Project Runway All Stars Ep 2
So, here's episode 2!
PR AS 2
So, they got right to the unconventional challenges tonight. The designers are taken to a construction site and told to make a wonderfully feminine design out of the masculine materials of a construction site.
Blah blah blah. Chris is pissed because Dmitry imitated his corded dress thing. Problem! Not from the stealing Slav, but Chris really has to just pay attention to his own stuff. Jay says, “Bitch stole your look!” and Dmitry defends himself with “lots of people are using the same materials” and here we go with the production trying to drum up drama. In the beginning, they highlighted Alexandria elbowing everyone out of the way to get her shit - not very feminine of you! That is a very masculine action you ungirl! Bad girl!! Hopefully her outfit will show more of a feminine look (spoiler: it didn't).
Zanna calls out Kate on her same-o wedding dress look. “We’ve seen this look from you.” Yep, totally. Then Zanna goes around asking everyone, Is it feminine enough?
So another runway where the designers are not given enough time and it tells.
Ugh, Jersey Shore girls as "designer" label makers, yeah right. I'm so fucking sick of the fetishization of the importance of "branding." Okay, this may sound naive, but the idea of commodifying one's self as a saleable entity is sick and wrong. ...not the idea that it's a valuable thing to do as a matter of selling product attached to that objectified personality, but the naturalization of one's choosing to "brand" one's self. As if this is a problem-free step in one's career! Sure, in capitalist ideology it makes sense - but so does the selling of one's soul in an environment where everything is for sale. I just hope I'm not the only one for whom the expectation of "branding" as a given seems fairly doxological, if not outright soul-crushing.
...anyway.
But making up for that blasphemy is Elie Tahari, my fave NYC designer!!
Runway:
First, I've been fascinated with pregnancy chic. What did you think of Alyssa's outfit this week? I kind of feel that since Kim Kardashian started in on pastry-style fashion, it's in to dress up pregnancy. I'm certainly not saying anything is wrong with that! And, the design in Alyssa's outfit is really cool - in fact, the designers all gasped when she came out:
But, still, doesn't she kind of look like a cream puff? But I'm fascinated anyway.
Jay was very happy with his outfit:
I like the cut, but the "fabric" still looks cheap. It's fine. I'm not so sure nails can make any look feminine, though. What did you all think of the necklace?
Except for the necklace, which isn't really in keeping with the challenge, not a lot to look at here, though.
You can say the same for Fabio's outfit:
And Helen's:
Helen uses the word "super" far too much. She thinks this is "super cool and futuristic."
I liked Benjamin's, which had an interesting modern flapper chic:
Gunnar's is basically Amanda 2.0; this was only safe though - there's enough talent surrounding it that the foundation garment's basic design didn't have a chance for a win:
I keep feeling like Gunnar Deatherage's name is SUCH an oxymoron for such a bland cutie.
Dmitry's was pretty cool, but I kept wanting to tug up the neckline and make it a higher turtleneck:
Fringe is no longer the happening thing, though, and Dmitry is only safe. Or maybe the judges weren't too impressed with the butt shot:
Speaking of inappropriate exposure, I see nipple in Samantha's top!!
She wasn't too happy with the skirt; here's the whole look:
So these are the safe designers:
Dmitry, Fabio, Gunnar, Benjamin, Helen, Sonia and Sam, all safe.
There was very lively judging, and disagreements, which I find nicely refreshing. The judges disagreed on Kate's:
Isaac was impressed with the material manipulation, but Elie wanted it longer, said it looked "little girl getting married." The Jersey girls liked it but I ignore them on principle. Alyssa thought it was "arts and crafts" but Georgianna thought it was "sweet."
Michelle:
She used the bright orange vests and then painted them this horrible color scheme. Snooki said she appreciated the way they look like duct tape; I guess that's a compliment from a Jersey Shore alumna. Elie broke my heart when he said he liked the colors; same with Alyssa but she thought the cut (the judges call the cut the "silhouette" cuz it sounds more sophisticated) was an "afterthought." Isaac said it was just another department store dress. I was suprised after that mediocre critique that it was one of the bottom two - I expected Chris to be there for this:
The top is clearly a disaster, but I was with the judges - there's something I really liked about the idea of the skirt. It may very well be that it's the way the model carried it off - she has beautiful legs, as well. The judges gave him a much harder time than Michelle, which is why I think Chris had a pass. He seemed pretty dispirited.
The ultimate loser was Alexandria:
When this walked out, I could feel my face assuming the "bad smell" position - what the hell. What was the wiring thing for? And without it, what is there to this look? She actually painted it this gloomy color. Look, you can have a gloomy idea, or you can have a gloomy color, but no one wants to wear gloomy clothes. Georgianna said it was a "caricature of the 80s" - I wasn't sure what she was getting at (I was there, I don't remember fencing fashion showing up much), but Isaac's dunning the color and the Olive-Oyl'ing of the model's shape seemed to me to be more to the point. "I can't find anything I like about it." Ouch. That was enough to send her home.
The winner was so clearly Justin, and as I have so long "meh"'d him, here is his due:
The back is beautiful as well; I love the black bleeding into the white:
Gorgeous, and the judges agreed, giving him his first win. Well deserved!
