S04.E06: Luck Be A Lady

[yeswedo]

 

The stakes are high as the designers roll the dice on the runway for a fashion gamble.

 

[leighdear]

Totally disagree with the praise for Sonjia's dress.  Totally trashy and YES, Caesar's Palace cocktail waitress is dead on. It's going to have to be changed a lot to suit Alyssa for that photo shoot.  I'll be interested in seeing how they eventually dissect it.

 

Gunnar turned into the workroom sweetheart.  I just wish his designs and execution were better.  I'm sad to see him go.

 

I've never liked Fabio, and his entire concept and design just escaped me.  I agreed completely with Isaac that it was terrible.

 

I NEVER EVER thought I would say this, but I don't hate Michelle with the fire of a thousand suns anymore.  She's still not my favorite, but I can watch her now without desperately needing to vomit.

 

That said, her look was not attractive to me.  Saddlebags on a horse are functional, but on a skirt are extraneous and just not flattering.

 

Helen needs to take Jay's advice and keep her comments to herself.  His dress was a bit inappropriate for the occasion, but it was still better than her "outfit".  A cropped bustier & long skirt with curved seams?  Total boredom. Total sameness.  Total waste of fabric. NOT fresh, Georgina. And shoddy workmanship.

 

Speaking of monstrosity, what WAS that thing on Sam's model?  Hideous.

 

I'm just happy my beloved Dmitry is still there.  He needs to step it up.

[izabella]

Speaking of monstrosity, what WAS that thing on Sam's model?  Hideous. 

 

 

I couldn't understand why Sam wasn't in the bottom.  Sam's was awful from fabric to design to sewing and fit.  Oh, and it was so ugly.  Like, Sandhya pink romper ugly.

 

They had an awesome reaction shot of the guest judge with his mouth hanging open when that walked past.

[avecsans]

I was excited during the runway show because I was sure that either Michelle or Helen would be eliminated. In fact, I rewound a few times just to see Alyssa's excellent stank face when she looked at Michelle's outfit. So I was quite surprised to hear all the praise they got. Not that anyone else's outfits were all that great.

When Fabio told Sonjia that her fabric wasn't brocade, she should have told him that his fabric wasn't denim.

I didn't catch the guest judge's name but I needed him to close his mouth during the runway. He looked deranged.

[wovenloaf]

I couldn't believe they loved Michelle's so much. She managed to make a stick-thin model look pear-shaped. I thought they were gonna give her the win. I think Alyssa's own consideration that she would have to wear it was what kept her from getting it, because Alyssa has to realize that dress was not going to do anyone, including her, any favors. 

 

Sonjia's was kind of "Vegas cocktail waitress," but I like her and it wasn't hideous and the only other potential winner was Michelle, so I guess I'm fine with it. 

 

I wish they had just sent Justin home. That dress was boring. He's boring. Who cares. 

 

I thought they'd send Fabio home since they hated it so much. The dress wasn't amazing, but the styling was atrocious. I think they sent Gunnar home instead because they usually like Fabio. Gunnar wasn't ever gonna win this thing anyway. 

 

I adore Dmitry, but that jumpsuit was kind of busted. Not as hideous as Samantha's pile of fabrics though. I barely remember Samantha is even part of this show anymore though. Snooze.

 

What was that stupid suit thing Zanna had on? Between her suit, Fabio's ensemble, and Dmitry's fabric, this episode was a real tribute to... 1986? 1991? I dunno, some year filled with clothes I'd like to forget. 

 

I NEVER EVER thought I would say this, but I don't hate Michelle with the fire of a thousand suns anymore.  She's still not my favorite, but I can watch her now without desperately needing to vomit.

I actually found her far more grating in this episode than I have in the previous ones! I was hoping maybe she'd go home because she was getting so much screen time, but I should have known we wouldn't be that lucky. And why did she keep calling Dmitry "Dima" or whatever she was saying. Shut up, Michelle. 

 

I can't even handle how corny she is. That woman is a mess. 

Edited December 12, 2014 by wovenloaf

[latetotheparty]

And why did she keep calling Dmitry "Dima" or whatever she was saying.

 

 

Dima is a diminutive for Dmitry in Russian, like Bob is a diminutive for Robert.

[Ketzel]

"Dima" is the Russian diminutive for Dmitri.

Ha! Latetotheparty, you owe me a Coke!

Edited December 12, 2014 by Ketzel

[latetotheparty]

Can I offer you some rum with that Coke, Ketzel?  :)

[Ketzel]

Can I offer you some rum with that Coke, Ketzel?  :)

Yes, please! :-) Edited December 12, 2014 by Ketzel

[picklesprite]

Gunner's personality has been the big surprise to me this Season. What a class act tonight, and a sweetie to boot. Pardon the pun.

