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Project Runway All Stars Season 4 - Episode 9: Sketching with Sharks

Never an episode name was so literal: the designers sketched with sharks for real. Well, actually it was just one designer. But let’s start from the very beginning.

Contestants were brought to Long Island Aquarium to find inspiration for their next challenge: AVANT-GARDE, BITCH! :D They were also given the chance to nearly double their budget to spend at Mood if one of them accepted to dive into the shark tank and design UNDERWATER. Helen immediately accepted - I wouldn’t be afraid of sharks either with those nails - and I didn’t realise she was really going to design underwater until I saw her with a sort of pen and a whiteboard - but was she designing for real? While sketching I was looking at the board but couldn’t see any sign whatsoever.

At the end of the episode the judges congratulated all the designers for the good job they did, but I was actually not impressed, I expected much more from a group of people who started the season very well and are now doing just ordinary things.

However, I agreed with the judges on Dmitry’s win (finally!). It’s true that his dress was not very avant-garde, and it’s also true we’ve already seen this technique from him (even if not this season, but on the runway finale of the season he won) but after all, who cares! It was just BEAUTIFUL, all the pieces went together like a puzzle, I loved the black sheer panel on the waist adding a little sexiness, I absolutely loved the colour (white was perfect for this coat) and I was crazy - at least as crazy as Isaac - about the length. I quote him for saying a very true thing “This length is something that is not happening in fashion right now, AND I WANT IT TO HAPPEN!”.

Jay, Jay, Jay. I was happy to hear the judges didn’t like his design either - I was pretty sure they would have loved the black and white, the movement of the dress and bla bla bla. It was boring. The dress was just a normal - uglyish - dress in front, and behind it was an art and craft project with all those bits and pieces and stripes. I didn’t mind the jacket, it was probably the most interesting piece of the whole look. 

It was just because I found Jay’s look extremely boring that I didn’t choose Justin’s as the loser. His look was a sort of Lady Gaga meets Gwen Stefani during the What you waiting for? era. Which is not a bad thing, but in general there were too many ideas going on, and the fabrics he chose were hideous - this is the proof he’s unable to choose fabric. Yes, it was his time to go home.

I wouldn’t have put Fabio in the bottom two - Alyssa also said he was really close to going home - and I was really shocked the judges did, because I was pretty sure they would have - they should have - appreciated at least the concept. Fabio really had the best concept of all the designers, doing a ‘reverse’ suit. The execution was poor, this is true, and the fabric he chose was really bad, I would have probably put him as third bottom, but he didn’t deserve so many negative comments.

I loved Helen’s look because it looked like a little simple dress gone avant-garde with all the ruffles. For all the others, it was just a nice job, nothing more.

There are only six designers left. Next designer to leave? I think it’s Jay.

xxx

Project Runway All Stars Season 4 - Episode 8: Making a Splash

I want to start my review by saying that I’m really enjoying all the challenges the designers have to face during this season of All Stars, because it seems to me the producers want them to really explore every single aspect and style in fashion. For episode 8 the contestants had a sort of double challenge: design a resort look paired with - of course - a swimsuit. It’s been ages since the last time I saw Project Runway designers making swimwear. 

Sonjia was again my favourite. It’s not the first time she uses lace (is it her favourite fabric or what?) but I’m always amazed at how interesting and new the fabrics she chooses are. This time she picked an electric blue lace with maxi flowers (very resort) and paired it with a shiny blue jeans. Of course I was crazy about the juxtaposition of different materials but I also loved loved loved the silhouette, very simple and yet strong, with a sort of kimono-like jacket with a maxi zipper and a pair of perfectly fitted trousers. She also thought about the whole concept as she used a fabric which allows you to see underneath it and kinda reveals the hip swimsuit she paired with the outfit. I thought the fact the model didn’t have any boobs at all made the swimsuit lose some of its appeal, but overall it was young, very graphic and different from the usual bikini. Extremely good job.

Yes, it was time for Samantha to go home. I liked her jumpsuit (guess I would have made a jumpsuit as well if someone asked me to design a resortwear look) and I liked the colour of the fabric she chose, even if I would have preferred something brighter or something more towards a pink or orange palette. The swimsuit paired with it was DISASTROUS. I recognise the fact she wanted to make something of a 90s style, which is really cool at the moment - and I can clearly see it as totally Samantha style - but it wasn’t well-executed. It looked really cheap and the proportions were odd. Samantha was a sort of disappointment, I have to say, because I expected a lot from her as I thought her elimination during her season as being unfair and wanted to see more from her, but her overall performance during All Star was really mediocre.

