Friday, April 8, 2016

Project Runway All Stars 4/7/16--"A Touch of Style" summary

Previously on “Project Runway All Stars”: everyone had to make outfits based on fairy tale characters. “Finding Neverland” was brought up again because the producers of this show are involved in that show and it's all dumb but whatever. Everyone continues to hate Sam, and Sam also continues to be overly cocky when he's only being kept around for drama. Asha won the challenge, by making a top with a long peplum that was like Rapunzel's braid somehow? Sam was finally in the bottom but Alexander made a really boring old gown for Cinderella and was sent home. (click for more)


Field trip to Coney Island. Sure. The designers end up at the minor league ballpark that is out there. Alyssa is on the field with the models behind her for some reason. She tells them she was at a ballgame a few years ago and went to the gift shop to find something cute to wear but there was nothing. So then she founded Touch, which she says is “the only female sports licensing brand to hold the licenses for all the major sports leagues”. Hilariously the models are all wearing plain T-shirts with no logos on them and they look like they all shopped at Old Navy. Somehow they are on trend with fashion. It's sportswear. Oh sorry, “athleisurewear”. Asha describes “athleisurewear” as “leather jogging pants with heels”. These designs are supposed to go from the game to a nice dinner. That is impossible. Your team logo T-shirt is not going to a nice dinner, and that is how it is. But you know what, fine, because this is not the dumbest thing that has happened on this show. Winner gets their look sold by Touch.

Everyone goes to the “store” with examples for them and stuff. Asha wants to make a skirt that looks like a baseball jersey. Sam is going for “cheerleader” because of course. Supposedly this is his aesthetic already. Layana sketches some pants with a busy print. Ken buys white and black lace. Lots of neoprene shopping. Dom is planning a snap-on skirt. Like a short dress with a longer skirt you can snap on to go to dinner. Sam buys more mesh, the exact mesh he used last week maybe. That he got slammed for.

10 hours to work. Ken shows Emily a pair of headphones he found on the accessory wall somehow. Why are there headphones on the accessory wall? Layana is cutting like 40 panels for her pants and it's shrinking as she sews so she maybe is not going to have enough fabric. Dom notices that pretty much everyone is using blue and red. Interesting. I guess blue is sporty. Sam says if he doesn't end up on the top this challenge, at least, he might as well go home. But you know he won't. Kini bought the same mesh as Sam for no reason I can see. Ken is trying to manage his time.

Zanna Time. Sam made a circle skirt in mesh in front and then the whole back of the dress is black lace. It's like a frankendress. Zanna loves Asha's baseball jersey dress. Kini has a cool jacket with a nice drape. Dom's dress is a turtleneck with a bunch of different fabrics. It is very interesting. Layana's pants are too sporty? Too much like something you'd wear to the gym. Emily has made “lady who lunches”. Ken should not make the bell sleeve he had planned.

Model fitting. Sam makes his skirt shorter until it's a short skater dress and he thinks its a tennis dress. No. It looks more like an ice skating costume. Kini made jeans somehow. Ken has nothing to try on because he's spent all his time doing piping. Layana doesn't have time to do the seaming on the back of the pants. So the back will just be plain? What? Ken is annoyed because his garment isn't working. Someone asks if he changed his mind and he gives them a death glare and says “We'll discuss it later.” He has to resew the shoulders. And...then he grabs his bag and says “I'm going to take my ass home” and walks out of the workroom. He's outside hailing a cab. You know what, the previews implied he got in a fight with someone and that didn't happen. I have to give him credit for leaving instead of screaming at the interns. Sam rolls his eyes and says Ken's a diva, because clearly it takes one to know one. Layana is also concerned...because Ken promised to give her some of his fabric and she doesn't want to take it if he's not there. Sigh.

Runway Day. Ken is not there. Dom says they haven't seen him since last night, which makes no sense. Aren't they all staying together? Shouldn't he be rooming with the boys? Or did they give him his own room after last season's fiasco? Everyone gets to work and then Ken swans in. He acts like nothing happened and everything is normal. He also explains in confessional that he was really frustrated and didn't want to take that out on anyone, so he left. OK so he's trying to avoid a repeat of his last season, where he was painted as an unstable asshole. But it has to be weird for everyone, for him to act like he didn't storm out. I guess you don't penalize him because he penalized himself by missing work time? But then if he didn't quit then where did he sleep? Or are they all in separate rooms and they let him take different transportation in the morning to add to the drama? Get it together, Lifetime, and don't leave plot holes you could drive a bus through. Layana is just now deciding her top is too casual and she's making a new one. Hot makeup guy Scott. Lots of shittalking.