Fabio, don't scare me like that again!

There wasn't a single outfit up there that would look good on AM, imo.

Sam, omg, that was several of grandma's quilts! How did she not get booted!?

[caci]

I actually liked Fabio's dress, but the styling was bad.  I can't believe they didn't give Michelle hell for that ugly and ill fitting skirt.  It's times like these that I wish for the judges in the original show.  I don't think anyone of them would have let that  (or Samantha's hideous outfit) pass, but I could be wrong.  Gunnar was a favorite of mine, but it was time for him to go.

 

I did, though, have a good laugh at the Russian roulette bit.  Zanna did, indeed, look a little shocked and scared.

[LexiconDevilOne]

Dima is a diminutive for Dmitry in Russian, like Bob is a diminutive for Robert.

I HATE the name Bob, so I'm sure to have at least one grandchild with that hated name.

Dima...I hate that name just as much.

[Lopethina]

I thought Dmitry's was the clear winner and Jay's was the clear loser.

So of course they were both in the middle.

[alrightythen]

Aw, I liked Gunnar's dress.  Samantha's was the fugliest thing I've ever seen.  On what planet is she safe and Gunnar goes home?

[roctavia]

While I did like Sonjia's dress and am fine with her win (she was designing a cocktail dress for a bachelorette party, that fit the situation perfectly for me) the rest of the judging made no sense to me.

 

Michelle's yellow thing was so ugly, IMO, the color choice alone just... yuck! It looked like different shades of baby poop... and I didn't think it was flattering at all.

 

Justin's dress had potential, but it just looked lumpy to me, so I guess the middle-ish was appropriate.

 

Jay's dress was boring, so does belong in the middle.

 

I didn't like Dimitry's jumpsuit... maybe just the fabric didn't work for me? But it didn't look like it fit right.

 

I don't know how Samantha ended up in the middle, that was horrible!! That wasn't good pattern mixing or designing...

 

Helen's was also super boring for me. The top just looked simple and plain and I hate this crop top/skirt thing.

 

I didn't hate Gunnar's, I thought the fabric was really pretty, and the high-low which I usually hate wasn't as extreme on his dress and I thought it actually worked for a masquerade.

 

I liked Fabio's dress as well, even if you couldn't really see it was denim... it was quirky, which I think makes sense for masquerade.

 

I thought this challenge had some potential, and was a different concept- though it seemed like way too many people rolled brocade! But still, I wonder if the designs would have been any better with more time...
 

[KLovestoShop]

To me, Michelle's dress looked like a giant lizard, with all the different shades of green and the layers looking like scales.

[RedheadZombie]

 

Sonjia's was kind of "Vegas cocktail waitress," but I like her and it wasn't hideous and the only other potential winner was Michelle, so I guess I'm fine with it. 

 

Well I was certainly fooled that this would be the winning look.  Alyssa will be a forty-two year old postpartum woman when she wears this dress.  I thought she would pick something that covered up a bit more, but then I've been horrified by almost everything she's worn this season.  By the way, I only include her age because it's a little harder to lose the baby weight in your forties than it is in your twenties.

 

Dima is a diminutive for Dmitry in Russian, like Bob is a diminutive for Robert.

 

And I'm sure Dmitry let it be known that this is his nickname.  He doesn't seem the type to tolerate a nickname otherwise.

 

I continue to be amazed by how tolerable I'm finding Helen.  She even laughed when the stupid "Russian roulette" thing was pointed out.  I'm not saying I'm rooting for her to win, but she's no longer nails on a chalkboard (except for her actual nails, of course).

 

Michelle just does not bother me - I've always liked her.  The other designers seem to like her - including bitchy Dmitry. 

 

Personally, I wouldn't wear any of these looks.  I certainly wouldn't have chosen to wear the Las Vegas outfit.  I think they should give an extra day when the winning look is committed to be worn.  That's how we ended up with Wendy Pepper in a finale.  Her look was the least horrific, and a celebrity had to wear it.

[Kenz]

I liked Jay's dress a lot, and I like Jay, but why does he always have to look like he just came in from the backyard after doing lawn work?

Edited December 12, 2014 by Kenz

[Broderbits]

The color of Helen's creation, at least on my tv, looked very menstrual.

 

I'm not a big fan of Gunnar, but that was a very classy goodbye. Good luck to you dear!

[GaT]

What is with Alyssa & her wacky costume jewelry giant necklaces? And her weird updos?

