Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Project Runway All Stars- Dressing Miss Piggy

Oops! It took quite a while to get this posted from last Thursday! My wireless internet on my computer decided to crash, and it's finally working again. But on to the episode!

The Challenge:
The designers are told they will be dressing a fashionista who has had countless big name designers design clothing especially for her. (Cut to talking head interviews with the contestants, where they all incorrectly take guesses at who this person is.) After many wrong guesses, it is revealed that they are designing for Miss Piggy! Some of the designers seemed very excited, and some seemed cautious. And some shouldn't have been as excited, because they clearly had no idea what Miss Piggy would wear.

The Workroom:
Right from the gate, Kara, Gordana, and Rami all get criticism from their fellow designers on their outfits, and I TOTALLY agree. Gordana's (especially in the early stages) definitely looked like a nightgown, and even Joanna pointed that out. Ut Oh! Extra screentime+ negative feedback= recipe for bottom 3. I had to laugh a bit when Mila immediately thought Miss Piggy could use a bit of her mod aesthetic. Of course, Mila wants to put everyone in mod, so that comes as no surprise. Anthony says he wants her to look like a lady, because being a lady never goes out of style. AMEN! :)

My Mondo worried me a bit by worrying about the fact that he doesn't like his dress. Honestly, I didn't care for it too much either, but he's sure to restart whipping out fabulous creations soon :) It's also noted that Kenley and Kara are getting codependent. I think this is wonderful, because hopefully that means Kara will fall flat and get out next week as I predicted :)

And of course, I always enjoy Anthony talking about Oprah. And bacon!

The Runway:
Immediate runway reactions:

Michael- cute, and yes, Anthony, BUBBLE BOOB. But that's not a bad thing!
April- the design was very April, but not Miss Piggy, and it was really stiff.
Jerell- I liked the back of his dress... yeah that's about it.
Kara- I've never been a fan of having a cutout right below the bust, which was my biggest problem with her outfit. I didn't think it was Miss Piggy, but I'm a sucker for houndstooth, which is the pattern she used. And it looked well constructed. Kudos.
Kenley- my notes say "cute and Gorky"- stupid autocorrect!- I'm not sure if I meant quirky, funky, or giraffey, but any of those would fit.
Anthony- pretty! I liked it!
Rami- my immediate reaction was Minnie Mouse, in white and pink. Not a good first impression.
Mila- very Mila. Might work, but I doubt it.
Gordana- Not quite as nightgowny as before, but still not good and NOT Miss Piggy.
Austin- the placement of those bows was extremely bad.
Mondo- eh. I did NOT like the styling.

Judging:

TOP 3: Michael, Kenley, Rami
Michael- It's very nice, and Miss Piggy says the bow makes it look like a present. The colors were really nice and I thought it was the best.
Kenley- Whimsical pattern, pink is good for Miss Piggy. All good!
Rami- I'm still confused as to how he wound up in the top. I think the shape looks outdated and old, despite the youthfulness of the fabric. But the judges love it. I thought Kenley should've been the runner up, not Rami.

BOTTOM 3: Gordana, Mila, Austin
Gordana- Pretty dress, but understated and sophisticated. NOT Miss Piggy.
Mila- Gothic? Not quite, Miss Piggy. But it WAS very Mila, very retro, and very mod (called it!). Not flamboyant enough, and not enough color for Miss Piggy's taste. 
Austin- badly placed bows and bad color combo!

And the winner is... Michael!!! Finally, the right person won! It should've been 2 wins in a row (last week & this week), but I'm glad he won this one, because the day after this episode aired was his birthday! Happy Birthday, Michael! (I made sure to wish him a happy birthday on his facebook)

Eliminated is... Gordana! I called it for the 3rd week in a row!!! Whoa!!! :)

Predictions:
I stand by my previous prediction that Kara is next up on the chopping block. She's the weakest one left, and is relying on a stronger designer, Kenley, to give her advice. NOT GOOD!

