After the underwhelming Season Ten of Project Runway, I'm not sure it was a good idea for Lifetime to plunge immediately into a new cycle, as its easy to experience burnout (and this is the second All Stars series this year).
But luckily, this batch of designers is road tested for drama, skill and just a drop of crazy, so maybe they can deliver some excitement ...or at least, tears and slapfights.
The designers meet up, get acquainted (or re-acquainted), new host Carolyn Murphy informs them that the winner will receive the biggest prize in Runway history, with cash and fashion crap totaling $350,000 dollars, and then they are immediately thrust into the the thick of things (this series is only an hour an episode, which adds to the frenzy and eliminates the dull spots, thankfully).
Mentor Joanna Coles has them choose teams, and each team is assigned to create a mini collection with "attitude." So we end up with "Team Bold" and "Team Confident", aka "Team With Wendy Pepper" and "Team Without Wendy Pepper." They will be judged individually, but each team has to create a cohesive collection, and the challenge winner will be chosen form the winning team, and the elimination will come from the losing team.
Let's take a look at each designer, how they fared, and how much they annoyed me.
DESIGNER - Althea Harper. Season Six, First Runner-up
Season Six was a transitional year for Runway (it was the first season on Lifetime), and was generally not well received, primarily because of the icy bitch goddess winner Irina. Unfortunately, runner-up Althea got lost amidst the turmoil, which is a shame, because she certainly crafted beautiful sophisticated clothes. And she continues it here.
STATUS - Safe
DESIGNER - Andrae Gonzalo – Season Two
Remember when I mentioned wanting to see tears? Don't let me down, Andrae! Sadly, all we got this first episode was giggles. Lots and lots of giggles, especially when the judges were tearing down his godawful "X Marks The Spot" frock.
STATUS - Bottom Two
DESIGNER - My Sweet Anthony Ryan Auld – Season Nine
He was auf'd from Season Nine way too early (the birdseed design alone should have let him coast to Fashion Week), and he finally gets a chance to brighten the workroom again with his huggable accent. The judges loved his design, even though I wasn't really a fan of the lizard scales on his model's back.
STATUS - WINNER!
DESIGNER - Casanova – Season Eight
Speaking of lovable, Casanova was the first Puerto Rican designer ever on the show, and his personality definitely overshadowed his designs, which were ... well, not all that great. This week the judges liked his Frankenhooker design a lot more than i did.
STATUS - Top Three
DESIGNER - Emilio Sosa – Season Seven, First Runner-up
There is a lot of talk about "setting things right," and that is nowhere more evident than with Emilio. During his season he won more challenges than anyone (including a record three in a row), but he somehow lost in the finale to ... Seth Aaron. This is his shot to grab the gold. I'm not sure about his first design, though. There are very few women who can actually wear that.
STATUS - Safe
DESIGNER - Ivy Higa – Season Eight
Wendy Vs. Ivy. C'mon ... we all want to see it. I love that Joanna Coles called on her asshattery. "I'm terrified to meet you, because I remember you were such a bitch on your season." The judges loved her design, but those horrible side splotches ruin it for me.
STATUS - Top Two
DESIGNER - Joshua McKinley – Season Nine, First Runner-up
Oh Joshua. Even though your ... halting .. speech .. patterns drove me up the wall, you were one of the most entertaining parts of Season Nine. When Carolyn mentioned all the cash up for grabs, you remarked how much, how very much you needed it. Yes, Joshua, we know. We remember. And sorry, but I didn't like this week's design at all. It looks like some buttons popped off the top and flew into the crowd, blinding a few people
STATUS - Safe
DESIGNER - Kayne Gillaspie – Season Three
His "pageant sensibilities" are still in full bloom, as you can see. This looks like something from the road show of Snow White And The Huntsman
STATUS - Safe
DESIGNER - Laura Kathleen – Season Nine
Laura was eliminated in her season just before Fashion Week (is there a worse elimination?), but now she has a chance to fix that. She's off to a good start, as she made a lovely design this week.
STATUS - Safe
DESIGNER - Peach Carr - Season Eight
Peach provided the most awkward moment of the night when Isaac Mizrahi told her to stop making excuses, and she let out a gigantic sigh and pleaded "Oh Isaac, C'mon." It was terrible to see, because she knew the writing was on the wall. Yes, her design was a hot mess, but I don't think it was the worst.
STATUS - ELIMINATED (And Louis Called It!)
DESIGNER - Suede – Season Five
This was the worst design of the night. But Suede doesn't think so. Suede is filled with confidence. Suede still speaks about himself in the third person. Suede needs to leave soon, or snicks is going to be pissed. Seriously, this looked like Muppet Road Warrior.
STATUS - Bottom Three
DESIGNER - Uli Herzner – Season Three, First Runner-up
Robbed of the win the last time, Uli has one more chance to shine. Too bad this design looks like a fuzzy caterpillar has enveloped her front.
STATUS - Safe
DESIGNER - Wendy Pepper– Season One, Second Runner-Up
Damn. Wendy didn't provide the fireworks we were all hoping for, but it's only the first episode. She did provide the title of this week's recap, as she utters the greatest cliche in reality TV history. And i'm not sure she realized it. I do know I didn't like her design. Pincer Couture has never appealed to me.
STATUS - Safe
So what did you think of Episode One? Any early favorites?