 

What Zanna was wearing in the work room was so ugly I have no words for it. Those shoes :-O

 

As for the clothes:

Liked

Sonjia-Looked perfect for Vegas
Justin-Could have been a little sleeker, but I liked the pattern. I don’t know why the judges hated it.
Jay-It was an interesting denim & an interesting cut

OK
Helen-Not bad, but I’ve seen it before & the slit was too much.
Dmitry-Didn’t like the cut of the top that much.
Fabio-Liked the dress, hated the styling

Didn’t Like
Gunnar-Just ugly
Samantha-Hated the patterns & the cut
Michelle-Hated the hips, everything looked droopy around the hip/butt area

[Vermicious Knid]

I'm pretty sure I've seen women wearing dresses almost exactly like Sonjia's in black. To go clubbing in the casinos, because yes I actually do live in Las Vegas. That dress in fact, has more material than many of the outfits they force the poor cocktail waitresses to wear.

[LexiconDevilOne]

Lord knows, my son is insightful... He said Michelle's monstrosity looked like a fly after you squash it.

Yes, I'm still laughing.

[blaase]

Boy, this season sucks.

[Julia]

Just to start with something positive: I thought Alyssa looked terrific in that burgundy dress (although I could have lived without the sleeve chains) and she wins at life for using the baby to jerk Isaac around. It almost made up for that animal print thingie from the beginning of the hour, although I thought the red necklace was cool.

 

Also enjoyed that brief moment when Helen was announcing that it was time to leave for the night and Michelle forgot about being kinder, gentler Michelle who trashes people with a big sunny smile out of love and sneered at her. A little reality is always a good thing on reality TV.

 

Other items of note:

 

I liked Sonjia's dress, but then I also thought Justin's and Gunnar's were a lot more interesting and less flawed than Michelle's or that unfortunate suit of Samantha's, so apparently I have no taste, or whatever that is that Isaac uses. And no, Isaac, I don't for a minute believe that you hate to use the word common.

 

I notice Miss Georgina Chapman (Miss? Really? Because she seriously wouldn't be sitting on that stage if she wasn't married) was not staggeringly beautiful again this week, but that may have something to do with the prairie coffin liner she was wearing.

 

The return of Helen's passive-aggressive shit stirring. She apparently hadn't noticed that Michelle has already colonized all the alphas in the room, and Helen's a girl who needs a clique behind her. But hey, good on her mixing up her signature tight skirt and crop top with a strapless corset and a slit. Very Pnina.

 

Oh, Michelle. See, should Sonjia have been grateful to Fabio? Yeah, probably, for telling her to her face what you were telling everyone else as soon as she left the room. You know who Sonjia should not have been grateful to? That would be you, Michelle, because the editors (who apparently don't like you nearly as much as whatever producer has ordered them to give you screen time) included the scene in Mood where you interviewed that you knew Sonjia had brocade as her challenge, found her fabric on the cutting table, established that it was her fabric, knew then that it wasn't brocade, and went ahead and let her buy it without warning her. It, as the kids say, gives me life that she kicked your ass on the runway.

 

Also? Let's leave aside that your dress was graceless, ill-fitting and ugly (seriously, you're going to go there about other dresses making the model look fat? Your dress added two sizes and moved like a canvas boat cover, although I maintain the horsehair was less a stylistic choice than a desperation move when it hung like a sack on your model). The grandma color, Michelle? The grandma color was not bravery. The color was not bravery because it was exactly the same color as the dress you won the Lord & Taylor challenge with, back before the prospect of working with you drove them away from the Project Runway franchise altogether. You design with that color all the damn time, Michelle. You interviewed back then that it was your favorite color and you love to work with it.

 

Just, shut up, Michelle. Also, 1980 called, and John Sex wants his hair back.

 

God, I love Laverne Cox.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Julia

[tobysmom]

While I did like Sonjia's dress and am fine with her win (she was designing a cocktail dress for a bachelorette party, that fit the situation perfectly for me) the rest of the judging made no sense to me.

 

Michelle's yellow thing was so ugly, IMO, the color choice alone just... yuck! It looked like different shades of baby poop... and I didn't think it was flattering at all.

 

When Michelle's model turned around and walked back down the runway, that is exactly what I thought it looked like to me - someone messed their pants.  I thought for sure someone was going to call her out on that!

[Malbec]

Surprisingly, I really liked the top two.  The hips on Michelle's dress should have been done differently, no question, but her top was both funky and delicate-looking.  To me, it was one of the few things on the runway that looked really well thought-out.  Sonjia's dress wasn't earth-shatteringly original but it managed to look well put together and not too slutty (given that it was a short gold dress).  I thought they both executed their fabric/event combination well.

