Previously on “Project Runway All-Stars”: the designers were each given ten yards of the same fabric and told to make something. There was a lot of draping. Brittany made some sportswear-inspired pants and won. Even though there was a lot of draping, Anna made ruffles. Yes she made ruffles for the unconventional materials challenge, but the dress was not the same. Anya and Uli were way worse in making the same dress over and over. Korto and Kayne were very upset about it, and decided to blame Anna and not the judges. Korto did the most talking about it, but Kayne was the one who actually said something to Anna, but no one wants to say anything about Kayne. In the end Hester was sent home because their outfit was too much and everyone is still mad at Anna for whatever reason. (click for more)
OK first of all, I am going to be gone for the next two weeks. It's vacation time. I will not be able to do any recaps (not like over Christmas sometimes) so I will get to them when I get back at the start of August. Sorry!
The next day Korto at the hotel says that yesterday got ugly real quick, as if she didn't say a word the whole time and wasn't involved. I guess if we're talking escalation, Kayne did that. Anna's upset everyone is mad at her. Korto shows up to Anna's room and is all hugs and “I wanted to see how you were doing” and in confessional says admitting you're wrong is always great. She does apologize to Anna, with a vague reason of “personal stuff” and then says that things are going to happen but don't feel it's against you and your personality. What? That's exactly what you were complaining about. Anna says she's moving forward, which is her prerogative. I just don't understand how you go from “this is bullshit, it's insulting, don't act like you're being creative” to “it's never about your personality”. No word on if anyone else apologized.
Everyone comes onto the runway and then there's Christian and someone else with a boombox, silhouetted behind the scrim. They play the “Beverley Hills, 90210” theme song and then Jenny Garth walks out in a black suit with huge white polka dots. I saw the preview so I know who it is but I would not have recognized her otherwise. Brittany makes a giant show of freaking out. Jenny will be the guest judge this challenge. This show ran basically for all of the 1990s and there are several people here who were only born in the 90s. I guess they could have watched reruns but it's weird. Christian could have watched it though. Fabio says he watched the show in Brazil, dubbed in Portuguese. He says that this show had such an impact on his generation. Fabio is almost 40 so it makes some sense? He's older than Brittany, certainly. Jenny has been a fan of this show for forever. The challenge is to work in teams (no one is happy) to make a mini collection that is 90s inspired. The 90s are back apparently in fashion. Do not make costumes and also no denim. Oof. Random selection for teams and models, and two days to work. Then for no reason, the runway will be some random hallway in a high school. Speaking as someone who works in a real high school, are there any high schools with hallways wide enough for a runway and spectators on the sides and also camera equipment?
There are very obnoxious themed accessories around, which to me are borderline costume, but then again, I think the line between “obvious costume” and “true-to-the-times” clothing is pretty narrow and hard to define. The Blue Team is Korto, Rami, Bishme, Laurence, and Prajje. Of course, because that means both Kayne and Anna are on the Red Team along with Brittany, Fabio, and Kara Saun. Prajje is pleased with his team because he says this is a streetwear challenge, which I did not hear Christian say? But sure. Kara Saun is whispering to her team about grunge and plaids, and I still can't believe this but she's older than I am and I was in high school in the 90s. So she certainly lived through this fashion the first time. Korto wants music and hip hop, and everyone on her team seems to agree. Bishme admits he was born in 91 so he got his references from his sister. He is thinking “backup dancer from a hip hop video”. Brittany tells her team that on her season, they also had a team challenge with teams of five, and one team used all the same fabric and got in trouble for it. We cut back to a clip of Brandon saying it's all over the place. That's...not getting in trouble for using the same fabric? That's you thinking using the same fabric is all you need to have a cohesive collection. Kayne and Anna start saying what kind of fabric they want to use. Kayne says “Gwen Stefani” and “corset” and a shirt with a mullet hem. They will all use a plaid I think, and Anna is nervous because she says she's never worked with plaid.
At Mood Christian gives each person $500 and sets them loose. Anna was in China in the 90s and fashion wasn't a thing. This is what she wanted for herself back then. Brittany is making a plaid blouse with a “corseted jumpsuit” in faux leather. I guess? Blue Team is trying to make sure their colors all go together. Korto is making a puffer jacket. I think they try to edit it like Red Team isn't going to make it but it looks like everyone gets their stuff.
