By CJ Bomb
Happy Thursday everyone! Les was going to try and be here tonight, but we are at the mercy of our children’s schedules, and she is super busy. One thing we are both hoping is that the drama of last week is behind us and everyone behaves themselves. Save the unnecessary drama for the other reality shows please. We just want to see some incredible design. Please.
The founder of Rodial walks out holding envelopes. Fabio is immediately worried. Stanley to gets to choose an envelope and pass out the rest. I don’t understand what the big deal is as he has no idea what the envelopes contain. He opens his own envelope and the word smokey is inside. I have an idea as to where this is going. Amanda gets pink diamond, Ken has dragon’s blood, Helen has 24 karat gold, Merline receives magic gel and Char has bee venom. Joshua gets concealer and Edmond gets contouring so now I’m less confident in what I think is going on. Kimberly gets illuminating and she is happy. Don’t get happy yet girl. Ken gets super acids and Fabio gets snake. The products these terms reflect have been developed to encourage women not to think outside the box, but believe there is “no box”. Alyssa says that this sounds like something a superhero would say. I have two boys. I see a LOT of Marvel movies. I don’t get how this she is tying this together, but that is the theme. Superheroes. They have to create a high fashion look that celebrates their woman’s inner superhero. And the woman has a secret power. Magic Gel? As a superhero? There are many jokes in my head right now but I will not be sharing them because they are a bit off-color. Just a bit.
They get $150 dollars and one day? Seriously? What else does Alyssa have to do? In the workroom they are checking out their products. Fabio and Helen are comparing products so it looks like all is well for the moment. Ken says that you can tell these are luxury products because you “can smell the luxury”. How’s THAT for a superpower. (But seriously, they are nice products).
Maria comes in to help the designers make sense of how to tie the products to a superhero. She tells Amanda the woman who uses the pink diamond mask is a woman who makes an impression. She tells Ken thet her inspiration for the Dragon’s blood project is Game of Thrones and it’s edgy and cool. I wonder if Anything has ever seen Game of Thrones? The snake product Fabio has is gothic and edgy. I think Maria wore a lot of black eyeliner as a younger woman. Not that I would know anything about that myself. Char’s bee product is powerful so it’s about confidence and not being shy. Helen’s 24 karat gold product is lifting and illuminating. Maria leaves happy that she could impart ideas. If I were her I would have just had fun making things up. “The Concealer is about POWER…but not in an obvious way!!…This Magic Gel is about slippery….” I will stop there. Ken is doing a superhero with two layers of skin; tough/soft, so that means a jumpsuit. Anthiny’s superhero can get so hot, she can inflate her sleeves and fly. Edmond’s sketch is worrying me. Remember what happened to Ari Ed….
At Mood Fabio is thinking of a snake shedding it’s skin. Merline has wisely dropped the gel from her “magic” theme and is thin solid color blocking. Amanda’s dress is looking a bit princess-y. She grabs a lot of pink fabric and paint. In the workroom Joshua is worried she has taken on too much considering she still has no idea what her woman’s superpower even is. Fuck, we are bringing up last week. Anthony is sneezing and coughing and Helen makes a comment and Anthony goes off. She wisely says nothing. Let it die Helen. Rise above and make something awesome. Edmond’s got this cool sequin fabric that changes color as the sequins change direction. Helen, continuing her I’m sorry I came off like a bitch last episode crusade, compliments Ken and he receives it graciously. Merline wants to lick his fabric because it’s “juicy”. He asks her to refrain.