Friday, January 13, 2012

Project Runway All Stars- A Night at the...?

I hate to say I told you so... but I'm just too proud of myself not to :)
More on this later!

The Challenge:
Mr. Badgley and Mr. Mischka (of Badgley Mischka, duh!) give the designers the task of designing a gown for a night at the opera. When I first found this out a couple days ago, my first reaction was "Austin's going to excel in this challenge!". This thought was apparently echoed throughout the workroom, as everyone seemed to think Austin was the hands-down favorite to win. However, today, I was absentmindedly thinking about tonight's upcoming episode and remembered, "Hey! Michael usually makes really pretty gowns too! Why didn't I remember that?". Apparently, I was the only one to have this epiphany, because other designers seemed to find his dress tacky. I really hope we don't have a repeat of season 8 where everyone constantly thinks Michael's dress is hideous and then he ends up in the top.

The Workroom:
If simply seeing the dresses walk the runway isn't enough for you to be able to tell who is going to be in the top and bottom, then all the workroom action should be. Before any of the dresses hit the runway, I already had the bottom 3 pegged. It would be a lot more suspenseful if they would make the top more obvious than the bottom. Seeing some people working is just painful to watch. Like Kara- she's a dreadful mess.

The Runway:
While watching, I jotted down my initial reactions to each gown, and here they are:
Kenley- pretty, but not amazing... possibly because I despise that color of pink.
Gordana- it looked more like a shirt and skirt, but the color was pretty.
Rami- the straps were draped beautifully, but it wasn't a good color.
Mila- she claimed it was black, but the bottom looked brown. eh.
Sweet P- AWFUL (exactly what I wrote)
Mondo- not my favorite from him, but very futuristic looking
Jerell- pretty-ish. the bust needed some help.
Kara- not opera. reminded me of sweet P's silhouette.
Anthony- pretty and drapey
Austin- not as impressive as I'd expected, but still very nice.
April- Ew. Her model's stying was awful, as was the dress.
Michael- best dress award (i literally gasped when I saw the finished product)

by the end of the runway, I still had Sweet P, Kara, and April as my personal bottom 3, and was sure of Michael and Anthony's slots in the top. I wasn't totally sure of whether Austin belonged there or not... but apparently he did!

Judging:
Anthony- pretty, well made and draped. It didn't look like a wedding dress, which was Joanna's concern. I thought it looked beautiful but wish he hadn't added stuff on!
April- While I disagree about red & black looking bad together (the colors of my room are actually red and black, and everything is designed around those colors- they're my favorite color combo), I do think her "ombre" was uneven... and you can't even call it an ombre, because the darkest part wasn't even all the way to the bottom. It was a large splash on the front. It was messy and tortured looking, not to mention STYLING!!!
Sweet P- Nothing was working. When I first saw her model, I said she looked pregnant. The way the material stuck out of the waist, it made her look a lot bigger than she is, and let's face it, that print was neither opera nor gown worthy.
Austin- Really sophisticated. I thought the top was beautiful, but in my opinion, everything below the bust was a little boring.
Kara- After a second and third glance, the print doesn't look as hideous as I thought it did. But it is simply not right for the opera, and the shape she gave it didn't match the pattern on the fabric.
Michael- perfection! This was honestly, the best dress of the night. It was stunning, and like I said, I literally gasped as it walked out.

And the winner is... Austin!
... really? This is the second week in a row where I thought the 2nd place designer had a far superior garment than the winner.

The judges did, however, make the correct choice in sending home... Sweet P!
I totally agree with their decision. And I'm glad I predicted correctly that she would be the next to go! Her dress was truly unflattering and ugly. So, pat on the back to me! I told you so!

My Prediction for Next Week:
Next week, it appears the designers are dressing Miss Piggy! I think this is a bit ridiculous, but I don't make the challenges! In my previous "prediction" post, I predicted Gordana as the next one to get the axe, and I'm sticking to that!