4 hours to work today. When they get back to the workroom the Red Team puts all their fabric on a table to make sure it all looks OK together. Korto comments on it but the best she can do is, “I see a lot of plaid. It looks...plaidy.” She says she went to boarding school and had plaid uniforms, and brags that it's good she's not on that team because she would have caused trouble. “Grunge” and “Hip Hop” are two accurate and completely valid themes for a 90s collection. You don't have to shit on the other team. Kara Saun thinks she has dressed every decade in her job. Lots of jackets about. Fabio is making a plaid backpack and a weird skirt that is half plaid and half draped? Laurence is making leather overalls and a cone bra. She says you shouldn't experiment on this show if you don't know what you're doing. Brittany is worried her pleather won't look good. I thought they all had to use pleather? Or was that a Lifetime rule? Korto says Laurence is the leader and she's checking in with everyone. I guess as long as no one else is trying to be the leader. There's some working and some collaboration where everyone is getting along. Both Rami and Fabio interview that they are anxious about how much work is left.
Day Two. Korto claims at breakfast she's teaching their models a dance routine. 10 hours to work today. Christian shows up (I thought very early, but when he's talking to Kayne it says 4 hours left so I guess not). Prajje shows his look and Christian thinks his pants look like sweatpants. I think that's the point. Prajje says it will be more cohesive than “others”. Kayne and Rami (two men who are old enough to remember the 90s) discuss what music they would listen to for this collection. Rami says there's a pic of Aaliyah on a magazine cover wearing a top he made. Is Rami just going to casually drop that he did this challenge before? Like how he was like “I've dressed actual royalty”? Christian loves Laurence's pants, and she shares that the 90s were difficult because she got pregnant at 16 and was disowned, and then got into fashion school. Wow. Brittany says Kara Saun is the “mother” of the group. They want their collection to be a clique but still individual. Christian hates the pleather Brittany has, but he loves the huge cell phone she's found that she says works. Christian fakes talking on it. Kayne has to run and get his corset from the sewing machine, except he says that he just has to go run get it and then sits down to sew. Christian yells at him a bunch until he returns. Who knows how long he was gone for. Christian doesn't think their collection is cohesive and Kayne's look is maybe too costumey.
Bishme claims his jacket is “the bee's knees” and is immediately embarrassed that's all he could think of. Brittany has to glue down the seams of her outfit? I guess that's a thing you do with leather? But she doesn't have leather glue, or any proper glue, and fabric glue is not working. I think she's using hot glue. She also tells Kayne she wore Limited Too in the 90s, but she was born in 1991. I guess she could have worn it at age 8? Kayne wore a lot of oversized clothes because he was over 300 pounds in high school. Model fitting. The Blue Team puts their models together and Christian says the block is hot, although he's not sure what they're cooking up because he's not sure the looks go together. Similar styling and maybe some swap outs of ribbons and colors would work. Laurence is leading and Korto is talking about being a team player. Anna has a veil? Eventually Red Team gets it together and their collection is black and plaid. Not all the same plaid? They need those little details. Kayne says his top has to be the star. Bishme finishes with an hour left and is offering help to Prajje, who thinks the other team has a terrible collection.
There is a pizza party waiting for them at the hotel, with the worst looking pizza I have ever seen. It might be good but it looks sad. There is also a lot of joking which is fine but also weirdly forced after last week.
Runway Day. Laurence still has to make a sweater. The models come in and there is still a lot of work being done. Brittany takes all her team's models to makeup which should work if they're all going to style the same. Prajje is cutting out a “43” which references the President of Haiti who was assassinated. Is he just now putting that on? Bishme sees it and asks if he can make a “42” for his sister real quick. Christian sees what Kayne is doing and curses at him. He has like, an hour to finish the top and make a skirt. He's made a cape, but he's insisting it's a “cool back detail” and not a cape. It's a piece of fabric that hangs down her back. It's a cape.
So I guess if you put two benches in between banks of lockers, one for each team, and the judges at one end, you can have a runway in a hallway. Blue Team is up first. Bishme: the top is kind of a bomber jacket, but with an off-the-shoulder neckline and closely fitted. It's in a red kind of diamond print that looks like it's woven into the fabric. The matching skirt is fitted to just under her butt and then flares out in a wide but short ruffle. It's still miniskirt length. There are flap pockets over each breast and a zipper and the contrasting waistband like on a regular jacket. It does look like it fits really well. Rami: long loose cargo pants in white, with several long straps that hang from the pockets to almost the floor. Then a fanny pack (I assume he didn't make that). The top has a titscrepancy. One side is the red from Bishme's look, and one is a red vinyl looking fabric. The top is basically a bikini. Imagine a bikini that ties in the front, only instead of tying in the front, you wrap the straps around yourself and tie them in the middle of your back. I take that back, the print side is like that. The red vinyl side is attached to a collar, and also has a separate shoulder strap in beige, and a triangular panel of a black fabric with green leaves on it. There is also clear orange vinyl under the red print and making up the back side of the strap on that side. I believe there is a sleeveless puffy vest in the red print but she never puts it on or shows it in any way.
