PR All-St★rs 2, EP 8: A Fistful Of Flappers

So, Christmas is over in the PR All-St★rs world, and Casanova is probably lying under a tree somewhere waiting for Ivy to bring him soup.

Now, it's back to business, Roaring 20s style. I know, huh?

Not Heidi appears on the catwalk with envelopes and they ain't no Christmas cards. This challenge will be about the 1920s, and will be a Fashion Face Off.

Dun dun dun dunnnnnnnnnnnnnnn.

Not Heidi educates us--via a team of PR staffers--that the 1920s was the beginning of a new era for women's fashion and so the designtestants must create a look for the modern woman inspired by the 1920s and an imaginary event the women will attend: Garden Party, Social Soiree, or After Hours Speakeasy.

And, since the designtestants will go head to head, one from each category will be the high score, and one will be the low score.

And the lowest of lows gets the boot.

GARDEN PARTY

EMILIO

"I think my girl owns the estate, while [Josh's] girl is just a guest."

I didn’t think this was one of Emilio’s strongest pieces. In fact, I thought it was a rip-off of a dress Diana Ross wore in Lady Sings The Blues; a little too close for comfort, I thought.

Carolyn loved the back detail, which, well, is that high praise? Gretchen Mol--a guest judge because she’s on Boardwalk Empire which takes place in the 20s so she's an expert?--called it lady-like, while Georgina said it lacked personality and doesn't think Emilio has a stamp of design that he puts of everything. Jenny Packham--guest judge and British designer--called it elegant but dated, while Isaac said it looked more 1930s than 1920s.

Sidenote: the dress Diana wore is from a scene that takes place in the 1930s so Isaac and I are on the same page, and I love that.

Emilio wins his face-off, but, as Isaac also said, this dress is not a challenge winner.

JOSH

"[Emilio's] girl may own the estate, but she's just the appetizer for her husband, my girl is the main course."

Joana Coles thought it might go "too marsupial" with the drape-y pouch in front.

I didn’t get it. I didn’t see 1920s; I saw a purple toga worn over a gray muscle shirt. The only interest was the flash of lime green as the model walked away.

Georgina Chapman loved the cut of the dress, and thought it a modern take on the 20s, while she hated the broach and the accessories. Jenny Packham dubbed it snappy! Actress Gretchen Mol loved the lime green slash in the back, while Carolyn Murphy called it modern, but safe. Isaac simply said it was not interesting enough, but still, not so bad that Joshua should go home.

He gets a pass.

AFTER HOURS SPEAKEASY

ANTHONY RYAN

"I will not mind exterminating Ivy."

At first again like Isaac, I didn't like the capelet--though I love a good feather--but when the model removed it, and you saw that high neckline underneath, it didn't seem cool and 20s and sexy and, well, After Hours. I would have liked the outwear piece to have had a plunging neckline so you might see the inside piece better. 

Jenny Packham loved it because it was modern and exciting, and loved the dangerously low-cut back--a signature move by Anthony Ryan. Gretchen called it young and fun and I wondered if we saw the same dress. Isaac hated the capelet, then loved the capelet, while Georgina--an obvious Anthony Ryan fan--loved that he makes all his designs seem Anthony Ryan; it's another way of saying original.

And another way of saying Anthony Ryan gets his third win.

IVY

"If it doesn't work, I'm done."

Ivy was funny. At first she thought Anthony Ryan was working too closely to her, and spying on her, and I kept thinking, Girl! You should be spying on him since you've yet to win a challenge and have spent the last three weeks in the cellar.

When Joana Coles asks them to rate one another’s work, Anthony calls Ivy's a strong 7/8; she gives him a 5. Seriously, not cool for someone who's going home....next week.

I don't get Ivy. What about the 1920s says "leather shoulder straps"? And what about the 20s says slap a heavy piece of cloth on her like she just stepped out of a shower and all she could find was a sequined towel? It was so heavy; I seriously thought the model was having trouble walking.

Carolyn said she'd seen it before....in a horror film....and that it was poorly made.....like a bad horror film. Isaac said the back was better than the front, which, again, is that really a compliment if a woman looks better walking away? Georgina gave it a "not sexy" and wondered how and why Ivy could take the most expensive fabric and make dreck. Well, I'm translating for her from the original English. Jenny Packham wondered why Ivy would put feathers on it when they got lost amid the sequined carpet runner, while Gretchen Mol said it had grown on her....like a fungus one might get stepping out of a bathtub onto a dirty floor with no bathmat.

Is it obvious yet that I didn’t like this?

But it still got a pass.

SOCIAL SOIREE

ULI

"Facing off against Laura is going to be tough."

I was so happy that Uli ditched her old beachwear flowy dresses, but now she's stuck in the white, embellished, feathers and sequins style. She really needs to mix it up, because, while this was nice--and oh so definitely 1920s--it looked like her dress from last week, and like her dress from the Disco Challenge.

Georgina wasn't a fan of the cowl, and said it made the dress look heavy; as soon as the model took it off, the dress was much better. Isaac loved it but thought the white fringe made it look cheap--like it was stolen from one of Elvis's old jumpsuits. Gretchen also liked it best without the cowl, but then Not Heidi said she liked the cowl, so, whatcha gonna do?

Uli, who was worried about facing off against Laura really had nothing to worry about.

LAURA

"I don’t need feathers to compensate for my design."

Then she says she'll use fur; an embellishment. And she keeps saying fur coat and then she makes a Fred Flintstone half-vest out of fur that looked like the bathmat from a cheap hotel.

Such a high level of taste; not.

I didn't get it. It didn’t look 1920s at all. The color was dull, and the design was too simple, and it read more Ann-Margret than flapper.

Isaac loathed the fur, and called it cavewoman, while Georgina smacked Laura, who's supposedly the Pant Girl, for making a pant that makes the model look hippy--and not in the 1970s cool, fun way--and that the shiny fabric at the crotch looks a little penis-y. Jenny Packham thought it looked sophisticated--and I think maybe Duchess Kate should get a new designer--and that it moved well. Now that's a compliment: "It moves well."

So does a donkey.

Gretchen Mol could only utter, "There's a lot wrong," and Carolyn Murphy managed to stutter, "Go home Laura, you're done."

I shouted "Hurray!"

MY TAKE

I think a lot of the designers missed the mark and went too costume....Uli....and went too safe....Joshua. I think, had Joshua gone for a more decadent fabric, and not some Plain Jane stuff, he might have won. I think Emilio proved he's a great costume designer, for movies from 1972, and I think Ivy made a wise choice to step away from the sheer, but a wrong choice to slap a rug on her model.

I think Anthony Ryan will win the whole thing and I think Laura Kathleen is sitting at home, pushing pins into an Isaac Mizrahi voodoo doll.

Oh, and before I forget, here's Miss Ross from Lady Sings The Blues and Emilio's dress from last night. If he'd gone more flouncy sleeves and big hat, it would have been dead on rip-off.

What did YOU think?