "trees" at the bottom didn't look like trees to me, they looked like coral branches.  And as a few others have mentioned, the sheer mesh overskirt is not always necessary, but we see it a LOT.  It seems to be one of those "Oh, I have no original idea, so I'll just cover the skirt with a swath of sheer stuff".  And lastly, those fluffy wing-things on the shoulder looked ridiculous. 

 

It may just be me, because I really do dislike her that much, but does Helen look even more unbathed this year than she did in her own season?

Well, according to her, she's been hanging out in her kitchen a lot, eating burritos and whipping up couture gowns.  Probably doesn't leave her much time for showering. 

[TiredMe]

I just finished watching and I can honestly say I am still flabbergasted at how atrocious Chris' gown was. That was some ugly shit he put on the runway. That said I also hated Helens and would have loved seeing her gone.

I'm jumping on the "why was Sam's look in the top" bandwagon. Just no judges.

I liked a few of the dresses but I was generally underwhelmed. I did like Dmitry and Sonjas dresses.

I loved Dmitry in his season and I am hoping he doesn't end up,too terribly bitchy this season.

[potatoradio]

 

vocal fry

 

Ah! It has a name! Thank you. And totally agree that way too many actresses do this and it grates. Big time. 

 

Zanna? 1984 called. You're wanted on an MTV video set as an extra groupie.

 

Can't stand Michelle, but I might like her better if she'd own her true snarky, snotty self and just let it fly with Zanna, Alyssa and the judges. At least then, I might get a laugh or two out of this show. 

 

Whoever said that Dimitry's evil dress was Nancy Kerrigan on steroids? No, no...get your 90s reference correct, please. As was in the media ad nauseum, Kerrigan was the Good Skater. Harding was the evilz. Plus, it was more Johnny Weir than Kerrigan, which I liked. 

 

So...good and evil are not always as they appear. That must be why everyone went with black or white, so as not to get themselves confused. At least Chris tried to use pink in an ironic sense, or at least, that's how I took the pink in his dress. 

 

 

 

 

 

[RealityGal]

And:

It seems like Helen is trying to improve her Helen of Cry image from her prior season.  She almost seems like she's on downers with her odd smile and low affect.  But she is still such a special snowflake that even if she's not doing her grand over-emoting cries of specialness, she still can't stop herself from being a drama queen.  Oh, I sewed sooooooo many ruffles I had to wrap my hands.  I am soooooo special I need to put on my special outfit for the runway.  Get my hair glue and tiara!  She really does come off like she expects constant affirmation of how truly wonderful she is and how all of her efforts are so much more important than everyone else's.  She really didn't expect to be on the bottom but at least she didn't immediately break down and start sobbing.

 

I think you nailed it, I just don't think Helen can help herself.  Her need to establish special snowflake status has probably been bottling up inside of her for weeks and it had to come out somehow, since she is trying not to cry.  So, here come the hand wraps, and the special need to let everyone know that she is handmaking her ruffles, and will hurt herself for her "art" or whatever the hell it was she put down the runway that she thinks should go to Paris Fashion Week.

 

And sorry, still hate Michelle.  This "act" she is pulling now, is just that, an act, I remember real Michelle from her season.  New Michelle is such a radical departure from the one in her season that one of those two people is not her.  She is slowly getting back to old Michelle, what with the lame ass attempts at imitations.  Apparently America found her Nina impression funny, so it means that every impression and accent she tries to pull off must be funny.  I feel like she must think I'm stupid enough to buy that this new Michelle is who she actually is.  She went from "I can't be touched" to "let me touch everyone all the damn time, and be at the nucleus of every group hug on the show."  Nah...I can't go for that, especially since new Michelle is as lame as old Michelle.  I wish both Michelle's would go home.

[magpye29]

Alyssa looked like she deflated a seat cushion and strapped it to her chest.

 

Except she didn't deflate the cushion.

 

When she came down the wire at the beginning of the show, she looked like a four-square (four feet wide and four feet tall) and her legs looked so stumpy with those flat shoes.  *I* gasped because I couldn't believe how bad they made her look.  Someone seriously has it in for her--who would have this job if she didn't have it?  I'm looking for sabotage here, because she can't be looking this horrible on purpose.

 

I really think the producers think the guest judges will pull in new viewers, but news flash:  nobody wants to see the sidekick's second-best ex-friend hemming and hawing and trying to come up with something coherent.  That girl couldn't have an original thought if you wrote the script for her. 