Questions? Comments? Did you like it? Did anyone even READ this?! Any feedback is much appreciated, even if it's just "I read your blog"!

Thursday, January 12, 2012

Project Runway All Stars- How It Will Play Out and Who Deserved A Spot

I would like to make it clear that the order of elimination on here is only my OPINION. I don't know anything about how it actually ends up. Since I'm a very visual person, I literally sat down and wrote each designer's name on a slip of paper and put them out in front of me and then put them in order. Enjoy :)

How It Will Play Out
I correctly predicted that Elisa would be the first eliminated last week, so hopefully I continue predicting everything well! Some of this list is based on who I like, but it's mostly based on who I think are the strongest designers.

I'd also like to say that, past Elisa, I'm fairly confident of who belongs in the top half and bottom half, but not entirely sure of where everyone falls inside those 2 halves... but I'll let you know that when I get there!

My order of elimination:
13) Elisa- Obviously, she was the first eliminated, but I called that when they first announced the cast. She placed 10th in her own season. There was absolutely no chance for her success among such talented people.
12) Sweet P- She wasn't extremely successful in her own season. Yes she made it to the top 5, but she never made anything extremely memorable. She had a lot of ups and downs and never won a challenge.
11) Gordana- Let's face it, season 6 was the worst one, and she didn't even make the top 3. She only won one challenge, and was in the bottom and safe a lot more than she was in the top.
10) Kara- She never won a challenge in her season, and was pretty up and down along the way. I don't think she has the stamina to continue in the competition too long.
9) Austin- Oh, my dear Austin! Why are you so low? Well, I went over his stats and he was only safe ONCE. He won 2, and was in the bottom 5 times. Inconsistency isn't a good thing on Project Runway! He probably won't make it to the top half of the pack, but may make it closer than I anticipate.
8) April- Honestly, she tends to make the same type of dress over and over. The judges noticed in her season, and the judges WILL notice this season. The only time April won a challenge was when another designer executed her design for her. She was a very middle-of-the-pack designer, which won't cut it for All Stars.
7) Mila- This is about the spot where I get a bit less confident about my placement. So many designers are at about the same level talent wise and it's hard to place them. Mila is one of these. She was in the bottom 5 times, but she had incredible staying power, so I'm not sure where she goes for sure, but it's somewhere in this area!
6) Rami- He was a bit all over the place in his season. And, if he does too much draping, he'll be labelled a one-note and will be sent packing. Plus, the person that wins the first challenge almost never wins the season.
5) Anthony- I really wish my Anthony had more potential than this, but sadly, I think this is about where he'll end up. He DID win 2 challenges in his season, but was also out twice. I'm hopeful he'll get at least this far, but I'm almost positive he won't get any higher than this.
4) Kenley- The people who chose the cast must have really had it out for the girls. They picked some really weak female designers. I do think, however, that Kenley has potential to get up there with the guys if she can just keep her mouth shut and take critiques better.
3) Michael- Michael is one of the 3 All Stars who has won 3 challenges or more, but his brilliance stops there. Besides the challenges he won, he wasn't in the top. He was safe a lot, however, which, combined with his aptitude for winning, could get him up in the top.
2) Jerell- I've never been a big fan of his, but when I looked at his stats from season 5 to see how much potential he had, I was surprised! He was in the top 6 times, and the bottom only twice. And both of those times, he was only in the bottom 3, not the bottom 2. He has the potential to do excellent in All Stars
1) Mondo- I honestly think he has the most potential to succeed this season. He was robbed of a win in season 8, and the fact that he's been on the show more recently should be an advantage. I know I previously said he was my favorite, but that's not the only reason I have him coming out victorious. In his season, he was in the top 9 times. NINE. That's more than some of the designers even had a chance to be in the top. And he was in the bottom ONCE. The challenge where Michael executed his design.