Anne starts with Amanda. She tells her to keep what’s in her head in the design because the colors look bright on the page and very subtle on the form. Amanda promises to keep it bright. Anne thinks Anthony’s looks elegant and “bridal, but not fashion forward. He’s rejecting this advice. Anne is getting Star Trek from Merline. Merline doesn’t understand the problem as she loves Star Trek. She’s editing though. She’s happy with Char and tells Helen to be careful not to go “tacky” with her shimmering gold fabric. She tells Stanley to make sure his dress isn’t just a pretty dress made of two fabrics. She is happy with Kimberly but worried it might get gimmicky. Anne is VERY happy with Ken’s and tells him it’s one of her favorites of everything he has done. She loves the outer “skin” of Fabio’s look, but calls the dress underneath “grandma.” He promises to edit. Anne is worried about Edmond combining sequins with leather. Anthony says, “Anne be the friend to him you would want somebody to be to you and tell that boy that cape is bleep and that dress is designed to match.” Damn Anthony is feisty this episode. Joshua is doing lingerie. Anne tells him it’s not a full look and basically shuts him down. Joshua is pissed. She tells the camera she needs to “Trust the McKinley magic”. Dude, have you EVER been in the top? She tells all the designers that they have created a lot of elegant looks and elegant is basically one step away from bland. She tells them to channel their inner superpowers and produce an exciting runway.
Fabio, Ken and Anthony call themselves “sister wives” and a conference is held to discuss Anne’s advice. Anthony does not get grandma from Fabio’s dress. Anthony does also not edit a major fashion publication. Just saying. The models come in and the sister wives are very happy with their looks. Joshua is sticking with lingerie. Amanda has nothing to try on her model. Kimberly is not happy with her fitting. Merline is talking to herself. Helen is complimenting everyone and then telling us she’s not impresseed in her talking head. Everyone is getting slap happy.
The next morning Fabio and Anthony are complementing each other. Unlike the last regular seasons brotherhood of Brandon and Kentaro, this is getting a bit annoying. And I usually like these guys. Amanda has finished and is very happy. Joshua says it is very Amanda and different than everything else in the room. Ken is making his model bald?
I haven’t heard from Les so I’m assuming she is deep in homework mode apres basketball (our lives are so glamorous). Sweet Jesus what is Alyssa wearing? A gold batwing dress for someone twice her height. I do think Alyssa is a beautiful woman. A beautiful misguided woman. REAL supermodel Karolina Kurkova is the guest judge. Nice. I don’t know if even she could make Alyssa’s dress work.
Fabio’s is boring. After all that I was expecting something more exciting. It’s not grandma, and it’s chic and well made. But I’m not getting enough snake. Or superhero. Helen’s cutouts are a little too big for me. Edmond’s woman’s superpower must be traveling back to 1977 and hitting Studio to dance into the wee hours. The cape is not working. I LOVE Char’s. It’s cool and giving me bee without being literal. Kimberly’s dress/pant attachment looks like it needed editing and the fit seemed off a bit. Maybe it was the way it was moving. Merline’s dress looks a Delta flight attendant circa 2030. Georgina is going to crucify her for the construction. Stanley’s dress is giving me Carolina Herrera. While that in and of itself, is awesome, the superhero aspect of this outfit is non-existent. Amanda’s looks like something my mother would have worn to a party in Greenwich CT circa 1974. Joshua is designing for Madonna’s Blond Ambition tour circa 1991. Since I have been throwing dates out, Anthony’s dress looks like something my mom would have worn to a party in 1985. I LOVE it though….. The fit and neckline are awesome. Oh Ken. your jumpsuit is ambitious, but WHYYYYYYY the need for a bald head? My favorites are Char, Anthony and that’s all I’ve got. Anthony for the win. Merline, Edmond and Amanda are my least faves with Merline to go.
Georgina loves Fabio’s. Loves the cut, loves the fabric choices, loves it all. Isaac thinks it can be wither dressy or casual. Karolina loves the overlay and the pockets as well as the fact that the dress is two different looks. Alyssa says that no one does proportion like him. He is going to be insufferable after this.
Georgina hates the proportion and the wonky seams of Merline’s dress. Alyssa is not impressed with the shoulder because she has seen it from Merline before. Karolina says if you are going to do something this clean it needs to be perfect. Isaac thinks her work is getting repetitive.
Alyssa wants Anthony’s dress. Of course she does. It is the absolute wrong shape for her frame. Isaac and Georgina are amazed by the construction and Karolina wants to look underneath the dress. He tells her “let’s not look under the bed”.
