Project Runway All Stars 1/23/19--"Of Corsets Fashion" summary

Previously on “Project Runway All Stars”: the unconventional materials challenge involved Southwest Airlines, so of course there were seatbelts, and ticket jackets, and random plastic. Irina won by making a dress out of the circular bottoms of paper cups. Seth Aaron tried to make a dress out of seat belts but it had a terrible silhouette so he was eliminated. (click for more)

Everyone sits next to the runway, because Alyssa isn't here yet. Then a bunch of women in lingerie come out. Michelle says she's a never-nude so she's taken aback. OK well they're not naked. Alyssa finally appears, wearing a short white dress with a giant black and white bib. It's not making her look super short, like her clothes sometimes do, but the high neckline isn't doing her any favors. But it's better than some of the things she's been in. This week's challenge involves the corset, which NONE of the models are wearing. Come on, guys. You had one job. Yes yes, “underwear as outerwear” and all that shit. And let's not even mention your argument of “you're celebrating a woman's figure by using a piece of clothing that women were forced to wear to all have the same figure, even though not all women are shaped that way, but beauty standards”. Why aren't any of the models wearing corsets if they're so great. Anyway, use a corset in your high-fashion look. I don't mind corsets, but the ret-con of “corsets celebrate a woman's figure” is garbage. Somehow also this look, or “a design inspired by the winning look”, will be sold on adoreme.com, plus $10,000. Well, it's not JC Penny. I did look on their site and they have some plus sizes, and some cute stuff. But it's also telling me everything is $25 and I'm not sure if that's true, or just a gimmick to get me to sign up and give them my email. And I'm not doing that so I guess we'll never know. Actually I just looked it up, and the reason everything says it's $25 is because that's the “VIP” price. You sign up for a membership, and your first purchase is $25, and then they bill you $40 every month whether or not you buy anything, until you remember to “opt-out” or cancel your membership. Sounds pretty sketchy.

Sketching takes place. Django is somehow making a draped corset. I'm not sure how either. Jasper finds a worker at Mood and immediately gets them to help him. His sketch is just scribbles. Like, they show it on screen and it looks like he started to draw something but messed up and scratched it out. There is no detail whatsoever in what they're showing us. I mean everyone's sketches are corsets over either long skirts or palazzo pants. Big whoop.

Back at the workroom everyone has a corset on their dress form. So they can cut it up or not, cover it with fabric, whatever. So no one has to create boning out of nothing, which I am kind of annoyed about. This is All-Stars. They can do some boning. Not like that. Irina is making a jacket with her corset, and she wants to do a catsuit but she may not have time. Michelle manages to cut herself, and announces she's bleeding, and yelps and makes a ton of noise. She's really hurt, and that sucks, but it's also edited like she's being a loud baby about it.

Anne shows up. She does mention that corsets have a place in high fashion, which is true. I still argue that they “celebrate” anything. Jasper's fabric is not forgiving, so he needs to be careful. Dmitry kind of has some sheer boning. Maybe one sleeve. Biddell has layered ruffles and lapels like a suit jacket. Michelle has managed to have sheer pants and hot orange granny panties. Julie is making some hip wings. Irina describes her jacket, and Anne says “I love how the challenge is already difficult and you made it harder on yourself.” Heh. Anthony Ryan describes how shocked he was about Seth Aaron going home, as if they thought he was untouchable or something. Christina is making a cape, maybe. Django has a deep forest green but Anne hates it. She tells him there's no glory in being safe.

Model fitting. Dmitry does really have a sheer corset where the boning is interspersed with tulle and then one poofy shoulder. Christina tried to make a deep V in the back, but it's uneven and it looks terrible. Jasper is telling his model to pose and shit again. He is also gluing lace on top of his corset, and not even hot glue. People are noticing and they're pissed, but I'm pissed too. It's not even the day of the runway yet, you can sew that on. I know I haven't said very much but I feel like nothing is actually happening.

Runway Day. Jasper says he can't touch his garment any more or he'll ruin it. He then asks Christina where her corset is, because she's put it underneath her jacket. He tells her she's supposed to make outerwear, because “it's easy to put fabric on top, it's not easy to make a corset, that's why we're doing this challenge”. 1. You didn't make a corset, no one did, and 2. Yesterday you were gluing lace to your corset that you didn't make so maybe calm down. He tells her to finish her garment. Shut up, Jasper. Biddell has told Dmitry that Dmitry's outfit was not his best work. He is grumpy other designers are judging him already which is silly because everyone judges everyone else and he's no different. Hot makeup guy Scott. Everyone shittalks everyone else.

Also I'd like to point out Alyssa has not worn a corset this whole time, which is not a requirement, but if they're so great then why isn't she? Guest judges are Olivia Culpo and Rebecca Minkoff. Michelle: jumpsuit in sheer, slightly shiny gray fabric. The pants are very big, and sheer all the way down so they look kind of weird. The fabric is too stiff so they hold their shape. The bell sleeves look better. Under this is an orange bodysuit and I guess the corset. The back has horizontal lacing. Dmitry: long black pants with a silver tuxedo stripe down the side. The top is sheer black with silver boning, and one side has a big shower poof of black at the shoulder. The tuxedo stripe looks cheap. Sean: long tight pants and a jacket in dark gold and navy shiny stripes. The sleeves cover her hands, and over the jacket is the “corset”, which is basically a waist trainer of a very wide belt that goes from just under her boobs to her hips, with lacing in the front. It looks pretty good, actually, it just doesn't look like a “corset”. Christina: off-white corset with straps and small cutouts at the top of the corset, and then wings over her hips. Like two arcs of fabric on either side. The skirt is a sheer, below the knee skirt with an X pattern. Like those wooden privacy fences. The bodice comes down to a point in front, and then there's a strip of matching fabric sewn all the way down the front of the skirt, with a matching one in back. I hate the modesty strip, and this model looks like her boobs got flattened.