 

I love Fabio but his dress was hiiiiiideous.  I do think he rolled one of the most difficult combinations, but even so, that was just not good.  I am a little bit glad Gunnar went home instead of him.  Gunnar seems like an OK person, but I've really never cared for his work.

 

When Jay's dress walked out I thought "You know... Helen maybe should have kept the 'club kids' remark to herself, but she wasn't wrong."  I thought Jay was overrated and sort of a jerk in his season, so I was rolling my eyes during his whole tantrum.

 

The guest judge's reaction shots were awesome.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Malbec

[Jordan Baker]

I didn't watch Dmitri's season, and so this is my first exposure to him. He's probably the only reason I'm still watching. I find his reactions to things to be worth the price of admission of this show.

 

For example, I loved his reaction to having to roll the dice. And it made me laugh to see how he rolled it.

 

As far as gambling goes, though, I'd have lost a whole lot of money if I'd had to predict who was in the top, middle, and bottom. I was certain Helen was in trouble for that mess. And Sam's outfit was really heinous.

 

I've often wondered if the producers assign one of the contestants to be the timekeeper each week. Helen did all the "5 more minutes," "10 more minutes," "Time!" announcements this week. Has Dmitri ever been the announcer? That could be fun.

[terrymct]

There was a lot of meh on the runway last night.   Either Gunnar or Fabio could have gone home, but Gunnar's been putting out some crap consistently for several weeks.  He was well past his sell by date.

 

Helen:   Deserved to be on the bottom.  Trampy looking and it managed to both look too tight and like it might fall off the model's breasts at the same time.  Jeeze louise does she have taste issues.   She needs to go home soon.

 

Sonjii:  I agree that this deserved to win.  The judges were right, it needs some refinement up by the neck, but it fit the idea of an engagement party well.  Not ground breaking, but I did like the pleat down the front of the skirt and it was flattering to the model and it nailed the criteria.

 

Dimitry:  This looked like something a woman would wear to Studio 54 at the height of Disco or a costume from a bad science fiction film from the same era.  She could be a villianess.   I don't think it was particularly flattering and that back of the waistline was just frickin sad.

 

Fabio:  He combined a bad prom dress with a bad cotillion dress.  It wasn't horrific, but it looked sloppy and blah.  Could have gone home easily if Gunnar hadn't been sliding towards an auf'ing for a few weeks.  He's on the short list to go home next week.

 

Gunnar:  Oh, dude.  The colors were sort of odd together and ended up somehow seeming muted despite the shine.   The fringe was an interesting gamble, but it didn't pay off this time.  It just looked sad. 

 

Jay:  He should have been in the bottom.  Poor color choice.  Spent too much time on those pleats on the top and not enough on the outfit as a whole.  It was unflattering.  A woman wearing that would end up flashing her crotch at some point.  The back looked like something from a junior high home ec class.  Who would wear that?

 

Justin:  Big old MEH on this one.  That geometric fabric was interesting.  I'd say that the cuts around the shoulder and neck were interesting but he brings that out a lot.  The rest of the dress was just ho-hum.

 

Michelle:  Man, I don't get the love for this dress.  The layering of the laces was clever, but that skirt sucked dead sheep sideways.  It was unflattering and, unlike the judges, I didn't like that flash of bra mainly because the bra flash is more interesting than the frickin outfit itself.  The cut of the top and skirt were really unflattering.  The color combination was interesting and a good risk for her to take but who wants an outfit that gives you thunder thighs and a big arse while simultaneously flashing your underwear.  That's usually how a women looks when she's pushed out of a bar at closing time by a bouncer.  Not good.  Could you really see Alyssa wearing this?  I don't think even Heidi would wear that mess.

 

Samantha:  Sweet holy moley, what was that hot mess?  The peplum was terrible.  The combination of fabrics was ill-advised at best.   Why didn't see get reamed more?

 

 

Well I was certainly fooled that this would be the winning look.  Alyssa will be a forty-two year old postpartum woman when she wears this dress.  I thought she would pick something that covered up a bit more, but then I've been horrified by almost everything she's worn this season.  By the way, I only include her age because it's a little harder to lose the baby weight in your forties than it is in your twenties.

 

Now imagine Alyssa wearing Michelle's dress with the bra showing.  If she's breast feeding, her chest will be larger and she'd made a Kim Kardashian style spectacle of herself.   Then there's the big arse and hips in that dress...

