Project Runway All-Stars: Villians. Razzle-bedazzle and snarky turkey disco!

[aftershocks]

But Andrae gave PR one of its best looks of all time, the gutter water inspired gown. I've searched all over and can't find a picture, but it was stunning.

^^ You have a good memory. I don't remember that challenge, much less the outfit. Andrae was strange but somehow lovable and everyone on his original season kinda loved him.

I did a search and found a photo of Andrae's "gutter water dress" (probably from Season 2, Episode 8 "Inspiration") on a blog by Nick Verreos (who was one of the PR season 2 contestants):

http://nickverrreos.blogspot.com/200...-recap-on.html (scroll down to the last photo)

Andrae was in the top for the episode 8 challenge, but OUT on the episode 9 challenge. So he was one of the top six designers on Season 2. You can check the Bravo TV website for Season 2 videos, and Wiki has a great rundown on all PR seasons/ episodes.

I think PR Seasons 1-4 were the best, and they are all available on DVD.

Oh, I see Impromptu beat me to it re the photo of Andrae's famous dress. The link I found from Nick's (Bravo TV blog) gives a larger view with front and back looks.

[skatesindreams]

Peach was only cast, IMO, so that they would have easy "cannon fodder".
Suede was fortunate that she was there,
What was the blue team thinking?

I would have given the win to Ivy, rather than Anthony Ryan.

[aftershocks]

Andrae not only has done some great designs, I mean, come on...we NEED Santino back just because Andrae's here! "Where's Andrae?" And the Red Lobster story....

I still cannot believe that was the top three. Again, I can only assume Casanova's looked a lot more impressive in person. Ivy and Anthony Ryan's were great...from the waist up. But NO ONE (who isn't built like a model) can wear those shorts, and Anthony's pants...if you can't make them well in the time allowed, consider a skirt. Or making them in black where the camel toe isn't quite as obvious.

Wendy's "mean" (for certain values) but she has long been outclassed by Ivy and Wretchen (and never put out anything that looked nearly as bad as Wretchen's "winning" Softer Side of Sears 1970 collection.) Or participated in anything like the bus-throwing runway Wretchen lead against Michael C with Ivy toadying right along. I'll believe Ivy's improved her attitude when I see it....

I noticed from my research that one of the other quotable quotes from PR Season 2 is: "What happened to Andrae?" Yes, Santino should make an appearance on PR All-Stars, Season 2 (perhaps as a judge!) -- however, I don't think Santino is a favorite of Heidi's. Santino may not want to be on PR again either as I think the judges' critiques kinda blew his inspiration and design aesthetic. Santino and Austin Scarlett (PR Season 1; All-Stars, Season 1) had a reality fashion makeover show together which didn't last very long.

I agree that Ivy's and Anthony Ryan's looks this week were chiefly great from the waist up, and the back of AR's top is what made the outfit. I thought Althea's dress was perhaps the best overall, and should have at least been in the top 3. I guess the judges liked the richness of Casanova's leather and lace dress, but they were right that it needed more length, which was a key feature that made Althea's dress work so well.

Ivy gave Joanna Coles the excuse that she was going through a hard time personally as the reason for her being "out of sorts" and vindictive on her initial season, so yes, we'll see how it all plays out this time. Everyone seems to be acting overly friendly for this first episode of All-Stars, Season 2, at least on the surface.

ETA:
Yes, skatesindreams, the more I look at Ivy's jacket (and the unique fan-like effect of the lace on the sleeves and sides of the jacket), the more impressed I am. Still, it might have had more impact paired with pants.

[skatesindreams]

^^^
If she'd paired it with pants, they would have said that it wasn't "fashion forward" enough!

[aftershocks]

^^

True, too often, there is no accounting for the judges' tastes or the results of their scoring.

[PDilemma]

Just looking at last night's designs on "Rate the Runway" at the lifetime site. I think Wendy should be very glad her team won because that short of a dress should not have anything fringe like near the crotch area. Just doesn't look right!