Biddell: sleeveless top and very short skirt, all in beige. The top has lapels and horizontal pleating, with short pleats around the hips like a short skirt or a peplum. It comes to a point in front which is weird. Cynthia: strapless dress that hits below the knee, in white with red accents. The red curves down the bodice to accentuate her waist, and also the lacing in the back is red. She's also got a big fascinator which is just a sheer beige flower with a red center. It looks like a fancy church dress, if that makes sense. Jasper: the bodice is a black corset with white lace over most of it. The pants are so dumb. They're tight black pants, but then they're slit all the way up her legs, and the slit is in the front, so basically her legs are on display. The legs of the pants aren't big enough to flow around her, they just cover her legs in back. But because they're “tailored” they don't move very much as she walks. Anya: cropped pants in a floral print. The top has a corset in the same fabric, but with asymmetric lacing in front and in back, and underneath the corset is a black mesh mock turtleneck with no sleeves. The pants are weird just because she's also got flat shoes on so they're not the most flattering length.

Juli: black dress with a sheer skirt with several layers. As the model comes down the runway she does that thing where you wave the skirt around to help it move. The top almost looks like a baby doll dress, where it's tight under the boobs but looser over her stomach. Maybe it's just crappy lighting. Irina: first of all her model has a black lace mask on. Black lace bodysuit, with long tight pants and opaque over the middle like a swimsuit. Over this is a royal blue jacket with all the boning and corsetry. There's a lot of pleating and detail, and the jacket has full hips like she added some volume there. Anthony Ryan: off the shoulder dress in gray and yellow. The corset boning is very visible, a lighter shade of gray in the bodice, and the skirt is solid bright yellow. Over the top of the bodice is a draped piece that covers her arms. You know when you see tops that are a strip of horizontal fabric that look like they hold her arms to her sides so she can't lift her arms? Like that. Django: dark green pants, but they're so full and cut with ruffles that they don't look like pants at all. The top has light blue fabric rouched over the corset, with a sheer white fabric. I'm not sure what is happening in this top. The sheer makes sleeves, and comes up to her neck, and has several layers in the back, but it also has weird cutouts on the arms. And there's a piece sewn to the bottom of the corset, as if she put the corset over the sheer top? The sheer just seems unnecessary. Or maybe the sheer part isn't all white but has darker pieces?

Anya, Biddell, Anthony Ryan, Sean, Michelle, and Juli are safe. But Alyssa doesn't call Juli, but she says “The six of you are safe”? You can't name five names and then say “the six of you”, come on. Like it's that hard to dub someone's name in later. I listened to that like five times. Christina wanted to make a corset feel with the whole garment. They like the peplum, and Isaac mentions how the length is modern. Jasper's model has lace netting over her face. He also says the corset is a “symbol of freedom” which is hilarious. Also I know I usually ignore accessories but he's put this look with tan heels with lacing up her shins. All his mistakes on the bodice are visible because of the lace. Her torso isn't shaped well, and the fabric has failed. Maybe that's why the pants look so weird, because it needed a looser fabric. Also he said “behind every great man, there's a great woman”, which is a pretty outdated sentiment. But his look is outdated too. Harsh. Alyssa is upset by the pants. Dmitry wanted theatrical, which he did. There's a lot going on, but the judges like the juxtaposition and they rave about how fresh it is.

Cynthia wanted to keep the silhouette simple to accentuate her figure. Isaac likes the back, and the lacing. They hate the fascinator, but she was worried she didn't do enough in her dress. They don't see enough of the corset, either, and it's basically a pretty dress. Django starts talking about organic shapes. The sheer organza does have a print, which is why it looks like there are random cutouts. There is too much going on, and everyone is confused. But the corset is beautiful? You can't see it under the rouching. So how is this “beautiful” but Cynthia is “not enough”? Also why are we praising him for it when we know that everyone was given a corset? Alyssa likes his outfit for whatever reason. Irina wanted to make a bunch of details but keep the shape. It's very creative, although the mask and pants are silly. Isaac loves that this jacket has a working zipper.

Christina made a clean garment, and they love the off-white color. She put a lot of work into the latticework in the skirt. Irina also put a lot of work in, but Georgina all of a sudden says every garment she's made this season has been the same length, and then they back it up with photos. It's true, every one of Irina's looks has had the same miniskirt length. They love Dmitry's pants, even though I feel like they look cheap. Isaac wanted more tassels or whatever. Cynthia's garment was too boring and her fascinator was ugly. Jeez. Jasper made an outdated garment, and the lace was not flattering. Django put too many ideas on his outfit, but Georgina argues that at least he was creative.

The winner this week is Christina. Really? I guess. I didn't like her skirt but it's true that she put the corset front and center. Irina and Dmitry are in. Also based on the JC Penny thing, I wouldn't hold my breath for her dress to show up online. Django is in. Jasper is out. Cynthia is in, which is good. Her dress was well made, it was just boring, so if she had been eliminated that would be ridiculous. Jasper is sad to go, but he basically says “I'm going to show at London Fashion Week when I get home so whatever”.

Next week: the zoo, apparently Michelle is copying Dmitry, she's salty about it.