Prajje: white pants and a bra top. The pants have some black accents. The top is a band wrapped around her back, with the two ends pulled over her breasts and crossed across her chest and tied again behind her neck. Over this is an orange bomber jacket, a loose one, with the “43” on one side in the red print and that sleeve in green fabric. The back of the jacket is a black fabric with red flowers and green leaves on it (I think this is where the fabric for Rami's came from). When she gets down by the judges, they show a close up of the black accents on the pants and they are cargo pockets attached with zippers, only the zippers are mostly unzipped and so the pockets themselves are flapping around. There is pink and also that clear orange in the jacket as well. It's a patchwork but it works. Laurence: green leather pants. She said a million times they were overalls, but there is no bib front, maybe just some suspenders. Then a black cone bra, and an orange “sweater” that is just like Brittany made last week, where it's sleeves and then it covers your shoulders. I can't tell if the pants are cropped or just bunched up over combat boots. The suspenders cross in the back but are so far apart that in the front they're almost on the side of the model's body. The bra looks great, although that same close up shows the sleeves are slit up the insides of the arms so it's basically a rectangle of fabric with a hole for her head and gathered at the wrists.
I don't know what happened this episode, but everyone is very loud and cheering and even the judges are getting in on it. It's not that exciting? Whatever. Korto: a huge puffer “coat” which has a train but also no sleeves. The arm openings are huge but they're not really long enough to be sleeves. The coat is black with orange trim, and it looks like it could fasten over the bodice but it's cut away at the waist. There is a matching dress with an orange hem and belt. There is a big collar, or lapels, and then the back of the coat is the floral print. I have no idea what the dress is because she never takes the coat off. I am not sure why this is 90s. I also think it maybe doesn't go with the rest of the looks? Maybe they were thinking multiple puffers?
Red Team is up. Anna: red plaid bell bottoms and a crop top in black sequins. The pants have a really wide flare, and the plaid is less “flannel” and more “windowpane”. The top looks like she cut a circle and then a hole for the model's head. Like a poncho but it ends just under her breasts. There is something weird going on in the crotch. Like it's too baggy and it's bunching in front. There's a black bra under this sheer patterned sequin top thing but I don't know if she made it. Maybe? Brittany: it is a black pleather strapless jumpsuit. There is also an off-the-shoulder top in a yellow plaid, with long sleeves and cuffs like a button down shirt. It's supposed to look like she had a shirt under the jumpsuit and just arranged it like this, but I'm not sure if it actually extends past the top of the pleather. There is a double row of rivets or snaps or something down the front, and the pants are slit up the front. I was going to insist someone bitch at her for making the same pants she did last week, but these may be not split all the way down to the ankle. Still. It's wide-legged pants slit up the front with the edges lined with notions. It does not really look like real leather. At the top of the bodice there is a narrow strip of the red plaid.
Kayne: first of all, this skirt that he made this morning is basically a rectangle of the red plaid wrapped around her waist. It's fine and she's not flashing anyone but it's just there. There's a belt in the yellow plaid tied around her waist, with sleeves like a flannel shirt, and then the top is basically a corset with a sweetheart neckline. There is fabric around her neck and shoulders to make a keyhole, and then it dangles off the back. To be fair, the corset looks fantastic and it's on Liris, and the cape thing is lace. I think the back of the bodice is yellow plaid? There might be detailing on the cape? You know how the judges are with plus-sized models and things that look boxy, which this skirt kind of does. Fabio: a black dress, knee length skirt with a slit on one side, and long sleeves. Over this is a vest made from the red plaid. It's a normal vest in the back, but in the front it's cropped to sit at her bustline. There's a zipper and a high collar. On the back of the vest (pretty sure it's one piece) there's a square of plain red fabric that's supposed to resemble a backpack. I think there's a sash because there's straps at the waist, and the front of the dress is pretty sheer.