Edited December 12, 2014 by terrymct

[ElectricBoogaloo]

When Michelle was going on and on about how lace is difficult to work with because it's see through so she would have to be careful about layering over the bathing suit parts, I just rolled my eyes. You could also just, you know, put a lining underneath the lace. I totally disagreed with Isaac who liked the bra peeking through. What year do these people think it is?

 

Justin's looked a bit too mature and matronly. I was trying to picture it sleeveless as Georgina suggested to see if that would be enough to improve it. I think that would help but the whole dress just looked so heavy.

 

I couldn't believe Sam was safe.

[BusyOctober]

I was so sure Michelle would win with that hideous thing only because the "prize" was for Alyssa to wear it.  And since Alyssa or the stylists who "assist" her have absolutely no taste or sense of what is appropriate for her body type, I figured that lace baby poop offering would be praised as the right dress to unflatter Alyssa.  Because they focused so much on Michelle I had to turn on close-captioning to avoid hearing that nasal irritating voice.  If she wins this thing she should put some of the prize money toward a voice coach.  And a hairdresser who owns scissors vs. a weed whacker.

 

I thought Sam's was ridiculous, but then I saw Zanna's suit. Do you think the worker bee's at her magazine just toss weird shit in her closet and tell her "it's THE latest trend, by the MOST edgy YOUNG designer!!!"

 

Dmitri's would have been nicer as a dress vs. jumpsuit.  The velvet did look like quicksilver going down the runway. I do not get the love of jumpuits on PR.  Other than a New Year's Eve party in 2012, I have never seen someone in real life pull off that look.

 

Fabio's dress itself wasn't horrible but it didn't wow either.  I think the purple gloves, the head necklace and the make up made it look like the model was auditioning for a part in a Prince video.

 

I love Justin but his dress was drab, and whoever said it added weight to his model was right.  It was another ill-fitting dress of the night.

 

Has Helen only done blood red dresses?  I'm sick of that color.  Her clothes make her model seem so disproportionate.  For a few weeks the girl had her shoulders removed with Helen's slope-y sloppy sleeves.  Now this week the model looked as if the corset middy top was slipping down her body.  It needed to be lifted up about 3 inches because it elongated her torso, and not in a good way.

 

Gunnar had a great attitude and his dress wasn't the worst IMO, but I didn't see him as a top 5 either.

[terrymct]

Dmitri's would have been nicer as a dress vs. jumpsuit.  The velvet did look like quicksilver going down the runway. I do not get the love of jumpuits on PR.  Other than a New Year's Eve party in 2012, I have never seen someone in real life pull off that look.

 

I wore one a few times back in the late 70's when they were in style.  You think you look good and all is fine, until you have to go into the stall in a ladies room to pee.   Then the whole thing has to come down, hopefully not hitting the potentially icky floor of the bathroom.  Then it all has to come up again, get arranged, your scarf or jewelry has to be set right again, then you're ready to leave the ladies room.   Until you have to do all that over again in a couple of hours.  Pain in the butt.

[Beden]

Admittedly slight off topic but every time I see a designer (yes, Helen, I'm looking at you) I think what those tats are going to look like in, say 30 or 40 years. I'm guessing neither edgy, original 'bad' or cutting edge.

[Calamity Jane]

Boy, this season sucks.

I have had very little interest since Chris March left.  Seriously, his designs are so much better than those of most of who's left, and SO much more interesting!  We would have seen something to make us smile from him on this one, I'm certain.  

[Wootini]

Well, I guess I'm going to have to go against the grain here and admit that I actually rather liked Michelle's outfit. I liked the color combination of laces that she layered on top of each other. And I also liked the bra peeking through. I'll allow that the skirt shape wasn't the most flattering, but it wasn't awful. I liked it better than Sonjia's because while I liked the fabric and the actual design of the dress, I thought it was a little monochrome since she just used that one fabric. You couldn't really appreciate the detail of the layers because the fabric just blended together into a shiny gold blob.

 

I'm convinced now that Jay doesn't actually own any long pants. He's cute and has nice legs, but dude. Dress more appropriately. And I wasn't super excited about his dress. Connecting the bodice and the skirt did make it a little less club hoochie, but it was still really drab and monochrome.

 

I was surprised they didn't like Justin's. I could see the comment about the sleeves maybe being a bit much, but I didn't see that the fit was awful. The black hourglass sides are great at making a woman look like she has a figure. I would've thought Alyssa would jump for a dress like that. ;-) I just wondered if he created that black and white pattern in the center out of scraps or if that was a patterned fabric he just bought. Since he wasn't going to win or be in danger of going home, we didn't get any of his process.