Isaac wants to take two inches in on the waistline of Amanda’s dress. When she pulls it in he has the vapors, he’s so relieved. Alyssa comments that there is a LOT of lines going on. Georgina thinks the fabric is heavy and sad.
Georgina hates the “condom” on Ken’s model’s head. But she loves the jumpsuit. Alyssa tells him he has stepped out of his comfort zone which is a good thing because playing it safe in last year’s finale cost him the win. Isaac is distracted by the bald cap to the point where he isn’t getting superhero.
Isaac would not have shown the cape with Edmond’s look because he has seen it too many times. Karolina hates the fabric choices together. Georgina thinks he was going in an interesting direction with the dress but it feels unresolved. The cape is Alyssa’s favorite part. Isaac and she get into a little snit about this and he says it’s on every drag queen and every Kardashian. Aren’t those the same thing?
Fabio is the winner? Anthony was robbed. AMANDA is going home? WTF?? How many chances is Merline going to get for doing the same poorly made bodycon dress over and over? I’m sorry, this episode wasn’t my favorite. What did you guys think? I’m craving a two day challenge.
I loved Fabio’s and thought Anthony’s was okay but not awesome. I’m surprised Amanda went home. It was very Amanda, which isn’t entirely my style and seems a little passé—like her style is getting old and it’s time to evolve it and make it new, but this dress wasn’t a horrible Amanda dress. I would’ve sent Merline home based on this episode’s dress, but Merline has done some cool things this season and I sort of want to see more from her. If she relies on the same shoulder thing again though, I’d be upset.
Fabio, Anthony and Char were my favorite. I’m surprised that Amanda went home even tho her style is on the hippie-dippie side I would have liked to seen more from her rather than Merlin.
It was a so/so episode. After Helen’ s meltdown last week I was expecting more drama between her and everyone else.
This episode was a snooze. Merline should be out, she has done that look too much and isn’t even doing it well.
I loved Fabio’s look. I was worried he would over do the whole SNAKE thing, but he didn’t. Apparently, CJ has heard of this makeup company, I haven’t.
I love this recap more than the show. What else DOES Alyssa have to do? Why can’t they give them two days? If it is a budget issue, I’d rather have half then number of designers and twice the days of sewing. SEWING. Not hot gluing.
Magic gel? /giggles
I was so angry that Merline was safe. She can’t sew and keeps doing the same crap over and over. I was not a fan of this weeks episode. Oh and Alyssa looks awful in most of the clothes she wears. I just don’t get why she is the shows host, has never mad sense to me. Anyway not my favorite episode.
Weinstein saw Alyssa as a guest on Fashion Police and told Georgina she would be great — or at least better than the “wooden puppets” they had for the first two seasons! Of course, a real wooden puppet or even Pinocchio would have been better than they were.
You know what I’m loving about this season of PRA? The diversity of designers!!! This has to be the most POC on this show in one season.
Alyssa’s dress was truly horrendous! What acid trip was someone on to even think there was a single good thing about it? It was costume-y, extremely dated, unattractive and completely unsuited to her body type. Someone stop the madness!
Loved Fabio’s design – and if that’s what a grandma is supposed to look like, then sign me up!
Anthony’s model looked regal walking down the runway, but I didn’t get the impression of her being able to fly from those sleeves. Perhaps more like jumping off a tall building and then using them as balloons or parachutes to float safely to the ground. I’ve done that and it works. Now Alyssa? She could have flown with those wings of hers.
Ken’s choice of bald as a fashion statement was a horrible mistake – it bordered on looking Conehead. Also, why would any designer pick that degree of decolletage for a model with nothing but bony chest bones instead of boobs? I understand the need for a small chest with that kind of dress, or it doesn’t hang well and looks tacky, but no chest at all? I though it was a boring design and, apart from the sleeves, nothing new or special about it.
Really liked Armando’s sequin and leather contribution, but perhaps you had to see it in person to see that the cape didn’t go well with the rest of the outfit. Since I have zero fashion sense, I’ll defer to those who presumably do.
