Project Runway All-Stars Episode 4: 6-Hour Catwalk

Greetings, Project Runway Fans!

All this week's episode needed was this.

As many of you know, I co-host a Blogging Project Runway chatroom every Thursday.  For the past three weeks, I've been hanging on past 10:00 pm to comment on Lifetime's new fashion game show, 24-Hour Catwalk.   This week, both episodes became a complete blur to me.

"Designers, you don't know me, but I'm British Fashion Icon, Alexa Chung.  This week, you get to eat gelato and make a dress in 6 hours!"

"Wait, the producers told me that this week was the Diane Von Furstenberg challenge." 

"Do you seriously think that I have nothing better to do than to waste my time on judging a 6-hour challenge?"

James LaForce: I'm available and we all know Derek Blasberg has nothing to do....
Cynthia Rowley: Heck, I'll judge anything.

But wait!  There's a Project Runway All-Stars twist!  Supermodel Miranda Kerr gets to wear the winning outfit.

Doesn't she look thrilled?

Let's get on with the show, shall we?

Jerell Scott

His gelato was some berry flavored concoction.  His garment was typical of his style...very easy, very bohemian.  I loved the prints he used this week and the strapping gave it a nice pop, but I think we all know by now that Jerell isn't in the running to win the All-Star competition.  He was safe...much to Miranda Kerr's relief.

Austin Scarlett

"I picked vanilla, the best of all flavors and colors."

Unfortunately, Joanna didn't look at the geegaws he had laid out on the work table.

From the Joshua McKinney Trim Collection for Mood Fabrics....

Admittedly, the silhouette is much improved from previous weeks.  Nevertheless, this is yet another look that Miranda Kerr was relieved not to wear.

Anthony Williams

Anthony chose "Green Tea," a flavor and color that would have been my choice.

And here, I mistakenly thought that this would be in the running for the win.  It certainly didn't look like it had been done in 6 hours.  However, none of the judges were very thrilled with it.

Derek: Actually, Cynthia, I rather like it.  He made two pieces in the time it took some designers just to make one--and he didn't need our professional sewing team.
Cynthia: I like the contrast in textures, too.

Wait until you see the garment that actually won this challenge, then go back and look at this one.  Keep in mind that a supermodel promised she'd wear the winning challenge in a public place.  Maybe the origami folds have been overdone.  Maybe the skirt is a throw-away, but I thought this was a solid presentation.

Rami Kashou

On the other hand, Rami chose kiwi and went completely literal...and ugly.  Why Anthony was called out for criticism and not Rami was beyond me.

It's a kiwi explosion, right down to the seeds.

Kenley Collins

I miss the snarky, overconfident Kenley who had nothing but shade to throw at her fellow competitors even though her garments failed to live up to her hype.

We saw just a smidgeon of that this week, but not nearly enough.  She chose passionfruit and declared that her outfit would win.

It didn't.  In fact, it was safe.  It's a nice dress to make in 6 hours.  I would love to make this dress in 6 hours.  In fact, if I could sew fast enough to make this dress in 6 hours, I'd have one in every color of the rainbow.  Perhaps, if I hired Just Raymona and the 24-Hour Catwalk Sew Team, I could have four 6-hour dresses in one day.

Just Raymona: I'm sorry, crazy person. Unless you are a famous designer or a producer of a network TV show, I can't see you.  

Kara Janx

Kara chose was left with Chocolate-Cayenne gelato.  Yummy, with a kick.  This week, that kick nearly sent her out the door.

Yes, she was too literal with her garment.

Yes, her garment had a wonky silhouette, which made the model look pregnant.

And everybody knows you can't mix brown with red.

Except when you do it, Isaac.

Poor Kara was spared the boot this week because someone did way worse.


April Johnston

She chose blueberry, which is a cool color to work with.  Originally, she meant to do this.

I'm not saying with certainty that she would have been better off if she had, but I think she would have at least been safe.  Her plans changed when she did not find jersey in the "mini Mood" fabric store that the producers created in the workroom to save time.  She had her heart set on jersey, but there was no jersey to be found in her color.  So she went with other fabrics in her color and had to rework the dress.  This is what resulted.

It's not the worst dress ever made.

Derek Blasberg: Boy, that's for sure.  You could have won this week's "24-Hour Catwalk!"

But it was the worst one on the All-Star runway this week.  I can't quibble.  Sorry, April, we'll miss you.

Mila Hermanovski

She chose cherry-vanilla and practically had the win wrapped up.

Joanna: Instead of black and white, cherry and vanilla. Clever! Innovative!

Snark aside, what was on that dress form was perfect and didn't need an extra thing.  Unfortunately, it was too sheer and instead of lining it with white, Mila gave it some other things.

Namely, she gave it a red underdress that Angela didn't like and a heavy Neiman Marcus belt that neither Diane Von Furstenberg nor Miranda Kerr liked.  And much like people looking at a house who can't see  past the ugly wallpaper, the belt stopped them cold.  Really, Miranda Kerr?  You wouldn't want to wear this outfit but you prefer the winning design?

Isaac, on the other hand, was grateful that Mila did not use any brown in the making of this outfit and declared it his favorite.

Mondo Guerra

Mondo has quit Sterling, Draper, Cooper Price and moved to a Miami, Florida retirement home.

Of all the dresses inspired by cantaloupes out there, this one is the cantaloupiest!  The funniest thing about this outfit, besides the fact that it was so over-the-top literal and no one called him out on it, was that he complained that he didn't have enough fabric.  I wonder what he would have made had he gotten sufficient fabric.

Blanche Devereaux: Thank you for being a friend, Mondo!

I actually thought if this was what was left, Mondo should have gotten the win this week.  But apparently, Miranda Kerr was so horrified at the thought of being seen in a caftan in Miami, she let Diane Von Furstenberg talk her into the winning outfit.

Michael Costello

Michael chose grapefruit....willingly.  He was thinking pink grapefruit, clearly, but Georgina Chapman kept arguing with him about the color.

Georgina:  I'm not seeing grapefruit and I should know.  I'm an expert on grapefruits.  I subsist on them.

Putting color quibbles aside, Michael meant to do a sleek, sophisticated, gathered dress.

He must have picked all the fabric that Mondo didn't get to have because what resulted was anything but sleek.

It was like something out of the South Fork Collection for Neiman Marcus.

Miranda Kerr was horrified at the prospect of having to put her post-pregnancy, still nursing body into such a flimsy outfit.  But Diane Von Furstenberg distracted her.

"Look!  See the back?"

Your point, Diane?  Besides wanting to humiliate Miranda Kerr?

"Michael, if I weren't dead, I would ask you to design one for me, too!"

Sewer 1: Do you think we could have done better?
Sewer 2: Maybe, if they chose good fabric.
Just Raymona: Girls, don't sell yourselves short.  No one wins unless they listen to us!

So Michael is the big winner, again, this week.  And somewhere, Miranda Kerr spends sleepless nights in anticipation dread of having to wear the dress that Diane Von Furstenberg picked out for her.   Diane always gets the last laugh.

That's it for now.  See you next week for a Central Park inspiration challenge.