My All Star Cast
I realize that when they make out a cast, Project Runway has certain guidelines they have to go by. They can't choose all guys, or all girls, and the designers need to have variety in aesthetic, to keep things interesting. You wouldn't want 16 girls sending 16 pink frilly dresses down the runway. My choices, however, are not based off of that. I'm about to tell you who I wish had been on the show, regardless of gender, season, and design variety :) My only stipulation is that I'm not choosing anyone who won their season.

Austin Scarlett (season 1)
Daniel Vosovic (season 2)- My 2nd favorite designer ever on PR
Santino Rice (season 2)- I love him!
Daniel Franco (seasons 1 &2)- how could they not have him?!?!
Vincent Libretti (season 3)- for the kooky entertainment
Kayne Gillaspie (season 3)- so much fun
Jillian Lewis (season 4)
Rami Kashou (season 4)
Blayne Walsh (season 5)- holla at ya boy!
Kenley Collins (season 5)
Carol Hannah Whitfield (season 6)
Anthony Williams (season 7)
Emilio Sosa (season 7)
Mondo Guerra (season 8)
Michael Costello (season 8)
Anthony Ryan Auld (season 9)

Who would you have chosen as your All Stars? I almost added in Andrae and Nick from season 2, but realized Nick blogs for PR, and Andrae is well... ANDRAE. Also, what do you think of my placings for the All Stars? Anything surprise you?

Tomorrow... er... Tonight's challenge supposedly has to do with designing gowns, which I think helps my elimination prediction... Sweet P doesn't seem good at gowns. Austin, on the other hand, should excell!

Monday, January 9, 2012

Project Runway All Stars- And Sew It Begins... AGAIN.

Welcome to my first ever blog! WOOHOO! And what better topic to blog about than my absolute favorite tv show, Project Runway? I've been excited for this season ever since they announced there would be an All Star season, and finally, it's begun!

First Order of Business: The Cast!
Just a quick overview of my opinions on each of the cast members.

Austin- I liked him in his season, but I don't think his designs are modern enough for him to do extremely well. 
Kara- There's something about her that has always bothered me, but I can't quite seem to put my finger on it.
Rami- While I'm not completely sold on HIM, I do respect the fact that he's excellent at draping. However, he'll have to do more than just draping to prove to me (and the judges) that he's finale-worthy.
Sweet P- I have a sort of ho-hum feeling about Sweet P. I like her, and some of her designs are cute, but I don't know how she will hold up as an All Star.
Elisa- Our resident space cadet... I didn't like her in her season, and I was shocked when I saw her among the cast. She is NOT an All Star. She got 10th place in her season. It's really obvious she was only brought back because she's odd (just like Isis in America's Next Top Model was brought back for All Stars because she was transgender, though she placed low in her original season AND in the All Stars season.). If they wanted to bring back an oddball, they could've at least chosen Vincent from season 3, since he actually placed high, and they already had 2 people from season 4, and none from season 3... but enough of my Elisa rant :)
Kenley- Although she has a rotten personality sometimes, I usually like the clothes she does. If she brings more variety than she did in season 5, she could do well.
Jerell- Though what he designs isn't really my taste in clothing, I think he's a strong designer and could do well.
Gordana- I really don't have an opinion one way or the other about her. I didn't like her season very much so I rarely watch the reruns.
Anthony- And at last, we reach season 7! My favorite! Though Seth Aaron is my absolute favorite designer to EVER be on Project Runway, Anthony was my 2nd favorite in his season. I hope he stays around a long time this season just so I can have something to laugh about!
Mila- I think she's somewhat one-note, but i like her one note. If she can get a variety in her looks, she will excell.
Michael- In season 8, i was 100% on his side. I like the clothes he makes, and I think he's funny.
Mondo- My personal pick to win All Stars. I honestly believe he was robbed of a win in his season, and I hope he comes back victorious this time (though I felt the same way about Allison in ANTM All Stars, and look what happened there. 2nd again...)
April-  I honestly forgot put her on this list at first and had to go back and add her. I don't think she's an All Star at all, and I'm not sure why they brought back 3 designers from season 8, but none from season 3.