Josh’s “lingerie” choice was a joke. I thought it was bad enough that he should have been in real danger of going home. It seemed like a lazy way out of actually giving the competition some thought. and looked like something my Aunt Pauline would have worn to a swingers’ party in London back in the 60’s.
I actually liked Amanda’s dress, although it wasn’t fitted to the model’s body very well. Didn’t think she deserved to go home at all.
Merline’s design was horribly constructed. She doesn’t listen to any of the judges when they warn everyone not to repeat themselves – she’s stubborn and it’s really hurting her. I thought she should have gone home, no questions asked. Why are they hanging in there with Merline? I love her as a person, but her expiration date has passed.
Can’t remember much about the others – need to take notes. BTW, I’m enjoying this show a lot, but miss my Tim.
Speaking of missing Tim. I feel like these designers don’t respect Anne’s opinion any more than I do. When Tim comes in to mentor people listen to what he says to every person in the room. With Anne it feels to me like they just want her to finish so they can do whatever they want to do anyway.
100% agree. Do we know why Tim isn’t this season’s mentor TT?
Tim never does All Stars. I think it must be either because they can’t afford him, or because two seasons a year is too much for Tim.
I just don’t understand why Merlin keeps getting a pass? If one of the other designers sent that down the runway, so badly sewn, they would have been sent home. It’s not like she can’t sew well and sends something cool and different down the runway every week….same dress, same misplaced seams.
I think Char was robbed this episode. Her design moved beautifully, was executed to perfection and totally high fashion. It is resort worthy in the Cannes manner rather than in a Florida manner. Merline should have been sent home. Maybe, after 3 tries, Amanda’s looks are getting older to the judges than Merline’s.
I am a seamstress and I can NOT take Mereline . Those seams, those finishes…..she sews like my 8 year old niece: great imagination but still learning to sew.
Everything she makes looks homemade, and not in a good way, like homemade carrot cake or pound cake.
My great-aunt, who was a fantastic seamstress and tailor, taught me to sew. I have many fun memories of the beautiful dresses and suits I “helped” her construct in her work room.
She always taught me that seams are the first things to look at in any piece of clothing.
Mereline is a designer who will need to hire seamstresses to construct her designs. There’s no way anyone would buy something she makes herself.
These judges suck! Fabio’s was fine, but Char’s stripey ensemble was my fave. Of the two designers in the bottom, Merline and her bowler hat should’ve been shown the door. However, WHY wasn’t Joshua in the bottom, with that bizarre lingerie thing that looked like a cheap Madonna knockoff? I would’ve expected to see that on RuPaul’s Drag Race; not Project Runway. Joshua has always had issues with his “taste level,” and I question why he was brought back.
Alyssa’s stylist needs to be fired. Hot mess.
.” Joshua has always had issues with his “taste level,” and I question why he was brought back”.
I’ve been wondering why no one has mentioned this yet. I don’t remember him doing particularly well in the regular season.
Agree about Joshua. He keeps doing these overtly trashy, 1980s looks, but he’s not updating them in any way to make it look new. I never like anything he makes ever. Not on his orginsl season(s), and not on this Allstars season. It always looks tacky and dated.
And I don’t know what going on with Alyssa. I enjoy her as a person, and she seems like she is good at hosting. As in, she seems genuine and she doesn’t sound like she’s constantly reading a script. Her voice is expressive. I hated hated hated the previous Allstars hosts who seemed u able to speak like normal people. It was always either some weird monotone with no proper inflection, or it was some obviously over-acted “I am reading from a script and trying really hard to make you believe that I care/have feelings about what I am saying.” There was one host, who did the weirdest things with her eyebrows all the time. So at least Alyssa’s personality and line delivery are not constantly taking me out of the moment and making me pause the tv so my husband and I can look at each other, laugh, roll our eyes, and mock her. But her clothing! Why!? She keeps choosing these dresses or outfits that have a lot of whacky or extra “fashion” elements, probably to show that she is such a cool fashion risk taker, but nothing looks like it fits her. And the things she wears, with all the extra fabric, are drowning her. She seems like a short woman, and she is not super thin, so when she wears these whacky clothes, it just makes her look shorter and wider. I also do not care for her short hair.
