Project Runway All-Stars Episode 9: It's Electric!

Greetings, Project Runway fans!

We're getting down to the final handful of designers.  This week's challenge was one of my favorites of the season thus far.  I think the results drew out the each designer's personality quite...vividly.

The challenge was to construct a garment using florescent paints, tapes, LED and fiber optic lights.  The judge, performer-producer-fashion personality, Pharrell Williams, promised to use the winning design in one of his upcoming projects.

I'm not all that impressed with Pharrell's fashion lines, which are rather casual.  And as a judge, he was ok. I would have preferred to see someone more dynamic like one of the designers from Cutecircuit.

The folks at Cutecircuit created Katy Perry's light-up dress that she wore to the Met Ball a few years ago.

And they've done some of her light-up stage wear.

The designers were given $300 to spend at the Barbazon Light Shop and another $100 at Mood plus two days to sew.  There were a lot of subtle elements to the challenge.  Apparently, battery operated, portable lights don't come cheap.  Their reliability is in question as well.  And the question of whether to sew, glue or just stick on was on everyone's mind.  Let's see how our designers did.

Mondo Guerra

Mondo stayed true to his streamlined silhouette and use of color, but just petered out on the execution.  He sewed his lights into fabric channels, which caused the fabric to glow from underneath.  This was ingenious and impeccably sewn.  Unfortunately, the design element was just not over-the-top enough for the judges.

She looks like a juke box.

And the back was down right boring.

Michael Costello

Michael struggled with this challenge, coming up with 27 different designs before he settled on one.  Unfortunately, that was his undoing.  Had he just stuck with one thing, he would have found the time to carefully think through his execution, proportion and overall design.

Instead, he sent out a hastily constructed art project.

You can't see the blinking lights under the shoulder pads.  They were pretty tacky.  And that shoulder shape added nothing interesting to the overall design.

But in the end, what did him in was the hastily wrapped tape on the arms that looked like an afterthought.  And the back....

was lackluster and the bow on the belt was a disaster.

Jerell Scott

Regular readers of this blog know that I have not been a big fan of Jerell this season.  I would have given him the boot several episodes ago.  So seeing him lose this challenge was not a surprise or a disappointment....however....if it had been me, I think I would have given Michael the (taped up) boot this week.

Jerell, unlike the others, designed his outfit around the lights--in his case, fiber optic lights-- and he embraced the organic shape that resulted.

It looks like one of those phosphorescent aquatic creatures that lives deep in the bottom of the ocean.

But the end result was too safe...something I never thought I'd say about Jerell.

I would have liked to see the same exuberant treatment at the skirt used on the neckline  We didn't need the glasses or the light in the mouth.  The shoes were tacky.  A pair of simple, white shoes would have sufficed.   I didn't buy the whole "why put a black skirt on the bottom" thing.  The judges were just grasping.  Yes, it looked better with black tights, but I think just a few simple tweaks could have kept him in the running.

Kenley Collins

Kenley has a very strong aesthetic.  At first, I was concerned that this challenge would sink her. She appeared to throw off the lights and gravitate toward black light effects.

And I'm still recovering from her Mickey Mouse dress from the avant garde project from her regular season.

 When you say "AVANT GARDE" Kenley says, "PLAID!"  However, she used strong shapes to construct a stunning outfit that, this time, was flattering and well-proportioned.

Yes, you can totally see Nikki Minaj in this outfit.  Lady Gaga could wear it without a top underneath.  It's thoroughly modern, yet so of the moment.  I think she should have won, even though the judges dismissed the little "fairy lights" sprinkled throughout.

Austin Scarlett

Austin won this week's challenge.  He had a strong, romantic vision of what he wanted to produce.

He wanted to craft a universe of stars around his model, so that it would look like she was floating in space with the stars.  He was one of the only designers to take the lights beyond the plane of the body.  I think his outfit could have been more over-the-top as well, but perhaps, the budget was a little too tight for this challenge.

