Project Runway All Stars 3/13/19--"Nina Says Don't Cry Over Spilt Silk" summary

Previously on “Project Runway All Stars”: all the designers pretended to be weatherpeople so we could pay some lip service to climate change and make “transformational resortwear”. Basically everyone got two weather “conditions” and their garments had to adapt to both. I put it in quotes because the assignments were uneven: sun and snow makes sense, but thunderstorms and wind are basically the same thing. Anyway, Michelle made a jumpsuit and a skirt that turned into a sloppy jacket, and she won. Christina made a swimsuit and a kimono coverup, but her transformation was to tie a sash around the coverup, plus it was something you could buy right now, so she was sent home. (click for more)

Only five left. Anyway, here's Nina. Good. Biddell is the only one without direct knowledge of Nina. She says she just got back from Thailand, where there is a lot of silk. You must create a gown for “a royal ball” made of silk. The winning designer will get a trip to Thailand, of course. Alyssa specifically says Nina will be there tomorrow to see their “silk ball gowns”.

Biddell is pretty starstruck about Nina. Irina humblebrags that Nina cried at her finale show. She wants to go transparent. Dmitry is sketching black and nontraditional. I mean, a royal ball means very formal but also how modern can you be? I guess it depends on the country. Biddell has some weird sketch that looks like if you put a stiff piece of foam over her head and cut out a hole for her head and attached it at the waist. Anthony Ryan gets feathers. Michelle also seems to be going modern, so no one wants to make anything traditional.

Michelle has somehow managed to buy a bunch of silks in orange and hot pink and yellow, which sort of go but are also very loud. And she says she doesn't have enough of anything. Dmitry cuts shapes with pinking shears. It kind of looks like Michelle is doing the floating panel thing that everyone associates with Dmitry. Irina eats with Biddell and Michelle and interviews that everyone should have expected an eveningwear challenge, just like they should expect a ready-to-wear and unconventional materials and so forth. True. Then Michelle is all “you whipped up a corset like *that*, girl” and Irina is now offended. I guess because it's not actually easy? So somehow she's mad because her first gown she didn't know what she was doing? There are so many hills to die on here and this is the one you picked? Meanwhile Michelle is bitching that Irina is using netting and tulle, so her gown will not be 100% silk, and if Michelle put her fabric on tulle she'd have a much easier time. I don't think Irina is attaching silk to the netting. Isn't she just using it as petticoats? Anthony Ryan tells us the challenge is “against” what he does. I know you had to make a gown on your season. Irina says exactly that. Michelle stares at her gown and futzes. There's so much sturm und drang and this isn't the first gown any of you have made, and furthermore, you should have known you'd have to make at least one gown. Michelle wants to do something ugly. Biddell has found some fabric that is designed to be used without any support, so he can pleat it and it will hold its shape. Irina knows that everyone is expecting her to win because this is her thing. Dmitry maybe doesn't have enough fabric.

Anne shows up. Biddell has big shoulders and big hips, with a bunch of pleats. It looks great. Michelle's gown has diamonds in different colors pinned to some white. Anne says it's a 1970's kitchen, so no kitsch. Michelle says in confessional she doesn't have any other choices so oh well. Irina complains to Anne that everyone is annoying her by implying she just snaps her fingers and makes a gown, because it's a lot of work. Says the woman who finished a look so early she spent two hours sewing herself a dress. But go off, I guess. She's got a basic shape, so she needs to push it. Dmitry has black with white appliques, on sort of a maxi dress silhouette. When Anne says it's not that formal, Dmitry responds with “well what is formal?” Uh, a royal ball. Anthony Ryan is basically in tears. I'm not sure why this is so hard, when everyone is asked to make things they don't usually make on this show, and he's been on this show before. Maybe it's the end of the season and he's exhausted and burnt out. Michelle interviews something about not wanting herself or Anthony Ryan to go home for something they don't normally do, but that's how the show works. Anne tries to get him to think about his girl and a really great party, which ignores the specific requirements of a royal ball. But then she gives him a hug, so I think she just feels bad. Anthony Ryan, of course, thinks that Anne likes what he's doing.

Dmitry doesn't want to make a basic gown. Model fitting. He has nothing so he sends his model to the lounge to hang out. Anthony Ryan also has nothing, Michelle has nothing. Biddell and Irina are the only people who have anything to try on. Biddell has to have a perfect waist. Irina has a corset, and Dmitry complains that she's made that corset a million times so it's nothing for her. Says the person who has made the same dress like three times THIS SEASON. Michelle and Anthony Ryan tell Biddell he's done a really good job. Michelle complains that she bought the ugliest fabrics and she just needs to light it on fire. They've only got 90 minutes tomorrow.

Runway Day. There is a lot of running around. Michelle still hates her dress. Anthony Ryan is gluing feathers. Meanwhile Biddell is done and is dancing around. Anthony Ryan interviews that just because you're fast doesn't mean you have good taste. OK but yesterday you said what he did was very impressive. Lots of disparaging comments about everyone else's stuff. Hot makeup guy Scott.

Guest judges are Nina and Iris Apfel. Awesome. Dmitry: slim black gown, with white appliqued flowers. There is a diagonal seam down the skirt, and then the rest of the skirt is lots of ruffles and you can see skin through the seam. So more of his sheer strips in the skirt. It looks like the tiers of ruffles are a different fabric from the rest of the dress. The part with the appliques goes over one shoulder with a wide strap (with a sheer piece in it), and then the other side comes up to a point with a spaghetti strap. And is attached to the other part with another sheer seam so one boob is cut off from the rest of her body. I don't know, you guys.