Let me know if I missed anyone, and even more importantly, what you all think!
PR AS 2
So, they got right to the unconventional challenges tonight. The designers are taken to a construction site and told to make a wonderfully feminine design out of the masculine materials of a construction site.
Blah blah blah. Chris is pissed because Dmitry imitated his corded dress thing. Problem! Not from the stealing Slav, but Chris really has to just pay attention to his own stuff. Jay says, “Bitch stole your look!” and Dmitry defends himself with “lots of people are using the same materials” and here we go with the production trying to drum up drama. In the beginning, they highlighted Alexandria elbowing everyone out of the way to get her shit - not very feminine of you! That is a very masculine action you ungirl! Bad girl!! Hopefully her outfit will show more of a feminine look (spoiler: it didn't).
Zanna calls out Kate on her same-o wedding dress look. “We’ve seen this look from you.” Yep, totally. Then Zanna goes around asking everyone, Is it feminine enough?
So another runway where the designers are not given enough time and it tells.
Ugh, Jersey Shore girls as "designer" label makers, yeah right. I'm so fucking sick of the fetishization of the importance of "branding." Okay, this may sound naive, but the idea of commodifying one's self as a saleable entity is sick and wrong. ...not the idea that it's a valuable thing to do as a matter of selling product attached to that objectified personality, but the naturalization of one's choosing to "brand" one's self. As if this is a problem-free step in one's career! Sure, in capitalist ideology it makes sense - but so does the selling of one's soul in an environment where everything is for sale. I just hope I'm not the only one for whom the expectation of "branding" as a given seems fairly doxological, if not outright soul-crushing.
...anyway.
But making up for that blasphemy is Elie Tahari, my fave NYC designer!!
Runway:
First, I've been fascinated with pregnancy chic. What did you think of Alyssa's outfit this week? I kind of feel that since Kim Kardashian started in on pastry-style fashion, it's in to dress up pregnancy. I'm certainly not saying anything is wrong with that! And, the design in Alyssa's outfit is really cool - in fact, the designers all gasped when she came out:
But, still, doesn't she kind of look like a cream puff? But I'm fascinated anyway.
Jay was very happy with his outfit:
I like the cut, but the "fabric" still looks cheap. It's fine. I'm not so sure nails can make any look feminine, though. What did you all think of the necklace?
Except for the necklace, which isn't really in keeping with the challenge, not a lot to look at here, though.
You can say the same for Fabio's outfit:
And Helen's:
Helen uses the word "super" far too much. She thinks this is "super cool and futuristic."
I liked Benjamin's, which had an interesting modern flapper chic:
Gunnar's is basically Amanda 2.0; this was only safe though - there's enough talent surrounding it that the foundation garment's basic design didn't have a chance for a win:
I keep feeling like Gunnar Deatherage's name is SUCH an oxymoron for such a bland cutie.
Dmitry's was pretty cool, but I kept wanting to tug up the neckline and make it a higher turtleneck:
Fringe is no longer the happening thing, though, and Dmitry is only safe. Or maybe the judges weren't too impressed with the butt shot:
Speaking of inappropriate exposure, I see nipple in Samantha's top!!
She wasn't too happy with the skirt; here's the whole look:
So these are the safe designers:
Dmitry, Fabio, Gunnar, Benjamin, Helen, Sonia and Sam, all safe.
There was very lively judging, and disagreements, which I find nicely refreshing. The judges disagreed on Kate's:
Isaac was impressed with the material manipulation, but Elie wanted it longer, said it looked "little girl getting married." The Jersey girls liked it but I ignore them on principle. Alyssa thought it was "arts and crafts" but Georgianna thought it was "sweet."
Michelle:
She used the bright orange vests and then painted them this horrible color scheme. Snooki said she appreciated the way they look like duct tape; I guess that's a compliment from a Jersey Shore alumna. Elie broke my heart when he said he liked the colors; same with Alyssa but she thought the cut (the judges call the cut the "silhouette" cuz it sounds more sophisticated) was an "afterthought." Isaac said it was just another department store dress. I was suprised after that mediocre critique that it was one of the bottom two - I expected Chris to be there for this:
The top is clearly a disaster, but I was with the judges - there's something I really liked about the idea of the skirt. It may very well be that it's the way the model carried it off - she has beautiful legs, as well. The judges gave him a much harder time than Michelle, which is why I think Chris had a pass. He seemed pretty dispirited.
The ultimate loser was Alexandria:
When this walked out, I could feel my face assuming the "bad smell" position - what the hell. What was the wiring thing for? And without it, what is there to this look? She actually painted it this gloomy color. Look, you can have a gloomy idea, or you can have a gloomy color, but no one wants to wear gloomy clothes. Georgianna said it was a "caricature of the 80s" - I wasn't sure what she was getting at (I was there, I don't remember fencing fashion showing up much), but Isaac's dunning the color and the Olive-Oyl'ing of the model's shape seemed to me to be more to the point. "I can't find anything I like about it." Ouch. That was enough to send her home.
The winner was so clearly Justin, and as I have so long "meh"'d him, here is his due:
The back is beautiful as well; I love the black bleeding into the white:
Gorgeous, and the judges agreed, giving him his first win. Well deserved!
Let me know if I missed anyone, and even more importantly, what you all think!