Project Runway All Stars 2/18/16--"Let It Flow" summary

Previously on “Project Runway All Stars”: a bunch of people who I remember mostly for their drama and annoyingness (rather than their designs) showed up on my TV for no reason. OK, I guess not for no reason. Their first challenge was to think of a moment when they knew they were “destined” to be a designer and then make a “fashion-forward” outfit about it. During most of the episode not everyone talked about specific moments but then on the runway during judging they all had one. Also Hot Makeup Guy Scott has returned. Valerie won, which was nice. It was a cute outfit. Daniel Franco and Mitchell had terrible outfits but instead of getting rid of anyone the judges decided not to eliminate anyone. Which is DUMB because 1. your job is to eliminate people and 2. unless you're going to have a double elimination you just made the season longer by an episode and if you wanted a longer season you should have cast more people. It's not like you seemed to have high standards when it came to casting. (click for more)

Everyone goes to a dance theater where Alyssa and some actual dancers are waiting for them. Alyssa starts talking about movement and whatever, so this week they have to make a design that shows how a fabric can move. Alexander has costumed the ballet before so this is right up his alley. Oh and also a wind machine on the runway for no reason. This is far less stupid than the “rainway”, but still dumb. There's a performance, where the dancers dance with swaths of fabric and everyone can see the movement. Valerie wants to do pleats in the front of the dress, but she's afraid it might get lost in the wind machine. Sam thinks of scarves and convertibles. Alexander sketches a cape. Fade doesn't really sketch before Mood but he finds a bunch of silk there so he's going to wing it? He seems OK with not having a plan. Emily is making a caftan. Kini buys yellow and some dye.

They have today to design, which is 10 hours. There's a big fan in the lounge, I guess to test the fabrics. Valerie gets her pleats on the dress and she thinks maybe it's matronly. She asks Layana for her opinion and Layana's like “I couldn't possibly help you because I don't want to ruin your design.” Please. You never had a problem with your opinions before. Valerie, to her credit, knows people might not give opinions because they think it sucks and they don't want to say so. Sam was going to make a jumpsuit, but he decides a gown would be better. Yeah, a skirt will move more than pants. But then he wants to do a mullet hem so the wind can get underneath it and maybe planning on having your model flash everyone is not the best idea. Mitchell bitches that Sam is prancing around and he said so many mean things in his blog, blah blah. I think possibly you're mad you aren't the sassy diva this season? Anyway, Sam confronts him on caring a TON about a stupid insignificant blog. Seriously, I know I didn't say nice things, and Sam and I can't be the only bloggers who said anything negative about you. Sam also points out that no one else cares what he said, which is true, but then he's taking the stance that everyone is going to hate on Mitchell so he needs a thicker skin and shouldn't be upset. This is a dumb argument that I'm already tired of. Mitchell has a right to be upset but maybe bitching at people about a year old blog post is not the best use of your time.

Back in the workroom Mitchell claims to not be fighting. Please. You're fighting. Stella rolls her eyes and says Mitchell should take the pom-pom off his hat and go stand up for himself. Sam tells Ken he didn't say anything mean, he just talked about Mitchell's designs and that he liked to be on camera. Ken interviews that he needs the prize because he had a fire and lost a lot of stuff. Fade is using velvet, I think. I guess, if it moves. Emily braids some trim.

Zanna time. Valerie is thinking salsa dancing costume, and Zanna tells her to lose the sleeves. Sam's skirt is split in the back and the print is black and white stripes so it will be dizzy. Daniel Franco is failing. Layana is reminded this isn't a dance challenge but a fashion challenge. Mitchell's print is a terrible blue with pink and purple stripe thing. It's fugly. Emily must elevate her caftan. Kini might flash everyone. Dom and Asha are told to do more. Zanna tells Alexander to make his dress simpler so his cape is more dramatic, but then Ken says he's doing a cape and she tells Ken not to. Stella made leather fringe, of course, and Zanna tells her it's not elegant, but Stella is just like “It's elegant, Zanna.” Fade says some stuff about cocoons, and Zanna takes him over to the fan and says it's not dramatic enough. Everyone is too safe.

Model fittings. Sam is super excited. Alexander doesn't have the cape to fit on his model. With one hour to go Kini is dyeing his fabric orange. Everyone else freaks out.

Runway day. In the morning Kini comes in and luckily the dye turned out exactly how he wanted. Mitchell makes comments about people because of course it's fine to be rude when he does it, but not when other people say shit about him. Hot makeup guy Scott. Some stupid ass product placement. Alexander's cape is ridiculous but he's glad.