Michelle: slim maxi dress in a sheer white, with orange, red, mustard, and hot pink appliques sewn onto it. It's just got a simple bodice with spaghetti straps, and the skirt isn't very full. Plus the colored pieces don't look finished. As if she sewed them but not along the edges of the pieces, so the raw fabric edges are visible? They certainly aren't flat. They make sort of vague flame shapes and look a little wrinkled, and then when the model turns around the back of the dress seems very loose.

Anthony Ryan: slim white gown with yellow edges. It's really a big rectangle with yellow along the edges, so if she held out her arms, it's a flag with a hole for her head. But Anthony Ryan has sewed at least part of it to fit her body, and then the sides hang down the sides of her body and expose her arms. All down the front of the dress are bunches of dark blue and green feathers. It sounds cheap but it does not look cheap. The feathers are thick over her chest, like a collar, and there are little yellow ones stuck in there. It looks much better than I thought.

Biddell: red dress with horizontal pleats. He's sewn horizontal pleats on the whole dress, and used the fabric to make wide shoulders and hips. The shoulders stick out like he's got big shoulder pads, with a V neck. The hips look like panniers, so an arch of fabric over each hip. From the front it looks wide but from the side you just see the curve. The pleating looks really well done. The rest of the skirt narrows just slightly, and the pleating continues onto the back.

Irina: black corset that looks like it's covered in black silk. Did she braid it? Bunch it up? I can't tell. The skirt is basically tulle with ribbons of the black treatment from the bodice. The black twists around from the bottom of the bodice so she's not flashing everyone, but soon it spreads out a lot and she's practically naked from the waist down. It's a lot of leg, and also feels like Irina basically made a corset and ran out of time. I think the black is pleated to make a thick ribbon of loops, if that makes sense. She did hem the skirt in a strip of black, and the skirt has a train, but I don't know that this is formal.

Anthony Ryan immediately says he doesn't make ballgowns. Georgina liked where he started, but the blue and yellow is sad. He always has blue and yellow. Isaac thinks it's awkward. Iris starts off by saying something about all these dresses being 65 years too young for her, and then how older women want sleeves and will walk around town all day to find sleeves? And then she says she doesn't know where the feathers came from and they look patchy. Focus. Nina likes it, at least. Alyssa doesn't know if it's appropriate. No one's look is appropriate except maybe Biddell. Michelle says something about color. It's totally inappropriate and too casual. Isaac says he's mad because he wanted his “darling” Michelle to live up to the most fabulous challenge. Damn, Isaac. Michelle claims this was the best she could do in that moment. Dmitry tried to be modern. Nina likes the movement but it's not formal enough. Isaac feels with “study” it might make it. Iris does point out that in the 1920's that dress would be completely appropriate. I guess? I don't know that it's more appropriate than Biddell.

Irina claims to love ballgowns but she wanted to update it. Isaac likes the effect of the bodice, but the skirt is too sheer. Then Nina and Alyssa love it. OK, she did a bunch of work on the pleating on the bodice, the strip of silk that's folded into ribbons or whatever. But Alyssa thinks this is the most appropriate? When people are really out here shitting on Megan Markle because she showed her shoulders at an event? I don't think any of you took into account how conservative actual royals actually are. Biddell wanted to make some shapes and play with silhouette. Suddenly Georgina doesn't like the exaggerated shape and Isaac is claiming it's too day and not fitted at her waist. Please tell me when we leave this Godforsaken network and go back to Bravo tomorrow that the judging will go back to some semblance of sanity. Nina likes the risk.

Everyone loves Irina's bodice. I'm not arguing that. There's no skirt, is the problem. Nina hates the skirt. Isaac and Georgina shit on Biddell because they don't understand it and Georgina thinks you can buy perfectly pleated silk fabric. Where, Georgina? Nina wants to reward him for risk-taking and Alyssa tells Isaac he's wrong because you can clearly see who Biddell is with that dress. I can't wait until Nina's back every week because right now she's the voice of reason. Iris thinks it was frumpy. The bottom of Dmitry's dress has a mint lining. They like it, because apparently we're never going to call Dmitry out on doing the same techniques all the fucking time. Nina is bored with it. Michelle's dress is a hot mess and I don't think you can argue that. Georgina whines that Michelle has been doing this technique (I guess the floating panels) all season. Are you serious. Dmitry sends down the same dress with the same horizontal sheer panel in the skirt and the same ruffles and the same seams, and you love everything he does. Michelle copies him twice and it's “all season”. Please explain to me, Georgina, how you don't see Dmitry doing the same things all season but you do see Michelle and Anthony Ryan doing them. About the only thing they can agree on is that they like Michelle's colors. Isaac thinks the yellow trim on Anthony Ryan's dress looks cheap. And no one likes the feathers. Then suddenly Isaac is saying judging is hard because everything is so good. You all were just shitting on everyone ten seconds ago so knock it off.

Dmitry is in. The winner is Irina. You know what, fine. Alyssa claims it was very close between her and Biddell, who is in. Irina is glad the judges are seeing her talent. Anthony Ryan is out. So Michelle is in? What? Bullshit. Anthony Ryan's dress was much better made, and could have actually been worn somewhere. Michelle is in but she goes back to the Scrap Bin to cry and get attention. He gets on a soapbox about how you should be a good person first.

Next week: three looks for a family portrait. Interesting.