 

I'm going to miss Chris, but he seemed oddly absent, so I think I'm more going to miss the idea of Chris.

[bilgistic]

Did I dream that there were supposed to be both "good" and "wicked" looks permanently on display at the theater? They chose only one winning design, right?

Edited November 15, 2014 by bilgistic

[BathKol]

I feel like she must think I'm stupid enough to buy that this new Michelle is who she actually is. She went from "I can't be touched" to "let me touch everyone all the damn time, and be at the nucleus of every group hug on the show." Nah...I can't go for that, especially since new Michelle is as lame as old Michelle. I wish both Michelle's would go home.

Haha, you remember that, too? I thought that was so mean of her - she just didn't want Patricia to even BREATHE in her general direction and now she's just all love and squirrel babies. She's something else.

[Zima]

I'm dying here. Can somebody please link me to the Rate The Runway for this episode? I have searched mylifetime.com up and down, but am coming up with nothing. Thank you. 

[auntlada]

I'm dying here. Can somebody please link me to the Rate The Runway for this episode? I have searched mylifetime.com up and down, but am coming up with nothing. Thank you. 

 

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway-all-stars/photos/season-4-episode-3-final-looks#id=1

 

I don't know if there is an actual Rate the Runway. What I've found is just called "Final Looks." It's under Photos.

[WicketyWack]

Ahhhhh dammit. WHY WHY WHY wasn't the walking Ambien that Michelle sent down the runway NOT in the bottom? It was beyond blah from the front and I think there might have been some back interest but by the time the model turned around I was too catatonically bored to care. Transition immediately to Chris' gown which had fabulous movement, a killer silhouette and was at least 10x more INTERESTING -- even though yeah the "fishbone" effect totally looked like a shredded-t-shirt from Spencer's. But it did scream WICKED. Michelle's screamed nothing, it snored. Her model's hair and makeup were a million times more interesting than the dress and saved her entire look. I wish Chris could have pulled off the fishbone in a couture way, but ya know, 2 days. 

 

I thought Helen's stupid headpiece made her look like Jane Eyre. I dared to hope her hot mess express of a dress would get her ejected, but it was executed better than Chris'. Dammit. Now I have to live with her on my show for at least another week which suuuuuuucks.

[WicketyWack]

When she came down the wire at the beginning of the show, she looked like a four-square (four feet wide and four feet tall) and her legs looked so stumpy with those flat shoes.  *I* gasped because I couldn't believe how bad they made her look.  Someone seriously has it in for her--who would have this job if she didn't have it?  I'm looking for sabotage here, because she can't be looking this horrible on purpose.

 

Not to mention that, there in the beginning, we were uncomfortably close to seeing the good china.

Somebody else please effing dress Alyssa Milano. Like ANYONE else. I think the homeless guy who lives on my street corner and barks at passersby would do a better job. Let's ask him.

Edited November 16, 2014 by WicketyWack

[Bebecat]

I feel like we are being trolled by AM's outfits...

[wovenloaf]

Not to mention that, there in the beginning, we were uncomfortably close to seeing the good china.

Yes! The first thing I thought when I saw her coming down wearing a dress was that how could they not be getting flashed right now! I feel like they were not standing far enough away to have avoided seeing up her dress, because that awful dress was not long and it fit like a big tent sticking way out in front of her over her belly. 

[RealityGal]

I feel like we are being trolled by AM's outfits...

me too!  like its all one big joke at our expense.

[film noire]

Michelle's hair bothers me too.  I did not think anyone even did that anymore.

 

I hate it. She looks like a half dozen confused cultural refs -- like a punk dustbowl Okie who's had experimental 'electro-convulsive' shock therapy -- all side shaved head & screaming "Maaaa, Maaa" before they force her to bite the mouth guard -- with a dash of having escaped from American Horror Story: Freak Show, minus any charisma or interesting quirks.

Edited November 16, 2014 by film noire

[Julia]

To me, Michelle's styling screams Prince Chulalongkorn in a girl's boarding school production of The King and I, but I know that's obscure.

It's just, only her behavior keeps me from pitying her, because she's clearly determined to have America love her, and I don't think her chances are good.