Kara Saun: a short black dress, with a sash of the red plaid. It looks like a sash. Over this is a long puffer vest. She said it was a coat, but there are no sleeves and it doesn't even look like she sewed it together down the sides. Just enough to make arm holes and then it's hanging loose in flaps. It's knee length but the back seems to have wings? It's not just a rectangle, it sticks on on the sides under her hips. Down by the judges we get a closer look and the dress is like a slip dress, with spaghetti straps and pointy bra cups. It's in lace, possibly the sequined fabric Anna used. The plaid is a belt and then a panel of pleats on one side of her body. The skirt has a handkerchief hem and panels of the two plaids.
Both collections walk together, so you can see that the Blue Team all made hip hop, cool kid streetwear and then Korto made a dress. Red Team sort of goes together, although their pieces are more “fashion” so they fit together in that sense. But not really.
They relocate back to the regular runway to do judging. Nina loved this runway. One team was slightly more dynamic and “fashion forward” and Nina says it's the Blue Team. “Fashion forward”? To be fair, I think they had more cohesion than the Red Team, but I'm not sure it's the height of fashion. Prajje, Bishme, and Laurence are the top three. Brittany, Fabio, and Kayne are the bottom three. Nina makes a point to say they loved Kara Saun's look, even though it was on the losing team. So Rami, Anna, Kara Saun, and Korto can go to the Scrap Bin.
Bishme is up first. He says he is gay but his favorite part of a woman is her collarbone. Brandon says he didn't know Bishme was gay (I...feel like I didn't either?) and then says “Me too!” Heh. The styling is fantastic and it set the tone for the collection. The bottom of the skirt is very well made. He tells them about the “42” and it stands for his sister. Prajje says he used real leather, I think in the green. He explains his number and Elaine says the pockets are like a Trapper Keeper. One of them is matte and one is in a shiny vinyl. The jacket is well made, and Nina hates the pockets but she loves the jacket. The top is actually sewn with seams and it's not just a strip of fabric. Jenny also loves the pockets. Laurence says that she was channeling Madonna and TLC. The styling really works, and Brandon thinks it's perfectly made. Nina thinks it's editorial and it screams “future”.
Brandon tells the Red Team it was chaotic. Kayne is up first. He thinks he is on the bottom because the other team was just a little better. They went darker and then he starts talking about how Kara Saun took the lead. Is he going to try to blame her for how his outfit looks? Because it has nothing to do with her. The corset is great, but maybe the two different plaids are too much. Elaine hates the lace that is over the top of her chest (I told you guys about the judges and the plus sized models). Kayne complains this was a stretch but then says in the 90s he was fat and poor. I think his argument was he was there in the 90s, but had no idea what was cool and what was not cool. Brandon tells a weird story and says this is Kayne trying to fit his eveningwear skills into streetwear. It's a good girl trying to be bad. Brittany wanted something edgy, and she didn't want this to be in plaid. The corset fit yesterday, but the glue came apart and it looks cheap. Elaine asks why the other team bought leather but this team couldn't afford it, and Fabio says they spent their money on the lace. The grommets down the front are distracting and they hate her hair. Fabio has a very specific reference (Angelina Jolie in “Hackers”) and rebels and outcasts. Nina says it's not very rebellious? It's safe and he clearly put the energy into the vest. Jenny loves the vest though. Nina thinks it's too fashion. Elaine loves the vest too but she says in the end there were other looks that had more wow factor. Fabio says he thinks it's the best thing he's done so far but he understands.
Prajje had those pockets which they do not all agree on, but they love the fresh white. Laurence made something that was very modern, and is also very well made. Bishme made something that fit him and also the challenge. Kayne's look did not work, and they all hate the cape. The corset was amazing, though. Fabio bored Nina and Nina is irritated at it. Even though they love the vest. Brittany was doing too much and the pleather was horrible. It makes the whole thing look like a shitty Halloween costume. Brandon points out that if you put Fabio, Kayne, and Brittany's looks together, none of them go together.
Laurence is the winner. Those were cool pants. Bishme and Prajje are in. Fabio is in. He promises to amp it up. Brittany picked the wrong material. Kayne made a confusing look. Kayne is out. He says he's going to really think about it for several years because it will take a long time. Brittany is in. Kayne is like, bye, also when am I going to get my money from winning the first challenge? Heh. It's emotional but he's grown so much and he was authentic.
Next week: “underwear as outerwear” and there seems to be male models. I'm sorry to miss it! I will see you guys in two weeks!
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