Guest judge is Kristin Cavalleri. Emily: black leggings and a white top. The top has a scarf or a reverse cowl, where it's a strip of fabric wrapped around her throat, and then the rest of it is split down the middle just under her boobs. So picture a very long tank top with a gap right in the middle of her stomach. The leggings have slashes randomly, and the back of the top is draped. So if you took each side, then swept it up and attached it to the opposite shoulder. It's not particularly “sporty”, in my opinion, but it's interesting. Although maybe she has a diaper butt from the fabric. Kini: cropped jeans with cuffs, and a red long sleeved top. Then over this is a long duster jacket, half in white mesh and half in a dark fabric, with striped bands at the neck and wrists. You know the striped elastic you see in satin baseball jackets. The top is just a crew neck. I'm not sold on the “left side white mesh, right side black” jacket. Sam: short skater dress with a circle skirt and a cap sleeved top, in white mesh over black lace. The cap sleeves and waist are lace, and the hem. The proportions are way off, and the skirt is too short so the torso looks too long. Also how is this sporty? Ken: red dress with a sleeveless jacket over it, in black and white. The jacket has a hood and pockets, and it looks like a fun thing you'd wear to work out in or something. The fabric looks like lace, or at least an eyelet. I can't see the red dress at all but it's a couple of inches longer than the jacket.

Layana: dark blue pants that are pretty tight, and a black and white crop top. The top looks like a white sports bra over a black cropped T-shirt but I can't tell if it's two pieces or not. The back is white straps. The pants look good as far as I can tell, but I have a crap TV. Dom: long black dress with shoulders in a black, white, and red striped print. It's like a white background, red dots, and black stripes. There's a turtleneck, and then when she turns around it's all sheer polka dots in the back, with the white and black stripe from the waist down. I do kind of wish she'd taken off the bottom convertible skirt on the runway. Asha: dark blue crop top and skirt. The top is just like a big sports bra, with a lighter stripe at the bottom and some red seaming. The skirt has a row of white buttons down the front and is shorter on the sides like a baseball jersey is. It does look like she is wearing a jersey pulled down to her waist, which is sporty and does fit the challenge, I guess.

Emily is safe. Again? Fine. Ken says the few times he's gone to a sports game it was hot so he wanted something sleeveless. That's a good idea. Alyssa likes the no sleeves but not the pockets. Georgina hates the proportions and Isaac doesn't think it's elevated or expensive. Dom says something about spring training and then actually takes the bottom of the skirt off. I think it's kind of shapeless but it's cute. The judges discuss which length is better but I think she's fine. Kini focused on the jacket. It's great and you could wear it wherever, and someone says it's got space for team logos, so you could make it with whatever team you wanted. The back is pleated which the judges like a lot. Georgina doesn't like the crotch on the jeans. Isaac says he's versatile. Layana wanted something comfortable and she explains the leggings. Everyone loves the leggings but the top is not great. They don't go together. Asha made something young, maybe too young. Strangely Georgina and Isaac both understand why she put the buttons down the front of the skirt, they just don't like them. So they get what she was going for, which seems to be a good thing. Alyssa wants a T-shirt and not a bra. Sam mentions high fashion for some reason. The dress is cute but it's a cocktail dress and not appropriate for a sporting event. Isaac loves flats, because of course he does. And Georgina would wear it to a game but they do admit she's not typical.

In the Scrap Bin Emily asks everyone how they did and people roll their eyes and make faces based on who is talking. You know, I don't need to waste two minutes on this shit. I could have guessed Ken and Kini would hate on Sam and Sam would hate on Kini. I HAVE been watching the show. Dom is very clever and mixes prints like no one else. It is “fashion” but there is disagreement on if this is bad. The judges all like the idea of Asha's skirt but it's maybe too literal. Kini's coat was amazing, and there was plenty of room for branding. Ken's was a costume, says Georgina. No, I've seen worse costumes. Isaac doesn't think he elevated anything. Layana had too many ideas, and they wanted a plain white shirt. She's been in the bottom a lot. Sam was of course Isaac's favorite. However Alyssa is insulted because he didn't even try to fit the challenge. Georgina thinks he needs to pull it together.

Asha is in. Kini is the winner! Nice. It was a good jacket, I just don't know I'd wear it. Dom is also in. Sam is in, because of course. Layana was too high fashion, and Ken didn't deliver. Layana is out, so Ken is in. Layana is sad because she didn't want to go, but she also sees this show as “validation” which it really isn't.

Next week: I'm not sure what the challenge is but Ken curses a lot.

3 comments:

Duabe said...

Great recap Toyouke - hard to keep doing it so well after all these years. My favorite phrase is, "But of course."

Do you think they'd ever do a reunion show when this show finally ends? They'd need a ballfield to corrale all the designers from all the seasons and versions of the show.

Toyouke said...

You know, there are a lot of designers but I wonder how many would not show up? I bet there would be some but I'm sure there are a fair amount that hate the whole thing and never agree. That would be something, though. I think they should do it.

kitty said...

That's a great idea to have a total cast reunion. I bet most of them would show up – it's an opportunity for national publicity. It is surprising how much of the hate/frustration gets worked out between designers at the end of the day, or the end of the series. I remember when michelle said it took her 12 challenges before she understood and then loved Patricia Michaels. Sleep deprivation is a catalyst for rolling eyes and bad behavior. The other excuse are excessive egos. I think this is the problem between Sam and Kini and what's his name? All of their egos are equal to each other – they're basically cut out of the same cloth (so to speak). In any given show I like or dislike what they have designed. Sam is defensive for good reason. Kini does attack him and Ken stirs the pot.