[Tony]

Did Zanna say anything about Fabio's pant + Brazilian wax specialist coat/dress/conceptual contrivement? She rarely says anything of any import to these people. How did she get on here? Here Tommy Bahamas chinos with that weird leaf print jacket and her dull, peroxide fried hair baffle my mind. Nothing about Helen's malignant organza tumor bothered her??? Or that Jay was making a glorified baby bib??? She didn't think Benjamin's dress looked too casual? Or that Michelle was making the bodysuit of the Raelian Queen? She just comes in their tiny sweatshop, says a few baseless things, nods, and disappears.

 

Yep, Zanna never says anything of value. EVER. All she does is come in, look at the piece that's about 10% finished, tell them it's too safe so they have to amp it up, and then leave. She never comments on any of the design element or the construction (since she probably knows zero about the technical details). She's definitely the worst part of this show IMO.

 

I can picture the Marie-Clair boardroom sounding like this when she was chosen to mentor:

 

Boss: "guys, we have to replace Joanna Coles on a infomercial called Project Runway. Who's in?"

Collective staff: "Project Runway? No way! That show's a joke to fashion like Kim Kardashian is"

Boss: "but you could be on TV! Anyone?"

*crickets*

Boss: "fine, I'll just have to pick the person whose absence here will have the least impact - Zanna, come on down!"

 

I know that people often use a pillow tied to their belly to simulate pregnancy. But AM is ALREADY pregnant, so why did her stylist have to tie a pillow to HER stomach???

 

It's probably to emphasize her pregnant body so that people just tuning in who don't regularly follow her in the media would know that she's pregnant and not just fatter.

[auntlada]

It's probably to emphasize her pregnant body so that people just tuning in who don't regularly follow her in the media would know that she's pregnant and not just fatter.

 

Then they should give her something more shaped to her body and not a tent because it does look like the stuff they put pregnant actresses in to hide their bellies when their characters aren't pregnant. Or at least that runway outfit did.

[One Tough Cookie]

(and I have no idea how far along A was during the season!).

 

 

about1 4 months,no?

 

I think  big part of Chris's problem was that the fabric he chose for his costume looked {gasp, sorry Nina} CHEAP.  It did look like tea shirt material and as really baggy and saggy.  And for me, the grey didn't say EVIL, it said SAD.  And Chris just didn't seem like his happy self, he seemed sickly and OVER IT.  While I'm sorry he left, I think I understood the reasoning behind it.

Boss: "guys, we have to replace Joanna Coles on a infomercial called Project Runway. Who's in?"

Collective staff: "Project Runway? No way! That show's a joke to fashion like Kim Kardashian is"

Boss: "but you could be on TV! Anyone?"

*crickets*

Boss: "fine, I'll just have to pick the person whose absence here will have the least impact - Zanna, come on down!"

 

That actually made my evening cocktail shoot out my nose!  So true!

 

Helen took a bathmat from Jayne Mansfield and attached it to bolster from a Golden Girl's sofa

 

Remember to tip your waitress ladies and gentlemen!

[RealityGal]

about1 4 months,no?

 

heh....I know right?  I hope this isn't a Mary Tudor situation.

Edited November 17, 2014 by RealityGal

[recurring dream]

Dmitry is a really beautiful man. I'm envious of his gorgeous skin. He cracked me up when he said, "It's called the work room, not the talk room. Let them talk. I will work."

 

Totally agree.  So pretty!  I also think he's hilarious.  Dmitry has always been bitchy (even in his original season) but his delivery just makes me laugh.  So dry, I love it!

 

Like a few others, seeing Helen at the runway with that stupid crown, I immediately thought Wallis Simpson.

[Nutjob]

I love Dmitry, and severly dislike Michelle, but I did think her "cooter-ture" comment was funny.

 

Speaking of Michelle, does she think that terrible hair is the key to a winner repeating on this show? It looks almost exactly like Seth Aaron's when he was on PRAS.

[Tony]

Speaking of Michelle, does she think that terrible hair is the key to a winner repeating on this show? It looks almost exactly like Seth Aaron's when he was on PRAS.

 

Don't forget PR's least deserving winner ever/amateur sex tape star Anya Ayoung-Chee also sported the same awful hairstyle.

[Miss Scarlet]

Enough with the tiaras and crowns, Helen and Kate.

 

I used to think that Kate was authentic and level-headed/smart, but based on this episode I can see that she does deliberately try to craft a "good girl" image and is aware of using this as a facade. So maybe I was wrong about her. Also, enough of her awful princess dresses that she thinks are amazing no matter how awful they are. Her "girly" aesthetic is awful.