[reckless]

WRT Andrae's water dress, this link has a picture of the dress and the photo that inspired it. I think that gives some context for why it was so amazing. The gutter water was so mundane, but the point was to take inspiration from something and translate it into the dress and Andrae did that incredibly well.

I thought Ivy's outfit should have won. The jacket really was well done. I know the shorts seemed like an odd choice, but the idea was to do something dramatic and a skirt or pants would not have had the same impact. And even with the shorts, it was still classy enough that the shorts looked out of place. I also think Uli and Althea should have been the others in the top-3. Uli's might have suffered from seeming the least cohesive and Althea's may have been dinged because the lace was centered in parts and then off-center in others. I really did not like Anthony Ryan's top that much. It looked very matronly from the front. I understand the judges were wowed about the "surprise" with the back, but who cares about the back if the front looks like a maternity smock?

The "bold" team really scared me. Other than Laura, I didn't see one good look. It does make me wonder why they selected a lot of these people as "all stars."

My other comment is that it did feel like we got very little time spent on the actual construction of the garments. After the 90-minute episodes for the regular show, the 60-minute all-star episode seemed very short, especially when it also reintroduced the contestants. I hope we do get more time on the construction in the remaining episodes.

[Matryeshka]

Josh and Emilio were hosed, and Ivy's dress/hot pants thing was awful. Uli's SyFy Saturday Night Movie featuring futuristic Pocahontas in the top is a head-scratcher. I don't know that I'd have it in the bottom, but it shouldn't have been in the top.

[Tesla]

Either I have no taste or the judges don't. Of the "top 3" Cassanova should win.

ETA Wow! I'd've thought Andrae would get the boot. Is it me or does Andrae seem over Project Runway?

[Rogue]

I have to agree - I can't believe they kept Andrae after that design. I did like Uli's dress the best, but it wasn't really disco-inspired.

[danceronice]

I really don't get their logic on this one. I don't HATE Uli's, but it wasn't the one I'd have picked. And I would have sent Andrae home because between the colors and shape and styling, that looked more "Eighties hooker coke binge" than 'new disco.' (Did I just channel Michael Kors? I need to stop that right now. Maybe it's the tanner.) And BADLY MADE hooker coke binge. Wendy's meanwhile I would have thought they would ding for being TOO modern, not "not modern enough." You can buy that top, I swear. I would have had her somewhere in the middle and I think they must have flipped a coin for the third 'bottom' because Kayne? Really? Of the top three, I'd have probably (grudgingly) given Ivy the win though...I don't know, I'd have to watch again to see which one I'd actually go for.

They need to stop doing "Seventies" challenges.

[my little pony]

i dont like uli's dress that much. i love bert lahr's fuchsia dress but i agree that everyone has already made that dress. i have pretty much the same thing upstair. andrae's was a mess. it's like he's daring them to auf him and they won't bite.

[aftershocks]

ITA with you guys that the top three looks the judges chose I would not have thought would be in the top three. Ivy's dress was unfinished as she didn't have time to complete the embellishment on the back top of the dress. I liked the color but did not think it deserved to be in the top 3, especially because I didn't get a sense of the 1970s. Of the 3 looks chosen by the judges, Casanova's clearly had more of a 70s vibe (I agree with Georgina tho' that it was not that unique of a design -- but I did like the straps he added on the back and the color, especially against the model's skin). I thought Althea's, Emilio's, and Josh's (of the safe looks I can recall) should have been in the top three. I think Althea's looked the most 70's inspired with a modern twist.

Andrae's idea for his billowy jacket was again too similar to what he attempted last week, and he spent way too much time on it which didn't leave him enough time to polish the rest of his outfit. I think he is seen as popular, so likely the producers did not wish Andrae to be auf'ed so soon. He is definitely over dramatic when he receives criticism, but not as bad as he was during season 2. Wendy's top was interesting but the pants and the chain made her outfit look cheap. Unfortunately for Wendy (as she intimated), she was very nice and got along with everyone this time around, so it was not enough drama for the producers to desire for her to stay (plus she's not getting a lot of fan favorite votes either, while Andrae has more fan votes). I didn't think Kayne's outfit was that bad. I actually thought that Ivy's outfit might be one of those in the bottom since they didn't announce top and bottom placements right away.

