Project Runway All Stars Season 4 - Episode 10: Versatile Tops and Bottoms Ok, apart from the embarr

Project Runway All Stars Season 4 - Episode 10: Versatile Tops and Bottoms

Ok, apart from the embarrassing homosexually referenced title of the episode - did they do it on purpose? - this was an interesting challenge, at least because the designers were pretty much free to design whatever they wanted, and it’s good to let them be for once. The contestants had to design two looks: one had to be separates that could possibly be manufactured and sold by QVC, while the second one had to be a fashion forward complement for the separate look.

Give me neoprene and bright colours and I’ll be yours, and thanks Dmitry for this two absolutely FAN TAS TIC looks! I’m more and more convinced he’s going to get to the finale. I loved the idea of mixing neoprene and lace, and I liked the fact he chose two very different colours for the two looks, because making two outfits in the same colour would be the easiest way to make them cohesive. In this case the cohesion was in the cut and in the materials. The lace he chose was so elegant and very modern in its graphic quality, the jacket was absolutely outstanding and new and the contrast between the black lace and the bright yellow of the fashion-forward look was just breathtaking. It’s true that the first look was more fashion-forward than the dress, and it wasn’t something many people would wear; yet, you just can’t help loving it.

I have many reasons for completely hating Helen’s look and being very surprised at the judges loving it. First of all, the separate look: while the top is acceptable, that skirt is absolutely HIDEOUS. It reads really cheap, it looks like something you can buy at Kmart, there’s nothing new in it, the two pieces together have awful proportions and I just thought that was enough to stay in the bottom. The ‘fashion-forward’ look, despite being cute, it’s not 'forward’ at all: she made the EXACT SAME THING on her season. It’s also true that Dmitry used a technique he used in his season finale for the coat from last challenge, but in fact, it was only a technique, not the exact same dress. And anyway, Helen’s black dress was matronly in many ways: the length was odd, the fabric - looked like wool jersey??? - reads old and the hem of the skirt seems uneven. 

Jay didn’t do much better, but at least I liked his first look - differently from the judges, I thought those trousers worked really well and the overall style looked pretty urban and contemporary - and the second look was not a masterpiece, but it had something interesting going on. Anyway I was right when I wrote he was the next one to go home. Now it’s Helen’s turn.

I appreciate Michelle’s work, but I’ve never been able to stand her behaviour when she picks something very very strange and she’s convinced that everyone loves it, that it’s impossible not to love it, that everyone would kill to have it. It happened with that awful fabric. There were times when I looked at it and thought 'I think I like it’, but after a second, third and fourth look, I understood I just hate it. And yet, she kept saying how amazing that fabric was for a whole episode. At least Fabio knows that there could be someone not liking his work when he does something strange; Michelle seems completely unaware of this.

And talking about Fabio, I was really disappointed by the judges’ critique this time again and especially by the fact he was between the bottom two again. His looks had to be in the top 3 in my opinion, or if not, at least as third bottom, but for sure not risking to go home. At the beginning I was even really confused about his fabric, as I thought it looked like it was dirty more than dyed, instead that little dress was amazingly nice, fresh, simple and especially fashion forward, just like his first look. 

Sonjia was my second favourite without any doubts, I was shocked at her just cutting the roll of fabric and getting a dress - a beautiful dress - out of it. And I love her understanding of colour and texture, I think this is really her biggest strength. 

We’re just some episodes away from the finale, who do you think will make it to the end? 

xxx