SkimIt
Oh no, it's the dreaded unconventional challenge. In years past, the unconventional challenge has presented everything from candy to materials from the pet store to LED lights. In the spirit of the season, the designers were fittingly sent to a Christmas store. The twist - the final look was not supposed to look like a holiday-themed garment. Which outfits were naughty, and which were nice?
Project Runway All Stars hosted by Carolyn Murphy airs on Lifetime Thursdays at 9:00 pm ET.
Happy Hanukkah, Josh
The unconventional materials challenge is a known hurdle for contestants on this show. Having recently been infected with the 2012 Christmas spirit, I was feeling very festive and chipper while watching as the designers tore through decorations, ornaments, wrapping paper and pretty much everything else. In the workroom, Josh discovered that his seemingly elegant roll of blue fabric was really a casing for a Happy Hanukkah flag. It would be interesting to see how this will be incorporated into the look.
Right away, people took to whining about the challenge. But this is All Stars, so they should have seen it coming. This challenge is all about creativity and has produced some amazing looks in the past. In season 10, Gunnar expertly crafted an adorable dress out of candy wrappers and licorice. Austin Scarlet set the bar for the first season by creating an elegant gown out of corn husks. Use your ingenuity and work that Christmas gear, people!
Santa's Little Sweatshop
This week, the first model fitting was more like arts and crafts hour. Designers were starting and re-starting their looks, and some of them utilized their models to help glue, cut, staple, etc. While some fans would consider this to be cheating, I think that if you only have two days to make something, you take help where you can get it. Casanova even went as far as begging for scraps, because his first two looks contained too much fabric.
During the final model fitting, it seemed as though the designers were costuming a Vegas review. I was getting pretty nervous about what would be walking the runway. With all of the disco ball bling and glitter, this runway looked like it would be more Stars on Ice than Vanity Fair.
So This is Christmas (Or Not)
To my surprise, none of the dresses really screamed Christmas on the runway, and some of the looks were actually cute. I adored Josh's Studio 54 meets Ibiza party outfit as well as Anthony Ryan's sparkly cocktail dress. Ivy sent down another old-lady in yellow look with absolutely no shape to it. Casanova's look was pretty simple. I think that he should have stayed with the poinsettias, regardless of whether or not it looked like Santa Claus.
There were some issues with Josh's shorts. This was expected, since he struggled with the shorts in the workroom. However, his sparkly disco top was spectacular and intricate. Even before the episode began, I was convinced that Ivy would be going home. The judges seemed to agree during their debate, but I have been shocked with their decisions before. Uli managed to pull out another win with her edgy, sparkly cocktail dress. She is now the queen of adornments. In the end, Ivy and Casanova were in the bottom two, meaning that they will no longer be joined at the hip (sad face). Casanova ended up being eliminated... so much for my prediction.
Tears were flowing back stage while everyone said goodbye to Casanova. Since the competition is dwindling, I suspect that more tears will flow in the future. With six designers remaining, we are entering the home stretch. Fashion week is in their sights. The competition is certain to become more fierce. Next week's face-off challenge should be entertaining.