 

Fabio's wasn't awful, but it wasn't great. I think he and Gunnar were hurt by the whole masquerade ball thing. I mean, I get red carpet, art gallery opening, those type of things. But how do you do a masquerade ball without going costumey? You'll note that the two masquerade outfits were in the bottom two...

[backgroundnoise]

Even though I agree that Dmitri's was a skoosh dated-looking, I loved it.  Loved the color, the neckline, everything.  I liked Michelle's idea of layering lace (I don't remember ever seeing that before), but it needed reworking in the bottom.

 

The completely inexplicable sliding of Sam's horrible (IMO) outfit makes me worry there is some master plan at work.  I can't think of any other reason that got a pass over Gunnar and Fabio.

 

Gunnar and Fabio at least tried to design something within the parameters.  I thought the Fabio's necklace on the head was a good reference to a mask, and an odd-ball (no pun intended) outfit was right for a masquerade.  The same with Gunnar; he at least was thinking conceptually about an animal or bird costumey feel.  Even disregarding that, though, both were miles above Sam's.

[Pepper Mostly]

Helen's dress was so unbelievably ugly and tacky, I was positive it would be in the bottom. Just awful in EVERY way. Fit, taste, design. Are the judges HIGH? I love Fabio and I'm glad he squeaked by. I understand his idea to move away from blue denim, but pink is the kiss of death on this show.

[Lamb18]

I liked Michelle's, too.  I thought the arrangement of the lace fabrics and I didn't mind the peek-a-bra.  It wasn't blatant and I don't think I would have noticed if Michelle hadn't mentioned it.  The skirt part was sloppily done.  It should have either been more structured with a defined contrast to the waist (to make the waist look smaller) or else left out.  Leanne Marshall in season 5 was a master of the big-hipped dress.  With the horsehair padding removed, I think Michelle's dress would be more flattering on Alyssa than Sonjia's.  The gold color will not look good against Alyssa's pale skin. 

 

I enjoyed seeing Helen get some of her own back last night.  Interesting that Michelle bringing up the whole brocade fabric thing in the workroom ended up giving Sonjia the win.  Fabio would not have said anything to Sonjia if Michelle had not made a big deal about it.   Of all the outfits I think Dmitry's jump suit would have been the most flattering to Alyssa. 

Edited December 12, 2014 by Lamb18

[Primetimer]

A gambling premise has the designers rolling dice to determine the event they'll be designing for and the fabric they'll have to use. Tara ranks the looks from first to worst.

Read the story

[TexasGal]

Well, I guess I'm going to have to go against the grain here and admit that I actually rather liked Michelle's outfit. I liked the color combination of laces that she layered on top of each other. And I also liked the bra peeking through. I'll allow that the skirt shape wasn't the most flattering, but it wasn't awful. I liked it better than Sonjia's because while I liked the fabric and the actual design of the dress, I thought it was a little monochrome since she just used that one fabric. You couldn't really appreciate the detail of the layers because the fabric just blended together into a shiny gold blob.

 

I'm convinced now that Jay doesn't actually own any long pants. He's cute and has nice legs, but dude. Dress more appropriately. And I wasn't super excited about his dress. Connecting the bodice and the skirt did make it a little less club hoochie, but it was still really drab and monochrome.

 

I was surprised they didn't like Justin's. I could see the comment about the sleeves maybe being a bit much, but I didn't see that the fit was awful. The black hourglass sides are great at making a woman look like she has a figure. I would've thought Alyssa would jump for a dress like that. ;-) I just wondered if he created that black and white pattern in the center out of scraps or if that was a patterned fabric he just bought. Since he wasn't going to win or be in danger of going home, we didn't get any of his process.

 

Fabio's wasn't awful, but it wasn't great. I think he and Gunnar were hurt by the whole masquerade ball thing. I mean, I get red carpet, art gallery opening, those type of things. But how do you do a masquerade ball without going costumey? You'll note that the two masquerade outfits were in the bottom two...

On Justin's, I think the problem was that he went too far across with the white.  The black should have started sooner to achieve the slimming look, I think.  There was too much white so your eye just stayed on that instead of focusing on the black.

 

To my surprise, I also liked Michelle's.  If she would have just left the skirt alone with the stupid exaggerated hips she probably would have won.  

[izabella]

Now imagine Alyssa wearing Michelle's dress with the bra showing.  If she's breast feeding, her chest will be larger and she'd made a Kim Kardashian style spectacle of herself.   Then there's the big arse and hips in that dress...

