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The Top Five …and all men! I don’t remember the last time we were having an all-one-gender finale. I like it. Alyssa Milano meets the men on the runway and asks them to put their PR experience into words and naturally Anthony sums it up nicely:
“Project Runway is where you find out who you are as a designer, and Project Runway All Stars is where you show who you are as a designer.”
Word. And as soon as that lovely moment passes, Alyssa mentions their special guest this week and the men tremble …as Fabio puts it, he could feel the footsteps of Nina Garcia coming closer and closer.
Nina is tough; Nina can be mean; but Nina just wants the best. Be like Nina. I love me some Nina Garcia!
Oddly enough, though, Nina talks gaming and how it influences music and film, TV and, of course, fashion. Then Alyssa tells the designtestants that they’ll be teaming up with Candy Crush … apparently, it’s a game you play on your phone or something … and brings out Yonna Ingolf, a green-haired Goth designer for Candy Crush, to talk about the game.
Nina then gives them the challenge: resort looks inspired by a land within the Candy Crush world. They’ll have one day and $200 to make it work, and then Yonna tells them that the winning designer will collaborate with Candy Crush for a fashion design to be featured in the game or sold online or, oh, I don’t know, it’s a video game or something and I just can’t with it.
The designers head to the workroom to play a game of Candy Crush and whomever scores the most points gets first choice of ‘land’ to inspire their resort-wear. It’s all too much for me, games and fashion and candy, so let’s get on with it …
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TOPS AND BOTTOMS
Literally ... I'm guessing
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Ken
Ken is apparently a master at Candy Crush and beats all the designtestants by 50,000—Fabio—and almost 100,000 points—Poor Edmond, the newbie to the game.
As the winner, Ken gets first choice and picks something called Brûlée Bay, beach resort wear. He explains that his girl will be hosting a party at the Hamptons. He opts for a bold yellow fabric to create a cigarette pant jumpsuit worn under a sarong type flowy top.
Anne Fulenwider is back, reminding the designers that she knows what Nina likes and dislikes. For her part, Anne loves ken’s color choice and his tailoring.
WHAT HE SAID
I don’t do movement at all, but I’m trying to push myself… there’s wind, life and breath.
WHAT I SAID
I hate yellow. I love this.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ likes this, and loves the tailored trousers and the riff on a sarong; she called it restrained and effortless.
Nina Garcia says Ken’s look is “juicy” saying the color was everything; she says Ken he nailed it, though the fabric did seem a bit heavy for the beach.
Isaac Mizrahi loves the color and that it was both beach and tailored, but questioned the fabric choice, saying it moved the look away from the beach.
Guest Judge Kelly Osbourne wants the look, but wished the sarong was removable for a ‘Wow’ moment.
Alyssa Milano called it ‘chic beach’ but didn’t think it was anything new.
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Edmond
He sucked at the game and came in dead last … just one more thing he and I have in common other than the fact that we love his guns. As last, Edmond picked got stuck with Marshmallow Mountain Resort and instantly went into ski-wear.
A skin-tight sexy ski outfit.
He wants black with a pop of color but seems to skip color and go basic black. Anne questions both his fabric choice, and his literal; take on mountain resort as ski athletic wear, but he will not budge; she mentions après ski and he doesn’t seem to know what that means.
Big mistake; huge.
WHAT HE SAID
I think that easily this look can interchange into something else … on the ski slopes … at night with a heel.
WHAT I SAID
It really should have been tighter because all I’m getting is fur-collared body bag.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ says après ski would have been a better choice because this is athletic wear, not resort wear.
Isaac Mizrahi liked that it wasn’t so tight, but he wasn’t so mad about the fur collar as an afterthought. He also reminds us that you can already by a ski suit anywhere.
Nina Garcia thinks Edmond was tripped up by not having a choice in which ‘land’ he got. She says he didn’t make the best of it, he made the safe of it. This was Edmond not trying.
Kelly Osbourne called it: wetsuit. And she wishes it had been in a brighter color.
Alyssa Milano was thrown by it not being so tight and says the crotch looked a little penis. She does say she likes it, and Kelly asks if she likes it because she likes Edmond and Isaac says, “Yes!”
I, too, like Edmond …a lot … but this isn’t a good look.,.
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Stanley
Stanley gets third place in the Candy crush Contest and he opts for Lemonade Lake Resort. And, as happens with Stanley, he’s planning on making several pieces yet again, with a dress worn over pants, something, he says, he’s never seen on the PR before. Now, I could search this blog or Google and find out he’s wrong, but just my word for it. Someone has done pants udder a dress before …
But no one admits it; even Anne seemed wide-eyed at the mere thought, and suggests he do something a bit more easy and elegant; he suggests a huge scarf and Anne’s head explodes.
Stanley soldiers on, and as Fabio sees his design he says, jokingly, “F**k off, Stanley,” Then Ken pipes up, “Damn, Stanley.” And that’s apparently all Stanley needed to follow his vision.
WHAT HE SAID
The movement of the skirt and sleeves are pure perfection.
WHAT I SAID
It is a lot of look…and it’s giving me Faye Dunaway as Joan Crawford in ‘Mommie Dearest.’
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ says he did a great job with a heavy fabric, but she has a problem with the trousers’ proportions.
Isaac Mizrahi says there’s something fresh about the look, as part of a collections, but he wishes the print was gone, replaced by a solid color.