Was anyone else disappointed that no one from season 9 was on here? I realize they announced the cast while season 9 was still airing, but I wish they would have brought back Anthony Ryan. He left way too soon in my opinion.

On to the episode!
Firstly- I'm not completely sure why they can't just have the same judges and mentor. I know they said it was for a fresh start, but the judges and Joanna obviously had a good knowledge of everyone's previous work on Project Runway. Also, even if they think they need fresh judges, why can't they keep Tim Gunn? I think it would be helpful to have him since he already knows all of them! Don't get me wrong, I think Joanna (who makes me think of Tabatha Coffey!!!) was a great choice as mentor, but I'll miss Tim telling everyone to Make It Work and Carry On. Having different judges and no Tim is giving me a Project Accessory-ish feel instead of a Project Runway feel.

The prize package this year is really spectacular. Almost $500,000 worth of prizes. WOW. I'd love to see Mondo win 5 times what Gretchen did. But that's just me. :)

The show began with an intruduction to the judges: Isaac Mizrahi, Georgina Chapman, and Angela Lindvall. This was followed by an All Star fashion show.

The designers' first challenge was this season's unconventional challege- making a garment using only things found in the 99 cent store, and the garment has to be inspired by the one they showed at the All Star fashion show. Honestly, I'm not sure why they even have the unconventional challenges in the first place. I get that they want to see how the designers cope with using weird materials, but when, in the real world of fashion, will they be FORCED to use unconventional materials? Of course, they probably won't have to cope with the same time constraints either.

I enjoyed Mila's comments about Elisa being weird. The way she said it was really funny. The workroom drama was relatively low besides Michael and April using the same material. Now, I like Michael more than April, but I got really annoyed with the fact that he was convinced April's dress was going to look way better than his. Have some confidence! You already proved you're a better designer than her!

And then, of course, there has to be some sort of mishap, which came to us courtesy of Austin's hot glue gun melting his plastic. And to that, I ask... why were you using a hot glue gun on a plastic dress?

On To The Runway:
Since there are so many people, I'll just focus on the top and bottom.

Top: Rami, Mondo, Jerell

Rami- I thought his was OK. I wasn't as impressed as the judges, because I didn't like the fact that his material looked extremely stiff and shiny on the runway. I did, however, like that it wasn't drapey!
Mondo- I thought his dress was the best. It was a cute black dress, perfectly constructed and tailored. He made it cute and fun without having to add his extreme patterns and colors.
Jerell- I thought his dress was pretty, but I'm really surprised the judges weren't all over him for using material that was a lot like fabric!

Bottom: Elisa, Sweet P, Gordana

Elisa- At first, it seemed like they enjoyed her outfit, but their critique was so all over the place that by the end, I wasn't sure what they though of it. All I know is that I'm glad the writing was actually right side up and not backwards, since that's how she usually writes.
Sweet P- It was really blah and not well made. It looked like washcloths sewn together, not a pretty dress.
Gordana- I didn't hate this dress, but I agree that she should have used her time better. We don't need another Josh M bedazzling things!

Jerell is declared "safe" (Does this bother anyone else? It's IN, not safe!!! Another part of it that feels more like Project Accessory than Project Runway). Rami is then declared the winner. I was disappointed, but it's not like Rami won anything besides bragging rights, since there's no immunity. Mondo and Gordana are safe, leaving only Sweet P and Elisa left on the runway.

Eliminated: Elisa. I thought the judges made a good decision. She wasn't cut out to be an All Star.

Sorry this was a bit long because of all the introductory stuff. What did you think of the blog? Did anyone even read this? Who is your early pick to win it all? Mine, as stated before, is Mondo! I'll post something soon containing my predictions of the order people will be eliminated. As for now, I think another girl will be next- April, Gordana, or Sweet P in particular. Check back later this week for my review of the second episode!