 

I'm having even more trouble imagining Alyssa's breasts in Sonjia's top, which seems like she couldn't wear a supportive post-partum bra with it considering it was cut down the middle to her waist in the front, and those straps in the back.  Where exactly will Alyssa's breasts go and what will be holding them up?

 

At least she'd have the extra room in Michelle's skirt for her post-partum butt.

 

(And this is not a slam on Alyssa, or post-partum bodies.  I think Alyssa looks adorable, except for the way they dress her.  And since this challenge included that twist of Alyssa wearing it, it's more a comment on the designers inability to design for women who aren't models.)

 

Looking at the PRAS site, I still think Sam should have gone home.

 

http://www.mylifetime.com/shows/project-runway-all-stars/photos/season-4-episode-6-final-looks#id=8

[PepperMonkey]

How in the how is Sam still in this game?

Gunnar's was not nearly as bad as hers. Remembering back to her season, the only thing she did that I liked was the unconventional materials challenge dress. That thing last night had some elements that matched the awful dress that actually sent her packing on season 11. Gunnar was definitely NOT going to win the whole thing, but I'm tired of them sending home someone when clearly, someone else should have gone in their place.

I kind of liked Michelle's concept, as well. The hips of the skirt were awful... like, what? a jodhpur skirt??? Anyway, I did like the layering of the lace and as a natural ginger, I have always had an affinity for acid green. In smallish doses, of course. For some reason, I have a crazy fondness for Michelle on PRAS because she usually mocks Zanna to her face in the workroom, which makes me guffaw involuntarily.

 

Fabio's wouldn't have been so bad in a more standard denim. Actually, I think it wasn't pink that did him in, but BUBBLEGUM pink. Also the styling was terrible. The glovelets, hair pearls and makeup were enough to make his almost worse than Gunnar's. Fabio's not going anywhere anytime soon, though.

 

"Dima's" was not bad, not good. Justin's wasn't horrible, but it was NOT flattering.

Helen's was just more of her same old tired shtick. How many pencil skirt, midriff bearing crop tops have we seen from her in the past? Her season, in general, was loaded with them.

 

Everything across the board last night was pretty much meh, so I can see how Sonjia won, but Alyssa in the micromini metallic gold "brocade" dress? Even post pregnancy? She's too old for that look. American celebrities need to learn the art of growing old gracefully.

Edited December 12, 2014 by PepperMonkey

[Ketzel]

My question was why did they allow more than one person to get the same challenge? Two six-sided die produce 36 possible combinations, so why not make the designer roll again if s/he rolled the same combination another designer had already taken? At least that way you'd have a more varied and interesting runway. Or you would have if the assignments had been more interesting.

What the hell is a design for a masquerade ball supposed to be, if not a costume? Just evening wear? And if so, shouldn't the designer have to take into account that people dance at a ball? And maybe make a face mask of some kind as part of the outfit? Also, can someone tell me the fashion-dictated difference between something I might wear to a gallery opening and something I might wear to brunch?

I laughed out loud when Dmitri said he wanted to design something delicate and feminine and ended the sentence with "so I'm making a jumpsuit." Anything less delicate than the contortions necessary to get into and out of a jumpsuit is hard for me to imagine.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Ketzel

[wovenloaf]

I feel bad for poor Alyssa...she didn't really have much to choose from, because none of them seemed particularly suited for body type. Or if they did, they were just plain ugly. They did know before the challenge she would wear it, right? Typical that the designers on PR don't bother to consider designing for someone other than a model. 

 

 

I wore one a few times back in the late 70's when they were in style.  You think you look good and all is fine, until you have to go into the stall in a ladies room to pee.   Then the whole thing has to come down, hopefully not hitting the potentially icky floor of the bathroom.  Then it all has to come up again, get arranged, your scarf or jewelry has to be set right again, then you're ready to leave the ladies room.   Until you have to do all that over again in a couple of hours.  Pain in the butt.

Hahaha! A couple weeks ago I was in a department store and happened to be standing next to some jumpsuits hanging on a rack. These 2 late-50ish women walked by. One was like "Ugh! hideous" about the jumpsuit, and the other was like "Oh I like jumpsuits." Then the one who didn't like it said, "I had one in the 70s and when I went to bathroom the top fell in the toilet." So I guess this was a recurring problem, haha!

[Ms Blue Jay]

I thought Dmitry's was the clear winner and Jay's was the clear loser.

So of course they were both in the middle.

 

When Alyssa called Dima, Jay, and Sam, I thought Dima was the top and Jay and Sam as the bottom and it made perfect sense!

 

Then Alyssa declared them safe and all was wrong in the world.  What the fuck ever.

