SkimIt
In true Project Runway fashion, the All Stars finalists were hit with a twist for the final challenge. While other season's finalists have been given a month to finish their collections, the All Stars were given four days. Read on to find out who came out on top.
Project Runway All Stars hosted by Carolyn Murphy airs on Lifetime Thursdays at 9:00 pm ET.
The Final Challenge
Uli, Anthony Ryan and Emilio were greeted by Carolyn Murphy and informed that they would be responsible for designing a mini-collection to be presented on the runway in four days. As if that weren't daunting enough, they were also informed that they would be designing their whole runway show from the music to the number of looks in the collection. Each designer came up with an entirely different idea, setting the stage for a true showdown on the runway.
It's not abnormal for Project Runway's final show to be eclectic, but these three have completely different styles, which could make it hard to compare in my opinion. Uli's "Winter Wonderland" theme was going to feature a lot of white and ivory, while Emilio's "Urban Plantation" theme would feature a lot of wild prints and bright colors. I think that this makes it difficult to judge skills, because each judge may gravitate toward the palette that best reflects their own taste.
It Takes a Village
To help ease some of the stress of creating a whole, mini-collection in four days, eliminated designers were brought back to assist the final three. Anthony Ryan asked Joshua to be his aide, but Joshua refused, showing that he was still bruised from his elimination last week. Uli's partner in crime was Casanova, who seemed dedicated to sleeping in the back room. Hopefully this decision would not backfire when it came to the final runway show.
Although it is very nice of the producers to offer help to the final three, it seems like it'd be a slap in the face to come back and help the people who beat you. When Casanova was lying on the couch, he said, "I was on vacation. I wasn't planning on coming back." I don't think that it would be advantageous for one of the assistants to purposely sabotage their contestant. I mean, they already lost, so it would serve no purpose. Still, a lot of the people on these shows are catty, so it's not unimaginable that something sinister would happen.
Cutting Corners and Making it Work
After three months of challenges, cat fights and hard work, it was time for the final runway show. The final show took place in Gotham Hall, and Liv Tyler and Margherita Missoni served as guest judges. Emilio's show kicked off the festivities. He set the mood with a bucket drummer, and the energy continued from there. The collection was colorful, powerful and vibrant. Anthony Ryan's "The Thin Line" collection featured several structured, form-fitting silhouettes with no shortage of cut-outs. His show was more subdued than Emilio's. Uli closed the show with her "Winter Wonderland" collection. Her models floated airily down the runway as if they were snowflakes on a cold winter's day. The collection itself featured the embellishments and a level of detail that Uli has presented all season.
Of the three, I was most impressed with Emilio's show. His colors popped, and there was energy throughout. Uli's was very dreamy and elegant as well. I love Anthony Ryan, but found his looks to be very similar. His looks also appeared to be appropriate for tall, skinny girls and that's it. Being a shorter person myself, I am not sure that these looks would have been appropriate for me. Overall, I liked Uli's and Emilo's collections the best. Emilio's reminded me of Roy Lichtenstein, and Uli's of a fine ballet.
In it to Win it
The judges seemed to like Anthony Ryan's collection better than I did, but they did critique his finale look and lack of cohesion. Emilio was praised for his focus and cohesion, along with the strength of his vision. Uli's collection was praised for being dreamy, but the judges had mentioned that her collection was not up to her skill level. In the end, the top prize ended up going to Anthony Ryan.
While I didn't really like his collection this week, his looks have been the ones that I have liked the most throughout the season. It has been fun watching his style evolve from his previous time on the show to the end of All Stars.