Uli is a good designer and she admitted earlier in the show that she wasn't familiar with 70s style in the U.S., so her outfit did not have a lot of 70s flavor. The judges actually had criticisms for all of the top 3 designs, so I don't understand why they were in the top three instead of just safe. Maybe seeing the designs live on the runway provides a different impression.

One of my complaints is that during this week's runway show there was too much cutting and special effects going on so that we didn't really get to see a good view of all the designs.

[zaphyre14]

I lived through the 70's (and still have some of the clothes in my attic) and NONE of those outfits, except maybe the fuschia dress and the chevron-striped pallazo pants looked very '70s to me. But I did like Uly's dress just as a dress. The judges ragged on Wendy's top but I thought the pants were the worst part. I'm not sorry to see her go as she just wasn't that interesting this time around.

[skatesindreams]

Ironic that the person who admits that: because of her background/birthplace, she has little knowledge of Disco, wins

The judges didn't know much about the era/challenge either.
Wendy's look was closer to what was actually worn in that time period than most.

If Ivy had time to really complete her garment, it might have been great.

I'd've thought Andrae would get the boot. Is it me or does Andrae seem over Project Runway?

He seems "disturbed" whenever hearing the judges critiques.
Although, in his case, most of what they've said, applies.

[Aceon6]

Another older than dirt chiming in. My disco dress was a one shouldered thing with ruffles. True disco inspired clothing didn't last very long. Maybe 75-82. It really was a sub-genre rather than a full fashion cycle. If you watch Saturday Night Fever, the guys' clothing stood out more. Dresses were dresses and there wasn't that much difference between something you'd wear to a disco vs. something you'd wear on a regular date.

[Rob]

I lived through the 70's (and still have some of the clothes in my attic) and NONE of those outfits, except maybe the fuschia dress and the chevron-striped pallazo pants looked very '70s to me. But I did like Uly's dress just as a dress. The judges ragged on Wendy's top but I thought the pants were the worst part. I'm not sorry to see her go as she just wasn't that interesting this time around.

I totally used to wear something just like those pallazzo pants and camisole top (not sequined though), but I had a rhinestone adorned feather in my hair too! When I saw Kayne draping the top, I thought he'd have it just right with a modern twist, but he reverted to the very 70s sparkly camisole -- kind of retro dated, not a modern twist.

I had a pantsuit for disco that was very much like Joshua's except that it had a strapless top with a jacket with sleeves over it. And a Calvin Klein leather wrapped belt. I liked his.

Laura Kathleen - I definitely had some gold lame stuff and I definitely had a jumpsuit, but the 2 pieces didn't go together. The jumpsuit by itself was spot-on.

Ulli's was more 60s I think? Cute, but not disco.

Casanova, Fuschia was a popular color, but the dress was a little shorter than what we wore to Studio 54 for dancing. But for a modern twist, I probably would have pegged him for the win if not Joshua.

Ivy - yes, we wore chiffon with little underneath, but that was a bit matronly. I liked the color though. I really liked her drawings from the show where they picked the designers for her season, and then her clothes never measured up. I like that she has gotten a grip this time.

Emilio's - nice dress, too long, didn't show the shoe, you and half the dance floor would step on it.

Althea's - I liked this dress. It was more modern than 70s, but it was nice.

Anthony Ryan's and Suede's didn't do much for me.

Andrae - yuk

Wendy's wasn't attractive, but it really wasn't too far off from what we wore in those days.

[Rogue]

I actually agreed on 1st and last places last night. That doesn't happen often with me.

[my little pony]

for whatever, i keep forgetting that this season of all stars exists

[PDilemma]

I actually agreed on 1st and last places last night. That doesn't happen often with me.

I read this comment and thought...."what was first and last? What did they make? What was the challenge?"

And I watched the entire show and even recall rewinding the runway show a time or two for a second look. So far this round of All-Stars has been a snooze. Boring challenges. Boring designs. No idea why I bother turning it on.