 

Poor darling Fabio! 

 

Michelle's was great -- she combines creativity with execution.  

 

The way the guest judge spoke disturbed me to my core.

 

Helen has designed the same thing 50 gadzillion times.

Edited December 12, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[carrps]

 

They had an awesome reaction shot of the guest judge with his mouth hanging open when that walked past.

Yeah, I thought that, too. But then I noticed that nearly every shot of him showed him with that same expression.

 

I also thought Fabio used the pearl necklace to refer to the mask in masquerade ball. As someone else said how do you design for a masquerade ball without going costume-y?

 

I thought Dima (heh, I know it's the appropriate dimunitive, but you know Michelle would rub it in that Little Miss Know-it-All her would know it) had an interesting fabric, but the result was way too New Jersey Housewife to me. I totally could see Teresa G in it.

 

I would have hated Justin's if it just hadn't been so booooooooring. It looked simultaneously like department store junior wear and matronly. Unflattering, not well made and just so snoozy.

 

I was shocked Sam's wasn't in the bottom. And wth was she wearing for the runway? I'm assuming one of her own designs. Shudder.

 

I kinda liked Michelle's combination of laces, but didn't like the overall design of the dress. HATE the peep bra. Primarily, because she (and apparently Isaac) thinks it makes her soooooo edgy. She so desparately wants to be a bad girl. Sorry, hon. And her runway outfit was completely granny --- with a peep bra.

 

Jay? No. Helen may be cray-cray, but that doesn't look like a brunch outfit to me. And speaking of Helen, I was happy to see a genuine laugh out of her during the Russian roulette discussion -- a real moment in a friggin' sea of unreality -- but her blood clot dress was ug-lee. And, yes, the bodice did horrible things to her model's shape.

 

Gunnar was way past his go-home date. I don't see how they picked him (or Sam) as an All Star at all. He's sweet, but he has bad design sense and no sewing skills. The fabric on his skirt looked like those prismatic wrapping papers (or half Zanna's workroom suit).

Edited December 12, 2014 by carrps

[cee]

The judging repartee about cage matches and trap doors was charming. It was a peek behind the scenes. It also showed that the guest judge's opinion doesn't really matter.

I've become obsessed with Alyssa's styling. Every week I tune in to see what the stylists have done--for good and bad. That's more interesting than the actual runway.

[meep.meep]

We spend every Project Runway night fantasizing about family gatherings at Gunnar's (everyone try some of Granma Deathrage's fabulous fudge!) so that's ruined now.

 

Fabio's flop reminded me of the incredible denim gown that Emilio made in his all star season.  He used blue jean denim and it was beautiful.

[DiegoBurger]

The editing monkeys made it look like the judges had an outbreak of major StankEye. Why bother showing their reactions? Do they really think we haven't figured out how editing works? For some reason, every shot of their faces made them look like they were personally offended by the runway show.

While I have never been a fan of "Dima" and his Ice Capades designs, or jumpsuits in general, that velvet jumpsuit made that skinny model's butt look good - as a short person (!) myself, I would have chosen that look because when you are are short with a bigger bust, it is hard to find something that flatters both the top and bottom. I do think Dimitry knows how to design and tailor for that size woman. It is a shame that he has no one at his level to give us some good bickering - Michelle is the closest and she is nowhere near his level of wit though I'm sure she would like to think she is.

[Linderhill]

 

Michelle's look was a clear winner. She took several fabrics that on their own were quite ugly, and combined it to make it look rich yet youthful.  That is what a top designer should do.

Absolutely not.  Putting aside the baby puke and poop colors, those hips should be no where near top looks.  The woman has an unnatural obsession with those awful colors.  I can't stand the woman but in her season her winning collection was the best one even if I wasn't to fond of it. (over done and no where near original).  None of her looks this time around have shown any of that talent.  

 

I do find it interesting that there have been times when the judges, both on Allstars and Original, take the designer to task for some of the hideous colors they choose.  For what ever reason Michelle's puke/poop colors always garner over praise.  For that reason alone she should be banished from the show.  And to add on those ballon hips makes it so much worse.  Supersized puke colored hips.  There was no way Alyssa was going to choose to wear that monstrosity when there was something to show off the fun bags.

[carrps]

Gunnar's look was not the worst. In fact, he took the a lot of  risk with manipulating the design of the fabric and he had a concept

Ugh, that top was just awful-looking -- like a tatty old bathmat or some untalented kid's camp craft project. I don't think he really HAD a concept. I counted at least three -- maybe four -- different bodices in the workroom. He was throwing stuff at the wall and seeing what would stick.