I liked Justin’s winning looks, although flowy gowns are, in my opinion, too predictable for a resortwear look. I also liked Helen’s (guess lace was right for this challenge then) and Dmitry nailed it AGAIN - and again, he didn’t win.

I didn’t like Fabio’s though, the problem wasn’t that it was too simple but that it was a little bit old and made me think of a cheap Primark look; he’s going like a roller-coaster, one day he’s on top and one day he’s among the worst designers, but I guess that’s what you call ‘taking risks’. Michelle’s dress was HORRIBLE but she made the most beautiful swimsuit among all, I loved the colour, the optical quality she added by using the elastic band, I loved the cut, the deep cleavage, the strap aroung the neck. It was really perfect.

For now, I’ve made up my mind about who’s going to the finale, and I’m pretty sure that the three names will be Dmitry, Sonjia and Fabio, but let’s keep an eye on Justin because judges love him (I just think his looks are boring most of the times) and Michelle, who always manages to save herself by doing something very right at the very right moment.

For now, let’s just wait for the next episode - avant-garde challenge! - and let’s keep in mind that in Project Runway EVERYTHING CAN HAPPEN :D

xxx

P.S: Hope to be as busy as I would like to be with the blog these days, as menswear collections for Fall 2015 started - and finished yesterday - in London some days ago, Milan and Paris menswear fashion weeks are coming, as well as Pitti Uomo and - how could I forget! - there’s the Golden Globe Red Carpet from January 11th to comment! Just stay tuned!

Project Runway All Stars Season 4 - Episode 7: Mix and Match.com

Yes, I’m relaxing during the holidays and that’s why I disappeared for some - a lot of - days but now that I’ve lounged about for weeks I’m ready to take over my life as a fashion blogger again. And we still have to catch up on the last episode of Project Runway All Stars.

This time the producers of the show started a collaboration with the meeting website Match.com to spice up our life a little bit. It seems love is a big part of this season as the designers already had to get inspired by their past relationships for one of the other challenges. Anyway, this time designers were grouped into couples - but they didn’t really have to work together - to design…for couples! Well, it would be better to say for prospective couples, as their clients, apart from being normal people and not models, were Match.com users going on their first date - aaaaw, how lovely! This also meant some of them were MEN. Michelle freaked out, I thought she was going to pass out as she decided with Samantha - her partner for this challenge - that she was going to design for man - well, it seemed to me it was actually Samantha who decided for both of them. Thank god she did good, but let’s now talk about the BEST and the WORST of the challenge.

Fabio was my favourite - and he won indeed. He was designing together with Jay for a gay couple - and both of the guys were hot in my opinion :D - and the two designers had a great idea, the best in my opinion: when talking with their clients to know what they like and what they would want to wear, they decided to dress each one of them according to the other person’s taste. No one else did it, and it was a really smart thinking as they were not dressing people just to go to a cocktail party, but they were dressing people to go ON A DATE. Another thing I loved about Fabio’s look was that he went for not very bright colours, which is usually the common thing to do for menswear, but at the same time there was a sort of cheerfulness to the shades he chose; it was not dull and boring. I was absolutely crazy for the fact he turned a shirt into a kind of short-sleeved jacket, it was very well-done and the idea of a designer actually inventing new clothes during the show is the best thing that can happen. Those trousers, then, were perfect. And the guy was really sexy. 

I don’t know if Justin is too lucky or the judges are too biased by the fact - I’m sorry to write such a thing - he’s deaf. He definitely deserved to go. What he made was basically NOTHING, just like the week before, when he had silk and gallery opening from the fashion gamble and he designed a basic dress. The only thing was right about his Match.com look was that both the shirt and the trousers were really well-done, but the show is not called PROJECT SEAMSTRESS. You have to design. And this was nothing. Not even the details were interesting, it was just a shirt - moreover, in grey - with a pair of trousers. 

I was really mad at the judges choosing not to send anyone home, because it was clear there was more than one person deserving to go home during this challenge. Helen wasn’t better than Justin, she sent her client down the runway wearing those really short shorts, making her look like a slut, but a Victorian slut, as the top had a kind of old-fashioned feeling with all those ruffles. And the fabric she chose for the shirt was amazingly awful, all shiny and wrinkly, it really looked cheap. I still think Justin was worse as he didn’t do anything though. And Samantha was definitely joining them in the worst look parade, but at least she had something interesting going on which could be better with a little bit of effort. 

They started well, but they are now becoming boring, and this episode was the chance for the judges to cut off on the number of designers, but they decided to save them. Justin and Helen are really, really lucky: Justin had Tim Gunn’s save during his season and Helen was saved by the judges in her season when she made an awful-fitting evening gown during the second or third challenge and she cried for the entire episode; I guess they saved her for pity.

