Friday, December 28, 2012

Project Runway All Stars 12/27/12--"There's No Business Like Sew Business" summary

Previously on "Project Runway": the designers were paired off and forced to make "20's inspired" outfits in head-to-head battles. Nothing was particularly 20's, but in general on this show nothing matches up with whatever inspiration it's supposed to have. Anthony Ryan won, again, which is boring. Laura finally got sent home, even though Josh had a worse dress, but I don't like Laura so whatever.
Everyone goes to Fifth Avenue. Josh has not forgotten to wear his tight neon pink shorts and black combat boots. It is not flattering, Josh. They end up at Elie Tahari. Carolyn's dress looks like it has straps made of seat belts. Ready-to-wear challenge, which should be good for Emilio, right? His finale collection was too commercial? Elie Tahari comes out and Carolyn gives a "Woo hoo!" which is kind of creepy. This seems to be the same challenge as last season, where they have to hit a price point. Sale price will be $500 to $700. Is that really "ready-to-wear"? The average consumer can't afford that. Carolyn claims last season, Mondo's hideous pillowcase of a dress made "hundreds of thousands" of dollars. They can pick out whatever fabrics they want from the showrooms and warehouse or whatever. Everyone also gets a tablet.

Sketching time. Uli and Ivy head for a corner office. Uli is not doing fabrics. Ivy has colorblocking. There are a TON of different fabrics. Anthony Ryan has a big print with stripes. It looks like a Navajo blanket. Ivy's print has blues and orange cloud-looking splotches. Emilio has a cheaper fabric. Also like last season, there are consultants to keep everyone on budget. Uli has to drop her vest. They all talk about price points, but there is no specific discussion of dollar amounts like last time.

Sewing time. Ivy is modifying her design. Her fabric is blue and white, like clouds, with big orange spots and black all along the bottom. She doesn't want to cut it up, but use the whole panel, so she's changed her design. Somehow there will still be colorblocking. I think Anthony Ryan is cutting only the stripes he wants from the print. Uli curses that she got white fabric. The fabric looks interesting but if everyone else has color it might hurt her. Winner gets their dress sold, but I don't have to tell you that, right? You guys all know what's up.

Uli talks about making design details, but I am wondering about her shawl. It is big and chunky and looks shredded. Kind of cool. Josh has fuchsia and matching lace. Emilio has a mustard silk and burgundy trim. The contrast looks pretty good.

Joanna time! And she brings Elie Tahari with her. Hee, Joanna says Elie is going to put "his two pennyworth's in". Ivy's dress is bold, and she gets the suggestion to cut the skirt off before it gets to the black. A shorter dress. Ivy says she likes the print, and suggests the customer could have it hemmed if she didn't like the black. See, I wouldn't buy a dress like that for that reason, because if you make it with that border, then clearly you think it should be there and hemming changes the whole dress. Joanna says something similar. Josh has sewn most of his dress but the whole front has nothing right now. They joke about it. Exposed zipper. Of course, Josh. Bleh. Elie sounds like he thinks it's tacky. Emilio has some rusty orange too, and I like the combo. They think it shouldn't have any orange, all yellow and purple. Uli's fabric might be too heavy. The skirt has some gathering, and it will make someone look fat. Anthony Ryan's print is doing all the work. He has a center panel of print, with a vertical stripe, and some side panels, so he has to place them perfectly so they don't make the woman's hips look too wide. Elie says so, and then says something about how fighting for things makes you appreciate them. Joanna says she's moved and hugs him. Aww.

Uli takes the gathered fabric away, and her dress looks much better. Emilio is also following the suggestions. Anthony Ryan gets a call home to his boyfriend. Aww. Ivy calls Casanova, and cries because she feels discouraged. Model fitting. Ivy is not changing the length of her dress. Uli's mannequin is too big, apparently. Frantic working for the end of the day.

At the hotel Emilio tells everyone about Elie's history and how he was homeless when he first came to America and Ivy says she's grateful for what she has and that was boring. I mean, not to insult Elie Tahari or anything, but whatever.

Day of the show. Two hours to fix things. Hot makeup guy Scott. Anthony Ryan thinks Uli keeps making white dresses because she wants to be married. Heh. Josh's dress is poorly fitted, because the zipper doesn't lie smoothly over her ass. It's all wavy, and it looks terrible. Aside from the fact that it is an exposed zipper.

