PR All-St★rs 2, Finale: It's A Thin Line Between Mystical Winter And Urban Plantation

Is it me, or has this season seemed really, really long? I mean, when they brought back all the Kicked Off Designtestants I was like, Who are these people? It felt like it had been eons since Kayne got the boot and yet there he was begging for another shot at TV immortality.

But I digress....this is the finale, and the Final Three! Final Three!--Uli, Anthony Ryan and Emilio--have just four days, and $3,000, to create 6-8 looks for a mini-collection. I waited and waited for a twist and there wasn't one.

Simple. Straightforward. Show us what you got.

So, let's rip.....

ULI: Mystical Winter

First things first, I’m glad she changed the name from Winter Wonderland to Mystical Winter, because the first name made me envision a bunch of red outfits with white fur trim.

That said, Uli completely stepped away from the Uli Flowy and embraced her inner embellisher. Since she'd done so much white all season, and feathers and glitter and lace and trimmings, she wouldn't change a thing.

Uli did saddle herself with Casanova as her assistant and, the way the show was edited, Casanova spent most of his time sleeping because, well, sewing is like sex, he has to be inspired and excited to do it. And it has to be with a man.

M'kay.

But, I thought her collection was the most cohesive and the most exciting, mainly because there was so much going on, And I was glad it wasn't all white, that she through in some black and beige, too. An all-white collection might have looked a little too Uli Gets Married.

Isaac thought her collection was great, and dubbed it emotional. But, he also said he'd seen it before, though if he's seen it from Uli, is that such a bad thing? Georgina loved it, thought it was astonishing with a concise POV. She didn't like the faux fur because, she said, it cheapened the looks. Carolyn Murphy loved the last look, with the feathered neckline, but wasn't fond of the jeweled butt; I liked the jeweled butt because, without it, the back is a boring beige sheet, really. Margherita Missoni thought it looked a little like a fairy tale, and that Uli's styling was the best for a show. Liv Tyler dubbed it cinematic and thought the gown looked Oscar-worthy. 

In the end, it was Third Place.

EMILIO: Urban Plantation

When Not-Heidi brings in the axed designers to play seamstress for the Final Three! Final Three! Emilio picks Althea and I'm like Althea! But, as he says in voice-over, she made it to the finale of her season. Um, true, but her season was the d-i-sastrous LA season that nearly ruined the PR.

Still, she knows her way around a needle and thread and she isn't a diva, so....good choice.

Emilio says his collection is based on working women--he tells us again and again that his mother worked in a factory for thirty years--but he somehow loses me when he then adds that he was inspired by Aunt Jemima and Rosie the Riveter. Jemima and Rosie are characters. Characters wear costumes. I’m worried. Especially when he plops a do-rag on every model and then gives them a lunchbox to carry. It all seemed very costume-y to me. But, he went for those all-American fabrics, plaids, cottons and denim and a wack-a-doo print.

Still, I liked his collection. It had a retro vibe, though it bordered on The Pointer Sisters a bit, and that first look, the little strapless dress, didn't seem to fit in. It seemed, as most of Emilio's stuff does to me, a little like costumes for a Broadway show--which is what he's done in the past [Tony nominee, you know.]

Georgina is happy that Emilio finally found a point-of-view, though she doesn't like the Junior-ness of some of his pieces. The bodice over the shirts, she loves, and the red jumpsuit is divine!

Isaac thought the collection was political, with a specific voice, and that Emilio seemed really focused. Carolyn Murphy thought the collection beautifully constructed with a mix of commercial and editorial pieces.

Guest judge Liv Tyler loved the color and the silhouette, and envisioned the outfits on young pop stars--like, um, oh, I dunno, The Pointer Sisters back in the day?

Other guest judge, actress and designer, Margherita Missoni, thought his collection was designed for a very specific woman, but that there wasn't much new, or experimental about it. It wasn't exciting.

And it wasn't enough to win...... 

ANTHONY RYAN: The Thin Line

One of the most shocking moments was when the designers were picking their former foes to be their assistants and Anthony Ryan picked Joshua, who muttered something about being tired and not really wanting to help.

I think he might have had an upset stomach from the Sour Grapes.

But, Anthony Ryan, nice, sweet guy that he is, said he understood, and went with Kayne instead. A better choice, actually, because Joshua might have tried to Neon Up the collection, whereas Kayne has got a great attitude, and really wants to help.

Anthony Ryan’s collection was pure Anthony Ryan. Subtle prints, bold colors, color-blocking, and cut-out backs. The first dress I thought was a knock-off of his couture dress from last week, and the last dress was so flowy and ruffle-y that it didn't seem to fit.

Georgina called the collection spectacular, and the first look extraordinary. M'kay. Isaac also said the first look blew his mind, and then acted like the placement of the pockets on the dress was the Greatest Thing Ever: "The placement of those pockets is shockingly sophisticated. Is that a mistake? I can't believe you came up with that. I'm jealous of you." M'kay. Isaac did come down to earth long enough to mention that the hemlines seemed all over the place; they weren't too consistent, and they weren't too inconsistent. I didn't get it until I saw all the looks side-by-side. The hemlines are too close in length, so they look like a mistake.

Liv Tyler loved the sexiness and the coverage of the first look, and actually asks if she can have it; that says volumes, i guess. Carolyn Murphy called the collection a work of art, and that rings true, I guess. Margherita Missoni called it unique but appealing. M'kay.

Anthony Ryan is crowned the winner.

MY TAKE

I think I called this at the beginning of the season, which makes me think that either I'm psychic, or it was not a very exciting season.

I’m glad Anthony Ryan  won. I like his talent, and I like that he's a nice guy. I did, however, like Uli's collection better. It seemed more fashion, to me, and not costume like Emilio and not bordering on kinda boring like Anthony Ryan's.

I liked some of the designers, but All Stars should be stars. Not Ivy. Not Laura Kathleen, And never, ever, anyone from the LA season.

Not again.

What did YOU think?