Angela Lindell, often criticized for not quite living up to Heidi Klum standards, offered, I think, one of the best critiques of this outfit.  She said that she wanted to see the lights throughout the skirt, not just in strips.  She wanted to see them scattered underneath the tulle, as well.

Scroll up and take another look at Kenley's outfit.  Under black light, it is far more visually stunning than Austin's.  And I think the same critique that the judges leveled at Jerell applies here.  The black skirt simply gets lost under the black light.  Without billions of lights sprinkled throughout the skirt, she just looks like a ballerina who got tangled in Christmas lights.   What could have popped this outfit on a bare-bones budget would have been the simple addition of some WHITE TULLE as a lining under the skirt.  You would have seen the pop of white under the black layers, giving Angela the depth she wanted to see.  It would have given the skirt a lot more 3-D interest.

All-in-all, I think on this challenge, the budget and the time crunch really squelched the creativity.  I was left wondering what someone like Chris March would have done with this challenge.

I'm slowly catching up to all the shows.  The next episode where our final four take on the business of fashion, is coming soon!

Project Runway All-Stars Episode 8: Flag me Down!

Greetings, Project Runway Fans!

Sorry for the absence!  I took some time off to actually live a real life this past Thursday.  Let's get caught up.

We last left our contestants at the door to the United Nations.

This episode had so much potential.

"Right...potential.  I'm watching Michael Costello drape another dress you can't wear with a 'brar.'"

Joanna darling, oh how I feel your pain.  One of the reasons I'm two weeks behind on this blog is because I've been logging some time recently with evening gowns.  The lady at the Macy's intimates counter told me that Macy's was going to phase out "specialty bras" in favor of of tapes and adhesive silicone blobs that stick to your front.  She directed me to a stack of pink boxes.  Ugh.

So good luck out there, ladies.  From the front, your infrastructure will look like you walked out of your hospital recovery room underneath all those fabulous designer clothes.  All the better to make it look like you and the dress are being held up with magic!

Let's see how our flag wavers did, shall we?

Austin Scarlett

Austin picked the Seychelles flag.

And he looked at it a lot.

I caught this episode late and could have sworn that Austin got the Swedish flag.  This dress was straight from the Austin Scarlett for Ikea collection...

Seriously, Miss Model, why are you so grumpy?  

I guess the other colors are in the belt and wrapped up in her hair.  I just wasn't impressed with this dress, which was nothing more than a pretty-ish gown.  The sloppily twisted straps added to the throw-away feel of this dress.  Why a gown, anyway?  Do they were gowns in the Saychelles?  I dunno....

Michael Costello

Mr. Costello had the Greek flag.

Oh there are a thousand things you could do with that.  Two colors...stripes...Imagine what Mila would have done with those stripes....

And Michael certainly came armed for the battle.

Michael Costello, doing his best Joshua McKinley imitation...

Great.  A toga.  How original.

Oh the draping was lovely from the front, if you could get past the tacky gift ribbon in the front.

"This draping provides a spectacular showcase for that tramp stamp you got in Cabo last Spring Break."

Well, actually, that's not what he said there, but that's what I heard.

Kenley Collins

I keep forgetting that Kenley is still here.  She's been so quiet this season.  She got the Chilean flag, last seen waving at some very lucky miners.

Not only did Kenley take it into a different direction, she managed to confuse Chile with Argentina in the process.

She talked about a tango reference to the skirt.  And while there's certainly tango in Chile, the Cueca is the national dance of Chile.  Oh well...it's a pretty enough dress.  Very Kenley.  She was admonished by Isaac this week for making the same style of dress over and over.

"I agree, Isaac.  I make excellent dresses over and over again."

And Isaac was on a bit of a tear this week over "same old same old" for the gals, at least.

Mila Hermanovski

This one plum pissed me off.  I won't deny it.

The Papua New Guinea flag is quite visually arresting.  Mila didn't try to read any cultural references into it, she just let the colors take her on a flight of fancy.

