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!