Next episode will air on January 8th, so we’re going to have plenty of time to enjoy the rest of the holidays and welcoming the new year in a very fashionable way :)

xxx

Project Runway All Stars Season 4 - Episode 6: Luck Be a Lady

Just in time before the new episode airs - phewww - I can post my review about the last one. I finally took the exam which was driving me crazy so now I have much more time for you guys while I prepare my Fashion History exam :D

The concept of the last episode was probably the most hilarious I’ve seen in a long time: Fashion Gamble! The designers had to roll the dice which were going to decide what fabric and for what occasion each designer had to work. The matchings were as follows:

- Dmitry: Velvet and Gallery Opening —> Velvet is basically always a bad choice
- Fabio: Denim and Masquerade Ball —> the first thing I thought about was Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears at 2001 AMAs
- Gunnar: Brocade and Masquerade Ball —> I thought a masquerade ball could be the only thing which could save Gunnar from doing really really badly. I was wrong.
- Helen: Brocade and Awards Ceremony —> good combo after all
- Jay: Denim and Sunday Brunch —> Boring.
- Justin: Silk and Gallery Opening —> The best matching of all, he completely missed this opportunity. I was already imagining a beautiful flowy powdery pink shirt, I got an ugly and common little dress.
- Michelle: Lace and Gallery Opening —> not bad
- Samantha: Brocade and Awards Ceremony —> same as Helen
- Sonjia: Brocade and Bachelorette Party —> maybe brocade was not the best choice for a party, but it could work out

You’re probably going to get shocked at this, but my favourite was Fabio, who was instead between the bottom two for the judges. I would like to start by saying that I wasn’t impressed by anyone this time, and it was a pity as I thought they were doing pretty well during the whole season. This time I was bored by more than one of them. There are different reasons why I chose Fabio as my favourite this week: first of all, apart from colour and material, I thought the dress was really nice, elegant and simple but at the same time very powerful and head-turning. I like the way it was constructed and draped in the front. Then, despite what the judges said - which was pretty predictable - I thought the colour was fine for the challenge. Let’s not forget he was designing for a MASQUERADE BALL, I don’t know, do you think someone would wear a grey cocktail dress to a fancy dress ball? I thought the colour really gave that extra feel to a dress which would just be a very nice dress in another colour; shocking pink made it a fancy dress - and anyway I hate the fact the judges always have such prejudices against bright colours, boring people. What’s more, the dress didn’t look costumy at all to my eyes, despite the heavy styling, which I liked as well - I thought the idea to use the necklace as a headpiece was really a stroke of genius. It’s true that he chose the least denim fabric he could find, but at the same time I cannot help thinking it was a smart choice: as I wrote above, a denim which looked like a denim would have immediately conveyed Britney and Justin in 2001. And we don’t want to see that anymore.

Jay was the worst instead, and I don’t understand how the judges could just save him. First of all, Helen was totally right when she told him it looked more like something a girl - a hooker, I would say - would wear to go to a club - even if I agree with Jay when he says that she’d better mind her own business. I HATE the shiny denim he chose - how could you on earth think that a SHINY fabric is suitable for a BRUNCH? - and the overall impression is that of a girl who is more interested to find her one night stand more than attending a brunch. Moreover, the dress - or is it separates? - is something that I’ve already seen, nothing new, nothing fresh.

Sonjia’s dress, the winning look, was a nice dress, but nothing more than something you can usually find in H&M. I praise her for making an entire dress out of golden fabric without making her model look like a whore though, it was sexy but not vulgar. What I was shocked about was imagining Alyssa Milano’s fat thighs coming out of that tiny tiny tiny dress. Let’s not find excuses saying that she’s pregnant, so it’s normal she’s fatter and bla bla bla. No. No way those thighs are going to get to an acceptable shape. Thank god there’s photoshop.

Gunnar was eliminated, so I was right the last time when I said he was the next one. It was definitely the worst after Jay’s, messy and schizophrenic, as the top didn’t really connect to the bottom. Once again I had the impression Gunnar doesn’t have any clue about what he’s doing.

I liked Helen’s dress, it was simple and traditional but fresh at the same time, and I didn’t mind the very deep slit, but it seems she can only do good when she creates something in red. I ADORED Michelle’s look, it was a pity for the shape of the skirt, which was not very flattering in my opinion; if it wasn’t for that, she would have been my favourite absolutely. I was stunned by how she manipulated the fabric and the colour choice was divine. Very chic.

Next episode airs tonight, and I hope to be able to post my review immediately while I’m preparing to go back to my lovely homeland Sardinia to spend Christmas holidays with my lovely friends and family :D

xxx