 

Michelle is the wooooorst (Jean-Ralphio voice). She is crazy inauthentic and a mean girl, probably to try and feel better about her own numerous insecurities.

 

I know Fabio is popular, but none of his designs ever really impress me. He just makes clothes that are trendy at this point (like jumpsuits) and doesn't really add anything to them.

 

I really did like Sonya's outfit and thought it followed the challenge requirements the best.

 

Alyssa really shouldn't have hosted this season. She seems completely tired and out of breath all the time. Her styling has always been awful and maybe she's aware of this, but is too nice to tell her stylist that she sucks at her job? I know this seems unfathomable for someone who's been in the business as long as Alyssa has, but maybe that's the case.

 

Chris made me sad. I'll just pretend he was never on this season and only think of him as the Chris from season 4.

[Boilergal]

Since they just left Wicked, met Elphaba, the challenge was based, you know, on WICKED, and half of them pulled a Wicked tag - I expected everyone would incorporate a beautiful emerald green into their gowns.  I was SHOCKED that not one person used green.    My conclusion- they were heavily discouraged from using it - that's the only thing that makes sense to me. 

 

The top half of Chris's dress wasn't THAT bad - but the Mermaid/Carmen Miranda bottom was horrible.

 

It just feels like they are all phoning it it - I love to see creativity, and it's really not in the All Star seasons.  It's more of an attitude of stay safe till the end.

[RealityGal]

Since they just left Wicked, met Elphaba, the challenge was based, you know, on WICKED, and half of them pulled a Wicked tag - I expected everyone would incorporate a beautiful emerald green into their gowns.  I was SHOCKED that not one person used green.    My conclusion- they were heavily discouraged from using it - that's the only thing that makes sense to me. 

damn it!  Another amazing idea, that would have been perfect!  

[BathKol]

Enough with the tiaras and crowns, Helen and Kate.

I used to think that Kate was authentic and level-headed/smart, but based on this episode I can see that she does deliberately try to craft a "good girl" image and is aware of using this as a facade. So maybe I was wrong about her. Also, enough of her awful princess dresses that she thinks are amazing no matter how awful they are. Her "girly" aesthetic is awful.

I know Fabio is popular, but none of his designs ever really impress me.

Alyssa really shouldn't have hosted this season. She seems completely tired and out of breath all the time.

Chris made me sad. I'll just pretend he was never on this season and only think of him as the Chris from season 4.

Katelen are those two annoying BFF who sync their periods and have a secret code language they only understand. They probably have the same birthday and were born 15 minutes after each other at the rate they're going.

Kate was super feminine on S.11 but she seems to have gone totally powder puff now.

I know having a baby is a wild ride and your last few months are rocky, but you'd think Alyssa was pregnant with a fucking triceratops instead of a human child. I'm scared she's going to give birth on the runway. "DESIGNERS, your challenge today is...oops. Waaaahhhhh."

In reality, I don't think Chris was here with us. Once he realized what an insane asylum this show was he checked out mentality. Plus he's from the early years so he has a completely different approach.

I like Fabio as a person but, as you said, design wise find him underwhelming and a polar opposite to what he makes. I still think he'd be a good stylist, more so now than ever. His kooture outfit this week was wrong on so many levels and his jumpsuit from the beginning looked like the twin of Benjamin's Oreo dress.

I also wish he would comb or blow his hair. He looked like a horse had been munching on his head when they were outside the warehouse.

[NoThyme]

If you read the interview with Chris on blogging project runway blog he explains that the challenge shown on TV was different than the one they were given. They were supposed to incorporate 20% of the other good or bad into the design. So in all actuality his was supposed to be a percent wicked in 20% good. The edited out that fact

[dialyn]

If you read the interview with Chris on blogging project runway blog he explains that the challenge shown on TV was different than the one they were given. They were supposed to incorporate 20% of the other good or bad into the design. So in all actuality his was supposed to be a percent wicked in 20% good. The edited out that fact

That seems like a significant piece of information to edit out but, now that I read that, it does make some of the results make more sense (such as the branches on Helen's design).  Thank you for sharing that interview...anyone who is interested in Chris's side of things will find it illuminating:  http://bloggingprojectrunway.blogspot.com/

 

Edited to correct link.

Edited November 18, 2014 by dialyn