Guest judge is Vanessa Hudgens. Layana: gown in royal blue, with a sweetheart neckline with illusion netting up over her shoulders. It moves fine, although only in slow motion. In real-time it's plastered to her legs because the stupid wind machine is so strong. Also the booties are dumb. Asha: sheath dress in a pinky/beige fabric with lines of black sequins. Then I think she just wrapped black fabric around her waist and over a shoulder? It's really hard to tell what is happening in these outfits because the wind machine is so strong. The model is holding the black fabric and moving her arms around, I guess. Valerie: red gown with a simple neckline. Her skirt is cut better than Layana's because the wind makes it billow instead of plastering her legs. Alexander: a black bodysuit, basically a one piece strapless swimsuit, underneath a “gown” made of blue lace. Then a very long sheer cape, like a 6-foot-long train. The only problem I have with it is the seams in the cape are very obvious and gathered? Like the fabric will drape in swags between the seams? But of course it's never still so maybe not.

Sam: gown in black and white stripes, the kind that make you dizzy if you look at them too long, and a headscarf. The mullet hem is less noticeable when the wind machine is on, and the skirt is very long and so moves well. Ken: chartreuse silk dress, long, with a slim skirt. The bodice looks like he put a piece of the fabric horizontally, so the ends are attached at her back somehow to flow outwards. There is a sparkly belt. The back looks weird, probably because of the attachment for the loose pieces. Daniel Franco: a big smock with short sleeves and a long skirt. It has no shape and the movement comes from how huge it is. Also it's in brown with white smeary stripes. Feh. Emily: purple rope print which is pretty. The top is just a big piece fastened between her boobs, with braided trim, and big sleeves and a long length. Also there are shorts made of the same sheer purple print, which are weirdly long. Stella: long black dress with some studs along the waist and a deep V. Also a cape made of fringe (probably leather fringe).

Fade: shiny orange silk dress with a high crew neck and knee length skirt. Along the top is a piece of black and white swirly print, attached like Ken's was to look like a scarf she wrapped horizontally across her shoulders. The ends of the black and white piece are attached to her wrists. Mitchell: short dress with a miniskirt and a keyhole just above her navel. The print is a terrible blue/pink/purple stripe that looks like 80's bed sheets. The movement comes from some strips of purple chiffon on her skirt. They look woven in? Sewn over the top? It looks ragged. Dom: black jumpsuit with white accents on the waist and neckline, with two long pieces of fabric attached at the biceps that hit the floor. Kini: long dress in yellow, with the bottom two feet or so dyed orange. The bodice is two vertical pieces of yellow lace over her boobs and some fabric at her shoulders like a cape or sort of sleeves.

Alexander, Kini, Fade, Sam, Valerie, and Emily are the top and bottom. Mitchell got through with that shit? Sigh. Kini talks about Hawaii and the sunset. They love the fabric and the dye. Isaac thinks maybe the lace looks cheap, but that seems to be it. Fade talks about cocoons and wings again. What I thought was a crew neck is really a collar? Or the black and white frames it that way? That combined with a pencil skirt is too rigid. The fabrics don't go together. Alyssa likes the fabrics together (she's the only one) but the silhouette is not right. Valerie mentions salsa dancing in her explanation. Her dress didn't need the wind machine to move. Georgina knew it was hers, which she liked. Her skirt caught the air and it was perfect. Alexander was inspired by a balloon. The cape was great but the lace is too costumey. Isaac hates the wristbands that attach the cape to the model, and also the lace dress is not wearable. Emily wanted a caftan without a lot of seams. The shorts are a weird length and sheer and look like gym shorts. The top is sheer also and the model has a strapless bra on, which pisses off Isaac for some reason. Sam lets the judges know about his convertible thing. Georgina is thinking Gatsby and she loves it. They all seem to love that it looks good standing still too.

Sam goes into the Scrap Bin and brags about how Georgina loves his clothes. Not making any friends. They loved Kini's from the back, but not the lace and the black belt. Sam had drama which Isaac was pleased with. They are really up his ass about how great he is. Is he great and I am just not seeing it? I mean it's fine but is it that great? Valerie's dress is totally hers which is a good thing. Alexander is creative but tacky. Isaac hated the “Wonder Woman” cuffs but at least he thinks about it. Fade made his model look old and he weighed down his look. Emily sort of lined her shorts which made them better than the completely sheer top. They also seem to think she didn't do as much work? Like she just cut a hole in some fabric and then tried to fancy it up with braiding.

Kini is in. Alyssa tells Valerie and Sam that one of them is the winner and Vanessa has agreed to wear the winning design. This week the winner is Sam. Poor Valerie looks so upset. Hes' probably going to be annoying about it. Alexander is in. Oh look, two low-key, low-drama people are the bottom two. Fade is out. Emily is in. Boo. I think Fade is a more interesting designer than many of these people. He interviews that he did his best but he wasn't prepared.

Next week: Never mind, it's “this season” again. The same preview again.