This really was the most interesting design that walked the runway in Episode 8.  Project Runway is a design competition...until it isn't and in Episode 8, it wasn't.  Not for Mila.  This dress caused a visceral reaction in Isaac.

"This dress says, 'Communism' to me."

"Really, Isaac?  Where did you get your degree in economics?  There is nothing proletarian about this dress."

Anyway, in a result that I simply refuse to acknowledge, Mila was booted off this week.

Jerell Scott

Jerell had India.  This was just asking for trouble...

This is a hoochie dress that accidentally collided with a sari.

The only positive comment anyone could come up with was a bit of faint praise for the white stripe down the sleeve.  This has "producer manipulation" written all over it.  How this kept Jerell in the competition is beyond me.  He could run a naked model carrying a bag of rags and win next week's competition.  I dunno...I'm beyond unimpressed with this mess of a dress.

Mondo Guerra

At some point, Mondo must have looked around, sized up the competition and figured he could simply win in a sleep-walk.  I'm pretty sure if you woke him up at 3 am and demanded he make you  a dress by 5 pm, this would be the dress you got.

Here's your winner, folks!  It's a dress that could represent any nation on earth because it's black!  Look at the superior construction.  Look at how non-literal it.....

what?

He had a flag?

Ah...Jamaica.

"Woot, there it is."

This episode was a big, fat bowl of "whatever."

Next episode promises electricity!  That should be exciting, no?

Project Runway All-Stars Episode 7: Turn Back, O Man....

Greetings, Project Runway Fans!

Give my regards to Broadway.
Remember me to Harold Square.
Tell all the gang at 42nd street that I will soon be there.

And when I do finally get there,
it's really gonna break my heart,
to find out that Godspell's celebrating 40 years.
Boy am I one old fart!

Really?  The fuzzy headed Superman Jesus has been around for 40 years?  Godspell is a little slice of the 1970's when musical theater was all about love and wonderment and the dawning of the age of Aquarius and stuff.  Stephen Schwartz took the Gospel of Matthew and a little bit of Luke in order to create an allegory about how communities come together, form around a charismatic leader and carry on after his departure.

Kind of like Project Runway All-Stars carries on without Tim Gunn, no?

This week's challenge was to design an outfit for the character, Sonia.  She is a rich woman who slowly loses the vestiges of her wealth as she hears the parables of Jesus.  At one point, she breaks into song--"Turn Back, O Man"

Madonna played Sonia, once.

And we found out this week that another notable woman was in Godspell...

"I was actually in Godspell once."

Really?  Because I scoured the Internets and I couldn't find anything.  So we'll just have to use our imagination....

Forswear thy foolish ways, indeed!

Here's the thing.  For decades, Godspell has been staged and re-staged.  The original version costumed Jesus's apostles as clowns.  The clown makeup was an outward manifestation of their community.  Other productions have used special garments or other markings.  This musical has been cast as a group of homeless characters, disco dancers, space travelers, etc... Schwartz's own son recently did a production featuring people on cell phones, with green screen projections and large monitors.  So, basically, the costuming on this one needs to rely on discussion with and direction from Mr. Schwartz.  What we got was a brief explanation that this character was a rich woman who gets "dressed" on stage.  He used a sort of thrift store analogy.  Clearly, he was honing somewhat close to the original production, but definitely wanted to update it.  So this challenge took some observation, listening and sensitivity on the part of each designer.

I have just, one pet peeve this week.

Why did Sutton Foster sit on the judges' panel and not Stephen Schwartz?

In the real world, the producers and directors would have something to say about the costuming for the show.  So we're to believe that Stephen Schwartz left the decision about who would design Sonia's outfit to someone who wasn't even starring in the show?

I know she won a Tony, but come on...

Let's see how our contestants did this week.

We beseech thee, hear us!

Jerell Scott did not repeat his win this week.  His Sonia was sort of a weird, 1940's throwback, but it was enough to be safe.