I am sooo confused by this episode! I didn’t see anything that looked modern/super hero except the cape but that’s not modern.
Why didn’t Marline go home? Her colors, repeat design, poor sewing, bad footballer shoulders that for some reason remind me of the “flying nun.”
I too loved Char’s design! She wasn’t in the top? Why? Again, confused…
Eeek! Who in the world is dressing Alyssa? Just sad. Her last dress? Yikes! It looked like she had a uniboob too as is she was wearing a sports bra? I do like her hair though.
Thank you CJ! I’m still confused but you made more sense of this episode than I could, still scratchin my head.
Loved Chars. Could actually see bee even though it wasn’t over the top. In my opinion Merline should have gone home. She keeps doing the same things every week (others do too) but her sewing is just not at the level to be on all stars. My fiancé said it’s not a sewing competition but come on. If you keep having horrible seems either you need to leave or stop doing looks with them all over
Another fan of Char’s look here. I loved it and was sure it would be the number 1 choice and was shocked it wasn’t in the top 3. She was robbed.
I didn’t like char’s as much as everyone else seems to. But I am happy to see her doing better this season than she did in her own season. She really did poorly on her original season and seemed to have a hard time seeing and with her taste—I always thought it was stupid of Tim to use his save on her. This season she seems to be much better able to sew and her looks are better. But I just didn’t like this particular look as well as everyone else seems to have.
I liked ken’s look. He’s another one I’m happily surprised with. He was always such a DIVA and an asshole on his original season(s?). But now he seems much less crazy and defensive and easily upset, and it’s much easier for me to root for him. His clothes look great and his personality isn’t making me wildly uncomfortable like it did before.
Sewing, not seeing.
I loved Ken even when he was crazy as a bessy bug. I love him even more now.
Another lacklustre runway. Anthony was robbed. That dress was a moment. Compared to the rest. Fabio, yes. Elegant, graceful, wearable. Not exciting. The rest meh. Merline should have went home. We have not just seen that dress this season, but all through her original season too. Like in 2009 everyone thought FASHUN was big sculptured shoulders and she’s kinda stuck there. Throw in a peplum why don’t ya so we can have a FULL late 2000s moment.
Alyssa Alyssa Alyssa. Will you just apologise to that gay guy you offended back in season one so we can avoid any more of these mishaps?? That dress was last seen on Joan Collins on a luxury over 60s cruise. There are still stains on it from the oyster bar.
I also found it comical how they tried to make the challenge correlate with superheroes. Can they not just stop thinking were stupid and call it The Rodial Challenge? I mean we know it’s contractually obligated. We don’t need some disjointed convoluted story to keep our interest.
Wait! Merline has been making that same dress for two seasons and it still looks like I made it in Home Ec class in grade five?
Yup. Buts she’s SOOOOO creative. She wears a bowler hat, don’t you know???
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Joan Collins cruise dress still with stains from the oyster bar … Mark, thank you for a great laugh this morning!
Oh, Mark… I SO wish YOU were the sole commentator on the so-called Social Edition. At least we could laugh. These ungodly timelines and silly challenges are no conducive to great fashion.
On Fabio’s win: Paper bag waists look good on NO ONE. Why Georgina was impressed by it is beyond me; then again, she had a child with Harvey W. So she should NEVER utter the words “taste level” again. Amanda’s look was a bit hippie-dippie but at least she TRIED something… Merline… yes, this is not Project Seamstress, but she can’t keep churning out the SAME crappily sewn looks every week. The one she won for the first week had that left sleeve flapping — not even 30 seconds to tack it to the bodice. I liked Char’s look a lot, but she and Merline should go home next week for the flagrant foul of calling their next muse Betty BOO! Merline first said Boop, then changed it to Boo. NOT ACCEPTABLE. Boo boo be boo! Boo hiss!
Not my favorite episode either C.J. but finally have caught up and loving the recaps and comments!