Carolyn's dress is unflattering. It just has too much volume across her waist or something, and she looks pregnant. It would be a cute maternity dress, it's just that I know she isn't pregnant. Isaac has a cheetah print shirt and a sparkly gold tie. Elie is back as well as Stacy Keibler. Are we going to continue this double guest judge nonsense for next season? Blah. Anthony Ryan: It's a sheath dress with a central panel of stripy print, and pockets in a lighter color. And shoulders in the print too. I think maybe the print hits at the wrong place. Instead of accentuating her curves it makes her hips look too wide. Josh: fuchsia sheath dress with droopy boobs. Seriously, the bodice bunches right under her chest and it looks terrible. The back has the exposed zipper, and would be backless except for the strip he's put there to put the zipper on. And I know I normally don't talk about what people are saying during the runway, but Josh thinks we're all stupid enough to think his dress would work on a variety of body types. Yeah, maybe if you found a woman with one giant boob right in the middle of her chest. Then your dress wouldn't sag like that. Emilio: mustard sheath dress, hits just below the knee, with a narrow belt and shoulder seams in burgundy. I like it, I like the color combination. There is a V pleat in front but it sits properly. Ivy: long silk dress, with high slits. It's a tea length, which doesn't look right. Uli: white dress with a belt in the same fabric, and almost a cowl or shawl neck with a little extra fabric. It has enough seaming to be interesting.

Uli had some great detailing. Isaac says something about how the length is not quite right, but it's like a thrift store find that you love because it's not quite right. They really like the dress. Elie praises her for fixing it from yesterday. Ivy loves the print, and the top has a matching orange top. Ivy really did cut it down, but it looks too long still. Elie says he meant for her to not put the black on it, because it's too heavy. There are two slits, one on each side, so the skirt sits funny. Isaac likes it, but he says it looks better in motion. Emilio has a hard color to wear, but they do admit it looks great on his model. Isaac expects more from him. Whatever, Isaac. Anthony Ryan talks about how he cut down the print. Isaac doesnt' like the neckline, which is a crew neck with little tabs from the shoulders. Stacy loves it, which, whatever. Elie says something about stretch cotton fitting a lot of bodies, but I think the print is silk. It's shiny, anyway. Shiny panel right down your front. Also they show a shot of the dress from far away, and I do think the print makes her hips look big. It hits below her elbows and it's just not as flattering as they are telling him it is, I don't think. Josh likes lace. The color is great, but droopy boobs. Isaac doesn't even want to talk about the zipper. They don't like the lace. Carolyn tells him that the exposed zipper makes the dress look cheap. Josh tries to argue that it's the fit, but no, the zipper sucks and I'm glad someone FINALLY HATED ON EXPOSED ZIPPERS.

In the Scrap Bin, Josh says he should have just taken the zipper out and if that's why he goes home he'll be annoyed. Uli's dress was young and elegant and looks easy. You can dress it up or down. Suddenly Isaac loves Anthony Ryan, and they love the pockets, which is stupid because on a normal person pockets make your hips look even wider than that print will. Isaac liked Emilio's dress, and insists that he be safe from elimination. The dress was fine, not great, but certainly not worth being eliminated over. Ivy's dress is blah, and she's been on the bottom a lot, and Carolyn is bored. Whatever, Carolyn, there are more people who are more boring. Josh's cheap-ass dress is poorly fitted and he always makes tacky things when he screws up. At least Ivy's dress looked like it fit the price point.

Anthony Ryan wins, which is dumb. Plus the actual dress they're selling is just all print. All vertical stripy print. Whatever. Uli should have won. Anthony Ryan claims winning scares him because it's "the calm before the storm". Shut up, dude. Emilio is in. Josh made a tacky "average" dress. Ivy's dress has no hanger appeal. Ivy is out. What? I'm tired of Josh. Fine. Ivy's glad to have a second chance, and I think she's glad to have been a nice person this time around.

Next week: female veterans, makeovers probably, Josh in ugly neon clothes, Katie Holmes.

1 comment:

DianeP said...

Oh Toyouke - you sound annoyed by this challenge and I agree. The judges are heaping their praise on Anthony Ryan and ignoring Uli. Pockets at the hip line always make a woman look bigger - we put stuff in them and they get bigger. No amount of black fabric along the sides will disguise that.

Maybe next week they'll have the remaining designers face off in a surprise final runway. Then they can clear the way for the regular Project Runway show - Team Edition.