It certainly looks urban, somewhat sophisticated and rich enough--all of Sonia's traits--but the skirt looks cheap.  The ornamentation seems like an afterthought.  It would have aged the actress beyond the other characters.  So unless this version of Godspell were set in the Retirement Home, this character would stick out.  I'm surprised this was called out as safe, quite frankly.

Michael Costello offered up a bright, cheery outfit.  The color was kind of harsh, but he made it work.

It's fun and flirty, but somehow, just not quite dramatic enough for such an iconic production as Godspell.  For one thing, the character "gets dressed" on stage and then loses her clothes as she accepts Jesus's teachings.  This is a finished outfit and I don't know how the top comes on and off without exposing the actress inappropriately.

Poor Kenley Collins.  She focused on the mismatched, thrift store nature of the outfit.

And yes, it was another impeccably made outfit, but the white fur lining and fascinator with the red and silver brocade made it look like something more suited to the Rockettes Christmas revue and not the 40th anniversary revival of Godspell.

Pulling pots of gold from the air...

Austin Starlet Scarlett came oh, so tantalizingly close.

I could totally visualize this in an updated production of Godspell.  It was urban, with a touch of sexiness.  Just like Sonia.  Can't you just see a young Madonna in this outfit?  The gathers, folds, deep vee neck and even the leggings are so contemporary.  I thought it was a sure winner...until.....

I saw the outfit that Mondo Guerra produced.

This is the sort of outfit that Jerell usually attempts to produce, but just quite can't.  As only Mondo can, he mixed four different prints together.  He used feathers to heighten the drama, but they weren't overdone.   The layers flowed beautifully.  You could instantly visualize the character dancing and flirting.  This outfit so immediately commanded the attention of everyone who saw it.

Georgina Chapman focused her dressmaker's eye on the unfinished, uneven hems and the tentative lengths.  Mondo couldn't quite decide on whether this was a midi or a maxi length.  But in the end, that was a minor quibble.  Mondo, the print master, stitched up another win.

Oh, dear Lord.....

Mila Hermanovski was never destined to win this challenge.  Her aesthetic is more streamlined, modern and architectural.  It's not the kind of thing you'd expect to see on a Broadway stage.

But Mila really sealed the deal when she picked this fabric.

It doesn't exactly "read" as a luxurious, rich fabric.

The chevron gold fabric in the top was interesting and very Mila, however, the blouson shape did nothing to flatter the model.   The white, fur coat was much, too much.  And the skirt that she created from the green and yellow fabric, while it was interesting, looked a little to mod.  Isaac was right to point out that it looked like the top and the skirt belonged to two different outfits.  Then again, pairing gold and yellow together is always very tricky.  I don't see how Mila could have made this outfit work without reworking the entire concept and substituting some of the elements. For one thing, the skit really doesn't lend itself to the sort of carefree dancing and moving around that Godspell is known for.

But the real disaster of the evening was Kara Janx.

"Oy gevalt!"

I know there's no Yiddish in Godspell, but maybe there should be.  In fact, Stephen Schwartz would likely welcome it.  What wasn't welcome was Kara's aesthetic.  Sure, she could do a rich woman's dress, but that woman was going to be streamlined and sophisticated.  She'd be the woman to walk into the theatre with her perfect Orchestra section seats--right in the middle--not to close, not too far away.  But that's not the woman on the stage.

The red skirt was Kara's undoing.  She tried a long skirt.  She tried a midi skirt.  In the end, she went with knee length but it just wasn't dramatic enough.  So she stuck a great, big bow in the front, which killed any sophistication it may have had.

The back wasn't much better.  It puckered and stretched in weird ways.

Again, how would Sonia have been able to dance, move and sing in this outfit?  It was just the wrong garment for the challenge all the way around.  So Kara was sent home.

Next week, our final six designers ("The most talented room in Project Runway history") wave the flag at the United Nations!  See you then!