Kelly Osbourne claims it’s new and fresh, but then says she wishes the dress was just a blouse, like a blouse and trousers would be “new and fresh”?
Nina Garcia loves the bold volume but says bold volume in sleeves and skirt hem and pants and hair is a bit much.
Alyssa Milano this is her favorite Stanley design from the entire season.
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Fabio
Fabio falls about 50,000 points from the Candy Crush win, so he picks second …and goes for Taffy Tropics Resort look, with a dress, albeit and utterly backless dress, over pants. He was headed toward a color blocked look but switched it up to keep one color on one side and the other color opposite.
He called it something a Brazilian girl would wear on New Year’s Eve to the beach … because it’s Summer in December in Brazil.
Anne thinks it’s too heavy and too hot and hates the pants, but without them it would be a bare-assed mess.
WHAT HE SAID
I’m a little torn. All I notice [are] the flaws.
WHAT I SAID
It looks nice from the front, but the bare back just seems off to me.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Alyssa says she loves a onesie and loves the back of his design.
The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ liked his color story, and that it looked like Fabio; she was a bit shocked at all the pants under dresses moments on the runway. She has nothing to critique, really, though she wishes he’d design clothes like those he wears; both Nina and Isaac say Fabio should do a menswear collection based on his personal style.
Isaac, naturally, says he has some criticisms; the dress seems heavy, like she may topple forward at any moment, and he says the model looks like a prisoner of the garment.
Nina Garcia loved the exuberance of the look but agreed with Isaac about the heavy front.
Kelly Osbourne also loves it but thinks it’s a bit of a heavy fabric.
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Anthony
Anthony is also a Candy Crush Virgin, but he bests Edmond by a hair and gets to skip Marshmallow Mountain and choose Sticky Savannah, a safari resort. Safari is not a word Anthony can say, though he says it’s because “Safari is a stripper’s name in his neighborhood.”
At Mood, he skips all colors and goes for a white eyelet fabric that reminds him of the circles and squares in the game, and yet is breathable on
WHAT HE SAID
I feel absolute pride. I like how polished it is, wearable and easy.
WHAT I SAID
There’s something futuristic clinician about this look to me.
WHAT THE JUDGES SAID
Isaac Mizrahi loves the “naughty” eyelet fabric, though he feels the shorts are kind of moderate, and not at all “swoon worthy.”.
Nina Garcia thinks it would be a trick to put it on, and wishes the back had the same detail as the front, although she’s getting nurse in a sports bra from it.
Kelly Osbourne likes the white, and candy Crush inspired fabric.
The Beautiful Georgina Chapman™ called contemporary, not aspirational; she says it’s “too nothing.”.
Alyssa Milano thinks it looks like an apron.
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It was clear from the runway that the winner would be Ken. His design was cool and resort and simple and chic.
Stanley and Fabio are safe, leaving Anthony and Edmond in the Bottom.
Was it the School Nurse who went home, or was it the Morgue Model? Well, I knew before it happened that Edmond was done.
I’ll miss him.
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Stanley saying his look is Amal Clooney at Lake Cuomo. Cuomo? Um, it's Como.
Fabio and ken and Stanley are all making a dress over pants and not one changes their design. I thought it might go bad, but there was just enough of a difference to make each look seem different than the next.
Ken’s monster pincushion on his arm was kinda scary.
And I loved Ken teasing Fabio at Mood about their looks:
Fabio: “I’m making a jumpsuit.” Ken: “I’m making a jumpsuit, too.” Fabio: “Are you? I’m making a wide-legged jumpsuit.” Ken: “I am, too.” Fabio: “Are you really?” Ken: “Yes.” Fabio: “Are you color blocking?” Ken: “Hell, no.” Fabio: “Okay, then.”
I still remember Ken’s anger issues on his season and am amazed every week at how much he smiles and less angry he is; what ever he did, worked. And he’s far cuter with a smile.
As usual, Anthony scores Lines of the Night, with this one about Edmond:
“Listen, Helen Keller can see that this man is struggling with his scuba suit.”
And this line about Stanley’s look:
“This is, like, a lot of fabric. I don’t understand why the dress wasn’t enough. And there’s a hat! I mean, it’s very intense.”
I loved Anne calling herself The Nina Whisperer.
Well, The Tents. Edmond missed it by thatmuch because it looks like all four remaining men will create a six-look collection next week, though maybe only three will show at Fashion Week. And I’m good with whoever shows and will miss whoever doesn’t.
As for my winner, I’d like to see Fabio bring it, mostly because, like Georgina and Isaac, I love his personal style. Stanley has the chic gene, and Anthony has the Drama Gene and Ken the Tailoring Gene, so whatever happens, I think this will be a good finale.
What did YOU think?
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The Sublime and the Ridiculous. Nina - sublime. Candy Crush - ridiculous.
ReplyDeleteSublime recap, Bob! :-)
Okay, we're switching to basic cable today, so if (big if) I still have this channel I'll watch the finale. Regardless, I will still enjoy reading your wonderful recaps.
ReplyDeleteI think the change in Ken came when he watched his season and was able to see what a true anal orifice he was. Sometimes ya gotta look at yourself from the outside.
The judges seem bias towards Stanley and Fabio in that those two can do no wrong in their eyes. I thought both their looks were wretched and though Edmond clearly was the worst and needed to go, Anthony should not have been up for elimination.
ReplyDeleteI like Fabio's the best, back and all.
ReplyDelete